Welcome to Week 3 of the QAL! We made it to the best part - ASSEMBLY! This week, we'll review each step of assembly with lots of photos to visualize.
Welcome to Week 1 of the DIY Quilted Hoodie QAL. Download the FREE templates and make your own quilted hoodie!
Make your own DIY Quilted Hoodie with me using these FREE Downloadable Templates! Follow the blog post to assemble your own version!
Use these quilting templates to spell out whatever phrases or words you'd like on your quilt top!
Kawandi is a style of quilt created by the Siddi people of India, traditionally done by hand. It is truly scrappy and improvisational. While I like doing hand work, I was also intrigued by faster machine methods. I've listed some resources at the end of this tutorial if you are interested in creating Kawandi by hand, want to see another machine tutorial, want to see some footage of Siddi creating Kawandi by hand, and a discussion of creating Kawandi in your own style. This tutorial describes a new way of creating Kawandi by machine. These are NOT traditional Kawandi, but inspired by the joy and movement of Kawandi-style. I started with a background piece of fabric approximately 8x10", a piece of batting of the same size, and many scraps of batiks or quilting cottons. 1) Place the background over the batting, right side up (this is a quilt as you go technique, so the batting is incorporated from the beginning. 2) Place 4 scraps in the corners, right side DOWN - NOTE I'm using batiks in these examples, so its hard to tell that these pieces are upside down. In this image, you are looking at what will be the WRONG side of those scrap corners. 3) Begin UNDERLAPPING adjoining scraps into the corners. Fold approximately 1/4 inch on the side that will go UNDER the corner. Again, the scraps are placed upside down. Pin the piece in place along the edge. This will be machine sewn. 4) When you get to the next corner, fold the 1/4 inch on both sides of the scrap because it will go under 2 pieces of fabric. 5) Continue folding and underlapping scraps, pinning along the outer edge until you get the entire edge filled. Notice that it doesn't matter if you use short scraps, or long scraps. And again, its impossible to tell from this image because I'm using batiks, but you are looking at the right side of the background, and the WRONG side of the colorful scraps. 6) Sew 1/4 in seam all the way around the edge, removing pins as you come to them. 7) Clip the 4 corners close to the seam, being careful not to cut the thread. 8) Turn right side out by flipping each scrap over the seam. Use a tool to poke out or pull out the corners. There should be no raw edges of fabric along the edge of the piece because they are either in the seam OR they are folded under. 9) Carefully press the outer edge - taking care not to press the batting, as it might melt depending on fiber content. 10) The result is a piece with finished edges like this: 11) Top stitch close to the edge, This will secure all the folded under edges of each scrap. 12) When you are on the 4th side, approaching the beginning of your stitch line, turn the corner about 1/4" or 3/8" before you get there, to start the 'spiral' of stitching. The next steps are done just like Kawandi by hand, but you continue sewing on the machine. 13) To place the next piece, fold under 2 edges. Finger press or iron as necessary. Overlap the unfinished edges of previous scraps. 14) to place a color into a long strip, fold under 3 edges, staying aware of where you will place another scrap to overlap. 15) To keep a small scrap straight as you sew over the edge, it may be necessary to use long tweezers or stiletto. 16) Continue placing scraps and sewing in concentric rectangles, into the center. Note: this picture is from another project than the ones above. 17) Prepare the final scrap by folding under all 4 sides, and sewing the ever smaller rectangles/squares of stitching. 18) For the piece made of batiks, I decided the center "squares" looked better on the diagonal. Although not traditional at all, I've already broken so many 'rules', that I just decided to make this mine. Also, I'm aware that traditional Kawandi have 'folded flowers' in the 4 corners. Include them if you wish. Make it yours! Paula RESOURCES: How to make a Kawandi by hand by Kieren Dutcher https://youtu.be/yFd0xEfKeto How to make a Kawandi by machine (with binding) by Mel Beach https://pieceloveandhappiness.blogspot.com/2019/03/modern-kawandi-making.html Margaret Fabrizio travels to India to learn Kawandi from Siddi quilters: https://youtu.be/WqdIswL96q4 Margaret Fabrizio shows her own Kawandi quilts, and talks about making them in her own style. https://youtu.be/4NRxqOqp_UA
The best quilt coat pattern for your next quilt coat with coat examples and fabric recommendations. Learn quilt coat pattern tips and tricks
Make your own DIY Quilted Hoodie with me using these FREE Downloadable Templates! Follow the blog post to assemble your own version!
52 of my favorite modern quilts from QuiltCon 2024.
In an unprecedented act of blogging fanciness I decided to make a video documenting how I create the woodgrain texture (so thoroughly p...
There's an imminent new arrival in our extended family, so it's time for me to get working on another version of my baby beach scenes. Simon suggested I incorporate surfing since the father is a keen surfer. That was the starting point for my designing, anyway. I ended up with this row of (potentially surfable?!) waves which will go across the top of the reef/water section, and I started by piecing them. I divided the waves into organic shapes, much like those I used in the much larger Australian scene and space quilts, which I could then piece from different colour water fabrics. The first step was to trace these onto mid-weight non-woven interfacing and mark some registration points along the curved seams to help piece thems evenly, then cut the pieces apart. After carefully selecting the fabrics to use for each piece (colour, and a smooth gradation was the main consideration)I placed the interfacing patter piece directly on the fabric and drew around it with a air-erasable marker, adding the 1/4in seam allowance by eye as I went. I then added the registration marks and the piece number with a fine-tip permanent pen before cutting it out. I've saved all the interfacing pieces in case I want to do the waves again. Then I pinned all the pieces in place on my pattern and checked I was happy with my fabric choices. Then it was just a case of gradually sewing them all together, carefully easing the curves. The wave section is all done now and will be pieced to the top of the reef/water section once that's done (the bottom is straight-ish).
Easy quilts to make in a day. A lot of beautiful patterns, designs, and quilt ideas for you to make in one day only and the tips to finish it
If you find yourself losing steam after your patchwork quilt top is made, you’re not alone. But wait! Finishing that quilt is going to be soooo rewarding. Here are some ideas to help you push on to make that quilt backing.
Free large hexagon quilt pattern & template. Make a simple hexagon quilt with no Y seams with our tutorial. Uses half hexagon quilt pieces.
Learn how to make yoyo quilts (or yo yo quilts) and create a fun yoyo project. Great way to use up those fabric scraps!
My list was smallish for this week - try to finish 6 cat blocks and cut out the sashing ready to go.✅ - sew on the hanging sleeve to my background filler project❌ - take some photos of my Christmas quilt. I think I will put that in my Etsy shop for sale even though it is a bit late now...well, there's always next year.✅ The last bit of the cat quilt went quicker as I could see the end. I chain pieced along saying the names of the individual cats as I was sewing along so I would not get confused. Must have been really focussed as I did not mix up their faces 😂 Ran into a bit of trouble as I thought I had oodles of background fabric. Well, as it turned out it was just enough. Had a mild suspicion when I started to cut out the sashings. I have a table which tells me how many pieces I can get out of one strip. for the sashing it was 4, 10-1/2in pieces per strip but as I was starting to cut I noticed that I was only yielding 3 pieces! I then cut my outside borders as well of which I needed 8, 4in strips so that ate up a lot of fabric. In the end I had to cut some off some length from my border strips to make the sashings go the distance. A few anxious moments there and I thought that in the future I will put my background fabric away with the UFO. As years pass I do forget what I am working on or better said what I have stuffed away somewhere and it is just too easy to cut into your background fabric when you actually need it. Lesson learnt. Here is the completed quilt top It turned out so pretty, just like I had envisaged it. The quilt will measure about 57in x 66in. Had to go yesterday to look for some backing and batting and spent half a fortune acquiring it. Washed the backing and now just have to find some spare time to put it all together. Looking forward to quilting this. Today then I finally put up my Christmas quilt in my Etsy shop. It is a bit late but what can you do. There is always next year. Its a pretty little quilt. I used wool batting which makes this nicely soft and a little bit puffy. The quilt measures 32-5/8in x 47-1/2in, so a good size for a bit of a fun festive wall hanging to adorn the halls. Glad this is done so that I now can concentrate on other projects. Again, planning is the magic word rather than jumping around all over the place which I have been doing over the last few months. Linking up to To Do Tuesday #51 over at Quilt Schmilt. Karin
A few years ago, I started to play with quilting clothes. The first few pieces turned out less than ideal. I didn’t know the paths to avoid the foibles of quilting. But after a few playful experiments and failed garments, things started to fall into place. I’ve put together this tutorial to share the things...
Using a walking foot is the easiest and quickest way to quilt borders. Continue reading for 7 easy border quilting ideas using a walking foot.
52 of my favorite modern quilts from QuiltCon 2024.
Optical illusions are surely fascinating and amazing. Here are some optical illusion quilt pattern you can try as your next quilting project.
#TwirlingAtTheDiscoQuilt My 'Twirling at the Disco' quilt was an idea I had to use up some of my 2.5" scrap fabric squares. Twirling at the Disco Quilt - Pattern by Anorina Morris I am very pleased to be sharing the details on how to make these lovely scrappy blocks.As I mentioned in my previous post, this will be my leader and ender project, so I haven't fully made the quilt just yet. Wondering what a leader and ender project is? It's the sewing you do when sewing another project - rather than cut the thread when you get up to go and press or trim etc, you have a tub with your 2.5" squares handy beside your machine. Pair up two squares with right sides together and sew down one side, enabling you to cut the thread of whatever you're working on and leaving this 2.5" pair attached to the thread. Make sense? Lately, when I turn on my machine, I have a pair of 2.5" squares sitting on the bed from my previous sewing session. These 2.5" pairs build up rather quickly and you'll have enough sewn together to start making blocks before you know it. Okay, let's do this. I cannot wait to see your Twirling at the Disco quilts come to life. To make one block, you will need: (40) 2.5" assorted (scrappy) squares (2) 4.5" squares in white solid (2) 4.5" x 8.5" rectangles in white solid Start by making two 16-patch blocks (4x4) with your assorted 2.5" scrap squares. Use the remaining 2.5" squares to make two more 4-patch blocks. Press these blocks - ideally pressing the seams open would be best as the blocks may be rotated or flipped when it comes to assembling them, but I just tend to press to one side and deal with the seams as I come to them. Now take your 4-patch blocks and sew a 4.5" white square to the bottom of the block. Press. Next, position your block with the scrappy 4-patch oriented up, and sew the white rectangular 4.5" x 8.5" piece to the right side of the block. Press. Now lay out the pieces oriented just like this image (below), with the two 16-patch blocks diagonally across from each other and the pieced 4-patch blocks oriented to the centre. Sew these all together. Press it and there you have your first block all completed, finishing up at 16.5". Easy, peasy, right? 4 x Twirling blocks will make up a little baby size 32" quilt 16 x Twirling blocks with make a nice lap size 64" quilt 36 x Twirling blocks with make a great bed size 96" quilt Please, please, please share your #TwirlingAtTheDiscoQuilt with me as I would love to see your creations. Feel free to use the hashtags on social and share the scrappy rainbow inspiration with your sewing buddies. Tag me on Instagram @sameliasmum or on Facebook www.facebook.com/sameliasmum Linking up with: Oh Scrap! Craftastic Monday Finish or No Finish Friday
As the fall arrives and summer winds down, I find myself thinking about images that relax me. I just finished this art quilt in early September. It transports me back to quiet afternoons at Long Beach Island in NJ with my family or visits to the Outer Banks in NC. Beaches are universal. After creating Read the full article...
I'm teaching a Free Motion Quilting class starting in April at my LQS, Heartstrings and Heirlooms. I finished up the class sample over the weekend. In the class the students will do larger samples, but I needed a small book of designs to advertise the class. As you can see in the above end view, I used three different types of batting for my sample book - Quilter's Dream 100% Cotton, Hobbs 80/20 (80% cotton and 20% polyester), and a 100% wool. I used a tutorial from a recent Quilting Arts Magazine issue (the February/March 2014 issue) to make my little book. The instructions involved drawing some lines on a piece of fabric, then sewing on the lines with a walking foot to make a larger sheet and baste the layers together. Then you quilt your designs and cut the "pages" apart. The tutorial in the magazine was very good. If you are interested in making a book like mine, I suggest you get a copy of the magazine. Below is a collage of designs I plan to cover in the class. Along the top of each page I wrote the name of the design, the batting type and page number from the book I will be using for the class. In case you are interested, I'm using the book Free Motion Quilting with Angela Waters. It has become my go-to book for quilting ideas as of late.
Get a free gingham quilt pattern plus a tutorial. Learn the steps to make a gingham quilt unlike other gingham quilts, using strip piecing.
This month's Toad-Spo is inspired by my wedding colors! We're tying the knot at a summer camp, and the theme is reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film. I believe these colors capture the essence of early fall, reflect our personalities, and align perfectly with the adventurous spirit of the entire wedding weekend. Naturally, I couldn't resist creating some quilty palettes inspired by this theme because I'm absolutely obsessed with it!
The Maypole design is the fastest baby quilt pattern you can make! It's beginner friendly and made using large strips of fabric.
Fall has me reaching for my plaid flannel shirts for a cozy layer. The Plaid-ish Free Quilt Pattern translates the plaid print of my favorite shirts into quilt form. Nothing says fall quite like a good plaid. With every style of plaid from checkered to Tartan, incorporating this timeless pattern into quilts is a must. […]
Here are five common methods of making a flying geese block. and I put them through their paces constructing a 4" x 2" finished flying geese unit.
How To Make A Puff Quilt The Easy Way ~Bubble Quilt ~ Puffer Quilt. Free sewing Tutorial
Use strip-piecing short cuts to make this Nine Patch quilt in a traditional Irish Chain style. Gray and white low volume fabrics give it a modern feel.
