Tag: quilt

Experimenting with EQ8

November 12, 2024

Now that Yellowstone’s new season has begun, several iterations inspired by Beth Dutton’s infamous quilt have shown up in my social media feeds. It’s essentially an alternating 9-patch block design set on point in a red, black and gray color scheme. I saw quilts in 6″, 8″ and 9″ finished block sizes with numerous layouts in all sorts of different sizes. Intrigued, I booted up EQ8 to see what I could come up with. Note: this is not a tutorial or pattern. I merely wanted to highlight what’s possible with EQ8 and share.

I wanted a throw size quilt that would use up my scraps (mostly leftover jelly rolls) for the 9-patch blocks. I prefer the floating look that a thin border provides, so that’s why I added a 1-1/2″ finished border before binding. Always remember: you are the boss of your own quilt. Make a quilt the way you like it!

Meet Rustic Retreat II (55″ x 64″ based on 6″ finished blocks)

Here are the essential components needed to make the quilt pictured above:
(42) 6-1/2″ red & black 9-patch blocks
(30) 6-1/2″ grey squares
(22) grey side setting triangles
(4) grey corner setting triangles
(6) 2″ x WOF grey strips for border
(7) 2-1/2″ x WOF grey strips for binding

The way you make the 9-patch blocks will depend on if you’re using up scraps or cutting yardage. Since this is based on 6″ finished blocks, your 9-patch components will be made from 2-1/2″ squares and/or strips.

Very loose fabric requirements (calculated by EQ8):
Black – scraps or yardage – about 1 yard
Red – scraps or yardage – about 1 yard
Grey – 2-1/2 yards
You will also need about 3.5 yards of backing fabric and a twin size package of quilt batting.

This quilt is essentially a simple alternating 9-patch design that is set on point. If you’ve made one or two quilts, you can make this one. There are numerous YouTube videos that describe the “set on point” process in great detail. Missouri Star, A Quilting Life and Fat Quarter Shop YouTube videos are good places to start. Here’s a blog post you might also find helpful from Diary of a Quilter.

You will also need to figure how to cut your setting and corner triangles. American Patchwork and Quilting has a reference chart you can download for free.

Being able to take a basic design that inspires me and customize it to meet my needs and preferences is one of the reasons I love using EQ8. Yes, I still have to do some math to figure cut sizes and how to put it all together, but I’m willing to do that. It’s a real confidence booster when the project you’ve created turns out exactly how you envisioned.

Some much needed vitamin sea

October 21, 2024
Sunrise in St. Mary’s, Georgia

We spent a long weekend on the Georgia coast exploring St. Mary’s and Cumberland Island. A four day dose of vitamin sea is exactly what my spirit needed. I’m so thankful Hurricanes Helene and Milton did not cause extensive damage to Cumberland Island. Can you believe it’s been almost two years since I last laid eyes on the Atlantic Ocean or the waters of the Gulf of Mexico? Much too long!

Visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore has long been on my bucket list. This long-time Georgia resident has been to the islands of Skidaway, Jekyll and St. Simon’s, but never ventured this far south. We spent a full day on the island, which was plenty of time for us. The National Park Service also allows tent camping for up to 7 days (not me!). The island’s history is so rich and the day long tour only began to scratch the surface.

Of course, I visited the two quilt shops in Kingsland – The Scrappy Rooster and Beyond Fabric. The Scrappy Rooster is strictly a quilt shop while Beyond Fabric does everything from quilting to garment sewing to crafts to home dec. Honestly, if you need some off-the-wall, obscure sewing/crafting doo-dad, chances are Beyond Fabric has it! There’s also a wonderful bookstore in St. Mary’s – Once Upon a Bookseller.

I’m thinking a trip to the Quilted Cow in Gulf Shores, AL and a trip to the 2025 AQS Show in Daytona Beach are in my future!

Want to sew, but not in the mood to make a quilt?

October 5, 2024

Quilting is fun, but it takes time to complete a quilt. Occasionally, I want a quick finish project to keep me motivated. Yes, I have patterns/tutorials on hand for placemats, potholders, bowl cozies, coasters, drawstring bags and zipper pouches, but sometimes I want something different. Thought I’d share my go-to websites for quick project inspiration (usually free to download).

Moda Bake Shop – use the buttons on the left sidebar to drill down to the type of project you want

Riley Blake Designs – go to the Free Patterns tab and then Sewing Patterns to access project patterns.
(Tip: check the updates tab to see if there are any pattern corrections to your project)

Fabric Editions – click the Projects tab and scroll down to the category of project you want to make.
(Tip: sewing and fabric shops use many of these project ideas in their classes)

We All Sew (sponsored by Bernina) – click on the Projects tab to access different project categories.

Sew 4 Home (sponsored by Janome Canada) – click on Inspire tab and then Sew4Home (also look at Project and Canadian Designers tab for some great options).

JKQuilts – click on Resources and scroll down to Free Patterns to find a wide variety of projects
(Tip: sign up for their monthly newsletter to get free, well-written patterns designed by the shop’s own staff).

Sewcanshe – click on Free Patterns tab.

Apple Green Cottage – close out the pop-up window and scroll down the page to access free patterns.

There’s also Pinterest, Etsy and probably your fave YouTube sewist/crafter that I didn’t mention here. One caveat about Etsy: some patterns are poorly written. If you aren’t familiar with the designer, read customer reviews and see if the pattern is available for sale elsewhere, as well.

A series of three storage pods made using a free pattern from Fabric Editions.
Storage pods made 3 different ways using free pattern from Fabric Editions.

Left – fusible fleece on outer fabric only with SF-101 fusible interfacing on lining.
Center – one piece of lightweight foam in middle (non fusible) – came as a kit with pattern
Right – fusible fleece on outer fabric only

My fave version is the one with the foam; however, I’d use single sided fusible foam to reduce fabric slippage when sewing. If you are a beginner sewist, I highly recommend using the fusible products in the LEFT version. It’ll be much easier to sew and you’ll be very happy with the results.