Holiday Sewing : A QAL and a Stocking Tutorial

Hey there,

Today, Facebook reminded me it's been five years (OMG!) since I made my Scrappy Spiral Stocking.  I thought it would be fun to reshare with you all ... click here to see the tutorial.

Speaking of Christmas, we've started sewing the Vintage Holiday Quilt Along!

I am sewing up my quilt in Handmade by Bonnie & Camille ... we have some kits available here. :)

 

I started this weekend by cutting out all the block pieces and organizing them by similar block style.  This way I can sneak in some sewing quickly during the week after work... 

Speaking of which, my plan worked!  I had about 30 minutes yesterday and was able to sew 4 of the easiest ones together super quick.  I even finished one just to show how cute this will be!

Hope you will sewing along and share your quilts in progress with #vintageholidayqal2016

Happy Sewing! :-) 

Hattie's Dresden Quilt by May Chappell

Several weeks ago, my friend Lee of maychappell.com texted me a picture of a new quilt she was making for Quilt Market.  I loved it instantly ... just a unique take on a dresden block!

When Lee came over for a sew day today I talked her into curating some kits for the quilt in a lap size.  (Of course, talking her into it didn't take much convincing!)

She helped us make two different kits ... one just like the original, using Tula Pink's True Colors with an Aqua solid background.

And one with a mix of fabrics from a variety of designers for a fun, scrappy look.

We have both kits available (each with 2 or 3 background options) as well as paper patterns now available in our shop.

See them all here and don't forget to check out all of Lee's new patterns from Quilt Market here.

Happy Sewing! :-)

Thimble Blossoms Scrappy Sampler Quilt Along

I'm really excited to introduce a fun little quilt along today!  (If you follow me on Instagram, I teased everyone about this announcement with a photo of some of my B&C stash yesterday.)

Back when Camille shared her Hello Darling fabric and new patterns at the end of March on Instagram, I fell in love with all of them.  Realistically, though, my quilt bucket list is longer than I will ever have years for and I thought a sampler quilt might be fun... and then I thought it might be fun to do it with all of you!  So I emailed Camille about my idea and here we go!  :-)

Here are all the details ...

Patterns Needed: 

This sampler uses four of Camille's most recent patterns.  (She shared her original quilts here.) You will need a paper or PDF copy of each of these patterns:

• Piccadilly Circus
• Lollies
• Vintage Tulips 
• Swoon Sixteen

We will be assembling various blocks into rows and I will share the setting, sashing, & border instructions here on my blog during the QAL.  The completed quilt measures approx 58" x 78".

*We are using the full size versions of Picadilly Circus & Vintage Tulips, not the mini quilt patterns. 

The Schedule: 

• May 20 - QAL Announcement! :-) 
• May 25 - Week 1: Lollies (5 blocks*)
• June 1 - Week 2: Piccadilly Circus (1 block*)
• June 8 - Week 3: Vintage Tulips (part one - 3 tulips)
• June 15 - Week 4: Vintage Tulips (part two - 3 alternate blocks*) 
• June 22 - Week 5: Swoon Sixteen (3 blocks)
• June 29 - Week 6: Sashing, Borders, Assembly

* There will be a small adjustment to size or construction to make it all work - details will be given at the appropriate week's post.

Fabric Needed: 

Blocks & Borders: It's a little difficult to say exactly how much fabric you need since we will be making blocks from several patterns and depending on how scrappy you go it could make a big difference. Vintage Tulips & Piccadilly Circus are both jelly roll strip friendly, the Swoon Sixteen is FQ friendly and the Lollies are Layer Cake friendly.  I will be using Bonnie & Camille prints for the most part and going with a scrappy look.  Pull out your favorites and consult each pattern. 

Block Background & Sashing: Approximately 3.25 yards (I am using my favorite Essential Dots throughout)  Tips for cutting your background for the most efficient use can be found here.

Binding: 1/2 yard if using 2.5" wide strips  

Backing: 3 yards

(Note: this stack of pretties is part of my personal stash and therefore isn't representative of our kit.)

Are you in?  I hope you'll join me ... I am really excited about this one!

I'll be sharing my progress here and on Instagram.  If you are on IG, tag me @sewlux and use the #TBScrappySamplerQAL ... there may even be a few prizes along the way! ;-)

See you all on Monday!

Happy Sewing!  :-)

UPDATE: A limited number of kits are now available in our shop.  Please be sure to read the description carefully.

Thanks for all your support & enthusiastic response so far!

Gene Pool Quilt : Rowing Right Along

At the end of the year, I started the Gene Pool quilt by Jen Kingwell.  I started with a few scrap bags from Fig Tree collections and quickly realized I was short on fabric to make this big enough.  (I had to downsize the pattern slightly based on the width of strips I was starting with ...)

I put out a call to my IG friends and several offered to help by sending fabric to help me finish so this was on hold for a bit while I waited on some fabric to wing its way around the world. (Quilters really are some of the best people I think.)

Anyway, I've been plugging away at this a little bit each weekend and so far I love how its turning out!  Here's where I am at the moment ...

I still have several rows to finish and have found that assembling these in pairs of rows has worked out great for me. (I have a few pinned on top of each other in the middle in this photo.)  I think I am about 2/3 of the way finished with this one.  :-)

This pattern is really pretty easy and is really fun to play with your layout of prints and colors.  It's really a great jelly roll-friendly pattern!

I'll keep you posted on this one as I go.

Happy Sewing!  :-)

We're on the Moda Bake Shop!

Happy Friday!

We're thrilled to share our first Moda Bake Shop project with you all today!

Go check out the tutorial for this fast and fun quilt.  (I literally made it in one day ... a fairly long day, but one day no less!  :-)  I'll show you how to machine piece hexies and all you need is 6 blocks and borders for this lap quilt!

We even have a few kits if you love it as much as I do!

Happy Sewing!  :-)

Holiday Hustle QAL : Piecing the Blocks

It's August 1st and that means its time to get this quilt under way!  I pieced the blocks in about an hour and I probably could have hustled to get it done faster.  Ready?

If you missed the first post detailing the fabric required for this quilt, check it out here.  For today, all you need is a charm pack and your machine.  That's it!



Step 1: Grab a charm pack!

I am using an Aspen Frost kit for my quilt.  We'll use all 42 5-inch squares.

Step 2:  Sort your charms by color. 

It's likely that your charm pack is already sorted by color.  So this is easy ... just lay them out so you can see them all.

Step 3:  Sort your charms into three sets of 14. 

To do this, you'll want to work by color.  Sort of like dealing playing cards.  Start with one color and divide into three stacks.  Repeat with each color so that you won't have all the reds on one side and the greens on the other.

Step 4: Arrange each set group of 14 into smaller sections. 

From each group of 14, you will need two sets of 2, one set of 4 and one set of 6.  You can see that I just shift-sorted them on my ironing board.  (This quilt is all about the hustle and I didn't feel like laying them out downstairs and then hauling them back up to sew!  But if you prefer to lay them all out on the floor or a design wall, go for it!)

Note that I am trying to mix up the colors and prints some across the whole quilt top.

This diagram might help you plan your placement.

TIP:  Once you have your placement figured out, its a great idea to snap a photo with your phone or camera. If you get confused while sewing later, you can then just check the photo to make sure you are sewing the right prints in the right order.

Steps 5 & 6:  Sew and label your blocks

Cut some scraps of paper and label as A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, C-1, C-2, C-3, and C-4. Lay them with each corresponding group (refer to diagram above).  This way you'll be able to get them all in the right place later!  I just pinned my labels to the top left corner of each block set as I was sewing them together.

Start sewing your blocks together using a 1/4" seam.  Be careful of any directional prints that they all go in the same direction.  (You don't want Frosty or some trees upside down later!)

For sets of 2 squares, press in either direction.

For the 4 patch, you'll sew two pairs and then join the two rows.  Before joining, press rows in opposite directions so you can nest your seams.

Just butt the seams together, pin the intersection, and then sew.

Look how nice that turned out!  You can press the completed 4 patch in either direction.

For the 2x3 block, repeat the process.  Make 3 rows of pairs. Press in opposite directions, nest the seams, and sew the rows together.

Since we're hustling through this quilt, I chain pieced a lot of my blocks and then also double pinned my 2x6 to save a trip back to the ironing board.  (Refer to photo above.)

Step 7:  Check your layout and admire your work!

Now that you've sewn all your blocks together, take them where you can lay them out.  Using the diagram shown earlier in this post, lay them out in columns (A, B, & C) and make sure you like the arrangement.

Shuffle them around a little if you feel like you need to balance colors or prints.  Or just leave and love it!

That's all you need to do for this week!  Next week, we'll add sashing and borders.  The week after that we'll quilt and bind.  A few Christmas kits are still available - so join the fun why don't you?!

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or email me at sewlux (at) gmail (dot) com.

Happy Sewing!  :-)

The Holiday Hustle Quilt Along

Hey y'all!

If you're like me, you probably find yourself stitching until the minute before Santa's Sleigh comes through each year.  This year, I am on a mission to stitch more early so I can relax and enjoy the holiday with family and friends.  (We'll see how that goes!)

Anyway, last year I whipped up my Christmas Joy quilt in what I'm calling my "Holiday Hustle" pattern.  The name pretty much says it all ... a holiday quilt whipped up in a hustle.  Of course, you can make this quick and easy-to-piece charm pack quilt in any fabric collection.

Want to stitch along with me?  Stitch along and link up your finished project at the end for a $40 gift certificate.  Here are the dates you should mark on your calendar:

• Thursday, July 25th - Quilt Details & Supplies
• Thursday, August 1st - Piecing the Blocks
• Thursday, August 8th - Adding the Borders
• Thursday, August 15th - Quilting & Binding
• Saturday, August 31st - Linky Closes for Finished Quilts & a Winner is Drawn!

Can't wait til Thursday for the deets?  Order a kit in either In From the Cold or Aspen Frost here (and on sale through 7/27!).

Happy Sewing!  :-)

FQ Frenzy : Craving Cupcakes & Simple Patchwork Pattern

Hey there friends!

We have another FQ Frenzy bundle to share with you this week.  AND, over the next few weeks I will be sharing a quick quilt design to show you how to whip up something pretty with just 10 fat quarters.

First, let's talk about this sweet bundle - Craving Cupcakes.

We've selected a delicious combination of pink, yellow and blue prints from Cherry on Top along with a few coordinating Bella Solids. Simply sweet!

For this week's FQ Frenzy pattern, we're sharing two ways to arrange these in "Simple Patchwork."

First, cut each of the 10 fabrics into NINE 6-inch squares using the cutting diagram below.

Then you can arrange the 90 squares in a 9 x 10 format (finished size approx 50" x 55") in either a random mix or a diagonal pattern.

Just arrange your squares and sew them in ten rows of nine blocks.  Then stitch the rows together.  Quick and easy!

Of course, this Simple Patchwork pattern can be used with any of our FQ Frenzy bundles.  How's that for an entire quilt top for just $20 bucks?!

Backing & Binding:  You'll need 1/2 yard for binding and 3 yards backing.

Happy Sewing!  :-)

Design Challenge Tutorial : Quick Triangles Baby Quilt

This post is part of the Design Challenge Series here at Sew Lux Fabric.
See all the previous blogger interviews and tutorials here.

 

Hello, I'm Lindsay, and I blog at Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds. I'm excited to share with you how to make this Quick Triangles Baby Quilt. Specifically, I'd like to share how you can make half square triangles eight at a time! I've made half square triangles 1, 2, or 4 at a time, but never 8 at once. It's pretty amazing, and with the large and speedy quilt blocks, you can totally make this quilt top in an evening!

Materials:

- 6 fat quarters

- 5/8 yard border fabric

- 1 1/2 yards backing fabric

- 3/8 yard binding fabric

- Crib size (45" x 60") quilt batting

Finished Quilt Size: 38" x 53"

This is my curated bundle from Sew Lux fabrics, which includes grays, yellow and aqua fabrics in modern prints by various designers. I wanted to challenge myself to make an entire quilt (crib size!) from these six fat quarters, so I went with a familiar quilt block, but made it as large as possible. 

 

First, break your fat quarters into three sets of two, pairing up prints that coordinate well with each other. I chose to pair each of my gray/white prints with a color.

Open up two of your fat quarters, stack them, and trim to an 18" x 18" square. We are going to use these to make half-square triangles, 8 at a time.

Re-stack your 18" x 18" squares with right sides facing. Use your ruler and a pen to mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on one wrong side. Pin squares together at the corners to hold the fabric in place while you sew.

Stitch a line 1/4" from the edge of one marked line, on both the left and right sides of the line. Repeat with the other marked line.

After you've stitched the four long lines, resist the urge to cut along the marked lines just yet. Instead, use the stitch lines to locate the center of the block. With your ruler and rotary cutter, cut both a vertical line and a horizontal line directly down the center of the fabric.

Take each of your four sections, and now your may cut down the center of your stitches, along the line you marked earlier. You should have 8 half square triangle units.

Open up your half square triangles and press the seams open.

 Use a square ruler to trim each block to 8" x 8". Make sure to line up the diagonal line of the ruler with your half square triangle before you cut.

Here are the eight 8" half square triangle blocks from just two fat quarters. Repeat with the other fat quarters, and you should have 24 total blocks.

Arrange your blocks as desired. There are many ways to arrange half square triangle blocks in a quilt. You can make chevrons, diamonds, or just mix them all up. I arranged the blocks in a 4x6 grid and kept them in a set order, with the colors pointing to the upper-left and the grays pointing to the lower-right.

With right sides facing, pin together the blocks in each row and stitch. Press the seams open.

Next, join together the rows with right sides facing, and pin at each seam. Stitch together the rows and press the seams open.

To make the border, cut your border fabric 5" x the width of fabric, for 4 strips total. Starting in one corner, attach a border strip to the top, then trim the excess. Repeat with the bottom. Stitch the ends of these strips to the other to border strips you've cut for the sides, to lengthen them. Press the seams open, then stitch the left and right border strips to the quilt and trim.

Press the seams open. Baste, quilt and bind as desired. After quilting and before binding, I trimmed the borders to 4 1/4" to keep them even all the way around.

This pattern is very beginner-friendly, and I'd recommend it for showing off strong prints. I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial, and if you like this fabric combo, you can purchase a Design Challenge bundle kit at Sew Lux!