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Thursday, March 25, 2021

March 2021 Monthly Color Challenge Link Up

 It's link up time!




You all are rocking this years Color Challenge! It has been so much fun to see these blocks just come to life. It's so amazing!




 If you are on Instagram follow #2021MonthlyColorChallenge and #MonthlyColorChallenge to see all of the blocks.




Quarter 1 Sponsors


Bea Quilter - PDF Pattern

Love to Color My World - PDF Pattern

Designs By Sarah J - Fabric Bundle and Book*

Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabric - Monty Fabric Bundle*

Benartex - Fabric Bundle*

Quilters Dream Batting - 60 x 46 Dream Angel 100% Flame Retardant Fibers*

Quilters Dream Batting - 60 x 46 Dream Wool*

The Warm Company - 55 x 60 batting 80/20*

Appliques Quilts and More - $10 gift certificate

DayBrook Designs - 2 PDF Patterns

Patterns By Jen - PDF Pattern

Those marked with * are for US residents only. Prize laws vary throughout different countries.





The Link Up is open through March 31st. If you have a problem linking up, please use the "question mark" button next to the log out button. If you are trying from your phone, try it from a laptop/tablet if you have one.

The first set of winners for the 2021 Monthly Color Challenge will be chosen April 1st!




Good luck and thank you so much for stitching along with me!

Missed the block? Find it HERE!




Make something Extraordinary!
Jen


New to Patterns By Jen?

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here!




Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

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Please make sure to add your first name!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Against the Grain Quilt Along - Signature Blocks

 We're moving right into the stitching part of our Quilt Along.



The next two weeks you get to work on your Signature Blocks and bonus HST units if you choose.


During our Fabric Cutting session we also marked the diagonal line on the squares we will be using for the corners of our Signature Blocks.




If you are making the bonus HST units, you should have also marked a second line 1/2" inch from the first. The Quilter's Magic Wand® is a great tool for marking both of those lines. I did a (really) quick block post on how to use the Quilter's Magic Wand® HERE.



Once your lines are marked it's time to sew. I like to stitch right next to the drawn line instead of on the line. Later, when I press that triangle over it will match up better, instead of hanging too far over or not far enough.



If you are making the bonus HST units keep your chain pieced blocks together and stitch next to the second drawn line.


Here is a YouTube video that shows how I chain piece my Signature Blocks and bonus HST units.




Once you're done sewing simply cut 1/4" from the stitches and press. Repeat on the opposite corner and you are done with this step of the Against the Grain Quilt Along.



Making the Bonus HST units? Press toward the background fabric and then trim to 1 1/2" square. I'll have a bonus pattern for you at the end of the Quilt Along!

Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?

Don't forget to sign up for the Bites of PBJ newsletter while you are here!




Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates. 

Monday, March 22, 2021

Using the Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design Quilter's Magic Wand®

 I was recently asked "How do you used the Quilter's Magic Wand®?"



I thought this would make a good blog post, because there may be more than just one person asking that question. Please note, I am NOT a certified instructor for the Deb Tucker Studio 180 Design rulers. That is something I've looked into, but the dates have yet to work out for me to be able to apply. Some year.



Before we start I want to make sure to point out that the Quilter's Magic Wand® is NOT a cutting ruler. As you can see it is very thin and using a rotary cutter with this tool would be very dangerous. This is for marking only.



I use the Magic Wand mainly to mark Signature Block corners for that extra HST. Line up one edge of the Quilter's Magic Wand® from point to point.



Draw a line on both sides of the ruler. The 1/2" width is perfect for marking quick lines to sew on and leaves space to cut the units apart and have a 1/4" seam allowance.



Many use it to mark HST units as well. Line up the etched line on the Quilter's Magic Wand® on each point, mark the lines and you now have easy lines to sew on and that 1/4" seam allowance.



Deb Tucker shares more ways to use the Quilter's Magic Wand® on her YouTube Channel.



You can find the Quilter's Magic Wand® in my Etsy Shop.


Make Something Extraordinary!

Jen


New to Patterns By Jen?




Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates. 

Sunday, March 14, 2021

A look into my sewing room

 I did an "Instagram Takeover" of the All People Quilt Instagram feed March 5 - 7th. During the "takeover" I shared photos of my sewing space and thought I would share them here as well.




My sewing space is large and I am thankful for it in our 3 bedroom ranch style house that also shares space with our family and my day job. However, it is in our laundry room, in the basement, in a windowless room. I've (lovingly) named it "The Dungeon" and it's where all the PBJ stuff happens.

I dream of having a space that is filled with natural light and fresh breezes coming in from the big open windows. Someday maybe that will happen for me and I don't begrudge those who have them. I just think that sometimes those of us that don't have that yet, need to share, because I know we are not alone.

Our rooms may not be bright and airy, but they are good rooms where good things happen. 



The tour will happen counter clockwise. When you first step in the door, to your right is the tv. You may know that I watch Lord of the Rings whenever I have deadline work to do, but I will also watch YouTube videos on all things business. I watched all the Baby Lock videos available on the Brilliant before I even opened the box as well.



Next is my photo tent, printer, paper etc station. In the cabinet below is where I store my printed patterns, rulers, etc. Find the photo tent here. (Not an affiliate link.) The kanban board behind it all helps me keep my work flow from backing up.



Straight on from the door is my fabric storage area. If you don't "Instagram" you missed my fabric confession. I don't keep a lot of quilting cotton on hand, it's in the first shelf of bins, but knit fabrics. Ouch. Someone really needs to get sewing all the planned clothing pieces. I left the bucket of socks so you can see it really is a laundry room.



Next to the fabric is the comfy chair I sometimes take short naps in and/or my family comes down to sit and share time with me. When it isn't full of unfolded laundry.



My ironing board set up isn't awesome awesome, because it has to be moved when I'm doing laundry, but I like having it set up a few steps away from my cutting mat and sewing machine. I think it's really important to get up and stretch every now and then, and this helps me remember to do that.



The first half of my cutting counter has my extra cutting mat, wool pressing mat and bins with projects I'm currently working on. The second mat comes in handy when I'm cutting out clothing patterns and need the extra length. Which, when you look at the stash of knits I have going, I'm obviously not putting to good use right now.



Then my main cutting station. My rulers are hung on hooks, I also have rulers off to the side that don't have hang holes as well as some "seamstress" rulers.



Above the cutting area I have cupboards for more storage. One half stores the laundry soap, dryer sheets, etc. The other half has sewing notions, including this handy contraption. It's an old contact holder my uncle gave me when he retired and closed his office. The drawers are perfect for holding elastic, bias tape, glue for the glue gun, etc.




My L-shaped teacher's desk finishes off my space. The sewing machine sits on the higher part of the desk facing into the room and towards the tv, laptop on the shorter part ready for use.




The most important part of the sewing desk is the snack drawer. It's never pretty, but always yummy. 😉




It's important to note, my sewing space NEVER looks this clean and organized. With all of the projects I have going on there are always multiple piles taking over. I do try to do a quick pick up Saturday mornings to start off my weekend right, but it tends to pile up pretty dang fast. Even this picture is pretty clean looking compared to 2 weeks ago. Ha!


My favorite part of my space is the extra long cutting station, especially when it's cleared off and ready for the next project. What is the favorite part of your space? Even if you sew in a dark corner hiding from the rest of the household, what makes you excited to go there and create? Share in the comments and then....


Make Something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?




Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates. 

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Against the Grain Quilt Along - Cutting

 Hopefully your fabric is prepped, because it's time to start cutting!



Before we start cutting our fabric it is really important to press the fabric. Using a stabilizer like Best Press is up to you, but pressed fabric will make cutting, sewing and accuracy so much better and that will lead to a happier quilting experience.


Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Affiliate Links. When purchases are made through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your purchases help support my small business and keep my husband's head from exploding every time a new quilting notion arrives in our mailbox. Thank you for that. Find out more about Affiliate Links Here.


Reading the pattern and preparing to start




When starting out on a PBJ pattern I recommend highlighting (or circling) the size you are making at the top and then going through and highlighting each step. Here I am marking the strips I need to cut and then each step after.




If you are like me and highlight the wrong size (Yeah, I did that.) don't scratch out what you marked incorrectly, simply go through with a different colored highlighter and mark the correct size.

Fabric Cutting Tips




When cutting your strips you want to make sure the markings for the measurement you need are on the fabric. In the picture above you can see I have them laying right on the fabric, not next to it. Those extra couple of strands are going to make my piecing more accurate.




When you cut like this, using your ruler not the mat, you will notice that after a few cuts your fabric doesn't line up with the mat lines anymore. That is ok. This is because you are taking a bit extra because you're lining your ruler up on the fabric, not next to it.




In this particular pattern we are cutting strips for strip piecing. I like to clip them together and set them aside so I don't accidently sub-cut the strips I meant for strip piecing. There are many different options for clips, including the Alphabitties as well as Wonder clips. I found this set of clips in the Target Dollar Tree area. I've also used pieces of paper pinned to a grouping. Whatever works for you works for me!




To keep my workflow running smoothly I like to sub-cut multiple strips at the same time. If you are a new quilter I suggest doing one strip at a time, just to make sure you are cutting accurately. You'll be cutting multiple strips in no time.

I leave the selvage on my strips until I'm ready to sub-cut them. Then I line my strips up together and trim the selvage off all at once. That way I know I am starting with the same straight edge when cutting.




My fabric was wider than the 40" that the requirements are based on and because I don't wash my fabrics there wasn't any shrinkage. Your fabric might be the same, it might not be, but if you have extra fabric you can match up the ends of two strips and cut another pair of units. 




If you end up opening up the end of the strip to cut another unit there will be a crease from the fold. Make sure your fabric is flat when you are cutting it and it will be fine once sewn.

Tips for accurate marking




Here are my favorite marking tools for dark and light fabrics. A simple mechanical pencil, I love the nice thin line it draws. The Bohin chalk pencil for dark fabrics. Frixion pens. I know there is a lot of differing opinions on this marking tool. Here is why I don't worry when I use them. I never use them on the front of the fabric and I never use them on batiks. When I follow those two rules I don't have any trouble.





I use an old cut up mat to mark my fabric. That's years worth of markings that I kept off my mat. If you are just starting out and don't have an old mat to cut up I would suggest flipping over your mat and using the back side for marking and for trimming. That way you save the top of your mat for years of use.




When marking your squares on the diagonal place your ruler so it's just a tish over from the actual corner.




This way when you draw the line, no matter how thick the marking tool is, you will get an accurate mark from corner to corner.




This is a great pattern for getting those "bonus HST" units. By marking on the diagonal, then marking 1/2" from that drawn line, you can get already sewn bonus HST units. I'll show more when we get to the actual stitching part of the quilt along.




The Quilters Magic Wand™ is perfect for quickly marking two lines at one time, just ignore where I hit my thumb and went wonky. It happens. A lot. Ha.




A note about fabric requirements and cutting instructions. Industry standards say to give one extra cut of the largest size needed when figuring out fabric requirements. Many designers, myself included, use 40" as the standard width of our fabric because of shrinkage due to washing, or coming off the bolt wonky. This means there can be excess fabric leftover that has you thinking, "What in the world was she thinking?!"  What I like to do is cut one strip of fabric, sub-cut that one strip and see how many units I can get from it. Then I know if I need all of the strips or not. I will also, especially in the case of the largest cut we have in this pattern, sub-cut the remaining into the smallest size I need. I was able to cut all of the smallest squares from the left over ends of the back ground strips. This leaves me a lot of extra fabric that I can 1) add to my stash or 2) use for the backing. New quilters you can mess with the math or cut exactly as stated. You will find your groove.

Ok that's it! You have 2 weeks to cut and mark your fabrics! Let's get our sew on!


Previous Posts



Pick up your copy of the pattern here:




Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?




Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates. 

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

A new introduction to Square Illusions

 Who is ready for a new pattern?




Technically it's not a *new* new pattern. Square Illusions was first introduced in Issue 30 of Make Modern Magazine.


Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Affiliate Links. When purchases are made through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your purchases help support my small business and keep my husband's head from exploding every time a new quilting notion arrives in our mailbox. Thank you for that. Find out more about Affiliate Links Here.



Now, though, she comes with more sizes! I'm excited to be able to offer you more choices for your Square Illusions quilt.



I discovered when making the second version that larger prints tend to make the "illusion" part of the quilt disappear. So keep that in mind when choosing.



Let's see what the testers did with Square Illusions!




Beverly's 48" quilt in purples and creams is such a soft beauty.




Janice's quilt has a patriotic feel to it and I think I need to make one like it.




Sherry's fun quilt shows that with a soft neutral bright colors shine.




Sandy's quilt perfectly shows the "square illusions" that come from this simple pattern.





This is the last quilt that Joanne tested for me. While we never met in person she gave me so much support and encouragement. I am blessed to have called her my friend. Thank you Joanne for always being there for me.



Get Square Illusions at a special introductory price!


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Make something Extraordinary!

Jen

New to Patterns By Jen?




Find paper and digital patterns in my Etsy shop.

Find fun PBJ merchandise at Teespring

Join the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for daily sneak peeks and updates.