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Aloha Ripple Quilt Along – Week 1: Cut Fabric

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Welcome to the first week of the Aloha Ripple Quilt Along! Hopefully you have all your fabrics picked out and are ready to start cutting!

If you still need to download your FREE pattern click here!

Things you will need:

  • Rotary Cutter
  • Acrylic Ruler
  • Cutting Mat
  • Paper
  • Pen
  • Pins

When I make a quilt I like to cut all my pieces up front and label them to keep organized. Make sure you have a nice sharp blade for your Rotary cutter.

*Measure twice – Cut once*

I know everyone says it, but it’s true. You don’t want to rush your cutting and end up cutting your pieces too small.  You want to make sure you have plenty of fabric for the whole quilt.

When you cut out your pieces you will want to cut out the largest pieces first. Then cut the smaller pieces. This will ensure that you have enough fabric.

I like to take a little piece of paper and write the color and size on it and pin it to the stack of fabric. Since some of the sizes are very close, this helps me sew the correct pieces together.

Once they are all cut I like to stack them in a Gallon size Ziplock bag. That way I don’t loose any of my pieces.

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Make sure to read through ALL of the Basic instructions before starting your quilt. I’ve added instructions on how to test your scant 1/4 inch seam inside the basic instructions. Most quilt patterns require a scant 1/4 inch seam, they just don’t mention it. This 1/4 scant accounts for the little bit of fabric that is take up when you fold and press your seams open.

You will also want to look through the whole pattern to wrap the construction around your head before you start. You may need to cut your fabric differently if you want to make your flying geese or half square triangles with a different method than is listed in the pattern.

I like to go through all the steps and write in my color choices, so it’s less confusing when I get to those steps. You can also go through with a highlighter and mark the instructions for the size you are making, since the instructions are for baby, throw and queen size.

You could also tape pieces of your actual fabric to a pieces of paper and label it for reference.

Join me today at 10:15 am PST (West Coast USA) for a LIVE video in the Facebook Group to go over tips and answer any questions.

Make sure to share a photo of this weeks step on social media with the hashtag #AlohaRippleQAL or join the Facebook Group and post a photo!

Join the Facebook Group

Download Pattern

Next week we will be making our Flying Geese units! We will be using the 1 flying geese at a time method and the 4 at 1 time no waste method.

Here is the full Quilt Along Schedule:

Starting January 2nd: Download Pattern – Select your fabric and post a photo!
Week 1: January 16th: Cut fabric
Week 2: January 23rd: Make the Flying Geese
Week 3: January 30th: Make the Half Square Triangles
Week 4: February 6th: Make the Center Block (1)
Week 5: February 13th: Make Corner Blocks A (2)
Week 6: February 20th: Make Corner Blocks B (2)
Week 7: February 27th: Make the Stacked Flying Geese blocks (4)
Week 8: March 6th: Assemble your Quilt Top
Week 9: March 13th: Baste, Quilt and Bind your Quilt!

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

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Pacific Northwest Plaid Quilt

PacificNorthwestPlaidQuilt (2)Yay! My Pacific Northwest Plaid Quilt pattern is all finished! I’m super happy with how it turned out!  You can find this quilt pattern in my shop!
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
PAPER PATTERN
Etsy shop (For customers outside USA)


Earlier this year I gifted my parents one of my Snowy Day Quilt Samplers for their anniversary! After I gave it to them I realized it would be hard for them to share it. My Mom claimed it haha! So I decided I would make my Dad his own quilt.

Growing up my Dad used to always wear those cozy Flannel plaid shirt/coats. So I really wanted to try to design a quilt resembling plaid! Once my design was picked, I went to my trusty Kona Color Card to find the perfect colors. We live in the Pacific Northwest of Washington State. We are surrounding by oceans, lakes, rain (lots and lots of rain), evergreen trees and green grass. So I decided to go with blues and greens and a little bit of silver.  It just so happens that our local sports teams fashion the same colors! Go Seahawks!

From left to right: (All Kona Cotton) Silver, Lake, Jungle, Prussian, and Parrot

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This quilt went together very quickly! The quilt is full of square and rectangles, so once your fabric is cut, it’s block making time. If you are looking for a quilt to make in a weekend, this one’s for you!

I decided to go with a straight line quilting about 1 inch apart. I like the texture it gives once the quilt is washed and dried.

You can find this quilt pattern in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!!

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
PAPER PATTERN

Etsy (For customer outside the USA. Etsy collect the correct amount of tax and send it to the government.)

I can’t wait to see your version of this quilt!! On social media use the hashtags #pacificnorthwestplaidquilt or #happycloudcreations

Have a wonderful day!

Andrea

 

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Block 1 – Modified Log Cabin (Happy Cloud Quilted Pot Holder Quilt Along)

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This post may contain Affiliate Links. When using the link, you pay the same amount for the items, I just receive a small commission. 

Welcome to the first Block of our Pot Holder Quilt-a-long!

Block 1 is a modified Log Cabin block. I love the simplicity of this block. It makes your pretty fabric shine.

You start your block with the small square and build onto it by adding strips. In a traditional Log Cabin block you would add strips to all four sides of your square. In this block we are only adding strips onto two of the sides. I love how quick and easily this block goes together. The design looks great when adding a loop to the corner.

If you have not downloaded the Quilt-A-Long pattern yet, you can find in the first blog post for this quilt along. CLICK HERE

I will be filming a LIVE video in the Facebook group tomorrow at 10:15am PST. To share tips and answer any questions. You can also share your progress in our Facebook Group!

Click here

I can’t wait to see all of your beautiful blocks. If you are posting on social media use the hashtag #HCQPotholderQA

Happy Quilting!

Andrea

Quilt Along Schedule
Oct. 27, 2017 – Week 1 – Fabric requirements and Pot Holder construction directions
Nov 7, 2017 – Week 2 –  Block 1 – Modified Log Cabin
Nov. 14, 2017  – Week 3 – Block 2 – Flying Geese
Nov. 21, 2017 –  Week 4 – Block 3 – Sawtooth Star
Nov. 28, 2017 – Week 5 – Block 4 – Crazy Flying Geese
Dec. 5, 2017 – Week 6 – Block 5 – Diamond in Diamond
Dec. 12, 2017 – Week 7 – Block 6 – Stepping Stone


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Pointed Quilt

IMG_4976 (3)Yay! My Pointed Quilt is done! I’ve been seeing a lot of quilts turned on-point and I thought it would be awesome to try to make one myself.

Paper Pattern
Digital Download (USA)
Digital Download (International)

I was trying to design a block that was Fat Quarter friendly. This block is similar to my block 7 of the Snowy Day Quilt Sampler. The block in my Pointed quilt is a little smaller and turned on-point!

Since this block uses different size pieces through out, you must make sure to use an accurate scant 1/4 inch seam. This will ensure that all of your pieces line up correctly.

You can make sure you are using a scant 1/4 inch seam by taking 3 –  2 1/2 x 4 inch strips. Sew them all together lengthwise. The center strip will measure 2 inches wide finished, if you are using a scant 1/4 inch seam.

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I have been trying to decide on a pattern to use this beautiful Garden Secrets fabric by Sarah Watson for Cloud9 Fabrics. After I drew up my pattern I thought this fabric line would be perfect.

The math for a on-point quilt is a little different than a regular quilt. Once I got my mind wrapped around the idea. It was go time! The quilt goes together pretty quickly.

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Once my quilt was all finished I decided to go with a beautiful purple backing fabric. This fabric is Kona Cotton in Gumdrop by Robert Kaufman. I like to use my Kona Color chart to pick out the perfect shade of fabric.

I also found the perfect shade of Cotton Gutterman thread that matches the Ice Frappe Background fabric.

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I decided to quilt this to mimic the points. I usually opt for a straight line quilting, which is much faster. This one took more time, but was totally worth it. I love how it turned out!

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In an effort to use up my stash, I decided to go with a scrappy binding! I used two fat quarters of the dash print and some scraps of a couple of the other light colored fabrics.20171007_154017

You can download the pattern today!!

PAPER PATTERN

Make sure to use the hashtag #pointedquilt

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

Here are some made by my awesome testers!!

marg sharpe for listingBrittany listing

Cindy (2) listingcindy price kelley (2) listingRoseMassey (2) listingVickie Riches (2) listing

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Arrows Away Quilt – Free Pattern!!

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(Pattern Download is at the bottom of this blog post)

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this post.

Are you looking for a quick an easy quilt? Maybe you have a baby shower coming up. Or you have a son or daughter going to college soon and you want to give them a special gift. Well, this Arrows Away Quilt is perfect for making a super quick, easy and modern quilt!
The first time I made this quilt, was about a year ago. I love using big blocks! It makes the quilt go together super quick. Also, you can show of gorgeous big prints.

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The first throws size version was slightly smaller than the pattern. After research, I found out more people prefer larger size throw than my original version. My research also showed people prefer a rectangle shaped quilt over a square size quilt. So I added a strip of sashing to the top and bottom of the original design to make it more of a rectangle.

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You can download your FREE Copy here: Arrows Away Quilt Pattern

I’d love to see your Arrows Away quilt! On social media use the hashtag #happycloudcreations

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

 

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Happy Flower Garden Quilt

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Digital Pattern (USA)
Digital Pattern (International)

Who loves flowers? Well, I love flowers, but I do NOT have a green thumb. Even though I should have a green thumb. I took Horticulture and Landscaping classes in High School. I know what I’m supposed to do, but I’d rather be inside sewing. I know it sounds bad, but it is true.

When I started designing my Happy Flower Garden Quilt, it was actually a totally different design. And then I though ‘Hey, that looks like the top of a flower’. So I took that shape and made it into some tulip looking blocks. Since I love flowers so much, I thought this would be the perfect quilt for myself! I’ve been wanting to make myself a quilt for awhile, I just hadn’t picked the right pattern yet.
I have been hoarding some Macramé Fabric by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Cotton + Steel Fabrics. I thought this would be the perfect time to use some of this gorgeous fabric.

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I love how it turned out and am happy I finally cut into this beautiful fabric. I decided to go with a wavy line quilting. I usually go with straight line quilting. First I drew a wavy line from the top to the bottom of my quilt with a water soluble fabric marker. Then I started quilting from the top to the bottom of the quilt. I adjusted my walking foot guide to 1 inch and went along my first quilting wave. It’s not perfect, but I love it! One of my favorite parts is the bright pink backing!

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So if you like flowers too, then this quilt pattern is perfect for you too! It comes with directions for a baby/crib size and throw size quilt. This pattern is great for the adventurous beginner to intermediate. It has a lot of different pieces so keeping organized is key. I like to write my sizes on a little piece of paper and pin it to the stack of corresponding pieces.

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When I tested out my Baby Size quilt I decided to go for a floral sashing! I love this June Bug fabric by Dear Stella Fabric! I can’t wait to finish this one!

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This would be a great quilt to make for a new summer baby or a throw size for a graduate!

You can get your copy of the pattern here:
Digital Pattern (USA)
Digital Pattern (International)

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

Find this Baby size quilt in my shop:

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The Beauty of Solids

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Let me tell you a secret. I used to think Solid colored fabric was SO boring!!! I never purchased solids for my quilts or projects. I’d use a dot fabric or a fabric with a white on white pattern.

And then I joined Instagram. I saw all these gorgeous quilts that had solids in them! They looked so balanced, not too busy and so so pretty!

So I decided I’d go out of my comfort zone and make an all solids quilt! Yes ALL solids!! Crazy huh! I found the perfect pattern, a Tetris quilt for my husband. I loved how it turned out so much! The Kona Cotton fabric by Robert Kaufman is so vibrant!

Tetris Quilt

Solids can help balance out your quilt and showcase the block designs. If you have too many busy prints the design can get lost.

So I had some left over solids from my Tetris quilt and I decided to test out my Stepping Stone Quilt pattern with the solids too. I love how it turned out too!

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I bound it with a Black with White dash fabric called Thicket by Gingiber for Moda and the backing fabric is made by Riley Blake. This quilt is listed for sale in my Etsy shop here.

 

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Then I saw this awesome fabric from Arrow Flight by  Michael Miller fabric and got inspired to make the front of my quilt mimic the backing fabric.

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So I came up with my super easy Colorful tiles quilt pattern.

colorful tiles quilt

This Colorful tiles quilt is also listed for sale in my Etsy shop here.

I used the Kona Cotton by Robert Kaufman Color chart to help pick some of the solids for the front of this quilt.

color chart

This color charts is super awesome! It’s great for picking out backing fabric and coordinating solids. You can buy one online from a variety of quilt fabric shops. What’s also cool, is this color chart matches up with all of the Kona Cotton fabric sold a Joann Fabric Stores online and in store

If an all solids quilt isn’t for you. You can try to mix more solids in with your quilt to help the pattern pop. Like in my X Marks the spot quilt. The white fabric makes the design pop. You can find the pattern here.

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So if you haven’t made an ALL solids go try it!! Or at least try adding some solids to your next quilt, I’m sure you will love it!!

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

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Colorful Tiles Quilt Pattern, Super Easy Quilt!

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Digital Download (USA)
Digital Download (International Customers)

I love the simplistic design in my Colorful Tiles quilt. I had drawn out this design a while back after I had purchased this awesome backing fabric from the Arrow Flight collections by Michael Miller fabrics. The backing fabric gave me the idea for the front design.

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After I had drawn up this quilt design, I thought, this would be a great pattern for a beginner! I know some new quilters are a little scared of using triangles. I thought this was a great spin on the basic sew a bunch of squares together quilt top. This quilt pattern has color diagrams with step by step instructions for piecing your quilt top, piecing your backing fabric, making your binding and attaching your binding.

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I quilted this quilt in the ‘organic’ straight line quilting, that I love to do! It’s quick and easy. My sewing machine didn’t come with a walking foot, so I had to purchase it separately. I start out by using one of my long seams as a guide. I line my foot up on a middle seam, and quilt from the top to the bottom. Then I set the guide that came with my walking foot to about 1 inch (some quilts I go bigger). I quilt using my guide from my center of my quilt outward. I really love the texture the 1 inch quilting gives my quilts.
I also like to use cotton batting to give it that extra crinkle once it’s washed and dried.

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Whenever I make a quilt pattern I like to test each size the pattern makes. This is my Throw size tester quilt top.

colorful tiles quilt

It has ended up in my finished quilt top pile and has not been finished yet. Hopefully I can work on that pile next month!! I used a variety of Cotton+Steel fabrics for my throw size quilt.
I love this pattern because it was very quick and easy! It went together in a day!

Digital Download (USA)
Digital Download (International Customers)

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

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Snowy Day Quilt Sampler Block Challenge

SDQS - QuiltCLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD: Snowy Day Quilt Sampler Pattern

Recently my Snowy Day Quilt Sampler was used in the National Quilters Circle Block Challenge! Over 24,000 signed up for the challenge and over 17,000 joined the Facebook Group.

It was a lot of fun meeting and interacting with all of these wonderful quilters. Seeing all of the Beautiful fabric and color combinations, makes me want to make more and more quilts.

The National Quilters Circle did a great job getting all these wonderful quilters together to make this quilt. I am so happy I had the opportunity to be part of it. You can see the Block Challenge recap by clicking here. I list a few of my favorite quilts from the challenge! There were so many beautiful quilts to choose from!

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I chose to go with straight ‘organic’ line quilting! It’s quick, easy and I love the texture it give the quilt!

When you use cotton batting your quilt will shrink 3% when you wash and dry it. It will get all nice and crinkled and it has a wonderful texture.

I used Macramé fabric by Rashida Coleman-Hale of  Cotton+Steel in the quilt I made for the pattern!  I love this fabric so much, I am also using it in my NEW Happy Flower Garden Quilt. The pattern will be coming out June 1, 2017! Yay! Stay tuned for photos!

During the block challenge I made two quilt tops with the group! My first quilt top was made with a mixture of Up Parasol and Clementine fabric by Heather Bailey for Free Spirit Fabrics.

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I loved how the blocks turned out! But there seemed to be a lot of pink. So I decided to add a pink border around each block. Then I added a scrappy teal/aqua sashing in between all of the blocks. I gifted this quilt to my parents for their 41st Anniversary!

The second quilt I made during the challenge was made with a variety of Cotton +Steel fabrics. I love how they all go so well together, even though they are from different designers.

Sprinkle by Sarah Watts, Cookie Book by Kim Kight and Paper Bandana by Alexia Marcelle Abeg

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I tried to make this a little different than my other two quilts. I did a border in white around each of the blocks and then I did a navy Paper Bandana sashing with the Red Sprinkle cornerstones. I’m excited to finish this one. I bought some Kona Cotton in Baby pink for the backing fabric.

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You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see the new patterns I’m working on!

Happy Quilting!

Andrea