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QAYG Quilt Along kickoff!

October 14, 2014

Goal for Week 1: Have 5 quilted blocks completed by this Sunday,  October 19.

Today is the beginning of Week 1 for my first Quilt As-You-Go Quilt Along! Please refer to my Introduction post for details on supplies and how this works. Also, if you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment as I will be checking and answering as often as I can. 

For those of you that are seeing this for the first time – Welcome! Feel free join or follow this quilt along at any time, on my blog, facebook and instagram. (Details in my intro post here).

Please Read! What I hope all of you will get out of this quilt along (other than a finished quilt!), is to show you that by using this QAYG technique, you can make a quilt without following a precise pattern. In fact, your quilt doesn’t have to look exactly like my ‘Red Square’ pattern (unless you want it to). You can make your quilt as abstract or traditional looking as you want –
there’s so much room to improvise and be creative using this simple
technique. This quilt will be ALL YOU, and if you decide to follow the ‘Red Square’ pattern, you’ll soon find that no 2 blocks are the same. This is a really creative,  fun and forgiving technique, so enjoy yourself!

Before you start, please read my post for some tips and what to expect as you get started on your QAYG project.

Fabrics from www.WhimsyQuiltsandFabrics.com
First of all, thank you (to those who voted on facebook and IG) for helping me decide which fabric bundle to use for this quilt along. The majority of votes were for this romantic bundle, which I was actually leaning towards. I think it’s the beautiful Autumn colors that won us over.

Now, down to business 🙂 As mentioned in my book Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern, the Red Square’ pattern is “…similar to making a Log Cabin Style block (page 18 [for Kindle readers see “QAYG Techniques” chapter]), except you can add strips to any side of the patchwork and in no particular order.” 

For this quilt along, I decided to make a more traditional style block as shown on page 18 of the paperback book (or in the techniques chapter). I will be starting with my first piece quilted in the center and adding additional pieces in a clockwise fashion. (Remember: you don’t have to make your quilt exactly like this. You can make yours closer to the ‘Red Square’ pattern, or another log cabin style block. Now that you’ve read the book and know the technique, you can implement it to make  a log-cabin style block that you want, or that goes best with your fabrics. Isn’t it refreshing having a little bit of freedom with a pattern? 🙂

I also decided to divide my fabrics into lights and darks. Half of my block will be light and the other half dark. My fabric colors are so soft that the light/dark contrast is subtle. As I start making more blocks and eventually lay them out next to one another, I think you’ll start seeing the contrast, though subtle it may pop from afar.

For these blocks I cut my fabrics into 3″-3.5″ x WOF (width of fabric) strips. I like having varying sizes to make sure I cover up the batting. Then, I put all my strips into a basket and started quilting!

This is how my QAYG setup usually looks like: My basket full of strips, some fabric scissors at hand, and an iron nearby (I have a small table top ironing board). Depending on the size of your strips, you may find that you can just finger press the pieces instead if ironing them each time. You don’t need a lot of space to QAYG!

Always remember to use at least a 1/4″ seam allowance. You might be tempted to go less so that your fabric strip will cover the edge of a batting square (this will make more sense once you get started). Please refrain from doing that or else your patchwork will unravel after a wash.

After you’ve quilted your pieces onto the batting square, it will look something similar to this.Yes, it looks a little frumpy. But just wait until we square them up! My next post this weekend will have some squaring-up tips.

One last thing: Please remember to read the Quilting Techniques section (page 24 of the paperback book). There are so many more options to quilt your QAYG blocks other than my “individual quilting” that you see here.

If you are doing individual quilting, I did want to mention that it is OK to zig-zag your stitches where the seam allowance will be (or on the batting) so that you don’t have to cut the thread  after each stitch (see image below). This may be helpful if you don’t have an automatic thread cutter on your sewing machine.

I hope these tips will help get you started on your projects. If you have any questions along the way, please leave a comment and I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can. 🙂

Again, the goal is to have 5 blocks quilted by this Sunday, October 19. I will be back with another wrap-up blog post for week 1, with some tips on squaring up your blocks as well. Week 2 will start on Monday the 20th.

Happy quilting as-you-go!

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Quilt-As-You-Go Quilt Along!

October 10, 2014

{Please kindly note that this quilt along took place in 2014 and is no longer happening. However, you can easily do your own quilt-along by following the goals outlined below. Thank you!}

4 weeks with 5 blocks per week. By week 4, we will all assemble our quilts (which will already be quilted!). Are you in? 🙂

A couple days ago I announced a Quilt As-You-Go (QAYG) Quilt Along on Facebook and Instagram and got a pretty good show of interest (yippee!). I also got a handful of questions, so here is a quick post with what you need to know.

How it works: We will QAYG together for 4 weeks. We will all quilt 5 blocks per week, for a total of 20 blocks. By the end of week 4, we will assemble our quilts! This quilt-along will start on Monday (October 13). I will do weekly updates on my blog with some helpful tips along the way (feel free to comment with questions as well, as I will be checking as best I can).

Follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram for a live feed of this quilt along! Hashtag #QuiltAsYouGoMadeModern. I will also be making weekly blog updates.

Supplies to Get Started:

  • You will need the book, Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern. Don’t have it? You can quickly download it for your iPad/Kindle/nook HERE, or order a paperback copy HERE (if it’s not at your local bookstore!).
  • 20 batting squares (13.5″ squares) – Batting details on the ‘Getting Started’ chapter of my book.
  • About 14 fat quarters (or quarter yard cuts). Sizable scraps will be okay too!
  • Thread – I like using a neutral colored thread. With QAYG, it’s easy to do a lot of intricate quilting since you’re quilting on small batting blocks. Neutral colored thread won’t compete with your fabrics.

We will be working on my ‘Red Square’ quilt which is on page 48 of the paperback book. On the nook/kindle, just navigate via the table of contents. 

Please note that although the name is called Red Square, this does not mean your fabric has to be red. I got a few questions about this so I wanted to clarify.

A fun tidbit: I named this quilt after Red Square (depicted in the water color below), which is the heart of the University of Washington where I went to college. In fact, all of the quilts in my book have Seattle-themed names. 🙂

photo from www.seattlewatercolors.com
When choosing your fabrics, think about the overall look of the quilt.
Remember that bold/darker colors will really pop out of your quilt. For
this red and white quilt, I alternated with dark and light (and
small-scale and bigger-scale designs) to help break it up. There’s also
the option to assemble your blocks together using joining strips
(details in the book) which is a nice way to subtly break up your
blocks.
photo by C&T Publishing

 

photo by C&T Publishing
On the other hand, softer colors blend really well next to one another even if you have a lot of busy prints. Below are a couple examples of my Red Square quilt using a softer, low-volume (i.e. prints with a lot of white background) color palette.

 

Have fun with the fabrics you choose! If you have fabrics with detailed images, you can do some fussy cutting to frame the prints. (Fussy Cut:  To cut pieces of fabric so that a particular part of the printed design is centered or featured).

Above and below are a couple examples of fussy-cutting.

Before you start, I encourage you to read the ‘Quilt As-You-Go Techniques’ chapter. As stated in my book, you really will “find lots of helpful tidbits that will allow you to use this technique at its best.” 🙂

Finally, remember that this is all for fun so enjoy yourself! Don’t feel bad if you can’t keep up with the 5 blocks per week. Life get’s busy (in fact I will be out of town for 2 weeks of it! but will find a way around it). You can always catch up at your own pace. QAYG is great for anyone with a busy schedule because it’s easy to start and stop. Anything left half done will already be quilted, making it easy to quickly pick up where you left off. 

This quilt along is a great way to get you started, and if you stay with it, you will see how practical it is to finish a quilt (from start to finish) on your own, even with a busy schedule!

Have fun! I’ll be back next week with a blog update. In the meantime, follow me on Facebook and Instagram for a live feed of my progress, and I hope to share photos of other people’s progress as well.

Hashtag #QuiltAsYouGoMadeModern or @quiltingintherain on instagram!

Happy Quilting-As-You-Go!

{Please kindly note that this quilt along took place in 2014 and is no longer happening. Thank you!}

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Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern, book Giveaways!

September 8, 2014
Before I begin, I have to get this off my chest… 🙂 …A heartfelt thank you to all that support my blog and facebook. I
don’t have many quilty-friends (this is honestly my alter-ego!), so this blog really has been a creative
‘quilting’ outlet for me. Without your comments and support, I most likely would not have kept up my blog. I love sharing my quilty-endeavors
with you all – thank you for your support and enthusiasm! Much love for that.This giveaway has ended and the winners have been contacted. Thank you all so much for participating! In another world, I’d give each and every one of you a book (i wish!) 🙂 happy quilting!

Okay! Now on to some fun stuff! To celebrate the launch of my new book, I’m giving away three free signed (by me 😉 copies to you lovely peeps! To enter to win:

1. Leave a comment to this blog post.
2. Include a way for me to email you. 

This giveaway will end on Tuesday (September 16), after I draw the names of 3 winners. I will then contact the winners directly for shipping information. 🙂

The rest of this blog post is to share some beautiful Quilt As-You-Go (QAYG) projects that will be in the book. Let me start by telling you how I got started on this adventure that became this book…

It began with my blog, www.QuiltingInTheRain.com, which I started four years ago as a creative outlet from my 9-5 job, and as a way to share with the world that quilting doesn’t have to be as daunting as it appears! It was actually my husband who encouraged me to start a blog.  I’m a self-taught quilter – the first quilter in my family! My motto has always been to “let your creativity Rain!” That being said, when it comes to quilting I like to bend the rules. I find quilting more enjoyable and creative when doing so. 🙂
After having my son (who is now 2.5 years old!), I found myself quilting in the wee hours of the night when handling a rotary cutter and trying to cut precise measurements from a pattern just wasn’t happening. Not to mention that my crafting room became my son’s nursery so I was ‘downgraded’ to a little sewing nook in my dining room. That’s when I started quilting as-you-go.
I started with making QAYG pillows and table runners and then decided to try
making a whole quilt. I was enthralled with this technique because I was able
to complete a full size quilt on my smaller sewing machine, from start to
finish! It feels good when you can say that. Also, it’s a truly creative way to
quilt that doesn’t always require a precise pattern.
You can easily accomplish intricate quilting on a basic sewing machine because you’re quilting onto smaller, and therefore more manageable batting blocks. Once all your blocks have been quilted, all you need to do is assemble them, add backing and bind it, then you’re done!
People always ask how I crank out so many quilts so fast
having a part-time job and a kid, and it’s all thanks to this technique. I set
totally doable goals and try to quilt at least 2-3 blocks/day. You don’t need a
lot of space to lay out your fabrics/blocks because you’re quilting directly
onto the batting, so it’s easy to start and stop. By the end of the week I
typically have enough blocks for a whole quilt and since I’m literally
quilting-as-I-go, I have a nearly finished quilt!

 

I started teaching QAYG classes and it was a hit because it’s such of a practical technique. If you don’t have along-arm sewing machine, gone is the frustration and physical strain of trying to quilt and pull a big quilt sandwich through your sewing machine. And no more unfinished quilt tops lying around!
I am truly thrilled to be sharing this technique with you.
It’s a great technique for a new and seasoned quilter. In my book I discuss how
you can follow a traditional pattern and still apply this QAYG technique, or
you can make a quilt without a pattern using an improvisational style of QAYG,
as shown above and below. It’s a really creative and way to quilt, and it’s simpler
than it sounds!

 

Below is a preview of some of the quilts that will be in my book (if the exact quilt is not in there, the pattern will be!) Once you learn the technique discussed in the first chapter, you’ll be able to look at any pattern and figure out to finish it using QAYG.
Also, a fun little tid bit: I’m from Seattle so I’ve named all my quilts Seattle-themed. The strip quilt above is called Solstice Parade (named after a parade that takes place every summer in Fremont, a neighborhood in Seattle) and the one below is Portage Bay (a bay located near the University of Washington).
(Above: Paige modeling ‘Ballard Blocks’ from Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern)Oh! And for all of you fans of my furry-child and quilting buddy Paige (pictured above), you’ll be happy to hear that she has a whole page (no pun intended!) in my book dedicated to her, because she’s a diva like that. 😉

(Above: Salmon Run, Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern)
(Above: Triple Shot, Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern)
(Above: Emerald City, Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern)
(Above: Rainy Days, Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern)
Thank you for stopping by! Don’t forget that you can also find me on Facebook and Instagram as well.
I hope this book brings you lots of creativity and many finished quilts! I am so happy to be sharing this simple and fun technique with you all!
Let your creativity rain, and happy quilting-as-you-go!
xo Jera

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Quilts, Fabric and Pie :)

August 23, 2014

Hello! It’s been too long since my last post so I wanted to share what i’ve been up to.

I’ve been working on this new quilt that will be featured on Moda Bakeshop. The (free!) tutorial will be coming your way any day now. I will be sure to do a post about it here and on Facebook when it’s up. It’s a fast and easy quilt with a quick cutting technique, previewed below.

It’s a great quilt pattern for a beginner or if you want a quick and fun project.

The collection I used is Somerset by Fig Tree and Co. for Moda. It’s made up of Layer Cakes (pre-cut 10″ squares). I also used a jelly roll (pre-cut 2.5″ strips); however, you can cut your own strips from yardage to save some money as I only needed 15 strips.

I finished the quilt top a couple days ago and I may have bribed my son with skittles for a good picture. 🙂 More pictures coming soon.

Check this out…look who decided to make an appearance on my quilt! My sweet little Bodie. He’s terrified of my sewing machine and usually wants nothing to do with my quilts. Even here he looks unsure of himself.. 😉 xoxo

What else have I been up to….
Oh yes, I’ve been baking lots of pies.  It started when this guy picked a bucket full of blueberries. I didn’t know what to do with all of them and didn’t want the berries to go bad so I did what any logical person would do and made a pie, obviously.

Then I made a sugar plum pie. In the last 2 weeks I’ve made 3 pies. And yes these pies are fat free! I keep telling myself that (as I eat my daily pie slice). At least there’s fruit…which have antioxidants! I’m so healthy! 😐

On a different note (but just as sweet as my fat free pies 😉 … my latest stash additions are these lovelies from Simply Sweet Fabric. You can get the bundle here and here.
The shop owner, Shay, is so sweet AND she makes the sweetest bundles.
She has a lot of this vintage-floral look that I’m crazy about right
now. I think my next quilt will use these fabrics.
Also, I should mention that my next Quilt-as-you-Go class is on Tuesday (it’s full) but the Quilting Loft just listed another class for September 23rd. If you’re in the area, I’d love to quilt with you! Here’s a recent quilt-as-you-go that one of my students, Sarah (@oscarandthesparrow on instagram) made using my technique. Isn’t it gorgeous?!
Speaking of Quilt-as-you-Go, I made this QAYGo ninja pillow for my brother who recently turned the big 3-0.

Had to do matching coasters of course.

And then there’s this Quilt-as-you-Go pillow (and quilt behind it) – I got the pillow back from my publisher. This one will be in my upcoming book! 🙂

 Other than pies, fabric and my latest quilt project, I’ve been enjoying the Summer with my favorite little guy. That’s a quilt-as-you-go quilt below (and yes, it will be in my book!) 🙂
 It’s crazy that Fall is just around the corner. The other morning I felt a cool chill in the air and I LOVED it. I guess i’m not much of a Summer girl…I admit that I’m one of those Seattleites that complain about too much sun and feel like they’re withering away in the heat :-p So of course I went out and bought some new, Fall boots in preparation for the new season!
(above, Ethan snuggling in my Winter Star quilt)
By the way, a lot of these photos are from my Instagram, so if you’re not following my photo feed yet you should!:) Sorry for all the repeats for anyone that already follows!
My home is never this neat (the mess is behind the photographer 😉 but I snapped this photo shortly after cleaning and reorganizing my quilt ladder. I love how quilts can bring pops of color and coziness all around a home.
(Summer Star mini quilt on the wall)
Whew! This post ended up being longer than I anticipated. I kept adding random photos. Congrats on making it all the way through me rambling 😉 Because you’re so awesome here’s a coupon code to get 10% off my little Etsy shop. This expires September 1st. 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to check back for my upcoming Moda Bakeshop tutorial.
Happy Quilting 🙂

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Quilt as you Go Made Modern, sneak peak!

July 29, 2014
Before I start,  I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all
that have been on this journey with me. I’ve had a lot of you following
me for quite some time, and a lot of new faces as well (welcome!). Your
kind words and enthusiasm for my work and tutorials keeps my creativity
going at full steam.
That being said, last Thursday I was a very happy girl! An advanced copy of my book Quilt-As-You-Go Made Modern was delivered to me, along with flowers from my wonderful publisher! It felt amazing…and just, surreal…to be holding it and flipping through my book! All of the long hours and work that went into it definitely paid off, as I am just ecstatic to share this technique with all of YOU!
This post is mostly pictures, but I wanted to reiterate just how passionate I am about this technique. You’re literally quilting-as-you-go onto smaller (thus more manageable) batting blocks making it practical to finish a quilt all on your own while achieving intricate quilting! Plus it’s a fun, non-fussy and super creative way to quilt!
And now for the fun stuff…here are some sneak peaks of the book and some Quilt as you Go projects that will be in it!
Being from Seattle, you’ll notice that I gave all fo the quilts Seattle-themed (or Northwesty) names 🙂 This one, for instance, is called Cascade Range. My hubby took this picture on our camping trip a couple weekend ago.
It was a teepee camping trip…yes teepee camping exists! And it was awesome! This one is called Chief Sealth.

 

 

And for all of you Paige fans…she has a half page spread in the book! I know, i know, she’s such a little diva dog.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! That’s it for now. But before I go I will leave you with a beautiful quilt that I just finished. I will have the pattern available in my little Etsy Shop this week.

Thank you for stopping by, and for all of your enthusiasm and support! 🙂 happy quilting!

 

 

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