Quilt Block of the Month "Eight Hands Around"

Hello lovelies! 

January is almost over but I did not forget about our "Quilt Block of The Month". I am having so much fun creating new content in my YouTube Chanel as well as my blog, it is really fun and relaxing to make them. This time around, I decided to create an "Eight Hands Around Quilt Block" in Youtube and think it's one of my favorites so far. I want to show you how simple and fun it is! Just click on the picture below to watch how to make it:

Did you like the "giveaway surprise" I have at the end of the video? Yaaayyy! Last month, I had some little technical issues with the software I use for the giveaways. But fear not everyone, this time around all you need to enter is to leave a comment in the comment section on the YouTube video after watching to enter and that's it! You can write about the video, the fabrics, or anything you want to tell me! Preview of the giveaway down below:

Giveaway closed:
Congratulations Linda Williamson, you are the lucky winner!

I will announce a winner next Monday!

Good luck everyone!

xoxo

Pat

Huddle Table Runner

Another lovely project! I had so much fun making this table runner that of course I had to share it with you. It is super easy and fast, so get ready....set....sew! ☺

Cutting Instructions
Cut 10 (ten) 4’’ by 4’’ ESS-II-151 (Fabric A)
Cut 6 (six) 4’’ by 4’’ ESS-II152 (Fabric B)
Cut 6 (six) 4’’ by 4’’ ESS-II153 (Fabric C)
Cut 4 (four) 4’’ by 4’’ ESS-II150 (Fabric D)
Cut 12 (twelve) 4’’ by 4’’ PE-436 (Fabric E)

Fabric Quantity
1 Fat Quarter of  ESS-II151
1 Fat Eight of ESS-II-153
1 Fat Eight of ESS-ii-152
1 Fat Eight of ESS-II-150
1 Fa Quarter of PE-436

Step 1
Now that you have all your pieces cut, start by sewing them by the row combination below. See image for further assistance.

Row A: CDC
Row B: ABCBA
Row C: EABSBA
Row D: EEABB
Row C: EEABB
Row F:EABSBA
Row G: ABCBA
Row H: CDC

 

 Step 2

Once all the pieces are sewn, let's start attaching the rows together. You are going to have two extra pieces of Fabric D. Those two will be added at each end of the quilt top. Sew them together and press seam allowance upwards.  See image for further assistance.

 

Finally you will have the quilt top looking like this.

 

Step 3 

For backing, I used ESS-II-154. Due to the eccentric shape of our mini quilt, I traced the shape on top of the backing leaving a 1/4'' extra for seam allowance. Sew right sides together leaving a 5'' opening to turn the quilt over. Once that's over, 

Quilt Assembly

• Place BACKING FABRIC on a large surface wrong side up. Stretch it with masking tape against that surface.

• Place BATTING on top of backing fabric.

• Place TOP on top of the batting with right side facing up. Smooth away wrinkles using your hands.

• Pin all layers together and baste with basting thread, using long stitches. You can also use safety pins to join the layers. 

• Machine or hand quilt starting at the center and work-ing towards the corners. Remember that quilting motifs are a matter of personal preference. Have fun choosing yours!

• After you finished, trim excess of any fabric or batting, squaring the quilt to proceed to bind it. 

Binding

• Cut enough strips 1½" wide by the width of the fabric I to make a final strip 280" long. Start sewing the binding strip in the middle of one of the sides of the quilt, placing the strip right side down and leaving an approximated 5" tail. Sew with ¼" seam allowance (using straight stitch), aligning the strip’s raw edge with the quilt top’s raw edge. 

• Stop stitching ¼" before the edge of the quilt (DIA-GRAM B 1). Clip the threads. Remove the quilt from under the machine presser foot. Fold the strip in a motion of 45° and upward, pressing with your fingers (DIAGRAM B2). Hold this fold with your finger, bring the strip down in line with the next edge, making a horizontal fold that aligns with the top edge of the quilt (DIAGRAM B3). Start sewing at ¼" of the bor-der, stitching all the layers. Do the same in the four corners of the quilt.

• Stop stitching before you reach the last 5 or 6 inches. Cut the threads and remove the quilt from under the machine presser foot. Lay the loose ends of the binding flat along the quilt edge, folding the ends back on themselves where they meet. Press them together to form a crease. Using this crease as the stitching line, sew the two open ends of the binding with right sides together (you can help yourself marking with a pencil if the crease is difficult to see). 

• Trim seam to ¼" and press open. Complete the sewing. Turn binding to back of the quilt, turn raw edge inside and stitch by hand using blind stitch.

 

ETNO Flying Geese Table Runner

Hi! How was your Christmas Holiday super looong weekend? I hope you have had lots of happy family gatherings with your loved ones. Christmas is always so full of a magical spirit, don't you think? Our celebration was so good! We were 6 at the table and my mother was the queen! My husband, son, my sister and me felt this holiday very special for having her, at her 87 years of age, strong and so happy! 

I was working lots these days spent at home... I didn't go to work last Friday, so this holiday felt almost as a vacation! Since I had more time to sew, my priority was to finish the runner made with the new flying geese method I shared with you on a previous post here. 

My new ETNO collection ships to stores late January and I think this table runner can be the first sample for you to see my fabrics in action!

I had the top ready sewn days ago, so the only thing was to decide how to quilt it. The order of the day at my sewing room was to relax and have fun with straight line quilting! 

First I thought about straight vertical quilting, but looking at the triangles I had the impulse to do straight lines in angle that will replicate the geese. I love how it came out! Working with my Bernina walking foot and the marking it has, I went for 1/2" seams.

There was a moment that I was so excited to see how it was looking that I did a small section in the center of the runner reducing the spacing to 1/4" apart that I'm showing on the pic below. 

Oh... the magic of quilting... These are the moments that I enjoy the most!!

Because I'm only working with strike offs (the first sample the mill sends me to correct the final production) I'm using all the scraps left from the top cutting; so I decided to put them to good use on the back, combining them with stripes of the AGF "Square Elements" in Lemon and my beloved "Wanderlust" in Luna from the INDIE collection I've designed some time ago. Scrappy scrappy!

On the binding, I've combined a creamy grey with small sections of teal from the AGF "Pure Elements" line of solids. I love the pop and modern effect of these kind of combinations!

Hope you liked it! I'm crazy in love with this runner, and can't wait until my new ETNO line gets shipped to stores late January so you can put your hands on it! What's going to be the order of the day at your sewing room?

Thanks for stopping by today! Xo, Pat

10 Different Ways To Cut A Fat Quarter

Hi fat quarter friends... I'm sure many of us can find several ways to give a fat quarter a good use. Look at all the different squares you can cut from it! Amazing, right? Hope you like it and... feel free to share it with your friends!

XO, Pat

I'm going to Quilt Market!

Fall International Quilt Market in Houston, is only 12 days away!

I'll be debuting my new collection, Rapture, due out this November. I've been sewing lots of projects for my booth. If you missed me on Facebook and Instagram, here are some sneak peeks of what I've been working on.

The fabrics are inspired by the designer KENZO and the watercolor style that has currently become the latest trend, so I'm doing lots and lots of prop painting as well. I'm so glad that I have my girls to help me!

Although getting ready for Market is a lot of hard work, it's always worth it in the end.

Well, I have to get back to work! Be sure to check me out on Instagram for all of the behind the scenes happenings!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

FREE project : "Love, Mom" Bed Runner

Hello lovelies, it's time for a sewing tutorial!

Every time I turn on the television there are commercials for back to school. ALREADY?!? It seems like summer just started. Back to school makes me think of all of the kids going off to college for the first time. I remember when my son went off to college. I missed him so. I called him every day! But what an exciting time for him to go away to experience life and education.

I'm  feeling heavy-hearted thinking of all of the moms whose children are going off to school. So I'm inspired to make a tutorial for you moms to give your daughters something to remind them of home. It's a bed runner that they can put at the foot of their bed to remind them of you!

Finished size: 24" x 60"

MATERIALS:
For this project, I used the Pure Elements solids that I handpicked for Art Gallery Fabrics.

• 2 7/8 yd of PE-427 Spiceberry
• ½ yd of PE-401 Verve Violet
• ½ yd of PE-432 Sandstone
• ½ yd of PE-413 Caviar
• ½ yd of PE-405 Cherry Lipgloss
• Fat Quarter of PE-425 Mauvelous
• 35" x 75" Non-fusible BATTING
• 3/4 yd SINGLE-SIDED Fusible Interfacing

NOTIONS:

• 10 pearl beads
• Hand Sewing Needle
• Color-coordinated thread
• Masking tape
• Safety pins
• Scissors
• Water Soluble marker

INSTRUCTIONS
Sew all right sides together with ¼" seam allowance. Press open.

Cutting:
For base quilt-

• Sub-cut PE-427 into four (4) 24" x 30 1/4" rectangles

For flowers (10 big flowers and 10 small flowers)-

• Sub-cut PE-401 into four (4) 8" squares and four (4) 5" squares
• Sub-cut PE-432 into four (4) 8" squares and six (6) 5" squares
• Sub-cut PE-413 into four (4) 8" squares and four (4) 5" squares
• Sub-cut PE-405 into four (4) 8" squares and six (6) 5" squares
• Sub-cut PE-425 into four (4) 8" squares
• Ten (10) 8" squares and ten (10) 5" squares of interfacing 

Step 1. Making the base quilt

• Grab the four 24" x 30 1/4" rectangles and sew them in pairs creating two rectangles that measure 24" x 60". One rectangle will be the TOP fabric and the other one the BACKING fabric. Place the BACKING on a large surface (wrong side up). Stretch it with masking tape against that surface.
• Place the BATTING on top of the BACKING.
• Place the TOP on top of the batting (right side facing up). Smooth away wrinkles using your hands.
• Pin all layers together and baste using long stitches. You can also use safety pins to join the layers.
• For this quilt, I chose a straight and modern motif. Start quilting right at the center where there is a seam. From there, create parallel lines 5" apart from each other and quilt. Use a contrasting color thread so that the stitching really pops out. I used beige on the Spiceberry tone.

After you have finished, trim any of the excess fabric or batting, squaring the quilt to proceed to bind it. To obtain the binding, cut enough WOF strips of Spiceberry with a 1½" width to create a long strip measuring 180" (about 5). For detailed instructions on how to finish binding, check out my Free Quilt patterns here, and at the end of each quilt, it has diagrams on how to do it!

Now that the base is done, I will show you how to construct one of the big flowers and you can follow the same steps for the rest of the flowers, big and small.

Step 2. Flower Construction

• Start by grouping the flowers. For each flower, grab two squares with the same size and color and one square of interfacing (also with the same size). Place one fabric on top of the other (right sides facing together), leaving the interfacing on the bottom (fusible side facing up).

• Now trace the Flower Template on the top fabric, making sure you transfer all the points. Pin the edges of the three layers.
• Sew on top of the line, going all the way to the points. Go over the first stitches you created to secure the stitching.

• Trim down the excess fabrics to 1/8" all around the stitching line and clip in between each petal to allow for better turning.

• To turn the flower inside you, draw a 1½" long line on the center of the flower.

• Being super careful in order to cut JUST the top layer, pinch the fabric so that you can cut the line you traced.

Try to separate the top layer from the bottom and interfacing.

•  Carefully turn the flower inside out through the hole.

• Press well.

• Close the hole using a hand needle. Press the raw edges towards the inside of the flower and close with a slip stitch.
• Repeat this process to finish all of the flowers.

Now that you have the base and the flowers ready, it's time to sew them together!

Step 3. Putting it all together

• Pair one big flower with one small flower in a contrasting color so that you have ten combinations. 

• Place them on the base quilt to establish the order that your prefer. Pin them in place.
• Grab one big flower, one small flower, and a pearl bead. You will now begin to hand sew them to the base of the quilt. First start by putting the needle through the center of the wrong side of the big flower and go through the center of the flower, catching the bead as well by going through the hole.

• Now, go back through the center of the small flower, then though the big flower and catch the top layer of the base quilt.
• Repeat again.

• Do this a couple of times to secure the flowers well. To finish, do an extra stitch on the bottom of the piece, or in a hidden portion, and pass the needle back through the stitch to form a knot. Do it again to double the knot. 
• Repeat until you have finished attaching all the flowers to the base quilt.

I hope you enjoy making this bed runner. To creating great off-to-school memories!

xoxo

Sewing Project Roundup

Hello lovelies!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, quilting, sewing, and crafting! This weekend I decided to go thrifting for a few pieces of furniture and decor to add to my studio and sewing room. I love to find all sorts of antiques and combine them with modern pieces to add that touch of modern elegance to my home. I've also put the finishing touches to my next collection, which I promise to show you a sneak peek in the up and coming weeks!

One of my favorite things about designing collections is imaging what everyone else will do with them. I love designing fabrics, and seeing all of the projects people make with them is a true joy for me. So for today's post, I'm showcasing a few projects that I just adore featuring my latest collections!

 Mommy and Me tunic tops, by Jana. | Over-sized floor cushion, by Erin. | Quilt by, Kimberly Jolly, Quilty magazine, Jul/Aug 2013. | Groovy Carnaby Street quilt by, Quilt Jane. | Upholstered chair makeover, by Amanda Walker, sewmag.co.uk, June 2013. | The Missouri Star quilt block, by Debra, Quilt  magazine, Feb/Mar 2013.

 Cozy tea time trivet, by Rashida Coleman-Hale. | Lavender tea cups tutorial, by Katarina Roccella. | Little girl fashions, by Katarina Roccella.

 Fusion Dress pattern, by Pat Bravo, Sewing World magazine, June 2013. | Fresh Fraise quilt, by Michelle Marving, Quilters Companion, No.61.

I hope all these sensational projects have inspired you to make some of your own! If you have anything made with my fabrics, please feel free to add them to my Flickr group :)

Who knows? Maybe your project will be in my next post! Until next time...

Happy sewing!

See you at Quilt Market!

I'll be offline a bit this week because I leaving today to Portland, OR to attend the International Quilt Market! I've worked so hard to get ready. I'm exhausted, but I know all of my hard work will pay off.

Not to worry. You can catch all of the Market action by following me on Instagram! If you're at Market please stop by and say hi! I'd love to meet you.

Until later... xoxo,
Pat

FREE PROJECT : Quilt as You Go

Hello! It's Hump Day. And there is nothing better to get you through Wednesday than a free quilting project! 

I wanted to take the opportunity to show you a technique on how to attach blocks that have already been individually quilted.

Here's what you'll need:

• Ten (10) 9¼" x 9¼" quilted blocks
• One (1) 1¼" x WOF strip of choice of fabric (in this case I used Pure Elements White Linen)
• Four (4) 1¼" x 19½" strip of same fabric chosen
• For Binding: Three (3) 1½" x WOF strips of fabric chosen (for further instructions on Binding, go here)

The first thing, if you have not already done so, is to trim the excess batting that you have after quilting and to square your blocks so that they measure, in this case, 9¼" x 9¼".

Once they are ready to be sewn, display them on the wall to see what arrangement you like best.

Now you can start to construct the rows individually. It is important that you sew them WRONG side to WRONG side with a ¼" seam allowance. Yes, you read correctly! That is the first part of the trick here!

Press seams open after sewing. You will have at least three layers to press, so press carefully.

Now attach the two rows together, WRONG side to WRONG side again. If you you find that the intersections are too bulky and it's creating difficulty with your machine. You can CAREFULLY trim down the batting around those areas with the scissors.

Press the seam open.

Grab all the 1¼" x WOF strips and fold in. Press ¼" on each of the long sides of the each strip.

In this tutorial, what I'm going to show you is a different way to do sashing in "applique" style in order to cover unfinished seams and also bring more design and visual interest to your piece. As far as color for the thread, you can choose to use matching color thread for the top fabric.

First, attach the longer strip right on and center it with the seam that attaches the two rows. Pin as needed and top-stitch 1/16" away from the edge of the strip of both sides. Press.

Once you finish that strip, you can proceed to sew on the strips that go on top of the "vertical" seams, following the same process as the horizontal strip.

After you have finished pressing, use a rotary cutter and ruler to trim the excess sashing.

Now you are ready to bind it! If you have a preferred way of binding your quilt, go for it. In this case, I used the same technique I usually do on my Free Quilt Patterns.

Pretty simple, huh? This is an easy way to make a modern and colorful quilt. The decorative stitches add a nice and different touch to a solid fabric.

Happy Wednesday!
Pat