FIREWORK STARS - Free Tutorial - Made with all 2.5" Strips!

 31" x 39" 

Hi everyone!  To celebrate Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and the beginning of Summer, I would like to offer my blog readers this free quilt pattern to try.  This quilt top is made up of nothing but 2.5" strips!  This quilt can be made completely scrappy from your stash, or with a brand new shiny jelly roll!

I am part of a group of fabric swappers called "QuiltvilleSwap" and so the fabrics in this top are all fabrics that I swapped with other quilters from around the world.  Feel free to join us HERE

 This quilt sews up quickly and would be a great weekend project! Feel free to finish this quilt however you choose, but in a separate blog post, I will explain in detail the way I chose to do the quilting for these quilts. 

Instructions are for 3 small wall-hanging quilts.  Divide materials by 3 if you would like to just make ONE quilt.  I give instructions for 3 because it uses 1 whole jelly roll of fabrics without any leftovers.  If you make just one, you will have some leftover strips and pieces.  

You can substitute 1 Jelly Roll and divide the fabrics into LIGHTS/MEDIUMS/DARKS.  

Darks = blue, Mediums = Red, and Lights = Neutrals

Amounts required are approximate, may need more or less depending on fabric

WOF = width of fabric 

FABRIC REQUIRED:  (includes binding)

12 WOF Blue 2.5" Strips

12 WOF Red 2.5" Strips

16 WOF Neutral 2.5" Strips

3 yards fabric for backing  (1 yard for each quilt)

3 pieces of batting 35" x 43" 

MATERIALS:

Sewing Machine in good working order

Quilting Pins

Spray Starch

Steam Iron 

Scissors

Red, Cream, and Blue Threads (thread to match fabrics)

Thread for piecing

Rotary Cutter 

Self-Healing Mat

6" x 24" acrylic Ruler Fiskars 6x24 Inch Acrylic Ruler (187620-1001)

EZ Angle Ruler or Fons and Porter Flying Geese Ruler 

or

Optional:  Darning Foot, Walking Foot

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut all of your Full WOF strips in half. 

 We are going to be working with HALF WOF strips throughout this quilt.  

Lay out all of your strips and press with starch.  Make sure you PRESS and not IRON, so that the strips do not bow in the center. 

 1. Pair together a NEUTRAL strip with a Red or Blue strip and lay them RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER on your cutting mat.  Make a stack that is 4 layers-thick.  Red and Neutral strips, right sides together, and then Blue and Neutral strips, right sides together.
Cut Half-Square Triangle Pairs with your Triangle Ruler.  You will need 288 triangle PAIRS for the 3 quilts, or 96 each.   If you have 12 different red fabrics, and 12 different blue fabrics, you will need to make 4 cuts from each stack.  
(Click HERE for a tutorial on how to use the EZ Angle Ruler)

Each triangle stack should give you 1 RED/NEUTRAL pair and 1 BLUE/NEUTRAL pair.  Since they were sewn right-sides together, they are already ready to go through your sewing machine.   

 Sew all of your Triangle Pairs and Press them toward the dark side.
(do as I say not as I do please lol)

 Trim dog ears.  

After cutting triangles.  You will then need to cut 48 2.5" SQUARES from each color. 

 Arrange your sawtooth blocks according to the graph below.  

The combination of Red/Blue/Neutral triangle pairs will not give you an even amount for 1 quilt, so please arrange your star blocks according to the following photo:  

 Start by sewing together the columns of the blocks.

Follow the chart for seam pressing direction

 Once the columns are sewn, sew together the rows.   Press Red block seams to the left, and blue block seams to the right.

 Arrange your blocks the way you want them to appear in your quilt.  If desired, label each row 1, 2, and 3 to stay organized.

 Butt seams together and Pin.  Sew Rows , then columns to complete inner quilt top.

BORDERS:

For the borders we are going to take HALF of the blue strips and HALF of the red strips, whatever you have left, and use those for the borders.  The REMAINING half will be used for binding!

 Take HALF of your remaining BLUE strips, cut in half LENGTHwise.  to make 1.25" strips.

 Arrange your strips in an order that will be pleasing to you in the final quilt.

 Pin together the 1.25" strips at the short ends and sew together.   **LOWER your stitch length and/or lock your stitches for this part!     REPEAT THIS STEP FOR HALF THE RED STRIPS

Next, we will go ahead and make the binding.  Take the remaining blue strips and sew together on the diagonal as you would if you were making binding.   REPEAT FOR REMAINING RED STRIPS

Sew together your remaining neutral strips like you would binding.  The neutral strips will be your large scrappy inner border.

Now start assembling your quilt top as shown. 

Border 1

Measure your quilt top horizontally and cut top/bottom border (1.25") and sew.  

Measure your quilt top vertically and cut left/right 1.25" border and sew.  

Border 2

Measure your quilt top horizontally and cut top/bottom Neutral 2.25" border and sew. 

Measure your quilt top vertically and cut left/right 2.25" neutral border and sew.  

Border 3

Measure your quilt top horizontally and cut top/bottom 1.25" border and sew.

Measure your quilt top vertically and cut left/right 1.25" border and sew.  

This is what your 3 quilt tops should look like when finished.  

Layer, Baste, and Quilt your quilt as desired!  Remember we have already sewn our Binding strips so they are ready to be attached to your quilt.  

Please go HERE for quilting tutorial and finished details.   

Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed this tutorial for "Firework Stars"

If you make this quilt I would LOVEEEE it if you would share it with me so I can share it with my facebook followers!

If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment or email me at KatiesQuiltsandCrafts@gmail.com

This tutorial is for your own personal use please no mass production. 

Hi!  I work very hard and I have a family to support now, so if you buy from amazon or craftsy then please consider clicking through one of MY links so I get a portion of the profits! Thanks so much!

Firework Stars Quilting Tutorial

I wanted to do a separate blog post on how to FINISH your quilt "Firework Stars"

Not everyone is able to quilt their own quilts, but if you are a beginner or would like to learn, this is actually a great starter pattern.  

I want to share with you TWO things:  1.  A one-line quilting motif for the pieced area of this quilt.  and 2.  a free-motion border motif for your quilt called "firework feathers."  

First of all I LOVE piecing patchwork like this.  Especially sawtooth stars. Noone likes a bunch of thread knots on the back of your quilt. . so one-line quilting designs are WONDERFUL.  If you follow do the pattern the way I'm going to show you, then  you can do the whole  patchwork area of your quilt with only ONE line. . . . meaning, if you were to only use one thread color for the whole quilt, you would only have ONE entry point, and one exit point. . . no multiple starting/stopping points.  

The easiest way to do this would be free-motion with a darning foot, but if you are not yet comfortable with a darning foot, then you certainly can use your walking foot and let your machine guide your stitches. This method requires more quilt-turning, but that's okay, you do whatever you are most comfortable with.  I'm going to show you how to do this ONE-LINE quilting motif throughout this quilt, and I hope you try it!   

Looking at the photo below,  My needle is down in the center where 4 blocks meet.  This is where you will begin your quilt motif.  It is helpful to try to work clockwise so you don't lose your place.  

For the one-line quilting motif, you are basically OUTLINE quilting, except more of a curved, flower-like motion.  For this design, we will be outline stitching inside every piece of each block.  This style of quilting accentuates your piecing, is very secure, and looks lovely in your finished piece!

 To start the quilting, just follow along the yellow drawn line.  This example is using just the red thread in the red areas.  

and this next example is quilting the NEUTRAL areas.  Start quilting in the center of one of the 4 blocks, and follow the yellow line.
 1.  Outer Tips of Stars.  2.  Inner pieced 4 patch.  3.  Inner Tips of Stars 4.  Enter next block and do outer edge.  5.  Go back and finish block by doing the inner portion.  (I try to remember to go CLOCKWISE, Outer edges first, and then Inner edges.  Enter the next block at the FIRST available entry point so you don't forget)  6.  Going clockwise, enter next block, but only for one piece of patchwork.  This is just a gateway to the NEXT block we are going to do.  Quilt the Outer tips of stars 7.  Then do the INNER tips of stars.  8.  Inner 4 patch  9.  Finish block, continue on through "gateway" block, and on to the entry way to the next block.  Outer portion of block, and then onto the next block to also do the outer portion.  10.  Inner 4 patch  11.  Inner tips of stars, and on to complete outer portion of previous block 12.  Complete block by doing inner portion and then on to the final block  13.  Outer portion of final block.  14.  Inner portion of final block

Sorry this is so hard to see.  If the photo is any larger it gets cut off my by side bar =c(   You can click on the photo and zoom in if you need to see more closely 

 Once you start quilting and get the hang of it it's not so difficult.  If it helps, you could print off one of the PAINT graphs and practice doing your one-line quilt pattern with a pencil.  Just remember it's not the end of the world if you DO end up having to stop, lock your stitches, and go to another area.  This is just an option for you to try if you like.

 Here is what the back of the quilt will look like once you have finished all of the quilting in the patchwork area.  

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Next I would like to share with you the border design called "Firework Feathers"

Start by quilting just the base line or SPINE of your feathers around the middle of the border.  You are going to treat your pieced border as one large border.  You can just free-style stitch a wavy line down the center of your border with neutral-color thread.  However, if you feel more comfortable, you can first draw the line with chalk or a water-soluble marker.  

Next, you will start quilting your feathers on the RIGHT side first.  If your outer border is RED, use RED thread.  If your outer border is BLUE, use BLUE thread.  

Here is a short video clip of me doing the RIGHT side of the quilting design:

After you finish the RIGHT side, you will then do the LEFT side of your feather design.  Here I have included a video of me explaining the quilting design a little bit.  Please forgive me this is my first video tutorial ....... .ever.   ;c)

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Once all the quilting is complete.  I highly recommend that you press your whole quilt with a steam iron.
This is especially important since we are using STRAIGHT GRAIN binding(made from our 2.5" scrappy strips or jelly roll!)

 Trim the backing and batting from the quilt, making sure that your corners are an exact 90-degree angle.

Finish your quilt by attaching the binding that you already made!

Hi!  I work very hard and I have a family to support now, so if you buy from amazon or craftsy then please consider clicking through one of MY links so I get a portion of the profits! Thanks so much!

Graduation Memory Quilt

I had the opportunity 2 years ago to be a part of this amazing project.  A private school principal had her students very artfully "draw" their signatures on white cotton fabric and I stitched it up into a quilt!  I just love the creativity the students have.   They are given a "theme" which is a verse from the bible.. . and students stick to that theme.   This year it was all about the stars and heavens.  
The background blue is their school shade of blue, and the kids wanted BRIGHT colors for accents so I use bright scrappy cornerstones!  I love the way these always turn out and hope I get to do more of them in the future.

Here are the white squares of fabric that I cut, and are ready to send off for the kids to "decorate." 

 After I receive the finished squares back from the mail, I pin them on the wall and arrange, rearrange, and arrange some more until I go crazy ;c)

 I got to fill out ONE square this year!!  I used the school name ;c)

 Here is the finished TOP before quilting

 and all the finished quilt photos!

From Design Wall to Machine - Staying Organized

You spend so much time arranging your pieced blocks on your design wall, and then you have to REMOVE the blocks to sew them.  How do you keep them organized during this process?   I'm sure everyone does it a little differently but I wanted to share how it's worked for ME for many many years and many many quilts.  If you would like to try my method, it not only keeps your blocks organized, but also decides how your seams will be pressed from the very beginning.  Your seams will then butt together beautifully and your top will lay flat for quilting!   

  It's simple.
Start off by counting how many rows your quilt will have.   In the following example there are 4 columns and 5 ROWS.   Cut 5 small pieces of paper and write down the numbers 1,2,3,4,5.  Now, for a simple charm/block quilt such as this one, I would go ahead and draw arrows, underneath each number, notating the direction to press the blocks.
In ROW #1 the block seams will be pressed to the RIGHT.   In ROW #2 the block seams will be pressed to the LEFT.  and so on.

Imagine that these are your blocks pinned to your design wall.  

With a small T-pin or metal dress pin, attach each small numbered piece of paper to the first block in each row.   NOTE*  Make sure the pin is METAL because these will be ironed.  Also, make sure to make the paper small enough that you can center it in the middle of the left side of each of the first blocks in each row.  You don't want to pin the number too high or low, because these will be left attached as you sew the rows together.  So make sure you leave around 1/2" above and below the paper so it does not get sewn into the seam allowance.   

**************************************************************************

Another popular style of quilt is the sashed and cornerstoned quilt.  For this we do things a bit differently. 

You will still first start by counting the rows.  For the example below we have 5 columns and 7 ROWS.  If the large purple area is a pieced block (such as in a crown royal quilt) you will want to press the seams OUT, or TOWARDS the sashing.   So instead of noting the direction that the seams will be pressed, you will just do the same direction for each alternating row.  

An easy way to remember which direction to press the seams in this example, is to simply remember to ALWAYS press your seams TOWARD the SASHING.  (the pink area.)

The quilt I am working on now, is the 2nd type of quilt.  A quilt with blocks, sashing, and cornerstones.  

This is the completed top.  

As you can see, the first ROW of this quilt is the block/sashing/block row.   What I do, is I remove the blocks IN ORDER, from LEFT to RIGHT.  Starting with the very first block on TOP, and then carefully stacking them so that the LAST block (the block on the RIGHT) is the last block in the stack, on the very bottom.  Then, I move to a seat and table, and I start pinning the blocks together.   Starting with block #1, I pin that to the first piece of sashing, and then I pin the sashing piece to the block #2 in the row, and so on.

Here are several rows pinned together.

 Here they are from the back.  These smaller sashing pieces can be a bit tricky with this method, so you have to be careful.

Next I removed all of the sashing/cornerstone/sashing rows.   Here you can see them all stacked up before I pinned them together.  

After I have pinned them all together, I take it to the machine.  It doesn't matter where you start, just start sewing in a long chain, until every seam is sewn.  For a quilt this big, I can usually sew 2-3 seams in one row, before moving to the next.  

Place the seam right underneath the needle, then remove the pin, and sew.  

Next you can start sewing the block/sashing/block rows.  Same way.  Bring the seam right up to the needle, remove the pin, sew, and go on to the next.

Once all the rows are completely sewn, you can PRESS the seams (REMEMBER ALWAYS TOWARD SASHING) and then PIN your rows together and sew.  There is never another need to go back to your design wall.  Everything is labeled so you know which row is 1,2 3, etc.,   I will typically start sewing row 1 and 2 together, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and so on.

This has worked for me for as long as I can remember. . I hope you can use this method too.

I'm almost finished with this quilt and will post photos shortly!

I'm selling on CRAFTSY, and you can too!

How to Add & Sell a Pattern on Craftsy (This post contains affiliate links which means I will be compensated if you purchase after clicking these links.) In addition to wonderful online courses and craft supplies, Craftsy also has an independent online pattern store that lets anyone upload and sell downloadable e-patterns with no fee! How do you add a pattern to Craftsy and start your pattern store? It’s easy! 1. Make sure you have a Paypal account. All pattern transactions happen through Paypal, and Craftsy requires that you have a Student, Premier, or Business account in order to sell patterns. 2. Put your pattern in .pdf format. You can’t upload any patterns to the online pattern store unless they’re a .pdf file format, so if they’re currently saved as a Word doc, .jpg, or other file format, you must convert it to a .pdf before you upload it to Craftsy. 3. Include a photo. All patterns must have at least one photo to accompany them, but you can add up to five photos. Colorful, interesting photos tend to work the best for catching our members’ eyes! 4. Fill out the pattern description. We will ask you some basic questions around your pattern making it easier for Craftsy folk to find your pattern and know what your pattern is for. Make sure you have info about your pattern handy for this step. For more information on how to sell a pattern through Craftsy, or to get started, visit Craftsy today! CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED!   or.  .. . check out MY patterns NOW available on CRAFTSY!!

Quilt Re-Do. . . What I learned.

This is my quilt I called "12 Tribes" - a BOM pattern designed by Erin Russek.  I used a technique that Kelli from Dont Look Now blog described in this applique quilt.  Her work is always so absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and so I had to learn how to do it.   

  It is a free-motion, raw edge fusible applique.  It is still to this DAY my favorite method to do applique.  However, I do things very differently these days.   I don't know how Kelli does it . . I don't know if she doesn't wash her quilts or what. . but after I washed this quilt 20 times, the applique pieces started coming apart at the edges.  

the way she did it made it looks so "neat and tidy" .    she would stitch a straight-line right at the edge of each applique piece.  and she did her stitching with a free-motion/quilting/darning foot, which makes it VERY easy and fast!   

Can you see in these photos?  here is a section where the pieces are coming apart.  Now, I HAVE washed this quilt ALOT. .  and maybe it's because I used a very lightweight fusible product.  I know that Steam-A-Seam is usually a little bit stronger.  

 After I discovered the issues with this quilt, I changed my raw-edge applique WAYS.   There are many different options, and I use different ones depending on the particular project.  Some good methods are:
Using a buttonhole stitch, zigzag stitch, or satin stitch with a regular sewing machine foot.  ( a clear foot works best.)
But what I usually do is use the #5 setting on my Janome and use my darning foot. The #5 is a narrow zig-zag. So basically you need to catch at LEAST an 1/8" of the fabric with your thread.  And the great thing about using the darning foot is that you don't have to keep turning your machine constantly.  Which is great for big quilts like this ;c)

So, moral of the story, if you don't want to have to redo your whole quilt, than make sure you secure your applique pieces at FIRST.   and I wouldn't even CARE really, if I were still just using it and washing it.  BUT, I decided to hang this quilt up and "retire" it from use. . so I wanted to make sure to fix all the problems first.  ;c)

My favorite POTLUCK "recipe"

I wanted to share with you guys my FAVORITE Potluck "recipe."  
Here are some of the reasons why it is so perfect for me:

• It is Healthy
• It is Gluten-Free
• It is High-Fiber
• It is Dairy-Free
• It can be left in room temperature for awhile. 
• It is SUPER Easy
• It is SUPER Fast
• It is SUPER Cheap
• It is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

• 1 Can Light Kidney beans
• 1 Can Dark Kidney beans
• 1 Can Garbonzo Beans
• 1 Can Black Beans 
• 1 Can White Kidney Beans or Great Northern 
• 1 can Corn 
• 1 Green Pepper Chopped
• 1 Small Onion Chopped
• 1.5 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar 
• 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• Salt and Pepper 
• Tostitos Scoops (optional)

Drain all of the beans and rinse well.  Add everything to a large bowl and stir, taste and see if it needs more oil or vinegar.  This ratio is pretty good but you can use more or less depending on your taste, it is a very forgiving recipe. 

 I have used different kinds of vinegar but apple cider tastes best to me.    

This bean salad is good AS-IS, but is amazing with Tostido's Scoops Tortilla Chips!  (not sure if they are gluten free though, so make sure you check on that first)

Some names of this recipe are as follows:  Bean Salad, WV Caviar, and Stinky bean Dip.  ;c)