Feeling French

Today's post is brought to you from beneath the Eiffel Tower, 

with a croissant and cafe au lait in hand!

Photo credit: By Benh LIEU SONG (File:Tour Eiffel Wikimedia Commons.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Or perhaps sitting outside a cafe in Provence, relaxing in the warm sun after a morning spent touring the countryside.

Photo credit: By Wolf Meusel (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Feeling our French theme? Great!

Then it's time to show you French Connection, by Ro Gregg. 

What led Ro along this French-inspired path? 

One word: Roosters.

Ro says:

Look at my kitchen; you'll see that I love roosters. I have a big, Tuscan-inspired kitchen with a huge ceramic rooster and hen. I decided to blend those two ideas together: that feeling of Provence. I have been to the south of France, and it's a mix of two worlds—from nature side, the rooster, and then mixing it with vintage paisley patterns. 

I interpreted vintage swatches, mixing the damask look and paisley with roosters, all in blues, yellows, and warm reds. 

(Here are close-ups of a few of our favorites!)

Looking for more inspiration? You can find a free pattern for this table runner by Pine Tree Country Quilts on our website.

4 Ways to Make a Dimensional Quilt

Joan Shay recently finished up a year's worth of designs for Quilt Trends magazine, all using her Appli-bond technique to create dimensional features, and of course, our fabrics. We're excited to share all four with you here on the blog, along with Joan's thoughts about her designs!

 Cape Cod Memories

The Idea

We used to live on Cape Cod, an area known for these flowers. To me, summer is hydrangeas. It's been a bit of a family flower—our daughter even carried in them in her wedding. Creating three-dimensional hydrangeas is what started my whole style of quilting, actually. There was no question the summer project would have hydrangeas in it. The geese on the borders represent seagulls on the Cape, and the scallop shells and starfish in the corners signify the Cape as well. They are embellished with hand stitching: stem stitches and French knots.

The Technique

I wanted to put the flowers on a straw wreath, so I drew the wreath shape on a piece of water-soluble stabilizer, layered my scraps, and added another piece of stabilizer on top. After zigzag stitching all over the wreath, I washed the stabilizer away. I made clusters of pink, blue and purple flowers on the wreath, using my Appli-Bond technique.

The Fabric

Budding Beauties [by Ro Gregg] is a hydrangea collection—perfect for this quilt. I used the bigger, bolder print for the Flying Geese and smaller flower for the inner border. Purple and lime green are what people are gravitating to right now, so the colors worked well. I really like the color combination of this quilt. I actually made this quilt when I was away on a retreat with my guild, and everyone wanted it!

See the Budding Beauties fabric collection here.

See the Focus collection here.

See the Marblehead prints here.

Find the kit here.

Find the summer 2013 issue of Quilt Trends here.

Spring Fever

The Idea

This quilt isn't intended to be realistic like my others; rather, it's an abstract flower. I saw the border print [from Wildflowers] and worked backwards on this design. I really wanted the quilt to have the vibrant colors of spring. When I found that print, everything came into focus from there.

The Technique

The flowers are just an abstract bloom, but very dimensional. In the corners, I just love doing miniature fans/Dresden plates. Instead of using the traditional quarter circle at the base, I placed one of the abstract flowers there. My favorite part of this quilt is the butterfly. My class on creating a dimensional monarch butterfly is one of the most popular ones I teach. You actually make the butterfly fabric, building it piece by piece.

The Fabric

I used two different green tones from Focus for the background. The darker green sections are longer than the lighter greens, so it's not a typical four-patch. The colors in the flowers, butterfly, and bee help tie the border print in.

See the Wildflowers collection here.

See the Focus collection here.

See the Marblehead prints here.

Find the kit here.

Find the spring 2013 issue of Quilt Trends here.

Winter's Eve

The Idea

I wanted to do an owl, and it all started there. Because it was a winter quilt, I decided to make the background a night sky with a big moon and snow capped tree. The challenging part was that I wanted to do a pieced background that would show the shadows from the moon on the sky.

  

The Technique

I built the dimensional owl first—that's the advantage of my Appli-bond technique—you can have the owl in your hand totally made, built on a foundation of bonded fabric, and place it anywhere you want. I was really pleased with the owl—especially the eyes. They're like Mona Lisa; they follow you were you go.

The Fabric

My style depends on shading more than anything, so I can't use solid prints. Because my quilts are more pictorial, I always try to make my quilts realistic looking. To me, getting the right fabrics is half the battle.

Marbleheads work perfectly for everything I do; this quilt also uses tonals from Focus. Using the lighter and darker blues together was the fun part of doing the quilt.

See the Focus collection here.

See the Marblehead prints here.

Find the kit here.

Find the winter 2013 issue of Quilt Trends here.

Harvest Home 

The quilt that started this four-season series! See our original blog post on Harvest Home here.

Round 'em up, herd 'em out!

When you have kids (or grandkids!), long summer days mean plenty of time running around outside: riding bikes, climbing trees, swinging, swimming...and of course, pretend play. 

As adults, many of us have fond memories of our idyllic childhoods, whether it's nightly games of kick the can, roasting marshmallows, and an ever-popular favorite, playing "cowboys and Indians." 

For boys and girls, the idea of "the Wild West" has a special appeal, and we think our new fabric line, Round Up, captures this nostalgia perfectly. 

From a running border stripe of cowboys, hats and boots to the lasso rope print and the galloping horses, these prints allow you to savor that Wild West feel. Create a bedroom ensemble (bed skirt, curtains, and pillowcase too!) for a younger child, or help an "older" cowpoke recapture his youth with these great cowboy prints.

Here's a closer look at some of our favorites:

What's your cowboy story? We hope you'll share it with us!

Skip the Stamp

If you're an online type of person (and you probably are, since you're reading our blog!), we have exciting news! There is now an online entry form for the Marblehead Challenge.

That's right--instead of getting a photo printed and digging out an envelope and a 46-cent stamp, you can submit your entry with a few clicks of the mouse!

Click here to access the online entry form. 
You'll need to email your photo separately, but you'll find the details about that on the entry form.

Any questions? Leave a comment below or email us at fabriquiltblog (at) gmail.com

The link for the online entry form can also be found under the Marblehead Challenge tab at the top of the blog.

Looking for more information about the Marblehead Challenge? Click here.
You have until October 1, 2013 to submit an entry!

RWB Bundle Winner

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented on Roseann's "Sparklers!" quilt tutorial last week!

To go along with Roseann's tutorial, we asked readers to leave comments for a chance to win a red, white and blue fat quarter started bundle. Courtesy of Mr. Random, our winner is:

Which translates to:

Congratulations, Simplesew! We have sent you an email to get your mailing address. And we hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend of piecing and quilting! 

Summer Tote Tutorial

Today we've got another red, white and blue tutorial for you!
This summer tote is made with the Marblehead A Star is Born collection by Ro Gregg and uses Pellon 100 Vinyl Fuse to create a shiny, water-repellant finish for on-the-go fun.

We love how the Vinyl Fuse adds sturdiness and wet protection to the bag--perfect for beach and pool fun! And the red, white and blue prints make this tote ideal for 4th of July picnics or all summer long! Plus, since the seams are all hidden within double-fold binding (so easy to make!), there are no exposed raw edges and no lining to deal with. What could be better?!?!

You'll Need:
7/8 yard of the Marblehead mosaic print
1 yard coordinating light blue dot
2 yards Pellon 100 Vinyl Fuse
Basic sewing supplies

Cutting:
From the Marblehead mosaic print, cut one 18" x 42" piece and two 8-1/2" x 16" pieces.

From the light blue dot, cut three 6" x 42" strips and four 3" x 42" strips.

From the Vinyl Fuse cut one 17" x 41" piece and two 8" x 17" pieces, leaving the backing in place.

Making the Bag:
Following manufacturer's directions, adhere the larger piece of Vinyl-Fuse to the 18" x 42" mosaic print piece and the smaller pieces to the 8-1/2" x 16" mosaic print pieces.

Trim the larger piece to measure 16-1/2" x 40" and the two smaller pieces to measure 7" x 16".

Fold each 3" x 42" light blue dot strip in half lengthwise and press. Open the fold up and press each raw edge in to the center crease, and then refold on center line. This creates the double-fold binding. Set aside. 

To make the handle straps, sew the three 6" x 42" light blue dot strips short ends together into a long strip and fold and press it just like you did with the previous strips. Join the ends to create a large loop and press seam open. Topstitch 1/4" in on each side of the entire loop. 

Lay out the 16-1/2" x 40" laminated piece right side up. Find and mark the center point (20" mark).  Hold the seam of the loop in one hand and stretch the loop to find the exact opposite end. Mark this spot with a pin. Position the loop/straps on the laminated piece as shown, aligning the seam and the marked opposite end on the marked center line. The straps should be 2-1/2" in from each of the long edges. Pin in place. Note: To avoid making visible pinholes in the laminated fabric, position pins within the strap. 

Topstitch on existing stitching on both sides of the strap to secure it in place, stopping 4" from the ends of the laminated piece. Where you stop, stitch a box and an "X" to further secure.

Lay the laminated piece wrong side up. Mark 3-1/2" on either side of the center point.

Pin the 7" x 16" laminated piece wrong sides together, matching the short edges of the small piece with the marked dots. Keep pins in the seam allowance as much as possible. Begin sewing at the center point. When you reach the corner of the smaller piece, with needle down, pivot and continue matching raw edges of fabric. Stitch to the top edge and back stitch. Return to the center point and stitch the other side. At this point, your bag should look like the photo below, with seams facing out (it's okay--we'll be covering them with double-fold binding!). Repeat on the opposite side of the bag using the other small laminated piece. 

Now your bag looks like a bag, even though it's one with all the seams showing! 

Pull out the double-fold binding tape you made out of the light blue dot fabric. Unfold, match raw edges with a side seam of the bag, and stitch using a 1/4" seam allowance. You'll be adding this binding strip down the side of the bag, across the side bottom, and back up the other side--just follow your earlier seam line. Trim excess.

Fold the double-fold binding around the seam allowance so it looks like this: 

(So basically the center fold is touching the bag seam allowance.) Pin in place (again, pinning within the binding fabric), and then topstitch to secure all layers. Fold fabric to miter corners as needed. 

Repeat on the opposite side of the bag. 

The last step: adding a piece of double-fold binding to the top of the bag. One strip isn't quite enough, so piece the remaining two folded strips together and add in the same manner. 

And you're done! A perfect bag for summer fun!

Blogging Design Ring: The 20-Minute Block

Happy July!

We'll be sharing a few summery, patriotic projects with you in honor of the July 4th holiday. First up is a pinwheel picnic quilt by Blogging Design Ring member Roseann Meehan Kermes of Rosebud's Cottage. This quilt design uses oversized pinwheel blocks to create a quick quilt top, and the red, white and blue palette makes the "Sparklers!" name just right. 

Here's Roseann! 

Hi, I'm Roseann over from Rosebud's Cottage. If you need a table covering for your picnic, a place to nap under a tree, or a throw to snuggle under while you watch the fireworks, "Sparklers!" is for you! With its fast piecing method, and large pieces, it is perfect for a last-minute Fourth of July project. Best of all, the directions are linked below in pdf form, so you can print them out and take them with you!

Tonal prints create the perfect backdrop for beautiful machine quilting. Visit Roseann's blog for some alternative quilting ideas, as well as helpful tips for creating this red, white and blue beauty.

The fabrics used--all small tonal prints--come from a variety of Fabri-Quilt collections:

Roses are Red

Indigo Blues

Marblehead

Marblehead Global Brights

Tone on Tone

This quilt uses a great shortcut method to make half-square triangles--try it, you'll love it!

Download the pdf directions to make Roseann's Sparklers! quilt here.

Thanks Roseann, for sharing this summer pattern with us!
You can win a starter bundle of red, white and blue fat quarter prints like Roseann used to make your own Sparkler! quilt. Just leave a comment below telling us your favorite 4th of July tradition. This giveaway is open through Friday, July 5th at 11:59 EST. We'll post the winner's name on Monday, July 8th. 

p.s. Whether you're new here or an old friend, we hope you'll sign up to follow us via Bloglovin' or to receive updates by email. You can find both options in the righthand sidebar. That way you'll be the first to know when we feature tutorials like this one!