Quilt blocks and spring fever

2 / 22 / 202 / 22 / 20

Happy weekend everyone! I’ve been working on some new quilt blocks, the sun has been shining and I have that Spring fever feeling. Whether it’s the pattern, the fabric, or the weather, they all have me thinking about the lighter days of Spring.

I’m co-teaching a block of the month class at The Granary Quilt Shop using the pattern, Timeless Tradition. The first month’s blocks were made by my co-teacher, Dianne, and I love them so much! The fabrics are from my stash and they really feel like Spring to me. This first one is my favorite.

Quilt blocks from Timeless Tradition BOM pattern by Bits 'n Pieces. Made by Dianne Sheppard.

The blocks are a combination of 12″ and 6″ squares. Each month we’ll make three quilt blocks. I’ve chosen a Spring color palette of various greens, turquoise, grays and taupes. It’s going to be very scrappy. I made a test block of the 12″ square in a totally different color palette; it looks like I jumped right into summer with this one!

Quilt block from Timeless Tradition BOM pattern by Bits 'n Pieces. Made by Julie Cefalu.

I’m almost finished with my latest Ombre Love quilt using a layer cake of Olives Flower Market by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics. I’ve wanted to use this fabric for such a long time! I love how it’s turning out.

Ombre Love quilt designed and made by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter. This version is without sashing and makes a 53" x 68" quilt.

I want to add a second, larger border of the tan floral print, but I don’t have enough fabric so I put in a cry for help on Instagram. I was lucky enough that someone had some in their stash and she’s sending it to me! Quilters are the nicest people!

I wanted this to be a smaller quilt than the pattern called for, so I left out the sashing and just sewed the blocks together into rows. It’s about 36″ x 54″ without any borders. With two borders it should measure 53″ x 68″. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this quilt, but I’m sure it will {some day} make someone very happy.

The most exciting thing that I’m working on is a new quilt block and tutorial for you guys! I just had to come up with a block that represents a flower since I seem to be in my Spring phase. It’s the cutest little posy and it’s easy peasy. Here’s a sneak peak of the rough draft:

*Posy block designed by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter*

I’m making it into a 6″ block, but I think I’ll give information on other sizes as well. I think a garden full of posies in a rainbow of colors would be wonderful!

How’s your weekend going? Any sunshine in the forecast? The nice thing about clouds and gray, cold days is they make you want to stay inside and sew. I’ll be doing some of that – planting flowers of fabric in my sewing room!

If you can’t wait to get started on a Spring project, check out my free Spring Petals Table Topper tutorial and my Patchwork Peter Rabbit tutorial. These will surely brighten your day!

Patchwork Peter Rabbit, quilting detail @ The Crafty Quilter — Spring Petals Table Topper

If you’re stuck inside and you want to take advantage of some great savings with online shopping, check out Bluprint’s 72-hour Flash Sale! You’ll receive 50% off everything with the code INAFLASH until 2/23/20!

A baby quilt for Benjamin

2 / 13 / 202 / 13 / 20

I just finished my latest quilt – a baby quilt for Benjamin, my grandson. I’ll be shipping it off tomorrow, so yesterday was a photo shoot day. Today, I’m giving it a gentle wash and dry, and then I’ll add a quilt label to the back.

My latest finish is an adorable baby quilt for Benjamin, my grandson. The quilt pattern is Glacier Modern Quilt by QLT Studio. — **Glacier Modern Quilt Pattern by QLT Studio**

I’m super happy with the way it turned out! I used the Glacier Modern Quilt Pattern by Jenny Meakins of QLT Studio, and I followed her color scheme as well using various solid fabrics from my stash. It was really fast and easy to make which is always a bonus. The quilt measures 40″ x 40″.

I like to add birth details to baby quilts (which requires post-delivery quilt finishing) and I did this one all by machine. I used a 12 wt. cotton thread, Spagetti by Wonderfil for the lettering. This is a thick thread which could also be used for hand quilting, but it worked really well in my sewing machine with a 90/14 Topstitch needle. I chose speed over hand work this time. My last baby quilt (for my granddaughter) took me 3 weeks to hand embroider!

I almost always use this blue water soluble pen to mark my stitching lines. I practiced the birth details on paper first and then marked the quilt. I drew a cloud-like shape around the words to set it apart. I think I made this whole word section too big; it’s just a little too loud for a baby quilt. But what’s done is done.

This is going to be a very warm and cozy quilt. I used wool batting which gives it a cuddly feel but still very light in weight. I used flannel for the backing and blue and white striped fabric for the binding. It’s just so cute!

My latest finish is an adorable baby quilt for Benjamin, my grandson. Striped binding is my favorite! The quilt pattern is Glacier Modern Quilt by QLT Studio.

The binding was done completely by machine (another quick trick) using my method here. It’s great for a baby quilt that will hopefully get lots of use and washed a lot!

I can’t wait to show you photos of baby Benjamin on his new quilt. My daughter is so good about taking pictures for their first 12 months on their quilt. It’s fun to see how they grow! Speaking of which, here are the three of them a few weeks ago. Getting so big!

The Cutbirth kids, photo edited by Julie Cefalu

If you’re looking for more baby quilt ideas, check out my previous, free tutorials: Soft & Striped Baby Quilt, Enchanted Dresden Baby Quilt and Surrounded by Circles Baby Quilt.

Happy Quilting and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day tomorrow!

Simple Geometric Quilting, a book review and project

2 / 9 / 202 / 9 / 20

I LOVE books of all kinds, especially quilting books. Since I work in a quilt shop, I often get to see the latest books “hot off the press”. Last October, I was asked to review a recently-published book, Simple Geometric Quilting, by Laura Preston (affiliate link). I’m happy to share my thoughts and impressions with you (albeit a little late) and a fun little project I made from the book.

Note: I have not been compensated for this review. I was given a free copy of Simple Geometric Quilting to review, but all thoughts are based on my own experience with the book.

Simple Geometric Quilting, a book review by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter

Simple Geometric Quilting book review

I read Simple Geometric Quilting from cover to cover. I don’t often do that with a quilting book, but since I wanted to do an honest and thorough review, I dove right in. Laura’s artistic path and her unique perspective on quilting drew me in from the beginning and it was a delight to read.

This book is full of beautiful photos and lovely quilt projects that range from pillows and wall hangings to queen-size quilts, all with a modern and simplistic feel. Laura based each of the projects on her travels across America in her Airstream trailer. Many of her destinations are within a few hours drive of my house in the Bay Area of California, so I really enjoyed seeing them come to life in quilt form.

Laura uses simple geometric shapes, solid colors and plenty of negative space in her designs which are based on traditional quilting techniques with a minimalist approach. I consider myself a traditional quilter with a hint of modern whimsy, so I was really drawn to some of her projects while others were outside of my comfort zone. That’s exactly why I’ll keep this book in my library. Because I think it’s good to push myself outside of those comfortable boundaries, because I’m learning new techniques along the way and because I love the story behind each design.

The first section of the book gives you everything you need to know to build a quilt – from tools and supplies to piecing, basting and quilting. The remainder of the book is separated into four sections: squares and rectangles, triangles, curves, and finally combinations of all of those. The progression of projects starts with easy piecing techniques and ends with more advanced ones.

One quilt that I would love to make is the Minnesota Throw Quilt. I love the large scale design, and it has an Amish feel to it. I think this would be a quick make and it has lots of machine quilting potential either with a walking foot or free motion quilting.

Oregon Crib Quilt

The project I made for this review, is the Oregon Crib Quilt. I chose this design because I liked it (of course), but more importantly, because it provided me with an opportunity to learn a new skill. Laura has a straight forward approach to sewing a set-in circle, which I hadn’t tried before. It was a success and I’d like to try more.

I made a smaller version of the crib quilt; mine is a wall hanging size that measures 16″ x 23″. I basically cut all of the dimensions in half. I love how it turned out! My son is a rock climber and this will be a perfect birthday present for him.

Oregon Crib Quilt made by Julie Cefalu. Pattern from Simple Geometric Quilting by Laura Preston

I used Essex Linen for the background and three prints from my Alison Glass fabric collection. I like how the colors play together and the background fabric is a perfect neutral.

The quilting was done all free motion. I chose organic wavy lines across the background and I followed the geometric shapes of the triangles and circle. I even stitched in the ditch with FMQ. I chose a yellow variegated thread, King Tut, by Superior Threads.

This was a super fun project to make and it only took me three days! The instructions were just right and easy to follow. I’m looking forward to spending more time with Simple Geometric Quilting and exploring a new adventure in quilting.

Thanks for hanging out with me and taking the time to read about my thoughts and experience with this new quilting book by Laura Preston. Laura stays true to her minimalist style which pairs perfectly with today’s modern quilt designs. She is also the founder of Vacilando Quilting Co. where she shares more of her art and adventures.

Lighted scrap fabric garland for any holiday

2 / 5 / 202 / 5 / 20

I love decorating for the holidays, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. My friend, Angela, shared this adorable lighted scrap fabric garland with me, so naturally I had to share it with you!

Lighted scrap-fabric garland

I have not made my own lighted scrap-fabric garland (yet), so I’m using Angela’s photos for reference. You’ll see some green strips of fabric because that’s what she’s working on next!

If you have a healthy collection of fabric scraps, you’ll be able to make this garland very easily. It’s as easy as cutting fabric into strips and tying a knot! You can use pinking shears, a pinking blade for your rotary cutter or you could tear your fabric for a really shabby chic look. They should be between 3/4″ and 2″ wide and approximately 9″ long. I like mixing the lengths and widths for a really scrappy, vintage look.

You could also use ribbon, tulle, burlap or lace for this project and customize it for any holiday or occasion. I can see it as a very romantic looking garland or very rustic too – that’s the beauty of it!

You can use any type of twinkle lights that you have, either plug-in or battery powered. They produce very little heat and are safe to use. I like the white wire that comes with this set because it will blend better with most fabric.

Take each strip of fabric and tie it in a knot around the string of lights. I think the fuller, the better – so go crazy with your fabric strips! You can even double the light strand (by using 2 or folding one in half) to make it brighter and thicker. That’s it! You’ll have a beautiful lighted garland to decorate your home or office with.

Are you ready to bust into your scraps? Me too! This is something you could even get the kiddos involved in. Thanks, Angela, for your idea and inspiration!

For more Valentine’s Day sewing decor check out my Heart Sachet Tutorial and my Quilted Heart Tutorial.

Happy scrap busting!

Sew Thankful Sunday, February 2020

2 / 2 / 202 / 2 / 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 February 2020 is full of heart shaped ideas and wonderful tips!

I’m crazy about hearts, so February is always a good excuse to make something with a heart in it. You’ll find plenty of heart-shape ideas today along with some great tips to keep you on top of things!

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 with this adorable Hugs and Kisses Mini Quilt by Cherry of Cherry Blossoms for We All Sew. This 19″ x 24″ quilt is perfect to use those red and pink scrap bin fabrics!

You’ll love making these quilt-as-you-go Valentine Mug Rugs by Amy Chappell for the Polkadot Chair. They are so cute and make great gifts!

Enjoy these 12 Sewing Hacks You Should Know by Helen Spencer for Henry Glass Fabrics. You’ll find some great tips and ideas here!

Photo Courtesy of Brand Ambassador, Katie Wyatt via Henry Glass Fabrics

Have you joined the wool pressing mat craze? Check out Lea Anne from Podunk Pretties’ Wool Pressing Mat vs. Homemade Pressing Mat to see if you’ve been missing out!

It’s important to keep our tools organized. Here to help you is this Stand Up Pencil and Tool Pouch tutorial by Caroline at Sew Can She. Pretty and practical!

I love how quilters share their favorite tips and ideas. This year you’ll find Tips and Tutorials on the 22nd at Kathleen McMusing. She’s hosting a linky party each month where bloggers can share links to their tips and tutorials and Kathleen will share her own there as well. Pretty awesome!

Do you need help with fabric color and prints? Then you’ll appreciate Fabric 101: Types of Prints by Color from Rebecca at Bryan House Quilts. She has a wealth of information to share!

Check out these Top 5 Free Motion Quilting Essentials by Amira at The Little Mushroom Cap. These will lead you in the right direction for FMQ.

Top 5 Free Motion Quilting Essentials @ The Little Mushroom Cap

Thanks for visiting today and checking out all of the inspiration. I hope your February is off to a good start! Happy hearts make happy quilters! Or is it happy quilters make happy hearts? I think they’re both true!