I got one more quilt done for our new littlest granddaughter! She was a month early, so I told her mom that I still had a month to get this done!
This was a fun quilt to make. I made one of these quilts a few years ago, but added extra borders to make it a lap quilt. I had so much fun making it that I decided to make another one.
I got this fabric on my own personal quilt shop hop during our trip in Arizona last March!
I have both May and June block(s) of the month this time.
These were both so fun to sew and they were completely different techniques! One is paper piecing, the other one teaches how to make flying geese. I absolutely love learning a new technique each month. Some of these I have done before, but it seems like everyone does it just a little bit different and it is great to learn all the new ways!
Here is my new Block of the Month block from the “Sew Classic Sampler”.
It is called a Dresden Plate. I have never made one of these before and thought that they looked really hard, but guess what? It really was not that hard and I had fun learning how to make this block and making it!
I love the applique on this block and I learned how to make “perfect circles” by using a template and then run a gathering stitch around the outside and gathering it around the template. Then iron with a good spray starch that has been brushed around the edges to get that perfect circle! They also taught me how to get my corners matched up and make good points at the tutorial they had at “Just Sew”
I am so excited! I joined a block of the month quilt at Just Sew in Highland, Utah!
I absolutely love the colors and the patterns in this quilt.
The pattern for this quilt is called: Sew Classic Sampler.
This pattern is designed to teach three kinds of piecing (regular, paper and template piecing) as well as a little applique. It is a very stunning quilt and I am SEW excited to be doing this!
These are my first two blocks that I have finished for this month:
Name of this block is: Arbor Window (aka Granny Square)
I have a WIP (work in progress) quilt to show you today. I wanted to show it to you now in case anyone else wants to make one of these for the holidays!
It was a fun quilt to make and I was able to complete the top in two weekends! So it actually goes together quite fast!
I went to the Dog Kennel Quilt show this last weekend. Isn’t that quite the name! apparently when they first started they met in an old dog kennel building! My how times have changed. They were celebrating 20 years this year! This is what greeted us as we pulled up to the house! Is that amazing or what. It is a small representation of some of their quilts over the last 20 years!
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I bought this quilt kit at my favorite little store in Midway, “Seasons of Home” a few weeks ago and I have worked on it on the weekends when my husband and I have gone up to our cabin. (I always have to have a project and I think that I drive my husband crazy!) It is a very fun easy quilt to make and it only took me a couple of days to complete the whole top!
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I made this quilt for my grandson’s baptism. It is made with all minky fabric and so it is very soft and cuddly! And it was fun to make because you quilt it as you go and so once you are done sewing the quilt together, you have also quilted it!
Is this not the cutest kid you ever did see?!! :)
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The binding on a quilt can really finish off a quilt and make it look professional. It is a fairly simple thing to do and if you know a couple of techniques, it makes it really quite easy! We are going to do a binding with mitered corners. The first thing you need to do is to cut your fabrics into strips. I am doing straight strips on this quilt, but you could also do bias strips, especially if you are going to do rounded corners or scallops. I cut this binding into 2 1/4 ” strips.
Cut off all the selvages.
Pin two strips right sides together.
With right sides together, sew a 1/4″ seam. Continue sewing all the strips together into one long strip, until you have enough to go all the way around your quilt. I used 6 strips for this quilt. It is just a small lap quilt.
Then fold the strip in half wrong sides together and press with a steam iron. (Don’t you love the ironing board cover? I guess it is about time for a new one, but you can tell that it has been well loved!) :)
Roughly measure the strips all the way around your quilt, making sure that you have no seams meeting right at the corners. Adjust where you start, if a seam meets at a corner.
Pin where you started marking the binding. You do not need to pin all the way around you just need to pin the start. You will want to start sewing about 6-8″ away from the end of the strip. (This is so you can finish off the end of the binding)
Start sewing the binding on with 1/4″ seams. Sew to within 1/4″ of the corner.
You are going to turn your quilt, but not with the needle down. Lift the needle (You do not cut the thread either) turn the quilt and binding and lift the binding to make a 45 degree angle to the corner.
Then fold the binding straight down on top of the 45 degree angle.
Put your quilt under your pressure foot and start sewing a 1/4″ seam down your second side.
Repeat this process for the other 3 corners and sides. When you get back around to where you started, quit sewing about 6″ before you get to the other tail.
Take quilt out from the machine holding both strips together put a pin in where they meet.
Cut off the excess binding 1/4″ away from your pin.
Like this.
Then open up both of the binding ends and with right sides together you will sew a 1/4″ seam. This is a little bit hard especially if you have not left enough room to work with. But just bunch up the quilt a little bit until you can stitch the ends together.
Then refold the binding and I just do a finger press here. Continue sewing the binding to the quilt and it will come out exactly to the right measurement!
Next come the most time consuming part. So plan for a good tv show or an evening or two to sew around the binding by hand. You will want to pin as you go to hold the binding in place. You are wrapping the binding around to the back and doing a blind stitch on the back of your quilt. Be sure to take tiny stitches! Like I said this is the most time consuming! 
When you come to the corners, they will just automatically lay into place. Fold one side down and the other side will fold to a point! How cool is that!
So there you have it. Not so bad Huh? And look at how beautifully it finishes the edge of a quilt! (My quilt was machine quilted, and my quilter always sews a seam all around the edge and trims it for me. If you are quilting your own quilt, be sure to do this before you start to put the binding on, so that the top and bottom are even.
Happy sewing! I would love to hear of your quilting projects if you are willing to share!
I got this kit from one of my favorite quilt shops in St. George: Lazy Daisy Cottage. When I saw it I automatically fell in love because, well hello, it is PINK! Not your usual colors for Halloween. Anyway it was a super easy kit to put together and I just got it back from my quilter, Becky Albrecht. I love how she quilted it and I love how fun this quilt turned out to be!
Look at these fun witches in the blocks, are they not the most whimsical, fun characters!
A witch with an attitude! Does that sound like anyone that you know?
The back of this quilt is pink and black zebra minky! So soft and perfect for snuggling with the grandkids to read our favorite Halloween book: “Frank Was A Monster, Who Wanted to Dance!”
I will put a tutorial on how to do a quilt binding with the mitered corners. They really are easy if you see it done once!
