Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day Five

Welcome!  Today is the final day of the Scrap-Basket Bounty blog celebration.  I'm so grateful to all of you who have visited and left very encouraging comments.  For those of you who are just now finding your way over, I've been sharing two or three quilts each day, and giving away copies of my new book published by Martingale and a few other things that I enjoy using when I design, sew, and quilt.  In case you missed Days 1, 2, 3, and 4, click the hyperlinks to visit those posts.  And you still have time to visit Martingale's blog, Stitch This!, where I was the guest writer, for another opportunity to win a copy.

Scrap-Basket Bounty has patterns for 16 single-block quilts with additional layout options -- a total of 48 different quilt designs!  That's a lot, right?  If you you're wondering if these designs just popped into my head, the answer is no.  That happens occasionally, but not very often.  I almost always begin a design on my computer using software from Electric Quilt Company.  (I recently upgraded to EQ8, which was a pretty major update that made the software even more user-friendly.)

The first thing I do is draw a block in the Block Worktable.  (I won't go into a lot of detail about these steps -- within the software, you can download a quick-start guide, reference manual, and printable lessons.  There are also video lessons and online support articles.)  I color the block gray and white so I can see the design clearly.  

Next, I choose a layout (usually either horizontal blocks or on point blocks). In the Quilt Worktable, I fill the quilt with blocks.  

Then comes the fun part!  To rotate a single block a quarter turn, within the Design/Block Tools tab, just select the Rotate button and click on the block you want to rotate.  I've rotated the block on the top left by the red arrow.  You can continue clicking the block to rotate a quarter turn until the block is in the position you like.  

My favorite feature of EQ8 is the Symmetry tool.  When you select the Symmetry tool and click on any block, all of the blocks rotate and flip to create a totally different design.  The Symmetry tool is capable of producing up to 16 variations of the quilt design! Here's a variation that appeared with only a click of the mouse.  How cool is that?

Once I choose a final design, I use the Fabric Tools to "color" the quilt with fabric swatches downloaded from Electric Quilt Company or from websites of fabric manufacturers.  This gives me a good idea of what my quilt will look like when it's sewn together with the fabrics I've chosen.  

You can also make all of your quilt blocks first and rotate them directly on your design wall if you don't have quilt design software -- it just takes a little longer to produce a variety of options before choosing a final layout.  I hope this has encouraged you to play with additional arrangements for your blocks, no matter what you're working on.  You might find that your own layout looks better to you than the pattern you're using.     

STARBURST
Photography by Brent Kane

I've shown you only a fraction of what you can do with EQ8.  If you're interested in creating your own designs using EQ8, you can see a brief video demonstration of EQ8's capabilities here.  

STAR PETALS
Photography by Brent Kane

Star Petals was made by Cena Harmon.  She chose a design that radiates from the center and is very striking.  Doesn't this make you want to see what happens when you arrange the blocks you're working on right now in this setting?      

I hope you've enjoyed seeing lots of quilts from Scrap-Basket Bounty.  Martingale has generously offered to send a print copy of the book to the winner of a random drawing.  Electric Quilt Company will also send you their spectacular quilt design software, Electric Quilt 8! If you'd like to win the book and software, simply leave a comment and tell me if you like to experiment with different quilt layouts, or if you're a go-by-the-pattern kind of quilter.  The giveaway will close on Tuesday, October 2, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  The winner will be announced at the end of next week.  (And don't forgot to visit Martingale's blog for another opportunity to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty!) 

Thanks so much for visiting!

Kim  

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting. 

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day Four

Welcome back!  It's Day 4 of the Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration!  Thank you to all who visited earlier.  If you missed Days 1, 2, and 3, just click on the hyperlinks to visit those posts.  I'm sharing two or three quilts each day, and giving away copies of my new book and a few other things that I enjoy using when I design, sew, and quilt.  Scrap-Basket Bounty has patterns for 16 single-block quilts with additional layout options -- a total of 48 different quilt designs!

Yesterday, I was the guest writer over at Stitch This!, Martingale's blog.  I encourage you to visit there to see more details about Scrap-Basket Bounty.  They're also hosting a give-away -- just answer the hysterically funny question, and you could win a copy of the book.  

The quilts I'm sharing today are a few that have a number of pieces.  Unless you have super-powers, you won't be able to make these in a weekend.  But they're not quite as time-consuming as they look.  If you cut your scraps into strips following the measurements in the cutting list, then crosscut the individual pieces, the cutting will go faster and you can chain-piece mindlessly while you're listening to an audio book or half paying attention to Netflix.  

FOUR PATCH SPEEDWAY
Photography by Brent Kane

Four Patch Speedway is made with a single block, but rotating the blocks in various directions will allow you to create more designs than you would imagine.  It was difficult to choose two optional layouts for the book because there are so many possibilities.  

SNIPPETS
Photography by Brent Kane

Snippets is a Log Cabin variation that can be arranged in a multitude of settings as well.  I originally designed this block a few years ago and had started piecing it from a fabric collection named "Snippets" by American Jane for Moda Fabrics. I always called it the Snippets quilt.  When the time came to name this one, I couldn't get that name out of my head long enough to think of anything else.  So here we are.  :-) 

HONEYSUCKLE
Photography by Brent Kane

Although there are a number of pieces in Honeysuckle, each block has only three fabrics, and chain-piecing will also make this one go together a little quicker.

In each of the blog posts this week, I'm sharing about some of the "tools" I love to use when I make my own quilts.  One of my favorite tools is Aurifil 50-weight 100 percent cotton thread.  It's a really nice, high-quality thread that works beautifully for piecing as well as machine quilting.  The thread is strong, but it's thin, so it makes piecing more accurate, especially when sewing together lots of small pieces.  And since it's thinner than a lot of other threads, my bobbins don't run out as quickly.  

As much as I love piecing with Aurifil 50-weight thread, quilting with it is even better.  Because most of my quilts are really scrappy with a lot going on, I don't like to quilt with a heavy thread.  I like the quilting to blend into all the fabrics so that you notice the texture, and not the quilting lines.  And if there's any backtracking or close quilting, Aurifil 50-weight thread still blends into the quilt and doesn't create thread build-up.  I love using it in the top and the bobbin.  Since you won't be able to see the stitching on these quilts really well, here's a sample I quilted a few weeks ago using Aurifil 50-weight cotton on a solid fabric.  

I'm super excited about today's give-away.  Martingale has very generously offered to send a print copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty to the winner of a random drawing!  And (squeal!) Aurifil will also send the winner The Basics Collection curated by Mark Lipinski -- 12 spools of 50-weight, 100 percent cotton thread in the yummiest neutral colors!  They're perfect for piecing and quilting almost any project. 

If you'd like to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty and Aurifil's The Basics Collection by Mark Lipinski, just leave a comment here and tell me which Scrap-Basket Bounty quilt is your favorite so far, and what you plan to do with all that  beautiful thread!  (And if you haven't already, don't forget to swing by Martingale's blog for another chance to win a copy of the book.)  The give-away here will close on Monday, October 1, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  Winner will be announced at the end of next week.  

Thank you so much for visiting.  Hope you'll stop by tomorrow when I'll be sharing a bit about creating different layouts using a single quilt block.

Kim 

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting.  

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day Three

Welcome to Day 3 of the Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration!  Thanks to all who visited earlier.  In case you missed Day 1 and Day 2, click the hyperlinks to visit those posts.  In case you haven't visited yet, to celebrate the release of Scrap-Basket Bounty, published by Martingale, I'll be sharing two or three quilts each day, and giving away copies of my new book and a few other things that I enjoy using when I design, sew, and quilt. Scrap-Basket Bounty has patterns for 16 single-block quilts with additional layout options -- a total of 48 different quilt designs!

I started quilting in 1988, but didn't actually finish my first quilt until 1998, ten years later.  (I just made hand-pieced blocks for 10 years, at a very slow pace.  They're still around somewhere, and still not sewn together.)  My first finished quilt was a pieced and appliqued quilt that I hand-quilted. After hand-quilting several quilts, I dove head-first into machine quilting, thinking I wouldn't live long enough to hand-quilt all the things I wanted to make.  Machine quilting was very awkward -- my feed dogs didn't drop, my machine didn't have an extension table, and it wasn't fun at all.  But I was determined to learn.  Sometime around 2003, I bought a machine with a small extension table and I was able to lower the feed dogs on the machine.  It was a game-changer. 

LOG CABIN-ISH
Photography by Brent Kane

Since then, I've quilted only by machine.  When I finish a quilt top, I look forward to getting it basted and under the needle.  It's such a relaxing process for me now.  If you've tried machine quilting unsuccessfully, don't give up!  Practice, practice, practice until you feel comfortable with it.  

I decided to try quilting with rulers and chose Log Cabin-ish (above) for my first attempt.  The center of the quilt is an all-over swirl design, but I used a ruler to quilt the echoed straight lines in the border triangles. 

FALLING STARS
Photography by Brent Kane

The block in Falling Stars is a great one for re-arranging into different layouts.  (I'll be showing you more about that later this week.)  Falling Stars is quilted with an all-over swirl and petal design.  Here's a close-up photo to show you a little more detail.  

Since the first quilt I machine quilted, I've almost exclusively used Warm & Natural, a needle-punched 100 percent cotton batting, manufactured by The Warm Company.  It has a consistent thickness -- no lumps and valleys.   It stays in place when layered between the top and backing, so it doesn't require as much basting, and my quilts lie flat and even.  It also washes beautifully.  

Martingale has generously offered to send a .pdf copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty to the winner of a random drawing.  I will also send the winner a twin-size package of Warm & Natural batting.  

If you'd like to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty as well as a package of this luscious batting, just leave a comment here and let me know where you stand on machine quilting (tried it, love it, hate it, or no thanks, etc.).  The giveaway will close on Sunday, September 30, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  The winner will be announced at the end of next week. 

Thanks so much for visiting!  Hope to see you here tomorrow!

Kim

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting. 

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day Two

Welcome to Day 2 of the Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration!  Thanks to all who visited yesterday.  In case you missed that post, you can find it here.  To celebrate the release of Scrap-Basket Bounty, published by Martingale, I'll be sharing two or three quilts each day, and giving away copies of my new book and a few other things that I enjoy using when I design, sew, and quilt.  

Not everyone approaches scrap quilting the same way.  For some, grabbing random pieces of fabric from a paper bag and sewing them in an improvisational way works effectively for them.  Scrap quilting for others may involve working with a coordinating pre-cut fabric bundle.  Yesterday, I showed you three quilts that use many light background fabrics that contrast with darker main prints.  Today is all about using designer collections.  

If you’ve been quilting for even a short while, you may anticipate the release of a favorite designer's new collection each season, and make it a point to buy a bit of that collection (or every single print!) as soon as it's available.  Fabric designers typically have a signature style, and each collection likely has at least a color or two that blends nicely with previous collections.  As you collect these fabrics, you’ll notice over time that new colors are introduced and repeated.  Before long, you will have curated your designer stash with fabrics that represent your favorite designer’s style, and you’ll have lots of different prints that you can combine for a very scrappy, but also coordinated, look.

MAGNOLIA COTTAGE
Photography by Brent Kane

Magnolia Cottage was made with collections by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics.  I used at least two or three prints from each of their first 16 fabric collections.  Some of these fabrics are pretty light, and some are pretty dark.  Most, though, fall into what I consider to be medium in value, so I separated them into piles of light and dark prints, and paired a light and dark fabric in each block.  They contrasted well enough that the pattern emerges, but the quilt has a sweet, vintage look that I really love.  

LUMINOUS
Photography by Brent Kane

Luminous was made using several collections by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics.  I had fewer really light prints in my stash, so I chose a white solid background that contrasts really well with some of the lighter prints, as well as those nice larger-scale florals and geometric prints.  The more blocks I pieced, the more radiant the quilt became, and Luminous seemed an appropriate name for it. 

There are several more quilts in Scrap-Basket Bounty that would look just as lovely made with prints from your favorite fabric designer.  Martingale has generously offered to send a .pdf copy to the winner of a random drawing.  I’ll also send the winner these bits of Kate Spain fabrics cut from my stash to make your own Luminous quilt – you’ll just need a background and border fabrics.

So if you’d like to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty and these amazing fabrics, just leave a comment here and let me know if you have a designer obsession, too.  And if so, I’d love to know the name of the designer if you don’t mind sharing.  I just may need another designer stash.  The giveaway will close on Saturday, September 29, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  The winner will be announced at the end of next week.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you’ll be back tomorrow!  

Kim   

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting.  

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration - Day One

Welcome!  I can't stop talking about it, so you may have already heard about my new book, Scrap-Basket Bounty, published by Martingale.  I had so much fun working on the quilts in this book.  Each quilt is made with a single block that can be rotated to create many different layouts.  None of the quilts have sashings; just make the blocks and sew them together.  Later this week, I'll be demonstrating how simple it is to arrange the blocks to make your own unique layout.

All of the quilts in this book were made from fabrics that were in my stash or scrap basket, or from leftover precut fabrics, and even a few new precut fabric packs that I bravely tore into!  Honestly, it didn't really take a lot of courage to do that -- I used what I needed and put the rest aside.  There will always be another quilt waiting for the leftovers.

THREE-PATCH CHAIN
Photography by Brent Kane

Although I sometimes use a single background fabric in my scrap quilts, I really enjoy using lots of light (low-volume) background fabrics to make the quilts "sparkle." I don't hesitate to buy at least a small piece when I run across a nice low-volume print. As long as the print is light enough to contrast with the main fabrics, I don't worry much about the style of the print.  In Three-Patch Chain and Dazzle, I used dots, bicycles, animals, text prints, florals, stripes, plaids, and whatever else I could find. 

DAZZLE
Photography by Brent Kane

Candy Canes, made by Karen Williamson at Nana Girl Quilts, is also made with lots of low-volume prints.  Most of the background prints have a Christmas or winter theme, but there are some non-seasonal prints mixed in as well.  

CANDY CANES
Photography by Brent Kane

These low-volume fabrics are part of Moda Fabrics' Color Cuts.  Back last spring, Moda released color-coordinated bundles of fabrics in various precut sizes, curated from the collections of several Moda designers.  This is the low-volume Layer Cake, Sugar on Top.  It's perfect for scrappy block backgrounds.  Even though they were released last spring, I knew even then that I wanted to share a bundle with you, so I bought an extra one.  How's that for planning ahead?

As part of today's blog celebration, I'll be giving away a downloadable e-copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty, courtesy of the sweet folks at Martingale. The winner will be drawn randomly.  I'll also send the winner a Sugar on Top Layer Cake.  So if you'd like to win a copy of Scrap-Basket Bounty and a Sugar on Top Layer Cake, simply leave a comment here and tell me whether you prefer quilts with scrappy backgrounds or a single fabric.  This isn't a trick question, and there are no wrong answers. :-)  The giveaway will close on Friday, September 28, at 10:00 p.m. CDT.  The winner will be announced at the end of next week.

I hope you'll stop by tomorrow -- I'll be showing you some really scrappy quilts made from designers' fabric collections.

Kim

p.s.  At this time, I am still experiencing issues with Blogger.  I am able to see comments on posts, but do not receive notifications for all comments.  When I do receive notifications, they all have "no-reply" e-mail addresses.  Not a problem, but you'll need to check here for further instructions when I announce the winner.  :-)

Update:  Comments are now closed for this post.  Thank you for visiting.

Scrap-Basket Bounty Blog Celebration

In connection with the release of my fifth book, Scrap-Basket Bounty, published by Martingale, I'll be sharing a lot more every day this week about the quilts in the book as well as a few products I love to use for designing, piecing and quilting. And in addition to giving away a copy of my book each day, there will be more prizes that you won't want to miss! I hope you'll stop by for a visit tomorrow. 

Kim