January Color Challenge Link Up

It's here!

The first link up of the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge.

The Link Up runs from January 24 - January 31. To be eligible link up something red that you made this month. One entry per person, you can link up your blog post, Instagram or Flickr. If you need help please email me! patternsbyjen(at)gmail(dot)com

Your entry does not need to be the block provided HERE, nor does it need to be quilting related. It just needs to be something red that you made.

A reminder of the prize sponsored by Northcott: this beautiful package of purple 2 1/2" shimmer strips.

I've added a tutorial to help with linking up your Instagram accounts HERE.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

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BU Quilt Along Week 10

It's here, the finish!!  It's time to quilt our Here A Square, There A Square quilt!

First thing we need to do is measure our quilt top so we can get the correct backing and batting pieces. This one should measure about 66" x 78". 

Once measured we want to add a few inches all the way around. If you are taking it to a long armer, they want 4" extra around. This helps them when they are loading your quilt onto the machine, especially if things aren't completely square.

When I'm quilting at home I like to have 3" extra all the way around. I used 2 yards of 108" wide backing and queen sized batting

Quilting Prep

Piece your backing if you need to. I press my seam to one side so I don't have to worry about it pulling open a bit when it's getting quilted. The following instructions are for those that pin. If you are using basting spray you will follow the instructions on your basting spray bottle.

Give the backing a good press, then lay it out flat on your table or floor, wherever you will be basting it. Making sure it's nice and smooth, tape the backing down. 

Tape in the center of one end, then move to the opposite end and place tape in the center of that one. Making sure the fabric is still smooth, place a piece of tape on both sides of the middle you've just taped. Repeat on the opposite end.

Still making sure the fabric is nice and smooth place a piece of tape in the middle of one side, repeat on the other side, and continue as you did for both ends of the backing.

Laying your batting down on top of the backing, take the time to make sure it's nice and smooth. Repeat the same steps with the tape that you did with the backing fabric.

Now lay your quilt top out on top of the backing and batting. Smooth.

Once you are happy with how the quilt is laying begin to pin. I like to start in the middle and work my way out around the quilt. Keep your pins about 4" apart from each other, basically a hands width.

Curved pins and the Kwik Klip really help speed up the process of pinning a quilt. A cup of hot coffee, in a matching color, just makes more enjoyable.

Once you have pinned your quilt, carefully remove the tape.

Quilting set up

I'm not great at quilting my quilts, but I firmly believe in making it as easy for myself as I can. As with all things, everyone has what they like and what works for them. This is what works for me.

First I wrap my ironing board in garbage bags and tape them tight. Once the board is covered I lower it so it lines up with my desk and sewing table. The garbage bags help the quilt slide, and having everything at the same level keeps it moving smoothly, too.

I have an old teachers L shaped desk. My machine is on the lower part of the desk, that means the higher/longer side is available to hold the quilt.

I love the extra space this desk gives me...

...but I still need to scrunch, pull and shove.

There are many how tos for machine quilting on your domestic machine. For this quilt I am simply using my walking foot. It's less stress for me. I stitched in the ditch, using the navy around the hourglass blocks and inside the green square around the snowball block. I used a beautiful marching rose to stitch in the ditch of the snowball block.

Let me know how you are planning to quilt your Here A Square, There A Square quilt in the comments and don't forget to share your progress in the Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen Facebook page.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

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This week Quiltmaker's 100 Quilt Blocks is having their blog tour, introducing you to Issue 16 of their magazine. Meet the designers, sign up to win prizes, and come back here on Friday for my stop on the tour!

BU Quilt Along Week 7

We've made all of our units and it's time to put our blocks together! 

You guys, I can't believe we're almost done!!  I love when I get to this point. All of that work, cutting, stitching, trimming and stitching some more and we finally get to see it come together in full blocks.

Lay out your block, noting the direction of your Corner units and Flying Geese units.

Stitch into rows, and press.

Once your rows are together, stitch your rows together. I like to pin when I am sewing my rows together, not just where the seams meet, but the very end of the row as well, that way I know I'm not stretching them out of line.

Continue until you have 30 blocks. I like to make all of the rows, and then do all of the blocks all at once. Do you like to do that or do you do a block at a time?

Next week we're putting the top together!

Happy Stitching!

Jen

Do you need some oven mitts for Halloween? I was part of  a fun blog hop full of Halloween ideas, you can fine my post, as well as links to the other bloggers, HERE.

Beginners Unite Quilt Along

September 12 - Cutting (including fussy cutting the center)
September 19 - Center block 
September 21 - Look at marking tools
September 26 - Flying Geese week 1 

October 3 - Flying Geese week 2 
October 10 - Half Square Triangles
October 17 - Corner Units
October 24 - Block Assembly ~ You are here
October 31 - Top Assembly
November 7 - Add borders
November 14 - Quilting and Binding

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

BU Quilt Along Week 6

We're getting closer to being able to put our blocks together. This week we are adding triangles to the Half-Square triangles we made last week.

We are using the last black 2 7/8" squares. If you haven't already, cut them once on the diagonal.

Watch placement of the half-square triangle and the black triangle. Sew carefully without stretching. 

Note that I stitched with the half-square triangle on the bottom, this is because the seam allowance on the half square triangle is pressed that way. Now I don't have to worry about my seam allowance getting bunched up or folded over while I stitch.

Press carefully towards the black, again making sure not to stretch.

Line up the second black triangle, note position, and repeat.

This time I stitched with the half-square triangle on top, again making sure my seam allowance won't get folded or bunched up.

Make 120 of these units. 

Next, we are using the white and teal 4 7/8" squares. If you haven't already, cut once on the diagonal.

Lining up your pieces as shown, sew with the pieced triangle on top, so you can keep your point. I pin both corners and the middle to keep the fabric from stretching and moving.

Sew carefully, this part of the unit has biased edges, which means they will stretch. Just go slow, don't pull, and it will work. Press carefully towards the white/teal triangle. You should have 120 units, 60 with white triangles and 60 with teal.

Next week we will be ready to assemble our blocks! Do you have your batting and backing for your Here A Square, There a Square quilt? We will be sandwiching and quilting November 14th!

Share your progress with us in the Quilt and Learn with Pattern By Jen group on Facebook.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

Beginners Unite Quilt Along

September 12 - Cutting (including fussy cutting the center)
September 19 - Center block 
September 21 - Look at marking tools
September 26 - Flying Geese week 1 

October 3 - Flying Geese week 2 
October 10 - Half Square Triangles
October 17 - Corner Units ~ You are here
October 24 - Block Assembly
October 31 - Top Assembly
November 7 - Add borders
November 14 - Quilting and Binding

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

BU Quilt Along Week 5

Who is ready to make Half-Square Triangles with me?!

I love a good HST (half-square triangle) and while some don't particularly like to make them, I have found I enjoy them more when they are squared up perfectly. I go over making perfect half-square triangles HERE.

For the Here A Square, There A Square pattern we are going to use our white and grey 3" squares. For me this is the Shimmer 2 and Shimmer Lawn from Monaluna.

On the wrong side of the white squares mark the diagonal.

Matching a white and grey right sides together, stitch 1/4" from the marked line.

Rotate and stitch 1/4" on the other side of the marked line.

This is a great time to use the chain piecing technique.

Cut on the line.

Press towards the grey.

Square your HST.

I love my Tucker Trimmer® from Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design. You can now find it in my shop!!

Repeat until you have 120 HST. This is the first part of our corner units. Next week we will be adding the triangles to either side of our HST units.

Happy Stitching!

Jen

Beginners Unite Quilt Along

September 12 - Cutting (including fussy cutting the center)
September 19 - Center block 
September 21 - Look at marking tools
September 26 - Flying Geese week 1 

October 3 - Flying Geese week 2 
October 10 - Half Square Triangles ~ You are here
October 17 - Corner Units
October 24 - Block Assembly
October 31 - Top Assembly
November 7 - Add borders
November 14 - Quilting and Binding

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

BU Quilt Along Week 4

We are making more Flying Geese this week, but this time we get to build a part of the block, so there is a great incentive to get them all done. 

Follow the No Waste Flying Geese method shown HERE using your black 2 7/8" squares and grey 5 1/4" squares

Trim to 2 1/2" x 4 1/2"

First trim.

Second trim.

I love my Wing Clipper from Deb Tucker's Design 180 Studio. No affiliation, but next week I will have them in my Etsy shop. (Yay!)

When stitching the Flying Geese units together, sew with the point of the goose facing up, that way you can make sure you don't sew off the point.

Press towards the bottom unit. You will make 120 of these units.

That's it for the Flying Geese units. Give them a wave goodbye as they head south and we move on to the half square triangles next week.

Share your progress at Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen!

Happy Stitching!

Jen

Beginners Unite Quilt Along

September 12 - Cutting (including fussy cutting the center)
September 19 - Center block 
September 21 - Look at marking tools
September 26 - Flying Geese week 1 

October 3 - Flying Geese week 2 ~ You are here
October 10 - Half Square Triangles
October 17 - Corner Units
October 24 - Block Assembly
October 31 - Top Assembly
November 7 - Add borders
November 14 - Quilting and Binding

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

October Muggamo

October is here! With it comes frosty mornings and chilly evenings, which means YOU need a mug rug. Thankfully, I have you covered with witches, spider webs and glow in the dark ghosties.

Grab your free mug rug pattern HERE.

What you need:

Print:

Five 2 1/2" squares

Black:

Two 3 3/8" squares

Orange:

Two 3 3/8" squares

Mark the diagonal on the wrong side

Side piece:

One 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle

Back and batting:

One 7" x 10" each

Binding:

One strip 2" x 36"

Assembly:

Match a black square with an orange square.

Sew 1/4" on one side of the drawn line.

Sew 1/4" on the other.

Cut on the line, press towards black.

Mark the diagonal perpendicular to the seam. Line half square triangle units together with opposite colors.

Sew 1/4" on one side of the drawn line.

Do the same on the other side.

Trim. The 1 1/4" mark on the diagonal of the ruler should be in the center of the hourglass unit.

Rotate and trim to 2 1/2".

Lay out your block.

Stitch into rows.

Then stitch rows together.

Add the side piece.

Baste to batting and backing. Quilt. Bind. Enjoy.

Only two more to go this year! How did that happen. I hope you've been enjoying them. We'd love to see your mug rugs at Quilt and Learn with Patterns By Jen.

Don't miss the next step in our Beginners Unite Quilt Along coming up on Tuesday. We're on week 4. Grab a cup of coffee, one of your muggamo rugs and take a peek. There is plenty of time to catch up. Come join the fun!

Happy Stitching!

Jen

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