Block Party Tutorial

Happy Monday!

We've got something that's sure to brighten your day...this gorgeous floral quilt made by Connie from Freemotion by the River. Read through her tutorial below (she has some gorgeous close-up photos of the quilted panel blocks) and be sure to add this quilt to your to-do list! Then, head over to Connie's blog for a chance to enter to win some of Ro Gregg's Block Party fabrics.

And now here's Connie!

I had a lot of fun using the beautiful fabrics in Block Party designed by Ro Gregg for Fabri-Quilt to create this quilt to share with you. This quilt is 44" x 44".

You will need the following fabrics:

• 1 2/3 yards of the flower panel #8205
• 1 fat quarter of yellow #8064
• 1 fat quarter of light pink #8070
• 1 fat quarter of medium pink #8065
• 1 fat quarter of dark pink #8067
• 1 fat quarter of light purple #8071
• 1 fat quarter of medium purple #8063
• 1 fat quarter of dark purple #8068
• 1 fat quarter of light green #8072
• 1 fat quarter of dark green #8066
• 1/2 yard of medium pink #8065 for binding
• 1 1/2 yard of light pink #8070 for backing

Cut the flower blocks from the panel measuring 9 1/2 inch square. You will need the following:

 

Cut the following from your other fabrics.

Lay your pieces out as shown below and stitch the rows together, you will make 4 of these.

Layout the remaining pieces to make the rest of the blocks, you will make 8 of these.

Turn the blocks as shown below to create the center of your quilt.

Now you can add the remaining blocks around the center.

Here is the Flower Garden quilt all sewn together and the binding added.

The quilt is about 44 x 44 which means a normal width of fabric won't quite be wide enough for the back. Use the light pink for the backing and you can either add some scraps of the fat quarters or some of the flower panels to give you the width you need.

It was fun to use the beautiful flower panels and do some free motion quilting around them.

I changed my thread for the different sections of color.

The sunflower is my favorite.

All of my piecing and quilting was done on my favorite vintage 15-91 Singer which is only a straight stitch machine.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, I know I enjoyed working with great fabrics!

Head over to Connie's blog to find out how you can enter to win a fat quarter bundle of the Block Party  prints plus a flower block panel--that way you can get started on your version of Connie's quilt! 

Pre-Quilted Fabric Spotlight

We like to think that we're pretty well-known for our pre-quilted fabric--a great shortcut for sewing bags and other home dec items. And of course, when we hear about someone using this specialty fabric, we love to pass it along to you, our blog readers!

Judy Hansen, owner of Quilt Shop of Deland and one of our designers, recently shared this photo from a recent retreat. These ladies used the Sebago Tote pattern from Aunties Two and our pre-quilted fabric to make themselves brand-new colorful totes!

What a great looking group!

Want to see some of our pre-quilted fabric? Here's a sampling.

A New Leaf by Ro Gregg

Block Party by Ro Gregg

Calypso Goldfish by Ro Gregg

Hannah

Imagine This by Linda Carlson and Diana Henage

Marblehead Venetian Glass by Ro Gregg

Mesa Verde

Morriston

Rio

Topaz

Windsor Woods by Ro Gregg

Ask for both the Sebago Tote pattern and our pre-quilted fabrics at your local quilt shop! 

(And then send us a photo of your tote!)

It's Dye Time!

With Easter fast approaching, hard-boiled eggs everywhere are turning beautiful hues. We thought we'd have fun with some of our fabric lines and "dye" the eggs with fabric. 

We hope you like our creations! Enjoy!

Marblehead Venetian Glass

Batiks

Under the Sea

Marblehead Global Brights

Calypso Goldfish

Hannah

Lagoon

Block Party

Marblehead Pleasing Pastels

Garden Time!

With spring here, it's time to get out into the garden! And for those of you who prefer to admire gorgeous florals rather than get down and dig in the dirt, consider this fabric version. 

"Garden Party" by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar; featured in The Quilter April/May 2014

Garden Party, by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar of Pine Tree Country Quilts, features Ro Gregg's Block Party collection, and what a party it makes! Roses, iris, tulips and sunflowers bloom in fussy cut blocks and a pretty all-over floral that has a scrapbook feel. 

Like many great designs, this quilt looks more complex than it really is--all you need are pieced strip sets, flying geese, and two kinds of floral blocks. The fussy-cut focal squares, cut from this fabric,

take center stage are connected by a lattice look of green strips. Squares cut from the secondary main floral print, this one,

appear to be blooming out of pink petals (easy flying geese units!). Put it all together, and you've got a gorgeous year-round garden that's easy to make.

Which is your favorite flower?

See Ro's entire Block Party collection here.
Find the kit for Garden Party here.
Find The Quilter magazine here. 

Planting a Seed

If the seed packets at garden centers are calling your name but the ground is still frozen in your neighborhood, might we suggest Ro Gregg's Block Party collection? These fabrics will warm your heart for spring!

Name your favorite flower; you'll likely find it on the panel of blocks, ready to be fussy-cut, or the all-over floral print with a textured, scrapbook-like layered background. 

If you love this collection, you'll be thrilled to know that Cathy Miles has created a free quilt pattern called "Block Party."

Don't you love how Cathy used the floral blocks as a fussy-cut border? 

Find the free pattern for Cathy's Block Party quilt here. 

See larger images of all the fabrics here.

Spring is right around the corner! 

10 Signs of Spring

March is around the corner, hopefully bringing some signs of spring with the flip of a calendar page. Just in case the new month doesn't cooperate, here's a top ten list to get ready for spring--some of our favorite warm-weather-inspired fabric!

1. Block Party by Ro Gregg

2. Cosmopolitan

3. Hannah

4. Garden Paradise

5. In the Tropics

6. Cherry Blossoms

7. Lagoon

8. Summer Breeze

9. Harbor Point

10. Calypso Goldfish by Ro Gregg

**Watch for more on this brand new collection (available in stores in March) soon!