Crafts – Page 3 – 3and3quarters

HST Sampler Quilt | Block #2: Morning Star

PATTERN SHEET: HST Sampler Quilt – BLOCK2

Okay, who’s ready for block two?!

The Morning Star, I think, has to be one of my favourites! I love how bright and vibrant the layout is and how by just using two fabrics in the block it makes it look really effective, humble and simple.

Just like before, everything you’ll need to know in regards to the measurement and cutting information as well as the fabrics* I’ve use to piece this block together are in the pattern sheet linked at the top of this post! If you would like to use the same 12.5″ set square as me, you can find it here: June Tailor Get-Squared 12.5″ Ruler.

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Blocks three and four will be coming out on Wednesday and Friday of next week! One of the blocks I’ve made before, while the other is a bit of a traditional one that I thought I’d never make!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend sewing up your blocks! Don’t forget to share them with me and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask at any time! 🙂

Happy Sewing, Friends!!

*A big thanks to Australian wholesale supplier and fabric distributer Dayview Textiles for supplying me with such beautiful fabrics! If you want to see all of the fabrics I’ll be using in this Quilt Along, check out this post where I share them all with you!

HST Sampler Quilt | Block #1: Formal Garden

PATTERN SHEET: HST Sampler Quilt -BLOCK1

**Argghh! Right at the last minute I’ve just realised I’ve been quoting the size of the block wrong throughout the whole video!! The size of the blocks will be 12.5″ square NOT 12&1/4″! The set square ruler I use is 12.5″ NOT 12″! Oh my, where was my brain today!

Hello and happy Wednesday to you all!

Today brings to you the first block in my HST Sampler Quilt Along series, the Formal Garden Block!

Everything you’ll need to know in regards to the measurement and cutting information as well as the fabrics* I’ve use to piece this block together are in the pattern sheet linked at the beginning of this post! If you would like to use the same 12.5″ set square as me, you can find it here: June Tailor Get-Squared 12.5″ Ruler.

I know I’ve said this a thousand times now but don’t forget to share your finished blocks with me! I love, love, love seeing them!

Happy Sewing, Friends and I’ll see you on Friday with block #2!

Introducing Quilt-Along Series #2 | HST Sampler Quilt!

Happy Day! The time has finally come to introduce to you my next Quilt-Along-With-Me series on my YouTube channel! Yay!

This time around we’ll be doing a HST* Sampler Quilt!

The quilt will be made up of nine 12″ blocks that all feature HSTs in their design. Most of the blocks are quite simple to piece together with only a small handful that may challenge you! So if you’re a lover of HSTs, a hater of HSTs who wants to learn to love them or simply have issues piecing HSTs, then this is the perfect project for you to follow along with!

The blocks we’ll be making are (in order of release): Formal Garden, Morning Star, Contrary Wife, Friendship Star, Shoo-Fly, Mill Wheel, Churn Dash, Open Window (a new variation) and the Windblown Square.

In each block tutorial I’ll let you know all of the measurements and cutting info like I usually do, along with what fabrics I’m using for that block. An information sheet will also be available for you to print off and follow along with at home! (These will be available to download from my blog.)

For this series, I’ll be using a range of fabrics from RJR Fabrics and Cotton+Steel. The main collection is one called The Sultan’s Garden designed by Mary McGuire and soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect for this series!

The fabrics I’ve chosen are from the Apricot/Turquoise edition of the collection (there’s also a Berry edition featuring beautiful shades of purples and pinks!).

Here’s a list of each of the fabrics I’ll be using, along with it’s name and where it’ll feature in this Sampler Quilt.

FABRIC NAME: Tulips. This fabric will used in two of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Melisa. This fabric will be used in one of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Minaret. This fabric will be used in one of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Mosaic. This fabric will be used in one of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Leila. This fabric will used in two of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Blossom. This fabric will be used in three of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Stripe. This fabric will be used as the binding for the quilt.

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To accompany these prints, I’ve also mixed in two matching XOXO Basics fabrics from Cotton+Steel.

FABRIC NAME: Pink Cheeks. This fabric will be used in three of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Dandelion. This fabric will be used in one of the blocks.

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To balance out the prints, I’m also using two Cotton Supreme Solids from RJR Fabrics.

FABRIC NAME: Elephantastic Pink (on the left). This fabric will used in two of the blocks.

FABRIC NAME: Blue Skies (on the right). This fabric will be used as the background fabric in all nine blocks as well as for the sashing and borders. (NB: This fabric doesn’t photograph well: in real life it doesn’t look this grey and boring!)

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Now in regards to how much fabric you’ll need will all depend on if you’re going to use as many fabrics as I am. If you are, I would recommend in getting no more than a half metre or half yard cut of fabric for each print you’ll be using in your blocks. You possibly could get away with using Fat Quarters, but if you make a mistake with a certain block, you may come up short and I don’t want that to happen to you! For the background fabric, you’ll need at least two metres (2 yards) and no more than 1 metre (1 yard) of fabric for the binding. Once the quilt top has been completed, I’ll share how much backing and batting you’ll need to finish it off!

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Now luckily for me, a wonderful Australian wholesale supplier and fabric distributer know as Dayview Textiles very kindly sourced and supplied these beautiful fabrics to me which I am very grateful for! If you’re in Australia and are keen on using the same fabrics as me, pop over to their website to find the nearest quilt store to you that they distribute fabrics to!

If you’re not in Aussie-Land, here are a few places you can purchase these fabrics online… (OH MY GOSH! Fabric.com has everything!)

Fabric.com – The Sultan’s Garden

Fabric.com – XOXO Basics

Fabric.com – Cotton Supreme Solids

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I’m so excited about this little series finally starting and I can’t wait to see all of your lovely blocks and potentially beautiful quilts over the next coming weeks!

The video tutorial for block #1 will be out on Wednesday, with block #2 out on Friday!

See you then!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

P.S If there’s any vital information you think I’ve missed, comment below and I’ll add it in!

P.P.S I also uploaded this video to my YouTube channel introducing the series if you’re interested in watching it!

*HST = Half-Square Triangles

A Block Review // FPP Jack-O-Lantern

The other day, while wasting time on Facebook, I came across a link that was shared to this awesome little FPP Jack-O-Lantern pattern by Sonja Callaghan from the blog Artisania. And with Halloween coming up very soon, I just knew that I had to print it off and give it a go!

Firstly, I printed off the pattern at a scale of 90% so that I was sure the pattern would fit comfortably on a A4 piece of paper. Then I sat down for a bit, trying to figure out the best way to make it as I’ve never attempted a FPP pattern this intricate before!

Once confident of how to start and what steps I had to do to be successful at the end, I picked out some fun autumnal RJR Supreme Cotton Solids and jumped straight into making!

Here are a few tips that I think might help you when making the block yourself…

No. 1 – The block is divided into six sections labelled A to D. So you need to carefully cut the paper pattern into the sections before you can start any sort of piecing! (See Photo #2) I also cut an extra 1/4″ seam allowance around the outside line of the pattern so that I wouldn’t get caught out not having enough fabric to cover each section. (See Photo #1)

Cutting a 1/4" seam allowance out from the edges of the paper pattern. — Photo #1

No. 2 – Another prep step before starting: Using a Clover Serrated Tracing Wheel and a ruler I perforated all of the lines in each section that I’ll be sewing on top of. (See Photo #3) Doing this simply helps to ensure that the paper will rip away smoothly from the back once the block is finished.

No. 3 – I found it really helpful to initial each numbered section of the colour that was to be used so that I wouldn’t get confused!

W=White, O=Orange, B=Black and G=Green.

No. 4 – I was really relaxed with sizes of fabric I cut for each section. I found, that because a majority of the numbered sections were quite small, I was able to use quite a lot of fabric pieces from my little scrap pile I was creating from the other sections I had finished piecing. And due to that, the block came together really quite quickly!

No. 5 – As you piece each section together, make sure to leave enough fabric over the edges so that you can trim the block down with a 1/4″ seam allowance around each side. For this pattern to come together perfectly at the end, you need to cut a 1/4″ out from each edge on all six sections (excluding the edges you cut around before on the outside of the pattern)…Hopefully Photo #4 will help you understand a little better…

No. 6 – Once you’ve come to the part where you’re ready to piece each section back together, I found doing it in this order the easiest…

Sew section A to section B, then section C to the other side of B. Remove the paper from the back and press the seams either to one side or flat open. Then sew section D to section E and then section F to the other side of E. Again, carefully remove the paper from the back and press the seams in the same way as before. From here, piece the two sections together to finish the block.

TIPS: When piecing each section together make sure to line up the seams around the outside of the pumpkin and around his mouth to achieve clean crisp lines. It may take a little bit to get these parts aligned and sitting perfect but trust me, it’ll be worth it in the end!

Finished block size: 7.5″x9.5″ (19cmx24cm)

So to sum it all up, despite a few mistakes on my part resulting in the seam ripper to make an appearance more than once, this was a really fun FPP pattern to piece together! Believe it not, I did learn a few new things and expanded my knowledge on the way I should tackle these types of tricky pattern designs! I also felt like a slight rebel making this little guy as Halloween isn’t widely celebrated in Australia as it’s seen as more of an ‘American’ tradition. But I like Halloween – it appeals to the crafty and creative side to me! Hence why I loved this making little guy!

If you like the look of this guy and would love to make him yourself but don’t know a thing about Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP), then check out this tutorial I made a little while ago taking you through the steps of how to do it!

Of course, if you have any questions about this block or are stuck on any step, please don’t hesitate to ask! I’m always here to help!

Best of luck to all of you who are going to print this little guy off and give him a go! Don’t forget to share your photos with me!

Happy Paper Piecing, Friends!!

TUTORIAL // FPP Friendship Circle Block!

GET THE PATTERN: FriendshipCircleBlockTemplate_3and3quarters

Hi all!

Although my Post-A-Day Challenge for September fizzled away too near to the end of the month, I’ve re-kindled the friendship between me and blog and we’re ready to present to you another awesome Quilt Block Tutorial! Yay!

So you may’ve already guessed what the block in question is by the title of this post, the title of the template pattern and the thumbnail of the video below…

But despite all of that, the block we’re learning how to make today is the Foundation Paper Pieced Friendship Circle Block! (Whew, what a mouth full!)

Everything you’ll need to know on how to piece this little beauty together is in the video below and trust me when I say that this block is easier to make than it looks!

FINAL BLOCK SIZE:
13&1/4″x13&1/4″ approx. (33.5cmx33.5cm)

FABRIC INFO:
You can easily make this block using Fat Eighths, Fat Quarters as well as those little scraps that tend to float around your sewing room! Be as creative or as safe as you like when it comes to choosing the fabrics that you think would look best in this block!

CUTTING INFO:
Cut these amounts for each section in the template. (These amounts are to make one full block.)
A1 & B1: x8 2.5″x2.5″ square
A2 & B2: x8 4.5″x4″ rectangle
A3 & B3: x8 4″x5.5″ rectangle
A4 & B4: x8 2″x6″ rectangle
A5 & B5: x8 3.5″x3.5″ square

TOOLS & NOTIONS:
Brother Innovis 200QE sewing machine
Brother 1/4″ sewing foot
Gutermann polyester thread
OLFA Cutting Mat
Fiskars Rotary Blade (28mm)
Sew Easy Rulers
Bostick Glue Stick
Triumph Craft Scissors
Birch Non-Melt Flower Head Quilting Pins
Clover Serrated Tracing Wheel http://goo.gl/kS3aoi
Clover Finger Presser http://goo.gl/IOXilY
Spray Starch
Philips Azur Iron

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If you’re keen-as-beans to make this block, let me know how you go and don’t forget to share your finished blocks with me either on my Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter (@3and3quarters) or through email: 3and3quarters@gmail.com. I would love to see how you interpret this block! And if you have any questions, don’t feel shy to ask – I’m always happy to help! 🙂

I hope all have the most terrific weekend!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

September 25th: Favourites & Finishes!

Oh man, I knew it would happen! Our Internet conveniently died yesterday, ruining my good run of publishing a new blog post everyday during September! I did try to attempt to get onto WordPress yesterday, but all I was met with was a blank screen and that annoying little circle of lines that goes round and round when you’re waiting for something to refresh or load! Oh well, it is what it is!

So now that we have our Internet back in all it’s beautiful high-speed glory, I can share with you today what I was going to share with you yesterday!

My Notting Hill House Mini is finished!! Yay! (Well, no. A slight lie there. I still need to attach a rod pocket so that I can hang it up. But other than that, it really is finished!)

Oh, I swoon! It’s just so lovely! I can’t believe I was so unsure about the fabrics I picked – but they all work so well with each other! Hooray!

I was planning on quilting it in a grid-like pattern, similar to the original but on the day I quilted it I was more in the mood to stick with my classic straight-line quilting style than to branch out of my comfort zone! I’m really am so happy with how it worked out though. Super modern. Super chic. Super darling!

And today I caught myself gushing even more about this Mini in my September Favourites video! It’s been a while since I shared my monthly favourites on my blog! I hope you enjoy watching it!

Here’s a list of the things I chatted about in the video…

My September Favourites
Florence + The Machine Album, ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ (2015)
Petal Pincushions / TUTORIAL
Notting Hill House Mini Quilt by Nadra Ridgeway
HER WEBSITE
THE PATTERN
‘Be Brave. Be Bold.’ Book from Kikki.K
Revlon Highlighting Palette in 020 Rose Glow
Photography / CAMERA: Canon EOS 600D DSLR

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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend wherever you are in the world and use the time to sew til your hearts content!

Happy Sewing, friends!

September 23rd: TUTORIAL // The Mountain Block!

It’s been a while in the making, but here it is: The Mountain Block tutorial!

FABRIC
Wildwood by Elizabeth Olwen for Cloud9 Fabric, in Wild Flower.
Prima 100% Cotton Homespun, in White.

MEASUREMENT & CUTTING
From the white solid fabric cut:
x1: 8.5″ square

From the print fabric cut:
x1: 8.5″ square

FINAL UNIT SIZE

6.5″x8″/17cmx21cm (approx.)

FINAL BLOCK SIZE

15.5″x12&6/8″ / 40cmx32.5cm (approx.)

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As I mention in the tutorial, you have free reign on how big or small you want to make your mountain block! In no way must you stick with the measurements I’ve provided – you can be as adventurous and as creative as you like when piecing it together! The only thing you need to remember is to cut your HST in the opposite direction to achieve that wonderfully awesome mirrored effect in the block!

Here are a few great examples I found on Pinterest of the mountain block (also known as the Delectable Mountain/s block) being used to create such effective and beautiful modern quilts!

The quilt by Quilts by Emily

The quilt by Quilternity’s Place

The quilt by Wendy Meyen

The quilt by Old Red Barn Co.

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Let me know if you’re excited to give this block a go! It’s perfect for intermediate beginners and would be great to use to get some of those scrap fabric piles down to a better height!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

September 15th: The Start of a New Quilt!

I finally got the chance to cut and play with these gorgeous Wildwood fabrics today! Yip-yip!!

This range (mine, unfortunately, is incomplete) was designed by Elizabeth Olwen for Cloud9 Fabrics, is 100% certified organic cotton and is an absolute dream to work with! I love it so much!!

…Am I the only who keeps the selvedges because they’re too pretty to throw away?!

So I’ve had the idea swirling around my head for quite a while to try out the Mountain Block with these fabrics. I thought, because the range is called ‘Wildwood’ and mountains are usually surrounded by wood, that it would sort of tie-in together nicely. Plus the fact that I’ve seen some beautiful quilts on Pinterest using the block and thought they looked ah-mazing! So after a good bit of research and trialling the block out, I begun the real thing today with really good results so far!

This is the very early stages of the quilt top…

I’m still not 100% sure of the final layout – there are lots of options – but I thought I’d figure that out once all of the blocks have been made and I’m able to swap and reposition things until I’m happy with what I see. I’ve also added a few darker neutrals in the mix to help break up the white. I’m pretty happy with how well that’s working out as well!

Good news, I will be doing a tutorial on this block! It’s currently planned to come out on Friday and you’ll be so surprised at just how simple it is to make! I’ll also be doing another tutorial-type-thing on how to make the quilt in a blog post sometime next week!

So in those tutorials I’ll show you how to cut and piece the blocks together as well as show you the different kinds of quilt top layouts you can choose to create with the block, along with all of the measurements, cutting info and associated numbers needed to make the quilt! Should be fun!

I’m now off to piece some more blocks together!

A Happy Tuesday to you!

September 14th: A Happy Monday

I feel that for the third day in a row, I should comment on how great the weather has been today as my first few opening sentences… Man, the weather was lovely today! Super sunny, warm breeze and the scent of fresh flowers perfuming the air! Ooo, it was grand! 😀

So just as the title of this post suggests, it’s been a happy Monday! Big collaboration prospects were discussed and organised this morning. (More on that when the right time comes along!) Fun and exciting future projects were developed further (HINT: Quilt-Along!!). A little bit more sewing got done. And I put a quilt on sale in my Etsy Shop!

Yep, my Open Window Quilt I made for the Fat Quarter Shop Blog Hop last week is looking for a new home! It so deserves a place where it can be loved, used and cherished everyday by someone who loves it just as much as I do! The reason I’ve decided to sell this quilt is simply because I have no room for it! Our house has literally been taken over by quilts (every lounge, sofa and chair practically has one draped over the back and/or over its arm!) that I just have no where to put it! So that’s why it must to go to a good home where it’ll be appreciated!

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Ooo, I also got a little bit more done on my Notting Hill House Mini! I stitched on a 2.5″ white sashing around the four edges of the quilt top, then prepared the binding (pastel pink, left-over from a baby quilt I made for my niece last year!) along with the backing (left-over backing from my Open Window Quilt) as well as the batting (white Cosy Cotton, left-over from my Geo Dreams Quilt!).

Right now, I’ve got it to the stage where all three layers are ready for basting and then quilting! Yay! Although, I’m still not sure how I want to quilt it… Criss-cross grid? Straight line? Ditch in the stitch? Dare I say it: FMQ?! Hmm, that decision needs to be slept on and decided in the morning, I think! 🙂

I hope you all have a great Monday too!

Happy Sewing, Friends!

September 13th: A Sewing Day!

Another sunny weekend-day has come to an end and today I finally got stuck into some sewing!

As the early afternoon rolled over, I fired up the iron, got my machine in working order (new needle, full bobbin and full thread on top), pressed all of my fabrics and begun the task of making my Notting Hill House Mini!

Ooo, isn’t it just the loveliest thing!!

I found, just like the Pandamonium Mini Quilt, there was a lot of cutting before the sewing could begin. But being as I’m a total loser for cutting (it’s one of my favourite steps in quilt making!), I was in my element as I meticulously checked and re-checked the measurements, lined up the fabric on my mat and then cut, cut, cut!

Piecing it together was a piece of cake! At almost every step in the pattern, there is a little diagram showing you what, where and how to piece all of the little pieces together to create the door, the windows and the roof and then how to bring them all together to complete the quilt top! Fab!

I was saying in yesterdays post, I wasn’t too sure on the fabrics I had chosen to use for this mini. But you know, I looked at the choices this morning with fresh eyes and didn’t change a thing! I could see that all of the fabrics I had pulled out would work brilliantly with each other!

All in all, I’m really happy with how everything came together. The door and stair section is a little wonky, but hey, it adds character! Now, I think I’m going to add a little border sashing around the outside of the house (even though the pattern doesn’t suggest that), just so that it stands out a little bit. I’m not too sure when I’ll have the time to quilt it as the week ahead is a busy one along with the weekend! I may have to pull some late-nighters to see it finished! But what ever happens, I’ll keep you in the loop!

Happy Sunday friends and I hope you all have a lovely week ahead!

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