This is how I spent my Saturday evening – making a test run of a project inspired by a quilt one of my CraftLAB students saw at the recent quilt show. Did I have to? No. Working out details in advance makes the best use of limited sewing time and helps set stitchers up for success.
Her inspiration quilt is the middle one in the photo below. Notice it comes with a $350.00 price tag? I assured my ‘tween stitchy friend we could make something similar at a much more reasonable cost. We even shopped for some fabric at the show to put in her version of the quilt. ‘Tween buy-in and input are essential for project success.
Thanks to Google image reverse search, I was able to determine a possible pattern for her inspiration quilt – Jelly Roll Race 2 from Missouri Star Quilt Company. I watched Jenny Doan’s YouTube tutorial and got to work using a jelly roll and some white fabric from my stash. My sample will be eventually donated to my guild’s community service.
In the slideshow below, you’ll see pictures from our recent day at the Georgia Celebrates Quilts Show and my camper’s completed top from last week’s SQTM Quilt Camp. The second photo in the slideshow features the dynamic duo at the 2022 show. Notice how much they’ve grown! !
Here’s the thing: you, me and all the other sewists/quilters out there have to make the time and effort to encourage the next generation to sew. Perhaps it’s survival sewing (sewing on a button and repairing a ripped seam). Perhaps it’s visible mending and embellishing clothes. Perhaps it’s DIY fashion accessories and stuff for their bedrooms. Occasionally, it’s incorporating a little bit of technology to draw them in. Sometimes students get hooked on sewing, as these young ladies have. Yes, it can be a pain sometimes, but it is SO worth it!
Do you have any favorite projects your kiddos have especially enjoyed making?
You’re hot to trot to get cracking on that new pattern! I get it. Consider this your gentle reminder to “read through all pattern instructions before you begin” as this is generally the first step given in pattern instructions. A second read through is even better.
Make note of the seam allowance, techniques used and any special tools that might be required.
*Most of the time a standard 1/4″ seam allowance is fine, but the instructions will tell you if you need to sew using a scant 1/4″ seam allowance.
*If the pattern requires HSTs, QSTs and FG, do you make them the same way the instructions are written? If not, you’ll often need to recalculate cut sizes, which may mean you need to buy a little more fabric. This is especially true if (a) you use a die cutting machine to cut your shapes, (b) you are team paper piece for all your HST, QST and FG or (c) you’re a member of team cut oversize, stitch and then trim down.
* Does the project call for a specialty ruler or other tool? Sometimes you can finagle a project using what you already have on hand. Sometimes you can’t.
* Always make one complete block as a sample before cutting everything out. I find this especially helpful if I’ve modified the directions to the way I prefer to make different units. This will allow you to see if you need to make any further adjustments to the pattern before tackling the whole quilt.
At our recent guild meeting, we were introduced to a new community service partner – Quilts Across America. There’s even a special, free quilt pattern designed for this project called Hocus Pocus. It’s a variation of a disappearing 4 patch block. Because it was written by one of the sponsors, it features a couple of that company’s products under the project requirements. Remember, this pattern is a marketing tool for them. It does not automatically mean that you need to go buy another gizmo to make the quilt. Read the directions.
I love this sponsor’s products and have several of their rulers that I use regularly. That said, I refuse to buy another $45.00 ruler when I can use other tools I already own to accomplish the same task. I actually have the other “required” tool and found it was too short to draw the diagonal lines for the HSTs. Whoops!
What rulers did I use? A 10″ square ruler to cut the 9″ squares to make the HSTs and an 8.5″ square ruler to trim the HSTs to 8″. I used a Quilter’s Select 2.5″ x 18″ ruler to draw the diagonal lines to sew my HSTs. Once the HSTs were sewn into 4 patch blocks, I used the same Quilter’s Select ruler to slice and dice each block into the 9 required pieces to sew back together to make the finished block. Hence, a disappearing 4 patch block. I find the grippy on the back of the QS rulers to be perfect for applications like this. Otherwise, I prefer a not-so-grippy ruler.
Fabrics include a partial layer cake I picked up from the community service table, FQs and random white/white-on-white yardage from my stash. I did give each fabric piece a good dousing of Best Press and hit it with a steam iron before cutting anything.
I did not press my seams open, as the instructions stated to do. For a quilt that will be heavily used, I prefer to press my seams to one side. This also makes the seams nest when you go to sew the cut pieces back together. Note that you may have to adjust the direction in which you originally pressed some seams as you go to sew the bits back together. This will help reduce bulk at seam intersections.
If you are a member of team press your seams open, then use a shorter stitch length (1.8 – 2.0) when sewing your seams and keep a slight thread tail at the top and bottom of each seam. Otherwise, your seam may come apart when sewing everything together.
The interesting thing is I also started a different disappearing 4 patch quilt using charm squares that someone gave me at our community service sew day back in April. Many of the layer cake pieces I’m using in this quilt coordinate with the charm squares in the other quilt. Must have come from the same donor stash. Kinda interesting how all that fabric wound up in disappearing 4 patch design quilts. And it wasn’t planned either! .
Picture for illustration only. Definitely NOT the pattern referred to in the post. 🙂
Can you believe it’s June 1st? It’s National Nail Polish Day, National Barefoot Day and National Say Something Nice Day. For those of you on the coast, it also marks the beginning of hurricane season. We’ve had some wild weather of late here in Georgia. If you haven’t already, make sure you have non-perishable food, batteries, flashlights, water and other needed items set aside just in case. Here’s a checklist from Ready.gov to get you started.
Sadie and I will be at the Cobb County Public Library’s summer reading kick-off program later today with several other therapy dog teams. This has been a summer tradition for both of my therapy dogs. Other therapy dog visit requests have popped up on the calendar this past week; however, I will be wearing my quilt volunteer hat for the next two weeks. It’s quilt show and quilt camp time!
Speaking of reading, this is what I’m currently enjoying:
Yesterday was our monthly quilt guild meeting. Of course, everyone was abuzz going over details for the quilt show one last time. I’ll be there 3 days – two as a volunteer and one with my CraftLAB girls who submitted blocks for the kid’s display. (Psst: I’ll be the kid’s exhibit chair for the 2026 show.) Our guest speaker was Sylvia Schaefer, who is known for quilting in the negative space. Her presentation was interesting. I enjoyed the trunk show and picked up some tidbits to try on my own quilts.
I turned in my first completed quilt to community service this week. It’s not one of my PhDs either. I made this one specifically because the recipient organization requested more quilts suitable for boys. The pattern is Dash from one of the 3 yard quilt books from Fabric Cafe. I picked up the fabric bundle during the Middle Georgia Shop Hop. The backing is a wide back from Joann’s. Binding is scrappy and made from leftover fabrics. Batting was courtesy of the free table at a guild meeting. I machine quilted it in an all-over meander and attached the binding using a 3-step zigzag stitch. The community service rep smiled when she saw the dogs on the quilt.
June will be busy with reading, quilting, volunteering and travel. I plan to be away from my devices as much as possible. I’m definitely in need of a technology and social media fast.
Come Stitch With Me 