The Splendid Sampler block 54 -- Machine Quilting Tutorial

As you are hard at work on your Splendid Sampler quilt blocks, I am hard at work thinking of ways to quilt all of these beautiful blocks!

I recently pieced Jane Davidson's Shell block (#54):

Pat Sloan's Hometown Girl fabrics looked GREAT in this block!

Watch how I quilted this block:



These tools and products helped me quilt my block:

I used AuriFil 50 weight thread

Handi Quilter Mini Scalop Ruler

Handi Grip

I love how my block turned out!

If you want more machine quilting instruction, check out my Craftsy machiine quilting classes HERE -- and they are all 50% off!

Sign up for my newsletter so you won't miss any of my new machine quilting tutorials.

Cutie Quilt -- Stepping Stones (machine quilting video)

I recently finished another Cutie Quilt from my Stepping Stones pattern:

This simple quilt makes me happier than I can express.  I love the high contrast of the royal blue fabric against Pat Sloan's fabrics.

This quilt has a 20-inch block.  That's a big block!

I could have quilted it in small sections, but I loaded the quilt on my Handi Quilter Fusion (her name is "Bella") and was able to quilt the entire block without rolling the quilt:

I quilted TONS of ribbon candy on this quilt, because ribbon candy is the world's most perfect quilting design.  See:

I used Royal Robes, one of my FabuLux threads, on the royal blue fabric.

Since the thread is blue, purple, and green it might seem risky, but I quilted a pillow as a test to see if I liked the thread color.



I did!  I really liked the color!

I used a Mini Scallop ruler with Handi Grip to quilt the simple "X" in each rectangle.

I chose Hint of Lime from my FabuLux threads because... well... it's LIME!

This quilt has to work as a sample for a while, but I will pine away for it an anxiously await its return!

This quilt is one of a series.  I bought a fat quarter pack of Pat Sloan fabrics and decided to make this Oh My Stars Cutie Quilt:

When I finished this quilt, I had enough fabric to make a Squared Away Cutie Quilt:

See more details and machine quilting videos on this quilt series HERE

So, I've now made three quilts from the same fat quarter pack from Quilting Possibilities, and I still have fabric left.  Which quilt should I make next?

Bloom Sew Along, Block Two

I'm a little behind on Lori Holt's Bloom Sew Along blocks.  The sew along is over and I'm on block two, so I think that technically makes me a LOT behind!

But I'm still loving it.  Here's block two:

Are you as overwhelmed with the adorableness as I am?  I am making this quilt from scraps and apparently I have really darling scraps.

I had to join blocks One and Two together, just to prove to myself that this as the cutest quilt ever.

Am I right? Or, am I right?

I will be traveling this week and hope to take Block Three with me, prepped and ready to hand applique.  Have InvisiFil thread, will travel!

Sweet Tooth placemats (machine quilting video)

In last week's FaceBook Live video (Debby Brown Quilts), I asked if you wanted me to film a tutorial on how I quilted some scrappy placemats.  The answer was "Yes!" but perhaps I should have asked if anyone could guarantee that I had electricity?  It's been a rough summer in my forest with trees falling on wires weekly, but (fingers crossed) I have power and can upload the video now.

These placemats are going to live with Mom:

They were made using a variation of my Sweet Tooth Cutie pattern from leftover bits from this incredibly sweet baby quilt:

Read the full details about this baby quilt HERE.

I pulled in some golden yellow fabric as a background fabric.  I think it looks great against the floral print:

I quilted the golden background fabric using Midas Touch, one of my FabuLux threads from WonderFil.  Surprising no one, I used a lot of Ribbon Candy.  A Lot.



If the tress keep standing and the electricity stays on, I hope to have more videos for you shortly.  Happy quilting!

Cutie Quilt -- Share & Share Alike

I just finished a super-sweet Cutie Quilt from my Share and Share Alike pattern.

The fabric line is Baby Gone Wild from Clothworks designed by Masha D'yans.  I used wool batting from Fairfield and the loft shows off the quilting beautifully!

I cut the pieces for this quilt while I was in my hotel room in Grand Rapids last week:

I quickly pieced and quilted it as soon as I got home.  I love having pre-cut quilt kits ready for me to push through my machine!

I chose an unexpected thread color for quilting this quilt -- Rocking Horse in my FabuLux line.

It is pastel peach, blue, and mint green.  At first look, this thread shouldn't look good on this quilt. After quilting, though, I'm completely convinced it was the best choice!

I couldn't decide which free-motion quilting design to use on this quilt top, so I took a bunch of different designs from one of my Craftsy Classes and stitched them randomly over the quilt top:

This quilt is currently hanging in the Quilt Basket booth at World Quilt Show New England in Manchester, NH.  If you are visiting that show this weekend, stop by and have a closer look!

Bobbins & Bits Pillow -- I passed the test!!!

I did it!  I quilted up a pillow as a thread test for a larger quilt and I learned so, So, SO much!!!

The quilt pattern this was a leftover from is Stepping Stones.  The pillow pattern is Complete Your Suite Accent Pillow.  The threads are Hint of Lime FabuLux and Royal Robes FabuLux.  The test was to see if I liked the variegated green/blue/purple thread on the blue fabric.  Honestly, when I quilted the pillow I wasn't in love with the thread choice but I wanted to wait a few days to see if it grew on me.

I filmed a video of the quilting, showing free-motion quilting and ruler work on my new Handi Quilter Stitch 710 machine!

In the video, I used a Handi Quilter Mini Scallop Ruler and Handi Grip to keep it from sliding around on the fabric.

I quilted this before my trip to AQS Quilt Week in Syracuse and initially wasn't thrilled with my thread choice.  When I got home from the quilt show, though, I stitched this sample into a pillow.  Seeing it again after a week away, I really liked the variegated thread.  I liked the contrast of the blue fabric against all of the colored rectangles and was worried a variegated thread would lessen the contrast.  After a week away, I saw with fresh eyes that it didn't.

I will be quilting my Squared Away quilt with Royal RobesFabuLux thread.  My test pillow was a huge success!!

This pillow is one item in a series that I'm quilting from the same batch of fabric.  See more of the projects and more machine quilting vidoes HERE.

If you are in love with Pat Sloan's Bobbins & Bits fabrics like I am, I found some in Quilting Possibilities in Forked River, NJ.  Stop by their darling shop, or order online HERE.

My Latest Craftsy class is online!

My latest Craftsy Class, Stunning Free-Motion Quilting Using Simple Shapes, is now online!!!  All of my teasing can come to an end.  The answers to all of the "What is your class about?" questions can be found by watching the trailer below:

If you've seen my recent quilts, you know that these designs often show up in my work.  Now, you can learn to quilt them yourself!

The folks at Craftsy are GREAT!  They treat me like a star!

Danica fixes me up first thing every morning:

Clif, my producer, is amazing and I loved working with him again:

I had such a great time filming this, my third class and hope to share even more quilting goodness with you in the future!

Use THIS LINK to buy this class for $20 off the regular price.

Happy Quilting!

Squared Away -- a machine quilting challenge

If I had a to pick my favorite quilt patterns, Squared Away would make the Top Ten list.

I usually quilt this quilt with a Ribbon Candy quilting pattern, but my students challenged me to use any pattern BUT ribbon candy this time.

Challenge Accepted!

Before I committed to quilting this entire quilt, I made some placemats as test pieces.  I filmed how I quilted them.

I used rulers on a home sewing machine in this video, but these designs can also be quilted with a longarm or a sit-down longarm machine.

The fabric in my Squared Away quilt is Pat Sloan's Bobbins and Bits (and a few pieces from her other lines) and I adore it!  I bought it at Quilting Possibilities in Forked River, NJ.  I checked with Debbie and she definitely has more of this fabric in stock.  Check it out.

The thread is my FabuLux Mellow Yellow and InvisiFil Daffodil.  They quilted like a DREAM! 

The first quilt I made with this fabric was Oh My Stars!

I made a test block into a pillow.

I filmed the quilting:

I still have fabric left and am piecing more quilts.  I will show you as I finish them and will try to keep filming the machine quilting videos as I go along.

Have you made any of these quilts?  Have you used Pat Sloan's fabrics?  Let me know in the comments!

Acorn Valley by Patty Young -- Free Scarf Tutorial!

Today is the day I get to tell you about the new fabric line that Patty Young of ModKid has designed for Riley Blake Designs!

I picked some yummy flannels from Acorn Valley to make a scarf.  It's blazing hot here in New York right now and most folks aren't thinking about winter scarves, but summer means something else to me.  My immune system doesn't work very well and that means summer is a bit of a respite from the non-stop colds and flu that swirl around during the winter months.  I don't want to hide at home, though, so I make and wear very long scarves whenever I venture out into public places.  They look great and keep me warm, but that isn't the whole point.  Every time I need to open a door, grab a railing, or push an elevator button, I use the bottom of my scarf instead of touching germy places with my hands.  This might sound silly, but it totally helps!  I throw the scarves in the washer and tumble dryer and make sure I have a clean one on every time I brave going in public.

Here's how I make one flannel scarf:

Materials:
1/2 yard fabric A
1/2 yard fabric B
1/3 yard fabric C

Pre-wash and dry fabrics

From fabrics A and B, cut 3 strips 2 1/2" x 40"(width of fabric)

Stitch together 2 sets of 6 strips, alternating colors:

Press seams toward one color.  I pressed toward the red (The Dark Side).

Trim each strip into 16 units 2 1/2"x12 1/2":

There should be 32 strip sets.  If you ended up with fewer sets, your very long scarf will only be slightly shorter.  It's not a problem!

Stitch strips together alternately into a piece that measures 12 1/2" x 64 1/2":

Press seams open.

From fabric C, cut a 10 1/2"x40" (width of fabric) strip.  Sub-cut into two rectangles 10 1/2"x12 1/2".
Stitch a rectangle to each short end of your checkerboard scarf.

Fold this long scarf in half, right sides together, and stitch along the short ends and the very long edge, leaving about 10" open on the side for turning.

Turn scarf right side out and hand-stitch the opening closed.

Press your scarf well.

Now put it away and enjoy the rest of the summer!

Do you want a chance to win some of these very yummy flannels?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you totally need to buy them now (and you do!) Patty has a discount code for her Etsy Store:

Coupon code AcornValley2016 gets 25% off your entire purchase in the Modkid Etsy Store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/modkid). 

Valid July 11^th through July 22^nd at midnight EST.

Sue O'Very is the other stop on the blog tour today.  She has a Craftsy class on machine embroidery that I'm just DYING to take!!!

Check out all of the other fun stops on this blog tour:

Monday 7/11: Riley Blake & Modkid

Tuesday 7/12: Sweeter Than Cupcakes & That's Sew Kari

Wednesday 7/13: Beri Bee Design & Falafel and the Bee

Thursday 7/14: Sew and Tell Project & Handmade Martini

Friday 7/15: Coral & Co. & Pear Berry Lane

Monday 7/18: Sweet KM & 2 Little Hooligans

Tuesday 7/19: Highered Hands & Sue O'Very Designs

Wednesday 7/20: Smashed Peas and Carrots & Gingham Girls

Thursday 7/21: Flamingo Toes & Quilting Gallery

Friday 7/22: Ameroonie Designs

Machine Quilting Tutorial -- No Ribbon Candy!!!

Any quilter who has ever taken a class with me realizes that I love the ribbon candy machine quilting design.  Like, a lot.  A LOT!  I have made many versions of my Squared Away quilt pattern and quilted each of them the same way -- with Ribbon Candy, all Ribbon Candy, and nothing but Ribbon Candy.

Squared Away in American Made Brand Fabrics:

Squared Away in Halloween prints:

Squared Away in (really, really old) Fig Tree fabrics:

Squared Away in Riley Blake Lazy Day fabrics:

Each one of these quilts was quilted with only ribbon candy!

Some of my students double-dog dared me to quilt my Pat Sloan Bobbins and Bits Squared Away without using a stitch of ribbon candy and I couldn't back down!

See how I quilted this practice block (and see a few surprises in the video, too!)

So, did you notice my new machine?????  I am tickled pink to be quilting on a Handi Quilter Stitch 710 machine.  She's a beauty!

In the video I promised to link to a video on making a stencil.  I scoured YouTube and couldn't find the video I thought was there.  So Sorry!  If you know of a video, post a link in the comments so others can find it, ok?

In the video, I promised you links to the products I used.  Some of these links are affiliate links for products I've paid for and use.  If you click through my referral link, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you make a purchase.

Mellow Yellow FabuLux thread

Quarter-inch Quilting Tape

Handi Quilter Mini Scallop ruler

Handi Grip

Daffodil InvisiFil thread

Handi Quilter Oval C

Handi Quilter Wave F

My Craftsy Class:  Free-Motion Quilting with Loops, Lines & Curves (scroll down for the discounted link)

Did you like my video?  It is my hope that if you quilt on a longarm or a sit-down longarm machine, you will still find the video instructional.  One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is about quilting with rulers on home sewing machines and I really wanted to show you how easy and fun that is!

I am planning to film more videos about how to use different longarm quilting rulers.  I have all of the Handi Quilter rulers -- is there one you'd like to see how to use?

Stay tuned for more videos!

Now for the most important question:  Do you prefer ribbon candy or swirls on the Squared Away quilt?

Or do you have a different idea?

The Splendid Sampler -- Lina's Gift

I'm having a Splendid time catching up on my Splendid Sampler blocks.  In the last week, I've survived paper piecing and teeny-tiny pieces.  Pat Sloan's Lina's Gift block was a breath of fresh air!

It had larger, simple pieces and went together quickly.  I'm using April Rosenthal's Meadowbloom fabrics.  She has a pink fabric that looks like basketweave and I fussy-cut one of the larger prints so there was a flower inside of the basket.

Check out all of the beautiful Lina's Gift blocks HERE.

Acorn Valley Blog Tour

I am tickled to be a part of the Acorn Vally Blog Tour celebrating Patty Young's new line of woodland inspired knits and flannels.  Check out the fabrics HERE.

I will be sharing my pattern and tutorial on Tuesday.  While you are waiting, check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour.  The designers have already shared so many darling projects I just have to make!

Monday 7/11: Riley Blake & Modkid

Tuesday 7/12: Sweeter Than Cupcakes & That's Sew Kari

Wednesday 7/13: Beri Bee Design & Falafel and the Bee

Thursday 7/14: Sew and Tell Project & Handmade Martini

Friday 7/15: Coral & Co. & Pear Berry Lane

Monday 7/18: Sweet KM & 2 Little Hooligans

Tuesday 7/19: Highered Hands & Sue O'Very Designs

Wednesday 7/20: Smashed Peas and Carrots & Gingham Girls

Thursday 7/21: Flamingo Toes & Quilting Gallery

Friday 7/22: Ameroonie Designs

My Modern Penny Mat

Confession:  I am a cross-crafter.  In addition to quilting, I knit, crochet, embroider, cross-stitch, sew garments, and participate in too many other hobbies to remember them all.  The shorter list is one of the hobbies I've avoided thus far.  I do not:

• tat
• do crewel-work
• applique with wool
• dye fabric

Since my job means that I basically go to quilt shows for a living, avoiding these hobbies has been difficult.  I walk by the wool booths and the Pro-Chem Dye booth at shows with my face covered, just so I won't be tempted the fall deeply in love with another hobby.

Recently, the folks at Grab N Go Kits trapped me, held me hostage, and made me start a wool applique project.  THE HORROR!  Once my fingers touched the wool, floss, and needle I was doomed for life.  Here's my finished Penny Mat:

(This kit is due to be released in September, but check out their current kits HERE)

My fingers are not itching from the wool, but they are itching to be stitching again!  Yet another "I've never tried this" hobby has been struck from my increasingly short list.

The Splendid Sampler -- Family Stars

Oh Kimberly Jolly, what have you done to me???  I was minding my own business, piecing the next Splendid Sampler block in my stack, and suddenly I was excited about piecing a 6-inch block that contained 55 separate pieces.  How did this happen???

Click HERE and scroll down to see everyone else's awesome Family Stars blocks.

So now I have accepted paper-piecing as an option for quilts and teeny tiny pieces made me smile.  What else might the designers of The Splendid Sampler throw at me?

Whatever it is, I'm up for the challenge and am sure I'll love it!