Finished BasiX Quilt Top and Ruler Tutorial!!

I am so excited to have finished my BasiX quilt top!!!   I have had one of these quilts on my to make list for so long and I am just thrilled to get to cross it off, although I suppose I should wait until I quilt and bind it before I cross it off.  But ya know, super close ;)      You might recall from back here,  that there was a BasiX Ruler in the October Sew Sampler box.   Well, here is is the first of November, and my quilt top is done.   Yippee!!!    Several of you emailed asking how the ruler worked, so I took a few pics along the way so I could share a little Ruler Tutorial. 

So to start, you need to cut your 2 1/2" strips.  You need 3 strips in each strip set and you can cut 7 units, that each measure 5" unfinished, from each strip set.   So for my quilt top, where I wanted my blocks laid out 6 x 7 or 42 blocks and 4 units per block, that equals 168 units divided by 7 per strip is 24 strip sets.   So for a 3 color quilt like mine,  1 3/4 yard of fabric from each of your 3 fabrics.   The center strip is what makes the outline, and the two outside strips are what make the stars ;)   So sew your strips together and I pressed mine towards the center.  And remember, it is helpful to use a slightly smaller stitch length when strip piecing ;)

Then, it's time to start cutting your units.  Place the BasiX ruler on the strip set taking care that the BasiX logo is facing up.  There are some patterns where you flip, flop the ruler, but this BasiX one you always want the logo facing up.   Then align the horizontal markings on the ruler with the seams of your strip set.   There can be a little overhang on the top and bottom, no worries, it will be in the seam allowance ;)    Then cut around all 4 sides of the ruler to cut out your first unit.

Now, we are going to continue across the Strip Set.   Again, align your BasiX ruler with the logo facing up, and the horizontal markings aligned with the seams, and the raw edge of the previous cut, aligned with the edge of the ruler.  After a few cuts, I found the following little trick to be very helpful.  When you make the first cut (yellow line),  cut a little past the ruler, making sure to cut straight in a line.  You don't need a lot, just start your cut a little below the edge of the ruler.

Then you can fold the rest of the strip set back and out of the way.  Then cut the remaining 3 sides around the ruler.  By folding the strip set out of the way, it makes it so that that bottom cut doesn't cut into the next unit.  You just have to keep that first cut straight, as you will be aligning the ruler along that cut.  Keep doing this until you have cut across the strip which will give you 7 units.  Then repeat for all 24 strip sets ;)

Then, once you have all 168 units cut, you can sew them together.   I used two layouts for my blocks, making 21 blocks of each layout.  This just adds a lot of visual interest and some fun secondary designs when the blocks are sewn together.

The blocks are sewn just like a 4 patch.  Sew the top two units together and the bottom two units together. I pressed my seams open.   Then just sew the top row onto the bottom row, aligning the center seam, and again pressing open.   And just like that, fun BasiX Blocks.  They will measure 9 1/2" unifinished and finish at 9" square.

Lay the blocks out in 7 rows with 6 blocks per row, alternating the 2 blocks as shown below.  Then it is just sewing the blocks into rows and the rows into the quilt top.   The quilt top measured 54 1/2" x 63 1/2" when all the blocks were sewn together.  I wanted it a bit larger and wanted to provide a little resting point for the eyes, so I added a 3 1/2" border.     I hope that helps you all on using a BasiX ruler and hopefully making some of your own BasiX Quilts ;)

And now I can't wait to get it quilted up and bound.   Isn't it just so fun!!!  I love all of those sparkling stars, and I especially love the black and white ones that were created in the secondary design.  So cool!!!   I can see myself making lots more of these BasiX quilts going forward.  They really are super fun and super fast!!!  My two favorites ;)

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!!

Linking up this quilt top finish to Sarah's and Myra's ;)

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My New Toy - The AccuQuilt GO!

Over the last two weeks I have been having a whole lot of fun playing with my new little quilting "toy", the  Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System from AccuQuilt!!!    And I am super excited to share what all has been "Making the Cut" these last two weeks ;)

The Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System comes all boxed up like a nice little Christmas present (which it would be awesome for anyone to find under the tree :)  And you really do have everything you need to get started cutting with AccuQuilt.

The first Die that comes with the system is the 2 1/2" strip die.   And I have to be honest, I skipped right over this.   Because of the way I like to cut my fabrics using the mat to measure (I know, its frowned upon, but I love it!!)  and subcutting all of my strips horizontally without moving them, I just don't know how often I will find this die useful.   But after skipping over it, I have since found that there are guides for 90 degree, 30 degree, 45 degree, and 60 degree angles on the die, which would make it easier to make a Lone Star or Tumbling Blocks quilt.   So now I can see myself opening up this die up and trying it out for blocks like that ;)

But what really got me excited when I was un-boxing, was the GO! Qube and the accompanying Quilt in a Day GO! Qube Book by Elanor Burns.   And here's why.   I have been wanting to start working with Jessica on some precision piecing now that she has basic patchwork pretty much down, and I can't think of a better way to start learning precision piecing than with absolutely perfect cuts!!!

The GO! Qube has 8 dies that can be mixed and matched to make 8" blocks.   Each die comes with a pattern, so those are just more bonus patterns.   And having the clipped corners on all of the triangle dies, really helps in lining things up, especially for a beginner like Jessica ;)

So Jessi and I started planning and she decided she wanted to make a Sampler Quilt using the blocks from the patterns and book.  She had so much fun deciding which fabrics to use! (don't we all :)  The great thing about the  Go! Qube is that several of the dies are charm pack friendly and leave next to no waste. So after a lot of fabric surfing, Jessi decided on 2 Charms of The Good Life and 1 Layer Cake of Miss Kate and it is going to make the cutest  sampler!!!    She choose a star block pattern, grabbed the dies, picked where she wanted her selected prints . . .

And it was time to cut!!!  This is as easy as stacking and rolling.   You just place the fabric on the die, place the cutting mat on top, and then roll it all through the cutter.   The cutter can cut up to 6 layers at a time, so several of the pieces that were the same size could all be cut at once.   Awesome!!!

And in no time at all, all the pieces were cut, and Jessi had her star block all laid out and ready to be sewn!!  And again,  those clipped corners on the triangles . . they really came in handy when she started to sew things together!!!

So ya, time to sew.   And wow, we learned, laughed, got a little frustrated, and then laughed some more!!  It was so great!!!!  I got to teach Jessica the basics on how to pin precisely, she is left handed, so it took me a minute to figure out how to explain things backwards, hence the frustration :).   Also, she learned best ways to press, chain stitching, and even the little Pin Trick for lining up points.   Yippee, she really did learn a whole lot sewing this little block together.

And I have to say, she did an amazing job with it!!!  Look how perfect all of her points are!!! What a great way to learn precision piecing!!   She was thrilled with the finish, and asked if she could start another block as soon as the last seam was pressed ;)  To which of course, I said "absolutely!!!"

So she choose a block from the Quilt in a Day GO! Qube Book and starting cutting.   And this block, every die was charm pack friendly and you can see how little waste there was.   Pinked edges and a few 1" strips, gotta love that.  Jessica got her new block all laid out and then said, I'll sew it tomorrow, tee hee hee.   I think she has quickly realized the cutting is the fun part now ;) 

But I am so happy that she enjoyed the experience and really wants to make up this quilt.  It will be awesome getting to make it one block at a time and see her confidence grow.  I will keep sharing her blocks here.   I told her if she can get it done , we can enter it into a quilt show, so here is hoping that keeps her motivated!!!

So, that is the Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System and I am just so happy with how wonderful it has been to teach Jessica!!    But now, I wanted a project too!!!    And why not start by cutting all the curves.   So for myself, I choose the Flowering Snowball die ;)   And you know how I love to make Red, White and Black quilts!!!

So grab my bolts of solids and start cutting!!!  The die has great instructions telling you what width of strips to cut, and then you just fan fold them and place them on the die, so you can cut out lots of layers at 1 time.   (And I cut one of the red dies first, and then cut out scraps from the die to layer on the little center square ;)

A quick roll, and I had beautiful curved pieces!!!  And I have to say, the curved piecing is what I am so super excited about for this cutter.   Curved piecing cutting is just more finicky than straight cutting, obviously ;)   It is the one thing that I cut, where I have to take a break because my wrists get sore trying to cut in and out of the curves.    So now, no break needed, and perfectly cut pieces every time.

But of course, with curved piecing, you are going to have some fabric waste.   And I worried about how much fabric would be left over from these die cuts.  But I was happy to find, that because of the way you fan fold the fabric strips, the "waste" could actually be cut into usable scrap pieces that I have added to my scrap drawers.  And that's nice ;)

I cut out all the pieces for my Flowering Snowball quilt, which will be 20 blocks, in just under a half an hour.     Wow!!!  I am going to love cutting out all the curves going forward!!!!

I used the 3 pin method to pin these together,  just like I use for drunkard path blocks we have done in quilt alongs.  (I think it would be so awesome if AccuQuilt made a "modern" drunkards path die :)  And I have to say, it is so, so, so, nice to have those little notches in the center to know where to line the pieces up!!!  A bit of chain stitching goodness . . .

And my blocks are just about all done, only 2 seams left!!!   I can't wait to get this project all done.  It is going to be incredible.   And it has been so easy.   I just love that ;)

So that is what I have been up to with my Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System and Flowering Snowball die and it has been so much fun!!   Not only am I working on a classic quilt that has been on my "to make" list for way to long, but I got to teach Jessi so much and to have it be a great first experience with precision piecing, well,  I couldn't be more happy ;)   I will be back with my finished quilt soon,  more on Jessica's blocks, and I am sure, lots more of playing with my new "toy" ;)

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Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day so let's have some fun :)

But first, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!  

The winner of the $25.00 Gift Certificate  from   Lou Lou's Fabric Shop is . . .  Number #183 . . .   Congrats Sarah J!!!   I have emailed you :)      

 

       

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop.   Fat Quarter Shop is amazing and they never cease to amaze me with everything they have going on at their shop!!!     And if you follow around here, you know about Fat Quarter Shop's awesome Sew Sampler Subscription box, but did did you know they have a Box just for Christmas!!! It's called the Jolly Box and you are so going to want to scoop one of these up before they are gone!!! 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a charming Oxford Wovens Layer Cake by Sweetwater for Moda to one lucky winner!!! Isn't this just so perfect for fall.  How wonderful would a quilt be made out of these awesome wovens!!! 

You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.  Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me if you have worked with wovens before and if so, on what project ;)

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, You Tube or at their Blog.  You can Sign up for their Newsletter which will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales, or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Fat Quarter Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 13th, when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

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Dessert Sampler - Blocks 4 & 5

It was a crazy busy weekend, a lot of which was spent drooling over all the awesome Quilt Market pictures on Instagram and wishing I was there :)  So I didn't have time to work on a lot of my current works in progress.  But I did squeeze in a little bit of piecing here and there and managed to finish up my Block 4 of the   Dessert Sampler .  I already had a good start on this block, so it didn't take long to finish up ;)  And I just love the two shades of green combined!!!

And, then I noticed that Block 5 was a pretty basic one, so I cut that one out and stitched it up as well.   I love having  this project  that I can work on when I don't have a huge chunk of time to sit down and sew ;)  It is just perfect for those snatches of time :) 

And now, I will have to snatch a few minutes here and there to cut out some more figgy goodness for Block 6.   It is a little more complex so it might be a bit before it's all sewn together :)

So how about you . . . what Long Term project are you working on???

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Jessica's Neverland Patchwork Quilt!!!

Today I am so excited to share my daughter's quilt finish!!!  Jessica started this quilt at the beginning of this year and has worked on it in waves, and now it is done.  And I just could not be more proud of her for finishing it up.   And what makes me so happy is that she made it all on her own!!!!  From choosing fabrics, to laying it out,  piecing it, quilting it, and even binding it!!!  This girl rocked out each and every step.  Eeekkk,  I just love her ;)

Jessi choose to use some Neverland Fabric by Jill Howarth for Riley Blake Designs.  She loved the adorable prints and the soft colors and I just happened to have some yardage,  so she cut it up into 6" squares.  I was a little nervous about the whole, using the rotary cutter thing on her own.  I was looming right over her shoulder, but she did all the cutting.  Great job Jessi!!! 

And then came the layout.  And I think this was my favorite part to be an observer.   It was so fun to watch her take her time and figure out just where she wanted each square.  And she reallu put some thought into it :)   From there, she moved on to piecing, and it was so great that she is becoming confident enough on the machine to pretty much pin, stitch, and press independently.  Oh, and I got to teach her some fun tricks on keeping your rows in order and chain stitching ;)   Great tools for any quilter to learn!!!  Once the patchwork was done, it was a quick border and then time to get this quilted.

I had a piece of yardage left for the backing from the Neverland line, but it wasn't big enough, but of course, that didn't stop Jessi.  She just picked out a print from my stash, bordered the yard I had,  and made this adorable pieced backing.  Isn't that just awesome!!!  Even pieced backs don't intimidate her :) 

And then it was onto the quilting, and I have to say, I just love to watch Jessica's  confidence grow each time she gets on the long arm.  She has quilted 3 projects on the long arm before.   And it makes me thrilled that she now can load the quilt, advance the quilt, change bobbins, and of course, quilt on the long arm all without needing me there ;)   Jessie debated on the design she wanted to quilt for a bit, but after a little doodling, she decided on L and E in the border and "North Stars" in the patchwork.   And off she went.  I even got to work on some of my own piecing while she was quilting away and  didn't she do a fantastic job!!! 

And then came the binding.  And this was her first time adding the binding to a quilt and I know I have already said it a ton, but I will say it again.  I am just so proud of her!!!  Binding can be tuff, and she did have a few trouble spots that I helper her through, but for a first time binding, she did awesome!!    And just like that, she was done and now she has this wonderful quilt that she made all on her own, start to finish. 

And she hasn't stopped wrapping up in it since she finished it!!!     So ya, as you can tell by this post, I am one proud mama over here!!!    Talk about a Happy Quilting kind of day :)   And Jessi already has two more works in progress, so there will be more finishes from her in the future.   Just like her mom, can't wait to finish one before starting more, tee hee hee.  

I just can't even put into words how happy it makes me that my daughter loves to quilt!!!   This is something we will be able to share for years and years, and with grandma in there, we will make it multi-generational.   And that just warms my heart.

Thanks so much for popping in today and sharing my proud mama moment ;)   

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!! 

Linking up to Amanda's, and Sarah's, :)