A finish and new project

9 / 28 / 209 / 28 / 20

I can never get ahead. I’m always starting something new before I’ve finished something old. Well, I finished something not-so-old, and I made progress on a few old UFO’s, so I gave in to the sparkly something new. But let me show you what I finished first!

Last night, I put the last few stitches on the hanging sleeve of my Patchwork Pumpkins wall hanging. Just in time for October!

Patchwork Pumpkins Wall hanging made and designed by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter.

I love this project so much! I designed it in 2018 and it’s still my favorite decoration for October and November. I used turned edge machine applique for the pumpkins and the embroidery detail has three strands of DMC floss. I free motion quilted pumpkin ridges and sky swirls (sort of) with grid quilting on the bottom. Plus a few hearts were added in there too.

My original wall hanging has been hanging in my SIL’s quilt shop for over a year. I used a variety of gray fabric for the background on that one (below). The pattern is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop here.

When I saw the quilt design for Moda’s Stitch Pink Quilt Along, I knew I wanted to join in. That’s my new and shiny project that I’m starting this week. Anybody with me?

My new project is the Stitch Pink 2020 Sew Along with Moda Fabrics. — Stitch Pink 2020

Starting October 1, Moda will share one 12″ quilt block pattern for each day of the month. That’s thirty blocks total with finishing instructions on the 31st. The quilt will measure 64″ x 76″. A portion of Moda’s proceeds from the Stitch Pink Grunge collection will go to the National Breast Cancer Organization.

I am on a mission to use up my own fabric stash. I played with a few color combinations today and came up with a navy and cheddar color scheme. Isn’t it delicious? This bunch of fabric has me very excited to start!

Navy and cheddar fabric pull for my new project.

I’ll shop for the background fabric tomorrow. It requires 3 3/4 – 4 yards. I’ll probably use a cream color, but I’m toying with a really dark navy background. I’ve seen a few mock-ups with dark backgrounds and I like them. That would eliminate a few darks from my fabric pull, so we’ll see.

The last thing on my list (quite literally) is that I’m now on Facebook. The Crafty Quilter Designs has a Facebook page here. I’m already lost and confused with Facebook and I really don’t know how active I’ll be. I might try to put ~~daily~~ updates of my Stitch Pink progress there, but I still don’t know how Facebook works.

Fall is in the sewing room at The Crafty Quilter.

I know a lot of people like Facebook and just as many people feel the opposite. I really created an account so that I could join a few Facebook groups or set one up for myself. I’m already beginning to regret that decision. Can I undo this monster? Ugh. I’ll give it until the end of the year and then decide whether to keep at it.

Any how, I hope you’re all having a great day! I’ll be back for Sew Thankful Sunday this weekend.

Quilting in the Garden favorites

9 / 25 / 209 / 25 / 20

As with many things, Quilting in the Garden has been cancelled for 2020. This event usually takes place the last weekend in September among the majestic oak trees at Alden Lane Nursery located in Livermore, California. I’ve attended the past four years in a row and have taken photos for three of those years. It’s a beautiful, outdoor quilt show that combines many of my favorite things: quilting, gardening and Fall.

Each year, Quilting in the Garden features a well-known quilter, a guest artist, special exhibits and classes. Volunteers hang hundreds of quilts throughout the nursery and among enormous heritage oak trees.

Quilting in the Garden, 2016, 2018 and 2019

My past Quilting in the Garden blog posts have been some of the most appreciated and popular. I thought I would give you a taste of this event by revisiting some of my Quilting in the Garden favorites from 2016, 2018 and 2019. So, grab a cup of tea or a pumpkin-spice latte and enjoy the show!

Quilting in the Garden favorites

In 2016, the featured artists were C&T Publishing and Jennifer Sampou. Special guests included Alex Anderson and Freddy Moran, and there was a tribute to Yvonne Porcella. You can find the full Quilting in the Garden 2016 blog post here.

The day I visited Quilting in the Garden in 2018 was a perfect fall day with sunshine and lots of my favorite things all in one spot. The featured artist for 2018 was the amazing Eleanor Burns. She had more than 100 quilts on display! There were two guest artists at the show, Gail Sims and Leni Levenson Wiener, who had their own beautiful quilt exhibits. The full blog post for the 2018 show can be found here.

Quilting in the Garden favorites from 2018. Photography by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter

Last year at Alden Lane Nursery, the weather was cooler and the wind was blowing – a typical Fall day! Many of the quilts were waving in the wind as I took their pictures. For this event, volunteers work hard to hang over 250 beautiful quilts among the majestic oak trees. The featured artist was the wonderful Sue Rasmussen and the guest artist was Nancy Brown, known for her animal and family portraits. You can find the original blog post for Quilting in the Garden, 2019 here.

Quilting in the Garden favorites from 2019. Photography by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter

Thanks for visiting my Quilting in the Garden favorites! I hope you were inspired. I look forward to being at Alden Lane Nursery next year and in person (when things return to normal). Happy Fall!

Fabric Triangle Scarf Tutorial

9 / 20 / 209 / 20 / 20

As the weather transitions from summer to fall, it’s nice to have a light scarf to keep you warm. I’ve got the perfect solution with my Fabric Triangle Scarf Tutorial. This is the best way to add a layer of warmth without feeling too heavy. It’s also perfect for gift-giving as the holiday season approaches!

Fabric Triangle Scarf Tutorial @ The Crafty Quilter. This is a really cute scarf that is simple to make!

I love accenting an outfit with a cute scarf. The fabrics I chose coordinate well with each other, and it’s a color I wear often. The polkadot fabric, above, is rayon and I can’t remember where I purchased it. The small floral is cotton voile which has been in my stash for a while. The pink/peach scarf, below, is made from two different cotton voile fabrics that have also been in my stash for a long time.

There are so many ways to wear a triangle scarf. I honestly had to look this up, because I wasn’t sure how to drape it around my neck! Below are four options, and they each have a slightly different look. More details are at the end of this post.

How to tie a triangle scarf? Here are four different ways plus a free tutorial to make your own from The Crafty Quilter!

Triangle Scarf Supplies

3/4 yard each of lightweight fabric in two coordinating colors. If the fabric is 56″ wide, you’ll be able to make two scarves.
Coordinating thread as this will show up on the scarf.

Good fabric choices are cotton voile, rayon, rayon batik, and cotton lawn. I particularly like the Voile collection from Art Gallery Fabrics. Check your local fabric retailer for any of these, or for a good online resource, I found Harts Fabric in Santa Cruz, CA, to have a good selection.

I don’t usually stray from quilting cottons, so I’m not really knowledgeable about all of the different types of fashion fabric out there. Some are really slippery and hard to sew with. Make sure the fabric does not have a distinct wrong side. It will show a little when you tie your scarf.

Triangle Fabric Scarf Instructions

TIP: If your fabric is really slippery, apply starch before cutting it. I’ve tried Terial Magic Fabric Stabilizer and it works really well for this, but any starch will help.

Supplies for a fabric triangle scarf and tutorial at The Crafty Quilter.

From the main fabric, cut one 25″ square.
From the coordinating fabric, cut one 26″ square, cut in half diagonally.

Arrange the main square and the triangles as shown below.

Because we want both sides of this scarf to look pretty, we are going to OFFSET the seams when we sew them. This process is similar to a french seam, but with less bulk.

Flip the top triangle onto the main square, right sides together. Match the raw edges along the top. OFFSET the seam by placing the triangle fabric 1/4″ to the left of the main fabric. Sew with 1/4″ seam. Note: The bobbin thread will be visible on the finished scarf.

Offset seam allowances makes this fabric triangle scarf pretty on both sides. Tutorial @ The Crafty Quilter.

Turn the extended seam allowance over the seam and press.

How to make an offset seam allowance @ The Crafty Quilter

Press seam toward triangle, keeping the pressed seam allowance tucked under and down.

Topstitch close to the folded edge of seam from the wrong side, keeping your stitching as straight as possible.

Below you can see what the seam looks like from both sides. Also notice how the darker fabric on the left has a definite wrong side to it, whereas the fabric on the right does not. Oh well, it’s going to work fine because the large square does not show the wrong side as much as the triangles do.

Offset seam allowances make this fabric triangle scarf pretty on both sides. Free tutorial @ The Crafty Quilter.

Repeat this process with the other triangle.

You may need to trim where the triangles overlap, to create a straight line.

To finish the edges, turn under 1/8″ – 1/4″ and press. Turn the same amount under again and press. Topstitch along all edges. Be careful not to stretch the bias triangle edges.

If you want to add a decorate edge, you can try creating a scallop by using a blanket stitch or a hem stitch and increasing the top tension to 6 or so.

Create a scalloped edge using a blanket stitch or overlock stitch. Free tutorial for a fabric triangle scarf @ The Crafty Quilter.

Practice this on some scraps. It worked well for one scarf and not so well for another. So, it depends on the material you’re using and your machine.

How to tie a triangle scarf

There are many ways to style a triangle scarf. One of my favorite ways is to fold it into a long rectangle and just tie it around my neck.

I also like to drape the square corner along the front and then cross the ends in back of my neck and bring them to the front. It’s a little more “showy” this way.

You can wear it more like a shawl by letting it fall across your shoulders and arms.

And finally, you can gather it slightly to create a smaller triangle in the back and tie it in the front.

These scarves make great gifts and it is getting to be the holiday gift-making season. Once you’ve made one, you’ll have to make another! If you want to try a different style, check out my Dual Scarf Tutorial (which is an infinity scarf) for another option.

The Dual Scarf tutorial @ The Crafty Quilter is an easy and fun way to make an infinity scarf at home.

I hope you enjoyed this detour from my usual quilt-making topics. It’s nice to try something different and this takes me back to my dress-making days. Thanks for stopping by today!

Quilt-y update

9 / 12 / 209 / 12 / 20

I saw a new quilt along that is coming up soon, so I thought it was time for a quilt-y update! Plus, there are some quilt shows that are not happening, but more that are going virtual.

The Stitch Pink 2020 Quilt Along starts on October 1, 2020 for 30 days. Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics are teaming up to spread breast cancer awareness with a free quilt block pattern for each day in October. You can purchase a kit of Moda Grunge fabrics in your favorite pinks here.

The latest Quilt-y update includes the Stitch Pink 2020 Quilt Along from Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics.

The Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) is going virtual this year. This event is usually held in Santa Clara, California (very close to me), but now you’ll have online access October 14-17, 2020. You can view quilts, shop the vendor’s mall and take a class all from the comfort of your own home!

Quilts, Inc. announces that two of the most anticipated shows of the year, Quilt Festival and Quilt Market are moving online. Virtual Quilt Festival will be held December 3-5, 2020 and Virtual Quilt Market from January 26-28, 2021.

The popular Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, located in Oregon, went virtual this summer, so you can still enjoy the beauty of this show. Visit the town of Sisters and their beautiful quilts from wherever you are!

Check out the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show online! — Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, 2020

On the home front, the smoke continues to be thick in California. I’m in the Bay Area, but I know the air quality is terrible for much of the state. And now there are fires in Oregon and Washington that blacken their skies as well. I am forever thankful for the firefighters and first responders that are working tirelessly to quell these fires.

We had some wine to pick up at Regale Winery in the Santa Cruz mountains, so we ventured there today. This is located on the other side of the freeway from the CZU Lightening Complex Fires. The view is normally spectacular from there, but you can see how hazy it is in the distance.

The Crafty Quilter and her husband at Regale Winery, Santa Cruz, California.

I’m currently working on the embroidery portion of my Patchwork Pumpkins wall hanging. Hand embroidery is not my strong suit, so I’ll be glad when it’s done. I do love the applique, though! I’ve used a combination of hand applique to sew the pumpkin layers to each other and then invisible machine applique to sew the pumpkin to the background.

Detail of Patchwork Pumpkins embroidery @ The Crafty Quilter.

Detail of Patchwork Pumpkins applique @ The Crafty Quilter

That’s all of my quilt-y updates for now. Thanks for visiting and I hope you’re enjoying a nice weekend!

Sew Thankful Sunday, September 2020

9 / 6 / 209 / 6 / 20

{I love the idea of “paying it forward”. I think the world would be a better place if we could spread some joy and acknowledgement of good deeds done by others. I try to do that once a month for my Sew Thankful Sunday posts. I highlight some great content that I’ve found on other people’s blogs that I hope will inspire you and reward the originator by bringing traffic to their site. If your blog has been mentioned without your consent, please let me know and I will take you off the current list of featured bloggers.}

Sew Thankful Sunday September 2020 is full of fall inspiration, tips and tutorials to enjoy!

September is one of my favorite months of the year. It’s a great time to re-organize, change gears and get ready for the changing seasons. I love decorating for Fall and the colors in nature are always spectacular. Much of this reflected in today’s Sew Thankful Sunday list.

Note: If you use Pinterest, please pin from the original source and not this blog post. Remember, you can click on any of the images in this post and it will open up a new tab to the associated link.

Let’s start big with this round-up of 45 Fall-Themed Quilts and Sewing Projects brought to you by Amy at Diary of a Quilter. So many ideas and inspiration – I don’t know where to start!

Join some of your favorite designers for the free Sewcialites Quilt Along at Fat Quarter Shop. It starts September 25, 2020 and continues with weekly block patterns until June, 2021. The blocks have 3″, 6″ or 9″ size options – you choose which size to make for a small, medium or large quilt!

This Autumn Star Mini Quilt by Leslie at The Seasoned Homemaker will really warm up your space. I imagine it would make a great barn quilt, too! The instructions for this 20″ square quilt are really well-done.

Do you struggle with tension while you’re free motion quilting? Check out How to Have Perfect Sewing Machine Tension for FMQ by HollyAnne at String & Story. She has all of the answers and a helpful video, too!

I love this Giant Hexagon Quilt by Melissa at Polkadot Chair. She gives you several options for cutting out the half-hexagons for this no-Y-seams quilt!

We’re all carrying around face masks these days. Make it easy and organized with this Face Mask Wallet tutorial by Caroline at Sew Can She. I need one of these!

I love when a quilt is perfectly framed with straight borders. Learn How to Prepare Quilt Borders with Susan at Quilt Fabrication so your borders lay flat and even.

I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Craftsy is back. No more Bluprint, just good ol’ Craftsy. If you have questions or want general information about how things work, check out their FAQ page. I, for one, am glad for this change!

I’m so excited for the Fall season, cooler weather, and busting out the quilts to decorate (and snuggle) with. Thanks for visiting today along with the featured bloggers and designers. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!