Quilting Tutorials and Fabric Creations | Quilting In The Rain

Baby Boy Rag Quilt - DIY!

2012-02-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

First of all, happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all treated yourself to something sweet.

Second of all, it's crazy to think that yesterday was my baby boy's due date yet I've had my little munchkin for 14 days now! It's been a tiring but rewarding and exciting 2 weeks adjusting to Ethan's schedule, but we're getting there!

While up at 3 am the other night nursing Ethan, I managed to compile/edit these rag quilt photos on my iPhone. I made this quilt for my dear friend who is due next month. I was able to finish this quilt the Saturday before my maternity leave started.
I made this quilt using 1 Layer Cake (pre-cut 10 inch squares) from the Puttin' on the Ritz collection.

Rag quilts are awesome - they're simple and quick projects that make such softly textured quilts. I love the simplicity of rag quilts so much that I decided to post a super quick tutorial on how I made it. If you need a more detailed tutorial, you can refer to my Rag Quilt Tutorial.

Materials:

1 Layer Cake (or 40 pre-cut 10 inch squares)
20 pre-cut 9 inch squares of batting (I used Warm and Natural batting)
Coordinating thread

Step 1 - Make a mini quilt sandwich: take one 9 inch batting square and sandwich it in between two 10 inch fabric squares. Make sure the batting is centered; also, the wrong sides of the fabric should be facing the batting. Repeat until you have 20 mini quilt sandwiches.
Step 2 - For all 20 mini quilt sandwiches, sew an X as shown below. You can start and end sewing at least 1/4" from the corners. Start and end each stitch with a back-stitch.
Step 3 - Arrange your 20 mini quilt sandwiches in 5 rows of 4 sandwiches each. Keep in mind of how the back will look.
Step 4 - Sew the quilt sandwiches together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Start by sewing the sandwiches within each row together, and then sew the rows together. After you've sewn all five rows together, sew a 1/2" seam allowance around the perimeter of the quilt. This quilt requires no binding!
Step 5 - Use sharp fabric scissors to snip little frays (roughly ¼” apart) along all of the ½” seams. Lastly, throw the quilt in the wash/dryer so the frays become all soft and fluffly. :)
That's it! You know me...I absolutely love cute and satisfying projects like these. Now that i have a little one of my own, I could use more projects like these. Thanks goodness for pre-cuts!

Happy quilting! Back to my munchkin' for now... :)

Our newest addition! 2.01.12

2012-02-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Looking at my last post makes me chuckle...it was my first official day of maternity leave and I had a list of projects (including two quilts) I wanted to make before Ethan's pending arrival. Turns out Ethan decided to arrive two weeks early :) I made it two days into maternity leave and at 1:30 am on February 1st, I went into labor and Ethan was born that day at 1:28 pm weighing 7 lbs. 6oz. Ethan was ambitious and ready to meet the world!

I am recovering very well. Thank you all for your kind words on Facebook, it means a lot. Mommy and Daddy are two very happy parents! We're finally getting the hang of our little bugger's schedule. For all you mommy's out there, I have a new level of respect for each and every one of you now that I've been through it, and am a mommy myself. For any new mommies out there, my sincere thoughts go out to you as we nurse our little loves in the wee hours of the night.

-mommy Jera :)

A day full of sewing (or sleeping...)

2012-01-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

So, today is my first official day of maternity leave! I feel like a ticking time bomb. I'm due on February 13th, but my doctor said the baby can come as soon as tomorrow. I had grand plans to spend the entire day sewing and even made a handy little list of doable projects I could complete in a day. However, I only managed to get one project checked off my list...
I love the simplicity of this pillow and how quickly it came together. I got the whale fabric from a shop in Portland, Oregon earlier this month when my husband and I took a road trip there for a last minute baby-moon. :)

My planned day full of sewing was more of a day full of sleeping. I can't believe how tired I was! I don't know how I was working 8-10 hrs at my day job leading up to my maternity leave. I don't regret the time I spent sleeping today as it's good for me and the baby (and i know I'll be needing it!), but boy am I feeling like I have so much to do before the baby arrives!

Anyway, here's the back of the pillow. You can find it at my shop sold in a bundle, here. It's adorable; The print are instructions on how to fold a paper hat. :)

Anyway, that's it for now...time to get more rest... :) Happy quilting all!

Burpcloths! An easy tutorial

2012-01-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

So I've heard from a handful of people that cloth diapers make excellent burpcloths...I guess it makes sense. If they can soak up the poo, why not the throw up? Ah, the joys I have to look forward to! ;)
I bought a bundle of cloth diapers but the plain white wasn't doing it for me. So why not put some cute cowboys on it?!

Hopefully the cute prints will distract the naked eye from soon-to-be stainy burpcloths. :)

Anyway, these were super easy. I just had to share the tutorial - only 4 steps below!

If you like the fabrics, you can find them at my shop by clicking here. I used the 'Wanna Be a Cowboy' custom made bundle. It's a mix of Riley Blake and Michael Miller fabrics.

Enjoy!

Materials for 4 Burpcloths:

4 fat quarters
4 cloth diapers (14x20 inch)
5 yards of piping
Coordinating thread

Step 1 - Cut a fat quarter so that it measures a 6.5" x 19.5" rectangle.
Note: For aesthetic purposes, depending on what way you want the print to run (vertically or horizontally), you may need to cut the fabric and then sew it so that it measures a 6.5"x19.5" rectangle. A fat quarter will leave you enough fabric to do this.

Step 2 - Using an iron, press a 1/4" seam inward along the perimeter of the rectangle. It should look like this:

Step 3 - Center the rectangle on the middle of the cloth diaper; pin to keep in place. Then, pin the piping along the length of the rectangle (do this for each side) as shown below.
Secure the end of the piping by simply tucking it under the fabric seam...
...and then pinning it down:
Step 4 - Lastly, sew along the perimeter of the entire rectangle to fasten the piping and the fabric onto the cloth diaper.

How easy is that?!

Choose a fat quarter bundle and make a stack! They make for excellent baby shower gifts. :)

Happy Quilting!

Snowmageddon

2012-01-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

[Above: Bodie and Paige watching Snowmageddon]

I'm happy to say that Seattle got some decent snow this year! Or as Seattleites have been calling it, Snowmageddon. (If you're from the East coast, I'm sure you're rolling your eyes.) ;-) We got a whopping 6 inches with a layer of ice in the middle. The snow was enough that my husband and I got to work-from-home last week, so the dogs were happy about that. We were all hunkered down in our cozy house.

Aside from the sudden snowmageddon that hit Seattle, it's been an interesting week for me. First of all, I'm already 37 weeks preggo and I go on maternity leave next Friday already, so it's been crazy busy at work! I'm finding it harder to get a good night's rest. The other night I woke up at 2am and couldn't fall asleep. I stayed up until 5:30am thinking up new crafting ideas.

My latest project, which I should have up soon, consists of the following supplies: cloth diapers, piping and fat quarters.
I'm lovin' the cowboys. Sooo cute! Fabric never ceases to inspire me.
I also had the urge to make something using a Layer Cake. I probably shouldn't line up too many projects at once, but it's hard when I'm surrounded by beautiful textiles. Anyway, you may recall this quilt I made last year? (You can find the original post here.)
I plan on making this but using a Layer Cake from the Hello Luscious collection. You can plan on me posting a tutorial too.
I've been making a bunch of boy-themed crafts lately because of my little guy on the way :) I just had to make something girly-girl (for me :). I love the colors in this line!

I hope you're all having a safe and warm winter. Get some crafting in...you know that I'll be quilting in the snow! ;)

Simply Charming Baby Quilt Tutorial

2012-01-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

I love baby quilts! They come together so quickly and there's so many soft and cute fabrics to choose from. I made this quilt over a weekend; it came together very quickly!

This quilt uses charm squares - it only required 1 pack, plus some yardage for the solid strips, backing and binding. I went with minky fabric for the solid strips - it's that soft and fuzzy fabric that's perfect for baby quilts. It adds texture to a quilt making it super cuddly; however, be warned that it's not that easy to work with as the material is very stretchy.

The collection of charm squares I used is called Ten Little Things (thanks to your help!) by Jenn Ski for Moda, which is available at our shop.

I got creative with the backing fabric and pieced it together using quarter yard cuts. If you use a single fabric for the backing, you will only need 1 1/4 yards, and no need to piece it together.

I went ahead and put together a super quick tutorial for you all. :) Choose a charm pack and make one yourself! It's a simple and fun weekend project.

This tutorial assumes a 1/4" seam allowance.

Materials for a 36.5" x 41" quilt:

1 charm pack (at least forty pre-cut 5" squares)

5/8 yard solid fabric

3/8 yard binding fabric

1 1/4 yard backing fabric

Prepare A and B, and then arrange as shown in the image below.

A = Piece together five rows that have eight charm squares per row.
B = From your solid fabric, cut four 5" x 36.5" rectangles

[click image to enlarge]

Then, sew all 9 rows together to create the quilt top. (With right sides facing together, pin along the length to keep the fabric in place and then sew a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open with an iron).

Baste, quilt using an even-feed walking foot (i quilted horizontal lines), and then bind. And you're done!

That's all there is to it - I told you it was simply charming. :)

Heirloom Quilt Tutorial - and kits!

2012-01-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

Recall this quilt I was working on? I finally finished it! This one went to my Grandma in the Philippines as a gift for her 50th wedding anniversary. :)

It's a simple quilt that doesn't require that many materials. If you use the right prints, it'll turn out looking more intricate than it really is! I used the Heirloom collection by Joel Dewberry.

If you like it, we have Heirloom quilt kits available at our shop. The kits come with all the fabric you need to make this quilt (even backing and binding fabric). Enjoy the tutorial below! Only five simple steps.

Materials for one 35" x 46.5" quilt:

8 fat quarters (or 8 quarter yard cuts)
1.5 yards backing fabric
1/2 yard binding

1 Heirloom quilt kit

Step 1 - From each fat quarter, cut three 7 inch squares (save the remaining scraps for step 4). This will give you a total of twenty-four 7 inch squares. For quicker cuts, stack your fabrics 2-3 at a time, press with an iron to help keep in place, and then cut.

Then, pair your fabric prints:
Step 2 - Choose a fabric pair to start with, and place one square directly on top of the another, with right sides facing together.
With a rotary cutter and ruler, make a diagonal cut as shown below. This will give you two half square triangles. Then, sew a 1/4" seam allowance along each edge where you made the cut.
Press open with an iron, yielding two half triangle squares:
Then, make a diagonal cut on both half triangle squares as shown below. This will yield four triangles:
Switch the triangles around so that opposite prints are adjacent to one another. With right sides facing together, sew the half square triangles together using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open with an iron:
Step 3 - Repeat step 2 for all remaining pairs that you sorted from step 1. This will yield a total of 24 of these 'x' blocks (six stacks of each pair).
Step 4 - From your remaining eight fat quarter scraps, cut three 6 1/4 inch squares from each. This will yield a total of twenty-four 6 1/4 inch squares.

Step 5 - At this point, you should have a total of twenty-four 'x' blocks from steps 2-3, and twenty-four plain blocks from step 4, for a total of forty-eight blocks. Rearrange all forty-eight blocks in alternating order with 6 blocks per row and a total of 8 rows, as shown below. (click image to enlarge)
Then, piece your quilt top together: with right sides facing together, sew all six blocks in each row together, press open with an iron. And then all eight rows together.

Lastly, baste, quilt and then bind. And there you have it...one simple yet gorgeous, keepsake quilt!

Let me know if you have any questions. Happy Quilting!

-jera

Decisions...

2011-12-30T11:45:00.000-08:00

I woke up early this morning with an idea for a quick baby boy quilt using charm squares. I jotted down my idea/pattern, but now I can't decide which charm pack collection to use. Help anyone?
Shall I use Reunion by Sweetwater, or Ten Little Things by Jenn Ski?
I plan on incorporating that fuzzy minky fabric too - this will be a cute one!

I'm heading to the fabric shop today (after walking my furry children) to buy backing and background fabric, so please let me know today if possible (gotta get some quilting in before my winter break is over!). Knowing me, I'll probably end up making both...eventually.

Can you believe Christmas has passed, and only 2 more days until the New Year?! Holy cow, I better get quilting before I have my baby boy! By the way...we decided to name him Ethan :)

I have lots of projects lined up including: Moda Bakeshop pillow tutorial, travel bag tutorial, crib bumper, mini crib sheets and then of course I had to think up this idea this morning!

Happy Quilting!

Feast Your Eyes on These Babies!

2011-12-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

Don't be ashamed...let the drool roll 8-)**

Aren't they pretty?! It feels like an early Christmas for me! I received these yummy pre-cuts in the mail for my latest Moda Bakeshop tutorial. This is their new line called 'Hello Luscious' by Basic Grey and will eventually be available at our our online shop - It's a gorgeous line.

Anyway, the timing of this fabric shipment couldn't be more perfect as my Moda Bakeshop tutorial will be on pillow covers. I'm BADLY in need of new ones!

I made these quilted pillow covers using the 'stack and whack' block method last year. Recently I came home to find the corners chewed up. :(

It didn't take long to find out who the culprit was, being that our other furry nugget is currently sporting the 'cone of sorrow.' So unless I slept-walked the other night and chewed the corners off my pillows, we know who the guilty doggy is!

'cone of sorrow'

Well, this was an interesting post. It went from salivating over fabrics to the cone of sorrow.

Three more days until Christmas...happy holidays to all!

-jera

New Treats at Quilting In The Rain

2011-12-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

Can you believe there's only 5 more days until Christmas!? This month has flown by! It's been a crazy few weeks here, but we have a ton of new arrivals to share with you at www.QuiltingInTheRain.com! Thirteen beautiful pre-cut collections have been added for your browsing pleasure :) We also have a new Jelly Roll quilt kit featuring the Domestic Bliss collection by Moda.

Our website isn't the only place with an overload of sweet treats:
I have been in serious baking mode for the past three nights. Above and below you can see the cookies that I combined with mason jars and a charm square to create simple, cute holiday giveaways :) I really like the alternating contrast of the two types of cookie (for the record, they are ginger-molasses and sugar cookies).I can't say that I am proud of the number of cookies I ate in the process...but I am happy to report that it was less than my husband ate! Next on the list are some delicious whole-wheat brown sugar shortbread cookies. I can't wait!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far! Happy Quilting!

Holiday Baking! and that sticky bun recipe!

2011-12-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

Before I post the sticky bun recipe, I felt like I had to post something fabric-related being a fabri-holic and all. So here you have it...my summer jam recipe now made into perfect Christmas gifts thanks to some cute holiday-themed fabric and good canning my husband and I did last summer. :) This is blackberry jam; you can find the recipe HERE if you're interested.
I used fabric from the Sew Cherry collection, and cut 5 inch squares using a pinking blade on my rotary cutter to get the cute wavy sides.
And now for that Pull-Apart Sticky Bun recipe you asked for :)

I got this recipe from my coworker (thanks Remi!), who got it from her sister. It's tastes amazing, and like I've been saying, it's super easy! 5 simple steps below...

Ingredients:

1 tube Pillsbury Grand buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits per tube)
3 tbs butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup of corn syrup (i used dark corn syrup)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts.

Step 2 - Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.

Step 3 - As shown below, lay all eight biscuits on the bottom of the pan to form a ring. The edges of the biscuits should be overlapping.

Step 4 - Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.

Step 5 - Then, bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. (I baked it for exactly 20 minutes and it came out perfectly!). Once it's done baking, it'll look like this:
Cool for 1 minute, and then invert onto a serving platter:

Sticky bun heaven! I could eat this all over again :-( )**
And the buns just pull right off and melt in your mouth.
Enjoy!

A Whale Quilt ...and Sticky Buns

2011-12-11T14:52:00.001-08:00

My dear friend made this quilt for my soon-to-be baby boy (thanks again Betsy!). My eyes got all watery when I received it. I'm used to making and giving away quilts...but this is the very first quilt I've ever received. It's absolutely perfect. :*)

The white fabric on the quilt is that super soft minky stuff, so it's pretty much the softest quilt ever. My little boy will love it.

And there's even a matching whale pillow to go with it! ADORABLE.

My baby shower theme was whales :) I've always had a thing for them, so the fabric choice couldn't be more appropriate. I thought the whale cake would make a good segue into my next sweet treat...that being sticky buns.

Now that the holidays are here, it's time to get my bake on! I currently have cookies in the oven, but I started off the morning with this super easy pull-apart sticky bun recipe for breakfast.

Here's a Before photo...

...and After.
(And yes, there's only two of us) :-o

Similar to my quilts, I like simple but yummy recipes. This recipe was super easy and takes no time at all, yet it tastes amazing. Interested in the recipe? Let me know and I'll post it. :)

New Arrivals at the Shop!

2011-12-10T12:47:00.001-08:00

Happy weekend everyone :) We just got in a bunch of new pre-cuts so you can Cut Less and Sew More! Check out the new arrivals at our shop!

Good Fortune by Kate Spain

Reunion by Sweetwater
Remember? In my last post I said that pennants are totally in ;)

Sassy by Sandy Gervais

Twirl by Me & My Sister Designs (we have Twirl quilt kits coming soon!)

...and more to come next week...fun stuff!

Thanks for stopping by :)
Happy Quilting!

Pennant Banner Tutorial

2011-12-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

Hi All - I'm so excited to share this one with you! Not sure if you've noticed, but these pennant banners are everywhere in the crafting world nowadays. Yup, they're totally 'in' right now so hurry up and make one! ;) Most pennant tutorials I've seen involve a lot of time to assemble. However, if you've been following my blog, you'll know that I like to keep it simple.

That being said, this is my take on these pennant banners. They're super quick to assemble but best of all, they're totally adorable!

I made a Christmas-themed banner. But think of all the other possibilities depending on what fabrics you choose - these would make excellent decorations for birthday parties, baby showers, etc...the list goes on!
Materials for a *3 yard long pennant strand:

6 fat quarters (18" x 22" cuts)
4 yards biased tape binding (or make your own with 1/4 yard of fabric)
Steam-A-Seam double sided fusible webbing (four 9"x12" sheets was enough)
Coordinating thread
pinking blade for your rotary cutter

*You can make your own length with these measurements: 1 fat quarter = 3 pennants = 18" long strand.

Step 1 - To make three pennants, fold one fat quarter in half lengthwise so that it measures a 9"x22" rectangle. Press flat with an iron. Trim the non-folded sides of the rectangle so that it measures an 18"x8" rectangle.

Step 2 - Cut your Steam-A-Seam fusible webbing into strips, and place a couple strips inside the 18"x8" folded rectangle as shown below. Press with an iron to fuse closed. (Note: the Steam-A-Seam does not need to fill-in the entire rectangle. You just want enough to keep it fused shut).
Step 3 - Then, sub-cut the 18"x8" rectangle into three 6"x8" rectangles, as shown below.
Step 4 - Using a pinking blade on your rotary cutter, make two diagonal cuts (as designated in red) on each 6"x8" rectangle. Note that the image below is not to scale.
It will look like this:
The pinking blade will give it a cute wavy-looking cut, which also happens to help prevent fraying.
Repeat steps 1 through 4 for all of your fat quarters to make a total of 18 pennants.

Step 5 - Using coordinating thread, sew a 1/4" seam allowance along the edges where you made the wavy cuts. Do this for all of the pennants.
Step 6 - I bought 4 yards of bias tape binding pre-made. If you need to make your own, you will need 1/4 yards of fabric. From this, cut four 2 1/4" strips lengthwise. Sew these strips together to create the length of the binding strip (with right sides facing together, sew a 1/4" seam and then press open with an iron). Then, fold 1/2" over lengthwise on each side, pressing flat with an iron as you fold.
Step 7 - Lastly, measure 9 inches from one end of the binding strip, and then start sewing the pennants into the binding as shown below. To sew them in, the binding strip is folded in half lengthwise, and the pennants (non-wavy end) is placed snug against the binding strip. Stitch down with a 1/4" seam allowance. Start and end your stitch with a back-stitch.
Once all of the pennants are sewn in, measure 9 inches out from the last pennant and then trim. You can use this extra 9 inches of binding on each end to help tie your pennant banner up.

That's it! Simple, fast and fun. My kind of crafting. :) Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy Quilting!

Use those scraps!

2011-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

I threw this fabric card together in 5 minutes. I needed to make a Thank You card and remembered this tutorial I posted back in the day, when I first started blogging. :)

I thought I'd re-share it for those that haven't seen it.

You can find the tutorial HERE.

Get inspired by this idea! Here's an applique version of a fabric card - i just love this idea! This was made by Mindy at QuiltyPleasures for our baby shower. :)
Anyway, it's a great way to utilize those fabric scraps I know you have laying around! And they make such thoughtful and unique cards/gifts. Try using holiday-themed fabric for some cute Christmas cards.
And all you need is card stock and some fabric scraps. These scraps were from my Sunny Santa Monica quilt I made a while back.

Happy quilting!

-jera

Making Progress!

2011-11-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Remember this quilt I was working on? Well, the other day I made progress! For one, I finally pieced together all the blocks. For the longest time I had the blocks laid out in the middle of my sewing room - it was annoying having to walk around them so I pieced them together (only took me 30 minutes!).
Then I thought, might as well baste it now. That took me a little longer, mainly because of my baby bump.
Basting a quilt is a workout having to squat and reach, repeatedly. It was my first time trying it with my 15 lb belly/baby weight! I'm at 29 weeks already...time is flying by! (photo above: I like to use curved pins when basting. It makes life easier).
I happened to find the perfect thread to go along with the color scheme. I chose gold for the quilt top, and purple for the backing. Purple and gold...(gooo Huskies!) ;)
Inspired by the fabric, the thread and the fact that basting (in my opinion, the least fun part of quilting!) was over, I threw the quilt on my sewing machine and started quilting.
Thanks to my amazing Pfaff Grand Quilter (it's super fast), I finished quilting in about 30 minutes. You might have to click to enlarge the picture above to see the actual quilting. I just did straight lines and made diamonds. I like it simple!

I told you I made progress ;)

If you like the fabric collection I used, I have it on sale at my new shop. Click HERE. The quilt top requires 8 fat quarters. I'll have the tutorial up shortly.

Happy quilting!

party favors

2011-11-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm actually doing a non-fabric craft! I'm not the best at it, but I thought I'd do a quick post to show you what I'm up to. :) My friend's son, Finn, is turning 2 on Sunday and I promised I'd take care of the party favors. Well...here they are! I'm happy with the end result.
I spent quite some time perusing the web for some party favor ideas and decided to keep it simple. I'm a big fan of keeping it simple...simple is always good!

Inside each gift bag is a hot cocoa packet (by Starbucks; either double chocolate or chocolate salted caramel flavor), a white chocolate dipped pretzel with peppermint crunch or chocolate dipped pretzel with toffee crunch, and a couple candy canes. I got all the goodies from Target!

I bought all of the packaging supplies from Impress, which consisted of cute little paper bags, bakers twine, printed tape (or what i like to call 'fancy tape') and some blank tags. I used stamps that I already had to stamp the thank you and birthday wishes with snow flakes.

not bad, huh? ;) Anyway, that's it for now. Just a quick post as I deviate from my world of fabric.

Hope you're all having a great week! Happy Quilting!

-jera

A Stellar Block

2011-11-26T00:51:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Thank you to all that participated in my November fabric giveaway - the winner has been drawn and I've emailed them directly.

On a different note, here's a block tutorial that will be featured on Sew We Quilt on the 30th - just wanted to share it with you all first! This block is a different take on the cathedral window design and uses only charm squares (pre-cut 5" squares). There are so many crafting possibilities with this quick and easy block! Check out our shop for an assortment of charm squares and make some yourself - enjoy! :)

Materials for 1 block (measures 9.5" x 9.5" finished):

four pre-cut 5 inch squares
four pre-cut 5 inch squares in solid white

Step 1 - Start with one printed and one solid white 5 inch square.

Step 2 - Take the solid white 5 inch square and fold all four corners inward as shown below. Press flat with an iron. This will give you a smaller square, where one side has folds and the other side does not.

Step 3 - Place the smaller, folded square on top of the printed square as shown below. The non-folded side should be facing you. Then, secure the smaller square to the printed square by sewing two straight lines from corner to corner of the smaller square. Do not sew the sides down. (I used white thread so you may need to enlarge the image to see).

Step 4 - Since you sewed from corner to corner in the previous step, the sides of the smaller square should be open, almost like little pockets. Fold the sides toward the center of the square and stitch them down, as shown below.
Do this for all four sides:

Step 5 - Repeat the above until you have a total of four.
Step 6 - With right sides facing together, sew the first two blocks in the first row together, then press open with an iron. Repeat for the second row. Then, with right sides facing together, sew rows 1 and 2 together, then press open with an iron.
And there you have it! One stellar block!

Happy quilting!

Happy Thanksgiving! and some random updates...

2011-11-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

Hi all - just a quick post to say Happy Thanksgiving! During this busy holiday, I hope you find time to get some crafting in. :)

Here's a few random updates:

1. My Home Sweet Home quilt tutorial posted on Moda Bakeshop on Tuesday. You can find a printer-friendly version, here:
2. QuiltingInTheRain.com is having our first fabric giveaway. Enter to win a charm pack and two crumbs! Update on 11/26: This giveaway has ended. Thank you all for participating!

3. If you haven't seen it already, we launched Quilting In The Rain's first newsletter today. Check it out for a holiday discount code and a little holiday treat! :)

Frayed Fabric Basket Tutorial

2011-11-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

With the holidays just around the corner (yay!), I was trying to think of a quick crafting project that would make a fun little gift. I love this idea because the fabric basket can be reused throughout the year. This tutorial uses charm squares (pre-cut 5" squares) - I used Autumn themed prints since Thanksgiving is this week (can you believe it?!). Check out all the other charm square options at the new store! Enjoy the tutorial!

Materials for 1 basket:

10 charm squares (pre-cut 5" squares)
Plastic mesh, at least an 8" x 16" sheet (you can find this at most crafting stores)
Coordinating embroidery floss and needle
Coordinating thread
Glue stick

Step 1 - Cut the plastic mesh to create a total of four trapezoids that are 4.5" long, where the narrow end measures 3" and the wide end measures 4.5". To do this, cut your mesh so it measures a 15.75" x 4.5" rectangle. Using a pen and ruler, make the following markings along the length of the plastic mesh as illustrated in red, below. (click image to enlarge)

(Note: this image is not a cutting template - it is not to scale)

Then, make diagonal cuts (black lines shown above). This will give you a total of 4 trapezoids:
From the remaining mesh, cut a 3" x 3" square. This will be the base of your basket.

After you're done cutting the mesh, you should have a total of four trapezoids, and one 3" square.

Step 2 - From your 10 charm squares, choose eight and trim them into trapezoids. These trapezoids will be 1/4" bigger around the perimeter than the mesh trapezoids you previously cut. To do this, take one charm square and at the bottom, measure 3/4" inward on both the left and right sides. From that mark, make a straight cut all the way to the corner for both sides as shown below. This will give you a trapezoid that is 5" long, where the narrow end (bottom) measures 3.5" and the wide end (top) measures 5". Repeat for seven more charm squares.

From the remaining two charm squares, cut two 3.5" x 3.5" squares. When you're done cutting all the charm squares, you should have eight trapezoids, and two 3.5" squares:

Step 3 - Create the side panels of the basket by making a fabric/mesh sandwich: Take two fabric trapezoids and one mesh trapezoid. Place the mesh trapezoid in the center of the fabric trapezoid (the fabric trapezoid will be 1/4" bigger around the perimeter); secure with glue. The wrong sides of the fabric should be facing the mesh. Repeat to create a total of four panels.

Repeat to create another mesh/fabric sandwich, but for the base of the basket. Use the two fabric squares and one mesh square.

Step 4 - Sew a 1/4" seam around the perimeter of all four side panels and the base, as shown below. Since the mesh was cut 1/4" smaller around the perimeter, the stitch will be against the edge of the mesh.

Step 5 - First, arrange the four trapezoids and the base as shown below. The surfaces that are facing up will become the inside of the basket.
Illustrated by the red arrow above, starting with one trapezoid, flip it so that the inside surface is facing the top of the base. Make sure to align the edge of the base with the narrow edge of the trapezoid.

Now attach the trapezoid to the base by sewing a 1/4" seam, making sure that you are sewing right up against the mesh. Start and end your stitch 1/4" from the sides of the trapezoid panel as shown below (make sure that you don't sew past the edges of the mesh). Start and end your stitch with a back-stitch.

Repeat the above for the remaining three side panels. The inside should look like this after all four panels are sewn on:

Step 6 - Lastly, fold all four panels upward. The 1/4" seams will be exposed on the outside.
Use embroidery floss to tie-up the corners. I did 3 knots along all four side edges. You could also sew the sides closed using a 1/4" seam.Optional: Fray the exposed seams by snipping little frays (~ 1/4" apart). I personally like the look of the frays; it gives it a rag-quilt look.

That's it!

Let me know if you have any questions. :)

A cool tutorial using Layer Cakes!

2011-11-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

I've spent my Saturday afternoon perusing quilting forums and blogs and came across this awesome tutorial by Amy Gibson of StitcheryDickoryDock.com...check out her blog, it's super cute!

Anyway, I just love how unique and simple this project is, so I wanted to share it with you all in case you haven't seen it yet.

You can find her tutorial by clicking the photo below, or HERE.
Amy's tutorial is really easy to follow with great photos. The fabric collection she used is Ruby by Moda. You can make this project using 1 Layer Cake, which you can find at my pre-cut shop. Or choose your own Layer Cake collection!

(photo from Stitchery Dickory Dock by Amy Gibson)

I love coming across original ideas like this - they're so inspiring!

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

-Jera

New International Shipping options at QuiltingInTheRain.com!

2011-11-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't live in the U.S., I have good news! www.QuiltingInTheRain.com has new, more affordable international shipping options. Check out the new rates here. Shipping is as low as $8 for First Class, international!

For everyone else in the U.S., shipping is $4.95 flat with Priority 2-3 day delivery!

I'm thankful to say we've had a successful first week open! As you know, we're a new shop and still have some kinks to work out, but we're getting there :)

So far it seems like Paypal is working out okay...for clarification, you do not need to have a Paypal account in order to checkout. If you don't have one, simply click the 'Don't have a Paypal account' link as illustrated here. We've been updating our FAQ page as we figure out new things that might raise questions. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Also, don't forget to check out out our Coming Soon link which lists all the pre-cut collections I've pre-ordered all the way out 'til April 2012. A lot of fun stuff to look forward to!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week already? I can really use a mini holiday/vacation right about now. To celebrate the upcoming holiday, Quilting in the Rain will have a Black Friday deal that will go from November 24th-27th, so be sure to sign up to our newsletter via www.QuiltingInTheRain.com 's homepage (if you haven't already) for details. I'm really looking forward to the holidays *<(:)

Have a great weekend all!

Happy quilting!

-jera

Good idea...BAD idea...

2011-11-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

Let's start with the good idea...

This is a sneak peak of a block tutorial I'll have posted on November 30th, to be featured on Sew I Quilt. I was trying to think outside of the box for this one (no pun intended), and i think i succeeded!
...
...

...and now for the the BAD idea.

The photo speaks for itself.
I was having a late night crafting session here...
basket full of candies + hungry pregnant woman = bad idea
I think i need a shot of insulin now.

Happy Quilting all!

-jittery Jera

Feeling inspired!

2011-11-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

Being a fabri-holic, I can't not use at least some of my fabric stock... being a crafter, you have to live in the moment and choose the path of inspiration, right?! It just so happens that at the moment, the collection Heirloom by Joel Dewberry is doing the trick! you can find the same collection here at the new store. :)

Speaking of the store, I've spent a lot of time in the last few months preparing for it, leaving me little if no time to quilt. Inspired by Heirloom , I wanted to make a quick quilt to display this gorgeous collection. I thought up a quick project using 8 fat quarters - this is enough for the entire quilt top; no extra fabric needed.

I love using fat quarters because they're easier to work with - their smaller size makes cutting fast. Simply stack and whack to get more cuts in one! Anyway, I'll have the tutorial up shortly. This quilt will be a quicky. :)
Thanks for stopping by - hope you're all finding some crafting inspiration in your sewing world like i have :)

We're LIVE! Let your creativity rain!

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

~ Now Open ~

The countdown is finally over...Quilting in the Rain the online store is now OPEN!!! Thanks to all that participated in my little store launch - hope you had some fun in the process. :) As a thank you and to celebrate the launch, below is a discount code that will get you 10% off your purchase, today only. :) Just a small token of my thanks, plus I love giving gifts that in some form involve fabric!
Speaking of gift giving, you'll notice on the homepage of the new website is a designated Fabric Giveaway link. I plan to host giveaways somewhat often, so be sure to check it out. My first giveaway will be in a couple of weeks. :)

Happy pre-cut Shopping! ;) Go crazy with pre-cuts, and let your creativity rain!

1 day to go!

2011-11-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all - thanks for checking back on the LAST day of the countdown! :) Quilting in the Rain, the online store, finally opens tomorrow! Yay for pre-cuts!

Today's giveaway are TWO $20 gift cards.

To enter to win, please answer the following question below via a comment to this blog post. Quilting In The Rain will have some fat quarter bundles in stock. Recently I've heard about fat eighths and half yard bundles becoming more popular. Have you heard of fat eighths and half yard bundles, and if yes, do you prefer one or the other over fat quarter bundles?

Thanks for participating! And don't forget to leave a way for me to email you.

Happy quilting! :)

The count down continues: 2 more days!

2011-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

This week is going by fast! We've been busy getting last minute store stuff figured out...trying to work out all the little quirks so that the launch goes smoothly. Thank you all for checking back on day 3!

Today's giveaway are TWO $15.00 gift cards!

They keep getting better! And for the grand opening this Friday, don't forget to check out my blog - I'll have a little gift for everyone :)

To enter to win a gift card, please respond to the following question by leaving a comment to this post. Have you ever used Paypal, and if not, have you heard of it? I know, kind of an odd-ball question. :) With the new store, I'm exploring different payment options and wanted to get a idea on what people are familiar with. Tomorrow night I will use a random number generator to draw the winner. Thanks for participating!

Hope you're all having a great week and are finding more time to quilt than I am ;)

Happy quilting!

-jera

3 days to go!!!

2011-11-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

For those that participated in yesterday's giveaway, I will be emailing the two winners their gift card numbers tonight. :) Yay for free fabric!

Three more days to go until our online, pre-cut friendly shop opens!

To celebrate the countdown, today's giveaway
will be TWO $10 gift cards!

To enter to win, simply "Like" Quilting In the Rain's Facebook page. If you're already a liker, then you're good to go and are automatically in the drawing! tomorrow night I will draw the winner from Quilting In The Rain's Facebook page and then email/message the winners.

Also, just for fun here's a little (literally :p) sneak peak of the store!

Thank you all for participating in my little store launch!

Happy Quilting!
-jera

Count down begins! T-minus 4 days!

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I have to admit that I'm getting a little nervous here now that the count down is official! T-minus 4 days until the grand opening! As promised, I will be giving out giveaways this entire week. :)

Today I wanted to kick off the countdown by giving away TWO $5.00 gift cards.

To enter to win a gift card, simply leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on pre-cuts. E.g. do you love them? Hate them? Never used them? Have no idea what they are? Be sure to leave a way for me to email you. At the end of the day I will draw two people using a random number generator, and will email you the gift card numbers before Friday if not sooner.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for MORE gift card giveaways.

Thanks so much for being a part of this launch! Yay for free fabric!

Happy quilting!
-jera

Home Sweet Home Quilt Tutorial

2011-11-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

I finally got this tutorial up! Thank you ALL so much for your fabulous quilt name suggestions. I love picking your crafty brains ;) It was a tough choice, but I decided to go with Home Sweet Home (thank you Anna from Switzerland for the idea!). If you're familiar with my tutorials, you'll know that I love simple and quick quilts that require little to none fussy measurements. Well, this is one of them! In fact, this quilt practically requires no measuring! That's the beauty of pre-cut fabrics - you can whip up a quilt top over a weekend. Check out my tutorial below :)

A printer-friendly version can be found HERE.

Materials for a 47" x 47" quilt:

2 charm packs (or 81 pre-cut 5" squares)
Ten neutral colored Jelly Roll strips (or 3/4 yard neutral colored fabric; from this, cut ten 2.5" x 42/44").
5/8 yards binding fabric
3 yards backing fabric

Step 1 - Choose 9 charm squares (or pre-cut 5 inch squares) and make a 9 patch block by sewing 3 rows together with 3 blocks per row.

Step 2 - Using a rotary cutter and ruler, cut 2 diagonal lines from corner to corner as shown below.

Step 3 - Repeat steps 1 and 2 to make a total of 3 nine patch blocks. Cut diagonal lines from corner to corner for all 3 blocks. This will give you a total of 12 triangle pieces.

Step 4 - Here's the fun part! Rearrange all 12 pieces to your liking.

Step 5 - Then sew the rearranged pieces back together as shown below. This will give you a block that measures roughly 13.3" x 13.3". Repeat until you have a total of 9 finished blocks.

Step 6 - Take three jelly roll strips (or three 2.5" x 42/44" long strips), and then sub-cut each strip into three 2.5" x 13.5" strips. This will give you a total of six 2.5" x 13.5" strips. With right sides facing together, sew a strip to the side of a finished block, press flat with an iron and then trim the excess ends (since your finished block measures 13.3 inches, this is simpler then trying to measure 13.3 inch long strips).
Sew the remaining strips to create sashing between the blocks that looks like this:

Step 7 - Use two more jelly roll strips (or two 2.5" x 42/44" strips) for the middle sashing. with right sides facing together, sew the first row of blocks to the sashing, then press flat with an iron. Repeat until all three rows of blocks are connected by the two sashing strips. Trim the excess ends.

Step 8 - Use two more jelly roll strips (or two 2.5" x 42/44" strips) for the top and bottom borders. After sewing them on, trim the excess ends. Lastly, sew the left and right side borders on. Each side will measure roughly 47" long, so you will need to sew some jelly roll strips together to get two 2.5" x 47" long strips. I simply sewed three jelly roll strips together (or three 2.5" x 42/44" strips) from end to end and then cut that in half. After sewing them onto the sides of the quilt top, trim the excess fabric.

That's all there is to it! Like I said, it's a non-fussy cut quilt and fast to piece together. Here's a picture of my quilting buddy, Bodie, that I thought I'd sneak in. He was ready for a walk in this photo. :)

Happy Quilting! And if you make this quilt, don't forget to share it on Quilting In The Rain's Facebook page for all to see!

Online Store Opening on 11-11-11!

2011-11-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

...I can't believe I'm actually saying this...Quilting In the Rain the online store finally has a launch date! We will be opening on Friday, November 11, 2011! Coincidentally on 11/11/11! Wow that felt nice typing. My husband and I have put in long, late night hours into this store, and all of our hard work has finally paid off. :)

To celebrate, starting on Monday next week I will be doing a store countdown on my blog. Each day leading up to Friday, I will be giving out gift cards! to the store as well as sneak peaks!

As some of you already know, I have a full time 8-5 office job so this blog has been my outlet to my creative side. I got the quilting bug back in 2007, and soon after found that there was too little time to sew! That's when I discovered pre-cut fabrics (i.e. jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes, etc.) which allowed me to Cut Less and Sew More! Being a fabri-holic I quickly became addicted to these yummy pre-cuts. Pre-cuts inspired me to design simple and quick quilt patterns and to keep sewing. My passion for pre-cuts, simple patterns and beautiful fabrics eventually led to quiltingintherain.com!

We have a lot going on next week with free gift cards and sneak peaks, so stay tuned or you'll miss out!

Happy Quilting!
-Jera

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T16:30:00.001-07:00

Hi All! Just wanted to wish you all a safe and Happy Halloween! I actually took a little break from the store and crafted this weekend! Inspired by yummy candy, I decided to make a Frayed Fabric Basket as a candy dish. I'll have the tutorial up soon...it's really simple.

On a different note, last weekend my husband and I returned from a baby-moon at the Florida Keys. :) In the spirit of Halloween, here's a couple spooky decorations I thought you'd enjoy. I took these at Key West - this town goes all out for Halloween!
Quilting in the Rain, the online store, update! >> For those of you that haven't heard, I've been working late hours to launch my online store that specializes in selling pre-cut fabrics. I can't believe I'm finally saying this, but it should be ready to launch within the next 2 weeks if not sooner. We're just finishing up some last minute touches. :) I'm so excited to share all the fabric I have stocked for you!

Happy Halloween!

More of Your Beautiful Creations!

2011-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow quilters! A handful of you have been sending me wonderful pictures of your quilts using my patterns! I thought I'd do a quick post to show off your beautiful creations! Thanks so much for sharing these... please keep on sending!

This was made locally by Charisma from Central Washington! This quilt is amazing...Charisma was inspired by my Summer Love pattern and added her own embellishments. Her quilt took 1syt place at the fair!!!

This quilt is just darling...I love, LOVE the color choices! It's a simple yet eye catching design. Carolyn from Texas made this using my Tiffany Diamonds pattern. The fabric is from the "Just Wing It" collection by MoMo for Moda. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

I love seeing how different a quilt can look by changing up the fabrics. This quilt was made by Debbie using the Sugar Flowers design. Speaking of Tiffany Diamonds, Debbie used the Breakfast at Tiffany's collection that she won from one of my fabric giveaways to make this quilt!

What can I say...this quilt is just really cool. I love the black and white using these wonky blocks. It's very eye catching, and kind of reminds me of Alice and Wonderland, of all things. I think it's because of the warpy affect that the blocks give off. Love it! This was made by MochaWildChild using my Strawberry Fields Forever! pattern.

Another locally made quilt! Amy from Walla Walla made this using the Sugar Flowers pattern. so very pretty! Amy - I'd love to see a picture after you've quilted it! Thanks you for sharing!

And lastly, another take on the Summer Love pattern. Absolutely gorgeous! Stunning quilting job as well! This was made by Jessica, check out her blog at Quilty Habit!
Please continue sharing your lovely quilts! Your photos inspire me to keep posting patterns. :) Post your photos at Quilting in the Rain's Facebook page! or email them to em at quiltingintherain at gmail dot com.

Happy Quilting!

Quilt Name Ideas???

2011-10-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

I started this quilt before I even knew I was having a baby boy! It makes a rather perfect boy quilt, don't you think? I used the Hometown collection by Sweetwater for Moda. My tutorial for this quilt will be featured on Moda Bake Shop, but you will get to see it first via my blog. :) I plan to post it within the next couple of weeks - it's another one of my stack, whack and sew quilts that comes together in a jiffy and uses minimal measuring.

I'm having trouble figuring out what to name this quilt...any ideas??? Please help! This quilt will need a name for when it's featured on Moda Bake Shop. Here are some up-close photos that might help get your creative juices flowing...

...the newspaper prints have all the names of different cities within the US and even Europe.

Maybe I have baby-brain right how, or perhaps I'm just up too late blogging...either way I can't think of a thing! Any ideas? Please leave a comment and share!

Happy Quilting!

It's a ______! drumroll

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

....BOY! A baby BOY! :*)

Just wanted to share the great news. We found out a couple weeks ago...I'm already at week 22, more than half way through my pregnancy! Time is truly flying by. He went from looking like a gummy bear to a baby boy!

Here's my little bambino rocking out in my belly...he looks to be making the 'metal' sign, so we think he will like rock music just like his daddy. ;)

And for those of you that have been following my blog, I couldn't end this post without a picture of my other baby boy, Bodie. He's been noticing my growing bump and is probably wondering what's going on. :)
I just finished a baby boy quilt top, so stay tuned for my next post. :)

Have a great week!

...sneak peak...!

2011-10-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you're busy! It's not that I've been ignoring all you fellow fabriholics...quite the opposite actually - I've been a busy bee working away on Quilting in the Rain's online store in order to satiate your fabric addiction ;) We're aiming to go live by the end of this month...I really can't believe it's already October! Anyway, above is a sneak peak of our new store logo...the blog logo will remain the same.

Being a fabriholic, one of the hardest parts of starting the store is the stockpiles of gorgeous inventory I have...the thought of it just sitting there brings a tear to my eye. The funnest part of course is choosing beautiful collections for you all - I've even pre-ordered fabric collections all the way into the new year to provide you the freshest, latest fabrics. The store is really coming together - it's pretty darn cute! Can't wait to introduce it to you all!

Happy Friday! And of course, happy quilting!

Berry Delicious!

2011-09-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year to pick blackberries! I've shared plenty of quilting "recipes" so I thought I'd change it up a bit and share an actual recipe. :) Each year I love making blackberry jam. It's simple and it tastes delicious! I'm already on to my second batch this year and I am saving some for Christmas gifts (points for me for actually thinking ahead!). Being a fabri-holic, I couldn't go without incorporating fabric somehow to this recipe, so I decided to use charm squares (5" squares) as cute little lid toppers to add some color. Use holiday-themed fabric if you decide to save some jam as Christmas gifts. Enjoy my recipe below - I give out my blackberry jam each year; it's definitely a winning recipe!

Tip: This jam pairs scrumptiously with scones! I made these scones straight from the box...aint nothin' to it! ;)

Yield: Twelve 8 oz. jars

Ingredients:

6 cups crushed blackberries (9 cups whole)
7 cups sugar
1 Pectin packet (2 oz.)

Equipment:

Canning pot (you can use an 8 qt. pot)
Pot to cook berries in (7 qt.)
Twelve 8 oz. Mason jars
Wide-mouth funnel
Jar lifter
Potato masher (to crush berries)
ladle

Step 1 - Prepare the jam jars by rinsing with warm, soapy water. Do this right before making the jam to warm the jars (this will prevent the glass from cracking when you pour piping hot jam into the jars later on). Place the lids in a shallow dish with warm water.

Step 2 - Prepare the canning pot by filling with enough water to cover the jars 1-2 inches above the lid. Set on high heat so the water boils.

Step 3 - Rinse the berries in a strainer and then transfer into the 7 qt. pot. Crush the berries using a potato masher. I semi-crushed mine because I like the jam to be a little chunky. Next, measure out 7 cups of sugar into a separate bowl.

Step 4 - Pour the entire pectin packet into the crushed berries. Stir on high heat until it comes to a full boil. Add all the sugar. Keep stirring continuously. When it comes to a full boil again, keep stirring for 4 more minutes, then turn the heat off immediately.
Step 5 - Pour jam into the jam jars using the wide-mouth funnel and a ladle (you can scoop the jam into the jars using a ladle). Fill to within 1 inch of the top of the jar. Place the lid on top of the jars, then seal tightly with the jar ring.

Step 6 - Preserve the jam by canning it. Place jars (I did 4 at a time) into the canning pot you prepared in step 2. Use the jar lifter to carefully transfer the jars into the boiling water. Let boil for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use the jar lifter to remove from the boiling water. Let cool at room temperature overnight.

Step 7 - Use charm squares (pre-cut 5" squares) as cute little lid accessories. If you're giving these out during Christmas, use holiday-themed fabric. It's a fun way to add charm to this homemade yumminess! Simply unscrew the lid ring to put the fabric topper on, place the fabric on top of the lid and then screw the ring back on (unscrewing the lid ring will not open the jam jar; the actual jar lid is sealed on very tightly).
If you don't want to use charm squares, you can cut your own 5" squares using a pinking rotary cutter, shown below, to achieve that decorative edge.
Enjoy!

-Jera

Your Beautiful Creations!

2011-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some of the beautiful creations that fellow fabri-holics have made using my patterns! I absolutely love seeing how different fabric choices can make a pattern look totally different from the original. Thanks to all who submitted these photos! PLEASE keep sending more my way by either posting them on Quilting In The Rain's Facebook wall, or emailing to me at QuiltingInTheRain at gmail dot com. Your photos inspire me to keep crankin' out more tutorials :)
Patterns/made by: Image 1 (clockwise) - photos 1 & 2 Rainy Days by Jamie, photo 3 Rainy Days by Fran, photo 4 Sunny Santa Monica by Mary. Image 2 (clockwise) - photo 1 Tiffany Diamonds modeled by furrball Falla (in the upper left corner :), made by Maggie, photo 2 Strip Tease by Mandy, photo 3 Woven Jelly Roll Rug by Monica, photo 4 Visor CD Holder by Debbie.

Thanks again for sharing - and if you've made any of my patterns, please share! I absolutely love seeing your creations.

Happy Quilting!

-jera

Summer in Seattle

2011-08-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Long time no post! Summer came slow for Seattle this year, but we managed to get a couple weeks of 80 degree weather. My husband and I spent these last few weeks moving our bedroom upstairs and my sewing room downstairs, putting together new Ikea furniture (you know how long that can take), along with a late spring cleaning to make room for the baby! It's been very busy, and because of the move I've been without a crafting room. I had a little crafting setup in my dining room, but I didn't get around to sewing with all the moving around. Things are slowly coming together though! My next project is to get my new crafting space organized - I don't know about you, but I can't craft when things are disheveled and out of place. An organized crafting area gets my creative juices flowing. :)

With all this recent hustle and bustle we decided to relax this weekend. Lucky for us, my step-dad happens to own a beautiful boat that we spent the whole day on in Lake Washington with the dogs. The photo above is of my parent's dog, Keili (pronounced Key-Lie). Keili is modeling a quilt I made for my step-dad. I appliqued "Refugio" on the quilt, which means refuge. Keili is Paige's arch enemy, though they got along very well on the boat!
And of course, here are my furry babies, Paige and Bodie. Bodie is terrified of the water, hence the life jacket.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I hope you all had a great weekend, and found time to relax. Sorry for not posting lately - it's been a busy last few weeks!

Happy Quilting!
-jera

Jelly Roll Giveaway!

2011-08-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hi All! My Rainy Days quilt tutorial is being featured on Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure today, August 15th. Click the link below to check it out, and for a chance to win TWO jelly rolls! Sweet deal!

On a different note, I'm off to a slow start on my latest bakeshop tutorial, but at least I've started! I wanted to share some photos of my little helpers keeping me company while i quilt. Putting together a tut requires a lot of photos...though Bodie and Paige started encroaching on my photos, they "started" out as perfect little models...

Here are before pictures...(Paige on the left, Bodie on the right)

Bodie was content, but Paige got restless...

...and here are after pics :-p I left the room for one minute to find Paige rolling around in my patchwork.

Their way of of telling me they were ready for a walk. ;) Anyway, I hope to wrap this tutorial up in the next week or so, so stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Quilting!

Quilting Class this Saturday!

2011-08-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All - if any of you happen to be in Seattle this Saturday, August 13th and next Saturday, August 20th, i'll be teaching a two-course beginner quilting class at the West Seattle Fabric Co. Call early to register! In the first class we'll choose fabrics, piece together the quilt top and then prepare binding strips. In the second class we'll baste, quilt and bind! We'll be making my Sunny Santa Monica quilt pattern. Both classes start at 5:00pm. Hope to see you there!

Happy Quilting :)
-Jera

Moda Bakeshop Shipment!

2011-08-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things is receiving a box full of yummy Moda pre-cuts in the mail! I got my fix Friday evening - what better way to to end a long Friday at work!? The collection I'm using is called Hometown by Sweetwater for Moda. I absolutely love the dark greys and reds with polka dots and newspaper prints. I'm lovin' this modern-urban look.

And what makes this fabric ultra cool is it features almost every city you can think of in the U.S. Do you spot Seattle below? :)
My tutorial will use 4 charm packs or 1 layer cake pack (you'll need to quarter the layer cake into 5" squares), and also 1 solid jelly roll. But I'll post alternative yardage as well, because sometimes it's less spendy to cut your own fabric. Trust me - I know how expensive quilting can be!

Stay tuned for my tutorial!

Happy Quilting!

Long time no post!

2011-08-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

So there's a reason I haven't made a post in so long...I've been feeling extremely exhausted and nauseated...ring any bells for those mommy's out there? ;)

I have a bun in the oven!!! This is my first, and my husband and I couldn't be happier. :) I'm 12 weeks along now and am feeling better with each day. The due date in Feb. 14th - it could be a Valentine's Day baby! Though I've still been really tired (came home from work last night and slept 4 hours!), I think I might actually get some sewing in this weekend. It's been too long!

Just wanted to share this exciting news with you all. :) Yesterday I got a shipment of Moda fabrics for a new Bakeshop tutorial I'll be doing very shortly. I'll be posting pics soon of the fabric line, and the tutorial to follow, so stay tuned. I'm super excited about this tutorial - like most of my quilts, it's fast to put together with simple instructions.

Happy Quilting!

- a quilting mommy-to-be

Custom Made Quilt Labels

2011-07-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I had some people asking where I got my quilt labels made, so I wanted to share this information. I ordered mine from Jennifer's Jewels on Etsy and have been really satisfied with how they turned out. I ordered the '60 Custom Printed Fabric Labels' size 1.5" square and submitted my own logo -it only costs $20, well worth it! If you don't have your own logo, they have lots of really cute designs to choose from. I ordered sew-in labels, however you can get iron on ones as well. They're great because they don't fray - I totally recommend Jennifer's Jewel's!
Another place that I found just now and looks pretty cool is AmandasVioloncelle - you can get 80 custom labels for only 18 bucks - the designs are pretty cute too. A custom quilt label is the perfect finishing touch to a quilt - it's like the cherry on top of an ice cream sunday. Have fun and order some! :)

p.s. last year I actually did a post on these labels - feel free to check it out here - there's some cute bonus pictures of my Corgi's in that post too ;)

Happy Quilting!
-jera

Featured on Ucreate and Stash Manicure!

2011-07-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today two of my tutorials are being featured on Ucreate and http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com/2011/07/sugar-flowers-tutorial-by-quilting-in.html. Be sure to check it out if you have the chance!

Both are awesome crafting sites that have lots of great tutorials - well worth a visit! Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Happy Quilting!

-J

Easy Baby Blankets!

2011-07-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

I love making these blankets because they're so easy - you can make one in just a couple of hours. They're the perfect baby shower gift if you don't have time to make a full on baby quilt. The best part is they're super soft! check out my 5-step tutorial below. Thanks for stopping by!

Materials:

1 yard of cotton fabric
1 yard of fleece
7 inch strip of double-sided fusible webbing
Coordinating thread

Step 1 - Trim both yards of fabric (cotton and fleece) to get rid of the selvages and frayed or uneven edges. Make sure both the cotton and fleece measure the same after trimming. (FYI, selvages are the edges of your fabric that typically have the brand and fabric line printed along it). You'll end up trimming ~2-3 inches off the perimeter of each yard.

An easy way to do this is to fold one yard of fabric into quarters. Line it up evenly on your cutting mat, and then trim the two sides that are NOT folded, as shown below. When you unfold it, the selvages and uneven edges will be trimmed evenly.

Step 2 - With right sides facing together, layer the cotton and fleece fabric evenly on top of each other.
Pin to keep in place. As shown below, mark an opening (I used tape) away from the corners that's at least 7 inches long.

Step 3 - Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew along the perimeter except where you marked the 7 inch opening. Start and end your stitch with a back-stitch.
Then trim the corners outside of your stitching.

Step 4 - Through the 7 inch opening, turn the blanket right side out. Press all edges flat with an iron.

As shown below, use the double-sided fusible webbing to press 7 inch opening closed.

Step 5 - Using coordinating thread, sew along the edge of the blanket using a 1.5 inch seam allowance. If you don't have a seam guider to help guide a 1.5 inch seam allowance, you can use tape as a guide.

Lastly, echo that stitch by simply sewing along the previous stitch using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
That's it, you're done! As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Happy quilting!

Summer Love Quilt on Ucreate

2011-07-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hi All - you can find my tutorial HERE.

Thanks and Happy Quilting!

-Jera

Strippy Pillow Tutorial

2011-07-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

You asked for the tutorial so here it is! For this project I used jelly roll strips. You can make a total of four 16x16 inch pillows using one jelly roll - my tutorial below shows you how to make one pillow. Have fun and let me know if you have any questions! :)

Materials for one pillow:

10 jelly roll strips (a single strip is ~2.5" x 44" long)
Lining fabric, enough to cut one 17" square (I used regular cotton fabric)
Backing fabric, enough to cut two 12" x 16.5" rectangles (use a thicker fabric, like Home Decor fabric).
one 16"x16" pillow

Step 1 - Take ten strips and press each one lengthwise with an iron. Then cut each strip in half. This will give you twenty strips that are about 20" long each and 1.25" wide. From your lining fabric, cut a 17" square.

Step 2 - As shown below, take one strip and line the pressed seam along the bottom of the 17" square lining. Pin to keep in place. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew along the non-pressed side to attach the strip to the lining (the pressed seam should be facing the edge of the 17" square lining, as shown below).

After you've sewn the first strip on, mark 3/4" starting from the top of the non-pressed side of the strip. Continue marking 3/4" all the way up the lining. Click image below to enlarge.

Step 3 - Sew the remaining nineteen strips (that you cut from step 1) onto the lining. Simply line the non-pressed side along the 3/4" mark you made in the previous step, pin to keep in place, and then sew using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Step 4 - After you've sewn all twenty strips onto the lining, flip it over and trim the ends using a ruler and rotary cutter so the strips are flush with the lining. It should look like the picture below.

Step 5 - Using a rotary cutter and ruler, cut a diagonal line as shown below. This will give you two half square triangles.

Then, sew both half square triangles together again: with right sides facing together, pin to keep in place and sew along where you made the cut using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press open.

Step 6 - Prepare the pillow backing: From your home decor fabric, cut two 12" x 16.5" rectangles. For each rectangle, do the following.

Along the length, turn the edge 1/4" under, press, then turn under 1/2", then press again. Stitch to keep in place as shown below.

Step 7 - With right sides facing together, take one backing rectangle and line it along the left side of your pillow cover. The finished seam you created from the previous step should be facing toward the right. Pin to keep in place, then sew along the perimeter as shown in red below, except where the seam is. Start and end your stitch with a back stitch.

Repeat, but on the right side instead.

Lastly, turn right side out through the opening and that's it!Let me know if you have any questions. :)

Happy Quilting!

Strippy Pillow

2011-07-07T13:57:00.001-07:00

I guess I've been in a pillow-making mood, because I whipped this guy up just now. This was actually pretty simple to make. I made it using jelly roll strips - you can make a total of four 16"x16" pillows with just one jelly roll.
Anyway, I just wanted to show you all some pictures of it...if you want a tutorial let me know and I'll get that posted. :)
This pillow uses the Prayer Flag collection by Moda, and a major plus is there is no zippers involved! Anyway, let me know your thoughts and if you'd like to see a tutorial!
Happy quilting everyone!

Long time no post!

2011-07-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! Long time no post! As some of you know i haven't been feeling very well which has been getting in the way of my crafting, big time. Lucky me, I get this entire week off of work - I hope to start feeling better soon so i can get some quilting in during my week off.

I'm off to a so-so start, as I managed to finish the embroidery pillow I started in early June. It turned out great AND it's my very first embroidery project ever!
And the back of the pillow is just as cute as the front. I really love this colorway of olives, grays, aquas and reds...i know it's still summer but it's getting me excited for Fall! I guess I can't help it being from Seattle :)
I made this pillow using pre-cut 2.5" squares, also known as "crumbs". You can also make it by quartering a charm square.
This lovely line called "Little Apples" by Aneela Hoey will be released by Moda this Fall. And yes, I will be selling this line as soon as Quilting in the Rain, the shop, is open. :) I've been a busy bee ordering a substantial collection of pre-cut inventory and working on the website with a goal to have the online shop open by this Fall, if not sooner! With all that's been going on, this Summer has been going by too fast! Stay tuned for more updates. :)
That's it for now...just a quick post to show you what's up at Quilting in the Rain.

Happy Quilting!

Jelly Roll Winner!

2011-06-28T19:52:00.001-07:00

This is a quick and short post to announce the jelly roll winner - thank you all for your patience, and thank you all for participating in this giveaway! I get much joy in giving away beautiful fabrics and reading your comments - I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me. :)

The lucky winner is Robyn from Australia! for a good read and to see some sweet quilts, check out her blog called Stitchin' Time. :)

Since I've been feeling under the weather lately I haven't had much time to craft - and also because I'm one of those crazy dog owners - all I have to show is this random picture of my little furrball Paige...I hope she at least brings a smile to your face. :)

Thank you all again for participating in the giveaway, and for checking out the blog!

Until next time, happy quilting!

Jelly Roll Giveaway!

2011-06-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

This giveaway has ended. The winner will be posted on Tuesday as I am under the weather today. Happy Quilting :)
-Jera

In celebration of my latest Moda Bake Shop tutorial called Summer Love (check it out here), I wanted to host this jelly roll giveaway! I've had a good three weeks to admire this yummy roll and am ready to have someone make something fabulous with it (like perhaps my Summer Love quilt ;)! This is new collection called Terrain by Kate Spain. This is an extra special giveaway as this collection won't be available in stores until September, but if you win it you'll get the latest Moda line!

For a chance to win this jelly roll, please participate in the following:

Leave a comment to this post and tell me how long you've been quilting/sewing. And make sure you leave a way for me to contact you! :)
If you like what Quilting In The Rain is all about, you can 'Like' me on Facebook (link on the right) for updates on my latest tutorials!

This giveaway will end on Sunday. I will contact the winner and mail the jelly roll to you - and yes, I will ship international!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Quilting!

Quilted Sugar Flowers

2011-06-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I made a quilt top called Sugar Flowers - you can find the tutorial here. Anyway, the quilt top had been hanging out in my sewing room for weeks, so I finally had it quilted (thanks again Darlene for the awesome job!). Darlene was able to quilt it over the weekend - with all the projects I have lined up in addition to working away to get the fabric webstore up, who knows how long I would have taken to quilt it myself!
The finished quilt turned out beautiful! Darlene used a hot pink thread for the top which was a jump from my play-it-safe white. I just love how it turned out. :)

I really love the back of the quilt too:
As shown below, I pieced the backing together using 6 fat quarters and 3/4 yd of white muslin. The total cost for the backing only ended up being ~$19.50. I simply trimmed the fat quarters to measure 17"x21" and then lined them up in two rows of 3 each as shown below. From the white muslin I pieced together three 6"x50" strips.

It's a thrifty way to save on backing yardage and to use up fat quarters you might have laying around.

I thought I'd sneak this photo in of my furrballs checking out the quilt. :) It was a beautiful and warm day in Seattle so everyone was outside enjoying the sun. Bodie and Paige were accompanying the quilt in the shade.
And lastly, here's another up-close photo of the quilting. If you click and enlarge the image, you can see the hot pink thread (the backing has white thread). :)
Anyway, that's it for now. I just wanted to share with you how it turned out. Ahh, isn't it a great feeling finishing a quilt?!

Happy Quilting!

Summer Love Tutorial

2011-06-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Materials (57" x 50.5" quilt top):

1 jelly roll (you will have plenty of leftover strips!)
1 solid white jelly roll
3 yards backing

Step 1 - Trim the strips from both the colored and solid white jelly roll to the exact measurements represented in the cutting diagram below. (Note: the measurements below are the exact cutting measurements of the unfinished pieces). Since a jelly roll strip is 2.5"x44" long, in some cases you will need to sew a couple strips together and then trim it to get the measurements shown below.

[Click image to Enlarge]

Step 2 - Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew all the pieces in each row together, and then sew all rows together.

Step 3 - Add the borders. Sew enough strips together until you have these measurements:

Left and right borders - 46.5" long. Sew these on first.
Top and bottom borders - 57" long.

Baste and quilt. Sew together six leftover strips to create the binding. A binding tutorial can be found here.

That's it! Simple and absolutely beautiful! Thank you for checking out my tutorial!

Happy Quilting!
p.s. if you make my pattern, I'd be thrilled if you shared it on my Facebook page!!

Decisions Decisions!

2011-06-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

First of all I wanted to say that my first attempt embroidering was a success, and now I am hooked! Thank you all for your embroidery tips and inspiration! And apparently Anna Maria Horner, one of my favorite fabric designers, is coming out with new embroidery kits (thanks Monica for letting me know!). You can check it out here; I'm loving the colors, and the embroidery on the fabrics << now that's something I would have never thought of! Anyway, I plan to finish the remaining pattern that goes with the embroidery above soon...it's a cute pillow that showcases a new fabric collection coming out in September (that Quilting in the Rain will carry :) called Little Apples.

On a different note, I received beautiful fabrics for my latest Moda Bakeshop tutorial. However, since they sent me double the amount, now I can't decide which line to use. It's such a tough decision especially after seeing the fabrics in person!

Should I go with Summer House by Lily Ashbury?
...Or Terrain by Kate Spain???
Light and fresh, or rich and bold? Such a toughy! Thoughts?? Let me know because I plan to start sewing tomorrow! :)

Happy quilting!

Trying something new

2011-06-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

I've decided to step outside of my quilting comfort zone by trying something new: Embroidery. I'm scared! I've never done it before. Are there any embroidery fans out there? Any tips you want to share with an anxious quilter?

I'm so use to making everything with my super fast 1,600-stitches-per-minute Pfaff Grand Quilter. Taking on a meticulously detailed embroidery project may bring my fast paced crafting to a halt! If it wasn't for this adorable sample pack of fabric called Little Apples (that happened to have embroidery as the main pattern), I wouldn't have taken the plunge into this new world of crafting...It's always the fabric that inspires me ;)
Despite my normally speedy crafting, I'm off to a slow start. :-} I've traced the embroidery design but for the past few days I've been hesitant on starting. Well, a little intimidated maybe. However, I plan to jump right into it tonight! Or maybe tomorrow tonight. We'll see. But once I start, I hope to get into the crafting zone.

On a completely different note, you might have noticed my fondness for skulls as shown in my fabric choice below. :) I don't know what it is...i just really like skulls. Anyway, I've started making a quilted tote bag out of this fabric and plan to eventually post the tutorial. It was hard to capture some of the photos for this bag and still make what I was doing understandable, so I'll probably end up making a little video to explain it better.
Anyways, wish me luck on my embroidery!

Sugar Flowers Quilt

2011-06-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my last post, this is a great quilt to showcase your favorite fabrics. It's a simple quilt that's made up of 46 of these blocks:
In this tutorial I've also included an optional technique that shows how to turn the corner scraps into half triangle squares - these can be saved for my next tutorial or for whatever you want, so long as you don't throw away those precious scraps! :) Being a fabric addict, the thought of those babies at the bottom of the bin pains me! Enjoy the tutorial!

Materials for the Quilt Top (45.5"x53"):

12 fat quarters (or 1/4 yard cuts)
2.5 yards of white fabric

Step 1 - From each fat quarter or 1/4 yard, cut four 8" squares for a total of 46 8" squares. Layer your fabrics for quicker cuts (e.g. as shown below, I folded the fabric into quarters so there were four layers to cut through. When you fold, press flat with an iron before cutting).
Step 2 - From the 2.5 yards of white fabric, cut a total of 46 8" squares. Layer the fabric for quicker cuts. The best way to do this is to start with one yard of fabric. Fold it in in half lengthwise so it measures 18"x44", and then sub-cut into five 18"x8" strips. Sub-cut each strip into four 8" squares. You can cut 20 8" squares from one yard. Repeat, but with remaining 1.5 yards.

After you've cut 46 8" squares from the white fabric, layer and then quarter them into 4" squares. This will give you a total of 184 4" squares.
Step 3 - Place a 4" square and align it with the corner of an 8" square. As shown below, mark a diagonal line from corner to corner on the 4" square. I used a Hera marker which is a plastic tool that creates a crease on the fabric when pressed with a firm hand. If you don’t have a Hera marker, simply draw a line using a ruler and pen, or fold the square diagonal and press with an iron and then unfold.
Then, sew along the marked line.
Step 4 - Repeat step 3 for all four corners of the square.
Note: Steps 5 and 6 are optional for this tutorial. I've incorporated these steps to show you an easy way to utilize your scraps. I recommend taking the extra minute to do them. :)

Step 5 - After you've finished step 4, it will look like this. Once again, use a marking tool and mark a line 1/4" along the outer part of the stitch that you previously sewed. Repeat for all four corners.
Step 6 - Sew a 1/4" seam along the line that you previously marked. Repeat for all four corners.
When you're done it will look like this.
Step 7 - Cut the corners off by cutting along the marked lines that you marked from step 5. (If you skipped steps 5 & 6, simply cut a 1/4" seam along the outer part of the lines you sewed in step 4. Or in other words, instead of marking a 1/4" line along the outer part of the stitch as was done in step 5, cut the line instead of marking).
Step 8 - Press open with an iron, giving you five beautiful blocks! Note: the four half squares triangles will not be used for this tutorial, so you don't have to press them open right now. I will be using them in my next tutorial (or you use them to create whatever you please!).
Repeat steps 3 through 8 for all 46 8" squares.

Step 9 - Take eight of the 46 blocks, and cut them so they measure 4.25"x8". This will yield you eight end pieces.

Step 10 - Arrange all 36 blocks and eight end pieces as shown below, with two end pieces in every other row. Sew all blocks together in each row, and then sew all seven rows together.
That's it! And if you happen to make this quilt, I'd love it if you shared it with everyone on the QuiltingInTheRain Facebook page!

Happy Quilting!

Sugar Flowers

2011-06-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

I'm finally using my Sugar Flowers collection! I've been hoarding 14 fat quarters since January and finally cut into them. :) I'm really excited for this quilt. It's a traditional design that utilizes squares...
...lots and lots of squares...

I'm choosing this specific design because it really showcases the gorgeous fabrics.

Why hello Blue! See how the colors pop! I'm loving it. I snapped over 20 photos just during the cutting process alone. :p
Anyway, I will have the tutorial up this Saturday so stay tuned.

Happy Quilting!

Hanging out with my Seam Ripper

2011-05-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight i'm hanging out with my seam ripper. I had big plans to quilt last weekend, but unfortunately I got hit by the bug and ended up sleeping for most of it. Although I was sick, I was determined to finish this quilt. That was an ultimate fail. Lesson learned - I will no longer quilt when I have the flu, can barely see out of my swollen eyes, and am frazzled with basting spray mist everywhere because I forgot to open the windows.

The quilt started out really nice...although I was feeling under the weather, it was a pleasant afternoon in my crafting corner. But not for long...
The blocks were coming together really well. I was enjoying the detailed Scandinavian prints (prior to my eyes swelling)...
Somehow I even managed to finish the quilt top. Like I said, I was really pushing myself. I managed to baste the quilt in 30 minutes. By this time I was feeling like a sloth...
I went ahead and started quilting away. Why the heck not, right?! I'll tell you why the heck not...

brace yourself...

I can't bear to look at it. It looks like a spine of some horrid creature is forming on the backing.
And that's why I'm hanging out with my seam ripper. My good old faithful seam ripper. I'm rippin' the spine right out of this sucker!

Thankfully I'm feeling much better now, and I intend to finish this quilt right! Mistakes happen right? I'm no Martha Stewart that's for sure. ;-) Wish me better luck when I redo the basting on this one.

Happy Quilting!

Upcoming Moda project

2011-05-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give you all a sneak peak of my next Moda Bake Shop tutorial that recently got approved. The sketch of my pattern is above, and I will be using a jelly roll to make it. It's different from my normal patterns...kind of edgy and very modern. I can't wait to try it out! My plan is to do a test run using the Fandango jelly roll below that my husband got me for Christmas last year. :)
However for the MBS tutorial I'll be using a newer collection. Either this one, called Summer House by Lily Ashbury....

Or Kate Spain's latest collection called Terrain...
Both are gorgeous (and both I plan on having at my future online shop ;) I'm not sure yet which collection I will receive for the MBS tutorial, but either way I'll be a very happy camper.

So many projects, and so little time! I better get to it and make the most of this 3-day weekend!

Exciting News!

2011-05-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

I am a self described fabric addict. My love and passion for fabric runs in every fiber of my being. For those of you that have followed me and witnessed my fabric hoarding posts, I've finally nailed it. :) For the past year this blog has been an outlet for me to channel my passion for quilting and fabrics. I decided to take it a step further by starting an online shop that specializes in selling pre-cuts (i.e. fat quarter bundles, jelly rolls, layer cakes and charms). All of the yummy stuff ;)
It's been a whirlwind of planning, researching, saving and exciting ideas these last few months! But the concept of an online store is finally underway, and I am excited to share with all of you updates as I get things moving along.

To start, I wanted to share some photos of the latest fabrics I've pre-ordered from the After Quilt Market Show! The very first photo (above) is by Moda and will be available closer to Fall. If you liked the Sherbert Pips line by Aneela Hoey, you'll love this one!

These are some freebies I got from Moda. Aren't the mini charm squares adorable? I could almost bite into one! Apparently they're calling them "crumbs."
Are there any Riley Blake fans out there? Because they have a lot of awesome collections coming out this Summer! A lot of fun pre-cuts too.
This line by Riley Blake is called Indian Summer. The fresh floral prints mixed with the brown and green hues is a great print that will easily transition from Summer to Fall.
Do any of you remember the Bliss collection by Bonnie and Camille for Moda? They have a new line coming out towards the end of this year called Ruby! It's just as charming as Bliss. Here's a sneak peak...
Lauren and Jessi Jung (designers of the Hideaway and Botany collections) for Moda have a new line coming out called Flora. This line has a modern/vintage look to it...It's absolutely gorgeous!
Below is a new line by Michael Miller. The designer, Sarah Jane, started as a children's book illustrator and now she also designs fabrics. The colors and detailed illustrations are so fresh and happy and make me reminisce of my carefree, childhood days :p
Free Spirit also has some gorgeous lines coming out (as always) including new 6" square pre-cuts! Unfortunately I have no pictures to show for those yet.

We don't have an exact launch date yet, but we have an idea. As I mentioned earlier, please stay tuned for more updates. This is an exciting endeavor that I plan to share with you all, in addition to my normal blogging/tutorials. As always, if you have any thoughts or questions, please leave me a comment! I'm always happy to hear from you! :)

Happy Quilting!

Binding & Blind Stitching Tutorial

2011-05-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

You all asked for it, so here it is! A binding/blind stitching tutorial just for you. :) Thanks for your patience...though binding is something I do regularly, this tutorial took a lot of thought. I try to stay away from posting lengthy and wordy tutorials, so I tried my best while still trying to depict everything clearly. Part I of this tutorial is how to attach the binding to your quilt top, and Part II is how to blind stitch. I made videos of me blind stitching in hopes it would be easier to learn.

Also, I wanted to say that I'm a self taught quilter, therefore my way of binding and blind stitching might not be as traditional. But it's how I roll, and it works!

One last thing (so much for not wanting to post wordy tutorials :-p), this tutorial is just one way to bind. Check out my Quick Quilt Binding Tutorial for an alternative method.

Part I - Binding (Steps 1-7)
Note: This tutorial assumes a 1/4" seam allowance. Start and end all stitches with a back-stitch.

Step 1 - Start by cutting 2.5" strips from the length of your fabric. If your binding fabric is less than or equal to 1 yard, then typically the length of your fabric will be about 40-44". You can divide the total perimeter of your quilt top by 40" to calculate how many 2.5" strips you will need to cut (example: if the total perimeter of the quilt top is 120", then you will need 120"/40"=3 binding strips).

As shown below, sew the strips together to create the length of binding you will need to bind the perimeter of your quilt (with right sides facing together, sew a 1/4" seam and then press open with an iron).

Step 2 - With an iron, press the binding in half lengthwise so that the width measures 1.25".

Step 3 - On one end of your binding, create a seam: fold the fabric over 1/4" and then press flat with an iron to keep it in place.

Step 4 - Start binding along the side of your quilt top and away from all corners. As shown below, attach the binding to your quilt top by opening the binding, and then sewing through the first layer. Make sure you start with the end that has the pressed seam (from the previous step). From the top of the binding, sew 4-5" down.

Step 5 - Close the binding so that you can no longer see the 4-5" that you previously sewed. From the top of the binding, measure about 3" down and start sewing (as depicted with the black arrow below). You will overlap with the previous stitch by at least 1". This will leave you with an open 'flap' at the start of your binding that's about 3" long.

Step 6 - Continue sewing the binding to your quilt top. Use pins to help keep the binding in place. When you get to the corners, do the following four steps (a, b, c &d):

a) Stop sewing 1/4" from the bottom of the corner. End your stitch with a back-stitch.

b) As shown below, fold the binding over so that it's in line with the edge of your quilt top.

c) Then fold the binding over again but in the other direction; still make sure the binding is in line with the edges of the quilt.

d) Pin the corner folds and binding to keep in place...

...and then start sewing again from the top of the fold to stitch it down. Continue sewing and repeat Step 6 for all corners.

Step 7 -When you get to the end, you will come upon the open 'flap' from Step 5.

Tuck the unfinished end under the flap as shown below.

And then continue sewing to stitch it closed.

Part II - Blind Stitching
Now that you've finished attaching the binding to your quilt top, the last part is to blind stitch the binding to the backing of your quilt. Start by folding the binding over to the back, and pin it to the backing of your quilt.

When you get to the corners, simply fold the bottom edge of the binding straight up and then pin the corners down to keep everything in place.
I made three videos showing how to blind stitch...it was just too hard trying to show it via photo. When blind stitching, use a strong thread that won't break. The last thing you want is your thread to snap halfway through blind stitching your entire quilt! For the purpose of the tutorial, I used a thick and bright pink flossy thread so you can easily see me blind stitching.

Video #1: This first video shows how you start the blind stitch. I typically start with at least three feet of thread and tie a knot at one end. Start by hiding the knot underneath the binding as shown in the video. And remember, when blind stitching the thread should never show on the quilt top (it should stay in between the backing fabric and batting). Once the knot is secure, your needle should come up from the quilt backing and nick the edge of the binding, and then come straight back down from where you came up. Then, come back up again but roughly 1/4-1/2" away from where you originally started. Repeat.

Video #2: This second video shows how to blind stitch the corners of your binding. It's the same process as the first video; the main thing I wanted to show you is when you come up to nick the binding, make sure you nick the corner flap of the binding to ensure it gets stitched down. If you stitch the corner flap down as shown in the video, the entire corner is good to go. :)

Video #3: This video shows how to tie a knot when blind stitching. Since you start with only about 3 feet of thread, you will have to do this a handful of times depending on how big your quilt is. This might make you go a little cross-eyed, but once you've done it a few times it sticks with you. :)

I hope this helps. As always, I'm happy to answer any questions! And remember, this is just one way to bind a quilt. Check out my Quick Quilt Binding Tutorial for an alternative method (that doesn't involve any blind stitching!)

Spring Giveaway Winner!

2011-05-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I apologize for the delay in posting the winner. As some of you may already know, Blogger was having issues for the last 24 hours where people's comments were lost, and I was unable to make any posts. I did the best I could to recover comments by looking at both my gmail inbox and blogger's comments, and then counted down the winner using a random number generator.

The winner for my Spring Layer Cake giveaway is Debbie S. (comment #16)! I will contact you via email, so please reply and let me know your shipping address.

Thank you for all that participated in this fun fabric freebie! Stay tuned for more future freebies. As you all know, I love love LOVE fabric, and enjoy giving it away in the hopes that it will inspire others to create something beautiful!

Happy quilting!

Simple is Good!

2011-05-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

You might recognize this quilt from my earlier post Quilting with my Furry Children.
Well, I finally finished it last night! It was one of those neglected quilt tops that kept giving me the evil eye for not finishing it right away. I really like the simplicity and modern feel of this quilt. The top is made up of 54 charm squares and 1 yard of white fabric. Though it's a simple, straight forward quilt, as promised in my earlier post I will post a tutorial.

I'm proud of this one. :) I basted it myself (I usually use my quilting frame which naturally bastes quilts for me). I used my 6"x23" ruler to help flatten out any bumps.

I also machine quilted this without my quilting frame :) I quilted wavy grid lines using my walking foot. I'm really loving straight-stitching designs, and hope to do more of that.
I binded it last night, followed by blind-stitching the back within an hour. I was in the zone.
I just love the Hullabaloo collection my Moda. I snagged the charm pack as soon as I saw them, and whipped up this quilt in no time. This is a great quilt to show off your latest and greatest charm pack collection, so stay tuned for my upcoming tutorial. :)

Oh and I haven't forgotten...I'll be posting the fabric giveaway winner on Friday, so stay tuned for that also. Thanks for stopping by! :)

MBS Tutorial and a Giveaway!!!

2011-05-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

As a celebration of my latest Moda Bakeshop (MBS) tutorial called Strawberry Fields Forever! (I'd love it if you left me a comment if you feel so inclined), I wanted to host this Layer Cake giveaway as my tutorial requires only one layer cake to make the quilt top.

For those of you that frequent my blog, you may recognize this quilt as I've already made two using this pattern: my Quilt for Japan using the Sunkissed collection, and of course, Strawberry Fields Forever (original post found here). Make one yourself using your favorite collection by checking out my MBS tutorial!

Anyway, onto the good stuff... To enter to win the Layer Cake, simply answer the following question via a comment to this post:

What are your favorite kind of patterns (e.g. intricate quilt patterns, garments, accessories, patterns using pre-cuts, etc.)? I really love this craft, and am genuinely interested in knowing what you all like to sew. :)

And just as a side note, if you like sewing tutorials and if you're addicted to fabric, I urge you to 'Like' me on Facebook (by clicking the button below). See how convenient I've made it for you?! And/or if it's more convenient to follow me on blogger, there is a 'Follow' button to the right.

That's it! I will draw your name using a random number generator so be sure to leave some way for me to email you. I will post the winner next Friday. And yes, I will ship international!

Happy Friday!

Have You Tried Spray Basting?

2011-05-02T18:18:00.001-07:00

Hi All! Just a quick update to say that I added a tid bit about spray basting at the end of my recent basting tutorial, click here (then scroll down). It's a quick alternative to pinning together all three quilt layers.

I'm sure you all can agree that basting a quilt is the least fun part of quilting :-|, so anything that helps make it go by quicker is always a plus! I've spray basted before and have been very pleased with the results. Just wanted to share this with you in case some of you have never heard of it, or perhaps you have, but were skeptical of the method.

Let me know if you have any questions, or if you have any spray basting experiences of your own. I'm always interested in learning new tips, hearing about your basting horror stories (hopefully there are none), etc. ;)

Have a great week, and as always, Happy Quilting!

New sewing machine

2011-04-26T17:38:00.001-07:00

I've been MIA...it's been 10 days since I last blogged! Quick update. I treated myself and bought the above sewing machine (Brother XL-3750). Do I plan to stop using my current Pfaff Grand Quilter? Heck no! Am I hoarding sewing machines now, in addition to fabric? Yup!

This was a fun little treat for myself. For one, it only cost $116 on Amazon (and it comes with a walking foot!), free shipping too. Also, I've been getting emails from people asking me for sewing machine recommendations. After replying, I realized my answers were biased as I've only ever owned Pfaff's. Plus I've never owned a sewing machine this inexpensive. Is it possible to have a great sewing machine for only $116 bucks???

I did a lot of research on the Brother XL-3750 and it had excellent reviews from all sewing backgrounds, ranging from the occasional sewer to the avid quilter (such as muah ;). I should receive it in the mail this week, so once I test it out I'll be sure to give you my review. :)

I'm curious...if any of you own(ed) a Brother sewing machine, let me know your thoughts. Or if you don't, but know a brand that you absolutely love and/or hate, I'd be really interested in hearing about it.

On a totally different update... I'm working on that traditional binding tutorial. Also, I have a Moda Bakeshop tutorial coming up pretty soon, so stay tuned. I'll be hosting a fabric giveaway along with it. :)

Happy Quilting!

Sunny Santa Monica Quilt

2011-04-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here's how the back looks:
Last week my husband and I visited Los Angeles, CA. Being a fabric-aholic, I searched for nearby fabric boutiques on my iPhone and stumbled across the Urban Crafts Center in Santa Monica. What a cool shop...it was like the Urban Outfitters of craft supplies instead of clothing. Anyway, while there I saw a quilt similar to this one. Inspired by the simplicity of the design and by their modern fabric selection, I eye-balled the quilt measurements, picked out some cool fabrics (the line I used is called Midwest Modern by Amy Butler) and made this lovely quilt. :) If you're a beginner quilter, or if you need a quick quilt that showcases some of your favorite prints, this is the project for you.

Materials (refer to the diagram below):

Fabric A - 1/4 yard (choose two prints)
Fabric B - 1/4 yard (choose two prints)
Fabric C - 1/2 yard (choose one print)
Backing - 1 yard
Batting - 1 yard
Binding - 3/8 yard

Step 1 - From your A, B and C fabrics, cut them so they measure the following and then arrange them as shown in the figure above.

Fabric A - 8"x32"
Fabric B - 6"x32"
Fabric C - 15"x32"

Step 2 -Sew all rows together. (With right sides facing together, pin along the length to keep the fabric in place and then sew a 1/4" seam allowance as shown below).
Then press open with an iron.
Continue until you've sewn all five rows together. That's it for the quilt top!

Step 3 -Form a quilt sandwich with your quilt top, batting and backing fabric and baste so that everything stays put. Click here for a tutorial on how to baste a quilt.

Step 4 - Using a walking foot, quilt it! Start by quilting a wavy line in the center of the quilt, and then work your way outwards (as shown below, I started in the center and then worked my way towards the right. Then, I simply rotated the quilt 180 degrees and did the same). I stitched straight lines but made them wavy by guiding the quilt in long, wavy motions beneath the walking foot. Remove pins as they get in your way.

Step 5 - Bind it! If any of you are interested in a binding tutorial, let me know and I'll post one sooner rather than later. :)
That's it! I told you it was fast. I finished this one in only 3 hours. It makes a great weekend project. :) Happy quilting!

How to Baste a Quilt

2011-04-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

Basting a quilt is when you sandwich the quilt in three layers: the quilt top, batting and the backing. You need to baste these three layers together before doing the actual quilting. Here's how to do it, 4 steps below!

Update (added 5/02/11) - I also added a basting alternative at the end of this tutorial, which explains how to baste without using pins. The method is spray basting. I've tried it before and would recommend it, especially for bigger quilts.

Step 1 - On a flat surface, lay your backing fabric flat on the floor with the right side facing down (the wrong side of the fabric will be facing you). Flatten out any bumps as best as you can (tip: it helps to use a yardstick or your 6"x23" rotary ruler to help smooth out bumps). Tape the corners and sides as needed so that the fabric doesn't shift around on the floor; I recommend using painter's tape. The backing fabric should always be at least 2-3" bigger around the perimeter than the quilt top.

Step 2 -Next, lay your batting on top of the backing fabric. Flatten out any bumps as best as you can. (Tip: I suggest using Warm & White cotton batting or Soft & Bright polyester batting. Both are made by "The Warm Company" and have almost a fleece-like feel to them, making them much easier to work with (i.e. you don't have to deal with uneven batting that bunches while you're machine quilting). However, if you are working with a fluffier batting, throw it in the dryer for ~10 minutes to help un-wrinkle it).

Step 3 - Next, lay your quilt-top on top of the batting. The right side of the quilt top should be facing you (the wrong side should be facing the batting). Make sure the quilt top is centered on the batting. Flatten out any bumps as best as you can.
At this point, your quilt should be layered as shown below with the batting sandwiched in between the quilt top and backing fabric. This is called a quilt sandwich.

Step 4 - Now, you need to pin all three layers together to keep them in place so that they don't shift around later while you're quilting. I recommend using curved safety pins, as shown below. The curve in the pin helps immensely when trying to pin through all three layers on a flat surface. Pin every 5-8 inches.

Start pinning on one end of the quilt. Remove the tape on one end, and start pinning every 5-8 inches. As shown below, roll the pinned quilt upward as you go for easier pinning access.
That's pretty much it. Let me know if you have any questions!

Basting Alternative - Spray Basting (no pins needed!)

I typically use pins (as explained above) to baste my smaller quilts; however, for the larger ones I would recommend spray basting them. Below are two video tutorials I found on YouTube that explain pretty well how to spray baste. In these videos, the gal spray bastes them by pinning the quilt layers to a wall so that all layers three layers drape evenly over one another.

However, you can also spray baste on the floor (which is what I've done in the past). You just have to get down on all fours to make sure the layers are smoothed out evenly; it still helps to tape the backing fabric to the floor as described in step 1 above. Similar to the video tutorials, be sure to line your floors with newspaper around the quilt so you don't get sticky floors.

I recommend you watch this video first. Fast forward it to minute 6:15.

For more details on spray basting on a wall, you can watch this supplemental video:

You can likely find spray basting glue at your local quilt shop or crafting chain store. Below is the brand (Tailor) that I've used. I've also heard the brand 505 is very good.

Hope this tid bit helps. It's always nice having some options. :)

Quilting with my Furry Children

2011-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm one of those crazy pet owners. That's my excuse for posting so many pictures, of every single angle, of my dogs. :-p Last weekend was fun. Paige spent the afternoon with me making this quilt using charm squares. I used the Hullabaloo collection, and will likely post a tutorial on this after I've finished quilting it. It's a straight forward pattern since they're all squares, but with a tutorial at least you'll get all the measurements, maybe learn a few quilting tips, etc. :)
Simple is good. Simple is fresh. Best of all, simple is quick! I finished this quilt top in a few hours. This is a great quilt for showing off one of your favorite fabric collections.
Mid-way through piecing together the quilt top, I got a visit from Bodie (the black and white Corgi). He's my sweetheart, but he prefers to hang out on the stairs while I'm crafting...honestly i think he's afraid of my sewing machine...notice the uneasy look on his face?
Clearly, Paige was ready for a walk. She wouldn't move her furry buns until I agreed.

Anyway, that's it for now. Just a short and sweet post to show off my pride and joys..oh, and there's a quilt in there somewhere ;)

Happy Crafting!

My First Time at the West Seattle Fabric Co.!

2011-04-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

My weekend is off to a good start! I spent the afternoon shopping for fabric and made a quick detour away from my neighborhood quilt shops (mainly, the Quilting Loft) and into West Seattle, where the charming West Seattle Fabric Co. boutique is. I've been meaning to go for a while now and kept oogling over articles about it online. The shop owner, Monica Skov, opened the West Seattle Fabric Co. in December of 2010. This charming store is a hit! ...from the moment I entered her shop to the time I left, there were enthusiastic quilters in and out of her shop excited to start new projects. Monica was cool and let me snap some photos (thanks again Monica!) to share with all of you. :) So here's some eye candy!
I couldn't stop looking at this cute setup mainly featuring the Sun kissed collection by Moda (same collection I used to make the Quilt for Japan). You can't quite tell from this picture, but those are sparkly fabrics by Michael Miller on the first shelf! I can't get enough of those.
There's lots of different styles and colorways of fabric, so you'll be sure to find prints that appeal to you (i sure did!).
Lots of notions (the sewing necessities) and a decent collection of books. Though the shop is smallish, I managed to walk around it about 5 times because there's a lot to look at!
It's located on 2210 California Ave in West Seattle. You can't miss the bright pink and blue canopy!
I left with a bag full of goodies wrapped beautifully. I felt like I left with a birthday present :) I'm loving the skull-themed prints by Alexander Henry...I bought some last week from the Quilting Loft, and found the one above at the West Seattle fabric Co.
And I couldn't leave without this adorable collection called Delilah by Free Spirit. I bought 6 fat quarters (great price, the least expensive I've seen) and a yard.

I'm happy to know there's another great fabric boutique in Seattle. If you're from around here, I recommend you check it out! If you're not, you can oogle over these photos. ;) And for all of you avid quilters/crafters, I urge you to support your local small business owners by buying local from boutiques like this!

Happy Quilting!

~Strawberry Fields Forever!~

2011-04-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

Another one done! First of all, thank you all for your creative quilt name ideas! It was a tough choice...I almost went with Strawberry Jam (thank you, mom of 3) but kept hearing the "Strawberry Fields Forever" song humming in my head! Whoever suggested the Beatles name idea, I'd love to give you cred when my MBS tutorial posts, so if you have a name and wherever you're from, please let me know. :)
As mentioned before, I decided to treat myself with this one and have it professionally quilted! (I was getting tired of quilting stipples on everything!). It turned out absolutely gorgeous :) It was quilted by Darlene Girton at GirtonQuilting.com (unfortunately her website is currently down). She's from Maple Valley, Washington and I'm looking forward to working with her again! Darlene quilted strawberries all over the quilt - you can see them if you zoom into one of the photos.
Betsy from Seattle suggested naming this quilt 'Summer Picnic' which couldn't be more appropriate, especially looking at the photo above! It's the perfect picnic quilt!
I really love this pattern (obviously, I've made two quilts using it already!). It's a wonderful pattern because each block is unique to your own making...there are no precise measurements you need to cut for this quilt, simply stack, whack and sew! The tutorial for this quilt will be posting on Moda Bake Shop within the next few weeks. The same day it posts on MBS I'll host a Layer Cake giveaway as this pattern only requires 1 Layer Cake to make the quilt top. So please stay tuned!
Thanks for stopping by! Happy Quilting!

Happy Friday! Quilt name ideas anyone?

2011-04-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Just a quick post to say thank you for your kind comments on my New Wave quilt! Your comments/questions keep me crankin' out quilts! I also wanted to wish you a happy Friday! I have some pretty pictures I snapped on my iPhone I thought I'd share with you...

What better way to end a day at work than shopping for some new threads! I picked up the skull-themed fabrics by Michael Miller (photo above) on my way home from work today. :) Not sure what to do with them yet... all I knew is that I needed them (you know how it goes). I'll probably end up making a tote of some sort.

As mentioned in a recent post, my next Moda Bake Shop tutorial will be the same pattern as my Quilt for Japan, except I used the Strawberry Fields collection.

While I'm at it, I wanted to pick your creative brains...Any ideas on what I should name this quilt? I snapped a couple up-close photos (above and below) to give you an idea of how it looks... I appreciate any ideas, seriously, anything at all!! I feel brain dead after this work week...

And as a heads up, I will be having another fabric giveaway around the same time my next MBS tutorial posts, so stay tuned!

That's it for now... have a great weekend!

New Wave Quilt

2011-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

I finally finished this quilt! I had the quilt top done about a month ago, but didn't quilt it until early March, and finally buckled down last Sunday and binded it. For my next quilt I'm going to treat myself and bring it in to have someone else finish it :)

The fabric collection I used is called 'Meadowsweet 2' by Sandi Henderson. I was drooling over the fabric collection last February in one of fabric-hoarding posts. Although I mentioned in my last post that my favorite batting is by The Warm Company (Warm &White, and Soft & Bright), I admit I used 'Soft N Crafty low-loft batting' for this particular quilt. It was all they had left and I was desperate! Though it looks okay in the pictures, I wouldn't use it again. It was hard to work with and I got a lot of uneven bunching. After that experience, the very next day I ordered myself a jumbo roll of Warm & White batting - 40 yards all to myself! >:-)

Here's how the back looks. Instead of buying 3 yards to cover the back (which can get expensive at $10.50/yd), I compromised. I bought 1 yard of printed fabric and cut it in half lengthwise to make the middle strip, and then I used white muslin for the sides (which is usually $4-5/yd).

This is a great quilt for displaying your favorite fabrics! You can find the pattern for the New Wave Quilt here, by Oh, Fransson!

Happy Quilting!

$900 towards Japan Relief Efforts!

2011-03-26T10:22:00.001-07:00

I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all that participated and supported my mini auction. Even if you didn't bid, thank you for reading and spreading the word - it means a lot! I am so happy that this auction was a success, and that it's going towards such an important cause. You all are the best!

Congratulations to Rebecca from beautiful Hawaii (I'm a tad jealous of the quilt ;)! I will be contacting you shortly via email to arrange shipping and donation details. And I have great news...thanks to my generous in-laws, Rebecca's donation is being matched by them. And then on top of that, the company I work for will double that total! So the total donation going toward Japan Relief Efforts comes out to $900! Thank you everyone!

On a different note, because of the auction I haven't blogged in a while so here are a few updates:

I received my latest batch of fabric from Moda! The above collection is called Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda. If you liked the Quilt for Japan design, my next Moda Bakeshop tutorial will be on how to make that quilt. It's a really simple pattern that applies the 'stack and whack' method so there's no measuring involved - just stack, cut and sew!

As it only requires one layer cake pack to make the quilt top, I will also be hosting another fabric giveaway along with the MBS post, so please stay tuned if you're interested. :)

I've been spending so much money on batting that I finally bought myself a jumbo roll. I had to have my husband carry it up to my sewing room. This is Warm and White batting - it's one of my favorites because it quilts well and it doesn't shrink as much . My other favorite batting is called Soft and Bright. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I'd be more than happy to answer.

Lastly, some of you asked if my faithful furrball, Paige, kept me company as I stayed up until 2 am working on the Quilt for Japan last weekend. She sure did!

Happy Quilting!

Quilt Auction! Proceeds go towards Japan relief efforts

2011-03-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

This auction has ended.

As mentioned in my previous post, I am auctioning this quilt and all proceeds will go towards relief efforts in Japan. I will ship this quilt to the highest bidder, and your donation will be matched 100% by the company I work for. To make a bid, please leave a comment to this post with your donation amount and a way for me to contact you*. This auction will end on Friday, March 25th at midnight. Donation will be accepted through Paypal (they accept all major credit cards).

Donations will go towards Direct Relief International, International Medical Corps, or UNICEF. If you choose not to participate in this auction, you can click the links above to find alternative ways to donate.

"On March 11 a massive 9.0 earthquake hit northern Japan. The earthquake, one of the largest in the country's history, triggered a 23-foot tsunami that battered Japan's coast, killing thousands and sweeping away cars, homes, buildings, and boats." - Amgen Foundation Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Program

My mission over the weekend was to finish this quilt so I can auction it off today. Mission accomplished! You can see the making of this quilt on my Quilting in the Rain Facebook page (link to the right).

I've never done an auction like this, so I'm crossing my fingers that this will be successful. :) And don't forget that the highest bidder's donation will be matched 100%! Thanks in advance to those who participate...every bit helps!

*If you do not feel comfortable leaving your email address in your comment, please send it to me via email at quiltingintherain@gmail.com so I know how to contact you. Also be sure that I know which bid is yours!

Fabric treat and a quilt for Japan

2011-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after work I came home to this sweet little fabric treat in the mail...what a way to make my day! I'm totally psyched about it and can't stop looking at its cuteness! Kirsten N., all the way from Australia, made this iPhone sleeve as a thank you for my last fabric giveaway. A huge perk about this sleeve is now I have an adequate excuse to finally get an iPhone! (the phone in the picture actually belongs to my husband ;-p) If it weren't for Kirsten I'd still be living in the stone age, so thank you for that as well!

Not to change the subject so suddenly, but I wanted to give you all a heads up about my next project. I'm on a mission this weekend to finish a quilt for Japan. I'm sure you've all heard of the recent earthquake, tsunami and potential nuclear disaster in Japan; well, here's a small way you can help AND get a quilt in the process. The company I work for is having a fundraiser where they match donations 100% and all proceeds go towards disaster relief in Japan. My mission this weekend is to finish a quilt and then auction it off via a blog post. I will ship the quilt to the highest bidder, and then have my work match your donation 100%.

I will be using the Sunkissed collection by Moda. Please stay tuned for my quilt for Japan so you can participate in my little fund raising auction. Every bit helps. Also, I will be posting Facebook updates this weekend as I make the quilt, so if you haven't already, you can 'Like' my Facebook page by clicking the link to the right :).

Thanks for stopping by...and happy Friday! Wish me luck on my mission... :)

Finally finished!

2011-03-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

The clouds were kind enough to part for a few hours so I could snap some pictures of my finished Rainy Days quilt :) I thought I'd do a quick post on how I finished it up. Above is when I was binding it... I was able to use scraps from the quarter yard cuts to make up all the binding. When binding a quilt I use to throw the yards and yards of binding up and over both of my shoulders; however, now I suggest wrapping it around a ruler, or something (other than your neck), so you don't get tangled up... death by binding would be a sad way to go.. :-}

Here it is on my quilting frame. If you follow my blog you'll notice I like to post pictures of my quilts set up on the frame because it's not something you get to see often. I got a few comments asking what my frame is and how it works. The frame I have is called the Imperial Quilting frame and is compatible with my sewing machine (i have a Pfaff Grand Quilter and love it!).

Basically, I can plop my sewing machine onto the frame and secure it onto a carriage that glides up and down the frame. Since the carriage can glide up and down the frame, it allows the sewing machine to easily maneuver over the quilt sandwich (which you don't need to baste), as shown above. It's not computerized quilting, as I still need to use the handle bars to guide the sewing machine. For those of you that don't have a quilt frame and do all your quilting on a table top, I admire you! It's something I just couldn't get use to! Anyway, I promise to post a video soon of me using the frame so you can get an idea of how it really works. :)

As always, I quilted stipples. :) I just can't get myself to do anything other than stippling. I started with loopy-loops, but a split second later had a change of heart. :-p

And here it is, quilted and binded! :) I'm really happy with how it turned out. Don't forget to make one yourself, here's the pattern!

Happy Quilting!

Gray and Gloomy

2011-03-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Not only did it rain all weekend, but it stayed dark and gloomy without the slightest break of sunshine. Bodie stayed by the window all weekend watching the rain and day dreaming of long summertime walks. I guess that's typical Seattle weather for ya!

I admit the rain allowed for good quilting weather; however, it was SO gray and dark outside all day that I couldn't even get a good picture of my finished Rainy Days quilt. :( I took several photos of the finished quilt, and my husband and I even came up with crazy lighting contraptions to try to brighten the room, but we still couldn't get a decent picture. So in short, I apologize for not having the finished photo up yet but it will happen! My plan is to score a decent photo after returning from work this week, and thanks to daylight savings time that extra hour of daylight should help! :)

On a different note, you may have noticed the new "Finished Quilt" button on the right hand side of my blog. This is something I've been meaning to put together for a while now. It captures all of the quilts I've made since I started this blog April of last year, and it also includes some photos of quilts I made prior. There's a few more photos I still need to take to complete the collection, but I'll get to them eventually. I will continue to update that page with my latest quilts.

A great benefit about blogging is it captures all of the completed projects I've done throughout the year. But above all, I get to meet awesome folks like yourselves who encourage me to keep at it :o)

Have a great week everyone! Hopefully you're getting more sunshine than I am (I recently learned I have a vitamin D deficiency!)

another late night quilt session

2011-03-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Finding time to quilt when you have a day job pretty much leaves you with two options: late night quilt sessions, and oh so short weekends. :) I'm at it again, quilting in the wee hours of the night.

Paige was more than ready to go to bed, but she's a trooper and waited up for me as she always does. :)

One quilt down, and one more to go! I hope to finish quilting my Rainy Days quilt tomorrow night. I've already prepped the backing, so all I need to do is throw it on my frame and quilt away. I'm tempted to just bring it in and have the quilting done for me, but that costs money that I'd rather spend on fabric :-}

I wanted to say thank you for your comments on the Rainy Day Quilt; I absolutely love reading your comments! I try to make patterns that are simple because 1) it breaks apart a quilt that may seem daunting and turns it into a doable project and 2) there's just not enough time to quilt! It's great having a quilt top pattern that you can finish over a weekend.

I have another simple pattern in the works that I hope to post soon that uses charm squares, so stay tuned. Anyway, that's it for now. Just wanted to pop in mid-week to say hi!

Happy (late night) quilting! ;)

Rainy Days Quilt

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Remember these fabrics I bought last month when I went on my business trip? Well, I finally used them! Living in Seattle, this Rainy Days quilt seemed very appropriate. :) I wanted to share this pattern with you in case you wanted to make one. It's a super-duper easy pattern (seriously, only 3 steps below!). If you want to use the same fabric collection that I used, I recommend buying them here (Rainy Days and Mondays is an older collection so most places don't sell them anymore).

Finished quilt top size: 47.5" x 57"

Materials:

Eight 1/4 yard cuts of varying prints (fat quarters work too)
1 1/4 yards solid white fabric (I used white muslin)
1/3 yard binding
3 yards backing

Step 1 (Cutting) - From each 1/4 yard print of fabric, cut four 6"x10" rectangles. You will need a total of 30 rectangles, so choose one print where you will only cut two rectangles from it.

Next, from your 1 1/4 yards of white fabric, cut (70) 2.5"x10" rectangles.

The quickest way to cut all 70 rectangles is to fold your 1.25 yards of fabric in half lengthwise so that it measures roughly 22"x45" (it should already be folded like this when you buy it from the bolt). And then fold it in half lengthwise again so that it measures roughly 11"x45". With a ruler and rotary cutter, cut 2.5" strips along the length as shown below, until you have a total of (18) 2.5"x44" strips. Then, sub-cut each strip into four 2.5"x10" rectangles.

Step 2 (Piece together your blocks) - One block is made up of one 6"x 10" rectangle, and two 2.5"x 10" rectangles.

Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew each 2.5"x 10" strip to the 6"x 10" rectangle as shown below. (Sew with the correct sides facing each other, and then press open with an iron).

Repeat the above until you have a total of 30 finished blocks.

Step 3 (assemble the quilt top) - As shown below, arrange all 30 blocks into 6 rows of 5 blocks each, making sure to alternate the position of each block. Click image below to enlarge.

Lastly, sew all 5 blocks together in each row, and then sew each row together. (Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew with the correct sides facing each other, and then press open with an iron).

I told you it was easy ;-) If you end up making this quilt, I'd love to see it! (quiltingintherain@gmail.com)

Happy Quilting!

Bundle of Joy

2011-03-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

I had been tracking this package stalker-style and greeted the UPS man before he even had a chance to get out of his truck. With how bad my fabric addiction is, I'm afraid one of these days my husband will find me huddled in a corner petting a jelly roll, referring to it as "my precious" like Gollum.

I just love receiving bundles like this... :)

This fabric collection is called "Dolce" designed by Tanya Whelan by Free Spirit fabrics. It's not a new collection, but it was on sale! Last I checked they still had some on sale, here. Anyway, more fabric to inspire me and to add to my stash.

Speaking of my stash, I thought I'd give you a glimpse. This is about 1/3 of my stash. The two bigger baskets on the middle and bottom shelf are where I throw my fabric scraps. My latest and greatest additions found a home on the top shelf. :)

The basket on the top left are fabrics 'next in line' for a quilt. In fact last night I finished a quilt top using Riley Blake's Rainy Days and Mondays collection. I'll be posting that one soon. :)

Anyway, that's it for now. Just a quick mid-week post to say hi and happy quilting!

Rag Quilt

2011-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

If basting and binding a quilt isn't really your thing, and if you don't particularly like quilting large quilt tops, then a rag quilt is the perfect quilt project for you. :) With a rag quilt, you create smaller (therefore easier to handle) quilt sandwiches, quilt them while they're still small, and then piece them together to form your quilt. If that sounds confusing, check out my 8-step rag quilt tutorial below.

(Click picture to enlarge)

This quilt measures 23" x 23" which works perfectly for throwing in a stroller, or as a wall hanging quilt. Speaking of strollers, rag quilts are great for little ones as they offer a textured material for them to touch and explore.

I have a similar tutorial called Frayed Seams Quilt which uses fleece material as the entire quilt backing. You can check it out for an alternate rag quilt design.

Materials for a 23"x23" rag quilt:

10 quarter yards of varying prints
1 yard of fleece (or batting, see note in step 1).
Coordinating thread

Step 1 - Cut fifty 6.5" squares from your quarter yard cuts (note: 1 quarter yard = six 6.5" squares). From your 1 yard of fleece, cut twenty-five 6.5" squares*.

*If you prefer to not have the fleece show at the seams as it does in this tutorial (see step 4), or if you prefer to use batting instead of fleece, cut twenty-five 5.5" squares instead. Then, when you make your mini quilt sandwich as described in step 2 (below), make sure the fleece/batting is centered in between the fabric pieces.

Step 2 - Make a mini quilt sandwich: take one fleece square and sandwich it in between two fabric squares. The wrong sides of the fabric should be facing the fleece. Repeat until you have 25 mini quilt sandwiches. When putting these together, plan for how the front and back of your quilt will look.

Step 3 - Quilt all 25 of the mini quilt sandwiches you made from the previous step. For this quilt, I quilted a simple X. Start and end your stitch with a back stitch.

Note: For Steps 4 through 6, use a walking foot if possible (to prevent puckering).

Step 4 - Sew the quilt sandwiches together: Sew 5 rows of 5 quilt sandwiches each, using a 1/2" seam allowance. The front of your quilt will have the 1/2" seam, as shown below.

The back will look like this:

Step 5 - Then, sew your five rows together the same way, so that the 1/2" seam allowance will be at the front of your quilt.

Step 6 - After you've sewn all five rows together, sew a 1/2" seam allowance around the perimeter of the quilt. This quilt requires no binding!

Step 7 - Snip little frays (roughly ¼” apart) along all of the ½” seams including the perimeter seam. Do not cut outside of the seam. Use scissors that have really sharp tips (I used applique scissors). I was able to cut through two fabric layers per snip.

Step 8 - Lastly, throw the quilt in the wash (cold water, gently cycle) and dryer (tumble dry low). Washing and drying the quilt will make the fringes you cut from the previous step soft and fluffy.

That's it! As always, let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to help you out.

Happy Quilting!

Lazy Sunday

2011-02-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday was a lazy one. I spent more time looking at fabric online than sewing. I didn't even take my furr nuggets on a walk; however, they seemed pretty lazy too!

Knowing that I wouldn't have much time to sew once the work week started, I suddenly got non-lazy and whipped up this little pillow using scraps from my latest pillows.

The middle is a log cabin patchwork design. I didn't really measure my pieces, I just kept adding on until the pillow top was the right size. It's kind of nice doing improv patchwork and not measuring for once!

Now that the week is nearing an end, I have several projects lined up for this weekend and am looking forward to getting started. First, I need to finish quilting this. Then, I plan to finish my charm pack project I was working on. I'm just about done and will have the finished project posted soon.

That's it for now... thanks for stopping by!

Happy Quilting ;-)

Quilted Makeup Bag

2011-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love all the things you can make from scrap fabrics. I whipped up this little bag in 45 minutes using scraps from my latest quilt. Make one yourself! 7 simple steps below.

Materials:

Scrap fabrics
Scrap batting
Coordinating thread
10" long zipper

Step 1: Using scrap fabrics, make the following: Two 8"x9" rectangles (outer fabric) and two 7"x9" rectangles (inner fabric). Also, cut two 7"x9" rectangles from thin batting.

Step 2: Make two quilt sandwiches: Sandwich the batting in between the outer fabric and inner fabric; the wrong sides of the outer and inner fabric should be facing the batting. Quilt the two sandwiches however you like. As shown below, the extra 1 inch of fabric from the outer fabric should be at the top of each panel.

Step 3: Create a seam with the extra inch of fabric: Fold the extra inch of fabric in half lengthwise, then press with an iron. Then fold it over again onto the inner fabric; press again. As shown below, sew the seam down with a straight stitch.

When you're done with steps 2 and 3, you should have two quilted panels with a finished top seam:

Step 4: Attach the zipper by lining up the finished seam along the length of the zipper. Stitch the quilted panel to the zipper using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Repeat with the other panel on the other side of the zipper:

Step 5: Unzip the zipper at least half way down. With the outer fabric facing together (the inner fabric should be facing you), stitch a 1/4" seam allowance around the perimeter (except where the zipper is).

Step 6: Create the base of the bag by puffing out the bottom of the bag, then pinching the corner together as shown below (it's kind of hard to explain, but hopefully this picture helps).

As shown below, from the corner that you pinched measure 1.5" and mark a line.

Then, sew a straight stitch along the line. Repeat on the other corner.

Your bag should have two little triangle 'wings' at the bottom:

Step 7: Clip the corner 'wings' off. And trim off any other unnecessary bulky fabrics, and extra zipper from the ends. Lastly, from the zipper opening (this is why you need to make sure it's at least half way unzipped from step 5), turn it inside out!
That's it :) I told you it was easy. How cute is that?! I know it's only February, but I think I know what all my girlfriends are getting for Christmas ;)

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