Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tutorial: Tulip Time Wall Hanging

We interrupt Marblehead Madness for an important announcement:

Happy Spring! 

We're here today with a spring-inspired tutorial--the Tulip Time wall hanging, made using our Graphix 3 collection. Check out the tutorial and then make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a bundle of Graphix 3 fabrics. 
This giveaway is now closed, but you can still enjoy the tutorial! 


Here are the Graphix 3 prints we'll be using:

(We've since made this quilt in our Painter's Palette Solids as well. 
See the solid tulips here.)

Materials:
1/4 yard each of four bright Graphix 3 prints
1/4 yard green zigzag print
1/4 yard green triangle print
3/4 yard white solid
1 yard backing fabric
1/4 yard for binding
30" x 32" piece of batting

Cutting:
From each colored tulip print:
One 4" x 6-1/2" piece, two 4" squares and two 2-3/4" squares

From the green zigzag:
Two 1-1/2" x 42" strips
Four 1-1/2" x 7-1/2" strips

From the green triangle print:
Eight 3" x 6-1/2" pieces

From the white solid:
Eight 4" squares
Two 3-1/2" x 28-1/2" strips
Sixteen 3" squares and eight 1-1/2" x 3" pieces
Eight 2-3/4" squares
Two 2-1/2" x 20-1/2" strips
Eight 2" squares

From the binding print:
Three 2-1/4" x 42" strips

Let's get started!

1. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each white square.

2. Pair each 2-3/4" marked square with a 2-3/4" bright square, right sides together. Stitch 1/4" on either side of the marked line, cut on the line, and press both half-square triangles (HSTs) open. Trim HSTs to measure 2" square.

3. Layer 2" marked white squares on the two bottom corners of a bright 4" x 6-1/2" piece as shown. Stitch on the drawn line, trim 1/4" past the line, and press open to make a tulip bottom.

4. Lay out the four HSTs as shown to make three tulip points. 

5. Sew the HSTs together and sew to the tulip bottom.

6. Lay a 3" marked white square on the bottom half of a 3" x 6-1/2" green triangle piece, noting orientation of the line. Repeat, making sure to position the marked line opposite the line on the first piece (mirror image). Stitch on each drawn line.

7. Trim 1/4" past the seam and press open. Layer a second marked square on the top of each green piece, noting orientation. Stitch, cut and press open to make two mirror image leaf units.

8. Sew a 1-1/2" x 3" white piece to the top of each leaf unit as shown. Sew a 1-1/2" x 7-1/2" green zigzag stem between the two leaf units to make a leaf/stem unit.


9. Sew the leaf/stem unit to the bottom of a tulip. Repeat to make three additional tulips and leaf/stem units.

10. Lay out the four tulip blocks in a row and sew together.

11. Layer a 4" marked white square on top of a 4" bright print square and make HSTs like in step 2. Trim to measure 3-1/2" square. Make four HSTs in each color combination and join the HSTs into a pinwheel block as shown. Make one pinwheel block in each color.

12. Sew four pinwheel blocks into a row. Trim the two 1-1/2" x 42" green zigzag strips to measure 24-1/2". Sew them together with the tulip row and pinwheel row as shown.

13. Sew 2-1/2" x 20-1/2" white strips to the sides of the quilt top. Sew 3-1/2" x 28-1/2" white strips to the top and bottom of the quilt top. Machine quilt the wall hanging.

14. Use the three 2-1/4" x 42" strips to bind the wallhanging.
15. Hang on your door or wall and enjoy!

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial! It's a great way to have tulips around your home even if Mother Nature isn't cooperating! 

For a chance to win a bundle of Graphix 3 for yourself, leave a comment letting us know that you follow our blog (you can sign up to follow by email or by blog reader in the right hand sidebar), as well as which is your favorite print from the collection. The giveaway will be open through Saturday, April 4 at 11:59 pm EST.  This giveaway is now closed.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Marblehead Madness: Vote for your favorite!

Happy Monday! 
It's another day of Marblehead Madness! 
Which which will you choose...Ocean Azul or Liquid Gold?
Help us narrow our Elite Eight contestants down to the Final Four!


Meet today's contestants:



Ocean Azul
Straight from Ro's Global Brights Marbleheads,
everything about "Ocean Azul" says beach beauty.
Who wouldn't love to dip their toes into water like this?


Liquid Gold
From From Ro Gregg's original Marblehead collection,
"Liquid Gold" is all about high-end glamour.
Its welcoming hues are full of warmth and grandeur.


Vote for your favorite by leaving a comment below.

Ocean Azul or Liquid Gold

Voting will be open until Tuesday at 9 am CST. 
Thanks! Voting is now closed.
See the full bracket here and the narrowed down Elite Eight here.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Marblehead Madness: Vote for your favorite!

It's another day of Marblehead Madness! 
Which do you like better, Ruby Red or Her Royal Highness? 
Help us narrow our Elite Eight contestants down to the Final Four!


Meet today's contestants:


 Ruby Red
One of the brand-new Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz Marbleheads,
"Ruby Red" is peppy and extroverted--not afraid to make her presence known! 


Her Royal Highness 
From Ro Gregg's original Marblehead collection,
we're calling this multi-colored beauty "Her Royal Highness" (HRH).
Deep indigo and blue accented with pink and yellow--so gorgeous as a quilt border!

Vote by leaving the name of your favorite in the comments below.


Ruby Red or Her Royal Highness

Vote for this competition through Saturday 3/28 @ 9 am. 
Voting is now closed.
See the full bracket here and the narrowed down Elite Eight here.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Marblehead Madness: Narrowing Down the Elite 8!

Help us narrow our Elite Eight contestants down to the Final Four!

Today's contestants:

Luscious Lime
Straight from Ro's Global Brights Marbleheads,
"Luscious Lime" has as many shades of green as a garden ready to bloom.
Perfect for some bold contrast in your next quilt.


Patina
From Ro Gregg's original Marblehead collection, "Patina"
has that gorgeous pairing of copper with greenish-blue.
This unique color combination, so appealing in architecture,
can enhance a quilt with neutral or brown hues.


Vote by leaving the name of your favorite in the comments below.

Luscious Lime vs. Patina


Vote for these two competitions through Friday 3/27 @ 9 am. 
Voting is now closed.
See the full bracket here.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Marblehead Madness: Elite 8!

Announcing our Elite Eight contestants in Marblehead Madness!


Did your favorite make it to the next round?


Now the voting starts again to narrow eight down to four.

Today's contestants:

Deep Sapphire
One of the brand-new Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz Marbleheads,
"Deep Sapphire" sports a vibrant depth usually found
in the eyes of romance novel heroes.

 Outrageous Orange
And lastly, from Ro's Global Brights Marbleheads, 
"Outrageous Orange" is full of bold attitude, 
adding a pop of color anywhere it goes! 


Vote by leaving the name of your favorite in the comments below.

Sapphire Blue vs. Outrageous Orange 


Vote for these two competitions through Thursday 3/26 @ 9 am. 
This competition is now over. You can find the next one here.
See the full bracket here.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Marblehead Madness: Games 7 & 8

Are you ready to vote? We've selected 16 Marblehead prints for our Marblehead Madness bracket! Over the next couple weeks, these fabrics will be "competing" against each other for the title of "Favorite Marblehead Fabric."



Meet today's contestants:

Ocean Azul
Straight from Ro's Global Brights Marbleheads, everything about "Ocean Azul"
says beach beauty. Who wouldn't love to dip their toes into water like this?

Nature's Paintbox
Another from Ro Gregg's original Marblehead collection,
"Nature's Paintbox" has a little bit of many colors. Its multi-color matchability
means that like a favorite pair of blue jeans, it'll work with everything. 

 Liquid Gold
From From Ro Gregg's original Marblehead collection,
"Liquid Gold" is all about high-end glamour.
Its welcoming hues are full of warmth and grandeur.

Awesome Orchid
One of Ro's brand-new Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz Marbleheads,
"Awesome Orchid" is a nature-inspired combination of
pinks, purples, and everything in between!


In the comments section, please vote once for each of the competitions:

"Ocean Azul" vs. "Nature's Paintbox" (choose your favorite)

"Liquid Gold" vs. Awesome Orchid" (choose your favorite)

Vote for these two competitions through Wednesday 3/25 @ 9 am. 
This competition is now closed. Find the next vote here.
See the full bracket here.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Marblehead Madness: Games 5 & 6

Are you ready to vote? We've selected 16 Marblehead prints for our Marblehead Madness bracket! Over the next few weeks, these fabrics will be "competing" against each other for the title of "Favorite Marblehead Fabric."

Meet today's contestants:


 Ruby Red
One of the brand-new Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz Marbleheads,
"Ruby Red" is peppy and extroverted--not afraid to make her presence known! 

Sky Blue
The sky's the limit with "Sky Blue" from Ro Gregg's Pleasing Pastels Marbleheads.
In fact, this fabric would make the perfect sky in a landscape quilt!

Her Royal Highness 
From Ro Gregg's original Marblehead collection,
we're calling this multi-colored beauty "Her Royal Highness" (HRH).
Deep indigo and blue accented with pink and yellow--so gorgeous as a quilt border!


Citron
Another of Ro's Global Brights Marbleheads,
"Citron" is spring green at its best--ripe with the promise of a new season! 



In the comments section, please vote once for each of the competitions:



"Ruby Red" vs. "Sky Blue" (choose your favorite)



"Her Royal Highness" vs. "Citron" (choose your favorite)

Vote for these two competitions through Tuesday 3/24 @ 9 am. 

This competition is now closed. You can find games 7 & 8 here.
See the full bracket here.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Who needs basketball? It's Shop Hop time!

The internet and office water cools are a-buzz with basketball talk this weekend. If you're looking for something to talk about and do besides watch several weekends' worth of games, plan to hit the Kansas City-area shop hop next weekend (it's not too late to plan a road trip!) 
We're sponsoring a Shop Hop in the Greater Kansas City area--the 1st Annual Great Plains Show Down Shop Hop, known as the Sugar Rush. 



That's right--a sugar shop hop! 
Mark your calendars! The hop, featuring seven shops, will run March 27th and 28th, 2015.

Each of the participating shops will be featuring a sugar-themed block, tasty (sugar) treats, and the chance to win a gift basket worth $100+! Any quilters who visit all seven shops will be included in a drawing for a Baby Lock Amelia machine. 


Kansas City quilters, mark your calendars! 
Non-Kansas City quilters, start planning a road trip! 




Find more details on the Hop's Facebook page here, including messages from the participating quilt shops.

Learn more about the Sugar Rush shops:
Aunt Sadie's Quilt Shop
Sunflower Embroidery
I Don't Do Dishes
Modern Makers
The Quilted Sunflower
Quilted Memories
Meadows Quilting and Sewing


Thursday, March 19, 2015

Marblehead Madness - Games 3 & 4

Are you ready to vote? We've selected 16 Marblehead prints for our Marblehead Madness bracket! Over the next few weeks, these fabrics will be "competing" against each other for the title of "Favorite Marblehead Fabric."

Meet today's contestants:


 Salt & Pepper
One of the brand-new Gemstones, Jewels & Quartz Marbleheads,
this sparkling beauty turns heads with it "Salt & Pepper"
appearance--onyx? diamonds? A girl's (and a quilt's) best friend!

Luscious Lime
Straight from Ro's Global Brights Marbleheads,
"Luscious Lime" has as many shades of green as a garden ready to bloom.
Perfect for some bold contrast in your next quilt.

Nail Polish Pink
Another from Ro's Global Brights Marbleheads,
"Nail Polish Pink" lives up to its name--cheery, sassy, and bright,
it's like that can't-live-without shade of polish or lipstick. 

Patina
From Ro Gregg's original Marblehead collection, "Patina"
has that gorgeous pairing of copper with greenish-blue.
This unique color combination, so appealing in architecture,
can enhance a quilt with neutral or brown hues.

In the comments section, please vote once for each of the competitions: 
Voting is now closed.

"Salt & Pepper" vs. "Luscious Lime" (choose your favorite)


"Nail Polish Pink" vs. "Patina" (choose your favorite)

Vote for these two competitions through Friday 3/20 @ 9 am. 
See the full bracket here.