Bamboo Quilt

I recently finished this quilt for Heather at A Reformed Heath’n.  She had created this Bamboo quilt from her month in the Stash Bee in 2014.  She has a tutorial to make these blocks here.

Bamboo Quilting

We talked about how she wanted it quilted, and decided to go with this leafy panto that would bring out the bamboo look.

Bamboo Quilting

I enjoyed giving Heather sneak peeks of her quilt all day on Instagram while it was on the frame.

Bamboo Quilting

This is a pretty dense design, but it adds a lot of motion to the quilt, and evokes that leafy bamboo jungle feeling.

Bamboo Quilting

Here’s the completed quilt!  I am happy to report that it arrived safely back to Heather a few weeks ago, I just haven’t posted it yet.  She’s better than me, and has the quilt completed and entered into the Blogger’s Quilt Festival!

Bamboo Quilting

If you would like to finish up one of your UFOs, let me know!  I am full prior to the move, but once I am set back up there will be no wait.  We are supposed to get into our house on July 1st, so I’m hoping to be back at work mid-July.  I’ll let you know as it gets closer!

– Heather

 

Easy Patchwork Placemats Tutorial

Bright and cheerful quilted placemats update your dining room or make a great gift for a loved one.

Patchwork Placemats square

This month was a quick and easy project tutorial for Fort Worth Fabric Studio… some Easy Patchwork Placemats!

I feel like a placemat machine lately!  My more modern placemats – Squared Away Placemats – were in Make Modern earlier this month, and now these are a more traditional set of placemats.  These bright and cheerful colors make a perfect birthday present for a special person.

Patchwork Placemats

I quilted a feathery all over design in light pink that is an even design that will wash well.  Unfortunately, my long arm is going to be packed up soon and I am going to miss it!

Linking up to: Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt StorySew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart QuiltsLet’s Bee Social Wednesday @ SewFreshQuiltsNeedle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt InfatuationFinish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom QuiltsWhoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt AddictTGIFF, and Show off Saturday at Sew Can She

 

Baby Square Dance

I’ve shown some pictures of this quilt in progress, and as just a top (between Instagram – QA Creations and the blog), but it’s finished!  This is the 10″ block version of my Square Dance Quilt pattern (available on Craftsy).

Baby Square Dance Front

This quilt is my entry for the Spring 2015 Blogger’s Quilt Festival – Small Quilt group.  This quilt is about 40″ by 40″.

Baby Square Dance Back

Many of the blocks in this quilt were made by members of my Quilting Circle – a wonderful group that I was a member of here in North Carolina.  I did a paper piecing demo for the group, and then we all started work on these blocks.

I had brought the fabric pre-cut so that the group could concentrate on learning paper piecing.  This was all fabric from my stash that was begging to turn into something cute and useful.

Baby Square Dance WiP

I was very impressed by how good these blocks turned out considering many of the ladies had never paper pieced before. I took the blocks we made together, and added a few more so that I would have enough to create the top.

Boy 10inch square dance

I quilted the Bauhaus panto all over using blue thread.  I love this pattern for masculine quilts.

Baby Square Dance Quilting Closeup

I was a little rushed finishing this quilt!  Sunday is my last meeting with the Tarheel quilt guild, so I was under a deadline to finish it and turn it in.  I may be stitching the label on during the meeting… we’ll see if I get it on in the next 18 hours or so.

This quilt is going to the Fayetteville Tarheel Quilt Guild and will be donated to the NICU at the hospital.  I hope that a family really cherishes this quilt, and that it brings them comfort during their stay with the NICU.

– Heather

Also sharing at Sew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart QuiltsScraptastic Tuesday @ She Can QuiltLet’s Bee Social Wednesday @ SewFreshQuiltsFinish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom QuiltsWhoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt AddictTGIFFFabric Frenzy Friday @ Ft. Worth FabricShow off Saturday at Sew Can She

 

May 2015 SMS Giveaway Day Winner & Gift Suggestions

The winner of the Square Dance Quilt Pattern is lucky #9.

Screen Shot 2015-05-12 at 1.27.13 PM

Congratulations to Jen Beatty!  She won a copy of my Square Dance Pattern.  I hope you like the pattern, and please share what you make from it!

Screen Shot 2015-05-12 at 1.28.09 PM

She is a follower by email, and I agree that the best gifts are the ones you want but don’t buy for yourself.

For those of you that want to get gifts for the sewers and quilters in your life, below are some of the great suggestions I received.  There are some gifts on there I would love to get!

  • Time!
  • Extension table for sewing machine
  • Quilting Supplies: batting, thread, rulers, new rotary cutter and mat
  • Quilt Retreat
  • Fabric or Gift Certificate for fabric, quilt kit
  • Craftsy or in-person class
  • Sewing machines: Singer Featherweight, Longarm, embroidery machine, serger
  • Grown up coloring book
  • EPP set
  • baskets or nice storage for sewing items
  • Thimble
  • Sewing Books
  • EQ7

And for anyone:

  • Jewelry
  • Clothing
  • Plants
  • Composter
  • Spa days: Manicure, Pedicure, Facial, Massage
  • Fancy Coffee Machine
  • Speakers
  • Macarons
  • Sunglasses and scarf
  • Day or weekend away
  • bike
  • camera
  • Pajamas
  • TV shows on DVD

 

May 2015 Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

** GIVEAWAY CLOSED **

Welcome from Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

May 2015 SMS Giveaway Day

If you are new to my blog, I’m Heather.  I’m a mom to a busy 2-year old and quilt obsessed!

Square Dance Quilt

I am a longarm quilter, and I also design patterns.  My Squared Away Placemat Pattern was in the May issue of Make Modern Magazine.

Make Modern Project cover page

When I’m not quilting, I also sew clothes for my daughter and myself.

QA Creations 2014 Oliver and SToday, my giveaway is my newly released pattern: Square Dance. It is a paper pieced pattern with three different block sizes (6″, 8″ and 10″) and instructions to make quilts from crib/lap to King sized. I also include a detailed photographic tutorial on how to paper piece.

This pattern is available on Craftsy here!  It is on sale for $7 through Mother’s Day (May 10, 2015).

Square Dance pattern Cover

Today you get several chances to win this pattern!

  1. My birthday is coming up, and I need ideas because my family is asking what I want!  What would be your perfect birthday present?  It doesn’t have to be sewing related, but preferably somewhat realistic…
  2. Follow my blog!  If you already follow my blog, please leave a comment saying that.
  3. Like me on Facebook (leave your Facebook name).

If you would like to see my work in progress, you can also follow me on Instagram – I’m QACreations.

Post your comments by Sunday, May 10th and I will determine who wins by the magic of the Random Number Generator on Monday.  If you have already purchased this pattern, I will refund the purchase price and send you a copy of my next pattern for free!

Good luck!

– Heather

 

Square Dance Quilt Pattern

Paper pieced pattern includes photographic instructions and offers three block sizes and six quilt sizes for maximum value!

I have been working on this quilt pattern for over a year, and I’m really excited to be able to share it with you today!  The Square Dance Quilt Pattern is now available in my Craftsy store.

Square Dance pattern Cover

This is a paper pieced version of a traditional block – one of the traditional names for this block is Square Dance, and I thought it was the most appropriate name for the quilt once you see the overall movement created by the blocks.

Square Dance Quilt

I experimented with many different sizes of blocks, and the result of that work is that this pattern includes 6″, 8″ and 10″ versions.  I also tried a 4″ version, but it’s not practical for a quilt of any size!  The instructions include fabric requirements to make 6 quilt sizes (Baby/Crib, Lap, Twin, Double, Queen, and King) from all three block sizes.

This paper pieced block is a great introduction to paper piecing!  I used this pattern to teach a group to paper piece and was very impressed by their results in a couple of short hours.  A full color photo tutorial on how to paper piece is included with this pattern, so if you are new to paper piecing this is a great way to get started.

The cover quilt uses the 8″ version of the block.

Square Dance Quilt

I had help making some of the blocks from my bee last year – the 2014 Stash Bee Hive 12.  For this version, I custom quilted it and entered it in the North Carolina State Fair, where it earned 2nd place in the competitive Group category.

Square Dance Quilt

Sharon of ShaShaLaRue Quilts also made a Frolic Square Dance Quilt.  She can also be found on Facebook or on Instagram @ShaShaLaRueQuilts.  Her playful version demonstrates the versatility of this block because this is perfect for a crib or baby’s playroom!

FroclicSquareDance_SChalle171 copy

The 6″ version is also great for Sampler Quilts or bee blocks because if you make 4 of them, it results in a 12.5″ unfinished block, which is what so many samplers or bees ask for!

Square Dance in red

I made the block above to add to my “real world red & white” quilt.

My guild, the Tarheel Quilter’s Guild in Fayetteville, NC makes quilts for the NICU.  Our local hospital likes the quilts to be approximately 40″ square, so I used 16 of the 10″ blocks and made the little boy version of the quilt below.  This quilt is made up of blocks made by my Quilting Circle – most of whom had never paper pieced before!

Boy 10inch square dance

In order to create variation like the cover quilt, a variety of fabric should be used.  This quilt would also look amazing in just two colors, or invert the color scheme.  Use any combination you can dream for your own look!

You can make any of the block sizes or quilt sizes using fat quarters, half yards or full yards so this quilt is stash friendly!

The pattern is available in my Craftsy store – Quilts Actually Patterns.  It is on sale through Mother’s Day (May 10th, 2015) for $7.50.

If you make this quilt, please share it with the hashtag #squaredancequilt or by tagging me @QACreations.  You can also email me pictures or a link to your blog post at quilts actually(at)gmail.com.  I would love to see what you make!

– Heather

Linking up to some of the following: Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt StorySew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart QuiltsScraptastic Tuesday @ She Can QuiltLet’s Bee Social Wednesday @ SewFreshQuiltsNeedle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt InfatuationFinish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom QuiltsWhoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt AddictTGIFFFabric Frenzy Friday @ Ft. Worth Fabric, and Show off Saturday at Sew Can She.

 

Squared Away Placemats

Squared Away Placemats

Modern and colorful, the Squared Away Placemat set was published in the May 2015 Make Modern issue.

I’ve had a secret project in the works for a few months now, and I’m really excited to share the good news!

Squared Away Placemat

My first pattern was published in Make Modern‘s May issue!  If you would like to purchase the issue, it is available here.  My project is in home section, and is called the Squared Away Placemats.

Make Modern Project cover page

I made these placemats based off a design I first came up with for the Schnitzel & Boo Mini Swap last summer.  It was one of my early attempts at a more modern look, and I was so grateful for signing up for that swap because it pushed me out of my comfort zone.  I would not have come up with this design without that push, and I still really like how it turned out!

Schnitzel & Boo Mini Swap

You can see the inspiration from the mini quilt in the finished placemats.  One or two of the fabrics have even made an appearance in both items.

Squared Away Placemat

If you follow me on instagram (@QACreations) or Facebook (Quilts Actually), you’ve seen a preview of the quilting on these.  I love the wave panto for a modern look.

Wave quilting

These are a simple, quick project that is great for using up some of those precious scraps you’ve been hoarding of your favorite fabrics… I know you have those tiny scraps saved!  It is also perfect for that mini charm pack you picked up at the store because they are cute, and then you get home and realize, what am I ever going to use this for?

Squared Away Placemat

We’ve all been there, it’s ok!  Use those bits to make a placemat so that you can see those beautiful little bits everyday.  My daughter loves this rainbow version because she gets to point out all the colors.

If you make set of these placemats, please let me know!  I would love to see what you do with my pattern.  Send me a picture, direct me to a blog post, or share on instagram with #squaredawaytable.

Also, these smaller quilted items are great to practice quilting on your machine, but if you just don’t have time or want to make a bunch as gifts you can always send them to me to be quilted.  Use one continuous length of fabric for the back, and send me the placemats to use as the top.  It’s an even better deal if you have another quilt – make the backing extra long and I can quilt those extra smaller pieces on the end of the backing below the quilt.  Contact me if you are interested!

– Heather

Linking up to some of the following: Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt StorySew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart QuiltsScraptastic Tuesday @ She Can QuiltLet’s Bee Social Wednesday @ SewFreshQuiltsNeedle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt InfatuationFinish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom QuiltsWhoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt AddictTGIFFFabric Frenzy Friday @ Ft. Worth FabricShow off Saturday at Sew Can She

 

One of Those Days Mini Quilt

Challenging free pattern tutorial will test your accurate seam allowances to make a mini quilt with 448 pieces.

We all have those days… and those projects!  This project is the front of the mini quilt I showed yesterday in my mini quilt hanging tutorial.  This mini quilt was my design for the Fort Worth Fabric Studio Mini Quilt Mania for the month of April.

One of Those Days

To see the other mini quilts designers this month, visit the following links:

April 1st : Lindsey – FWFS
April 2: Melissa – My Fabric Relish
April 6: Nettie – FWFS pattern tester
April 8: Afton  – Quilting Mod
April 13: Amanda – The Cozy Pumpkin
April 14: Trina – Will Cook For Shoes
April 22: Wendy – Sugarlane Quilts
April 27: Paula – The Sassy Quilter
April 28: Heather – Quilts Actually

It’s a challenging little miniature quilt.  The blocks are 3.5″ finished, so each of those little squares and HSTs finish at 1/2″.

tiny HSTs

I really like the secondary design that is created by this block, and really wanted to try the block out, so it seemed like a good idea to try it out really small.  Ask me again in a couple weeks if it was a good idea or not!

Not to scare anyone off, but there are 448 tiny pieces in this quilt.

tiny pieces

If you are careful and precise, it is a do-able project, I promise!

nested seams

I called it one of those days because as I was assembling it, I was making pretty good progress.  Then, I noticed that one of these things was not like the others.  So, I seam ripped, and pulled the offending section out and resewed it in place correctly.

One of these things is not like the other

What I did not notice, was that a second thing was not like the others.  Not through pressing, adding borders, or until I was about 2/3 of the way done quilting and it was too late to tear it out and redo it because I had quilted too close around it.  Like I said, one of those days!

one of those days mini

 

At least my test to see how this block looks as a quilt was successful!  Now to move on to the full sized version!

Linking up to: Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom QuiltsWhoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt Addict, and TGIFF

 

How to hang a mini quilt

Tutorial shows you a quick and effective non-permanent way to display your growing collection of mini quilts.

If you are visiting from Fort Worth Fabric Studio Mini Quilt Mania, Welcome!  I have a quick tip on an easy way to hang mini quilts.

how to hang a mini quilt_square

If I am making a mini to keep or give away, I generally do the corner tab hanging method.

When I first started making mini quilts, I didn’t add any sort of sleeve or tab to hang it with.  As a result, I never hung them up.  This is an easy way to  make it easy to hang your mini quilt up.  You made it, enjoy it and show it off!

Corner Hanging tab

To do this, I cut two squares from scrap fabric.  In this case, I cut (2) 4″ squares.  Fold them in half diagonally, and press with wrong sides together.

I then use a very small line of Elmer’s Washable School Glue within the seam that will be covered by the binding, and glue the triangle in place with the raw edges flush against the raw edges of the quilt.  Press to heat set.

This will keep those triangles in place so that they will be sewn down when you sew the binding down.

So, why on earth you would let a wire cutter get near your hard work?

Hanging tools

To hang, I cut the bottom part of a wire clothes hanger to match the width of the quilt.  I used a wire cutter to cut the hanger.

The wire clothes hanger fits perfectly inside a Command Clear Mini Strip.  Depending on the size of the mini, I will use one or two of the Command Mini Strips, and gently press the hanger into the gap.

Example of how to hang mini quilt

This gives me a removable system that does no damage to walls, and I can rearrange easily if I want to.

You can see the front of the mini quilt here!

1/2 yard skirt

I managed to make a 2nd item for Kids Clothes Week!  This was just a quick rectangle skirt made from 1/2 yard of fabric with a gathered waist and a deep hem, but it was the perfect spirit item to wear to my husband’s picnic for his department at NC State.

NC State Skirt

 

This fabric was printed ridiculously off grain, so I cut based on the print rather than the grain, and then ironed it into submission.

NC State Skirt

 

It was a little long – like Little House on the Prairie long, so I hemmed it up 3 inches, and it’s still slightly long.

NC State Skirt

 

It was a quick and easy skirt – or would have been if I didn’t have the owner of said skirt on my lap “helping” unthread the serger and sewing machine.  She loved the attention she got wearing the skirt, and many of the students loved her support of their school.  Plus, it’s long enough that it will still fit if my husband goes back to NC State to get his PhD someday 😉

Go Wolfpack!