Birthday Cake Quilt Block
Greetings Quilter - Did you know that June 27 is Happy Birthday to You Day? How fun is that? You can celebrate a birthday without getting any older - unless June 27th is your birthday, that is. To help you celebrate your birthday -or anyone else's birthday - I've made a video showing how to sew the Birthday Cake Quilt Block together. It's fun and easy. There are some triangles, but with careful sewing, you'll be able to put them together in a breeze. Also this week, you'll see information about our Quilt as You Go Complete DVD Mentor. This started out as a small project with one video showing one method of completing a Quilt as You Go project, and has turned into a set of DVDs showing 4 different methods, including a foundation pieced project. These are great projects, especially with summer upon us. You can work on one block at a time - in your car, on an airplane or train, waiting for an appointment or watching kids play sports or enjoy the water. Or, work on one block at home without worrying about all of the bulk and warmth of a large quilt project. Keep your eyes open this week for our annual How to Quilt Survey - asking what you like, didn't like so much and want more of. In the meantime, Happy Happy! And now for the rest of the news - - Happy Quilting!
Quilt as You Go Complete DVD Mentor
Late last year, we learned several different methods for completing Quilt as You Go projects. In one method, we sewed the quilted blocks together side by side, and row by row. Then we learned how to add sashing between the blocks. In a completely different method, we learned how to sew the finished blocks together by sewing the backing together and folding it onto the front. Once those videos were complete, the question was asked about how to do a foundation pieced project using the Quilt as You Go method. It took a while, but I found a pattern that works well for foundation piecing and finishing as a Quilt as You Go project including adding sashing. Often in foundation piecing, you need to sew some units together before you sew them to your foundation. But I was trying to find a block that could be completely quilted and pieced at the same time, saving time and frustration. The key, I discovered, is to choose a block that can be sewn together using a flip and fold technique – start with a patch, add the next one right sides facing together, flip the second patch and then add the next patch. Enter the 3 Kings Journey quilt block.
This block is easy to sew, and you can get really sharp points on your triangles using the foundation piecing method. Normally I shy away from foundation piecing because once you have sewn the patches together, you need to rip out the paper; otherwise, you probably will have a stiff feel to your quilt or wall hanging. But, by sewing these patches onto batting and backing, there’s no paper to rip! You are ready to sew your blocks together and finish your quilt. This is now a 5 DVD set that includes all of the various methods for Quilt as You Go projects. And, I am pleased to report that it is selling like hot cakes. They are also easy to sew together, and once your quilt gets to be larger, you are sewing only straight seams through a few layers of fabric. All of the quilting is done one block at a time. Right now, this is still at the special Introductory Price, but by the end of the month, the initial deal will be over and the price will more than likely go up. Block of the Month - Birthday Cake
Pretty much everyone has a birthday during the year – whether you have a big celebration, a small one, none at all, or even keep track of how old you are. It turns out that June 27 is Happy Birthday to You Day – according to my calendar, anyway. It seems like the perfect day – right in the middle of the year! And here is an easy-to-sew block for your celebration. It’s a simple 9 patch with big triangles and little triangles. If you are going to make a quilt with several of these blocks, you might want to check out some shortcut methods for sewing triangles together. One method I like for sewing a bunch of identical half-square triangles is a grid method – where you mark your sewing lines on rectangles of fabric, sew on the lines and then cut the half-square triangles apart. Once cut apart, fold them open and you have little square patches. It’s pretty cool, and there is a video showing exactly how it works, taking the mystery out of the process. Visit www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com to get a free download of the pattern for this Birthday Cake block.
Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation - Paula Rostkowski
Paula Rostkowski is a professional longarm quilter. As a hand quilter and teacher of hand quilting for many years, she approaches machine quilting the same way and enjoys enhancing the design of each quilt top. She always looks forward to the challenge of making a quilt look distinctive and unique. Almost all of her machine quilting is freehand. She takes great pride in the quality of her work and treats every quilt as if it were her own. Paula will happily work within a budget, using a simple amount of custom quilting for a small budget, all the way to an abundance of beautiful designs that are Quilt Show quality. Paula will join us on June 28 and share her secrets for beautiful longarm machine quilting. She will also help us understand how to choose a professional longarm quilter to quilt a quilt we want. Watch for more details later in the month. In the meantime, mark your calendar for June 28 Postcard Quilts for the Troops Birthday Roundup Next - Deadline August 10!
Penny's Postcard Posse has sent more than 15,000 fabric postcards to our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and the hospital in Germany. As quilters, we know what those postcards mean to the men and women who recieve them. Some who get them receive no other mail from home. And for all of them, it's a reminder of the wonderful freedoms they are fighting for and the comforts they will enjoy when they return home. The Birthday Roundup is in full swing - the deadline is August 10 Diane had a great idea to send over a package of Birthday postcards that can be handed to soldiers the day of their birthday! What a great idea. So, we've set up a deadline of August 10, and there is plenty of time to get some postcards made by then. She will send over a big box and the soldier "in charge" can hand them out as birthdays arrive. I will be adding birthday-themed postcard designs to www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com, so keep on checkin' To make the Birthday Roundup deadline, get your cards to Diane by August 10. Please send your cards to:
Diane is doing a fabulous job keeping the pictures updated, and if you have sent cards in, let your friends and family know that they can see pictures of them here: www.Fabric-Postcards.com Remember you can get FREE postcard patterns at: www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com Special Note - we are in the process of changing the Picture Gallery on the Fabric-Postcards.com site. It may take a few days, so bear with us. Not to worry - We have all of the pictures and will get everything squared away soon. June Quilt Block Patterns The June selection of free quilt block patterns includes a variety of 4 patch quilt blocks, ranging from the easy to make to some that are a little more complex. Click here to download your June FREE quilt block patterns
Click here to download your June FREE quilt block patterns |
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