The first month’s blocks in the Summer Moon Block of the Month are:
Album Block
Churn Dash
Fool’s Puzzle
Album Block
The Album Block is sewn in strips and then cut down to size. There are 3 sizes, 8.5″, 6.5″ and 5.0″. The 5″ block has tiny little pieces and I am so glad that I heavily starched the fabric. It makes accuracy so much easier.
Churn Dash Block
The Churn Dash Blocks are 8.5″, 6.5″ and 5.0″. This block is quick and easy.
Fool’s Puzzle Block
The Fool’s Puzzle Blocks are 8.5″, 6.5″ and 5.0″. The center square is an hourglass and it is surrounded by flying geese blocks. In the future, I would like to see an entire quilt made using this block style.
To match my Swoon 16 Bed Quilt, I made a very small replica wallhanging, The Mini Swoon by Thimble Blossoms. The mini quilt measures 19″ x 19″ and uses the smallest scraps. The Swoon block is a bit time consuming and this mini version is no exception. The small pieces can be a bit tedious but is well worth the trouble.
Mini Swoon by Thimble Blossoms
I only had a few little bitty pieces of fabric left after finishing the bedquilt and this pattern has pieces so small that I could just eek out enough to get this one little quilt done and I love it. It is one of those little projects that gives you a lot of bang for your buck with a large wow factor.
Supplies:
Fabric: Laundry Basket Quilts, Over the Rainbow Batiks by Moda
I added a Flange Binding like I did on the bed sized quilt. I really like this binding technique. It frames a quilt nicely and it can be done on the sewing machine without hand stitching. I added Missouri Star Quilt Co. tutorial on Flange Binding at the bottom of this post.
So, last month, I participated in the Perfect 10 Sampler Sew Along from Sew Emma’s “Perfect 10” book. The sampler consisted of one block from each of the 16 quilts. It gives the opportunity to see which block most appeals to you, I think.
After finishing the sampler, I knew that I wanted to do several of these quilts. They are quick and easy and each quilt can be made from one fabric layer cake and 3 1/2 – 6 yards of background fabric.
The Cookie Dough Quilt
Cookie Dough Quilt
This quilt is one of the largest. It finishes at 88 1/2″ square which would work on a queen sized bed.
I like bright colors and “Farmhouse II” is so pretty with bright green, orange, aqua and navy. I want to “use” this quilt and it will get dirty, so I chose Black on Black Cross Weave yardage for the background. I saw a quilt on Pinterest using this background and it really made the bright colors pop. And … it won’t show dirt. It is a little thin, but will end up being really soft in the finished quilt.
I didn’t starch before I cut it out because I needed the entire 10″ on each piece of the layer cake for the pattern. I used my Accuquilt GO! cutter to cut the 4.5″ and 5.5″ background squares and the background rectangles. It wastes a little bit of fabric, but it shortened my cutting time considerably as well as being more accurate.
I have needed a hand sewing kit forever. I ran across a video on YouTube (below) and really liked how this bag was constructed. The compartment that holds wonder clips was the best selling point for me. The instructions for the bag can be found here.
This is a great project for scraps. Each little section only takes a small piece of fabric, so leftovers work wonderfully for this. I have a huge pile of “Smitten” scraps. I had starched them heavily thinking that I needed them for my “Hexie Snowflake” quilt. I don’t like how stiff the pockets are now so I’m going to wash my bags to get out all of the starch.
The tab that holds the thread has a velcro scrap on the end. It is the end that you thread through the hole in the spool. Small Aurifil thread that is on the wooden spool has a very small opening. It won’t thread through. Next time, I will either make the velcro a lot smaller (but it won’t hold as well) or use a small tie. The plastic spools of small Aurifil have a larger opening and work fine.
Materials
I cut everything out and added some mesh for the internal pocket. While constructing the bag, I decided against using it and made the pocket with the suggested fabric. I may revisit this on a later bag some day….we’ll see.
It was quite simple to sew together. I made both bags at the same time. Almost as if I were chain piecing. Maybe I’ll call this chain making. 🙂 So, I have one bag to use and one to put in my gift box for later.
Goody Goody Binding Bag
I really like how the colors turned out. The only thing I would change would be the binding on the tan bag. I think it is too light for the outside of the bag.
Goody Goody Binding Bag
Goody Goody Binding Bag
This is the video I found on YouTube. I think the bright colors are what appealed to me most.
I received my monthly labels from Sweetwater Co. and thought that you might like to see them. The subscription is $7.50 per month for 2 personalized and dated labels. The labels are printed on high quality iron-on fabric. They are simple enough, yet still have style.
My finished perfect 10 sampler top. It still needs to be quilted.
I am not exactly thrilled over the final result. The Zuma fabrics were not appropriately showcased as the background overpowers them. I will do another in a different fabric line. I especially like the darker backgrounds I have seen others post.
*Pictures are courtesy of the official quilt-a-long at the Fat Quarter Shop.
FQS Perfect 10 QAL Week 8
Week 8 instructions for this Quilt-a-Long can be found HERE on the Fat Quarter Shop blog. You need the book for this QAL but the ruler is optional. I am finding that the ruler is a great help. It is worth the price.
Block 15: Rainbow Sherbet Block
Instructions are found on page 60 of the book and each block unit measures 12 1/2 X 12 1/2.
Block 16: Rocky Road Block
Instructions are found on page 64 of the book and each block unit measures 9 1/2 X 9 1/2 inches. My iron spit out some dirty water on the background. Hopefully that will come out in the wash.
*Pictures are courtesy of the official quilt-a-long at the Fat Quarter Shop.
FQS Perfect 10 QAL Week 7
Week 7 instructions for this Quilt-a-Long can be found HERE on the Fat Quarter Shop blog. You need the book for this QAL but the ruler is optional. I am finding that the ruler is a great help. It is worth the price.
Block 13: Neapolitan Block
Instructions are found on page 52 of the book and each block unit measures 4 1/2 X 6 1/2.
Block 14: Peaches ‘n Cream Block
Instructions are found on page 56 of the book and each block unit measures 16 1/2 X 16 1/2 inches.
*Pictures are courtesy of the official quilt-a-long at the Fat Quarter Shop.
FQS Perfect 10 QAL Week 6
Week 3 instructions for this Quilt-a-Long can be found HERE on the Fat Quarter Shop blog. You need the book for this QAL but the ruler is optional. I am finding that the ruler is a great help. It is worth the price.
Block 11: Lemon Sorbet Block
Instructions are found on page 44 of the book and each block unit measures 14 1/2 X 14 1/2.
Block 12: Mint Chocolate Chip Block
Instructions are found on page 48 of the book and each block unit measures 16 1/2 X 16 1/2 inches.
*Pictures are courtesy of the official quilt-a-long at the Fat Quarter Shop.
FQS Perfect 10 QAL Week 5
Week 3 instructions for this Quilt-a-Long can be found HERE on the Fat Quarter Shop blog. You need the book for this QAL but the ruler is optional. I am finding that the ruler is a great help. It is worth the price.
Block 9: Dutch Chocolate Block
Instructions are found on page 36 of the book and each block unit measures 18 X 18.
Block 10: French Vanilla Block
Instructions are found on page 40 of the book and each block unit measures 10 1/2 X 10 1/2 inches.
