Marshmallow Brochette - Part 2.1: Bordering Your Squares

Hi QAL friends! I've gotten some questions on how to border the 5" squares with the 1.5" strips. When I pieced my borders and squares I followed these steps:

Step 1: Sew your square and strip together using a 1/4" seam. Make sure that the edge of the square and the edge of the strips line up as you guide your fabric under your machine. You can pin the pieces in place if you prefer.

I generally snip my strips away from my blocks with scissors but if you would prefer you can use a rotary cutter or chain piece and then cut as I described in my earlier post. I typically repeat this for all of my squares until I have one side sewn for all.

Step 2: Sew your strip to the opposite side of the square you just sewed and trim the border strip as described in step 1. Repeat for all squares. Press.

Step 4: Repeat the same steps for the remaining two sides.

Until you have a big stack of pressed squares bordered on all 4 sides.

By the way, typically you should press your fabric toward the darker color, otherwise the darker color might show through to the other side. The above photos show that I pressed toward the lighter color. To be honest I really couldn't see my colored fabrics through the white so I didn't worry too much about it. It is up to you which direction you decide to press, and will also depend on your own fabric choices.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion! Please let me know if you have questions about any of the QAL steps. I would be happy to clarify any step in the process to make sure you are having the most enjoyable, successful experience possible.

Happy Quilting!

Marshmallow Brochette QAL - Final Mockup and Button

I know I said I would be doing one post a week, but this is more of an enhancement to the last post and not additional work. Without further ado, here is the final mockup for the lap quilt:

I chose to add an additional column of squares and an additional column of 5" strips so that the width of the quilt is more proportional to the height (finished size is now about 63 x 83 which will work well with a twin sized batting). I also added a 6th square to each column to make cutting and piecing easier based on the standard widths of fabric.

Also, I forgot to create a button for this QAL! Toni was nice enough to point that out and also make a button for me. Isn't she sweet? Here's Toni's button:

This is something I have only tried once before so I wanted to try my hand at it again. Here's my attempt at a button:

I like both of them for different reasons. Use which ever one you'd like on your own blog or website. Just make sure to link the image back to this blog so that others who want to join in the fun can find the Marshmallow Brochette QAL!

Happy Quilting

p.s. - this week we are gathering our materials. If you need some insight into my color selection process you can check out my original post on the fat quarterly blog for more information on how I selected fabric for my mini quilts.

Marshmallow Brochette QAL-Part 1

The time for the first Threaded Mess Quilt Along has finally arrived! Are you ready?

Great!

First, check out the flickr group I set up and join up! The group is open for you to join and share pictures of your progress during the Quilt Along. It will remain open for future QALs as well.

Second, despite the mock-up in my previous post I have decided to add a 6th column of squares, a 6th square to each column, and a 5" column to the lap quilt size of this pattern which extends the width of the quilt a bit more. I'm working on another mock-up but things have been a bit hectic around here so I will include it in a future post.

Third, let's get started!

My plan is to post on a weekly basis, providing detailed information for each step in the process.

Week One: start gathering materials

 

MINI QUILT SUPPLIES - finished size about 32″x32″

Thread – for piecing and quilting
Rotary cutter, ruler, and mat to cut your strips
A piece of batting at least 36″x36″
Safety Pins (or whatever you use to baste your quilts)
Clips or pins to tack down your binding
Sewing machine


Fabric: The following cuts assume you are working with fabrics at least 42″ wide. If you are working with smaller pieces you will need to adjust to compensate.
3/4 Yard for your background fabric
1/2 Yard for your border/connecting strips (the fabric bordering and connecting your squares)
9 5″x5″ squares (I pulled from a Kona Solid Brights charm pack)
1/2 Yard for your binding
1 Yard for your backing

The above are the minimum fabric requirements for this project. 


**********************************************************

LAP QUILT SUPPLIES - finished size about 83 x 63

Thread – for piecing and quilting
Rotary cutter, ruler, and mat to cut your strips
A twin sized package of batting (72"x93")
Safety Pins (or whatever you use to baste your quilts)
Clips or pins to tack down your binding
Sewing machine

Fabric: The following cuts assume you are working with fabrics at least 42″ wide. If you are working with smaller pieces you will need to adjust to compensate.
2 2/3 Yard for your background fabric
1 Yard for your border/connecting strips (the fabric bordering and connecting your squares)
36 5″x5″ squares
1 Yard for your binding
2 Yards of 108" backing fabric or a pieced combination of smaller width fabrics

The above are the minimum fabric requirements for this project.  

Have a question? Ask it on the Q&A on flickr or here and I will try to answer it as quickly as possible. 

We will be working on our layouts next week. I can't wait to get started on this project with all of you!

Happy Quilting

Marshmallow Brochette Lap Quilt Sneak Peek

I'm still figuring out all the measurements and cutting for Marshmallow Brochette but here's a sneak peak of what I have so far for a lap sized version...

Happy Quilting!

Threaded Mess Tutorial: A Name and A Winner!

The post you all have been waiting for this week (and I have too) is finally here: it's time to announce the winner of the tutorial naming contest!

Up for grabs? The winning commenter gets to pick their favorite of these two finished quilts to keep:

The boyish version...

Or the girly version...

Reading your ideas was a very special experience. I laughed, I cried, and I reminisced. Between this blog and my post at the Fat Quarterly there were almost 75 comments, many of them with several choices, for a total of nearly 120 ideas. Some names were more focused on real life objects, while others focused on the original purpose of this quilt. Some names reflected the type of shapes used, while others reflected the cuts of fabric. The images that came to mind with some of the suggestions were absolutely fantastic.

I enjoyed reading   e v e r y   s i n g l e   o n e! 

Thank you again for taking the time to comment and making this such a great experience for me.You are all so creative and I really appreciate you sharing your creativity with me to help name this quilt! It was really fun and I will definitely do it again!


There can only be one winner, and selecting just one of you was really tough! The winner of this contest is....

.Lil who suggested I call the quilt "Marshmallow Brochette"

I love the images that come to mind with the name Marshmallow Brochette: delicious puffy marshmallows skewered on a sticks, otherwise known as a brochettes, ready for roasting and happy times spent with family and friends.

.Lil please email me (threadedmess (at) gmail (dot) com) at your earliest convenience to let me know which quilt you want and where I should send it.  Congratulations and thank you for picking such a fun name for this quilt!

For those of you interested in a quilt-along, check back next week for an update. If you haven't done so already, you may want to add Threaded Mess to your blog reader so you don't miss any announcements, future tutorials, or giveaways.

For those of you who can't wait to get started on this quilt or are looking for ideas for the quilt-along, consider these suggestions from the comments I received:

Amy Dame said...

"...this quilt would be a wonderful modern take on a signature quilt, or that baby shower activity where everyone writes good wishes on blocks that are then pieced together. imagine how meaningful it would be for a sick baby to be covered by a quilt signed by all of the people who love and care for it, even those that aren’t able to be in the hospital with them..."

I love your ideas Amy! I can even see people signing their names in the fabric bordering/connecting the squares and using printable fabric to make charm square pictures.

Penny Hankey said...


"...I love it, thinking of doing something similar to showcase some Amy Butler fabrics..."

I love this idea too! This pattern is a great way to feature your favorite fabrics or fabrics in a collection.

KAK said

"...it would be lovely in black outlines as well.."

Absolutely! You can definitely play with the colors in the background, borders/connectors, and squares to make this quilt reflect your own tastes and style.

I hope you all will join me for a fun filled Marshmallow Brochette QAL in the coming weeks! I will be working hard this weekend to plan out a 'big quilt' version of this design for those of you who mentioned you wanted that.

Thanks again and as always, Happy Quilting!

Modern Quilt Tutorials

I was checking out my feedjit traffic and noticed someone found ThreadedMess.com by searching in google for 'modern quilt tutorials'. I thought it would be fun to run the same search and see what page I turn up on. To my COMPLETE shock and utter AMAZEMENT I am number 3 on page 1!!!!! (at least for the moment of course)

That is TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

Thank you again to all who checked out my blog/blog post on the Fat Quarterly and commented recently. You have helped me tremendously in my mission to share my love of quilting with others around the world. I am so encouraged by all the feedback I've been getting! My first tutorial was such a success and I hope to do many more in the future. Maybe one day I'll even get paid to do all this!

I want to give a special thanks to Monica of The Happy Zombie. It was her comment on my flickr photo and blog that led to a conversation, that led to me doing a lot of smiling and squealing and jumping, that led to more conversations, that led to me submitting my tutorial to the Fat Quarterly. I probably never would have thought to aim so high had it not been for her emphatic belief in me and my design.

I also want to give a special thanks to Hollie of The Undercover Crafter! She gave me a shout out on her blog immediately after I told her my Fat Quarterly post was officially published which I am so grateful for! Hollie and I have never met in person but it feels like we've been close friends for a long time. She got me signed up for both do.Good Stitches {A Charity Bee}and A Dozen Quilters; both have been such rewarding experiences for me! She got me interested in flickr swaps which have been very fun, albeit a little stressful at times (mostly in a good way). She's nominated me for several blog awards and is always quick to comment when she sees something she likes in my flickr photostream or on my blog. Her friendship means the world to me and I am so glad we found each other...even if I can't exactly remember how that happened.

I am looking forward to announcing the winner of the giveaway this Friday and to organizing a quilt-along! I will probably announce the details of the QAL next week after some number crunching this weekend.

Happy Quilting!