Fast Quilt Tutorial,Confession, and Giveaway!

Hello, there! Today we’re going to learn how to make the FAST! Centered Strips Quilt Top...then I’ll confess something...then we’ll have a giveaway.

Materials Needed:

• Twenty-one 2.5” strips of fabric
• Two pieces of coordinating fabric that measure approx. 13” x 60”. It’s best to wait to cut them until you are ready to sew them on. Then you can do exact measurements.
• 3.5 yards jumbo ric rac
• Coordinating thread

About this Quilt:

The inspiration for the center portion of this quilt is from the Heirloom Creations Jelly Roll 1600 quilt.

[photo courtesy of heirloomcreations.net] - Two Jelly Roll 1600 Quilts using the same jelly roll

They use 40 strips and end up with a full quilt top. However, our tutorial only uses 21 strips and ends up with a narrower piece. Then we add the two side pieces and the ric rac, and there you have it! 

Instructions:

Heirloom Creations provides instructions and a video to explain their technique. I highly recommend reading/viewing those first, before doing Steps 1, 2, 3.
Use ¼ inch seams.
STEP 1: Sew the strips together diagonally (like you do with binding) to get one really long strip. 

STEP 2: Cut off 18” of the really long strip and discard it. 
STEP 3: Take one end of the strip, line it up with the other end of the strip, and sew a seam along the entire long side. You will end up with a strip that is 1/2 as long as the original strip. The two are still attached at the bottom, so you’ll need to cut them apart. Now line up the top end with the bottom end, and sew along the entire long side. Repeat these steps until you have a piece that is approximately 26” x 60”. This is your quilt center piece. Press the seams open.

STEP 4: Side pieces. The width of each side piece is 13”. Measure the length of the quilt center piece, and cut the two side pieces to fit. You may want to leave an extra inch or two and trim it after sewing. Sew the two side pieces to the center piece.

STEP 5: Sew the ric rac on.

Your FAST! Centered Strips Quilt Top is done.

Now for the confession...

I set out to make the full Jelly Roll 1600 quilt. I didn't read the instructions carefully, so I didn't realize I needed 40 strips. The Rolie Polie (Riley Blake's version of the Jelly Roll) I used only had 21 strips, and it was too late before I discovered my error. After frantic phone calls with a couple quilter friends – THANKS LADIES! – I worked out a solution. So this really should be called the "Sara Doesn't Read Instructions Carefully Quilt."

Now for the giveaway… (the giveaway is closed)

I am giving away this beautiful Rolie Polie from Riley Blake’s Pieces of Hope fabric collection. It is the same one I used to make the center portion of this quilt.

There are three ways to enter, which means each person can enter at most three times.

• Leave a comment. Just say hi...or tell us about a quilting mess-up you have experienced. I’m sure I’m not the only one, right?!?

• Visit Arcadia Cotton, then leave a comment back here telling us one thing you LOVE.

• Visit Flannel Queen, then leave a comment back here telling us one thing you LOVE.

Shipping: You must have a US or Canadian address to enter.

Deadline: This giveaway ends Monday night at midnight (Dec 3). The lucky winner will be announced on Tuesday morning! Good Luck!

Fabric as Inspiration

It all started with this dress

I was getting ready to re-carpet and paint my 15 year-old daughter's room, and when I saw this dress I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the room.

Keep in mind, this child is always moving - whether she's playing soccer, dancing, singing, playing guitar or just driving us all crazy - she never slows down.

I wanted to create a room that would reflect her vibrant personality, but also create a space that would help her unwind.

Now, 5 months later....

We are loving this!  The stripes are fun, and modern (her two criteria), but the aqua brings a calming effect, perfect for a bedroom.



We also painted her bathroom cabinets in the same aqua

I kept the opposite walls white because I thought putting stripes on every wall would feel confining.  But white walls are too stark for my taste, so I added this string tree, again a modern, but whimsical touch.  It could have been left plain as shown below...

...but we wanted a fun way to display her pictures, movie stubs, etc.  The tree is able to serve as a kind of "art", adding a pop of color and visual interest, while also being functional.

I got the idea for it here.  This was a simple project because I was able to do it free-form.  The strings are held in with clear push pins.  I started by creating a basic tree skeleton, pinning the string close to the wall.  Once the basic form was made, I started looping the string around the clear part of the push pins in any random direction.  

Little knots in the trunk were created by adding more pins in one concentrated area and concentrating the string more densely in that area. 

I would have gone a lot more crazy with the string, but I ran out!  I'll probably order more soon and fill in the tree a little more.  I used orange and white striped baker's twine, which can be found easily on Etsy.

So that's it!  One picture of a dress made in a beautiful stripe fabric helped dictate the design and function of an entire bedroom!