Tag Archives: blog hop

Dot Crazy Blog Hop and Giveaway! • 71 Comments

sarah • December 21, 2017

Welcome!

I'm so excited to be here for the Dot Crazy Blog Hop with Benartex. These vibrant, cheerful designs by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr were so fun to work with. I had a hard time narrowing down the palette since I loved all the prints! I decided to feature the Fun & Games print in blue so I could fussy cut for a kaleidoscope effect. Check out Weeks and Bill's fussy cutting video tutorial.

My table runner is made of three blocks and finished at about 10" x 30". It is quilted with 50 wt Aurifil #2600 (Dove) and features Small Dot in yellow, Jax in blue, Maze in purple, and Fun & Games in blue, all from the Dot Crazy line.

Here's a peek of the Fun & Games prints that I fussy cut for my block's centers. You could get quite a variety of centers from this one print.

BLOCK TUTORIAL

My 10" finished blocks are made from four identical sections. Here's how to create your own!

Fussy cut four 3 1/2" identical squares. (You'll only see about half of the print in the finished block.) Note: These squares are not cut on grain. You'll have bias edges on these squares, so take care to not stretch the fabric as you sew. New to fussy cutting? There are great tips for how to mark your ruler to help with precision in Weeks and Bill's video.

For each section of the block you'll need (1) fussy cut 3 1/2" square, (1) 4 1/2" square of background (yellow), and (2) 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles of a contrasting value/color (blue and purple). Remember, you'll need four of these sets for one finished 10" block.

Sew 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle to 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" background square. Press seams open.

Sew second 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle to unit as shown. Press seams open.

On the wrong side, mark 2" from the edge of each 1 1/2" rectangle.

Using a ruler, mark a line connecting these two dots. (Top edge of ruler shown.)

Align unit from above with fussy cut square, right sides together so edges line up as shown. Corners of fussy cut square should touch dots from previous step.

Flip over this fabrics, your marked line is your sew line. Sew on this line. Then trim 1/4" from sewn line and press seams open.

Tada! Here's the first of four sections for your block. Paying attention to placement of each fabric, make 4 identical sections. These should measure 5 1/2" square.

Putting four identical units together will create a kaleidoscopic center to your block!

GIVEAWAY (US addresses only) - GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

For your chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Dot Crazy fabrics, leave any comment below. Newsletter subscribers can leave a second comment for a bonus entry. (Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe in the purple bar at the top of my blog, click to confirm your subscription in the email that comes to you, and leave a comment on this post telling me you're a new subscriber.) Entry deadline is 11:59pm EST on Tuesday, December 26. I will email the randomly selected winner and they will have 48 hours to reply with their (US) shipping address or I will select a new winner. EDIT: Angela J Short is our winner! :-)

Be sure to visit the other stops on the Dot Crazy Blog Hop:

Dot Crazy Intro and Interview @ Sew in Love with Fabric

Technique Tuesday Fussy Cutting Tutorial @ Sew in Love with Fabric

Dots Squares @ Love to Color My World

Thank you for visiting!

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Machine Bind Your Quilts Like a Pro • 16 Comments

sarah • September 10, 2017

When I began quilting, I learned to make bias binding and to finish by hand. Now, my preferred method is to attach the binding completely by machine. Most often, by the time I'm at the binding stage I'm just ready to be done and I really appreciate the speed of this method.

Start by creating your double-fold binding strips, in your desired width. Your binding should be about 10" longer than the perimeter of your quilt. I originally used a 2 1/2" wide binding, then 2 1/4" wide before I settled on 2" as my default. I prefer to cut my binding strips on the bias for a couple reasons. I think it's easier to work with. The bias cut produces binding that has a little give to it. I also think it wears better in the long run for quilts that are going to be used and washed regularly. The give in the bias allows the fibers of the binding to move instead of wear and fray. If your quilt has curved edges, the bias binding will allow you to more easily follow the curve as well. (Note: If you prefer straight grain binding made from width of fabric strips, you can still machine bind!) I recommend that binding strips be connected using diagonal seams to avoid bulk created by straight seams.

After quilting and trimming your quilt (the white stippled section of diagram is the quilt, the grey is the table), begin by stitching your binding to the edge of the back of your quilt. Use your 1/4" foot and normal stitch length and start in the middle of an edge of your quilt. Leave about 10" of binding loose before you start sewing. I use Aurifil 50 wt. for attaching my binding. Align the raw edge of your binding strip to the edge of the trimmed quilt. Attach binding to the first side of your quilt. Stop 1/4" from the corner of the quilt and backstitch. (The arrow in the diagram shows where the corner of the quilt is.)

Fold the binding at a 45 degree angle. The fold should line up with the edge of your stitching and the corner of the quilt. (The first diagram shows fold line in red. The second diagram shows binding folded on this line.)

Then fold the binding back along the first edge of the quilt so the raw edge of the binding is along the second side of the quilt. Be sure that this second fold goes just past the edge of the quilt. I like to use a wonder clip (see in photo below) to hold that folded edge while I begin sewing the next edge.

Starting at the edge of side two, stitch using your 1/4" foot and normal stitch length. Continue with this method until you have turned all four corners.

When you are about 12-18" from your starting point, backstitch and trim threads. Lay your quilt flat with the loose ends of the binding strips overlapping along the edge of the quilt. Cut your ends of your binding strips so that they overlap by the width of a strip (shown in green above). My ends overlap 2". (Note: Remember that if your binding strips are 2 1/2" wide you should have a 2 1/2" overlap.) I find it helpful to cut off a small chunk of binding from the end of the strip and use it as a guide to measure this width to trim the ends of the binding.

Unfold the binding and pin the ends right sides together at a right angle and mark a 45-dgree line on the unfolded, wrong side of one end of the binding (shown in red on the diagram). Check to be sure that binding will lay flat without any twists when this seam is sewn. Sew on the line with a reduced stitch length. Trim off excess fabric, 1/4" from stitching line. Finger press seam open, then fold binding to lay flat and press with an iron. Stitch remaining edge of binding to quilt.

Press binding away from quilt. Press each edge close to corners, but do not press the corners.

This is what the self-mitered corner looks like on the bottom of the quilt.

For the second pass around the quilt I switch to my standard clear-view foot and I like to position my needle to the far left so the foot is level on the binding. Increase stitch length to 3.0 - 3.5. I start by using just a few wonder clips (you could also use pins) to hold the binding in place on the top of the quilt. I don't clip/pin the entire perimeter as I prefer to adjust the binding as I stitch and use a stiletto to move and guide the binding layer as it feeds into the machine. If you don't have a stiletto, a long, heavy duty straight pin, like the Clover Flower Head Pins, works well for me.

With the binding pulled taut over the edge of the quilt, stitch 1/16" to 1/8" from the folded edge of the binding. Your stitching will be visible on the back of the quilt. The width of your binding strips and where your stitching falls in this step will determine how far away from your binding edge the stitching will be on the back. This part is a bit of an art. Use a little trial and error to find a look that you're happy with on front and back. See my finished example in the last photo below.

As you approach the corner, you'll have to prepare the binding. I usually do this when the corner makes it onto my sewing table, about 6" from the needle.

Start by folding up the bottom edge, then fold the right edge of the binding over the top. I use a straight pin to hold the first fold in place along the right edge of the binding so that when I fold over the right side the seam meets at a 45 degree angle.

Once you're happy with where the corner seam falls, pin the binding in place. (I prefer pins to clips here because I can sew really close to the pin before needing to remove it.)

As I approach the corner, I stitch right up to the pin before removing it.

Once I remove the pin, I use a stiletto or flower head pin to guide the fabric. Stop in the needle down position one stitch past the corner of the seam.

Rotate the quilt and continue on the second side, removing the last pin after a stitch or two (and without sewing over it). You should be able to continue around the entire perimeter of the quilt without breaking thread. I backstitch once I get to where I started.

Tada! Here's the top view of the finished binding. (Adorable Ninja fabric by Elishka Jepson.)

Here's a view of both sides of the finished binding. The rainbow striped fabric is the backing. You can see the line of stitching visible on the backing fabric from attaching the binding.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or let me know where you wish there was another photo or diagram.

If you want to see the full view of the quilts used in this tutorial, check out my Purple Ninja Quilt, Wizard of Oz Baby Quilt, Caterpillar Fizz, and Racoon Envelope Mini.

In case you're new here, I send out a newsletter every 2-3 weeks. Sign up here to receive color and design inspiration straight to your inbox and don't miss a beat about what's going on at Sarah Goer Quilts.

This tutorial was shared as part of the 2017 Back to School Blog Hop for Sewists with Sam Hunter. Below are links to the tutorials by the other participants.

Day 1 – August 15 – Sam Hunter: How to spray baste a BIG quilt

Day 2 – August 16 – Mandy Leins: Thread Dread: removing stray bits after quilting

Day 3 – August 17 – Nancy Stovall: Batting Choices - The Sweet Creamy Filling

Day 4 – August 18 – Ebony Love: 7 Indispensable feet for your sewing machine

Day 5 – August 19 – Michelle Freedman: Machine throat plates

Day 6 – August 20 – Teresa Coates: What's What: Top-stitching, Edge-stitching, Under-stitching

Day 7 – August 21 – Kelly Cole: Getting your Sew-Jo Back

Day 8 – August 22 – Megan Dougherty: Choose to Fuse: tips for working with fusibles for applique

Day 9 – August 23 – Kim Lapacek: Tricks to being productive while hauling your kids around

Day 10 – August 24 – Yvonne Fuchs: Circuitboard quilting on Domestic and Longarm Machines

Day 11 – August 25 – Sandi Hazlewood: Chain Piecing Quilt Blocks Tips

Day 12 – August 26 – Juliet van der Heijden: Teaching a Child to Paper Piece

Day 13 – August 27 – Maddie Kertay: How to Fold Fabric for Versatile Storage

Day 14 – August 28 – Cath Hall: Working with Lawn Fabric

Day 15 – August 29 – Tracy Mooney: Tips for the Perfect Seam

Day 16 – August 30 – Teri Lucas: How to Bury Thread

Day 17 – August 31 – Debby Brown: Securing Machine Quilting Knots

Day 18 – September 1 – Flaun Cline: How to put some sparkle in your fabric pull (part 1)

Day 19 – September 2 – Jessica Darling: How to put some sparkle in your fabric pull (part 2)

Day 20 – September 3 – Trish Frankland: A bigger blade really IS better?!

Day 21 – September 4 – Robin Koehler: Tips on how to travel with handwork

Day 22 – September 5 – Jane Davidson: How to make scrappy HSTs

Day 23 – September 6 – Linda Pearl: Low cost tips for organizing your sewing room

Day 24 – September 7 – Christa Watson – Top 10 tips for quilting on a domestic machine

Day 25 – September 8 – Sarah Nunes: To Starch or Not to Starch

Day 26 – September 9 – Suzy Webster: Testing fabric for bleeding

Day 27 – September 10 – Sarah Goer: Machine bind your quilts like a pro – You are here!

Day 28 – September 11 – Vanda Chittenden: Beginner paper-piecing tips

Day 29 – September 12 – Cheryl Sleboda: Needle threading tips

Day 30 – September 13 – Kim Niedzwiecki – Different thread weights and when to use them

Day 31 – September 14 – Sandra Healy: Conquer Your Fear of Machine Appliqué

Day 32 – September 15 – Sandra Starley: Tips for Collecting Antique Quilts

I've linked up to Tips and Tutorials Festival.

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Cloud9 New Block Blog Hop: Geometric Transparency • 80 Comments

sarah • September 11, 2016

Welcome to my blog, especially to any first time visitors finding me through the blog hop. I'm joined by almost 70 quilters over the next three days for the 2016 Cloud9 New Block Blog Hop, hosted by Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs and Stephanie @Late Night Quilter. Each participant has designed and created a 12" finished block that will be donated to the hosts to make into charity quilts. And we've each created a free tutorial of our block for you. Our hosts curated this Berry Harvest bundle of Cirrus Solids from Cloud 9: Amazon, Sky, Iris, Lilac, and Shadow. Cloud9 generously donated fat quarters of each fabric to each participant.

I love this palette. Purple is my absolute favorite color and, in general, I'm a fan of the cool side of the spectrum. Early in the design process I began toying with a design involving transparency since I liked the idea of two layers of the lighter color "overlapping to create" the darker color. Initially I was working only with rectangles. It was late in the game that I decided to make one shape a triangle, forming a trapezoidal overlap. This also allowed me to create a design with rotational symmetry within the block. Here is my final design, Geometric Transparency.

CUTTING

Dark Fabrics (Amazon & Iris), cut from each:
A. (1) 2.5-inch by 3.5-inch rectangle.

Light Fabrics (Sky & Lilac), cut from each:
B. (1) 1.5-inch by 8.5-inch rectangle
C. (1) 2.5-inch by 5.5-inch rectangle
D. (1) 3.75-inch square
E. (2) 2.5-inch squares

Background Fabric (Shadow), cut:
F. (2) 1.5-inch by 12.5-inch rectangles
G. (2) 1.5-inch by 10.5-inch rectangles
H. (1) 4.5-inch square
I. (2) 1.5-inch by 3.5-inch rectangles
J. (2) 1.5-inch by 2.5-inch rectangles
K. (2) 3.75-inch squares

Piecing Directions

Sew all seams with an accurate 1/4" seam allowance. My seams are pressed open, using a shortened stitch length of 2.0. I find pressing seams open helps me match up points and makes free motion quilting easier.

Step 1: Use 2.5-inch by 3.5-inch dark fabric and coordinating light 2.5-inch square. Mark diagonal on each square as shown in first photo below. Sew on marked line and trim off excess fabric 1/4" from stitching (second photo below). Press open (no photo) and set aside.

Step 2: Pair each 3.75-inch light squares with a 3.75-inch background square. Mark and sew on the diagonal. Trim 1/4-inch from stitching line and press open. Trim to 3.5-inch square.

Step 3: Attach HSTs from step 2 to 1.5-inch by 3.5-inch rectangles of background fabric as shown below.

Step 4: Piece sections to form each row. Rows should finish at 10.5-inches wide.
Row 1: G (no piecing)
Row 2: B + H
Row 3: C + unit from step 1 + E
Row 4: unit from step 3 + H + unit from step 3
Row 5: E + unit from step 1 + C
Row 6: H + B
Row 7: G (no piecing)

Step 5: Attach rows in order shown. Pay particular attention to matching up points. These photos show how I matched up my points when connecting rows 4 and 5.

Use straight pin to go through the fabric 1/4-inch from the edge, directly through the seams for each triangle. Pin should be perpendicular to fabrics.