Summer Mini Quilt Blog Hop: Day 3

We can't wait for summer! To help put us all in a carefree, sunshine-y mindset, this week we're hosting the Summer Mini Quilt Blog Hop! Thanks to our talented designer friends, we'll be featuring tutorials to make four different summer-themed mini quilts.

Today Alison from Little Bunny Quilts is here with a bright star mini quilt. Enjoy her tutorial (featuring some of the colorful prints from Ann Lauer's Anything Goes collection) and then head to her blog for a chance to win some Anything Goes for yourself! 

Here's Alison!
Hello, quilters! I am Alison from Little Bunny Quilts and I am happy to be back here today at Sew In Love With Fabric to share a tutorial for a quick and fun mini quilt made from the new line Anything Goes by Ann Lauer.

Here's a sampling of some of the fabrics in this line:

I used mainly the green and blue prints in this mini, which finishes at 20 inches square. I used one of my favorite blocks -- the Ohio Star -- and used partial blocks to give the design a little more pizzazz.

Cutting:
3 - 5.5 inch squares background fabric (for QSTs)
8 - 4.5 inch squares background fabric
1 - 5.5 inch square blue #1 fabric (for center QSTs)
2 - 5.5 inch squares green #1 fabric (for center QSTs)
2 - 5.5 inch squares blue #2 fabric (for outer QSTs)
4 - 5.5 inch squares green #2 fabric (for outer QSTs)
5 - 4.5 inch squares white print fabric

Draw diagonal lines on all of your green squares. Pair up each 5.5 inch square as listed below to create HSTs by sewing 1/4 inch on each side of the line, cutting apart on the drawn line, and pressing toward the green. Do not trim your units yet.

For center QSTs:
1 - 5.5 inch green #1 square + 1 - 5.5 inch background square (yielding 2 green/background HSTs)
1 - 5.5 inch green #1 square + 1 - 5.5 inch blue #1 square (yielding 2 green/blue HSTs)

For outer QSTs:
2 - 5.5 inch green #2 squares + 2 - 5.5 inch background squares (yielding 4 green/background HSTs)
2 - 5.5 inch green #2 squares + 2 - 5.5 inch blue #2 squares (yielding 4 green/blue HSTs)

In this picture, the units that will be used for the center QSTs are in the top row, and the units that will be used for the outer QSTs are in the bottom two rows.

Cut each HST in half, perpendicular to the sewn seam. Note: it is important to cut perpendicular to the seam, rather than just from corner-to-corner as this ensures nice "square" seams at the center of  your QSTs. If you find that your two corners are not perfectly aligned when you line your ruler perpendicular to the seam, do your best to position the cut such that the cut splits the difference between the offset corners, as in the diagram below.

After cutting your HSTs in half, pair each half with the corresponding complementary half to make your QST units. Sew together, making sure to align the center seam. Press seam open to reduce bulk and trim your QST units to 4.5 units, making sure that the center intersection remains the center of the trimmed block.

Lay out your QST units and 4.5 inch white print and background squares as shown below.

Sew together for your mini top.

Quilt as desired and bind. I quilted my mini with a swirly flower motif. I made bias binding with one of the black prints in the collection and also used the same print for my hanging pockets. I pieced together the leftovers from the green floral print and blue dot print for my backing fabric.

Thanks for letting me share this fun tutorial with you! I love making minis and I hope you do too! Hop on over to Little Bunny Quilts to win a mini bundle of fat quarters from the Anything Goes collection!

Click here to see the entire Anything Goes collection. 


Don't miss the other days of our Summer Mini Quilt Blog Hop!

Summer Mini Quilt Blog Hop:
Day 1: Debby from Debby Kratovil Quilts using Liberty Garden
Day 2: Benartex blog design team using Play Ball
Day 3: Alison from Little Bunny Quilts using Anything Goes
Day 4: Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation using Patio Splash

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Modern by the Yard - Issue #4!

It's here! We're celebrating spring with a bright new issue of our e-zine, Modern by the Yard. We had so much fun putting it together and we think you'll love every page!

psst...you can also download Modern by the Yard to your computer. That means you can save the patterns/pages you like, print them out, and enlarge the pages on your computer to make them easier to read as needed. When you click on the link above, look for the download option that appears below the magazine cover. Enjoy! 

Here's a quick look at some of the highlights from this new issue; click on the blue box above to turn the pages of the entire the issue yourself! Also, this issue includes a link to a survey on the last page--please answer a few quick questions for a chance to win a fabric bundle!

"Spring Fresh" by Jessica Skultety

"On the Plus Side" by Sandra Walker

"Technicolor Rainbow" by Jayne Willis

"The Newspaper Quilt" by Stephanie Sheridan

Debby Kratovil's Modern with a Twist feature

If you missed our first three issues, click here to find the links.

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March Madness: Round 1, Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of our quilt-themed March Madness!

Here are today's games:

Voting for these games is now closed. Click here to find the Day 4 voting.

Game 1:

American Dream by Diane Nagle featuring Oh My Stars

vs.

Color Blocks by the Benartex Studio featuring Masterpiece Mixers

Game 2:

Big Moon by Rose Ann Cook featuring Glass House

vs.

Squares by Golly by Ann Lauer featuring Anything Goes

Leave a comment below with your votes for these two games (choose American Dream or Color Blocks for Game 1 AND Big Moon or Squares by Golly for Game 2). One comment per person, please. You can also vote a second time on our Facebook Group – Sew Interesting and a third time on our Pinterest board. 

Voting for these two games is open through Wednesday, March 15 at 11:59 am EDT.

Click here to see the entire Sweet Sixteen bracket.

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Anything Goes!

 Ann Lauer says that her newest collection, Anything Goes, is reminiscent of a grown-up coloring book. The black and white prints are so much fun, but then you see the red, lime and blue and realize that the name is true--Anything Goes! We asked Ann to tell us about these playful prints. 

A sampling of Anything Goes prints, fresh off the bolt! 

Tell us about Anything Goes.

I may just love it the best! I love black and white; I think they are classy and timeless. The black and white prints are designed to go from light to dark with smooth transitions in scale and value. And adding color just makes it fun. Where the color is added, it’s watercolor. Instead of stamping the color, they’re blended and shaded, which adds depth.

We’re not surprised the line includes a stripe!

The stripe was planned out to have four repeats across the width, so it can be used for a quilt border with minimal waste, whether you choose the flower section or the stripe, or both. It’s also great fun to fussy-cut, and to use a quarter square ruler on, like in the Squares By Golly free download pattern.

Tell us about some of your other favorites.

I’m crazy about the big print. The flower centers are the same motif of the Playful Discs print. I love the way the shards of color are in the black and white leaves. Those same shards show up in a few different prints. And the background in this big print—there’s a ton of action—squares and circles in two sizes. You can cut the big print anywhere and create something wonderful.

We reused the squares and dots from Poppy Panache because they were so popular, but we added in new colors. I think the multi squares is a terrific blender. It adds just a touch of color—it’s pretty on its own, in blocks, or in borders. It brings so many colors together.

Playful discs is my favorite among the black and white prints.

What makes this line so unique?

The black and white prints flow so smoothly, and you can add in bright color to make it playful. You can add tons to make it wild and crazy, or you can just choose one accent color--either lime, red, or blue--to work with, which I think makes the collection seem bigger, with more options.

Can you share some of the patterns that feature Anything Goes?

It works great in bargello quilts. When you cut up that huge print into slivers, you get just enough color to make it really interesting.

 

"Freefall;" one of several bargello quilt patterns

"Afternoon Delight"

"Just the Right Angle"

"Steppin' Out - Stripe"

 And of course there's the free quilt pattern I designed that is available on Benartex's website, "Squares, by Golly."

Click here to download the free quilt pattern.

Click here to see the entire Anything Goes collection. 
Click here to visit Ann's website and see her Anything Goes patterns and kits. 

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Tour our Benartex booth!

Are you ready for a tour of our Quilt Market booths? 

We're starting today with the Benartex booth, full of new fabric lines and beautiful quilts.

A look at the entire booth:

Quilts made from Paula Nadelstern's new collection, Kismet:

Two more quilts, plus a gorgeously beaded sphere--such a work of art!

Two clutches featuring fussy-cut kaleidoscope designs:

Quilts made using Jackie Robinson's A Festive Season collection:

Love those vibrantly red cardinals!

Shelves and shelves of pre-cuts! (Ask for them at your local quilt shop!)

Rose Ann Cook's two lines, Glass House and Joey the Shop Dog:

Our special guest at Quilt Market, Joey! Joey charmed everyone who came to the booth.

Being at Quilt Market is exahusting...

 Quilts featuring A Moose for Christmas by Cheryl Haynes

What a cute moose applique wall hanging!

Ann Lauer's new Butterfly Fandango collection:

Ann's second new line, Anything Goes:

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Find That Fabric: Answers and Winners

Did you participate in our Find That Fabric game? 

Below are the answers...see how you did! 

We'll be featuring all of these new lines (plus others!) on the blog over the next few months so you'll know when you can look for them at your local quilt shop. 

And the winners are: 

Day 1 - Ellen Baldridge (FQ bundle of New Traditions)

Day 2 - Cindy Clark (FQ Bundle of Anything Goes)

Day 3 - Janice Mockmore (FQ bundle of A Moose for Christmas)

Congratulations, winners! 
We'll be contacting you by email for your mailing address. 

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