Thursday, August 31, 2017

August Sew Sampler Box!!

I don't know how Fat Quarter Shop does it, but somehow they just manage to make every Sew Sampler box a perfect combo of just what I needed at the time :)  This month's theme is Tropical Paradise and I was so in paradise when I opened my box and saw all of the incredible quilty goodness inside!!!  



A few days ago I was talking to my sister-in-law about colors for a baby quilt as she recently found out she was expecting a boy.  She loved the idea of sea blues and greens with some added oranges and maybe a touch of coral.   And so could have been more fortuitous when I opened my Sew Sampler box to find a bundle of Elizabeth Hartman's new Reef collection!!!! Perfect!!!!  And my SIL just loves the exclusive Chuckles pattern that came with the bundle, so I am all set for this new project!!!!   How perfect is that ;)  



And I am so excited about the notions in this month's box!!!  I have seen GE Design's Ruler Stickers before at classes but never remembered to pick them up once I left class.  They sure would have come in handy for marking my ruler to trim the blocks in my Tip Toe Through the Tulips Quilt  ;)   I am so excited to have them on hand now!!!  And I am excited for this YoYou Magnifier, which he has already run off as my husband used it yesterday to put his watch back together!!!  I am going to have to take that back before he thinks it is his ;)


And of course, I can never have enough Aurifil Thread and this beautiful variegated sea green is just so pretty!!!  I can't wait to sew with it ;)   And how adorable are those hand made woven labels!!!  They are going to go perfectly with my new custom Happy Quilting labels  I got last month :)    Seriously, this month's box was packed with some amazing quilting goodness and I can't wait to play with it all!!!! 



And last, but certainly not least, this month's Basket Block!!!   I love how this block turned out a little "softer" than some of the previous blocks.  I think that is mostly due to the background, but I sure love the variety it gives them.  It is going to be so fun to see these all come together ;)


And that is what I found in my August  Sew Sampler Box  . . . and boy did it make me smile!!!!  And I have to laugh, because as soon as I open the box, and see everything inside, I start getting antsy for the next month's box :)   Good thing time sure seems to be speeding up now that school has started.  Before I know it, my little blue box will be back on my doorstep again :)

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!!  I am off to cut out my Chuckles Quilt ;)  
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Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Roundabout Quilt-ALong - Schedule, Fabric Requirements,and Prizes!!!

Yippee, today is the day!!!!  The Roundabout Quilt-Along officially starts today!!!  Today's post is going over everything you need to know to Quilt-A-Long.   There will be a post every other Wednesday from today, August 30th, until November 22nd with bi-weekly assignments and then there will be a Parade and Grand Prizes on December 13th.  So lets go over how it's going to work!!



THE HOW TO

The Roundabout Quilt-Along is my own quilt design and I hope you enjoy putting it together and maybe even learn some new techniques along the way.    The quilt-a-long will include 3 different sizes for the Roundabout block giving you multiple layout options.  You can also choose how many blocks you want in your quilt.  You can do a  2 x 2 block layout, 3 x 3 block layout, 3 x 4 layout,  4 x 4 block layout, and/or a 5 x 5 block layout.   And don't feel like you have to make your quilt in the exact layout shown.   If there is a layout that I haven't included that you want to make or say you want to make a particular layout  a bit bigger by adding borders . . . Go for it!!!  This is your project so you can make it your own any way you like.    This quilt will not be made by making one block at a time but rather a more assembly line process.  Once the units are done, then the blocks will be created.   I broke down the construction of the quilt into bi-weekly assignments so hopefully the slower pace will allow everyone time to keep up even with the crazy lives that we all lead ;)     The schedule will be as follows

August 30th -Intro, Fabric Requirements, and Prizes Announcement (That's Today!!)
September 13th - Cutting
September 27th - Flying Geese
October 11th - Half Square Triangles with Goosed Corners
October 25th - Drunkards Path
November 8th - Building Blocks
November 22nd - Piecing Top and Grand Prize Linky
December 13th - Roundabout Parade and Grand Prize Winners

So count on checking back every other Wednesday to see what the next assignment will be.  You will want to try to keep up as there will be prizes along the way!!   Be sure to take a picture of your finished assignments so that you can link it up for the bi-weekly prizes :)  Oh, and if you are new to quilting, no worries, this will be super beginner friendly! I will go through each step in great detail in the Wednesday posts.

CHOOSING A PROJECT SIZE

So to start, you need to make some choices.  What size project do you want to make and with what size blocks. Check out this chart below to help you decide what size project you want to make and with how many blocks in it.  A 2 x 2 layout is 4 blocks, a 3 x 3 layout is 9 blocks , a 3 x 4 layout is 12 blocks, a 4 x 4 layout is 16 blocks, and a 5 x 5 layout is 25 blocks.



This will give you an idea of what each layout will look like ;)  




And as you have probably noticed - there are some curves in this quilt and you will need to make a template for that.  So while you are choosing a size and looking at rounding up your fabric, also remember to round up something to make your templates from.  I will be using   Extra Thick Plastic Template Sheets  but you can use thick posterboard, or cardboard or whatever you like to use best for templates ;)  

Alright, back to it.  Have you chosen a size block and layout??  Do you know what project you want to make??  Excellent, well then let's see what fabrics you are going to need.

THE FABRIC REQUIREMENTS

Regardless of what quilt you want to make you will need to choose "Print Fabrics" and a "Background Fabric".  Print Fabrics (which can be solids)  refer to the fabrics making up your blocks (ie, the rainbow solids up above).  And the Background Fabric (which can also be a print) refers to the fabric making up the background of the quilt (ie. the white above).     You will also need binding fabric and backing fabric so you are all ready to finish up your quilt.  (Because we area all about finishes, no wip's here :)

Print Fabric Requirements
Use the chart below to determine the amount of print fabrics you will need.  This quilt is fat quarter friendly, so the number of blocks in your quilt will be the number of Fat Quarter's you need.  Easy as that!!!



Background Fabric Requirements
Use the chart below for the amount of background fabric you will need for your particular size project.  I will be showing everything with a white background fabric, but you don't have to use white, feel free to choose any color you like for the background and remember, it doesn't have to be a solid :)



Binding and Backing Fabric Requirements
Refer to the two charts below for the requirements you will need for binding and backing fabrics for your particular project.




THE ROUNDABOUT QUILT-ALONG KITS

The Fat Quarter Shop has graciously offered to sponsor the Quilt-Along Kits and I am so grateful to them for that!!!  The wonderful thing about the Roundabout Quilt-Along is that it is Fat Quarter Friendly.   Which means the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing your fabrics!!!   All you need to know is how many Fat Quarters you need in your bundle and you are off.  And as a reminder, if you are doing a 2 x 2 layout you need 4 FQ's, if you are doing a 3 x 3 layout you need 9 FQ's, if you are doing a 3 x 4 layout you need 12 FQ's, if you are doing a 4 x 4 layout you need 16 FQ's, and if you are doing a 5 x 5 layout you need 25 FQ's.

 And since I didn't want to limit you to any specific Fat Quarter Bundles, the Kits will encompass any and all of the Fat Quarter Bundles that the Fat Quarter Shop has in stock!!!!!   And you can get any one you like at a discount!!!!!  Just use the coupon code Happy10FQB at checkout to save 10% off all regular priced Fat Quarter Bundles!!!!  (Not valid with other offers.  One use per customer.  Expires Sept. 7th 2017)  

 Please note, the Fat Quarter Bundle "kit"  will not come with the required background fabric, binding fabric, and backing fabric.  So be sure and grab that as well,  and remember, you don't have to use white for your background, do whatever you like to make it your own ;)   And of course, you don't have to get one of the "kits" below to participate in the QAL.  You are welcome to go "shopping" through your personal stash and find just the right bundle, the discount and kit ideas are just to help you get started if needed :)  

KIT IDEAS

Now I know that trying to choose a fat quarter bundle to start with can be a little overwhelming, so I mocked up some ideas and shared some hints behind fabric choice for this particular project.  Hopefully it will help you pick the bundle that is just right for you!!!  

So let's start out with SOLIDS!!!!

Solids give you  a wonderfully bold and modern look!!!  The sky is the limit when choosing solids and you can really play with color combo's that make you smile.   And you can always use Palette Builders like this one for Bella Solids to help you pick great color combo's ;)  You also never have to worry about directional fabric (which I never do anyways ;)  or losing some of your design that could blend into the background because it is easy to pick and see solids that are going to stand out on your choosen background color.     So here are some ideas with Solids!!!

If you are making the 2 x 2 layout, you simply need to grab 4 Fat Quarters, and Solids will always be a nice bold option for such a small quilt.  I particularly love the yummy citrus goodness in the new Wanderlust Bella Solids Bundle.



And there are so many wonderful options for any of the 3 x 4 layouts or 12 Fat Quarters when it comes to solids as a lot of solid bundles come in packs of 12 :)    You can choose from any of the Moda Bella Solids Designer Bundles like the V & C Designer Bundle below.  Fat Quarter Shop has also curated over 50 Solid Bundles so you are sure to find the color combo you like best!!!! 



And if you want to have more of an Ombre Solid look, you can check out the Bella Solids Colors of Moda Bundles, like the teal one below, or some of the Kona Cotton Solids Bundles.  I just love how the Ombre look really adds to the modern feel and it would look awesome with an added colored background.



And if you are doing the larger layouts you have so many colors that you can add in.    Again you can check some of Fat Quarter Shop's larger curated Solid Bundles.  Doing a "warm" color quilt or a "cool" color quilt is an idea, and if you wanted to stay with the rainbow theme from the original, you could always try out the 2017 Basket Blocks Sew Sampler Bundle, it is just a softer version of the rainbow.



Now, let's move on to BASICS!!!!

Basics are going to give you the same effect of solids as far as the color is concerned but it will add a bit of movement and texture to your fabrics!!  You won't have quite the color choices as you will with solids, but if you have a hard time with the bold look of solids but want each block to read a specific color while still getting a bit of a "print" than basics are the way to go :)   So here are some ideas with BASICS!!!

Gingham is so in right now and a fantastic basic!!!   This quilt uses Moda's Check Essentially Yours bundle but there are other Gingham Bundles to choose from as well :)   Dot's will give you a similar effect and there are so many Dot bundles to choose from, and I have to admit, I just love Polka Dots!!! 



And if you have been following along with my blog for a bit, you know that I just love Grunge!!!  It gives such a wonderful textured look while still reading as a specific color.   I can't get enough of it :) This example is the Harvest Grunge Bundle and I just love the gorgeous colors ;)   And Fat Quarter Shop has lots of Grunge Bundles to choose from as well.


And this Straw Maze bundle is also going to give you the same effect as Grunge with more of a geometric texture than a random dusting texture and I just love this neutral look.  Riley Blake also has a great Shades bundle if you want more of the rainbow look ;) 




And finally, let's talk PRINTS!!!!

This of course, is where you are going to have the most options.  The sky truly is the limit.   Might I suggest a few helpful hints if you choose to go with prints.  Since this particular design has a lot of piecing in it, I would suggest sticking to small to medium size scale of prints.  Any large prints will be so cut up they will really lose their design.   Second, be sure that your print doesn't have a background or large pieces in the print that will blend into your background color.  It is no fun to piece curves and then not be able to tell you pieced a curve because that particular print blended into the background fabric.   And it seems to work best in this design if your prints tend to "read" one color, that will also help the piecing to stand out ;)  And finally, it is always helpful to get a bundle that has a few extra prints in it, because that will allow you to pick through the bundle and take out any prints that might have the above mentioned things to watch for. And with that, again, the sky is the limit with prints!!!  So let's see some ideas.


Using an Ombre look, but with prints, looks just as awesome as it does in solids and luckily, Fat Quarter Shop has curated a whole ton of Color Fun Bundles  that do just that!!!  I love this Tangerine bundle, it just makes me smile and if you look close, you will see that I pulled out the one print that read a little red to me, again, nice to have a few extra's to sift through ;)



And of course, since this Quilt-Along is ending right at Christmas time, you might want to think about using a  Christmas Fat Quarter Bundles .   It's always fun to keep things festive!!!   I love the metallic in this Red and Silver Winter Blossom bundle ;) 



And it is always fun to mix and match prints to come up with your own bundle.  Don't feel like you have to stick to one designer's line.   You can add a lot of dimension in your prints by mixing and matching things.   Just pick a few colors or a focal print to guide your choices.   Just like this beautiful Stash Color Story Bundle.   I just  love the way it mixes prints from so many lines, giving you lots of print goodness, while still tying it all together.  



And of course, you can always use any Fat Quarter Bundle from your favorite Designers ;)  And it will look amazing!!!   Again, it comes in handy if you have some extra prints in the bundle, as most lines tend to have some low volume prints, and if you are using a white background you don't want them to blend into the background :)  You can see how I selectively choose the prints from Brenda Riddle's One Room Schoolhouse Fat Quarter Bundle so that each block stands out.



And you can see the small scale prints that tend to read one color will help to really make those curves stand out in your piecing.   Lori Holt's Bee Basics is a great example of each print reading a specific color and none of them blending to much ;)   And there were enough fat quarters to pick out the browns and blacks, as I wanted to keep this bright and happy!!!



So hopefully that gives you a few ideas of where you can start in choosing your Fat Quarter Bundle!!!!  And truly, this have all just scratched the surface of the options available to you!!!  And we haven't even talked about changing out your background color!!!  It is always amazing just how much it changes the design by adding in a color in the background :)   So don't forget that as an option as well to make your quilt your own!!!!



WANT A PERSONALIZED SKETCH???
And like I said at the beginning of this section, it can be overwhelming to choose ;)  So if you are thinking about a particular bundle and want to see it drafted up in a sketch like the ones above (with a white or colored background) please don't hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com and I can send you a sketch no problem ;)  I know how much it helps sometimes to get an idea of what it is going to look like before you start ;)  


THE PRIZES

I am so very excited about the Prizes for this Quilt-A-Long!!  I don't know about you, but I know that I am highly more motivated to keep up and finish when there are prizes at stake ;)  So how about this for a little motivation.

All those that finish their quilt top will be eligible for the 3 Grand Prizes.  The Grand Prize's are sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop and huge Thank You goes out to  Kimberly for their generosity in these prizes.  Wan't to know what they are???

The three winners will each receive a $75.00 Gift Certificates to Fat Quarter Shop!!!!   Talk about some amazing fabric Goodness!!!!!!  Yippee for fabric motivation!!


       


But . . . Sometimes it is hard to keep motivated when the end is so far away.  So for that . . . We have a little bi-weekly motivation.  Every other week you will be able to link up (You don't have to have a blog to link up, you can link to any social media image :) your completed assignment for a chance to win the bi-weekly assignment prize.    These bi-weekly Prizes will be sponsored by several of my Sponsors and will be so fun!!!
         

                

          



So there is going to be a lot of wonderful fabric to be won!!!  So keep up and sew on!!!

THE BUTTON, FLICKR, AND HASHTAG

 Now down to the last of the nitty gritty.   If you are Quilting-Along and have a blog, It would be wonderful if you added the button to your blog :)   It really helps to spread the word and the more that Quilt-Along the better!!!  If you have already added the button, thank you!!!


 


If you use Flickr,  I would love it if you joined the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long Flickr group.  You can post your fabric here, your progress, ask questions, ect.   And it is a super fun place to get to chat along with everyone participating :)

And if you use Facebook or Instagram and are posting your progress on your social media, be sure and use the Hashtag #roundaboutquiltalong   Then we can all easily find and see each others work on facebook and instagram as well ;)

You can try either of these out by posting a picture of you fabric once you have it!!!  I can't wait to see what fabrics everyone will be using ;)



LET'S GET GOING!!

So that just about wraps it up!!! You have 2 weeks to round up your fabric.  That should give you a great cushion for it to arrive in the mail if you decide to order fabric online.  Watch for that cutting assignment on September 13th.

Now I know that was a lot for one post, so if you have any questions at all regarding the Quilt-Along please do not hesitate to email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com or comment below.  I don't want anyone to not participate because they are confused by my rambling :)  And again, please feel free to make your quilt your own.  If you want a different layout, great!  Want to add a border, perfect!!  What ever you envision, you make it yours, all finished quilt tops will be eligible for prizes :)

Now . . .  Let's get Quilting-Along!!!
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