Riley Blake Project Tour: Sparkler

Good Morning everyone! 

Today I am sharing what I made with Riley Blake's new line, Sparkler by Melissa Mortenson! When I first saw this line, it made me think of fireworks on a warm summer night. So when I saw the Plaid Flag Quilt designed by my friend Mandi over at Sewcial Stitch, I knew this was the perfect quilt for Sparkler!

 

 Look at all of these beautiful colors with hints of gold and silver sparkles...

 

 Photo Credit: Fat Quarter Shop

 

You can find the pattern for Plaid Flag here!

And to see closeups of Sparkler check out the storyboard here!

 

 

The Sparkler colors I used for my Plaid Flag Quilt are:

Dark Denim

Redwood

Raspberry

Rose

White 

For the backing & binding of the quilt I used Riley Blake Basics. Patriotic Stars are a perfect match for the backing and for binding I used Red Gingham.

 

 

 I made the Baby size quilt from the pattern. Its the perfect size for beach picnics!

 

 

The free motion quilting was done on the Handi quilter Amara with white thread in a swirly pattern. It reminds me of windy days...

 

 

This is such a sweet summery quilt!

 

I'm trying to hang on to the warm summer weather for as long as I can. The leaves are already starting to change here and the nights are getting cooler. 

 

And once again no quilt photo shoot would be complete without Clarabell!

 

 

💛

Have a happy quilty weekend friends!

Jessie

 

 Riley Blake Project Tour

 Beneath the Western Sky

I have been impatiently waiting for my day to share what I made for the Riley Blake Designs project tour for Beneath the Western Sky! Its finally here! This beautiful collection is designed by Gracey Larson of Burlap and Blossom Patterns. You can read about her inspiration for this collection on her Instagram page @burpalandblossompatterns. Its a beautiful story.

 I was drawn to this collection the second I saw it. I love the mood of this fabric line... like a dreamy sunset walk at twilight... with the sky turning from orangey pink to deep navy... and the stars just starting to peek through...

 

The quilt I made is Abloom by Jessica Dayon from her book Season to Taste. You can find her book here

 

 

  This quilt pattern is perfect for showing off the gorgeous larger prints in this collection! 

 

 

I got to use a different pre-cut fabric for this quilt! A Fat Quarter pack! Using the FQ pack has deepened my love for pre-cuts! They are so versatile!

 

 

 Here is what I used to make this quilt:

1 Beneath the Western Sky FQ Pack

Beneath the Western Sky Cream Weave for the background

Shades in Tutu for the block corners 

Beneath the Western Sky Stripe in Dark Navy for binding

Kaleidoscope in Peaches for the backing 

 

 For a closer look at this gorgeous fabric, check out the Storyboard for Beneath the Western Sky here!

 

Look at this striped fabric... it is the perfect binding fabric! I love how you can really see all of the little details of the different stripes and zig zags. Just beautiful!

 

 

 This was free motion quilted in a swirly puzzle pattern on the Handiquilter Amara using peach thread.

 

And its Clara approved! She was all over this quilt while I was trying to take pictures. You should see some of the outtakes. What is it with cats and quilts?? 

 

I hope you love this collection as much as I do! I already have another project planned for it.

Have a great weekend friends!

Jessie

Riley Blake Project Tour Gingham Foundry

I am thrilled to show you the quilt I made for the Gingham Foundry project tour! This fabric line really grabbed me. Blue is my favorite color and throw in some gingham, dots and flowers and I was hooked! Visit the Storyboard for Gingham Foundry here for more inspiration!

The Pattern I used was Summer Picnic from Amanda Niederhauser's book Playful Precut Quilts. If you don't have this book yet, then you should grab it! So many fun quilts! I wanted a bit of a smaller quilt then the pattern made, so I took one row off of the side and bottom to make it the perfect throw size.

 This Pattern uses my favorite Precut, the Rolie Polie! These 2.5 inch strip rolls are so fun! I used 1 Rolie Poile in Gingham Foundry. For the background fabric I used a Riley Blake basic called Tiny Circles in the color Honey. It goes so perfectly with Gingham Foundry! The fabric I used for the backing is another Riley Blake basic, Denim Gunny Sack. The large Navy floral print in Gingham Foundry is just perfect for borders. It really shows off this gorgeous fabric. I just love how the honey colored binding frames the quilt so nicely!
 

This was quilted freehand on the Handi Quilter Amara with pale yellow thread in a fun double loop pattern.

And here is the full quilt! Isn't it gorgeous?! Its hanging on my quilt ladder right now, but it might be too pretty to use!

I hope you love this fabric line as much as I do. Its so pretty and it was so much fun to work with!
 

Have a great week friends!

Jessie

Riley Blake Designs Project Tour: Summer Picnic

Hi everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far! Ours has been very relaxing. Today I'm so excited to share with you my very first Riley Blake Designs Project tour quilt! Eeekk!! 

But first, the gorgeous fabric that inspired me!

Meet Summer Picnic by Melissa Mortenson of Polka Dot Chair

Photo Credit Riley Bake Designs

Check out the Storyboard for Summer Picnic here

This fabric EVERYTHING I want in a summer quilt. Pretty Gingham, bright summery colors and those sweet strawberries & cherries!!

Confession: I will buy any fabric with strawberries on it. I am a bit obsessed with them! 🍓

I took my Summer Picnic quilt up to our camp on the lake this weekend, and it was the perfect quilt for lounging in the hammock. This is definitely our new summer at the lake quilt.

Window Box by Pieced Just Sew is the perfect pattern for this fabric. It has that picnicy vibe I was looking for. And I got to use my favorite pre-cut fabric, the Rolie Polie! If you read my first blog post, then you know how I feel about these 2.5 inch strip rolls! 💗

Here is the pattern for Window Box by Pieced Just Sew

These are the fabrics I used for my quilt!

 Summer Picnic Rolie Polie 

Background: Confetti Cottons Riley White Solid

Backing: Bee Basics Gingham Raspberry

This Backing is so perfect! Whenever I see gingham it always makes me think of picnics and warm summer days.

The free motion quilting was done on the Handi Quilter Amara. Pretty little flowers for a pretty summer quilt! And I just had to use those sweet strawberries for the binding!

 This quilt was such a joy to make! Its already getting a lot of love and use this summer!

Thanks for reading!

Jessie

 

 

Spring is in the Air

I just love Spring. Everything is blooming and growing... The world is just erupting with beauty and colors everywhere you look.. Spring is my favorite. And this quilt is everything I love about Spring.

Sigh. This beautiful fabric is New Dawn by Citrus and Mint Designs for Riley Blake. I have had this fabric in my stash for a while just waiting for the perfect quilt! I'm happy to say I finally found it! I'm using my favorite Precut: The Rolie Polie. 2.5 inch strips of loveliness.

I mean, look at these gorgeous prints! Bright colors, sweet strawberries, beautiful blooming flowers... it gives me all the Springy feels!

 

 

Photo Credit Riley Blake Designs

 

 I am making The Iris Quilt by Kitchen Table Quilting. This fabric and pattern are the perfect pair!! 

 

I'm pretty organized when I'm making a quilt. I like to label all the pieces and keep them in nice neat piles.

This way, I can just grab a stack and start sewing! I was so surprised at how quickly this quilt came together. It took me about a week start to finish!

 

And... here it is!!

 The top is done! So fast and so beautiful! Here are some close ups!

I just LOVE the stained glass effect the quilt has in the sun!

 

It was SO windy when we were taking pics, but I just went with it, and this ended up being one of my favorite pics!

 

Look at those adorable little violets peeking through! Spring has Sprung and its just so lovely!

 

This was such a fun quilt to make  I.m not one who usually makes the same quilt twice... ok I've never done it... but this one was so quick and easy that I already want to make another one!

Enjoy your weekend friends!

Jessie

 

 

 

 

 

Hip To Be Half-Square 

Aren't these little fabric trimmings just so pretty?! I have a really hard time throwing them away. I keep this little milk glass goblet next to my cutting mat to collect my block trimmings. Today the colors looked especially beautiful so I just had to snap a pic. I call these "Quilt Confetti" but I have heard many names for them! What do you call them?

 

 

Today's Quilt Confetti is the result of squaring up 80 Half Square Triangles (HST)! I will be honest here. I used to hate making HST. Mine were always wonky, the ruler was always slipping and I could never keep them straight. I have passed up on many quilt patterns because I didn't want to make all those HST! 

 

 

 For my birthday this year my mother gave me a gift that changed my quilting life. The Bloc Loc Ruler. If you have one of these then you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, then you need to get one!! Click Here to check out the different varieties of Bloc Loc Rulers! This ruler makes HST so much easier! It "locks" onto your block and doesn't move. No more wonky HST. Seriously. Its life changing.

More HST Tips:  

1. I always use a scant 1/4 inch seam. This gives me a bit more wiggle room for trimming and squaring them up.

2. PRESS your seams open. Resist the urge to slide your iron. This is something I'm still trying to remember to do. Pressing instead of sliding helps keep them from getting wonky.

3. Get a Bloc Loc ruler. This grabs your blocks and holds them in place so they don't slide. That way you don't end up trimming WAY more off then you intended. Yup. I've done that! 

 Now I have 100 blocks ready for my Chance Quilt! And I still haven't opened the Jelly Roll... Tomorrow is the day! I promise. 😉

Enjoy your weekend friends!

💙Jessie

Jelly Rolls and All their Fabricy Sweetness

 

Why is it so hard to open a Jelly Roll? 

Sigh. I just love Jelly Rolls. They are by far my favorite precut fabric to use. They are just so perfect in their neatly rolled up little swirly bundles. I have quite a few of these beauties on display on my cutting table. I love looking at them. I 💙 Jelly Rolls.

I am using one of my beloved Jellies and a Charm pack in a new quilt today. The fabric line is Hello Sunshine by Abi Hall for Moda fabrics. 

 Isn't it such a fun collection? Sweet little rainbows and happy little clouds. So much cheer in this fabric! When my daughter saw this fabric line, she begged me to make something for her. So I decided to make a quilt for her bed! She is obsessed with rainbows and this will match her new bed sheets perfectly!

Quilt In Progress!

The pattern I'm using is a FREE pattern on my friend Jessica Dayons blog page! Its her Chance quilt and you can find it by clicking here!

I have 20 snowballed blocks all sewn, trimmed and ready to go! This pattern is so great for showing off those larger prints! I also have a soft spot for these little Quilt Confetti trimmings. There's just something so satisfying about seeing those little piles left after all that trimming.

 

Aren't they beautiful? 

A full afternoon of sewing!  And I still haven't opened my Jelly Roll... 😉 maybe tomorrow!

Enjoy your evening friends!

Jessie