Posted on 4 Comments

Happy Block Swap Quilt Along with National Quilters Circle!

happy block swap 2

I’m so excited to have to opportunity to work with the National Quilter Circle to give you the next FREE Quilt Along!

This challenge can be done solo, or as a block exchange with a partner. Sign up now, as we will start quilting on September 20th! CLICK BELOW TO JOIN!

for website

HOW DOES A BLOCK SWAP WORK?

Quilter 1 will make 2 of each block: A, C, E, G

Quilter 2 will make 2 of each block: B, D, F, H
Each quilter will give one set of blocks to their Block Swap partner
Each quilter will make 1 Bonus block in their fabric colors for themselves

MAKE IT SOLO!

You are also able to complete this challenge solo! Simply sign up for the challenge and download both patterns each week. By creating each of the weekly blocks and the bonus block, you will have a completed quilt!

JOIN THE QUILT ALONG GROUP!

Make sure to join the NQC Block Challenge Quilt along group! In the group you will get weekly reminders of the NEW blocks. You will be able to see everyone fabric combos. And you will can view the LIVE weekly check in videos!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE GROUP!

Happy Block Swap_newsletter5

Grab your partner, grab the Fabric Requirments and go shopping or go stash diving!

alternative colors.png

I’m so excited to see what fabric combinations you all come up with!
Make sure to post your fabric choices in the Quilt Along Group!

Happy Quilting!
Andrea 🙂

Happy Block Swap

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Week 7 – Frame It QAL – Finish the Last 4 Blocks

Week 7 Frame It QAL
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 Week 7 of the Frame it Quilt Along! We are so close to finishing our quilts! Yay!

This week we will be finishing the last 4 blocks of our throw size quilt tops! If you are making a different size quilt, you will need to make more blocks this week.

You can find the Digital and Paper Pattern (USA and Canada) in my shop 15% OFF thru April 9th!!  If you are located outside the USA or Canada you can find the pattern in my Etsy Shop!!

Next week – Finishing your quilt – Things you will need:
Backing Fabric (at least 6 inches wider and longer than your quilt top)
Quilt Batting (at least 6 inches wider and longer than your quilt top)
Basting Spray or Basting Pins
Binding Fabric
These are helpful but not necessary:
Hera Marker to mark out your quilting lines
Walking Foot (Helps pull your quilt from both the top and the bottom)

JOIN ME for a LIVE Video today (March 26, 2019) at 10:00 am PDT (West Coast USA). I will be jumping on to check to see if anyone has questions! If you can’t join me LIVE, the video will be saved to the Facebook Group, it will be available on Instagram for 24 hours and I will upload it to my YouTube channel.

Quilt Along Schedule:
Feb. 12 – Week 1-2: Get Pattern and Pick out Fabrics
Feb. 26 – Week 3: Cut out our pieces
Mar. 5 – Week 4: Make Center Units (Square in Square Blocks) (Steps 1-4)
Mar. 12 – Week 5: Finish 4 Blocks
Mar. 19 – Week 6: Finish 4 Blocks
Mar. 26 – Week 7: Finish 4 Blocks
Apr. 2 – Week 8: Add Sashing and Finish Quilt

Join the Quilt Along by posting your progress photo’s on Instagram with the hashtag #FrameItQAL
OR Join the Facebook Quilt Along Group and post your progress photo there!!

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

 

Posted on Leave a comment

Week 6 – Frame It QAL – Finish 4 More Blocks

week 6 frame it

We are now on Week 6 of the Frame It Quilt Along! This week we will be making 4 more quilt blocks! The quilt along is following the Throw size quilt, so if you are making a different size, make extra blocks this week!

These blocks go together super quick, so it’s not too late to join in!

You can get your Frame It Quilt Pattern here – Paper or Digital pattern (USA or Canada)
Digital Worldwide.

Here are my first 4 blocks that I made last week!

IMG_7006 (2)

JOIN ME for a LIVE Video today (March 19, 2019) at 10:00 am PDT (West Coast USA). I will be jumping on to check to see if anyone has questions! If you can’t join me LIVE, the video will be saved to the Facebook Group, it will be available on Instagram for 24 hours and I will upload it to my YouTube channel.

Quilt Along Schedule:
Feb. 12 – Week 1-2: Get Pattern and Pick out Fabrics
Feb. 26 – Week 3: Cut out our pieces
Mar. 5 – Week 4: Make Center Units (Square in Square Blocks) (Steps 1-4)
Mar. 12 – Week 5: Finish 4 Blocks
Mar. 19 – Week 6: Finish 4 Blocks
Mar. 26 – Week 7: Finish 4 Blocks
Apr. 2 – Week 8: Add Sashing and Finish Quilt

Join the Quilt Along by posting your progress photo’s on Instagram with the hashtag #FrameItQAL
OR Join the Facebook Quilt Along Group and post your progress photo there!!

Happy Quilting!
Andrea

Posted on 2 Comments

Aloha Ripple QAL Week 9: Finishing Our Quilts!

Wow! It’s already the last week of our Aloha Ripple Quilt Along! It has gone by so fast. Last week we put our quilt tops together, this week we will Baste, Quilt and Bind our quilts.

basting

 

Basting Your Quilt: 
Spray baste: My favorite way to baste my quilt is by using Spray Baste! It makes basting so much easier. If you have allergies, this is probably not a good option for you.
Find a place where you can lay out your quilt. Make sure to tape the backing fabric taut to the floor (or large table).
Here’s  great spray baste tutorial by Cluck Cluck Sew: Spray Baste Tutorial

Pin basting: You can use safety pin about 3 to 4 inches apart (about the width of your hand). I like to use the large curved basting pins. This takes a little longer than the spray basting, but is a great option.

quilting

Quilting your Quilt:
This step is totally up to you! I like to straight line quilt my quilt with my walking foot on my domestic machine. With my floral Aloha Ripple Quilt I quilted from the center out following the seams, so there was only about a 1/4 of the quilt in my sewing machine throat at a time.

Hand Tie your Quilt: Some prefer to tie there quilt.
Here’s a tutorial on how to do this on Craftsy.

Machine Quilt using your Walking Foot: 
Emily Dennis from Quilty Love has a great tutorial on how to Zig zag quilt your quilt with a Walking foot. Click here I love this method of quilting, it give your quilt great texture.

Free Motion Quilting:
Free motion quilting can give you great texture and if you aren’t great at quilting straight lines, this would be great for you. Suzy Williams from Suzy Quilts has a great Free Motion Quilting Tutorial. Click here.

rainbow aloha (2)

Binding Your Quilt: Binding is the fabric strip that goes on the edge of your quilt. It covers all of the unfinished edges and rounds out your quilt.

You will want to make sure to square up your quilt before you attach the binding. Cut off the extra batting around the edges and make sure your sides are straight.

One of my favorite binding tutorials is by Suzy Williams of Suzy Quilts. Go check it out!

IMG_5446 (2)
Since I was using stash fabrics for my Baby size Aloha Ripple Quilt, I decided to go with a scrappy binding. I didn’t have enough of one color, so I used all the colors!

Join me LIVE!! If you have any questions, make sure to join me for my LIVE VIDEO. Today (Tuesday March 13th) at 10:15 am PST (West Coast USA) I will be filming 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 your photos!!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Instagram.com/HappyCloudCreations

Join the Facebook Group

If you haven’t downloaded the FREE Aloha Ripple Quilt Pattern yet, you can download it here:

Aloha Ripple Quilt Pattern

King Size Aloha Ripple Quilt – Supplement Updated

You can check out the previous week’s blog posts by click the links below.

 

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

 

 

Posted on 4 Comments

Aloha Ripple QAL – Week 5: Corner Block A

IMG_5420 (2)

Welcome to Week 5 of the Aloha Ripple Quilt Along!! We will be making our Corner Block A!

Now that all our pieces are ready, the next few weeks will go by so quickly. You will need to make 2 of the Corner Block A. They look similar to Corner Block B, but they are different. So you can NOT make 4 of Corner Block A and call it good.

I like to lay out all of my pieces next to my machine. Then I chain piece them together, starting with two squares from the first row, then two squares from the second and so on. Once I get to the last row, I start a adding one square from the first row, then second and so on. (Watch my LIVE Video in the Facebook Group today for further explanation). I keep doing this until all my rows are complete.

Once you have all your rows done, you will want to press your seams in alternating direction from the neighboring row (See pattern for pressing arrows, so that this block connects to your Flying Geese blocks correctly).

Then you will nest your seams together (butt them up against each other so they interlock). Pin them in place and sew! I like to keep my pins in when sewing even though it is a no no. It helps my pieces stay in the correct spot and helps your points line up correctly. Make sure to sew slowly over the intersecting seams.

Yay your block is done! Now wasn’t that easy!

Things to keep in mind:
*Read ALL of the pattern directions
*Make sure ALL of your Half Square Triangles are trimmed to the correct size
*Make sure you are sewing a correct Scant 1/4 inch seam. (See the basic directions in the pattern).
*Don’t stress out if it is not completely perfect! As you can see mine below is not completely perfect. Once it is all quilted, washed and dried, it will be all crinkled and you won’t notice tiny imperfections.

IMG_5420 (2)

LIVE VIDEO: Join me today (Tuesday Feb. 13th) 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 of  your Corner Block A!
You can follow me on Instagram here: Instagram.com/HappyCloudCreations

Join the Facebook Group

If you haven’t downloaded the FREE Aloha Ripple Quilt Pattern yet, you can find it in my Craftsy shop!

Download Pattern

Next week we will make our Corner Block B!

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