One World Quilt Along Borders and Finishing

Can you believe it? We are at the last instalment of the One World Quilt Along! Yes, it's finally here!

This instalment isn't even a block, really, although I think of it as Block 7. It is actually putting all of the blocks that have been created into the quilt itself by adding sashing and borders. There is one more appliqué to add as well: an alligator. Once this has all been done, the quilt top will be ready for quilting.

I'm feeling a bit lost down here.

I had a bit of a problem with the alligator appliqué - he really didn't want to be stitched down by himself in the quilt's border and insisted upon visiting the other animals in the previous blocks. After a lot of persuasion, I managed to convince him that he had a spot reserved just for him :)

Can I hang out in the trees with you?

I'd really love a hat like that!

If you haven't joined the One World Quilt Along, there is still a bit of time to subscribe before it ends. Each block in the quilt is constructed individually so you can really start working on any block - you don't have to start with Block 1. In addition to the blocks, you will also have access to videos for each block to help you complete the quilt. There are two subscription options: Quilter or Viewer. Check out the details here.

Now all that remains is to decide on the prize winners! One of our lucky Quilters will be winning a Janome Artistic Edge digital cutter. There are also lots of fabric-y prizes donated by Hoffman California Fabrics and, last, but not least is a year's subscription to QuiltFusion. Just think of all the wonderful quilt patterns you could create with this amazing software!

I can hardly wait to email the winners of all these wonderful prizes. Keith and I so appreciate the support of Janome, Hoffman California Fabrics, Curious.com (prize already awarded), and, of course, QuiltFusion.

While this may be the end of the One World Quilt Along, Keith and I will be back with another awesome design for our next quilt along. If you have any suggestions for the type of design you'd like to see, please leave them in the Comments below.

Creatively,

Crazy at the Cabin Book Review

I wish I had a cabin by a lake so I'd have an excuse to make some of the projects in Crazy at the Cabin by Janet Rae Nesbitt. My brother does have a cottage in Ontario,and I could definitely see a few of these quilts gracing the cottage walls.

I first thought that this book was about crazy pieced designs, although the design on the front cover certainly didn't look like a crazy quilt! Once I opened up the book and read about the technique that Janet is using to create these projects, I realized that this was not the case at all. The technique used in the book involves layering fabric one on top of the other and cutting out design shapes from them and then recombining them into the finished design. At least that's my interpretation of it, although Janet explains it much better than that. It's sort of like shuffling a deck of cards - you get a new and unexpected arrangement.

There are a variety of projects in this book from wonky, funky designs to more elegant, traditional looking ones: something for everyone.

I thought that this was a very interesting technique and found the projects appealing. These patterns were reminiscent of Buggy Barn designs; no surprise there as Janet was the designer behind that hugely popular pattern company.

To see more of Crazy at the Cabin, watch the video below or on my YouTube channel.

Purchase your copy of Crazy at the Cabin to add to your quilting library.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to get the latest content delivered directly to you. You can find me at www.youtube.com/chatterboxquilter.

Creatively,

Full disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small amount of compensation if your purchase an item by clicking through the links in this blogpost. Thanks for helping me to keep developing free content for you.

Stitch and Flip Blocks

I wanted to share some more quick quilt blocks with you. This one is one of my favourites: the Stitch and Flip Block. I've made a few table runners using this versatile block and I know that you'll create lots of projects with it too!

This is a very simple block that only uses two fabrics for each block. Here's what you'll need:

• one 5" square of fabric
• two 2 1/2" squares of fabric

Be sure that the two fabrics have a strong contrast between them to get the desired effect - which is to see the design that you are creating.

I have used a charm square for one fabric and two mini-charm squares, that are both the same fabric, for the contrasting fabric that will be forming the new corners of this block. You can use different sizes to create this block, if you wish, just be sure that the two smaller squares are half the size of the background square. For example, if your background square is 7", the two smaller squares should be 3 1/2" each. See how good I am at math! :)

Here's what you need to do with these squares:

• Draw a diagonal line on the back of both of the smaller squares - the 2 1/2" ones in my example.
• Place these smaller squares, right sides together (RST), on opposite corners on the background  (5" square in my example) square. Watch the video for fabric orientation.
• Stitch on the drawn diagonal line on both of the smaller squares (the 2 1/2" ones in my example). 
• Trim off the excess corners, 1/4" away from the stitched lines.
• Press to the corners.

You will now have one Stitch and Flip Block completed.

Watch the video below or on my YouTube channel for correct fabric orientation for those smaller squares so you'll get the desired effect when you've finished stitching. 

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive future video notifications. Share this or any (or all) of my videos with your quilting friends. I'd be so appreciative.

This is a great block to make a heartfelt quilt as it forms X and O blocks. I've shown you a few ways you can combine Stitch and Flip Blocks, but if you have more ideas, please post them in the comments below.

Creatively,

Book Review - One Bundle of Fun

This week I'm taking a break from quick quilt blocks to share a book review with you. If you like to create pre-cut quick quilts, this is the book for you!

One Bundle of Fun by Sue Pfau isn't a thick book, but it is packed with great quilt designs and the best part is that they are all created with pre-cuts - and that's it! This book appealed to me as you could actually create all of the quilts in One Bundle of Fun without adding any additional yardage - except for the backing, of course. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of wonderful pre-cut books on the market, but I get frustrated when I'm ready to make one of them and then realize that I still need to have several yards or metres of additional fabric for sashing or borders. Not the case with this book at all.

I also liked the designs that were created. I found them intricate and interesting and there were several levels for beginning to more advanced quilters. 

To see more of One Bundle of Fun, please watch the video below or on my YouTube channel.

Purchase your own copy of One Bundle of Fun and start clearing our your stash of pre-cuts (or am I the only one with these?!) 

If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up on YouTube and subscribe to receive all my future videos. I'd be so grateful if you would also share this video with your quilting friends.

Creatively,

Half Square Triangles: Combination Unit

This week I'm featuring another quick block that can be created from half-square triangles or half square triangles or HST - it seems there are lots of ways to name these cute little units. 

These Combination Blocks contain three fabrics so I would suggest that you have a contrast between them for the proper effect. Nobody likes ineffective and unexciting Combination Blocks!

What do you need to create a Combination Block? I'm glad you asked :) You'll need:

• 1 square of fabric
• 1 half-square triangle the same size as your fabric square

I used a charm square and a 5" half-square triangle, but any size will work as long as the two squares are the same size to start.

That's it!

Now I suppose you'll want to know what to do with them, won't you? Okay, this is what you do next:

• Mark a diagonal line on the back of the fabric square for your stitching guide
• Put the two squares right sides together (RST - another quilting acronym!), and stitch 1/4" away on either side of the diagonal marked line. Note the fabric orientation in the video!
• Cut the squares apart on the drawn diagonal line and voilà: you have two Combination Blocks.

To see all of the steps in action, watch the video below or on my YouTube channel.

There are lots of different orientations you can use with these Combination Blocks to create interesting designs. I've shown you a few, but if you have more ideas, please leave a comment below.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this video and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you will receive notification when I post the next video. I'd sure appreciate it if you would share this video with your quilting friends.

Creatively,