Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Read With Me - A MBS Tutorial

Okay, so I have been hinting about this tutorial for about a week and so I am happy to say, that it is now posted!  Introducing . . . Read With Me my newest  Moda Bake Shop Tutorial !!


To say I like this quilt would be a vast understatement.  I absolutely love it and every time I see it I do a little happy dance!!  From the basic idea of doing a  "book quilt" , to adding the appliqued "once upon a time . . ." and finally the super awesome quilting that really pushed my skills ;)  .  I am over the moon excited about this!!!



The quilt measures 58" x 73", just the perfect size for snuggling up with your wee ones with a good story, or for a special one's twin size bed :)  It is made using a Noteworthy jelly roll by Sweetwater and some Bella Solid white and black.  It really is a fun quilt to put together and is very beginner friendly.




And now that this Moda Bake Shop Tutorial has been published for a while, I can now post it here on my blog for your convenience ;)   So just follow along below for the full step-by-step tutorial.  And if you love it, you can get the printer friendly version here :)  



To make your own Read With Me quilt you will need :
1 Noteworthy Jell Roll
2 Yards of Moda Bella Solid White
1/2 Yard of Moda Bella Solid Black
4 Yards of your favorite print for Backing
Applique Templates (at the end of the tutorial)
1/2 yard of Heat N Bond
Twin size or 68″ x 82″ piece of Batting




STEP 1 – CUTTING

Start by breaking out that jelly roll.  Choose 7 strips and set them aside to be used for your binding.  I choose to use the “white” strips for my binding.


From the remaining jelly roll strips, alternating prints and colors for each group cut
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ rectangles
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ rectangles
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ rectangles
   (24) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles
   (28) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles
   (28) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ rectangles


From your white yardage cut the following
   (10) 5 1/2″ x Width of Fabric Strips
   (4) 3″ x 15″ rectangles
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 6″ rectangles
   (4) 1 1/2″ x 6″ rectangles
   (36) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangles
   (8) 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ rectangles
   (32) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares


STEP 2 – BLOCK A

Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.
   (2) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (3) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles, and (1) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles
   (1) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (3) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.


Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.


Sew the 6 columns together.  Start by placing the second column onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third column onto the now sewn together first and second columns and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 6 columns are sewn together.  Press.


Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.



STEP 3 – BLOCK B

Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.
   (1) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (2) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles, and (3) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles
   (3) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (2) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.


Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.


Sew the 6 columns together.  Start by placing the second column onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third column onto the now sewn together first and second columns and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 6 columns are sewn together.  Press.


Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.



STEP 4 – BLOCK C

Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.
   (2) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (1) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangle, (1) 2 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ rectangle,
        (1) 2 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ rectangle and (1) 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ rectangle
   (2) 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ solid rectangles, (3) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (3) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.


Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips on either end of the strip and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.


Sew the 6 rows together.  Start by placing the second row onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third row onto the now sewn together first and second rpw and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 6 rows are sewn together.  Press.


Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.



STEP 5 – BLOCK D

Block D has an angled book.  To make this start by slicing a 3″ x 15″ solid rectangle in half diagonally.


Place a 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ print rectangle between the 2 triangles, taking care to center the strip.  Lay the strip onto the top triangle.  Sew a 1/4″ seam aligning the raw edges.  Press.  Lay the bottom triangle onto the strip and sew a 1/4″ seam aligning the raw edges.  Press.  Using the ends of the strip as a guide, trim the top and bottom of the unit even with the ends of the strip.


Now gather a 2 1/2″ x 6″ solid rectangle and a 1 1/2″ x 6″ solid rectangle.  Lay the 2 1/2″ strip along the bottom of the block and the /2″ strip along the top of the block aligning the raw edges.  Sew a 1/4″ seam along each edge and press.


Now all that is left is trimming.  The trimming has to be done one side at a time and needs to be precise or you will end up with a floating book.
    Place your long ruler so the top left hand corner of the print strip aligns with the 4 1/4″ horizontal mark on your ruler and the bottom right hand corner of the print strip aligns with the 1/4″ horizontal mark on your ruler.  Trim along the right hand edge of your ruler.
    Place your long ruler so the right hand side of the block aligns with the 4 1/2″ vertical line on your ruler.  Trim along the left hand edge of your ruler.
     Place your long ruler so that the right hand side of the block aligns with the edge of the ruler, the left hand side of the block aligns with the 4 1/2″ vertical line and the bottom right hand corner of the print strip aligns with the 12 1/4″ horizontal mark on your ruler.  Trim along the top edge of the ruler.
     Place your long ruler so that the right hand side of the block aligns with the edge of the ruler, the left hand side of the block aligns with the 4 1/2″ vertical line and the top of the block aligns with the 12 1/2″ horizontal mark on your ruler.  Trim along the bottom edge of the ruler.


You know you will have trimmed correctly if the three corners of the book that are pointed out are 1/4″ away from the nearest edge.


Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.
   (2) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (1) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles, and (1) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles, and a pieced angle book block.
   (1) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (1) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.


Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.


Sew the 5 columns together.  Start by placing the second column onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third column onto the now sewn together first and second columns and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 5 columns are sewn together.  Press.


Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.


STEP 6 – APPLIQUE STRIPS

Now the blocks are done and you can move onto the applique.  If you are new to applique, and need a bit more instruction on how to do it, please see my video tutorial on Applique Basics here.    From your black yardage lined with Heat N Bond cut the following letters using the Read With Me Templates.  


Grab the WOF strips cut in the beginning and cut them into the following pieces.  Sew the pieces end to end to create (2) 5 1/2 ” x 63 1/2″ strips to be used for the side borders, (2) 5 1/2″ x 58 1/2″ strips to be used for the top and bottom borders, and (3) 48 1/2″ strips to be used for the applique.  Set the border strips aside.


Fuse your applique onto the three strips as follows.  For the first strip, start the applique 1″ in from the left and space the applique out over 32″.  For the second strip, start the applique out 8 1/4″ from the left and space the applique out over 32″. And for the third strip, start the applique out 1″ from the right and space the applique out over 32″.


Secure stitch the applique.  It is much easier to do this while it is in a strip, verses once it is sewn into the quilt top.



STEP 7 – ASSEMBLING QUILT TOP

And now you are ready to put the top together.  Lay your 16 blocks out in 4 rows of 4.  You can use the same layout I did or your own, just whatever looks pleasing to your eye.


Once you have your layout, sew the rows together the same way you did with the blocks.  Lay the second block in each row on the first and stitch along the aligned edge.  Then add the 3rd block, and then the 4th.


Press your rows and then lay them back out adding the appliqued strips in between each row.


Sew the rows together.  Once again, use the same process as putting the blocks together.  Just sewing the second row onto the first, and then adding the third and so on until the rows are all sewn together.


Now gather your borders that were set aside.  Place the side borders along the sides of the quilt top.  Sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge, aligning as you go.  Press.  Then repeat the same process for the top and bottom border.  Press.


And your quilt top is finished!!


STEP 8 – FINISHING

So now it is time to turn that finished quilt top into a finished Quilt ;)  Time to  Baste It, Quilt It, and Bind It!!!  Which is a whole lot in one little sentence.  If you are new to quilting, you can see my Finishing Your Quilt Series of video tutorials



And when it came time to quilt mine, I wanted to continue the Once Upon A Time theme.  So here are some of the quilting details.  First is the top of the castle and the clouds :)  To really make the outline of the pictures stand out I quilted over the threads like 3 times so it was super bold.  I really like the depth it gives it!  And I always love some good pebbling!!  The window and clouds are cute and poofie too :)


 The bean stalk on the right hand side was so much fun to quilt.  Once again, I did the outline super dark and heavy, and then I just started with some swirls and leafs.  They were so fun and freeing, I just kept swirling away!!   And then the pink scrolls, love em!!  They are seriously one of my favorite things to quilt!


The drawbridge was my first attempt at wood-grain and then I added  a cute little moat, and  some adorable flowers!!  The grass came out pretty fun too, even though I had no idea what I was doing at the time, I just kept zig and zaging up and down and figured it looks pretty close to grass :)


The final part of the quilting, and it is my favorite, is that each book has a title.  For a family activity, each of the children got to pick their favorite stories . . . one they have read, and ones I have read to them and they were all written onto the books.  I then added my favorites, my husband's favorites, and other family favorites.  

I quilted them in using a loopy cursive just using the machine the same way I would use a pencil.  Which was a little hard in the center of the quilt as I am not the best at writing sideways, but I got through it.  I decided to use a matching thread color because I didn't want bright shiny titles to take away from the overall theme of the quilt and I wanted it to be special for our family, in a quiet kind of way.  And we all love it!!  It has already become a treasured family favorite!



          One adorable 58″ x 73″ Read With Me Quilt that is sure to be a family favorite.  Whether you put it on a bed or just snuggle under it while reading stories, I hope it becomes a treasure.  




I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Read With Me Quilt I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Read With Me  Quilts!!!


I will leave you with these adorable little cuties of mine!!  Have a Happy Quilting day!!!


Pin It!

60 comments:

  1. I think this is a great way to make a memory with the kids. The quilting is so fun and creative, wonderful quilt!

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  2. That is just sooooo very cute Melissa!! You did an awesome job with the pictures around the books. I love it.

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  3. This is so beautiful! I love the quilting!

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  4. Saw this on the Moda site and had to come over to your blog for more photos. Just a wonderful, wonder-filled quilt.

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  5. What a great quilt! And the quilting is fabulous. I especially love the castle turret on the left side.

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  6. This is great! I love it. Awesome job!

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  7. The quilting on this makes it so extraordinary! I love it!

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  8. Oh this is super cute!! You are so talented! The kids are growing up so fast.

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  9. Great post! Love your explanations and pictures.So much fun to see it all come to life.

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  10. love the whole thing, thanks for sharing great job!!!

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  11. Fantastic. The quilting is stunning. The last photo is adorable.

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  12. This quilt is beautiful! The quilting is so creative and perfect! I love the castle turret and the bean stalk on the sides!

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  13. LOVE this! I've been planning on making a book quilt for my kids school librarian and my son's kindergarten class. (The kindergarteners are studying Q in a few weeks so we're going to let them each choose a fabric (pre-cut) to be "their" book in the wall hanging.

    I think this is my favorite book quilt I've seen. :)

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  14. Fantastic! I love your quilt, colours, pattern, books - beautiful and great idea!

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  15. Amazing job! The quilting is genius!

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  16. SO CUTE! I think I'll have to pin this one until my kids are old enough to have a few favorite books. Very nice job and thanks so much for the tutorial!

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  17. It looks GREAT! The quilting is fantastic! I love this quilt!

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  18. Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are bookworms in our family and I will HAVE to make this!!!!!! Thank you So much for making it and providing the tutorial. It is just the best! :)

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  19. Super cute, I love all of the quilting detail, it really adds so much to the qulilt!!

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  20. That is a great quilt, love what you did with it.

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  21. Oh MY GOSH! This is so amazing! I love the books and the quilting is crazy-awesome! Great job!!

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  22. I love how you titled each book.

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  23. Oh my goodness, this is probably my favorite quilt you've ever made. Love it!

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  24. I absolutely love your quilt! What a great idea! My daughter and I both love to read so I am definitely going to have to make one of these for each of us. Your quilting is so amazing with the fairy tale theme and your idea of the book titles is beyond amazing.

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  25. Melissa this is fantastic. I love all the details you put into it. especially the book titles from all your families fabovorites. Wow. Truly a treasured item. And I so agree with paper books being a kids friend.

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  26. Yes! WOW! AMAZING!!! I've been trying to get my daughter into quilting and this just might be the key....she is a librarian that collects books and fabrics but never does anything with the fabric... Beautiful quilt!!

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  27. What a fantastic quilt!! I love the books, but what you did with the quilting is just wonderful!! The castle is fantastic, and the drawbridge, the clouds, the beanstalk, the grass and flowers: WOW! What a great project!! And I love the little picture of your sweet little ones under it, so engrossed in their books!! I'll bet you're still jumping with joy each time you see your work of art!! You should enter it into your local quilt guild's next show so people can see it in person!! Hugs, Helen

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  28. What a fun idea, and the quilting is amazing!

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  29. It is such an adorable quilt, Melissa! I love the idea of book titles quilted in there and the close-up shots are breath taking! The castle simply just left me speechless! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  30. Wow! I love books, and my grandchildren do, too. I seriously am going to have make a couple of these, and maybe adapt it to book bags. Great job!

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  31. It is a very fun quilt! I like that photo with your kiddos in front of it. Great quilting!

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  32. Your quilt is so wonderful! I love every detail of it, you are so creative. Fun fabric collection that you used. I have a Noteworthy jellyroll and am really considering making this quilt, it looks so fun. Great job!

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  33. Great quilt!!!! Going on my bucket list!!!

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  34. Oh how I love this quilt! I have seen something similar before. I want to heartily thank you. I love jelly roll quilts and I look forward to making this. Now my goal is to get this jelly roll. Again thank you.

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  35. Love your book quilt! It is so much fun and the quilting rocks! I saw it and though of my college roommate who loves books more than I do. This is going on my list of what I need to make :)

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  36. Oh, how amazing. Am I the only one trying to identify all the books?

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  37. I love your quilt Melissa. It's gorgeous.

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  38. Wow Melissa - that is absolutely fantastic! The quilted details really make the quilt. You've outdone yourself this time :-)

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  39. Wow! Not only is the idea great but the quilting is amazing! You really did a wonderful job of creating a whole scene and theme to the quilt. I love the castle and the beanstalk. The book titles just go beyond the top! Great job! Love those pigtails! :-) K-

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  40. They are adorable :) love the quilt too!

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  41. The quilting design is amazing--it makes the cute quilt into something wonderful!

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  42. Adorable quilt pattern. Incredible quilting!

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  43. I make quilts for my kids' teachers each year. This is sure to be a favorite! Thank you for rescuing me from something I didn't absolutely love with this design! I am making 2!!!

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  44. Awesome, awesome, awesome!!! This is the best bookshelf quilt ever. Love the pattern, love the fabrics you chose and all the little details that make it special. I might just have to make one.

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  45. I simply adore your read with me quilt.

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  46. I think this is the most clever quilt! I love it so much!

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  47. lets do this at quilt walk festival next year! love it.

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  48. You did a wonderful job on your book quilt! I've added this to my list of things to do eventually! This would be a beautiful quilt to make for a donation to our local library. They have a great children's department!

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  49. That is seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen!! Great job!!!

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  50. SEW Cute! I missed this being gone to the Block Party! I want to make one now. Thanks for the Tutorial. I have a "Reunion" Jelly roll that would work for this.

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  51. Oh my, this is so incredibly adorable! Thank you SO much for sharing the tutorial on how to make it. I'm currently working on my first ever quilt (Lori's Bee in my Bonnet row-along). This book quilt is definitely now on my short-list of quilts to make.

    Happy reading and sewing! :-)

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  52. Here's a post with my quilt that is loosely based on yours...I mostly used the same measurements and made it up as I went along.

    http://helpinglittlehands.blogspot.com/2013/05/kindergarten-book-quilts-bloggers-quilt.html

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  53. Amazing quilt! I'm thinking it would be lovely in my daughter's second grade class room.

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa