Summer of Sewing: Land that I Love Wall Banner

Welcome back to our Summer of Sewing tutorials here at Inspired by Fabric! 

We'll be featuring regular tutorials as part of our Summer of Sewing series, all using our newest fabric lines that you can find at your local quilt shop! Our tutorials will include a chance to win a bundle of the fabric line being used, so make sure to enter each time! 

We're getting ready for the 4th of July this week with a folk art-style wall quilt featuring the American Pride collection. This collection features a panel of two blocks, one of which we used here, and then coordinating prints. Panel blocks are perfect for adding a variety of borders, and voila! Great wall quilt. (It measures 28" square.) Scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out how you can win a bundle of American Pride.

Here's a look at the two blocks on the panel. Each measures approximately 14-1/2" square. 

Let's get started!

You'll Need:
1 panel
1 fat quarter or 1/4 yard of blue text print
1/2 yard red text print
1/2 yard checkered stars
5/8 yard cream solid
1 yard backing fabric
30" square of batting

Cutting:
Note: Our cutting directions are very specific to ensure that the directional text prints are oriented correctly on all sides of the quilt. 

From the panel:
Fussy cut one 14-1/2" square

From the red text print: 
Three 2-1/2" x 18" strips with text running the short way (see photo below); cut two 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" pieces from one strip and reserve the remainder for strip sets
Two 2-1/2" x 34" strips with text running the long way (see photo below); cut two 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" pieces from one strip and reserve the remainder for strip sets

From the blue text print: 
Eight 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" pieces with text running the long way (see photo below)
Eight 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" pieces with text running the short way (see photo below)
Four 2-1/2" squares

From the checkered stars: 
Two 1-1/2" x 14-1/2" strips
Two 1-1/2" x 16-1/2" strips
Two 1-1/2" x 20-1/2" strips
Two 1-1/2" x 22-1/2" strips
Three 2-1/4" x 42" strips for binding

From the cream solid:
Thirty-two 2-1/2" squares
Four 2-1/2" x 42" strips
Four 3-1/2" squares

Make the Wall Quilt:
1. Sew 1-1/2" x 14-1/2" checkered star strips to the sides of the block and press open. Sew 1-1/2" x 16-1/2" checkered star strips to the to and bottom of the block and press open. 

2. To make the flying geese units, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of all 2-1/2" cream solid squares. Lay a marked square right sides together on one end of a 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" blue text piece. Stitch on the drawn line, trim seam allowance to 1/4", and press open. Repeat on the opposite end. 

3. Noting orientation of the text in the flying geese below, make four of each kind.

4. Referring to the photo, sew four matching flying geese units together into a row. Make two for the side borders. Sew to the sides of the quilt center. 

5. Sew four matching flying geese units together into a row for the top border and one for the bottom row. Sew 2-1/2" blue text squares to both ends of each row. Sew to the top and bottom of the quilt center. 

6. Sew 1-1/2" x 20-1/2" checkered star strips to the sides of the quilt center. Sew 1-1/2" x 22-1/2" checkered star strips to the top and bottom. 

7. Sew each red text strip to a cream solid strip. (Sew two half red text strips to one cream solid strip.) Crosscut ten 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" segments with the text running the short way and ten 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" segments with the text running the long way. 

8. Referring to the photo, sew five matching segments together in a row. Sew a 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" red text piece to the cream end to make the side border. Make two. In the same way, sew five matching segments together in a row, sew a 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" red text piece to the cream end and 3-1/2" cream squares to both ends to make a top/bottom border. Make two. 

9. Sew the side borders to the sides of the quilt center. Sew the top and bottom borders (with the cream squares on the ends) to the top and bottom. 
10. Layer the backing fabric, batting, and quilt top right side up and baste. Quilt as desired. 
11. Use the three 2-1/4" x 42" checkered star strips to add the binding. 

Happy 4th of July! 

See the entire American Pride collection here. 

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the American Pride collection, make sure you follow us on the blog (options are in the right hand sidebar) and leave a comment letting us know you do, as well as telling us your favorite print in the collection. Giveaway is open through Sunday, July 3rd at 11:59 pm CST. We'll randomly draw a winner and announce it on the blog next week. Make sure we have a way to get in touch with you if you are selected as the winner!  

Congratulations to the winner of the Melon bundle: Kathy E.
We'll contact you for your mailing information! 

Feeling Patriotic? We've got inspiration for you!

June has sped by, and the 4th of July is just around the corner! If you're looking to add a little extra red, white and blue into your life this coming weekend as we celebrate our country, look no further than our Feeling Patriotic Pinterest board! From snacks to decor to quilts, we're pretty sure you'll find several things to repin and try yourself! 

No-Bake Berry Trifle

Find the pin here

Patriotic Pennants

Find the pin here

Flag Cake

Find the pin here

Flag Quilt (by our very own Barbara J. Eikmeier!)

Find the pin here

Red, White and Blue DIY Votives

Find the pin here

Gorgeous Star Quilt

Find the pin here

Chevron Quilt

Find the pin here

See our entire Feeling Patriotic board here and make sure to follow us on Pinterest! 

Summer of Sewing: Orange Peel Porch Pillow

Welcome back to our Summer of Sewing tutorials here at Inspired by Fabric! 

We'll be featuring regular tutorials as part of our Summer of Sewing series, all using our newest fabric lines that you can find at your local quilt shop! Our tutorials will include a chance to win a bundle of the fabric line being used, so make sure to enter each time! 

This week we've created a palette of summery solids from our Painter's Palette Solids collection--we're calling it our Melon palette! It includes: Honeydew (of course!), Pale Aqua, Lipstick, Orchid, and Jade. Cool, refreshing, and modern. And don't forget our neutrals--White and Silver! 

Our Melon palette

Our tutorial has a modern feel as well--fused orange peel shapes on a white background to create a fun throw pillow. Toss this pillow on the couch for some seasonal color, or even better, use it outside on your porch or deck! For a chance to win a FQ bundle of our Melon palette (plus White and Silver!), see the end of this post. 

Let's get started!

You’ll Need:

1 fat quarter each 121-000 (White), 121-062 (Pale Aqua), 121-066 (Lipstick), 121-072 (Honeydew), 121-024 (Orchid), 121-039 (Jade)

1 yard 121-010 (Silver), includes backing

Paper-backed fusible web

22” square piece of batting

20” square pillow insert

Cutting:

Note: Download the orange peel shape template here.

From the white fat quarter:

One 15” square

From each of the Pale Aqua, Lipstick, Honeydew, Orchid and Jade fat quarters:

Four orange peel shapes (see step 2 below)

From the Silver:

Two 4-1/2” x 42” strips

Two 13” x 20-1/2” pieces for envelope backing (Cut one 20-1/2” backing square instead for a zippered pillow)

Make the Pillow:

1. Fold the 15” white square in half in both directions and press to create center guidelines.

2. Referring to the manufacturer’s directions, trace 20 orange peel shapes onto the paper side of fusible web. Press 4 orange peel shapes to each color and cut out on drawn line.

3. Using the center guidelines, lay out the center four orange peels and fuse in place. 

4. Continue adding orange peels as shown, making sure each grouping is approximately the same size. Fuse all orange peels in place.

5. Trim white square to approximately 14”, making sure there’s an equal amount of space past the orange peel edges on all four sides.

6. Cut both 4-1/2” x 42” silver strips in half. Sew halves to opposite sides of the center square. Press and trim excess. Add the remaining halves to the top and bottom of the center square, press and trim excess.

7. Layer the pillow top with batting and baste in place. Quilt as desired. Trim pillow top to measure 20-1/2”.

8. Fold and press one long edge of a 13” x 20-1/2” Silver piece over ¼”. Fold and press another quarter inch and topstitch to create a finished edge. Repeat on second 13” x 20-1/2” Silver piece.

9. Layer pillow top right side up and the two backing pieces right side down, matching raw edges and overlapping the finished edges across the pillow. Pin in place. Stitch around the outer edge of the pillow using a ¼” seam allowance. Turn pillow right side out, press, and stuff with the insert. Note: If you prefer a pillow with a zipper finish, use a 20-1/2” light gray square, your zipper, and your preferred method of finishing. 

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the Melon palette (plus White and Silver) that we've created from our Painter's Palette Solids collection, make sure you follow us on the blog (options are in the right hand sidebar) and leave a comment letting us know you do, as well as telling us your favorite solid from our Painter's Palette Solids collection. Giveaway is open through Sunday, June 26 at 11:59 pm CST. We'll randomly draw a winner and announce it on the blog next week. Make sure we have a way to get in touch with you if you are selected as the winner!  This giveaway is now closed!

Congratulations to the winner of the Garden Rendezvous bundle: Joyful Quilter
We'll contact you for your mailing information! 

On your mark, get set, go!

Today is the first day of the 2016 Row by Row Experience! Head to your local quilt shop (or plan a road trip) and start collecting row patterns to make your Home Sweet Home themed quilt. You can collect rows through September 6, and you must finish your quilt by October 31, 2016 to be eligible to win a prize. 

We're an official fabric palette program member for the 2016 Row by Row Experience, so ask for our palette of 10 Leather prints as you visit quilt shops.

Our Leather print Palette: 

For a little Row by Row quilt inspiration, see our "Home Is Where You Make It" quilt here. 

Find out more about the Row by Row Experience and find participating quilt shops near you here.

Garden Rendezvous Hexified Panel Quilt

We showed you this gorgeous Garden Rendezvous quilt in our Market recap post; today's the day we're introducing designer Liz Granberg to tell us more about it! 

Q. What appeals to you about the Garden Rendezvous fabrics?

Liz: I absolutely love irises. My mother and auntie both grew irises, so I grew up around them and have always been drawn to them. The idea of a garden bouquet framed with a Celtic border (on the panel) intrigued me. 

Q. How did you get started making hexified panel quilts?

Liz: I had made a one-block wonder about 8 years ago. The one-block wonder concept was great fun and I loved working with the triangles. But once you’ve made one, you’ve made one—they’re all kind of the same in many ways. It’s color flow, but unless you do something different with it, there’s no big dramatic shift. About a year ago I joined the One-Block Wonder forum on Facebook and someone mentioned using a panel. I thought that was interesting and started playing.

Q. Tell us a bit about your technique.

Liz: I framed the panel with the one-block wonder concept. So it’s a hybrid. I work with seven repeats—six to get cut up and sew together and one to frame. I One-block wonders are typically made using 3-3/4 or 4” strips. have gone to cutting 3” strips so I have more hexies to play with. I get more color focused within each hexie, which gives me more flow to play with. I like to work with lights and darks and shots of color going diagonally. I also came up with the idea of adding a little flange frame around the panel itself so it was separate from but surrounded by the color flow.

Q. Do you lay these hexified panel quilts out on your design wall?

Liz: I have come up with a streamlined assembly technique that I share with the gals who take my class. I cut all of my strips, and then all of my triangles. I sit at my sewing maching and lay out hexies one at a time. Each hexie has three possible layouts because you’re working with equilateral triangles. You make 2 halves and pin them together. Then I take the panel, stick it up on my design wall and throw the hexies up on the wall randomly. Once they’re all on the wall, I start sorting, playing with shots of color.

Q. How do you come up with the layout?

Liz: I take a digital picture every time I move hexies around. Looking at these quilts from the perspective of a photo changes the dynamic completely. You can see where the design works and where it doesn’t in ways that the naked eye doesn’t notice. From the perspective of the photo, you can see what needs to be shifted. I’ve had color flows be done in a day and color flows stay on a design wall for two weeks! My oldest daughter ia puzzle freak and she can see how things fit together. More often than not, she’ll help fix a problem that I know isn’t right and she’ll spot what I’m missing. Sometimes it takes two of us to do it.

Q. How many hexies would you estimate are in your Garden Rendezvous quilt?

Liz: Close to 150.

Q. What do you like best about the hexified panel quilts?
Liz: Because they all come out so different, they’re completely addictive. Now I’m always looking for panels when I walk into a quilt store. I don’t know where it’s going to go until I get it on the design wall. Each one is a creative effort by itself.

See Ro Gregg's Garden Rendezvous collection here.

Learn more about Liz and her work on her website, gypsydreamerquilts.com.

Read her post about this quilt (and see more pictures!) here.

She is currently scheduled to teach the hexified panel quilt at these quilt shops:

Quilter’s Paradise, Baldwin City, KS

Quilting Bits and Pieces, Eudora, KS

Meadows Quilting and Sewing, Leavenworth, KS