Sew in Love {with Fabric}

Friday, May 13, 2016

Bali Blog Hop: Day 5

Happy Friday the 13th! Don't let this superstitious date scare you away from our Bali Blog Hop! Today Alison from Little Bunny Quilts is here, sharing her block. Enjoy her tutorial and then head over to her blog for a chance to win a a bundle of Dolce and Rio Balis!

Hello! I'm Alison from Little Bunny Quilts and I am excited to be back here at Sew In Love With Fabric for the Bali blog hop! When I'm not quilting, I am working as a research chemist and wrangling two bunnies, Clara and Frankie.

Now on to the tutorial -- I call it Aruban Puzzle as it is a fun take on a classic Dutchman's Puzzle Block!

Cutting:

Eight (8) 3 7/8 inch squares cut diagonally once for sixteen (16) triangles in your background fabric (I used black)
Eight (8) 2 5/8 inch squares (I used two different fabrics and cut four from each fabric)
Four (4) 4 1/4 inch squares cut diagonally twice for (16) triangles (I used two different fabrics and cut two squares from each fabric)

Sew two small triangles to each of your small squares - you will make eight of these units.

Sew your large background triangles to your units to make eight large flying geese units.

Sew your flying geese units into pairs -- since I made two sets of four units, I paired the different units together with the same unit on "top" for each pair.

Lay your units out as shown below and sew together for your finished block!

Thanks for letting me share this fun twist on a classic block with you!

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the Dolce and Rio fabrics we're featuring in this blog hop, head over to Alison's blog.

Click here to see the entire Rio collection.
Click here to see the entire Dolce collection.

Stop back each day this week to catch all of the tutorials!
Monday: Chris @ made by ChrissieD
Tuesday: Stephanie @ Stitched Together Studios
Wednesday: Benartex Blog Design Team
Thursday: Kirsten @ KD Quilts
Friday: Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts
Saturday: Debby @ Debby Kratovil Quilts

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Bali Blog Hop: Day 4

So glad you stopped by! Are you as ready to make your next quilt from Balis as we are?! We have three more days of block inspiration, including today's post from Kristen @kdquilts. Enjoy her tutorial and then head over to her blog for a chance to win a a bundle of Dolce and Rio Balis!

Hello to all the wonderful readers of Sew in Love With Fabric! I am so excited to be here sharing my abstract modernistic leaf block. When I was looking at the fabric, plotting and planning what to create, I couldn't get past the leaf imprints on most all the colors. A few years back I helped my mother-in-law make a quilt for my husband's grandmother. It was full of leaves and strip pieced blocks. I took those leaves and combined that with a mini quilt I made last year and came up with a leaf block of sorts. so without further adieu, here's the tutorial for my abstract, modernistic leaf block.

Materials:

6 fat quarters, cut into 12 strips 2.5 x 13 inches

2 background squares 4 inches each

2 x 18 inch strip for center of block

Sew:

Sew the fat quarter strips down the long side into two sets of six.

Cut each set in half diagonally. Each set from the opposite corner.

Take one triangle from each set and sew the white strip between them.

Trim block to 12.5 inches.

Place a white square on both of the colorful corners. Draw a line on each white square from corner to corner. Sew along that line.

Trim triangles with 1/4 inch seam allowance.

That's it! With the left overs, you have most of a second block already finished...a complete bonus! I'm going to make a few more blocks and make a wall hanging for my sewing area. Check back in a few weeks to see it all finished!

A big thank you to Benartex fabrics for including me in the Batik blog hop! I can't wait for my finished mini quilt to be hanging above my machine!

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the Dolce and Rio fabrics we're featuring in this blog hop, head over to Kristen's blog.

Click here to see the entire Rio collection.

Click here to see the entire Dolce collection.

Stop back each day this week to catch all of the tutorials!

Monday: Chris @ made by ChrissieD
Tuesday: Stephanie @ Stitched Together Studios
Wednesday: Benartex Blog Design Team
Thursday: Kirsten @ KD Quilts
Friday: Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts
Saturday: Debby @ Debby Kratovil Quilts

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Bali Blog Hop: Day 3

Welcome back! We hope you're feeling inspired by all the fun ways we're showing how to use our vibrant Balis! Today's block has several variations--we're confident there's a version for everyone to love!

Because we just can't admire them too much, another look at the bundles we're working with this week:

Six prints from the Dolce Balis

Six prints from the Rio Balis

These fabrics aren't available in quilt shops yet, but you can win a bundle of Rio and Dolce Balis to play with! (Today and each day of our blog hop...six chances!) You'll see how at the bottom of this post.

The block(s):

We call them Diagonal Bullseyes.

These 12" square finished blocks are stitched on a foundation and can be made using straight or wonky piecing techniques. We'll show you how to make the wonky block; the more traditional straight-pieced block uses the same method--just be sure to align your raw edges before sewing rather than angling the strips!

Materials:
1/3 yard white solid
Rio and/or Dolce fat quarters

Cutting:
White solid:
Four 6-1/2" white squares (for foundation)
Four or five 1" x 42" strips

Bali fat quarters:
A variety of 18" strips, ranging in width from 1-1/2" to 2-1/4"

Making the Block:
Step 1: Layer a colored strip and a white strip right sides together diagonally across a 6-1/2" square. Sew using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open.

Step 2: Add a white strip to the opposite side of the colored strip. As you add strips, angle them along the raw edge of the existing strip to create a wonky look. After adding an angled strip, you'll need to trim so the seam allowance is only 1/4". This eliminates both bulk and the potential for shadowing of the darker fabric through the white. If you have an "Add a Quarter Inch" ruler (typically for paper piecing), you can use it here, as we did. Otherwise, a regular ruler works fine. Trim the seam allowances of the two strips to 1/4" past the seam. *Important!! Fold the foundation square out of the way before trimming the strip.* After trimming, press strips open.

Here's another example of adding an angled strip for a wonky look. Try to angle strips at least 1/4" so they actually look wonky. Otherwise, it will just look like you didn't piece terribly straight. We're aiming for purposely wonky!

Here the red strip is trimmed so the seam allowance doesn't show beyond the white strip.

Step 3: Continue adding strips in both directions from the center strip, alternating between colored strips and white strips. Trim seam allowances each time and press strips open. The gray strip below has been added on an angle but the seam allowance still needs to be trimmed.

Gray strip flipped and pressed open:

Step 4: When you're finished, the white square will be completely covered with strips, like this. (As you add strips, you can trim excess length from beyond the white square.)

Step 5: Flip it over and trim to 6-1/2" square.

Here's a finished quarter block:

Step 6: Repeat to make three additional quarter blocks.

Step 7: Sew the quarter blocks together in pairs, noting orientation of the stripes, and then join the pairs to complete the block. Press the seams open to reduce bulk.

If wonky isn't your thing, here's an example of the same technique used with straight piecing. Just make sure your strips have raw edges aligned rather than angled before sewing. No trimming of seam allowances necessary! If you like the way the thin white strips look, you can add them in here as well; simply alternate them with the colored strips.

Although we only show two, there are at least four possible variations to this block--wonky with white strips, wonky without white strips, straight pieced with white strips, and straight pieced without white strips. And if you want an even more uniform look, consider using the same width strips in each position of the quarter block--when you assemble the quarter blocks, the strips will line up perfectly. So many choices!

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the Dolce and Rio fabrics we're featuring in this blog hop, make sure you're following us, either through a blog reader or by email (both options in the right-hand sidebar). Leave a comment below letting us know that you are, and also telling us whether you like the Dolce or Rio collection better. Giveaway is open through Monday, May 16th at 11:59 pm EST.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Bali Blog Hop: Day 2

It's Day 2 of our Bali Blog Hop! We're back with another inspiring tutorial for using these rich, gorgeous Bali prints! Today Stephanie from Stitched Together Studios shares her wonky version of the classic Jacob's Ladder block. Enjoy!

I love batiks … all colors, all designs, every single thing about them, so I was thrilled to open up my fabric package and find the Rio and Dolce collections! I think they blend together beautifully (as do most batiks) so I chose to mix them up and use them together.

I immediately thought of the Jacob’s Ladder block – quick and easy, and it creates so many cool secondary patterns depending on how you put it all together! I whipped out my rulers and rotary cutter, and in just a few minutes I had this on my design wall:

Pretty, but lacking a little something …. There is RIO in these blocks for goodness sakes, land of the samba, Carnival, Copacabana Beach, and the upcoming Summer Olympics! I could do better.

Enter “A Escada de Jaco” (loose translation in Portuguese, the official language of Brazil)

Fabric Requirements

(1) each 3-1/2” square from (10) batiks

(10) 3-1/2” squares of white

(2) each 5” squares from (2) batiks

(2) 5” squares of white, crosscut once into (4) half square triangles.

Four Patch Units (make 5): Sew 3-1/2” batik and white squares together in pairs, then sew the pairs together into 4 patch units. Using your 4-1/2” ruler trim block at a fun wonky angle.

Half Square Triangle Units (make 4): Lay (1) white half square triangle right sides together at an angle on top of (1) 5” batik square, then sew along the angled line. Trim batik fabric, then press with seam allowance towards batik. Again, use your 4-1/2” ruler to trim square at a fun wonky angle.

To complete your block, lay out your four patch units making one diagonal white line and one diagonal batik line, then add in your half square triangle units with the white towards the center. Sew your units together into rows, then sew your rows together – and there you have it … “A Escada de Jaco.”

The finished block: Brazilian pizzazz!

Thanks, Stephanie!

Inspired by her block for this tutorial, Stephanie used the rest of her fat quarters and about a yard of white solid to create 6 Escada de Jaco blocks. She framed them with a 1" white border and a 5" improvisationally pieced border to create a 36" x 48" quilt top. So bright and beautiful! She'll be donating this to Quilted EMbrace, a group dedicated to "covering our seniors with a hug, one quilt at a time." (Click here to learn more about Quilted EMbrace.)

For a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the Dolce and Rio fabrics we're featuring in this blog hop, make sure you're following us, either through a blog reader or by email (both options in the right-hand sidebar). Leave a comment below letting us know that you are, and also telling us if you've ever made a wonky block. Giveaway is open through Sunday, May 15th at 11:59 pm EST.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Bali Blog Hop: Day 1

If last week's posts of our current and upcoming Bali collections got your mouth-watering, then you're in for a treat this week! It's time for our Bali Blog Hop, featuring the Dolce and Rio collections. We selected six gorgeously saturated prints from each collection and will be sharing tutorials using those fabrics from six different designers. Each day you'll see a different block (or in some cases blocks), and you'll have a chance to win Rio and Dolce bundles for yourself!

Our first tutorial comes from Chris @ made by Chrissie D. She is sharing a few modern blocks, each showcasing one print. Put them all together (as she does on her blog) for a stunning modern design. Don't forget to visit her blog, not only to see the rendering of 36 blocks together, but also to enter for a chance to win Dolce and Rio bundles. Enjoy!

Hi, I'm Chris Dodsley of made by ChrissieD, a sewing teacher in Manhattan, NYC, blogging about my textile crafts and travel adventures.

I love to share my projects and tutorials with everyone on my made by ChrissieD blog and various social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Flickr.

Day 1 on the Dolce and Rio Bali Block Hop and I'm sharing my 'Kukulcan' block pattern with you here on the Benartex Sew in Love {with Fabric} blog.

For the Block Hop, I've created my 'Kukulcan' block pattern which is made up of 3 different blocks using only two fabrics.

I'm using a white solid and while the cutting instructions are for one coloured fabric I've actually used three in this tute just so I can showcase more of the Bali Batiks for you: Kukulcan Inner Block - Sunny Leaf Plum from theDolce collection; Kukulcan Middle Block - Thousand Vines Red from the Rio collection; and Kukulcan Outer Block - Sunny Leaf Carribean also from the Rio collection.

Let's get started.

Kukulcan Block Pattern (12" finished)

Tools:

cutting mat / rotary cutter / small scissors or clippers

cutting ruler / marking pencil or pen / pins neutral thread

Instructions:

Sew each block together using a 1/4" seam.

Start by sewing A1 to B2 and work your way around the block adding each piece in numerical order A1 to C9.

Press all seams in your preferred manner, I've pressed my seams open for a flatter more modern look.

Tip:

When you have added all the B pieces to the A piece the block should measure 8-1/2". It is worthwhile checking the size at this stage to ensure your finished blocks measure up correctly at 12-1/2".

Block 1: Kukulcan - Inner

Section A - coloured fabric / Section B & C - white fabric

Block 2: Kukulcan - Middle

Section B - coloured fabric / Section A & C - white fabric

Block 3: Kukulcan - Outer

Section C - coloured fabric / Section A & B - white fabric

3 Kukulcan Blocks - finished

On the made by ChrissieD blog today I've created a digital image showing how the block can look made up into a 9 block quilt using the 3 Bali Batiks I've used here. I've done another image showing a 36 block quilt using all of the Bali Batiks shown in the above Dolce and Rio bundles. There's also a chance to win your own Bali Batik bundle so lots of reasons to click through and take a look.

I hope you've enjoyed my day on the Bali Block Hop and if you do use my tutorial I'd love to see what you make - Chris :D

Thanks, Chris! Head over to Chris' blog for a chance to win Dolce and Rio bundles.

Click here to see the entire Rio collection.
Click here to see the entire Dolce collection.

Stop back each day this week to catch all of the tutorials!
Monday: Chris @ made by ChrissieD
Tuesday: Stephanie @ Stitched Together Studios
Wednesday: Benartex Blog Design Team
Thursday: Kirsten @ KD Quilts
Friday: Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts
Saturday: Debby @ Debby Kratovil Quilts

Pages