Sew Fresh Quilts: February 2017

27 February 2017

Sew Fresh Quilt Bee - February Link Up

It's time for the first Sew Fresh Quilt Bee linky party!

In case you haven't heard about this, you can read all about the Sew Fresh Quilt Bee here in this post. We are working together in hopes of making 1000 quilts for kids at Ronald McDonald houses, as part of the Canada Big Quilt Bee. But you don't have to be Canadian to participate. I know that quilters are generous and kind and there are people from all over the world taking part in this effort to help out those kids!

I have a few more wonky slab blocks to share...

So that brings my total to 32, made from the charms sent to me by Rita of Fabric Please!

But when I reviewed the information shared about the Big Quilt Bee, I see that they are looking for quilts made using 3 blocks in 4 rows for a small quilt (12 blocks) and 4 blocks in 6 rows for large quilts (24 blocks). Since I have 32 finished blocks, I realized that I would not quite have enough to make one of each size of quilt. So I asked Rita if she had 4 more charms squares that she could spare so that I can use my blocks to make two finished quilts - one small and one large. She quickly had those charms in the post and they arrived a couple of days later. So here are my four additional blocks, bringing the total to 36 blocks.....

I just wanted to take a moment to send out a GREAT BIG THANK YOU!!! to Rita for all her efforts in supporting the Big Quilt Bee and for sending along those extra charms right out of her own personal stash so that I can have two finished quilts to donate.

You don't have to send finished quilts. You can send a block, a few blocks, a finished top that still needs to be quilted. Whatever you can do to help will be greatly appreciated!

Next month I hope to be sharing at least one finished quilt with you at the next Sew Fresh Quilt Bee linky party. Wish me luck!

To participate in this online Quilting Bee, we will be making slab blocks. As a shop sponsor, Rita has supplied me with the fabric required to make the slab blocks in return for promoting her store during the Bee. She will be carrying the entire With Glowing Hearts line that is available for purchase here. Charm packs are also available. Rita tells me this line is selling out fast!!!! Please do click through and check out Rita's shop!

All the necessary information and instructions for the slab block can be found here.

The SEW FRESH QUILT BEE will run until May 17, 2017. The deadline for mailing blocks and unfinished tops is May 30th. Mailing information can be found here. You DON'T have to be Canadian to participate. But you do have to be prepared to mail your blocks to this Canadian address.

On the last Monday of each month, I will be posting about my progress and will be providing a continuing linky party where participants will have the opportunity to link up and share their progress, as well. You can join in the linky party each time you have made blocks. You can link up from a blog post, Flickr photo, or Instagram post. That gives you seven opportunities to join in the PARTY!

Participants will eligible for giveaway prizes, supplied by Fabric Please!

Prizes include 3 separate $25 Gift Certificates....

And a Grand Prize including a 6 piece fat quarter bundle of black and white prints, a spool of Aurifil thread and this Chopstix pattern by Jen Houlden of Quilts by Jen.

I will also BEE adding a few extra prize offerings of my own to sweeten things up!

Are you joining me for the Sew Fresh Quilt Bee?!!!

I'm happy to have you join the hive! To read all about the Sew Fresh Quilt Bee click here.

I am partnering with Rita of Fabric Please! for this very worthwhile cause.

If you would like to participate,

PLEASE BEE A HONEY

and put the Sew Fresh Quilt Bee button on your blog!

And join in the linky party!

An InLinkz Link-up

Keep On Quilting On!

To follow Sew Fresh Quilts by email....

25 February 2017

Poinsettia

This is the fourth quilt block for the "Have a Jolly Little Christmas" quilt along!

All the details for the "Have a Jolly Little Christmas" quilt along are on this page.

Please Note: These materials are COPYRIGHTED. This quilt along is free for PERSONAL USE ONLY. All photos and content are my own unless otherwise noted. Please DO NOT use or reproduce ANY content from this website without my written permission.

It is NOT necessary to purchase the pattern in order to participate. But if you would prefer the convenience of using a printable pdf pattern, the Have a Jolly Little Christmas Collection includes all 15 designs and is available for purchase in my pattern store here. The individual designs are also available for purchase.

Poinsettia is a 12" quilt block.

Made using traditional piecing methods.

Sew Fresh Quilts – Poinsettia

Finished size of block is 12” x 12”

Fabric Require.	Single Block
White	1/4 yard
Dark Red	1/8 yard
Light Red	1/8 yard
Dark Green	1/8 yard
Medium Green	1/8 yard
Light Green	1/8 yard

Read through entire instructions before beginning. Press all seams open as you go.

STOP: Stitch, Trim, Open & Press. To perform the STOP method, align a square (A) or rectangle (C) on the corner of the unit (B) with right sides facing together. Draw a diagonal line and sew along this diagonal line. Trim a ¼” seam. Finger press the seam open and then press with a hot iron. Pressing the seams open to reduce bulk is recommended.

		Single Block
White	A	16 @ 2” squares
	F	1 @ 2” x 15”
	G	1 @ 3.5” x 9”
Dark Red	B	4 @ 2” x 5”
Light Red	B	4 @ 2” x 5”
Dark Green	D	1 @ 3.5” square
Medium Green	C	1 @ 2” x 9”
Light Green	E	1 @ 3.5” x 15”

Step 1: Use the STOP method to add the White (A) squares to the Dark Red and Light Red (**) rectangles. Sew the two units together. Make 4.

Step 2: Sew the Light Green (E) to the White (F) strip. Crosscut strip set into (4) @ 3.5” wide. Sew the Medium Green (C) to the White (G) strip. Crosscut strip set into (4) @ 2” wide. Arrange the units and sew together as shown.

Step 3: Along with the Dark Green (D) square, arrange and sew the units together to make rows. Sew the rows together to complete the block. Block should measure 12.5” square.

Here is my Poinsettia block.

A quilt along is always more fun than quilting alone.

Want to get in on the fun?

Grab a button and share it on your blog!

To participate in the Quilt Along, you can follow by email here....

Twice a month, instructions for all of the individual blocks will be shared. A continuous never ending linky party will be available to share your Flickr and Instagram photos or your blog posts on the "Have a Jolly Little Christmas" quilt along page. You can find it by clicking on the Quilt Alongs page tab found just below the blog header. As each post is published the live links will be added to the schedule.

Share photos of your progress using the hashtags
#haveajollylittlechristmas OR #jollychristmasquilt

This quilt along blog post is for PERSONAL USE ONLY.

All photos and content are my own unless otherwise noted. Please DO NOT use or reproduce ANY content from this website without my written permission.

Keep On Quilting On!

To follow Sew Fresh Quilts by email....

24 February 2017

Chicken Ranch

What's this? Well.... It's not another Christmas quilt...

This is something that rarely happens. The Chicken Ranch was a finished quilt TOP that I shared back in late August in a Let's Bee Social post here. And then this quilt top hung in my sewing room for 6 months.

That is something unusual for me. I normally finish a top and then get it quilted up right away before starting something new. This is due to a promise that I made myself back when I started quilting. I know how easy it is to get swept away with the adrenalin rush that comes along with the excitement of starting a new project.

However, leaving this quilt top hanging there, unquilted, did give me the opportunity to enter it as an unquilted top in our little local fair this past fall. Only to be told that the seams were pressed "wrong". You see, the judges go through a training process that still stresses some longstanding (dare I say outdated?) views of what is the right way of doing things. And I am a press-all-the-seams-open kinda girl.

I quilted with my usual organic wavy lines, using Omni in grey on top to blend in with the background and a soft green in the bobbin to blend in with the backing.

The backing is a wideback print from the Northcott Fabrics Artisan Spirit collection. After quilting and squaring up the edges, I used the trimmings to make the binding. This is also the same fabric used in the Mama Hens wings.