Innehållsförteckning för August/September 2020 från Quick+Easy Quilts

Working on a magazine is a lot of things. It’s creative. It’s challenging. It takes months of planning and writing, and lots of people working in unison. We work on three issues at a time, so it is challenging to keep the myriad of moving parts straight and moving forward. It’s hard work. Creating a new magazine is a little different. You have to plan everything from the number of pages and paper quality, to the look and feel of the magazine, you name every single feature, and decide on the voice of the publication. There are lots of people involved. Art and design, editors, technical editors, advertising, marketing, social media, print production, web producers, and of course the CEO and owner that approve what we all do. Imagine all…

FINISHED SIZE: 76¼" × 91½" FINISHED BLOCKS: 50 (10¾") blocks This fun quilt is about using up stripes or print fabrics with a lot of white in interesting ways—not just for the design, but using the white as negative space. It makes the quilt dance and sparkle and moves your eye around the quilt. The trick to this quilt being fast is to cut out all your squares using a regular 12½" ruler. It’s the perfect recipe for success! Would you believe that I designed this quilt for my own king-sized bed in a different colorway a few years ago, and this one for Fons & Porter's Quick + Easy Quilts magazine got finished before mine? I love this blue one so much that I am inspired to finish my…

Color, Thread & Free-Motion Quilting, Learn to Quilt with Reckless Abandon by Teri Lucas C&T Publishing, 2020 Part cheerleader, part faithful quilting friend, and part quilty scientist, Teri Lucas is here to encourage us to explore and grow, while she begs us to stitch with “reckless abandon”. This is a book that you can peruse on a lazy morning, cuppa in hand as you daydream. This is also a book that you will keep next to your machine as a guide and reference as you test different thread and fabric combinations. You may be comfortable with a color wheel or perhaps you aren’t even there yet—this book is for you no matter where you are in your quilting and color journey. ctpub.com Zakka Wool Appliqué, 60+ Sweetly Stitched Designs by…

FINISHED SIZE: 60½" × 60½" FINISHED BLOCKS: 16 (12") blocks I had designed a quilt called Addie's Garden for McCall's Quilting magazine. The story was that more than five years ago I had decided to make a wedding ring quilt for my niece when she got married. I had no idea how much work it was to make a Double Wedding Ring quilt. At the time, I was doing quilting as a hobby, and my job was being a trial attorney. Then quilting as my business started to take off and I no longer had time to work on the wedding ring quilt. One day I spotted a fabric collection named Adeline, and this niece has a daughter named Adeline, so I thought maybe I could make some amends by…

FINISHED SIZE: 64" × 77" FINISHED BLOCKS: 20 (13") blocks I love antique quilts; they have always been a passion of mine. At quilt shows, I'll search out all the vintage quilt booths and rifle through the stacks for inspiration. Stars and spools are some of my favorite classic elements in these quilts, and to me it feels like Thread the Stars has a foot in the past and in the present. There is even a little snowball hidden in the center of the block, which of course is another one of my favorite elements. Combined in a new way, it feels new and refreshing. The spools radiate out from the stars, and the snowball gives the star a dimensional look. Thread the Stars pays homage to the quilts of…

1. On wrong side of each of four small squares, mark diagonal line corner to corner.This will be your cutting line. Mark sewing lines ¼" away from each side of cutting line. 2. Place two small squares on opposite corners of one large square, right sides facing. Corners will overlap slightly at center. Sew along marked sewing lines. 3. Cut along marked cutting lines. Press seams toward small triangles. 4. Place remaining small squares on unit corners. Sew along marked sewing lines. 5. Cut along marked cutting lines. 6. Press seams toward small triangles to complete four Flying Geese units. Products used: Havel’s Self-Healing Cutting Mat, Havel’s 6" x 24" Fabric Ruler, and Havel’s 45mm Rotary Cutter. Fabric from Garden Glory collection by Maja Ronnback and Abstract Collage collection by…

FINISHED SIZE: 76" × 86" FINISHED BLOCKS: 56 (10") blocks I love busy quilts. The kind where every block is a different and vibrant collection of prints. The fabrics can be anything from a dozen different prints in the same color—like a collection of blues, grays or reds, to a rainbow of prints, all set against any background from a bright white to a rich midnight blue or purple. But sometimes I want to make a quilt with no contrasting background. I want my favorite prints everywhere, highlighting the intricate shapes in traditional quilt blocks. This time, I picked Flying Geese. I am always busy, and some days I'm crazy busy. Making a colorful, scrappy quilt is my distraction. I can experiment with color combinations that I normally wouldn’t think…

FINISHED SIZE: 72" × 96" FINISHED BLOCKS: 48 (12") blocks The name of this quilt is Rainbow Trout. I know that might seem kind of strange for a quilt. But let me tell you the story… I grew up in Alaska and when you grow up in an area with yummy fresh seafood, nobody in my family would touch a rainbow trout because we ate salmon; it was staple in our lives. We would catch fresh salmon and have huge marinating parties. We built walk-in smokers and several families would all pitch in and wrap and process everything. My mom used to can salmon (yuck!) and we froze it. Well fast forward a few years, I moved to the center of Washington state and had my own family. The “salmon”…

FINISHED SIZE: 42" × 42" We quilters are all tempted by tidy bundles of 4 or 5 coordinating fat quarters. What to make with them, once bought, is the question. This Giant Star quilt solves the dilemma by using them effectively and efficiently. Suitable for charity, baby, or wheelchair lap quilts. My favorite method for making triangle-squares is to cut the squares oversized, mark a diagonal line on wrong side, sew diagonal seams, cut on diagonal line, and then square up to desired size. Tip for choosing fabrics for this design: if you work with two colors as I did, for one of the colors choose prints, and for the second color, choose tonals or solids. This way, prints and tonals will alternate in the star's points. Plan Abigail's design…

FINISHED SIZE: 78" × 78" FINISHED BLOCKS: 9 (20") blocks My quilt design is based of a combination of three of my favorite blocks. The Log Cabin block is a special block to me. In the early 90’s, my maternal grandmother who taught me to quilt bought Eleanor Burns “Make a Quilt in a Day Log Cabin” book. It quickly became her go-to quilt for all wedding and graduation quilts, and a block I was taught to make early on. While I never got a Log Cabin quilt from her, I have her book with all of her adjusted cutting and yardage needs as she thought Eleanor Burns had you buying and cutting too much fabric! I had a opportunity to meet Eleanor Burns a couple years ago and had…

Denise - I learned a lot from Eleanor Burns’ books and I took classes at my local quilt store. A mat, 6" x 24" ruler, rotary cutter, and a good attitude are all you need! Vanessa - I recommend classes at a local shop, always. A big ruler, rotary cutter, mat, and a simple pattern. Lori - A good sewing machine (it doesn’t need to be fancy, with a million stitches, but it needs to make good straight stitches), ¼" foot for that machine, rotary cutter, ruler, mat, classes at a local shop. Tracy – A good sewing machine, it doesn’t need to cost much. The features I usually suggest for newbies are a good straight stitch and maybe a zigzag, speed control, scissors, and a needle threader. Then for…

1. Place one small square on larger square, right sides facing and aligning raw edges. Draw a line diagonally on wrong side as shown. 2. Sew on drawn line.Trim ¼" beyond stitching. 3. Press open to reveal triangle. 4. Following pattern instructions, repeat for remaining corners to complete unit. Products used: Havel’s Self-Healing Cutting Mat, Havel’s 45mm Rotary Cutter, and Havel’s 6" x 24" Fabric Ruler. Fabric from Garden Glory by Maja Ronnback collection and Abstract Collage by Ampersand collection for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics. Watch this Sew EasyTM Lesson at QuiltingDaily.com/Sew-Easy-Stitch-and-Flip-Corners…

1. Cut two squares 7/8" larger than desired finished size of triangle-square. 2. On wrong side of one square, mark diagonal line from corner to corner.This will be your cutting line. Mark sewing lines ¼" away from each side of cutting line. 3. Place marked square on top of other square, right sides facing. Sew along marked sewing lines. 4. Cut along marked cutting line. 5. Press seam allowances toward darker fabric. TIP: This method works for any size triangle-square. Cut squares the finished size of triangle-squares plus 7/8". Products used: Havel’s Self-Healing Cutting Mat, Havel’s 6" x 24" Fabric Ruler, and Havel’s 45mm Rotary Cutter. Fabric from Abstract Collage collection by Ampersand and Garden Glory collection by Maja Ronnback, both for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics. Watch this Sew EasyTM Lesson at…

We asked our editors for their favorite ways to make Flying Geese and triangle-squares. This compiled list of time-tested products offers you a variety of tools and techniques to help you accurately piece tricky triangles in a jiffy! AccuQuilt® dies help you cut 6 layers of fabric at a time accurately and dog-eared corners help you line up tricky triangles with ease! accuquilt.com If you need triangle-squares in a variety of colors, the Accordion Sewn HSTs technique by EvaPaige Quilt Designs helps you to create tons of triangle-squares. She offers a lesson sheet, online classes, and has a brand-new book. evapaigequilts.com Triangles on a Roll are paper strips that allow you to make half-square triangles in any size, without needing to calculate ⅞" seam allowances. itssewemma.com Diagonal Seam Tape is…

FINISHED SIZE: 12" × 16" This pillow was inspired by the “Quilt What You Love” theme for this issue. I spent some time thinking about not only techniques and visual motifs that I love, but also themes that inspire my projects—among them, home and family. I have two kids in college and my youngest is planning to attend college next year, so I’ll be an empty nester. As I was recently reminded at Thanksgiving, there is nothing that makes me happier than when my home is filled with my kids and their noise and laughter, hence the text that I chose for the pillow. With regard to techniques, I love to embellish quilted projects with appliqué and embroidery, I love to do handwork and I love small, detailed projects. This…

FINISHED SIZE: 36" × 36" Gina's inspiration for Barn Baby was traditional wooden barn quilts. A barn quilt is a large piece of wood that is painted to look like a quilt block. Barn quilts originated nearly 300 years ago and were believed to bring good luck and protection to both the farm and family. In the early 1900s barn quilts were often replaced by commercial advertisements as their popularity waned. The last 20 years have seen a resurgence of the barn quilt, primarily for decorating purposes. Designs usually consist of simple geometric shapes and patterns and are painted with bold, solid colors. Historically, they were made of large sheets of wood and installed on an actual barn. The modern-day incarnation of this painted quilt can be seen in many…

FINISHED SIZE: 76" × 86" FINISHED BLOCKS: 56 (10") blocks Peek into the mind of a quilter… Whether you are a new quilter or quilt designer, we need a challenge to help us learn and grow. Criss Cross Plaid is a self-imposed two-block design challenge. As a designer, I enjoy expanding my vision with new challenges. The relationship between two-blocks can achieve symmetry, shape contrast, tension, and/or visual movement that is pleasing to the eye. Criss Cross Plaid has two blocks with three patch shapes: a square, rectangle, and half-square triangles. The half-square triangle is an opportunity for the beginner to improve a skill and perhaps try one of many techniques and tools for making this well-loved traditional quilt block. Repetition is one of the best ways to perfect a…