Welcome to the first day of the “Mini Masterpieces” Book hop! This is a project that is near and dear to my heart, as Alyce (the author extraordinaire) is a very good friend of mine. I haven’t blogged, or even had a chance to sew lately, but when Alyce asked me to be a part of her book hop, I jumped (hopped?) at the opportunity.

Mini Masterpieces is a wonderful addition to any quilt library. The book is well organized and clear, with tons of beautiful photos. Each chapter is a skill-building lesson, which include strip-piecing, curves, triangle and paper-piecing, to name a few. Beginning quilters can expand their talents, and seasoned quilters can use it as an inspirational reference book of techniques.

Alyce asked me to make a block from Lesson 1: Simple Squares. I love the simplicity and clean look of a traditional 9-patch and Alyce’s tips for nesting seams create perfect points.

I decided to get into the Christmas spirit and FINALLY use my Pixie Noel Precuts from Riley Blake (cutting into a pristine fat quarter pack is SO difficult for me!). Mini Masterpieces inspired me to keep going and make enough blocks for a festive pillow.

The pillow is about 22″ x 22″ and I’ll post the finished photo once I sew on with the fun, striped, binding. I can’t wait to see it with my other Christmas decorations (but I will refrain from decorating until after Thanksgiving!)

So about the GIVEAWAY! Alyce has collaborated with Aurifil to create a Mini Masterpieces thread collection which coordinates with the quilts pictured in the book (two neutrals and 10 rainbow colors…who doesn’t need those in their stash?!). Aurifil has generously donated 2 spools of thread to each blogger to give away to our readers! My spools are color #2220 and 2000.

I am not going to make you jump through a ton of hoops to enter the contest, but you really should follow Alyce and Aurifil on their blogs and Instagram…and hey, follow me too if you don’t already!

Alyce: Website: BlossomHeartQuilts.com IG: @Blossomheartquilts

Janice: Website: Betteroffthread.com IG: @Betteroffthread

Aurifil: Website: www.aurifil.com IG: @aurifilthread

Leave a comment below OR on my Instagram giveaway post and I will pick one lucky winner on November 29th! If you like, you can comment with any holiday gifts or decorations you are making. I always love easy handmade gift ideas!

You can follow along with the Book Hop each day by visiting the quilters listed below and by checking out #minimasterpiecesbook on Instagram.

November 18 – Simple Squares

Sarah from Sarah Ashford Studio – @sarahashfordstudio

Janice from Better Off Thread – @betteroffthread

November 19 – Strip Piecing

Molli from Molli Sparkles – @mollisparkles

Sarah from SariDitty – @sariditty

November 20 – Snowball Blocks

Ali from Arabesque Scissors – @arabesquescissors

Kitty from Night Quilter – @nightquilter

November 21 – HSTs

Andrea from 3rd Story Workshop – @3rdstoryworkshop

Caitlin – @caitlinpolden

November 22 – Flying Geese

Kirsty from Bonjour Quilts – @bonjour_quilts

Karen from Karen Lewis Textiles – @karenlewistextiles

November 23 – HRTs

Jemima from Tied With A Ribbon – @tiedwitharibbon

Rebecca from Bryan House Quilts – @bryanhousequilts

November 24 – Simple Curves

Nicole from Modern Handcraft – @modernhandcraft

Ava & Neve – @ava_and_neve

November 25 – Complex Curves

Elisabeth from Elisabew Quilts – @elisabew

Samantha from Aqua Paisley – @aqua_paisley

Christopher from The Tattooed Quilter – @the_tattooed_quilter

November 26 – Improv Curves

Aurifil – @aurifilthread

Nicholas from Quilts From The Attic – @quiltsfromtheattic

November 27 – Applique

Lauren from Molly And Mama – @mollyandmama

Sedef from Down Grapevine Lane – @downgrapevinelane

November 28 – EPP

Sharon from Lilabelle Lane – @lilabellelane

Jodi from Tales of Cloth – @talesofcloth

November 29 – FPP

Kristy from Quiet Play – @quietplay

Thanks for stopping by!!!

It’s FINALLY release day for The Splendid Sampler book! All 100 block patterns have been compiled into a beautiful book by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson.  I feel so fortunate to be a part of this book and sew along. The Facebook group has grown to 26,700 members and so many beautiful quilts have been completed (check the group out for multitudes of eye-candy!).

Today, Martingale is having a fantastic giveaway on their blog, with 13 chances to win prizes from Martingale, Moda, Aurifil, Schmetz Needles, and Reliable Irons. You can also read a special Q&A with Pat and Jane. Stop on by to enter!

]]> https://betteroffthread.com/2017/04/13/the-splendid-sampler-giveaway/feed/ 2 4662 https://betteroffthread.com/2017/04/10/spring-bouquet-wall-quilt/ https://betteroffthread.com/2017/04/10/spring-bouquet-wall-quilt/#comments Mon, 10 Apr 2017 15:48:06 +0000 http://betteroffthread.com/?p=4646

Here is a fun, somewhat insane, project I finished recently.  I decided I wanted to scale down my Spring Bouquet quilt and make it wall-sized.  The original quilt is 84″ x 84″ and the blocks are 9″ square.  The scaled down version measures 29″ x 29″ and has 69 blocks measuring 3″ x 3″ finished.

It was a fun way to use lots of little scraps and challenge myself to work small. The results are so cute and it looks so happy on my wall.

•••

If you want to make the Spring Bouquet Mini yourself, you just need to do a bit of math!

– First, print any templates at 33%.

– Next, subtract the 1/2″ seam allowance from the cutting measurements, divide by 3 and then add the 1/2″ back on.

Whew!  I’ll give an example:

(On the original pattern) Fabric C: Cut 16 squares 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″.

(On the mini pattern) Fabric C: Cut 16 squares 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″.

To get this measurement, you subtract the seam allowance from 3 1/2″, then divide by 3 and then add 1/2″.

3 1/2 – 1/2= 3.

3 divided by 3 = 1

1 + 1/2 = 1 1/2″

-Lastly, Don’t try to piece the curves.  That’s just crazy!  To make a teeny tiny drunkards path, I cut two curve pieces, placed them right sides together and sewed only along the curve.  Flip right side out and press, then I appliquéd it onto a 1-1/2″ background square, aligning the raw edges.  So much easier and no swearing or wine needed.

•••

If there is enough interest in the pattern, I can add it to my shop and do all the math for you. Let me know!

]]> https://betteroffthread.com/2017/04/10/spring-bouquet-wall-quilt/feed/ 9 4646 https://betteroffthread.com/2017/04/02/boundless-patterns-now-available/ https://betteroffthread.com/2017/04/02/boundless-patterns-now-available/#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2017 06:25:24 +0000 http://betteroffthread.com/?p=4626 The PDF patterns are now available for a few of my Craftsy quilt kits.  These patterns were previously only available as a kit, but now you can choose to purchase just the pattern and use your own fabrics!

Head to my Shop or my Craftsy store to check them out, or scroll down for links:

Stained Glass Spectrum

Measures 60″ x 60″

Advanced Beginner/ Intermediate block-based quilt.  No templates or papers needed.

Solar Flare

Measures 72″ x 72″

Intermediate. One template and minimal paper-pieces (could use included template instead).

Decodent Diamonds

Finished Quilt Measures 56″ x 70″

Advanced Beginner/ Intermediate. One template.

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Have a great week!!

Have you see The Midnight Quilt Show yet?  It’s a new-ish quilting show on YouTube, produced by Craftsy and hosted by Angela Walters.  Each episode features a different pattern, and Angela demonstrates the construction and quilting with humor and down-to-earth clarity.

Three of my Craftsy kit patterns have been featured on the show: Solar Flare, Wallflower, and Stained Glass Spectrum.  I was squealing when I first found out my quilts would be featured!  My kids were very impressed when they heard Angela say my name during the episode.  They think I’m famous, now, ha!

You can watch the episodes below, but make sure you go over to YouTube and give them a thumbs up and a positive comment, if you love what you see.  I know I would love for Craftsy to keep making this fun and fantastic show.

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Check these out:

• NEWSLETTER•

I am going to be starting a newsletter filled with updates, offers and other fun and informative items.  It will be emailed to subscribers twice a month, so don’t worry about your inbox being barraged.  You can sign-up on the home page and I will begin the newsletter once I have more than 3 subscribers!

• IN THE SHOP•

Boundless Solar Flare Quilt

You can now purchase PAPER versions of several of my more popular patterns (NY BEAUTY, SPIRAL OF GEESE and RIGHT ROUND.).

Also, check back in April for PDF versions of my Boundless Quilt Patterns.

• KITS•

Gaggle of Geese Quilt

 I have had a few inquiries about offering kits for a few of my flying geese patterns (like Gaggle of Geese), so you don’t have to buy or find 32 or more different solids.  The kit would include all the fabric needed for the geese and then you would provide your own background.  Is this something that would be of interest to you?

•ON THE BLOG•

Tumbling Cats Free Tutorial

Along with website additions, I will be blogging more. I plan add more process posts, quilting tips and tutorials.  Let me know what you would like to see.  I love the feedback and I want to post items that readers are interested in.

•GLITCHES?•

If you have any issues with links, checking out in the shop, or anything else, let me know (contact@betteroffthread.com).  I redid the website all by my lonesome (well, I probably bugged Alyce about 5 times a day with questions.), so there may be kinks to work out.

Have a great rest of the week!

Welcome to my blog!  I am hoping to take a bit of the fear out of Fern and THE DREADED “Y” SEAM.

Actually, I would barely call this a “Y” seam.  It’s more like a slightly bent straight seam.  It’s a perfect block to start with, if you have never sewn a “Y” seam before.

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First, paper-piece all of the templates.  We ALL know how to do that by this point in the sew-along, right?

•••

Next, sew the E, F, G, H templates to the center square.  Do NOT sew into the seam allowances.  You will want to sew only along the black line, back-stitching at each end.

(You’ll notice that my G, H & I pieces have the papers attached.  On small pieces, I like to glue the fabric right to the paper, for added accuracy.)

Here is the block with the templates sewn only to the center:

•••

Now it’s time for the fun to begin!  Gently pivot the “Y” seams and match them up together on one of the sides.  Stitch the seam, beginning with (and including) the outer seam allowance and stop when  you get to the inner seam allowance (do not sew into it).  Repeat for the remaining seams.

Ta-da!  That wasn’t do bad, was it?  Now all you need to do is sew the corners to the block center.

•••

And, DONE!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.  Have fun sewing!

The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks That Honor Them by Laurie Aaron Hird for Fons & Porter/F+W; RRP $28.99 – Click here to purchase.

How do you feel about quilt kits?  I haven’t used one, myself, but I think they are pretty ingenious.  What’s not to like about getting a snazzy new pattern and all the fabric needed to make it?  It can sometimes take me an hour to pick fabric for just ONE block, so I can imagine that a kit would be a huge time (and angst) saver.

A year ago, Craftsy approached me about designing quilt kits for them.  I almost said no, because my family was in the midst of moving, but it sounded like it could be a really fun and rewarding project. I will say, I was a little worried, because Craftsy was just beginning their foray into fabric so I had never used their product.  What would it look like in person?  How would it feel?   I am a bit of a fabric snob, so the texture and quality of the fabric can really make it or break it for me.  In the end, I decided to live a little and give it a go!

Boundless Solids and Boundless DECOdent

I was commissioned to design two quilts for Crafty’s Boundless DECOdent line and two more for their Boundless Solids line.  Once the designs were approved, I wrote up the patterns and then waited a handful of months for the fabric to be printed and make it’s way across the Pacific to me.

Box 1 of 3!

I had my patterns tech edited by Alison Schmidt.  This was my first time hiring a Technical Editor (I normally barter for pattern testers), so I felt very fancy and professional.  Alison has been a friend of mine for about 14 years and she is an amazing TE.  We both went to Carnegie Mellon University, worked in costuming and made the switch to quilting.  She is very quick, and accurate as well as funny and friendly.

When the fabric finally arrived, I was so pleased!  They were gorgeous in person and very smooth and soft.  I would equate the Boundless solids to Kona in texture and weight.  I really don’t think I will be able to tell them apart in my stash.  I washed all of the solids before using them, and there was very little bleeding onto the color catchers.

Yes, yes, I am going to finally get to the quilts!

•••

Inspired by 1920’s art deco, Boundless DECOdent is not my usual taste, but I love the saturated colors and the metallic gold. As with most metallics, it is SO much prettier in person.  There is no way for photos to do it justice.

Decodent Diamonds

Measures 65″ x 80″

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DECOdent Medallion

Measures 46″ x 46″

•••

The Boundless Solids quilts were a fun challenge.  I wanted to come up with unique designs that showed off the variety of colors in the line and would really brighten up any room.  They look more complex than they really are, so don’t be afraid to give them a try!

Stained Glass Spectrum

Measures 60″ x 60″

•••

Solar Flare 

Measures 72″ x 72″

•••

All of the kits are currently available at Craftsy.  If you already have more fabric than you know what to do with, the patterns will be available in my store early next year.

Have a wonderful Monday!

What kind of social platforms are you enjoying nowadays; Instagram, blogs, Facebook live, podcasts?  The choices are totally overwhelming, but it’s nice that there is something for every taste!  I’ve started listening to a podcast each morning while I walk the dog and do chores.  I am loving “While She Naps”, “Elise Gets Crafty” and “American Patchwork and Quilting Radio”.  If you have one you enjoy, let me know and I’ll check it out!

•••

Photo by Latifah Saafir

Earlier this year, Latifah Saafir asked if I would make a quilt for her new fabric line, “Grafic”.  Well, heck yes!  First, Latifah is sweet and supportive and we’ve been in a Bee together for about a zillion years.  Secondly, she’s crazy talented and her fabric is AH-maz-ing!  It’s bold, and gritty, yet clean and fresh.

Photo by Latifah Saafir

Latifah’s fabric features large-scale prints, so I wanted the quilt to utilize over-sized piecing, yet still look intricate and have a lot of visual movement.  I also wanted to explore the idea of the fabric images merging together in a few spots, so there would not be a definite seamline defining the pieces.

I sent this illustration over to Latifah and she said, “Yes, please!”, so I got to work.  And no, this was not my first design.  I think I did about 10 before I was actually happy with one (I’m very Gemini).

The actual quilt went together pretty quickly, since it’s big pieces and big curves.

The pattern is available in my Craftsy shop, if you would like to try it yourself!  I designed the pattern specifically for Grafic, but it also works with a variety of fabrics.  How could I not try it in rainbow solids!

•••

You can check out more Graphic projects in Instagram by using the hashtag #graficfabric.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Welcome to my blog and my second block in the quilt-along!  When I started this 100 block adventure, I was determined to cut all the blocks with templates and then hand-sew them together.  It proved quite difficult to find time for hand-sewing.  I thought I could do it during my kids activities, but I can’t seem to sew and watch their sports at the same time!  Now, I’ve relaxed a bit and I’m making each block based on what I think the best method may be and also what my mood is at the time.

As of right now, I have 23 blocks completed and 11 more cut out (using the Marti Mitchell templates).  I am really loving the process and being able to take my time with the blocks.  I do a ton of rushed sewing for various projects, so this is relaxing for me.  I’m not working on any set time structure, because that would just stress me out!

If you feel like you are falling behind, overwhelmed by missed blocks, or just want to give up, then you are missing the point of the quilt-along!  Simply have fun, try new things and work at your own pace.  If you fall behind, just start with the most current block and do the others at a later date, when you have time. I know that I will finish this quilt someday.  I want to look back on it as a long, relaxing journey, not a sprint.

Ok, that’s enough of my lecture!  On to the block!

I decided to paper-piece Fanny.  It’s a lot of tiny pieces and I’m using Liberty Lawn in my blocks (very woodgy). By now in the quilt-along,  you’ve probably read paper-piecing tutorials out the wazoo.  I’m going to quickly go over how I organize and paper-piece such an intricate block.

First, I chose my fabrics (of course!).  This block called for three fabrics.  In general, I choose one Liberty-esque print, one textural/blender print and one geometric print .  Sometimes I switch out the textural or geometric print with a fussy-cut novelty print.  I find that this combination (Organic-Blender-Geometic) creates good contrast and keeps the block from becoming too busy.

This block as a LOT of little pieces, so I snagged three crayons from my kids and quickly marked where each fabric will go.

Then I started sewing.  I like to work on all of the templates in a block at the same time.  This way I can be lazy and walk to the iron fewer times!

Once the templates were complete, I trimmed to the seam allowance lines and then gave everything a good press with starch (I’m using a bit more starch because of the lawn prints.).  I decided to leave the papers on until the very end, but if you are using normal quilting cottons, you could remove the paper at this point. Whatever makes you happy!

Sew the templates into 5 rows.  If you left the papers in, tear away the paper from the seam allowances you just sewed.

Sew the rows together, matching your seams, then give a good press with starch (I like to do this on top of one or two layers of batting), and you are done!

Have a great week!