Sweet Home Quilt Along - Week 5

Sweet Home Quilt Along - Week 5

Welcome to the fifth week of the Sweet Home Quilt along hosted by (me) Sharon Holland, Maureen Cracknell, and Jennifer Jones. It’s been fun to connect with the Sweet Home quilt makers on our Instagram community and here on our blogs. The quilts being made are so adorable—see what I mean when you search the #SweetHomeQAL hashtag on Instagram.

If you’re just joining us you’ll probably want to pop over to the Sweet Home Quilt Along - Week 1 post to get caught up. You can purchase the Sweet Home quilt pattern from my SHOP here.

The quilt along will run six weeks total and we’ll cover a different aspect of piecing or finishing for that week. Some of you are working ahead and that’s wonderful—it’ll give you more time for the quilting and finishing portion. This quilt along is very relaxed. If you feel like completing the top in a week—go for it! But, if you’re a beginner and want more instruction along the way—we have that too in the form of LIVE and recorded Instagram tutorials over on my IGTV channel on Instagram. I’ve recorded step by step tutorials for you to access on my @sharonhollanddesigns IGTV channel on Instagram and so far the Sweet Home Quilt series covers fabric selection, Log Cabin block, and Bungalow block construction.

Assembly and Finishing

We’ve got a lot to cover this week as we assembly our quilt sandwich, quilt, and bind our Sweet Home quilts. Luckily, I’ve covered different aspects of how to quilt a quilt on my other Sew Alongs and Tutorials so as you continue reading, be watching for the highlighted links to take you to those previous posts and tutorials.

Basting

If you’re planning to do your own quilting for this quilt I recommend spray basting. I’ve tried a few different brand and hands down I love Odif 505 brand the best. See the step-by-step instructions for how I sandwich my quilt layers and apply the spray baste in the Basting tutorial as part of my Sewcial Bee Sampler Quilt Finishing post.

For all the quilts shown in this post I used Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting inside and love working with it if I’m the one quilting but since I’ve sent my quilts to Lady Belle Fabric with Tuscany Silk batting to use she now carries it as a batting option in her shop because she also loves working with it too!

Quilting

Even if you’re not planning to do your own quilting you’ll still need some inspiration for just how to quilt your quilt. A good long armer will help you decide what may look best.

I personally love an overall design that may not have anything to do with the quilt design at all but that it adds another layer of goodness to the entire finished piece.

It’s certainly not my best work ever but I have my quilt finished and did the quilting myself this time around. I went with one of my favorite quilt designs, the Fan or Baptist Fan design. I’ve a tutorial for how to mark out a quilt and stitch in a continuous line. Read more HERE.

For more information on how I quilt using a mid arm machine and some easy looping stitches read more HERE.

The two Sweet Home Quilts I made in the spring I sent off to Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric to be long arm quilted. The blue quilt above has an overall geometric pattern called Abacus.

This quilt was made for my grandson who love stripes so the diagonal lines of the quilting were just perfect to highlight all the lines already happening in the quilt. I also bound the quilt with light blue Chenille-it Blooming Bias.

For my granddaughter who loves pink and flowers I had Brooke use the Daisy Chain design for the quilting.

Chenille-it Blooming Bias was also used to edge this pretty Sweet Home quilt and I used the natural color for this one. It’s really the perfect finish for this fun quilt.

Binding

The Sweet Home quilt pattern includes information for traditional strip binding as well as how to attach Chenille-it Blooming Bias tape for the binding. I’ve tutorials for both!

Regular Double-fold binding is the most common type of binding and done by cutting width of fabric strips. The Sweet Home quilt pattern includes my method for attaching traditional binding and you’ll also find step-by-step instructions for traditional and bias binding HERE and even more instructions and step-out photos HERE.

Attaching Chenille-it Blooming Bias tape to your quilt for binding is a little different and possibly easier than traditional binding. Faux chenille binding does not fully encase the raw edge of the quilt like traditional binding does so the first thing you’ll want to do it to zig zag or serger the edges of your quilt.

I’ve made a YouTube video that shows you exactly how to apply this fun product to your Sweet Home Quilt.

For my quilt along Sweet Home make I used the Cinnamon colored faux chenille for my binding. Binding is applied in double layers to both the front and the back of the quilt. Below is how the Blooming Bias looks stitched to the edges and before 'blooming' in the laundry.

To “bloom” the bias tape you can run your quilt through a gentle cycle wash in the laundry. Blooming can be done by hand but is more successful if the quilt is laundered.

Toss the quilt into the dryer on a low, gentle tumble. I have dryer balls I use in the dryer that also help to fluff the quilt and dry it faster. I prefer to leave my quilt just a touch damp for reshaping and a light press but you may love a dryer-crinkled quilt so wash and dry like you would normally with your quilts.

Next week it’s all about the big reveals! I’ll show off my lovely Sweet Home quilt with it’s Art Gallery Fabrics Terra Kotta prints and my co-hosts will have their quilts to show off!! I’m excited to see your quilts.

I’m enjoying seeing your postings to Instagram and following along on your progress—you’re all are doing amazing and beautiful work on your Sweet Home quilts—there’s even some finished quilts showing up already!

Don’t forget that this Friday will be a new Friday Giveaway with fabulous prizes from our sponsors. Be following along on Instagram as all the giveaways will be held on that platform and winners will be randomly drawn the following Monday from the #SweetHomeQAL hashtag pool. The quilt along members that post their progress photos to public account on Instagram and use the hashtag #SweetHomeQAL will automatically be entered into every Sweet Home Quilt Along drawing! It’s that easy to enter, so enter often to up your chances!

And, while you’re on Instagram, take a look at the #SweetHomeQAL hashtag on Instagram and see what the other QAL Makers are using in their quilts—it’s an amazing resource not only to see fabrics but to make new friends!

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Trimming HST and Flying Geese Units

Trimming HST and Flying Geese Units

As a pattern designer I strive to make my patterns as easy as possible for all level of quilters to follow and for each maker to finish their quilt with true to size blocks and sharp points on units like Half-Square Triangle units (HST) and Flying Geese Units. Tips and tutorials make for better patchwork and in a recent discussion with my quilt testers group I realized many newer quilters are unsure of how to trim up units like Half-Square Trangkes and Flying Geese.

You’ll find many tutorials on this blog about how to make these different sort of units but I’ve not addresses directly on how to trim these units down to size if you don’t have specialty rulers like my favored Bloc_Loc Rulers. This seemed the perfect time to add this lesson as I’ve a new quilt pattern coming out in October that utilizes several different types of units.

Before we get into trimming of these two unit types you can review unit construction on these earlier blog posts:

• Half-Square Triangle units (two at a time)

• Eight at a Time Half-Square Triangle units

• Quarter-Square Triangle units

• Triple-Square Triangle units

• No-Waste Flying Geese

• Quick Corner Units (construction similar to flippy-corner Flying Geese)

Trimming HST units

Half-Square Triangles are the easiest units to trim to size and can be done without any specialty rulers. I’m using a left over HST unit from making Sweet Home roofs as an example in this tutorial.

Stitch two triangles together using a 1/4” seam allowance or make HST units according to a pattern instructions. Press unit open.

For this example I’m using a 6-1/2” square Creative Grids ruler that has a 45° diagonal line marking as well as the normal grid line markings. A square ruler works best for HST units.

In the above left image, use the ruler to size up the HST to see what usable size can be made by lining up the 45° marking with the seam line and making sure there’s at least a 1/4” seam allowance on all side. As you see, a 4’’ square or smaller can be made from this HST unit.

With the ruler in position, trim the top and right sides of the HST with a rotary cutter as seen in the above right image. Reverse these instructions if you’re left handed.

If working on a rotating mat, rotate everything 180° without disturbing the HST. If on a stationary mat, turn the HST so the trimmed sides are opposite of their starting point.

Slide the ruler down so the diagonal marking still aligns to the seam line and the 4” markings line up with the newly trimmed edges. Trim the two remaining sides to square the HST.

The image above uses the same method to trim a HST unit to 5” square using a regular 6-1/2” square ruler and a 6-1/2” square Bloc_Loc ruler.

Trimming Flying Geese Units

Flying Geese units take just a little more care when trimming and squaring to size. A regular square ruler is still the best tool for this job if you don’t have a specialty Flying Geese ruler for trimming.

I happen to have a square ruler the same width as what’s needed for my Flying Geese unit but a larger ruler would be just as useful but require a few more passes to cut since you could only cut up to two sides at once with a larger ruler.

Determine the cut size of your Flying Geese unit. In this case I need to trim my unit to 3-1/2” x 6-1/2”. Subtract 1/4” from the height of the unit. Example: 3-1/2” minus 1/4” is 3-1/4”. This is well marked on my ruler as it’s the center of this 6-1/2” ruler. Place the measurement mark (in this case 3-1/4”) on the point of the Goose. The point of the Goose is used as the reference point and will help establish the 1/4” seam allowance. Note how the 45° marking on the ruler lines up with one seam line on the unit and there’s enough fabric on all sides of the Flying Geese unit for trimming.

Trim both the sides and bottom edge of the unit as shown. If your ruler is larger, trim bottom and one side of unit.

Rotate the unit or mat so the Goose now points down. Align the 3-1/2” mark (or the cut size needed) with the trimmed bottom edge of the unit (now located at the top).

Trim the Goose point edge and remaining side, if necessary so all outside edges have been trimmed as needed to size which includes the 1/4’’ seam allowance.

Above shows the no-measure needed trimming of a Flying Geese unit using a Bloc-Loc Ruler.

There are other rulers on the market that are considered specialty rulers and cover more than one size of unit. I’ve only used the Bloc_Loc rulers but have heard good things about the Wing Clipper ruler from other quilters. Here are some examples available on Amazon using affiliate links:

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Having all your units true to size will make patchwork assembly a breeze and no more fudging or wrestling your pieces into place. There’ll be no more clipped points, or wonky blocks. Taking time to trim and square up units is all part of the patchwork process and since you’ve already put in so much time and money into your beautiful quilt It’s well worth the extra effort to assure it’s made as well and as near perfect as it can be!

Happy trimmings!

Heart Quilt Sew Along - Week 2

Heart Quilt Sew Along - Week 2

Welcome back for the second week of the Heart Quilt sew along hosted by myself and Maureen Cracknell! If you’re just joining us, you’ll want to get up to speed by reading last weeks post announcing the sew along. If you’re already making heart block or at the point to start adding the sashing and borders—this post is all about getting that top pieced!

The design for the heart block comes from Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew. For this sew along we have Allison’s permission to use her block and we’ve selected and designed a quilt using an 8” square block, sashing, and border layout to make a 52’’ x 61’’ throw-size quilt. You’ll find a free download for our quilt layout, coloring sheet, and fabric requirements on the Sew Along page.

You may want to design a different layout for your heart blocks or follow Allison’s quilt tutorial from her site—Feel free to be creative! This is a casual sew along and perfect as a customizable project! Just be aware that the material list and cutting information on our sew along handout may not work if you’re changing the block size and layout. These sew along blog post support the sew along PDF handout.

We’ve not included piecing instructions in our free download because the Heart Block tutorial at Cluck Cluck Sew will cover what you’ll need to know about making the heart blocks. However, I’m adding some quick tips and tricks on cutting and piecing in the form of videos to my Stories on Instagram. You’ll also find these same videos archived in my Highlights under the #agfLOVEquilt circle.

Sharon Holland Designs Instagram Feed

Be sure to follow along with Maureen on her Instagram page as she makes two heart quilts using new Art Gallery Fabrics from Amy Sinabaldi’s MayFair and the new Foresta Fusion collections.

Find quilt kits and bundles for the fabrics used in Maureen’s quilt at Lady Belle Fabric.

Maureen Cracknell Instagram Feed

Adding Sashing and Borders

Once all your blocks are pieced it’s time to add the sashing and borders to complete the quilt top.

I’ve not given any instructions in the PDF for adding the sashing and borders other than material lists and cutting information. This blog post and supplemental Stories videos on my Instagram feed will be the pattern support and tutorial for piecing together the quilt top.

Heart Quilt Assembly Diagram

Start by adding one 1-1/2” x 8-1/2” horizontal sashing strip to all 30 blocks. Note that I’ve added the horizontal sashing to the tops of the block to hold the tiny flipped corners down for easier assembly.

Arrange your single-sashed blocks into 5 vertical rows of 6 blocks each. Add the last 5 horizontal sashes to the bottom 5 blocks.

Join the sashed blocks into five vertical block rows of six blocks each as shown on the above Quilt Assembly Diagram.

Now it’s time to add the long vertical sashing between the block rows. Here’s where you’ll use those (9) 1-1/2” x 42” strips held in reserve. We’ll be sewing those reserve strips into one long strip and then sub cutting them to make the vertical sashing needed for the top.

You can, of course, simply sew the long strips right sides together on the short ends to get the desired sashing lengths but I have a nicer way to make your sashing and here’s how I prefer to do it:

Make One Long Strip

1. Place (2) 1-1/2” x 42” strips right sides together at right angles. Sew with a diagonal seam as shown in the illustration below.

2. Continue adding strips in the same manner to make one long strip.

3. Trim seams to 1/4” and press seams open.

By creating a diagonal seam you will make a stronger seam because of its longer surface area and the seam will be less noticeable on the quilt. Pressing the seams open helps the seam to lay nice and flat.

Cut Sashing to Size

1. Measure the vertical block rows and average those number to determine the vertical sashing length. Note: If you’ve sewn your blocks true-to-size up to this point your vertical sashing rows size will measure 55-1/2’’ long but everybody sews differently so measure first to check the size you’ll need for your quilt.

2. Cut 6 strips from the long strip to your measurement. Tip: Cutting from one continuous strip helps to stagger where the seams will land on the quilt and give a nicer overall appearance.

3. Sew the vertical sashing strips alternately with the block rows.

Tip: When attaching sashing to your vertical block rows, use the previous block rows to help keep everything lined up. Notice how I’ve pinned at the horizontal sashing seam line and lined up those seams with the sashing of the row next to it.

Pressing is your friend! Press every step of the way when assembling your quilt top for better results.

Adding Borders

1. In the same manner as making the vertical sashing, sew the (6) 3-1/2” x 42” strips together to make one long strip.

2. Measure the two sides of the quilt and average those numbers. Cut 2 strips to this size. Note: If you’ve sewn your top true-to-size up to this point your vertical border (for the sides) will measure 55-1/2’’ long but everybody sews differently so measure first to check the size you’ll need for your quilt.

3. Stitch to the sides of the quilt.

4. Measure the top and bottom of the quilt including the border. Average those numbers and cut 2 strips to this measurement. Sew to the top and bottom of the quilt. Note: If you’ve sewn your top true-to-size up to this point your horizontal border (for the top and bottom) will measure 52-1/2’’ long but everybody sews differently so measure first to check the size you’ll need for your quilt.

Congratulations, you just completed your Heart Quilt top!!!! Next Wednesday we’ll go over how to make the quilt sandwich, quilt with a quilting diagram of how I will quilt my top, and binding of your quilt along with the full reveals of our quilts.

Meanwhile, both Maureen and I’ll be posting our progress on Instagram and we encourage you to follow along and share your fabric pull and block progress as well. When posting your quilt to Instagram use the sew along hashtag of #agfLOVEquilt and be sure to tag @sharonhollanddesigns @maureencracknell and @cluckclucksew so we can see your progress! If you’re sewing with Art Gallery Fabrics don’t forget to tag them too as they love to see what Makers are making with @artgalleryfabrics !

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Hold Tight Quilt Pattern Update

Hold Tight Quilt Pattern Update

Hold Tight Petite by Sharon Holland

I’ve an important update for those who’ve purchased my Hold Tight quilt pattern and an apology for any frustrations the B template may have given you.

The original version of this pattern included an 8-1/4” square B template that proved troublesome to print out because one side would get cut off in the printing margin. On the second version I trimmed down the tips (just the tips, not the entire shape) to make the template 8” square and easier for printing. Neither one of these were acceptable and I am sorry for my dropping the ball on this one.

Well, third times a charm because this updated template that you can download for free from the Sew Along page prints out fully and is back to the original 8-1/4” square size. Please note, you’ll need to tape it together before creating your plastic template. It’s a happy medium compromise between the two problems.

The new B template page looks like the image above and you can download a print out HERE. Do not drag, screen shot, or use the image above as it is not a PDF quality for use. Instead, download the PDF from my Sew Along page.

Once you have the new B template PDF, you’ll need to print it to scale and carefully cut out the B1 and B2 shapes. Use the arrows to tape the two shapes together to create an 8-1/4” square B template. Transfer this full (whole) shape to your template plastic and follow the cutting instructions as given in any version of the Hold Tight quilt pattern.

Having this larger size B shape doesn’t change the curve of the template or how it’s pieced, it only gives you more wiggle room for sewing the curved pieces together and for trimming the block up to size using your Trimming template that’s included in the pattern—and who doesn’t love more wiggle room!?!?!

My sincere apologizes to anyone that’s had struggles with the cutoff print version or the smaller B template version of this pattern. I’ve uploaded an amended Week #2 video to YouTube explaining this update, so if you follow my YouTube channel and this blog then this blog post will cover the same information that the “new” video covers.

Any new pattern purchases of the Hold Tight quilt will reflect this B template change. You do not need to repurchase the pattern to get the updated B template page. Simply download a free page 11 B Template PDF from the Sew Along page.

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.