Summer of Sewing: Bargello in Blues

During our Summer of Sewing series, we'll be featuring weekly tutorials using our new fabric collections (and giveaways, too!). Join us each week, sit back, relax, and then start sewing! 

Today's tutorial features a bargello quilt--the perfect way to show off the gorgeous blues of the Fleur de Bleu fabrics! If you haven't made a bargello before, don't worry! We'll walk you through all the steps. It's easier than you think. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to find out how you can win a bundle of Fleur de Bleu fabrics. 

Quilt Size: 39-1/2" x 47-1/2"

Let's get started!

(Download and print our Assembly Chart before starting)

You'll Need:

1/4 yard each daisy outline (Fabric F) and dark blue tonal (Fabric H)

1/3 yard each white large floral (Fabric A), blue daisy (Fabric C), light blue daisy (Fabric D), and blue tonal (Fabric G)

1/2 yard of blue leaf (Fabric E)

5/8 yard of blue large floral (Fabric B)

1-1/2 yards backing fabric

batting

Cutting:

From Fabric A:

(1) 3" x 42" strip

(2) 2-1/2" x 42" strips

(1) 1-1/2" x 42" strip

From Fabric B:

(2) 4-1/2" x 42" strips (for outer border)

(2) 3" x 42" strips (for outer border)

(1) 3-1/2" x 42" strip

From Fabric C:

(1) 3-1/2" x 42" strip

(1) 2-1/2" x 42" strip

(1) 2" x 42" strip

From Fabric D:

(1) 3-1/2" x 42" strips

(1) 2" x 42" strip

(1) 1-1/2" x 42" strip

From Fabric E: 

(1) 2-1/2" x 42" strip

(1) 2" x 42" strip

(5) 2-1/4" x 42" strips for binding

From Fabric F: 

(1) 3-1/2" x 42" strip

(1) 2" x 42" strip

From Fabric G:

(1) 3" x 42" strip

(2) 2" x 42" strips

From Fabric H: 

(1) 2-1/2" x 42" strip

(1) 1-1/2" x 42" strip

Make the Quilt:

Step 1: Lay out the strips in the order shown. 

Step 2: Sew the strips together lengthwise into a large pieced strip. Hint: Sew strips together in pairs and continue joining pairs until strip set is complete. Note the numbers on the strips below. Use these numbers as reference in step 4. 

Step 3: Sew strip 22 lengthwise to strip 1 to turn the strip set into a loop.

Step 4: Flatten the loop and trim one end to create a straight edge. 

Step 5: Referring to the chart (download it here), cut the indicated width strips from the loop. 

You'll have 20 loops that look like this (but in varying widths): 

Step 6: Again referring to the chart, open the seam in each loop between the fabrics indicated in the second column. Label each pieced strip (column 3). 
Step 7: Lay out the opened loops in numerical order and begin sewing them together in pairs. Tip: Find and mark the center of each pieced strip. Match centers and ends of the strips you're joining and pin to help minimize stretching that can occur because of the large number of seams. 

Step 8: Join the pairs together until the quilt center is assembled. 
Step 9: Sew the 4-1/2" wide Fabric B strips to opposite sides of the quilt center. Trim excess. Sew the 3" wide Fabric B strips to the top and bottom. Trim excess. 

Step 10: Layer the backing, batting and quilt top and quilt as desired. Use the (5) 2-1/4" x 42" Fabric E strips to bind the quilt. 

Love all the movement created by the bargello effect! 

Would you like to win a bundle of Fleur de Bleu fabrics? Leave a comment below (or on IG) telling us your color. Giveaway is open through Sunday, August 20th at 11:59 PM CDT. 

Follow along with our Summer of Sewing Series! 
Click here to see all the tutorials.

Mayfair winner:

Barb Neiwert

Lovin' the Blues

Blue, blue and more blue! From indigo to sky, with a few shades in between,
our new Fleur de Bleu fabric collection is boldly blue and beautiful! 

Focal flowers:

Dark and light prints:

Tonal blenders:

Small daisy blossoms:

See the entire Fleur de Bleu collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.
Ready to start a project with Fleur de Bleu? Check out our Blue and White Quilt Pinterest board for inspiration! 

Summer of Sewing: Mayfair Placemats

During our Summer of Sewing series, we'll be featuring weekly tutorials using our new fabric collections (and giveaways, too!). Join us each week, sit back, relax, and then start sewing! 

It's summer...the perfect time to eat outside! When you're eating on a porch or patio, you can still use placemats! We've created these easy flying geese Mayfair Placemats, showcasing the large floral print, for this week's Summer of Sewing tutorial. You won't believe how quickly they go together! Pour yourself a glass of lemonade, start sewing, and use them for dinner tonight! Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!

Let's get started!

You'll Need:
(to make 4 placemats)

1/2 yard each aqua large floral, blue large floral, aqua geometric, and light blue chevron

1/2 yard each purple chevron and blue geometric (for binding)

1 fat quarter each: purple floral, blue floral, aqua floral, and lime floral 

(4) 14" x 20" batting pieces

 Note: Backing is included in the yardages listed above (each placemat will have a different backing).

Cutting:

From each of the aqua and blue large floral:

(2) 12-1/2" squares

From the purple chevron:

(4) 2-1/4" x 42" strips for binding

From the blue geometric:

(2) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" pieces

(4) 2-1/4" x 42" strips for binding

From the purple floral:

(16) 3-1/2" squares

From the blue floral:

(2) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" piece

(16) 3-1/2" squares

From the aqua floral:

(1) 14" x 20" piece for backing

(2) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" pieces

From the lime floral:

(1) 14" x 20" piece for backing

(2) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" pieces

From the light blue chevron:

(1) 14" x 20" piece for backing

(4) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" pieces

From the aqua geometric

(1) 14" x 20" piece for backing

(4) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" pieces

Step 1: Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each 3-1/2" square. Layer a marked square wrong sides together one one end of a 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" piece. Sew on the drawn line and trim seam allowance to 1/4".

Step 2: Press the triangle open and then position a marked square on the opposite end of a 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" piece. 

Step 3: Sew on the drawn line and trim seam allowance to 1/4". Press open to make a flying geese unit. 

Step 4: Make a total of (4) flying geese units for each placemat (16 total).

Step 3: Lay out (4) flying geese units in a column in the order you prefer. Sew the flying geese units together. 

Step 4: Sew the flying geese column to the left side of a 12-1/2" floral square. 

Step 5: Layer the placemat top with backing and batting and quilt as desired. (We quilted straight horizontal lines.) Trim backing and batting even with placemat top. 

Step 6: Bind using (2) 2-1/4" x 42" binding strips.

Would you like to win a bundle of Mayfair fabrics? Leave a comment below (or on IG) telling us your favorite summertime meal. Giveaway is open through Sunday, August 13th at 11:59 PM CDT. 

Follow along with our Summer of Sewing Series! 
Click here to see all the tutorials.

Ruby's Treasures winner:

Lee

Meet Mayfair

Meet Mayfair, our latest floral collection! 
Cool aquas, pristine blues, rich purples and fresh citron are the palette for these pretty prints, with delicate touches of metallic silver. Perfect for a new guest room quilt, throw pillows for the porch, or even a tote bag! 

The main florals: 

Floral coordinates:

Geometric coordinates:

See the entire Mayfair collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Summer of Sewing: Farm Animals Soft Book

During our Summer of Sewing series, we'll be featuring weekly tutorials using our new fabric collections (and giveaways, too!). Join us each week, sit back, relax, and then start sewing! 

This week's tutorial comes from Barb Eikmeier, designer of the Vintage Shirtings & Dress Prints, Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures, and Waddington Road collections. You've seen several projects here on the blog (including a blog hop!) featuring the Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures collection, but today Barb is here to show you how to make an adorable soft book for a child out of the Farm Life embroidery panel.

Now it's Barb's turn:

If you're looking for a different way to use Ruby's Farm Life Treasures pre-printed embroidery blocks, consider sewing them into a book for a special child. I made this version for my granddaughter when she was learning farm animal sounds. Framing the blocks with a pretty scalloped border not only enlarged the blocks but also gave me an opportunity to showcase the VVintage 30s Ruby's Treasures fabric collection.

Let's get started!

You'll Need:

(15) Ruby's Farm Life Treasures pre-printed blocks with the embroidery stitching completed

(14) 11" squares of a variety of Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures prints 

(4) 11" x 22" pieces of lightweight fusible fleece

(1) 11" x 21-1/2" Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures print for the front cover

(1) Elastic pony tail band for fastener (optional)

(1) 5/8" button (optional)

EZ Quilting Wavy Square template

Step 1: On the wrong side of the completed embroidery block trace the curvy shape. We used the 8" Wavy Square template but you could also freehand draw a curvy frame. 

Step 2: Place an 11" square of print fabric right side down on work surface, and position the prepared embroidered block right side down on top of it. Machine baste on the drawn line. 

Step 3: From the right side trim away the inside of the curvy shape leaving a 1/8" seam allowance. Remove the basting a few inches at a time and needle turn the seam allowance - the basting stitches will leave a perforated line, marking the turn line. Hand applique in place. Trim to 10" square. Repeat for 12 blocks. Trim the remaining two blocks to 11" square (they will go on the inside of the cover).

Step 4: To make the cover, crease the 11 x 21-1/2" piece of fabric in half, marking the center of the long edge. Repeat Step 3 centering the embroidered design you've selected for the cover on the right side of the long piece. The back or left side will be blank (no embroidery block). 

Step 5: Sew the blocks right sides together into pairs. Press the seam open. Trim the cover to the same size as a two-page spread with the 11" square blocks. Place the remaining two-page spreads right sides together in pairs. Press fusible fleece to the wrong side of a two-page spread. Stitch all the way around leaving an opening for turning. Trim the excess fleece and trim the corners at an angle. Turn right side out and hand stitch the opening closed. Press. Top stitch all the way around to complete the two-page spread. Repeat for the remaining pages and the cover (insert one end of the pony tail holder on the blank end of the cover if you'd like a closure; you'll add the button in step 7). Here a few examples of completed two page spreads.

Step 6: Arrange the paired pages in the order you'd like, making sure the cover is right side down on the bottom of the pile. Pin all the pages together along the center seams. Stitch through all layers, sewing along the center seam.

 Step 7: Sew a button on the front edge of the cover, centered from top to bottom.

  Step 8: Use a scrap of fabric to add a handle (if you'd like). 

 Enjoy the Farm Animals soft book!

Would you like to win a bundle of Vintage 30s Ruby's Treasures fabrics? Leave a comment below (or on IG) telling us whether your favorite farm animal. Giveaway is open through Sunday, August 6th at 11:59 PM CDT. 

Follow along with our Summer of Sewing Series! 
Click here to see all the tutorials.

Walkabout 2 bundle winner:

Meloney

Summer Veggies - free quilt pattern

It's August...farmer's markets are in full swing, and we have just the fabric (and free quilt pattern!) to celebrate! 

The fall 2017 issue of Quilts & More magazine features a digital version of Wendy Sheppard's Cinnamon Swirl quilt using Farmer John's Garden Party prints. Perfect for a kitchen wall hanging! And better yet, you can download the pattern from AP&Q.

Based on a design by Wendy Sheppard. Used with permission from Quilts and More™

 magazine. © 2017 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Download the free quilt pattern for this kitchen version, An Almost Square Meal, here.
See the entire Farmer John's Garden Party collection here (including another free quilt pattern!) and ask for it at your local quilt shop.
Find Quilts and More magazine here. 

Summer of Sewing: Walkabout Tote

During our Summer of Sewing series, we'll be featuring weekly tutorials using our new fabric collections (and giveaways, too!). Join us each week, sit back, relax, and then start sewing! 

This week's tutorial is for a fun summer tote bag. We'll be using improv sewing and quilt-as-you-go techniques, so it sews up quickly! We chose the purple colorway of the mouth-watering Walkabout 2 fabric collection, paired with a few Painter's Palette Solids accents. 

Let's get started!
You'll Need:
Fat quarter each of 4 prints (one for tote back
1/2 yard of print #2 (includes handles)
1/2 yard of purple circles for lining
1/8 yard each of four solids: Clementine, Pale Aqua, Apple Green and Violet
Batting

Cutting:
Note: We'll provide you with the actual width strips needed for our tote, but feel free to experiment on your own with different widths and color combos.
From print #1:
(1) 6" x 21" strip
(1) 5" x 21" strip

From print #2:
(2) 6" x 42" strips
(1) 4" x 21" strip

From print #3:
(1) 3-1/2" x 21" strip
(1) 6-1/2" x 12-1/2" piece for pocket

From print #4:
(1) 4" x 21" strip

From each of the solids:
(1) 2" x 21" strip

From the purple circle print: 
(2) 18" x 21" pieces for lining

From the floral print:
(1) 18" x 21" piece

From the batting:
(2) 18" x 21" pieces
(2) 1-1/2" x 30" strips

Making the Tote
Step 1: Lay out strip #1 and the Clemtine solid strip as shown on the batting. Note that the solid strip is angled slightly (you choose the amount of angle). 

Step 2: Stitch along the edge of the two strips using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press the solid strip up. Machine quilt straight lines through both strips. (Note: We used a neutral thread for the prints and coordinating color thread for each solid strip).

Step 3: In the same manner, add strip #2, again angling slightly. 

Step 4: Machine quilt straight lines through the new strip. 

Step 5: Add the Pale Aqua strip in the same manner.

Step 6: Continue adding strips as shown until your batting is completely covered and all strips have been quilted in place. 

Step 7: Lay the 18" x 21" backing piece on a second piece of batting and quilt as desired. 

Step 8: Trim both quilted pieces to measure 17" x 19".

Step 9: Layer the two quilted pieces right sides together and stitch around the sides and bottom. Cut 3" squares out from the bottom corners. 

Step 10: Fold the 6-1/2" x 12-1/2" pocket piece in half, wrong sides together. Sew around three sides, leaving an opening for turning along the bottom. Clip corners and turn right side out. Press. Topstitch along the stop (folded) edge.

Step 11: Pin pocket in place on a lining piece, positioning bottom edge approximately 9-1/2" from top and centering from left to right. Stitch along sides and bottom, securing pocket in place and closing the opening at the same time. 

Step 12: Sew the two lining pieces right sides together in the same manner, leaving a 5" opening for turning along the bottom. Cut corners as with the outer tote. 

Step 13: Box the corners of both the inner tote and the lining, matching side and bottom seams and sewing across as shown. 

Step 14: Fold a 6" x 30" handle strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and press. Unfold and fold long edges in to center fold. Position a 1-1/2" x 30" piece of batting inside and refold. 

Step 15: Pin and machine quilt the handle (we did 5 rows of stitching). 

Step 16: Make 2 handles. 

Step 17: Position one handle on the outer bag, approximately 3-1/2" from each side seam. Pin to secure. Repeat on the opposite side with the second handle.

Step 18: Tuck outer bag (right side out) inside lining (wrong side out) and pin along top edge, matching seams. Stitch around the top edge. 

Step 19: Turn bag right side out, tuck lining inside, and topstitch to secure top edge. 

Step 20: Pull the lining back out slightly and sew the opening in the lining closed. Enjoy!

Would you like to win a bundle of Walkabout 2 fabrics? Leave a comment below (or on IG) telling us whether you like the purple Walkabout 2 colorway (shown in the tutorial) or the blue Walkabout 2 colorway better. Giveaway is open through Sunday, July 30th at 11:59 PM CDT. 

Follow along with our Summer of Sewing Series! 
Click here to see all the tutorials.

Lost World bundle winner:

Mom C