Summer quilt projects and grandkids

6 / 9 / 226 / 9 / 22

It’s not officially summer yet, but it sure feels like it outside. I think it might be time to find a summer quilt project to start. Actually, I know what my next project is going to be – a baby quilt! Yes, my daughter is expecting child number four this August. They are keeping the gender a surprise, so I’m debating on waiting until the baby is born to make the quilt or diving in with a gender neutral theme. Either way, we’re all very excited!

Speaking of grandchildren, we finally got to take our trip to Austin to visit them all. They are moving to a bigger house this weekend, so we were able to help them get things ready. Plus we attended Clara’s dance recital which was three minutes of total preciousness.

I haven’t decided if I want to make up my own pattern for a baby quilt, or look through my quilt books and scour the internet for a pattern. I guess I should start by looking for something that is already done and if I don’t find anything I like, I can create something myself.

The last baby quilt I made was for our grandson, Ben. I love the color and simplicity of this quilt – I used the Glacier Modern Quilt Pattern by Jennifer Meakins. Star patterns are so versatile especially when you adjust the color palette to suit your needs.

Besides a baby quilt, I’ll be trying to keep up with all of the BOM projects that I’m participating in. I just finished month 5 of last year’s Strawberry Garden Mystery BOM by Fig Tree Quilts. It feels good to work on something “summery”.

How about you? Do you have any good summer projects in the works? If you need something that screams summer, you can check out my Summer Fun Wall Hanging from 2018. This was a free quilt along and all of the instructions are part of a series of weekly tutorials. This one will be hanging up in my sewing room soon.

Thanks for stopping by and happy quilting!

Spring Is For The Birds FREE pattern!

5 / 25 / 225 / 25 / 22

I’m so happy to be sharing my latest free pattern, Spring Is For The Birds! This adorable wall hanging measures 24″ square and it’s perfect for welcoming Spring into your home. Who can resist a birdhouse sitting atop a pinwheel?

Spring Is For The Birds FREE pattern

The pattern includes 6 pages of detailed instructions and diagrams. The piecing for this wall hanging is easy enough for a confident beginner. The applique adds a touch of whimsy and cuteness, but if you’re not a fan of applique, just leave it off. It will still be a cute wall hanging!

Download the Spring Is For The Birds pattern below.

Spring Is For The Birds

One thing I love about small quilt projects is how quick they are to make. Because of this, I sometimes allow myself some extra time in the details. For example, I did the applique by hand instead of by machine. I probably didn’t add much time to the process because I can do hand applique while watching TV at night or while traveling.

I used the freezer paper and starch method for the hand applique. I learned this technique a long time ago and it’s one of my “go-to” methods. I’ll have to add this to my list of tutorials to make. I do have a machine applique series that is great for beginners, though!

With small quilts like this, I love to spend a little extra time with free motion quilting. It’s so much easier to free motion quilt (FMQ) a small project, so I put a lot of focus on the quilting. Everything was done free hand (no stencils or rulers). I love to quilt swirls, feathers and pearls. They’re so fun and add great texture.

FMQ detail of Spring Is For The Birds Wall Hanging by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter.

I know we could all use a little more positivity in our lives. It’s been a tough time for our country with the recent school shooting tragedy in Texas. The job of parents and caregivers just got a lot tougher as we try to explain these events to our children. How can we NOT make changes to our gun laws after this? I pray for change, and I pray for the families and community of Uvalde, Texas.

Spring Is For The Birds free pattern by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.

A few projects I’m working on and updates

5 / 11 / 225 / 11 / 22

Hello friends! I have some projects to share that I’ve been working on, but first, I want to say “welcome” to any new visitors. There has been a lot of activity from the Passport to Quilting Event that just ended which means some fresh eyes are reading this blog. Thank you for being here! I have some exciting things planned for this year, so make sure to stay updated by following or subscribing below.

My WIP’s

I have many WIP’s (works in process), not to mention all the UFO’s. Speaking of which, what is the difference between a WIP and a UFO? I consider WIP’s to be active projects. They’re something that I keep working on a little here and there. Many of mine include block of the month projects.

UFO’s, on the other hand, are projects that have been set aside for longer periods of time. They’re usually a project that I started and then another project or deadline jumped in front of it. Sometimes, I lose interest in a pattern and I set it aside to be finished later. Often, UFO’s become lost or forgotten, which is why a comprehensive UFO list is a good thing to keep up to date. I’ll have to do a UFO confessions blog post some time!

So, my most recent WIP is the May blocks for the Halloween Figs Sampler BOM that I’m co-teaching at The Granary Quilt Shop. We’re still meeting via Zoom classes, but our next class will be in person! For my quilt, I’m using Fig Tree’s Pumpkins & Blossoms fabric collection which has a Fall look to it without screaming Halloween.

Halloween Figs Sampler BOM blocks made by Julie Cefalu, designed by Fig Tree & Co.

Another Fig Tree BOM that I just started (by subscription only and it’s full) is the Manchester by the Sea Mystery BOM. This project has a summer vibe to it with some nautical notes as well. Doesn’t it sound like I’m describing a fine wine? These blocks were finished for April and now it’s time to get started on May.

Manchester by the Sea Mystery BOM blocks - made by Julie Cefalu, designed by Fig Tree & Co.

And finally, I am in the quilting phase of my Spring is for the Birds Wall Hanging. The pattern is just about finished and it will be a free gift to you this month! I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.

Spring is for the Birds Wall Hanging by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter. Free pattern coming soon! — Spring is for the Birds Wall Hanging by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter

This year has been a challenging one, technologically speaking. Running a blog and online shop is a work in process itself. I’ve had my share of glitches in 2022, but I’ve finally switched hosting providers and hired a WordPress specialist to help on the back end. I’ll be unveiling an updated website in a few weeks along with a new email platform. You’ll be able to hear my sigh of relief when this is all done!

On a personal note, we were supposed to travel to Austin last week to visit our grandkids. We weren’t feeling well and thought we had picked up a cold. Mr. Crafty Quilter tested positive for Covid the night before our flight and I tested positive the next day. Fortunately, we found out before we got on the plane so we didn’t spread it to others. And we were able to cancel the flight with full credit.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see our grandkids. We both got hit pretty hard even though we were vaccinated and boosted. I lost a solid week of work, my sense of smell (and taste), and I’m still getting my energy back. But, I’m feeling SO much better than I did last week. It makes you appreciate your health!

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you’re enjoying some sunshine and beautiful spring weather!

How to reduce bulk in 4-at-a-time flying geese

5 / 4 / 225 / 4 / 22

My favorite way to make flying geese is with the 4-at-a-time method. It’s a fast and efficient technique, but I recently discovered that it creates two extra layers of fabric in the seam allowance. Today, I’m going to show you how to reduce the bulk in 4-at-a-time flying geese. It’s a simple solution that you’ll want to use right away!

How to reduce bulk in 4-at-a-time flying geese is a simple trick. All the details are at The Crafty Quilter.

Let’s dive into this idea a little deeper. This 4-at-a-time method starts with one large square for the flying geese body and 4 small squares for the wings. You place the two small squares on opposite corners of the large square (right sides together). The small squares overlap in the center. This is where the extra layers come from.

The steps for this method are show in the image below:

When you make flying geese with the traditional method using one rectangle and two squares, you don’t get this extra bulk at the point. They’re still bulky in this area because there are five layers of fabric, but this is unavoidable.

How to reduce bulk in 4-at-a-time flying geese

It’s really easy to reduce bulk in 4-at-a-time flying geese. Just follow these steps.

Draw a line from corner to corner where the top two squares overlap (shown by the arrows below.)

Cut through both top squares on the line. Make sure you don’t catch the large square while you cut. Discard the extra pieces (triangles). The two squares now butt up against each other with no overlap.

You can also do this step with a rotary cutter and mat. Place the squares on the mat inside of a square grid that is the same size as the large flying geese square (shown as a white square below). Place a ruler along the overlap intersections and cut.

Continue as usual with the flying geese 4-at-a-time method. You will NOT clip the remaining two squares.

More details

I took some photos of the cut-away pieces so you can see where the extra bulk would land. Below you can see the small triangle that was cut away.

In the image below, you can see how that piece would look had it been sewn into this step. It gets folded over itself to create the extra two layers.

Below, you can compare two flying geese; one made with the extra layers and the other made by cutting away the overlap. It’s definitely less bulky once the extra layers are removed.

Making flying geese 4-at-a-time is a great technique, but I also like to oversize them so I can trim them perfectly to size. You can find a full tutorial for my favorite way to oversize flying geese along with cutting charts here.

Two methods for making oversized flying geese @ The Crafty Quilter

Don’t forget the Passport to Quilting Event goes live tomorrow! Sign up below to get a free bundle of patterns from some of your favorite designers!

Passport to Quilting

Thanks for visiting! I hope you try this little trick the next time you make flying geese 4-at-a-time. Happy quilting!

Check out Passport to Quilting!

4 / 28 / 224 / 28 / 22

Hello quilters! I have exciting news to share that will make your quilt-y hearts happy! The Passport to Quilting event is right around the corner, and it’s the perfect opportunity to get lots of free sewing and quilting patterns just in time for summer sewing!

Passport to Quilting is a free bundle of sewing and quilting patterns from 20+ designers!

Passport to Quilting Details

So, what is Passport to Quilting?

This is a totally FREE event that takes place May 5th thru May 9th, 2022. I am one of 20+ designers participating and we are thrilled to be offering a bundle of free sewing and quilting patterns just for you! Think of it as a customer appreciation event where we give back to our awesome quilting community. In addition, each designer is offering special discounts in their shops just in case you want to do some extra shopping!

Passport to Quilting free patterns from these contributors.

Here’s what you’ll find in the FREE Bundle…

11 Quilt Patterns from some of the most creative quilt designers out there.
10 Quilty Projects that are fun and creative.
Fun and Simple Sewing Projects
20+ Inspirational Quilt Designers

How it Works

Go to the Passport to Quilting Page and learn more.
Click the orange Enroll Button and add your name and email.
Receive an email with details on how to login to the site. SAVE THIS EMAIL!
Get immediate access to the Bundle information and details.
Come back on May 5th and download all of the amazing free patterns and projects.

And, just in case you’re wondering… there are no special hoops to jump through to get the bundle. You just go to Passport to Quilting, add your name and email; and from May 5th-9th you get to download all of the FREE patterns and tutorials. Everything is hosted on a site called Thinkific which makes access simple and easy. Just be sure to save your confirmation email.

I’m excited to share my Seasons Reflections quilt pattern for this event (above photo – bottom left). I’ve mocked it up in perfect springtime colors, but it looks great in any seasonal or holiday color palette.

Make sure to sign up today by clicking the button below. May 5th will be here before you know it!

Passport to Quilting