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Friday - Machine Applique
Saturday - Hand Applique
Sunday - Bias Applique

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Linked Pillow-Along: Quilting

This post is part of the Linked Pillow-Along.  If you are just joining, you can see the first post here, the supply list here, the cutting instructions here and the construction details here.  Today we are quilting our pillow and next time we'll be putting a zipper in the back and doing the binding.

[A short note of apology here:  I need to reschedule the final Pillow-Along post for September 1, instead of August 31.  I hope this doesn't cause anyone too much trouble.  I'm out of town for a few days with my family and I just couldn't get it finished before I left.  Time management is a constant battle!]

On to the quilting!  First, the quilting design.  I am a fan of fairly simple quilting.  I just like the clean look of it.  I think it is especially appropriate with this pillow.  This small "quilt" has a lot of color contrast and pattern going on.  Having said this, the blue squares are perfect for some more detailed quilting too.

I decided to quilt my pillow in the ditch with white thread.  I actually thought about this when I was constructing the blocks and purposely decided to press away from the white to make the ditches easier to quilt in.  This also helped avoid the navy and green seams shadowing through the white.

Here is my pillow ready to quilt - as you can see, I use a lot of pins.  I rarely have trouble with puckers on the back of my quilts.  I attribute this to careful backing/batting preparation and lots of pins.  I didn't think to take pictures of my preparation because what I do is fairly typical, but I'll cover it here in case it is helpful to anyone.

I pressed my muslin lining and taped it to my table.  Next I put the batting on top and smoothed it out.  When I am making a bigger quilt, I always put my batting in the dryer for a few minutes with a wet towel to soften any wrinkles it has from the packaging.  My favorite batting is Quilter's Dream Cotton Select Natural, but I use others sometimes too.  Next, I press my top, place it on top of the backing and batting and smooth it out too.  Then I pin.

Before I start quilting, I always take a few stitches on a layered scrap of the same fabrics or, sometimes, just near the edge of my project (I remove it afterward).  I check that I'm happy with the stitch length and tension.  I usually use a slightly larger stitch length when quilting than I do when I am piecing.

Finally, trim the top to 20" square.

Linked Pillow-Along: Construction

This post is part of the Linked Pillow-Along.  If you are just joining, you can see the first post here, the supply list here and the cutting instructions here.  Today we are making our pillow front.  Tuesday next week (Aug 28) we'll be quilting and Friday (Aug 31) we'll be putting a zipper in the back and doing the binding.

Today we come to my favorite part of quilt making - the sewing!  A couple of notes - always use a 1/4" seam allowance and always press AWAY from the white if you're pressing to the side.  I used white thread for constructing the pillow top.

 Sew one white strip between two green strips.  Cut the remaining green strip in half and sew a white strip between the two halves.  Crosscut 17 2 1/2" sections.    (Note:  You may not need the second piece if your fabric is wide enough).

Sew a 3 1/2" white section on two opposite sides of a blue square.  

Sew a 4 1/2" white section onto the two remaining sides of the blue square.  Make 15.

Sew a 2" white section on the short sides of the 3 1/2" x 2" pieces.  Sew a 4 1/2" white section onto one long side of the blue piece.

 Starting with a full blue square on the top left corner, lay out the pillow as shown.

 Sew the pieces together into columns and the columns into the pillow top.

Have fun!  Please add some pictures to the Flickr group so we can share our progress!

(PS - Sorry about the arrangement of pictures.  Blogger usually cooperates when I have one or two pictures, but as soon as I add more, it gets a mind of its own!)

Linked Pillow-Along

This post is part of the Linked Pillow-Along.  If you are just joining, you can see the first post here and the supply list here.  There will be plenty of time to catch up.  Today we are cutting the fabric.  Friday we'll be making our pillow front.  Tuesday next week (Aug 28) we'll be quilting and Friday (Aug 31) we'll be putting a zipper in the back and doing the binding.

For those of you who have been pillowing along - are you ready to get started cutting your fabric?  Here we go!

Cut strips

For the blue squares, cut 2 3½" strips and 2 2½" strips.  Subcut the 3½" strips into 15 3½" squares and 3 3½" x 2" pieces.  (Edited to add that the 2½" strips are for the binding).

For the white links, cut 9 1" strips.  Using 7 of these strips, subcut 33 4½" x 1" pieces, 30 3½"  x 1" pieces and 6 2" x 1" pieces .

For the green background, cut 3 2¼" strips.  These don't need to be cut further right now.

Cut pieces

That's it!  I know it is hard to wait to put it all together, but we'll get there on Friday.  Save the rest of your fabric if you would like to use it for the back.  We'll talk more about that when we put in the zipper and do the binding.

If you'd like to share your progress, add it to the Flickr group so we can all see how things are coming along.  If you have any questions, you can leave them in the comments here or start a topic on the Flickr group.  Have fun!

Edited to add:
Arlene asked a great question in the comments.  Unfortunately, my own blog doesn't want to me comment on it :\.  The strips are cut the width of the fabric.  When I figure the number of strips, I assume 40" of usable fabric width.

Local appliqué classes!

I'm excited to announce that I'll be teaching three appliqué classes locally this fall!   Each class features a project designed especially to help you learn the techniques involved.  I purposely kept the projects small so you can learn the techniques without adding a large project to your WIPs.  There are no kits for these classes so you can choose and use fabrics you love!  You'll receive a full supply list with fabric requirements when you register for class.  These classes are designed for those with some basic sewing experience.

All three classes are structured to meet twice for three hours each time.  They are all from 6 pm to 9 pm at Maker Works (wonderful meeting place of the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild).  You sign up through Maker Works' website (click on the name of the class to go to the correct spot on their site) and pay for the class when you attend the first meeting.

Thursday, September 13 and 20 will be Hand Appliqué.  I've designed this cute owl pillow to help you learn how to appliqué some basic shapes.  We'll also learn about background preparation, marking, fabrics, templates, needles, thimbles and how to finish your appliquéd project.  If you can sew a binding on a quilt, you can appliqué by hand.  Join us!

 Tuesday, October 16 and 23 will be Bias Appliqué.  If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've seen some of the wonderful projects I've made using my bias appliqué technique.  Come learn how to make bias strips and how to appliqué them by hand or machine.  Choose from two table runner  projects to get you started.  We'll also talk about what else you can make with bias and I'll bring some of my quilts as inspiration.

Monday, November 5 and 12 will be Machine Appliqué.  This class features another great pillow project - this time with a mama and baby birds and some text.  We'll learn about fusible web appliqué including how to trace your shapes, what order to sew them in, tips on fabric selection, ways to stitch the shapes down and much more!

I'm really looking forward to seeing some of you in class!  If you aren't local, I'll be teaching these classes at QuiltCon too, so I hope to see you in February :)

Linked Pillow-Along Supply List

Are you ready to get started?  I am!  Here is the supply list:

1/2 yard of Kona Nightfall
1/2 yard of Kona White
1/4 yard of Kona Lime
21" square for lining (I used muslin)
20" square of batting
18" zipper (either green or white)
20" pillow form

These fabric amounts are generous enough to cover the back of the pillow as well.  If you are using other fabrics from your stash, you can be a little short on the first three and just use other fabrics for the back.

You might notice that I listed a green or white zipper, but mine is more turquoise.  That is because we'll be making a flange to cover the zipper so the color isn't critical since it won't show.  I used an 18" zipper so I could do my binding by machine without needing to sew over zipper teeth.  If you prefer to do your binding by hand, you could use a longer zipper.

If you have any questions, just ask them in the comments here or the Flickr group discussion section. I'll answer in both places so other people can see the answer too.  Next Tuesday, we'll cut into our fabric!

Lets have a Pillow-Along!

Several kind people have asked about a tutorial for my Linked pillow.  So let's have a Pillow-Along!  I know it will be more fun if we are all working on it together.

OK, so I'll be back on Wednesday with a supply list.  Then I'll post as follows:
Tues, Aug 21 - cutting information
Fri, Aug 24 - construction
Tues, Aug 28 - quilting
Fri, Aug 31 - binding and zipper

I hope that schedule gives you enough time to complete the steps, but doesn't make the project drag on too long.  You can get my button over on the left side bar and join the Flickr group.

I'm excited - this is going to be so much fun.  I can't wait to see how all your pillows turn out!  Are you in?

Now, I'm a chef!

No, not the kind with the tall white hat.  I'm the kind of chef with a sewing machine - a Moda Bake Shop chef!  For those of you who are confused, Moda Bake Shop is a blog where "chefs" partner with Moda to provide free "recipes" for great projects using Moda's precut fabrics.

My project is called Neighborhood Charm.  I used a charm pack of Sweetwater's Mama Said Sew line and some background fabric and stitched up this sweet little quilt.  I love house quilts so much, I just had to make a neighborhood out of such wonderful fabrics.  The design really lets each fabric shine by itself and as part of the whole.

Don't you just love the red, black, grey and cream color scheme too?  Everyone loves the text prints (me included), but this line has a lot of other great prints too.  I think this one with the circle design is my favorite.  But there are dots, zig zags, bias gingham and more!  Head on over to Moda Bake Shop to check it out!

From Rebel to Reunion

Reunion Flock

I've been such a long time finishing this quilt!  I blogged about it back in March.  Pretty quickly, I got all the blocks sewn together and into rows, then a few of the rows sewn together and the project hit a screeching halt.  Pushed out of the way by more urgent projects.  It finally worked it's way up my priority list a few weeks ago and I'm so happy it is finally finished!

Some of you may recognize this as a version of my Rebel Flock quilt.  This one is called Reunion Flock since it is made using Sweetwater's Reunion line.  The two quilts look totally different!  I wanted to emphasize the neutrals and navies in the line, so I used Kona Snow for the background.  It has kind of a low volume quilt feel about it.

Rebel Flock

Rebel Flock was originally a free pattern download here last Fall.  Now I've added 5 sizes to the original and it is for sale in all my pattern shops (Craftsy, Etsy, PatternSpot).  The sizes run all the way from baby size (37" x 46") to queen/king (98" x 103") and include crib, throw, twin and double sizes too.

There are lots of free things in webland and I enjoy contributing some of my designs to the mix.  But, as a wise person (a fellow quilt designer) once said, "Free is not a sustainable business model."  So this is the second time I've put a pattern out for free as a single size and then removed it many months later and re-released it as a pattern for sale with additional sizes.  What do you all think of this approach?

Be sure to check back Thursday morning as I'll be able to show you a fun little project I've been working on - hope to see you then!

Modern Quilted Pillow Swap Received!

After a busy weekend at the quilt show, when the mailman rang the doorbell and left a package on my doorstep, I didn't have any immediate idea what it could be.  As I picked up the slightly squishy package, I realized it was probably my pillow cover from the Modern Quilted Pillow Swap and I couldn't get it open fast enough!  Isn't it fantastic!

Ann's "Waves and Stuff" pillow was my first choice.  I love the creativity of her layout and color choices and the great stitching.  The flower designs are fussy cut and framed so nicely.  The subtle transition from the lightest grey to the medium and then darker grey is just perfect.  And the stitching!  Wonderful pebble quilting in the center and triple stitching with rayon thread in the upper and lower grey areas - amazing.  The green piping is the perfect final touch.  In the "great minds think alike" category, although neither my pillow nor Ann's pillow got the most votes, we both still got our first choice pillows.  My first choice was her pillow and her first choice was mine - such fun!  

Ann also included some extra goodies - some London themed fabric and some beads.  I might have to try some fussy cutting to feature some of the great buildings and buses on the fabric.  I'm not sure what I'll do with the beads yet but there are some really great ones there - a couple of little matryoshka dolls, some leaves, some pretty round and oblong ones, a darling sewing machine,a cupcake and a little hand shaped bead that says "Hand Made" in the middle of it.  Thank you so much, Ann!

The next round of the Modern Quilted Pillow Swap is underway with a deadline of September 1.  I'd better get sewing!

All quilt weekend

This is where I spent my weekend :)  I was vending at the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild's Quilt Show.  I met several blog readers there - hi ladies - thanks for stopping by!

It was a lot of fun meeting people and hearing what they like about my quilts and quilting in general.  The quilts I displayed included (l to r):  Evergreen Bias (you can just see it on the back of my pattern rack on the far left), Morning Mist (baby version of A New View, Madeline (Spell It Out), Reunion Flock (Rebel Flock), Third Street and Confetti Maze (Triangle Maze).  The jacket on the upper left is from the vendor next door to me.

I didn't get around to see much of the show or the other vendors, but I got to spend lots of time looking at this gorgeous quilt across from my booth.  It was made by my friend Ginia, a certified quilt appraiser and amazing quilter.  In case you are wondering - and many people did - there are over 7000 half square triangles in her quilt!  Her quilt often caused mini traffic jams in front of it as people admired all the work and a few shook their heads and said they'd be insane if they tried a quilt like that :)  Ginia is a master at small pieces!

Did you do anything quilty this weekend?