Table of contents for July - August 2017 in Quiltmaker

I mentioned in the previous issue that machine quilting sometimes intimidates me. I think that’s why my pile of quilt tops continues to grow. Well, I decided that machine quilting is one step in the quiltmaking process that I need to spend more time on so I can get better and become more confident (and get some of my tops out of the unfinished pile and into the finished pile). It’s not that I can’t or don’t know how to machine quilt, but more that it’s out of my comfort zone. We’re fortunate to have a Q’nique Longarm Quilting Machine from The Grace Company at our office, and I decided to take it for a spin. I’ve been following along with ZJ Humbach as she guides our readers through the…

Scissor Hive This cute little scissor hive is made from a vintage spindle. The hive is 3" tall and the sharp scissors are 2¾". This would be a great gift for your quilting and stitching friends.meandmystitches.com Bonnie Hunter’s Essential Triangle Tool Turning fabric strips into perfect triangles is a cinch with this tool. It features printed lines to quickly make half- and quarter-square triangles in different sizes, as well as hourglass units and Flying Geese. Bonus Buddy mini ruler is also included.quiltandsewshop.com FabGrab The FabGrab, made in the USA, is a 3 in 1 quilter’s sandboard. The sandpaper surface holds fabric in place for accurate marking. The acrylic surface provides a smooth area for writing and tracing and the felt is a mini design wall.fabgrab.net Designer Jade TM  35…

Wall: 28 ½” x 37 ½” Finished Blocks: 4 ½” materials Assorted Batiks ¾ yard total for blocks (see Step 1) Cream Batik 1 ½ yards for blocks, border and binding Backing 1 yard Batting 33”x 42” cutting Assorted Batiks 35 matching sets of: 1 square (A) 1 ¼” x 1 ¼” 1 rectangle (C) 1 ¼” x 3 ½” 1 rectangle (D) 1 ¼” x 5” 175 squares total (A) 1 ¼” x 1 ¼” Cream Batik 4 strips 3½” x 40” for border 4 strips 2½” x 40” for binding 175 squares (A) 1 ¼” x 1 ¼” 35 rectangles (B) 1 ¼” x 2 ¾” 105 rectangles (C) 1 ¼” x 3 ½” For some extra fun make a mini version of Scott’s throw-sized quilt. Refer to…

Intermediate Finished Size: 60” x 60” Finished Blocks: 12” materials Cream Tone-on-Tone #1 ¾ yard for blocks Brown Tone-on-Tone #1 1 ½ yards for blocks and binding Red Tone-on-Tone #1 ¾ yard for blocks Cream Tone-on-Tone #2 ⅜ yard for blocks Brown Tone-on-Tone #2 ⅝ yard for blocks Tan Tone-on-Tone #1 1 yard for blocks Cream Tone-on-Tone #3 1 yard for blocks Cream Tone-on-Tone #4 ¾ yard for blocks Red Tone-on-Tone #2 1 ½ yards for blocks Brown Tone-on-Tone #3 ½ yard for blocks Tan Tone-on-Tone #2 ⅜ yard for blocks Backing 4 ⅛ yards Batting 68”x 68” cutting Cream Tone-on-Tone #1 26 squares (A) 4 ¼” x 4 ¼” 52 squares 2 ⅜” x 2 ⅜” cut in half diagonally to yield 104 triangles (E) Brown Tone-on-Tone #1 7…

Easy Finished Size: 36” x 36” Finished Blocks: 9” materials Dark Purple Batik 2 ¼ yards for blocks and binding Assorted Batiks 2 yards total for blocks Cream Batik 1 yard for blocks Backing 1 ¼ yards Batting 40”x 40” (Although fabric amounts are adequate for foundation piecing, you may need more if you cut very generous patches.) cutting Dark Purple Batik 5 strips 2 ½”x 40” for binding foundation patches Assorted Batiks foundation patches Cream Batik foundation patches The foundation is on the pattern sheet. A twisting sparkle of color make this quilt yummy enough to try it. 1 About This Quilt The entire quilt is made from foundation piecing. If you choose alternate colors, make one or more sample blocks to audition the block layout to get a…

Tricia continues her exploration of quilting on a domestic machine by learning the decisions she needs to make about equipment and materials before she begins. Tricia is an Associate Editor for Quiltmaker. Part 2: Take Time to Prepare “Layer and baste together the backing, batting and quilt top.” We use these words, or similar ones, in every Quiltmaker pattern. There is a whole lot of action that goes into this direction, more than these mere ten words convey. As the next step in my journey to learn how to quilt on a domestic sewing machine I spent some time learning all that is involved to follow this simple direction—which is extremely important to achieve the desired quality and beauty of a finished quilt. In parts 2 and 3 of this…

I’ve worked with Wendy to write several of her Quiltmaker patterns. She seems to have an endless number of ideas and I really admire her creativity, so much that I decided to learn more about her. I thought you might like to meet her, too. Wendy grew up in Southeast Asia and came to America for college. She graduated with degrees in Chemical Engineering and worked in the research arena for a few years. She currently lives in northern Virginia with her husband and daughter. Wendy has always been passionate about hand- and needlework, but never had a desire to machine sew. In fact, Wendy was 31 when she first touched a sewing machine. She joined a friend’s group to learn to quilt. Foregoing the assigned quilt because she thought…

Basic Quilting Supplies • Rotary cutter and mat• Acrylic ruler: Many shapes and sizes are available; a good one to start with is 6"x 24" with ¼" and 1/8" markings• Scissors: A separate pair for paper and fabric• Sewing machine• ¼" foot• Walking foot• Darning foot• Pins• Ironing board & iron• Marking pencils/markers/etc.• Needles• Thimble• Safety pins• Template plastic• Thread Preparing Your Fabric We recommend that you pre-wash your fabrics. A shrinkage factor is included in our yardage computations. Techniques Machine Piecing It is important to cut accurately and to sew exact ¼" seams. Templates Trace the patterns on template plastic and cut out accurately. Planning Measure, mark and cut the binding and border strips before cutting patches from the same fabric. Cut larger patches before smaller ones. For best…

Sand and Sea Seeing this quilt in the Mar/Apr ’17 issue (No. 174) reminded me of the brown and blue scraps I have accumulated. I wanted a lap-size version so I reduced the cutting size of the rectangles to 2” x 8½”. This not only gave me the size quilt I wanted but also produced “bonus blocks” with little peaks of color on the half-square triangles. They were so cute I included them as part of the border. Eva Kilgore • Carefree, Arizona Chop Suey The 2016 challenge from my quilt guild was to make a quilt with “Made in the USA” fabrics. Since they were predominantly solids and I could not decide on a colorway I chose assorted solids, with the exception of the border fabric. I adapted the…

Easy Finished Size: 36” x 24” Finished Blocks: 4” x 2” materials Assorted Gold Prints and Tone-on-Tones scraps for Flying Geese Assorted Blue Prints and Tone-on-Tones ⅜ yard total for Flying Geese and binding Assorted Cream Prints and Tone-on-Tones ¾ yard total for Flying Geese Assorted Red Prints and Tone-on-Tones 1 yard total for Flying Geese and binding Backing ⅞ yards Batting 40”x 28” cutting Assorted Gold Prints and Tone-on-Tones 5 squares (A) 5 ¼” x 5 ¼” Assorted Blue Prints and Tone-on-Tones 2½”-wide strips to total 30” for binding 20 squares (B) 2 ⅞” x 2 ⅞” Assorted Cream Prints and Tone-on-Tones 23 squares (A) 5 ¼” x 5 ¼” Assorted Red Prints and Tone-on-Tones 2½”-wide strips to total 110” for binding 92 squares (B) 2 ⅞” x 2…

Easy Finished Size: 61” x 78” Finished Blocks: 6” materials Dark Green Tone-on-Tone 2 yards for blocks, applique, border #1 and binding Cream Print 3 ⅜ yards for blocks Medium Green Tone-on-Tone ⅝ yard for blocks Light Green Tone-on-Tone 1 ⅝ yards for blocks and border #2 Blue Tone-on-Tone ⅝ yard for applique Pink Tone-on-Tone 1 fat quarter for applique (a fat quarter is approximately 18” x 20”) Backing 5 ⅛ yards Batting 69” x 86” Fusible web cutting Dark Green Tone-on-Tone 7 strips 2” x 40” for border #1 8 strips 2 ½” x 40” for binding 3 strips 1 ½” x 40” for bands 1 ½” -wide bias strips to total 138” 10 squares 3 ¼” x 3 ¼” cut diagonally twice to yield 40 triangles (A) 20…

Easy Finished Size: 80” x 80” Finished Blocks: 15” materials Teal Print 2 ⅞ yards for blocks, border #4 and binding Cream Solid 2 ¾ yards for blocks and border #3 Blue Plaid 1 ⅝ yards for blocks and border #2 Blue Print ½ yard for blocks Pink Print 1 ⅝ yards for blocks and border #'s 1 and 3 Backing 7 ⅞ yards Batting 88”x 88” cutting Teal Print 9 strips 3” x 40” for border #4 9 strips 2 ½” x 40” for binding 96 squares (A) 3 ⅜” x 3 ⅜” 48 squares (B) 3” x 3” Cream Solid 144 squares (A) 3 ⅜” x 3 ⅜” 170 squares (B) 3” x 3” Blue Plaid 8 strips 3” x 40” for border #2 64 squares (A) 3…

Intermediate Finished Size: 19” x 19” Finished Blocks: 3 ¾” materials Blue Print ⅝ yard for blocks and border Cream Print ⅝ yard for blocks Dark Blue Print ⅝ yard for blocks and binding Yellow Print ⅛ yard for blocks Backing ¾ yard Batting 23”x 23” (Although fabric amounts are adequate for foundation piecing, you may need more if you cut very generous patches.) cutting Blue Print for border 2 strips 2½” x 15½” for sides 2 strips 2½” x 19½” for top/bottom foundation patches Cream Print 16 squares (A) 2 ½” x 2 ½” foundation patches Dark Blue Print 3 strips 3½” x 40” for binding foundation patches Yellow Print foundation patches The foundations are on the pattern sheet. Dainty foundation-pieced Flying Geese go round and round in this…

Part 4 of 6 Throw: 45” x 45” Finished Blocks: 9”, 18”, 18” x 9” Dreaming of Spring is a series quilt presented in six parts. Part 1, in the Jan/Feb ’17 issue (No. 173) included the total yardage for the quilt and instructions for blocks R and S. Part 2, in the March/April ’17 issue (No. 174) included instructions for blocks T and U. Part 3, in the May/June ’17 issue (No. 175) included instructions for blocks V and W. Limited quantities of kits are available at quiltandsewshop.com. Part 5, Sept/Oct ’17 (No. 177) will include instructions for more blocks. The applique patterns are on the pattern sheet. 1 Making the Blocks Refer to the cutting instructions and assembly diagram for each block to sew the appropriate number of…

Intermediate Finished Size: 48” x 66” materials Assorted Dark Prints 3 ⅛ yards total for patches Assorted Red Prints 1 ¼ yards total for patches Assorted Medium Prints 1 ½ yards total for patches Assorted Light Prints 1 ⅛ yards total for patches Black and White Stripe ⅝ yard for binding Backing 3 ⅛ yards Batting 52”x 74” cutting Assorted Dark Prints 220 template A Assorted Red Prints 74 template A Assorted Medium Prints 100 template A Assorted Light Prints 68 template A Black and White Stripe 7 strips 2½”x 40” for binding The template is on the pattern sheet. Separating prints by value creates this charming scrap quilt. 1 About This Quilt The light or dark quality of a color is called its value. Cynthia divided and placed her…

What do you do with all the scraps you save? “Use them!” declares Bonnie. In every issue, find Bonnie’s ideas for making blocks from your leftovers in Addicted to Scraps. Wild Goose Square I love Flying Geese! The red, white and blue combination is great for Quilts of Valor! I used my Bonnie K. Hunter’s Essential Triangle Tool and 2 1/2" strips for my Flying Geese. Quiltmaker’s instructions will guide you to make the block using traditional methods for Fast Flying Geese without the ruler. Rotary cutting instructions are given below. Refer to “Fast Flying Geese” in Basic Lessons. Use the red A’s and white B’s to make 2 sets of 4 matching Flying Geese 1’s (use 3 of each set). Use the blue A’s and white B’s to make…

We love to see quilts made from our patterns! Send us your digital images for publication consideration in Sew to Speak or Spotlight. Please send clear, focused images with adequate lighting. Digital photo requirements can be found at quiltmaker.com . Include a photo of the entire quilt and a close-up of any interesting details. Include your full name and complete contact information, the name of the pattern, the size of the quilt, a short note about why you made the quilt, any awards received and any other details our readers might enjoy. Email to: sewtospeak@quiltmaker.com .…

Easy Finished Size: 70” x 94” Finished Blocks: 12” materials Assorted Batiks 2 ¾ yards total for blocks (see Step 1) Cream Batik #1 1 yard for blocks Cream Batik #2 4 ¾ yards for blocks, border and binding Backing 6 ⅛ yards Batting 78”x 102” cutting Assorted Batiks 35 matching sets of: 1 square (A) 2 ½” x 2 ½” 1 rectangle (C) 2 ½” x 8 ½” 1 rectangle (D) 2 ½” x 12 ½” 175 squares total (A) 2 ½” x 2 ½” Cream Batik #1 175 squares (A) 2 ½” x 2 ½” Cream Batik #2 9 strips 5½” x 40” for border 10 strips 2½” x 40” for binding 35 rectangles (B) 2 ½” x 6 ½” 105 rectangles (C) 2 ½” x 8 ½”…

Easy Finished Size: 16” x 16” materials Light Teal Print ⅝ yard for background, border and binding Green Print 1 fat eighth (a fat eighth is approximately 9” x 20”) Teal Plaid ⅜ yard for border Assorted Pink, Blue, Black, Gray, Yellow and White Prints and Tone-on-Tones scraps for applique Backing ⅝ yard Batting 20” x 20” Fusible web (Although fabric amounts are adequate for foundation piecing, you may need more if you cut very generous patches.) cutting Light Teal Print 2 strips 2½” x 40” for binding 1 rectangle (A) 9 ½” x 12 ½” foundation patches Green Print 1 rectangle (B) 3 ½” x 12 ½” Teal Plaid foundation patches Assorted Pink, Blue, Black, Gray, Yellow and White Prints and Tone-on-Tones 1 complete set of applique patches The…

Easy Finished Size: 18” x 42” materials White Dot ⅜ yard for Pinwheels Pink Dot ¼ yard for Pinwheels Red Solid ⅝ yard for Pinwheels, berries and binding Gray Dot ⅞ yard for background Red and White Stripe ⅜ yard for candy canes Green Solid ⅜ yard for holly leaves Light Green Print ⅛ yard for holly leaves Backing 1 ⅜ yards Batting 22”x 46” Fusible web cutting White Dot 48 squares (A) 2 ⅜” x 2 ⅜” Pink Dot 24 squares (A) 2 ⅜” x 2 ⅜” Red Solid 4 strips 2½” x 40” for binding 24 squares (A) 2 ⅜” x 2 ⅜” 24 pattern F Gray Dot 2 rectangles (B) 7 ½” x 19 ½” (trim to 6 ½” x 18 ½” after applique) 1 square (D)…

Intermediate Finished Size: 30”x 40” Finished Blocks: 4”, 8” materials White Solid 2 ¼ yards for blocks and background Turquoise Solid ⅜ yard for blocks and sections Gray Solid ⅝ yard for blocks, sections and binding Purple and Red Solid ⅜ yard each for blocks and sections Yellow, Gold and Orange Solid ⅜ yard each for blocks and sections Green Solid ⅜ yard for blocks and sections Backing 1 ⅜ yards Batting 34”x 44” cutting White Solid 121 squares (A) 1 ½” x 1 ½” 80 squares (B) 1” x 1” 2 rectangles (D) 12 ½” x 16 ½” 2 squares (E) 8 ½” x 8 ½” 1 rectangle (F) 7 ½” x 8 ½” 3 rectangles (G) 12 ½” x 19 ½” 2 rectangles (H) 4 ½” x 7…

Easy Finished Size: 69” x 83” Finished Blocks: 13” materials Cream Print #1 3 ⅜ yards for blocks, sashing and border #1 Red Floral ¼ yard for blocks Green Tone-on-Tone ⅜ yard for blocks Red Tone-on-Tone 1 yard for blocks and binding Blue Floral ½ yard for blocks Red and Green Check ½ yard for blocks Blue Dot ⅜ yard for blocks Red and Green Plaid ⅜ yard for blocks Cream Candy Cane ⅜ yard for blocks Blue and Cream Stripe ⅝ yard for blocks Red and Cream Crosshatch ½ yard for blocks Cream and Red Print ⅜ yard for blocks Cream Print #2 ⅜ yard for blocks Green and Cream Crosshatch ⅝ yard for blocks Blue Floral Stripe 1 ¼ yards for border #2 Backing 5 ½ yards Batting…

ZJ has been a professional longarm quilter for 14 years and has been quilting over 20 years. She’s the owner of Dream Stitcher Quilt Studio. Foundation to Success Technical proficiency is the foundation of longarm quilting. Taking your time and following the same steps each and every time ensures consistency. The key to a square quilt begins with the backing preparation and properly loading the quilt on the longarm machine. The backing and batting need to be at least 8 inches wider and 8 inches longer than the quilt top. This allows room for attaching the backing to the leaders, space so the machine won’t hit the clamps, and a place to check tension and shrinkage during quilting. Square up your backing and batting. Leave the selvages on, and whenever…

“I love this quilt because it is something that I worked on with my dear sister. She is a quilting expert and helped me tons!” — Michelle Barker Michelle Barker of Riverton, Utah and her sister who lives in Oregon decided to work on a project together, communicating by text and email. They each chose to make Swoopers from March/April 2016 (No.168). Michelle loves machine applique, so this was a perfect pattern for her. She has collected black and white fat quarters for years and was happy to discover she also had quite a collection of red prints. This quilt held a lot of firsts for Michelle. It was the first quilt she completed start to finish by herself, including the free-motion quilting. It was also her first time making…