Everlasting Blog Tour - Week 2 Recap + Giveaway

Everlasting Blog Tour - Week 2 Recap + Giveaway

The Everlasting Blog Tour has been a tour de force of incredible talent and this week’s makers brought their A-game! Every day I swoon over the newest blog post—I hope you’ve been following along but in case you missed a day, here’s the week’s recap.

Art Gallery Fabrics released my Everlasting fabric line this spring in May. The summer-inspired prints make sewing easy with a classic palette of navy, red, turquoise, and blush and what better way to show off sewing with Everlasting than with a blog tour. So, to keep those summer vibes going, I invited the industries finest to make beautiful things with Everlasting fabrics and blog about their projects.

Take a look at the Everlasting Blog Tour Week 1 Recap, here.

EVERLASTING BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Friday, July 12 - Sharon Holland

Monday, July 15 - Marija Vujcic

Tuesday, July 16 - Carolina Moore

Wednesday, July 17 - Dana Willard

Thursday, July 18 - Lisa Ruble

Friday, July 19 - Dritz Sewing

Monday, July 22 - Eleri Kerian

Tuesday, July 23 - Marisa Wilhelmi

Wednesday, July 24 - Sharon McConnell

Thursday, July 25 - Modernly Morgan

Friday, July 26 - Alexis Wright

Monday, July 29 - Priscilla Geissler

Tuesday, July 30 - Maureen Cracknell

Wednesday, July 31 - Elina Temmes

Everlasting has been a huge success and is available in shops everywhere. See FABRICS page for stock listings of online shops.

Week 2 Recap

Day 6 started our second week with the multi-talented Eleri Kerian and her astonishing Seafarer quilt (pattern by Simple Life Patterns) and adorable garments for her daughters. Eleri excels at a challenge and this relatively new-to-quilting quilter masterfully pieced a stunning Mariner’s Compass-style quilt. I love her placement of Everlasting fabrics to get maximum contrast of the pieced elements. Hop over to Eleri’s blog and learn more about this quilt and the sweet romper and dress makes for her youngest daughters.

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Eleri Kerian

Day 7 was a day of many first for Marisa Wilhelmi. If you follow me on Instagram you’d know that I’d held an Everlasting fabrics giveaway this spring for 1/2 yard of each print from the collection for a winner and their tagged friend. Marisa was the tagged friend and was so excited about her bundle of Everlasting fabrics I invited her to be part of this tour. This was really an unknown for me as to what Marisa would create and she even went the extra mile and started a blog in preparations for the tour. Her passion for sewing (again, she’s new to quilting) is apparent in her exciting and creative pieces. I was blown away by all the beautiful quilt projects she made for the tour. Check them out yourself and give her a big hand for all she’s accomplished in such a short time.

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Marisa Wilhelmi

Day 8 was Sharon McConnell of Color Girl Quilts day to wow everyone with her stunning new quilt pattern. I met Sharon through Instagram with my first Art Gallery Fabrics collection, Gossamer. We’ve been friends ever since and even traveled and roomed together at Quilt Markets. Sharon has an eye for mixing prints and playing with color and she certainly shined brightly during the Everlasting tour. All ten Everlasting prints were used in her quilt plus the addition of the green FE-527 Lettuce Floral Element from AGF. Find out more about her rulers and the soon to be released star pattern on her blog.

Everlasting Blog Tour project by Sharon McConnell

Day 9 comes to us from the UK where Morgan of Modernly Morgan is stationed with her husband. Morgan designs beautifully modern quilts and has a great eye for color. This was my first time collaborating with Morgan on a tour and I was so excited when she could take part. Morgan’s Tropical Storm quilt is absolutely sublime with Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids and Bouquet Muse large floral spinning around the central eye of the block. Be sure to take a peek at the back of her quilt that uses primarily Something Blue print with a splash of Crossed Paths. I’m also enjoying her #QuiltsInTheWasher hashtag and images on Instagram!

Everlasting Blog Tour project by Modernly Morgan

Day 10 closed out the second week with my dear friend Alexis Wright. I met Alexis through her sewing for Art Gallery Fabrics Look Books and in person at Quilt Market. I knew right away we were kindred spirits and although I’m almost old enough to be her mother, you’ll see in our Instagram comments we call each other Little and Big Sis (sisters) because she feels like the little sister I never had. Alexis can design clothing (Blake dress pattern Violette Field Threads), professionally sew, and I’m insanely jealous (sibling rivalry) of her photography! The garments Alexis made with Everlasting prints are easy, breezy, and summer-time perfection! In fact, I’m hoping next week to do a little garment sewing myself with the Flower Keeper rayon!

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Alexis Wright

WEEK 2 Giveaway

That’s two out of the three weeks of Everlasting blog tour and the only way to make it even better is to have a giveaway to keep this party hopping.

The week 2 sponsored giveaway comes to you from:
Bloc_Loc Ruler.

If you remember on my opening blog post for the tour I posted about my Pineapple Block pillows and BlocLoc Pineapple ruler. These rulers have been game-changers for my patchwork and I seriously don’t know how I ever lived without them! Bloc_Loc has instructional videos to accompany all their rulers.

Bloc_Loc has been a sponsor for this blog since the Community Sampler sew along days and I love being able to introduce you to their company and product line. Bloc_Loc was created by husband and wife team, Paul and Janna. Paul, an Australian, was an aircraft maintenance engineer and Janna, and American, is a quilt designer and author of Courtship Quilts; Inspired by the Victorian Language of Flowers, published by Martingale & Co 2005. Now based in Loveland, Colorado, Bloc_Loc manufacturers, distributes, and sells their own patent pending products which are new and innovative. Their rulers are made of the highest quality materials by the old-fashioned standard of making products and are built tough enough to last from one generation to the next!

 Shop Rulers * Follow on Facebook * Follow on Instagram 

Bloc_Loc is generously giving away a 3” Kite in Square (KIS) ruler set for making 9” finished blocks and the new KIS ME book so you can make beautiful quilt variations from this one ruler set! You could have a lot of fun with this—see entry rules below.

Giveaway Now Closed. Congratulations to Barb K!

* Note * This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment--you can't win if I can't get a hold of you!

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (First comment entry).

2. Follow Bloc_Loc on Facebook and/or Instagram. Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment - second entry). 

3. My followers get a third entry! If you follow via subscribing to my posts, through Bloglovin (or other service), or on Instagram, just let me know by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment - third entry). Note: I'm no longer on Facebook.

4. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Spread the word about the Everlasting Blog Tour on YOUR instagram, facebook, tweet, pin, blog post, etc... (separate comment - fourth entry). 

That’s four possible entries! Enter now through Tuesday, July 30. The winner will be picked at random around 4 pm Eastern. I’ll post the name of the winner on this blog post once they've been notified and responded to my email.

Don’t forget you have a second chance to win this same prize by reposting any of the the Everlasting Blog Tour makers projects on Instagram. Simply tag the project’s maker with their IG account, #ArtGalleryFabrics, and use the #EverlastingBlogTour hashtag on a public Instagram account and you’ll automatically be entered into all the IG giveaway drawings for this tour! Enter as many times as you’d like by reposting blog tour images—just be sure to give tour makers proper credit and tag them in your repost.

Happy sewing,

Sharon

Week #3 SBS Giveaway

Sewcial Bee Sampler Giveaway Friday

Each Friday, throughout the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew-along which Maureen Cracknell and I are co-hosting, will be a Giveaway Friday. We've coordinated special giveaway prizes with some amazing sponsors. 

If you're just now joining us, welcome, it's never too late to start sewing along! Please take a moment to catch up by reviewing all my earlier posts, beginning with the January 30th, 2017 post The Start of Something Sewcial.

Aurifil      Circa 15      The Intrepid Thread      Fat Quarter Shop      Omnigrid      Llama Fabrics      Color Girl     Lady Belle Fabric      Needle in a Fabric Stash      Dritz      Knotted Thread    NeedleandFoot

Today's featured Sewcial Bee Sampler sponsor is Color Girl

Color Girl Quilts is run by Sharon McConnell, a talented maker with a passion for designing and sewing unique quilts! In her shop you'll find designs for beginners and advanced quilters, projects for pre-cuts, scraps or for showing off a favorite collection of fabrics. Sharon has been blogging her quilty adventures since the Summer of 2012 as a way to both document the quilts she creates and to share things she learns along the way. The Color Girl Quilts blog will always be filled with positive energy, colorful images, and exciting quilting projects, and we invite you all to visit her blog and to check out her wonderful line of quilt patterns available for PDF download here!

Shop  *  Blog  *  Instagram  *  Facebook  *  We hope you enjoy visiting Color Girl Quilts!

For this week's Sewcial Bee Giveaway, Color Girl Quilts is offering the winner's choice of any TWO PDF quilt patterns in her lovely shop!

Congratulations to Lisa Stevens is the the winner of Week #3 SBS Giveaway

{This giveaway is now closed} 

Visit Maureen Cracknell's blog Friday February 24th, 2017 for the next chance to win!

 

Sewcial Bee Sampler Block #3

Sewcial Bee Sampler Block #3

Hello, friends! It's Wednesday and that means a new block is available for the Sewcial Bee Sampler sew along co-hosted by myself and Maureen Cracknell. If you're just now joining us, welcome! Please take a moment to catch up by reviewing all my earlier posts, beginning with the January 30th, 2017 post The Start of Something Sewcial.

The rest of you, let's get sewing! Block #3 is called Flock. You'll enjoy it because we're reviewing the two different half-square triangle (HST) techniques we've learned about in blocks #1 and #2. You've got this, but if you'd like a refresher, follow these links to my tutorials: 8-at-a-time HST units and the traditional HST units (2-at-a-time). 

#3 Flock Sewcial Bee Sampler featuring Bountiful fabrics by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery Fabrics

I've started a series of tutorials to accompany this sew along that covers very basic patchwork sewing skills. If you've missed the first installment and want to perfect your strip cutting and seam allowance sewing skills, pop over to my Perfect Patchwork post here.

Just so you know, there's always several ways to accomplish the same end result in patchwork piecing and quilting. The methods I give you are my go-to methods and have served me well over the years. I'm not saying this is the absolute and only way to do things--this is just how I prefer to sew my patchwork quilts. 

Perfect Patchwork

Pressing and Pinning

A question I'm asked a lot is do I wash my fabrics before I sew with them? The answer from me is, NO. Again, this is a personal preference. I like to sew with fabric that still has the mill sizing finish on it. I feel the fabric is easier to handle and work with in a crisper state. Yes, I could pre-wash and then starch--but why go through that extra work?

Second big question is about pressing seams to one side or pressing them open. If you'd have asked me this question 6 months ago I would have gasped in horror at the very thought of pressing patchwork seams open. But, this fall as I was sewing a quilt for my Utility Style quilt book, (in print later this year) I had a scrap quilt project that I just HAD TO press the seams open for it to work. This was the first quilt I ever, ever had done that way and was pleasantly surprised how it really helped make this particular quilt go together so nicely. 

I've since been using a hybrid of pressing seams to one side and pressing seams open. If you put a little thought into the construction of each section of your block and how they fit together like a puzzle, you can get into a bit of a rhythm when piecing and start to instinctively know when to fold them (press to one side) and when to hold them (press open). 

Let's Practice on the #3 Block

1. Always start cutting and sewing with wrinkle-free fabric. When piecing you'll want to press not iron. Pressing is the motion of picking the iron up and putting it down rather than sliding it across the surface. Use the correct setting for the type of material and keep the iron clean. When pressing a unit or block press the seam from the back first to set the seam then open the unit or block and press the piece open. Press as you piece so the block stays true to size. I do not recommend using a steam iron. Steam could distort the shape of pieces by loosing the weave. I inevitably burn my fingers from the steam and it just messes up my iron no matter what, it's not been my friend.  

2. To press the seams for the #3 Flock block like I've done, press the seams on all the HST units open. Trim the dog ear corners to reduce bulk.

3. After sewing the 2 small HST units together, press the seams to one side so they can be nested when joining the two rows of two small HST units. I find when joining sections like this the nested seams are invaluable for locking the seams in place. Nesting seams before sewing means the seam allowances of each unit are going in the opposite direction. After joining the small HST units, this now becomes a section of the block; press the seams open on all sections.

Pressing tip: When the pressing direction is important, place the fabric to be pressed toward face up when pressing and opening. This trick will save time and result in the seams being pressed in the direction of the face-up fabric.

Pinning tip: I always pin when nesting seams and joining sections. Pinning helps to keep pieces and units from shifting when sewing. Pin seam allowances on a diagonal from right to left as shown, locking the seams in place. Do not sew over pins. Instead, stitch up to the diagonally placed pin, catching the leading seam allowance. With the needle in the down position, stop and remove the pin before proceeding.

4. Join the 2 large HST units and 2 HST sections into 2 rows of 2 units/sections each. Press seams to one side for nesting. Pin, stitch, and press the seams open.

5. When adding the frames, I press after each frame is added toward the frame strip because it will have the least amount of bulk in that direction.

Once my entire block is pieced and if I feel it needs to be flatter, I have a spritz bottle of regular tap water. The water, reactivates the mill sizing that will now act like starch (without the mess to your ironing board and iron). Your block is now (hopefully, a square) and if the pieces have been cut on the straight-of-grain, the straight-of-grain outside edges of the block will help to keep the shape of the square. I lightly mist my block and give it a good pressing with a hot iron (be sure to use the appropriate setting for your fabric). Remember, do not iron, this will distort and pull the block out of shape. Instead, press with an up and down motion and the block will remain true to size. If you'd prefer to use a steam iron, this would be the time to use it to make your block nice and flat instead of the spray bottle technique. 

I've enjoyed watching your blocks as you post them to Instagram. Be sure to use the hashtag #SewcialBeeSampler when you post and tag @maureencracknell and myself @sharonhollanddesigns so we can see all your hard work. Any public IG account posting that uses the official hashtag will automatically be entered into the hashtag pool for our weekly giveaway drawings. 

This Friday, February 17th, 2017 is my turn to host the weekly giveaway. I'll have a new post introducing you to this week's sponsor Sharon McConnell of Color Girl Quilts and all the details on how to enter on Friday. 

P.S. I love you sew! Photo by Sharon Holland