Twists and Turns - A MBS Tutorial

Today I am so excited to share a new Moda Bake Shop Tutorial.  It has been a little bit since I was over there so it is fun to be back again :)  I call this quilt Twists and Turns .  It is a super easy quilt to put together, I never used a pin :)  You can find the step by step tutorial over at the Moda Bake Shop.

This quilt is made with 2 jelly rolls and some 2 yardage cuts.  The fabric is the ever so adorable Bluebird Park from Kate and Birdie.  Those little hedgehogs are so stinking adorable!!

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 :)  

So let's get to it!!!

To make a Twists and Turns 84"x 84" picnic size quilt you will need:

2 Bluebird Park Jelly Rolls by Kate and Birdie
2 1/6 Yards of the Grey Flower print  (13106 18)
1 1/6 Yards of the Yellow print  (13108 19)
5 Yards of any print for Backing

STEP 1 - CUTTING

We will start with the Yardage.  From the Grey print yardage, cut (30) 2 1/2" x WOF strips.  From those strips sub-cut (36) 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares, (36) 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" strips, and (36) 2 1/2" x 14 1/2" strips.  Set aside.  From the Yellow print yardage, cut (15) 2 1/2"  x WOF strips.  From those strips sub-cut *36) 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips and (36) 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" strips.  Set Aside.

Now it's time to move onto the jelly rolls.  From the 2 Jelly Rolls select 54 strips.  I used the light grey, green, blue, and coral strips setting aside the yellow and dark grey strips for binding.

Divide the 54 strips into 2 piles, one pile of 18 strips and one pile of 36 strips.  Evenly distribute the colors in each pile.

From the pile of 18 strips, cut each strip while folded into a 10 1/2" and (2) 4 1/2" increments.  This will create (4) 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles and (2) 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" strips from each strip.  Cut all 18 strips this way and group the pieces into piles of similar size.

From the pile of 36 strips, open the strip and cut one of each of the following pieces from the strip.  A 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" piece, a 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" piece, a 2 1/2" x  8 1/2" piece, a 2 1/2" x  6 1/2" piece, and a 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" square.  Cut each of these pieces from all 36 strips.  Group these with the other prints into piles of similar size.

From your Jelly Rolls you should now have the following pieces

STEP 2 - BUILDING BLOCK

To start the block, gather a grey yardage 2 1/2" square and a colored print 2 1/2" square.  Place with right sides together and stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge, aligning as you sew.

Chain stitch 36 similar sets.  Chain stitching is just sewing one set after another without clipping threads in between.  Once you are through sewing all 36 sets, clip the threads and press toward the colored print.

Now, layout your pieced set and a colored print 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle as shown.  Place the rectangle onto the pieced set with right sides together and aligning the raw edge.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.

Repeat for all 36 pieced sets chain stitching as you go.  Once you have chain stitched all 36 sets, clip the threads and press towards the 4 1/2" print piece.

And now the process will repeat again and again :)
Grab a colored print 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle and place it onto the side of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.
Now, grab a colored print 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle and place it onto the top of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.

Grab a yellow yardage 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle and place it onto the side of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.
Now, grab a yellow yardage 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangle and place it onto the top of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.

Grab a colored print 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" strip and place it onto the side of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.
Now, grab a colored print 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" strip and place it onto the top of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.

Grab a colored print 2 1/2" x 10 1/2" strip and place it onto the side of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.
Now, grab a colored print 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" strip and place it onto the top of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.

Almost done!!!
Grab a grey yardage 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" strip and place it onto the side of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.
Now, grab a grey yardage 2 1/2" x 14 1/2" strip and place it onto the top of the pieced unit with right sides together and aligning raw edges as shown.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Repeat for all 36 sets chain stitching as you go.  Clip the threads and press towards the newly added piece.

You should now have (36) 14 1/2" x 14 1/2" blocks that look something like this :)

STEP 3 - ASSEMBLING QUILT TOP

And now is the really fun part.  This is where you get to decide what kind of a quilt layout you want.  There are so many possibilities.  These are a few of my favorite :)    Play with the blocks until you have the layout you love, and there are lots more options than shown ;)  Once you have a layout you like, sew the blocks into rows and the rows into the quilt top :)

 

If you decide to do the staircase layout, the same as I did, it is easiest to first sew the blocks into the two  sets of two shown below, making 9 of each set.

And then sew the sets into two sets of row, making 3 of each row as shown.

And lastly, sewing the rows into the quilt top.

STEP 4 - 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 that will walk you through Basting, Quilting, and Binding step by step ;)

When it came time to quilt mine,  I was a little swamped with my Lucky Stars Market quilt at that point, so Barbara was kind enough to quilt this up for me on the long arm.  She quilted adorable flowers in all shapes and sizes and traveling loops.  It is just perfect for these whimsical prints :)

 STEP 5 - ENJOY

And just like that, you have made one adorable Twists and Turns Quilt that is just the design for you :)    Twists and Turns measures 84" x 84", perfect for a family picnic, well  just as soon as it warms up enough to have a picnic :)

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Twists and Turns 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 Twists and Turns Quilts!!!

Linking up to Sarah's and Amanda's

Happy Halloween!!!

Costumes, check!  Pumpkins, check!  Bring on the Candy!!!!

Two kids have homemade costumes this year and one is new.  Grandma (Barbara) and Jessi made this Modern Musketeer costume complete with belt, cape, and hat.  I am just so excited with how much this girl is loving sewing!!

And yes, Barbara has amazing millinery skills.  Jessie really liked adding the sequins and feathers :)

Happy Halloween from our Family to Yours!!!

Bloc Loc Rulers

Have you heard of Bloc Loc Rulers??  I was first introduced to them this summer when a student in a quilting class was using one to trim up her HST's.  I noticed she was trimming super fast, so I walked on over to check it out ;)  Within a minute I was in love.  If you have been following Happy Quilting for any time, or if you happened to participate in my last 2 QAL's, you know that there is a lot of trimming going on around here.  So I am sure you can imagine why these have quickly become my favorite ruler :)

These are the Bloc Loc rulers for trimming HST's.  They come in 6 sizes from 1 1/2" to 6 1/2".  I have the even set, and I love them so much, I have already ordered the odd set and am stocking the post man awaiting their arrival ;)

The thing that makes Bloc Loc so special is the groove that runs down the middle of them.  This groove "locs" onto the seam allowance which allows you to apply very little pressure while trimming with completely accurate results.  Accurate results and no sore wrist, bonus!!!

The Bloc Loc rulers are simple to use.  Just place the ruler onto your HST that has the seam pressed to one side.  Loc the groove onto the seam allowance and check to make sure that the fabric is outside of your designated cutting size.   In this example I am double checking the 3 1/2" lines :)

Now just apply light pressure on the ruler and trim the two sides along the edge of the ruler.

Spin the ruler 180 degrees.  The seam stays locked while you spin.

Now slide the ruler down the locked seam and align the edge of the cut fabric with the desired cutting measurement.  The lines on the ruler are super fine which makes it really easy to align them exactly on the edge.  When you are all aligned, trim the remaining two sides.

And you have a perfectly trimmed HST!!!

Now, what is even more fun, is if you have the same size ruler that you are wanting to trim.  No having to double check lines or align here.  Just lock the ruler onto the seam, make sure there is fabric all the way around the end and you are set.

You can do like before and trim 2 sides and then spin your ruler 180 degrees and then trim the other 2 sides.  No sliding or realigning necessary.  Oh, and a rotating mat really comes in handy for this :)

Or I found it just as easy to just rotate my body and wrist and trim all 4 sides at once.  Since you don't need a lot of pressure to keep the ruler in place this is easy.  And in one swoop, a perfect HST.  (Hence, why I have ordered the odd rulers so I will have all 6 sizes)

And since I always trim in a mass assembly line process, I decided to give that a try as well.   And it worked great!!!  I just laid out my HST's on the mat and quickly locked the ruler onto the seam trimming 2 sides of each HST.  This was so fast because I never had to stop and look at measurement lines.

Then I rotated all of the HST's 180 degrees and once again, locked the ruler onto each seam trimming the other 2 sides.

And within minutes (seriously, just a few minutes) I had a whole stack of perfectly trimmed HST's and most importantly, my wrist didn't hurt at all!!  Oh yes, this is my favorite ruler!!!!

And when I went to get my HST rulers I was pleased to find that they also make rulers for Flying Geese!!!  I put a search into google to see what bloggers were saying about the Flying Geese ruler and found this from Rita of Red Pepper Quilts.  I figure if Rita loved them I was sure to as well, so of course, I had to have some :)

The flying geese rulers work in the exact same way, using the grooves on the ruler to lock onto both seams of the flying geese.  The rulers also come with instruction on how to oversize the geese slightly ensuring that you will be able to trim them perfectly :)  Flying Geese rulers come in 4 popular sizes and you can even use them to square up a square in a square block.

Just like the HST's, you loc the rulers onto the seams, trim 2 sides, rotate 180 degrees and them trim again.

So to summarize,  I am absolutely in love with my Bloc Loc Rulers.  They are the perfect tool to make the chore of trimming not so much of a chore!!!  So, if you are like me and happen to be doing a lot of trimming, you might find the Bloc Loc Rulers helpful.

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!  I am off to trim some more HST's for my Riley Blake Challenge quilt and I am actually looking forward to it.  Yippee Skippee!!!

October's Ending

Well the month is almost over, which means it was time to get my bee block in the mail ;)  I only had one this month for the Beejeebers group.  Bethany asked us to make this block based on Nancy Cabot's Boston Streets pattern.  It was such a fun block to put together.  I love anything that lets me do lots and lots of perfect crisp corners.  Look at those center pinwheels, so fun!!   And, I found a special new ruler that really made trimming the  HST's a breeze.  I will share more on it later this week :)

And of course, with the end of fall, comes the raking.  This weekend what started out as a family chore to clean up the backyard, turned into some family fun :)

Who doesn't love playing in a huge pile freshly raked leaves :)

And yes, the kids and dear husband did manage to get them all in bags by the end of their time outside :)

Which is probably a really good thing as there is snow on the ground this morning.  I guess that means so long Fall and hello Winter.  But hey, with winter comes staying inside more which means more time for quilting :)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!