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Monday, December 17, 2018

Quarter Cut 3 Quilt

Yeah! It's a wrap, and what a soft, comfy wrap it is - these deer told me so!


Reindeer 1 and Quarter Cut 3 quilt by QuiltFabrication
reindeer 1






Reindeer 2 and Quarter Cut 3 quilt by QuiltFabrication
reindeer 2

Seriously, using the Quarter Cut quilt pattern with homespuns, along with a flannel backing and a soft cotton batting really make this a very comfy quilt - much like a favorite t-shirt.


Quarter Cut 3 quilt backside

I'm sure someone up in Paradise, CA is going to just love it!

An in depth view of the quilt top construction was shown last week when I used it for the Quarter Cut Quilt Tutorial. And now it's all quilted,


Quarter Cut 3 quilt by QuiltFabrication

with a gold/brown variegated thread on top, and navy blue on the back. I love my Innova for awesome stitch quality!


Quarter Cut 3 quilt back stitching

The Paperchase pantograph is also a perfect choice - it's an open, repeated design that doesn't fight the weave of the homespuns.


Paperchase pantograph

Here's a few more closeups to show how well the colors of the homespuns work together - it's really the homespun 'theme' that makes this quilt sing.


Quarter Cut 3 quilt closeup 1



Quarter Cut 3 quilt closeup 2

Personally, I'd rate this another successful Quarter Cut Quilt, along with Paradise 1


Paradise 1 by QuiltFabrication

and Paradise 4.


Paradise 4 by QuiltFabrication

Need to make a quilt in a hurry or maybe just want to use up some stash? Then check out the Quarter Cut Quilt Tutorial to see how fast and easy it is!

Happy Quilting!



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Friday, December 14, 2018

Quarter Cut Quilt Tutorial

Today, it's a tutorial for the stash-busting Quarter Cut Quilt!


The stash busting Quarter Cut Quilt tutorial by QuiltFabrication

First, a little background:
Over the last two weeks, the sewing machine has been humming away, making several large lap quilts for those in Paradise, CA. 
Using the 'Quarter Cut' pattern I dreamed up, I've now made three of these quilts,

because they are fast and easy to put together, AND they are a fantastic stash buster!

Having now come up for air, I can share how the Quarter Cut quilt is put together using quarter or third yard x WOF pieces, fat quarters, and yardage for sashing - woohoo!

Now, this is not one of those 'cut a specific size' types of pattern. It requires a bit of free-form piecing, based upon the size of yardage pieces used. The only measured cut is the sashing, at 2 1/2" x WOF.

The final quilt measures around 60" x 72", give or take a few inches, as it all depends on the sizes of the fabric pieces.


Quarter Cut quilt pattern layout by QuiltFabrication

To make it a bit longer, add two more sashing strips, top and bottom,


Quarter Cut quilt pattern with extra sashing by QuiltFabrication

just as I did for Paradise 4.


Paradise 4, a pink floral Quarter Cut quilt by QuiltFabrication


The Quarter Cut quilt uses fabric pieces that are 8" - 11" wide x WOF (width of fabric) in length. It's a great stash buster, especially for those "what do I do with this" pieces of fabric. Just choose a group of themed fabrics, like florals, animal prints, homespuns, food, winter, leaves, patriotic, etc, - anything with the theme that will tie this quilt together. Below is Paradise 1, with floral prints that all have some blue in them.


Paradise 1, a floral Quarter Cut quilt by QuiltFabrication


Or choose fabrics that coordinate with the backing, like Paradise 4.


Paradise 4, a Quarter Cut pink floral quilt by QuiltFabrication


As for quantities, 7 (seven) quarter or third yard (8" - 11") x WOF pieces, plus up to 7 (seven) fat quarters (depends on how much variety you want), and around a yard for sashing are the general guidelines. Some pieces may be narrower or wider than 9", and there are no hard and fast rules for widths. Essentially, use what you've got!


Quarter Cut Quilt Tutorial



Step 1 - Layout

This is the design stage, to see if there's enough themed fabric for the top, and to get an idea of what will go where. Don't cut any fabric at this time - just take note of how much there is of any one piece, so that any remaining can be used in another spot.

Start the layout with any yardage that can have two or three rows cut from it - this will add continuity to the quilt. Below, I had a red one-yard piece which made three staggered rows, forming the base of my quilt.

Quarter Cut quilt step 1 - layout

Place the top row to the left side, and work down from there, adding and staggering rows, sides to side. Place three rows of the same or similar fabric in row 1, 4, and 7 (see the red above). These positions make it so the print doesn't dominate in any one area, such as one side or the top or bottom. 

If there are two pieces of the same or similar fabric, stagger them to opposite sides of the quilt - there will always be two rows in between them. See rows 2 and 5. If there's another set of two, place those in rows 3 and 6, otherwise fill those rows with remaining yardage.

Step 2 - Fill out the Layout

Next, add in the fat quarter cuts. Try to use the long 20"+ edge in the row, to make the quilt as wide as possible.

Quarter Cut quilt step 1 - layout with added fat quarters


Evenly distribute the lights and darks, and try not to place the same print above or below. In the picture above, the fat quarters in row 1 and 4 are the same, nicely staggered in the top. Also, row 3 and 6 are the same, and eventually row 2, once I cut the that fat quarter for the other half.

When it's a pleasing arrangement, it's time to cut and sew!

Step 3 - Cutting and Sewing

Grab the sashing fabric, and cut several 2 1/2" x WOF strips to get started. Then pick a row - just remember which side the fat quarter goes on!

I chose to start with row 5, because it has a fat quarter piece already cut - that row will be the width of that cut fat quarter.

Row 5 of the Quarter Cut quilt, with sashing
  

Assembling the row

Stitch a 2 1/2" sashing piece in between the pieces for the row, lining up the top edges and with the smaller, fat quarter piece on the right for row 5.

Fold the long piece to the sashing edge, then fold the short piece on top, lining up that top edge. 

trimming Row 5 to the fat quarter's size

Then trim off the excess and the extra sashing. Add another 2 1/2" x WOF sashing strip to the shorter, cut off sashing piece, and use that for sashing along the bottom.

Row 5 trimmed and ready for sashing on the bottom

Because of the different WOF's, I can't tell you how long to cut the sashing. Just be gentle - no stretching, pulling, or making waves. Let the fabrics naturally rest together before going under the presser foot. Trim off the excess sashing.

Row 5 with sashing

Now, sometimes there will be a row in which both pieces need to be cut to size, approximately 9". Start by cutting the fat quarter in half first, making approximately two 9" x 20" pieces. Then cut the longer piece to match that width, or stitch the pieces together and trim like I did above. Keep in mind, fabric cuts can be wonky, making for different sized pieces. Work with what's given, and try not to make a row that's below 8" wide. Conversely, try not to make a row that's greater than 11" wide. This quilt looks better with a slight variation in row width, but not wide swings. 


Continue these steps for each row, adding sashing to the bottom of all but the last row,

Quarter Cut quilt row diagram by QuiltFabrication

and placing all rows back on the design wall.

Finished Quarter Cut quilt rows

Step 4 - Final Layout

Notice in the picture above, some rows are longer than others. In this particular quilt, most of them are the same length, with a couple rows longer. This allows for a bit more creativity in the layout, as those long rows can be shifted left or right, allowing the vertical sashing strips to stagger up and down the quilt. Of course, having them in line is an option too - it's really your choice!

Using a long measuring tape, check the width and length of the top. What if there's a row that's much shorter than the others? I certainly wouldn't want to trim away extra width to accommodate one row.

short row and how to fix it

Well, the solution is simple - add a sashing strip at the quilt edge and the problem is solved, as shown on Paradise 4.

short row with sashing for extra row length

What about the length? Does it need to be a few inches longer? Then add two extra sashing pieces at the top and bottom to provide extra length, again as shown on Paradise 4 above.

Once the final layout is determined, with extra sashing or no, the rows are sewn together in pairs, then the pairs are sewn. This helps keep track of the row order and which edges line up.

sewn Quarter Cut quilt rows, ready for trimming

The quilt is now ready for trimming and to be squared up.

Step 5 - Trimming

To trim off the excess on the row ends, fold the quilt in half, bottom to top. Adjust along those edges to make for a smooth fold. Fold it in half again, lining up the fold with the cut edges of the top and bottom. Smooth it out on the cutting surface, and line up a ruler with the top and bottom folds. Flip through all four layers to find the shortest row, and trim to that row.

trimming long rows of the Quarter Cut quilt


And within a few hours, the Quarter Cut quilt is ready for quilting - wasn't that fast and easy???

I hope you've enjoyed this quick stash-busting quilt tutorial. Send me a picture if you make a Quarter Cut quilt - everyone would love to see!

Happy Quilting!




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Monday, December 10, 2018

Paradise 5 in the Works

You've probably seen the quilts I recently made for those in Paradise, CA. Since I've made two of the same pattern, 


Paradise 1 by QuiltFabrication
Paradise 1



Paradise 4 by QuiltFabrication
Paradise 4

and have been asked for a tutorial, I'm now making a third. I've gone through the stash, and these homespuns are begging to be used. Plus, it would be nice to send a quilt to Paradise that's for a guy!


homespun fabrics

I do have a couple more FQ's, which didn't really work with the red/blue/green scheme I've got here, so I'll save those and see if I can make a smaller quilt with just the FQ's. Who knows - maybe that will become another fast, easy quilt tutorial too!

For those homespuns above, it will be another Quarter Cut Quilt, which is what I'm calling this pattern. It requires quarter cuts or more of yardage, and also fat quarters. So I think Quarter Cut Quilt is fitting!

I do wish I had the tutorial for you today, but too many Christmas parties and luncheons took away a ton of quilting time last week. So be patient - the tutorial is coming!

Until then, Happy Quilting!




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Friday, December 7, 2018

Paradise Quilt 4

Here's the fourth, and last for the moment, of the Paradise quilts - 
Paradise 4.


Paradise 4 quilt by QuiltFabrication

Constructed just like Paradise 1, this quilt measures around 60" x 80". Vicki of Vicki's Crafts and Quilting asked for a tutorial on this quilt, which is coming next week - it's a great stash buster! We're talking 2.5 - 3 yards for the front only - that's a lot of yardage.

And it's also super fast to put together! Using the backing fabric as my color guide, I pulled fabrics at 10:30 in the morning, laid them out in a pleasing arrangement, and started making the long rows with sashing in the middle and along one row edge.

Because I had a deadline for this quilt, lunch was eaten while sewing all the rows together. By 3 in the afternoon, both the front and the backing were ready to go on the frame. And by 5:30 pm, the hand-guided pantograph quilting was done, thanks to my wonderful, trusty Innova machine. With an hour devoted to binding the next morning, the Paradise 4 quilt was a finish, just in time to deliver to my quilt friends in the afternoon.

Now I know that's a very lofty production time to meet, but I'm a super focused and efficient person when I need to be. Taking in-progress pictures was the furthest from my mind, that's why no posts to Instagram or Facebook - I hope to catch up soon.

As for some closeups, this quilt also used the open, and very pretty Happy Times pantograph.


Paradise 4 quilt Happy Times pantograph quilting

As for the pinks, here's the floral backing that was used for color inspiration.


Paradise 4 quilt backing

I'm going to take a break from donation quilts for a few weeks, but will probably make a few more for a January delivery. I've already gone through the stash, pulling pieces for the next quilts.

See you Monday with the tutorial!
Happy Quilting!





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Monday, December 3, 2018

Paradise Quilts 1 and 2

For the last few days, I've been super busy sewing away, making quilts for those who lost their homes in Paradise, CA.


Paradise 1



Paradise 1 by QuiltFabrication

What started out as random WOF floral pieces that all had some blue in them, then sewn together in bands with dark blue sashing, turned into great quilt! I love all of the color in this one with all of those florals - it really gives off a soft, "snuggle with me" vibe.

I forgot to take closeup pictures, but I do have one of the back.


Paradise 1 quilt backing

I needed just a bit more backing length, and had an extra panel leftover which helped for that and binding.


Paradise 2



This one is for a young lady, and is full of fun 10" squares I had gotten at a quilt show a few years ago.


Paradise 2 quilt by QuiltFabrication

Adding in some dark blue for shadowing, and a multi-colored print for sashings, this one will be treasured too!


Paradise 2 quilt closeup

And all those leftover pieced flannel strips made a great backing.


Paradise 2 quilt back


With the first two finished, a third is on it's way! I have until Tuesday to get it done.

For those of you wishing to send quilts to Paradise, I wish I could provide you with an address. I'm sending these with two guild members who are delivering quilts and quilting supplies to Paradise next week. I'll see if they know of a specific organization or address and will let you know.

Happy Quilting!





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