FITF: Film in the Fridge | modern quilts, clothing, fabric, and photos

Edges and Angles quilt (+ giveaway!)

Posted on June 24, 2013

Another finish, and one more quilt that will be heading over to Nido to be on display through the end of this month!

As I mentioned earlier, I paired fabrics from Laura Gunn’s Edges line with a number of Cotton Couture solids for a bright and fun quilt. You can read more about this one in my previous post about this quilt.

I made a striped backing using several cotton couture solids separated by thin stripes of white to give a little nod to the pattern on the front. The quilting started with a simple zig zag, and then I decided to go back and add a second zig zag, adjusting the height a bit to create this fun pattern.

Interestingly enough, I auditioned just about every solid I had on hand for binding and nothing seemed to work. Then I remembered that I had also received a bit of this great polka dot print, which is also one from the Edges line. I love how it ties in all the colors and provides a bit of extra whimsy.

And now, a little something for one of you! I have an extra charm pack of Edges and a few larger pieces from this line.

Please leave a comment here (one per person, please!) and ~~I’ll select a winner on Wednesday!~~ Comments are now closed. I’ll select and announce a winner shortly!

a little piece of my heart – Umbrella Prints wall hangings

Posted on June 19, 2013

I’ve been collecting quilts to show and have for sale during Nido’s Artist Pop Up. It was fun to have a look at some of the older quilts that have been stored, though it’s always hard to decide which I might be willing to part with! I came across these two fun wall hangings which I finished many months ago, but apparently never shared here. I thought I ought to snap a few photos for the old blog before putting them up for sale.

I love the handprinted fabrics from Umbrella Prints, and had purchased one of their trimmings packs (Nido has these trimmings packs available too). The heart print is one of my favorites, so I was happy to find two small pieces in my pack. I decided to use them as the centers of each quilt, surrounding them with complementary solids. There are a few additional Umbrella Prints prints scattered in here and there.

I know I said it before, but it really is satisfying to be able to use up fun little scrap pieces and to have them be a prominent part of a quilt. In order to highlight the heart centers even more, I decided to quilt each in a spiraling circular pattern, starting over the heart pieces.

I love the way the spiral quilting looks, and it was fun to quilt, though I was happy these were minis! I think they make a great little piece of art for the walls. (Phiona, Nido’s owner, won’t want to hear it, but seeing them up on the walls makes me rethink selling them!)

Phiona has done a great job hanging and displaying the quilts I’ve sent over, so if you’re in the Burlington area, do stop in to take a look! And don’t forget that the artist reception will be on Friday, June 28th. (I’ll be there, providing the baby hasn’t decided to make an early appearance!)

Posted in [search] Square-in-Square Quilts, Fabric, Posts about Quilts, Quilts | Tagged handmade, hearts, mini quilt, modern, quilt, spiral quilting, square in square, trimmings pack, umbrella prints | 22 Comments

Hooked Hexagons – a block tutorial

Posted on June 17, 2013

This is a great quilt block to show off larger pieces of your favorite prints. I’m providing measurements for a 12 1/2″ block and a 10″ block, so you’ll have your choice – the 12 1/2″ block is a great one for using fat quarters, and the 10″ block is designed for use with a layer cake.

Materials needed:
for each 12 1/2″ block:

1 – 6 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ (print) **
2 – 4″ x 5.5″ (print)
2 – 4″ x 5.5″ (background color)
2 – 3.5″ x 3.5″ (background color)

*You can make 2 blocks from each fat quarter (using either a directional or non-directional print). If you have yardage, you can make two blocks from a 6.5″ strip of fabric cut across the width (non-directional prints).

**This quilt uses both full blocks and half blocks. For the half blocks, I like making a full block and cutting it in half. In order to do this, you’ll need to adjust the dimensions of your main rectangle, cutting it at 7″ x 12 1/2″.

Sizing:

Baby quilt – The quilt top shown in this tutorial is baby sized, measuring about 48 1/2″ x 60 1/2″. It uses a total of 20 blocks – 18 full blocks and 4 half blocks. You could make this out of 10 FQs (or add in additional fabrics if you’d like more variety). You’ll need approximately 1 yard of background fabric.

Throw – The aqua, gold & gray quilt top shown here is a larger version – a generous throw – and measures about 60 1/2″ x 72 1/2″. It uses a total of 30 blocks – 27 full blocks and 6 half blocks. You could make this out of 15 FQs (or add in additional fabrics if you’d like more variety). You’ll need approximately 1 3/4 yards of background fabric.

for each 10 1/2″ x 10″ block:

1 – 5.5″ x 10″ (print) **
2 – 3.5″ x 4.5″ (print)
2 – 3.5″ x 4.5″ (background color)
2 – 3″ x 3″ (background color)

*The 10″ block (I know, it’s not an exact square block, but I didn’t want to fiddle with the measurements anymore!) is ideal for use with a layer cake – you will need one 10″ square of printed fabric for each block. Instructions below are shown for the 12 1/2″ block, but are the same for this block, though you’ll end up with a 10 1/2″ x 10″ block.

Sizing:

Playmat – The Collage quilt top shown here is essentially a square, measuring about 40 1/2″ x 38 1/2″. It uses 16 blocks – 14 full blocks and 4 half blocks. You’ll need 16 – 10″ squares of printed fabrics and about 3/4 yard of background fabric. (Of course you can adjust the number of blocks to make a larger quilt, but you’ll need to adjust your fabric requirements accordingly!)

This block is made up of one large rectangle, bordered on either long side by 2 half rectangle triangle blocks sewn to a background square. Half rectangle triangles are made in a similar manner to making half square triangles, though due to the nature of rectangles, you’ll have to make sure you make two with the diagonal seam running from the bottom left to the top right, and two that are a mirror image, with the diagonal running from the bottom right to the top left. This tutorial, written by Latifah Saafir, is a great one for showing how the half rectangle triangles are made and squared up.

Follow this tutorial to make 4 half rectangle triangles. Latifah provides instructions for squaring up the blocks, but I had trouble using that method to reliably square up my blocks. Surprisingly enough, I found I had the best luck by making up paper templates and using those to trim my blocks. Blocks should be trimmed to 3 1/2″ x 5″. (Blocks for the 10″ square should be trimmed to 3″ x 4″)

If you’d like to do the same, you’ll need to cut two paper rectangles that measure 3 1/2″ x 5″. (3″ x 4″ for the 10″ block). Measure in and mark 1/8″ from the bottom left and the top right of one template, and the bottom right and top left on the other template. Draw a diagonal line connecting the two points. I marked a “p” and “w” to indicate which side would be the printed and white.

Lay the template over your ironed block and trim.

You’ll end up with a block that looks like this. With the diagonal seam offset by 1/8″, you’ll have correct 1/4″ seam allowances once you sew these blocks to your other pieces (don’t ask me to explain why – it’s way too taxing for my poor brain!)

Sew two diagonal blocks to the 3 1/2″ square background piece, as shown in the photo above. Iron seams, and then sew each resulting piece to the large rectangular printed piece.