BOO-ville! Mystery Scrap-a-long...Clue #1

 Hey quilters...happy Monday! Hope y'all had a great weekend and weather. I'm excited to share with you clue #1 of the "BOO-ville!" mystery scrap-a-long. I know you're probably still cutting your squares and working on your layout, but this clue might help you decide on what stage you will make. I stated in previous posts that the collection "Boo Bash" by Jerry Khieve for Lumin Fabrics/Island Batik is so fun that you might just make a easy scrappy patch quilt. I totally get that! But I'm hoping this clue might challenge you to make the letters. I love Accuquilt dies. I use to cut my letters out by hand and investing in the dies has been a game changer for me. So easy and I'm saving time. You can incorporate the letters even if you're doing the basic patch design. You would just float the letters within the rows that I'll be stating along the way. Remember this is a "clue" to help with your "thought" process of your design layout. I highly recommend not sewing your rows together til you have your design as desired. One reason why I love this fabric collection. It's so versatile & fun to spark your creativity. I hope you're having fun and check back soon for more tips/hints and clues. Thanks so much for following a long on this sewing journey with me. Talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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BOO-ville! Clue #1...

Hint...

* Beginner design....the letters will be positioned within row 2 at top of squares :-)

* Advanced...the letters are fused to the pumpkin batik fabrics rotary cut 2.5 x 5" squares on row 3.

ex...row 3 will be 2 scrappy squares...5 pumpin squares then 3 scrappy squares to achieve the staggered design. 

Remember...this is a "clue" more details to come on sewing the squares...fusing letters the a-play-queing around the letters with coordinating Aurifil thread. 

Hmmm...was that another hint :-)

Talk soon,

Cat

BOO-ville!..."Mystery Scrap-a-long" Phase 1

 Hey quilters...hope y'all are having a great Sunday. Well as promised we're kicking off another fun mystery scrap-a-long. I fell in love with the collection Boo Bash designed by Jerry Khiev for Lumin Fabrics/Island Batik. The prints and color hues inspired my design "BOO-ville!" The fabric is so fun that I had a hard time cutting it up. In this phase I'll be walking you through the first fun step due to it being a "mystery." :-) I will be giving hints and tips a long the way plus sharing how versatile the design can be for any stage of your sewing skills. The beginner stage would make a fun scrappy design just by piecing the squares together. But you know me...I added some fun that I'll be sharing using Accuquilt GO! 2" Letters and Numbers die sets. I love using the Accuquilt dies and cutting letters by hand is time consuming. The basic layout for beginners is 10 rows across and 10 rows down consisting of the 5" squares. The squares once sewing together using a 1/4" seam allowance will give you a finished 4 1/2" square. The advanced stage is sub cutting the 5" squares into 2...2 1/2 x 5" strips for a staggered design. Yes...this is more time consuming and I will admit it challenged me but loving how it's coming a long. I'll share a quick "tip" with you...once you lay out your cut squares and decide to do the advanced stage you still can. In fact, I'll be sharing hints soon that might inspire you to challenge yourself. Also, if you don't have a design wall then your batting is a great way to lay your squares on then pin once you achieve your design. I have a design wall but still use that method then I just fold it up...hang and pull out as needed. This also works for laying the batting on the floor too. I'm a visual person so this gives you the opportunity to change any blocks around once you see "Clue #1" :-) You have plenty of time due to not sewing blocks together until the final layout. Remember previous post listed the supplies to get you started. So, grab your precuts...let the fabric collection inspire your creativity and get ready for a spook-tacular mystery scrap-a-long. Talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

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BOO-ville! Phase 1...

First...you'll be separating the 10" squares from your precut collection and setting one square aside of each print. Then you will cut one 10" square vertically in half then sub cut one half into two..5" squares. At this point set aside the extra 5 x 10" strips until you need them. I like to cut as I go :-)

Beginner...rotary cut 100... 5 x 5" squares...layout 10 squares across and 10 squares down. 

Once you have the squares layed out you may say "wow...this fabric is sew fun and I might just sew the rows together and have a fun spooky Halloween throw." I totally get it....this collection is so pretty but I would love for you to follow a long and see the advanced design. Remember that I'm not that far ahead of you so you can chime in anytime :-) 

Advanced...rotary cut roughly 200...2.5 x 5" strips...depending on the stage you choose after seeing clue # 1...so don't stress. You will be laying them in the same concept...but staggering the squares creating a "brick lay" design. Lay them out as desired (remember no sewing yet) You will notice that it may look like you are short on every other row, but you will use your scraps later to make squares to fill in the corners. This will all make sense real soon... I promise! :-)

Hint...you probably noticed that I mentioned in the previous post that I used a 1/2 yard of Black...Eggplant...and Pumpkin batiks....well....those will be used real soon depending on the stage you decide to create. :-) 

Talk soon,

Cat

Exciting news..."BOO-ville" Mystery Scrap-a-long starts soon!

 Hey quilters...hope y'all are having a great week. I'm excited to share that I'll be sharing another fun mystery scrap-a-long with y'all. "BOO-ville" features the fun new collection Boo Bash by Lumin Fabrics/Island Batik and Ghost Town by White Owl Textiles also a division of Lumin fabrics. I always wanted to design a fun Halloween quilt, and this collection inspired the design. I've been dropping some hints on my Instagram page so you may already have an idea of what's soon to be happening. I used Boo Bash 10" precuts and made the design very pre-cut friendly for beginners. I'll be dropping clues along the way so please keep following. This will be a fun lap size quilt, but you can easily enlarge just by adding more borders if desired. I designed the quilt in EQ8 and honestly, I'm not that far ahead of y'all. I've also been working on a fun suprise that I'll be sharing soon as well. I'ts been a fun month...celebrating "summerween" with my daughter's family but it's back to the sewing room for me. I've listed below the supplies that I'm using so you can join in on the fun anytime. I thank y'all so much for following a long with me on my sewing journey. Talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

Follow me on Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest (links upper right on home page)

"BOO-ville" supplies...

* Boo Bash 10" precuts by Lumin Fabrics

* Fundamentals Ghost Town 5" squares by White Owl Textiles

* !/2 yrd each of Black, Eggplant & Pumpkin batiks by Lumin fabrics

* Aurifil 50# thread 2692, 2582, 2235

* Accuquilt GO! 2" Letters die & 2" Numbers and symbols die

* Pellon 987F (my favorite fusible)

* Oliso iron ( my fav for perfect pressing)

* Brother sewing machine and sewing supplies

* You will need backing fabric and batting depending on your size.

Note...more supplies will be listed a long the way at stages :-)

Love it when a vacation turns into a sew-cation!

 Hey quilters...hope y'all are having a week. I'm having a mini vacation that has turned into a sew-cation with my daughter. I love being with my family...cooking for my grandson brings me joy. I've been able to shop local at quilt shops with my daughter. I love seeing the new fabric lines in person, It's like walking into a candy store for me. Spending time in a quilt shop brings back sweet memories of teaching my daughter to sew and quilt when she was young. Things have changed a bit and quilting has really evolved but in an exciting way. There are so many resources to really challenge yourself to a new level in sewing and quilting. My summer challenge to y'all is to take a child into a quilt shop to explore all the possibilities and watch how creative they become. Yes...it can be a bit over whelming but trust me the reward of seeing a child get inspired is the best feeling. In fact, seeing the new Halloween fabric line by Lumin fabrics and White Owl Textiles inspired me to make a fun spooky trivet for my daughter while visiting. The fabric prints and color ways are sew fun that I even found coordinates while shopping at another local quilt shop. That's what I call multi-tasking in my mind :-) I also used her "Multiple Size Half-Hexagon Ruler" by Marti Michell. I had a blast using this template. It's clear so I was able to fussy cut around the spider web design on fabric then add stip piecing with the coordinating fabrics. I did fun accent quilting around the center design then created my own spider web quilting on the border. I love it when fabric inspires creativity all by walking into a local quilt shop. Wishing y'all a great 4th of July weekend and check back soon for another fun "Teach the kiddos 2 sew this summer project." Thanks so much for following!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Sweet Land of Liberty!

 Hey quilters...hope everyone is having a great week. I'm on a sew-cation as I like to say, spending time with my daughters family. Today's post and quilt is very special to me. The quilt has been a bit of a sewing journey and was finally gifted to my daughters family celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. The quilt panel was perfect to honor America and my son-in-laws military service. I kept the finished quilt under wraps for this special time. I pieced the quilt using Aurifil 50# thread and it coordinated with the beautiful Moda fabrics and jelly roll. I started the quilt top a while back but decided to wait to gift it for their special milestone. I love how we took pictures on their family property to pass down these special memories for my grandson to cherish as well. I designed the quilt in EQ8 (the electric quilt company) and I love how a simple panel can be made into a simple but creative design using jelly rolls strips. The stars in the corners honor the design and my son-in-laws military service. You can view more of how I pieced the borders on my previous posts starting June of '24. The longarm quilting was the high light for me accenting the designs in the panel.I believe this stunning panel by Moda fabrics is still available on the internet so you too can create family memories. The design is super easy to teach a child to sew starting from a panel & using precuts. I thank y'all so much for following and talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

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Sweet Land of Liberty...

Teach the kiddos 2 sew this summer!..."Better Together Aprons"

 Hey quilters...hope y'all had a fun sewing weekend. The one thing I can honestly say I've learned in life is take a few moments out of the day and do something that makes your heart smile. For me...sewing...quilting...crafting and family time is a win. It's just getting it all together that can be a bit hard. I'm sharing a special pattern that is dear to my heart due to I've already made these aprons for me and my daughter. The pattern "Better Together Aprons" by Missouri Star Quilt Company is super easy to make and the directions are easy to follow for a great beginner sewing project. The pattern comes in two sizes for an adult and child. I love this pattern due to it's versatility. You can customize the apron just by changing up the fabric. This would make a great dad gift for the one that loves to cook or BBQ! You can get creative with the fabric to really personalize the apron. Once you see the pattern your creative thoughts will come to mind of how you can put your own spin on the design.I did sew ours using duck cloth (lemon pic) due to we both love lemons but if using a regular cotton you might want to line the apron. The pattern calls for cotton twill tape for the strap but I used the scraps to make the ties. Sew fun!  I love how the pattern is available in a paper pattern or a digital download to start sewing right away with the kiddos. You will learn basic sewing skills but I can really see you using those decorative stitches on your sewing machine especially doing a fun hem. I hope you enjoy making this pattern like I did...so sweet to have matching aprons at any age :-) I have a fun project coming soon for y'all that involves a simple 'journal." So when you're out shopping take a peek at the journals...no specific size. I thank y'all so much for following and talk soon!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Better Together Aprons...

Teach the kiddos 2 sew this summer!...Fun Tote Bag!

 Hey quilters...happy Friday! Wanted to share another fun and easy project to sew with the kiddos. I had a blast with this easy tote pattern by Missouri Star Quilt Company,.It uses a charm pack ( 5 " squares" and a little accent fabric. The pattern gives you 3 size options for you to really customize to your needs. I made the large bag...wanted to challenge myself and the pattern instructions are very easy to follow. I used a vibrant charm pack from Island Batiks/Lumin fabric and paired it with a faux cork for added texture. I used Aurifil 50# thread for piecing and quilting. Sew fun! The pattern is available as a "digital download" so you could start sewing right away with the kiddos. You can view more pattern "Updated 3 Totes..one charm pack" details at MSQC website.This is also a fun way to introduce the kids of the convenient of a charm pack. Less money spent and a fun variations of the fabric collection to inspire their inner creativity. I hope y'all try this pattern and create something for you or make one as a gift. Enjoy!

Blessed Quilting from My Home to Yours,

Cat

MSQC Affiliate

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"Updated 3 Totes...one charm pack"...