Category Archives: Quilt Along

Orbit QAL :: Winner!

Today is the close of the Orbit quilt along, what a fun 6 weeks!

Below are the 12 beautiful quilts that you finished.   I am so impressed by how uniquely made each quilt is.

 

 

I’ve used random.org to pick the winner of the Cold Spring Dreams fat quarter bundle.

Congrats #6, Emilee!

rjrwinner

I am feeling like a schmuck this morning because mine is still.being.quilted.   Straight line quilting is not as fast as my normal stipple I have discovered.

If you’re still working on yours, keep going!  We’ll  get finished soon!

I’m reopening the link up so that you can share your finished quilt, whenever you’re ready.

I’ve decided to leave the pattern open for free download for a few more weeks, so download it now if you’d still like a copy.

Thank you so much to all who participated!

xo Lindsey

P.S.  I’ll be back later today to announce  round 2 of a fun sew along happening this summer!

8 Comments

Filed under Quilt Along, Quilts

Orbit QAL Week 5 :: Quilting, Link up Open!

Another Monday and we’re ready to get quilting!

The link up opens today, too, so if you’ve already finished go ahead and add in your quilt at the end of the post.

The link up will stay open until April 1st and you can enter a finished quilt or a complete quilt top.  One entry per person please!

I’ve got my top spray basted and ready to go.

I’m going to quilt a concentric circle on mine.   I’ve never done that before, so hoping it goes smoothly!

I was inspired by Jeni’s beautiful quilting on her Color Hex quilt.   Have you decided how to quilt yours yet?

Color Hex Quilt by Jeni Baker
Color Hex Quilt, a photo by Jeni Baker on Flickr.

 

Quilting and binding will take up the last two weeks of the sew along.  I can’t believe it’s almost coming to a close!
To be entered for a chance to win the fat quarter bundle of Cold Spring Dreams, you need to have your finished quilt or completed top linked up by April 1st.
You can do it!
xx Lindsey
——-
Link up below by clicking on the frog picture and following the instructions.  One entry per person please.


5 Comments

Filed under Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Quilts

Orbit QAL Week 4 :: Backing + Basting

Hi all!

We are heading towards the finish line with our Orbit quilts.  My top is finished and I’m ready to start working on the backing today.

How are you coming along?  If you’re running a bit behind, don’t worry, you still have plenty of time!

Are you doing anything special for your backing?  I usually like to do a design on the back, but sometimes that makes me feel overwhelmed and the quilt ends up in the WIP pile.

I am ready to get quilting so I think I’m going to just piece together the fabrics I have left over and call it a day.

I did play around with some ideas for backing that I thought I’d share with you.

In the process of making the hst blocks, you end up with a few extra triangles.   I put them together with the background fabric to make a floating line of triangles across the back.

My other idea was to do something similar to my Dresden quilt back and piece a single orbit, surrounded by my leftover scraps.

Lots of quilts popping up in the  flickr group.  If you’re doing something special for the back, add a picture.  I’d love to see your ideas.

A few of you are already quilting!  I’m loving Courtney’s all voile quilt that she is hand quilting, it looks amazing.

I’ll be back later this week with my progress!

Lindsey

——————–

Feb 11th, :: Getting Ready! (fabric selection + supply list)

Feb 18th, Week 1 :: Pattern release + cutting/organizing

Feb 25th, Week 2 & 3 :: Piecing + quilt layout

March 11th, Week 4 ::  Backing + Basting your quilt

March 18th, Week 5 & 6 :: Quilting & Binding + Link Up Opens to add your finished project

April 1st, Link Up Closes and Winner selected from photo pool

3 Comments

Filed under Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Quilts

Orbit QAL Week 3 :: Another piecing week!

How’s everyone coming along on this Monday?

Today starts week 3 of the QAL and we are still piecing this week.

I know several of you are done, woot!  They are looking awesome.   Add yours to the flickr group if you haven’t yet, I’d love to see it!

Here is Rumeysa’s completed top:

 

Pinkebody has a scrappy version in progress: 

I love the dark yellow corners in the one orbit!

And Rebecca is working on a beautiful top:

I have one row left to sew on mine and I hope to get that finished today.

Next week we will start working on our quilt backing and getting our quilts sandwiched and ready for quilting.

xo Lindsey

——————–

Feb 11th, :: Getting Ready! (fabric selection + supply list)

Feb 18th, Week 1 :: Pattern release + cutting/organizing

Feb 25th, Week 2 & 3 :: Piecing + quilt layout

March 11th, Week 4 ::  Backing + Basting your quilt

March 18th, Week 5 & 6 :: Quilting & Binding + Link Up Opens to add your finished project

April 1st, Link Up Closes and Winner selected from photo pool

5 Comments

Filed under Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Quilts, Sew Along

Orbit QAL Week 2 :: Piecing

I’ve enjoyed seeing peeks at the fabrics some of you have picked out!

Today starts Week 2 in the quilt along and we’ll be piecing our quilt together over the next 2 weeks.

The four blocks in the quilt are very straight forward in construction and should give you no trouble at all.

If you’re new to half square triangles, I wanted to share a little picture step-by-step on putting those blocks together.

Click on each collage to see the image up close.

hstcut

hstpiecepress

hsttrim

DSC_1891

The triangles are sized just enough to allow you to square up a small bit.   I really don’t like a lot of waste so you will notice there is not much to trim away.

You can always enlarge your original square size to 6.25″ or 6.50″ to give you a bit more wiggle room.

If you’re familiar with hst blocks you won’t necessarily have to pin.   Pinning is helpful though to make sure your pieces don’t shift and eat up your small trimming allowance.

I recommend making all of your hst blocks first because they are the most tedious (the trimming).   It’s nice to have them out of the way!   You can cut and pin (or stack together) each individual unit and then chain piece.

Week 2 and 3 are for piecing together your quilt.  This includes the individual blocks, rows and on to sewing all the rows together to make your top.

Use the quilt layout guide at the back of the pattern to help you as you go.   I keep it open on my computer as I sew.

bloglayout

Use the flickr group to ask questions, or do so in the comments!  Any questions you have, I’m happy to help!

I will be sharing my progress over the next 2 weeks and I’d love to see yours too.

Lindsey

——————–

Feb 11th, :: Getting Ready! (fabric selection + supply list)

Feb 18th, Week 1 :: Pattern release + cutting/organizing

Feb 25th, Week 2 & 3 :: Piecing + quilt layout

March 11th, Week 4 ::  Backing + Basting your quilt

March 18th, Week 5 & 6 :: Quilting & Binding + Link Up Opens to add your finished project

April 1st, Link Up Closes and Winner selected from photo pool

4 Comments

Filed under Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Quilts, Sewing, Tutorial, Uncategorized

Orbit QAL :: Pattern Release

I’m excited to kick things off today and get started on our Orbit quilts!

rjrbanner

The pattern is ready and can be downloaded below.

OrbitPattern

Each week we will work through a section, starting today with Cutting and Organizing.

I’ve illustrated cutting for all pieces to give you an idea of how to arrange your cuts.

I’m a visual person, so I find it helpful to see what I’m doing along with the instructions.

You don’t have to cut exactly like this, it’s just a guide to get you started.

fabric4

Remember when cutting to:

• Square up your fabric and measure your fat quarters to make sure they are the correct size.  Nothing worse then starting to cut only to realize your fat quarter was not the right size to begin with!

• Start with a fresh rotary blade, it really does make a difference

• Cut accurately.   A mis-cut can make piecing very difficult!   Measure twice, cut once.

—————

Now let’s talk organizing!

A key part of putting this quilt together easily is to be organized.

While you don’t have to color in a mockup, you will need to use the Quilt by Number sheet to assign a number to each of your fabrics.

The cutting and fabric placement is all done by number.

I like to put my pieces in a Ziploc freezer bag, grouping each number in a separate bag.   When you need to stop for the day, you can zip up your bags and not worry about losing any pieces.

Or if you’ve just put them into piles, you can stick a post-it note on top and call it a day.  It doesn’t have to be fancy.

Other ideas I’ve seen:

• Use an expandable file folder to keep cut pieces organized

expandable file folder

Use paper plates to stack pieces together

Organize your rows with saved bread ties

Use Q-pins, numbered quilting pins to help you stay organized

Using dollar store baking sheets

Share any tips you have in the comments and if you have any questions while cutting, please let me know.

I’ll share my cutting progress this week in the flickr group.   Share yours too!

1 Comment

Filed under Fabric, Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Quilts, Sew Along, Sewing, Tutorial, Uncategorized

Orbit QAL :: Printable Mockup Sheet

I apologize for being a day late!

———-

Here are the links to the printable PDFs:

Quilt By Number | Orbit Mockup Sheet

Plain Jane | Orbit Mockup Sheet

———-

With two kiddos, my sewing time needs to be pretty focused if I’m going to accomplish anything.

The Quilt by Number sheet has a number for the placement of the fabrics so that you can number your fabrics and know exactly where to place them.

This helps me be productive and makes my sewing pretty mindless.

Mindless = relaxing for me!

orbitquiltbynumber

The Plain Jane version is blank so that you can color it in however you’d like.

orbitmockupsheet

For this quilt, I took the blank sheet and added my fabrics for the big orbits.  I wanted to get a feel for how they would play next to each other.

Once I found the best spot, I glued them down.

OCD, yes?  haha…

Hopefully this will help you in planning your quilt and making the most of the time you have!

xo, Lindsey

11 Comments

Filed under Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Tutorial

Orbit QAL :: Supply List

The quilt along starts next week!

Today I wanted to talk about fabric and supplies to help you get ready.

rjrquilt

The pattern directions are written using 13 different fabrics + 1 background fabric.

If you follow the pattern design layout you will be using each of the  fabrics in 3 different places, as shown below.

I call these ‘Orbits’, ‘outer squares’ and ‘center squares’.

orbitfabric

You can also easily use up scraps and spare fat quarters if you want a scrappy feel to the quilt.

With my sample, I used a random collection of fabrics from my stash and scrap bin + my 1 yard of background fabric.

Below I’ve listed out two different supply lists.

The first is for those who want to follow the pattern exactly.

The second is for those who are trying to stash bust and want to use what they have.

I’ve also made them into a PDF that you can download and print.

Original Supply List PDF

Scrappy Supply List PDF

————

Original Supply List: 60 x 60 finished quilt size

(All listed amounts are for 44″ wide quilting cotton)

• ( 1 ) yard background fabric

• ( 5 ) 1/2 yard cuts (for full circle orbits & accents)

• ( 8 ) fat quarters (for half and quarter circle orbits & accents)

• ( 3 3/4 ) yards backing fabric

• ( 5/8 ) yard binding fabric for 2.5″ wide strips  OR  ( 1/2 ) yard for 2.25″ wide strips

• batting that measures at minimum 64 x 64

You will also need the usual:

• sewing machine/needles/thread

• rotary cutter/ruler/mat

• basting spray or pins

————

Fair warning, the scrappy list is a bit more wordy! ;)

Please remember that using scraps is not an exact science.  I’ve given you measurements for the cuts you will need to make and my best estimate of yardage you can do that with.

Going the scrappy route requires a bit more time on your part to make it work.   It’s not hard to do it this way, you just need to be more organized with your pieces and have time for digging through your scrap bins!

**I am breaking it down by design element with the idea that you are using a different fabric for each element.   If you want to use the same fabric for more then one element, you will need to do the figuring based on my measurements.    Please pay attention to the bold sections that tell you how many of each element there are in the pattern so that you pull together enough fabric.

Scrappy Supply List: (broken down by pieces)  60 x 60 finished quilt

Background :: ( 1 ) yard 44″ wide fabric

each Full Orbit :: (2) fat quarters or (3/8) yard

(**There are ( 5 ) full Orbits in the pattern)

The full orbit is just a few inches shy of being cut from 1 fat quarter. (I know, annoying! Sorry!)    You also need to take into consideration directional prints if you want the fabrics to ‘flow’ around the circle.

( 4 ) 10.5″ x 5.5″ rectangles

( 2 ) 6″ squares cut on the diagonal to make ( 4 ) HST (half square triangle)

fullorbit

(click on the image to enlarge)

each Half Orbit :: (1) fat quarter

(**There are ( 4 ) half orbits in the pattern)

( 1 ) 10.5″ x 5.5″ rectangle

( 1 ) 6″ square, cut on the diagonal to make ( 2 ) HST

( 2 ) 5.5″ squares

halforbit

(click on the image to enlarge)

each Quarter Orbit :: (1) fat quarter or scraps that equal the below measurements

(**There are ( 4 ) quarter orbits in the pattern)

( 2 ) 5.5″ squares

( 1 ) 6″ square, cut on the diagonal to make ( 1 ) HST.  Set aside extra half.

quarterorbit(click on the image to enlarge)

each full Outer Square :: scraps for measurements below

(**There are ( 5 ) full Outer Squares in the pattern)

( 2 ) 10.5″ x 3″ rectangles

( 2 ) 3″ x 5.5″ rectangles

outersquarecut

(click image to enlarge)

each half Outer Square :: scraps for measurements below

(**There are ( 4 ) half Outer Squares in the pattern)

( 1 ) 10.5″ x 3″ rectangle

( 2 ) 3″ squares

halfsquare(click image to enlarge)

each quarter Outer Square :: scraps for measurements below

(**There are ( 4 ) quarter Outer Squares in the pattern)

( 1 ) 3″ x 5.5″ rectangle

( 1 ) 3″ square

quarteroutersquare(click image to enlarge)

 • each full Center Square :: scraps for measurements below

(**There are ( 4 ) full Center Squares in the pattern)

( 1 ) 5.5″ square

squarecut(click image to enlarge)

each half Center Square :: scraps for measurements below

(**There are ( 8 ) half Center Squares in the pattern)

( 1 ) 3″ x 5.5″ rectangle

halfcentersquare(click on image to enlarge)

• ( 3 3/4 ) yards backing fabric

• ( 5/8 ) yard binding fabric for 2.5″ wide strips  OR  ( 1/2 ) yard for 2.25″ wide strips

• batting that measures at minimum 64 x 64

You will also need the usual:

• sewing machine/needles/thread

• rotary cutter/ruler/mat

• basting spray or pins

I know this is A LOT of information!  I tried to be as thorough and detailed as possible.

If you have any questions or are confused about anything, please leave a comment.

I will answer comments in this post instead of emailing back to you so that others can benefit from your question.

———

Tomorrow I will share a PDF printable coloring page of the quilt design so that you can make a mockup if you’d like.

I’ll share how I make mine, complete with fabric and glue.

I like to see the real deal before I commit to cutting, haha!

Lindsey

9 Comments

Filed under Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Quilts, Uncategorized

Valentine Hop Winner + Orbit QAL

I have the winner from the Valentine’s hop.

Congrats to Feathered Nest Studio, you’ve won the fat quarter bundle of MonaLuna fabrics from Lima Sews!

featheredneststudio

Great idea! A favorite childhood craft of mine was definitely building miniatures for my dolls! Little furniture, little dishes, houses, etc. Thanks for the chance to win

lovehopwinner

I also have some info on a Quilt Along that will start Feb 18th!

I designed a free quilt pattern for RJR fabrics new line by Mary McGuire called “Cold Spring Dreams”.   Available in March of 2013

cold

The quilt is called “Orbit” and finishes at 60 x 60.  A great snuggle quilt size!   It can also easily be increased to bed size by adding a few extra rows.

I’m increasing my sample, below,  to a king size to use in our master bedroom.

The quilt along will run for 6 weeks starting on Feb 18th and closing on April 1st.

The full PDF pattern will be available on Feb 18th, so you will be able to move ahead of schedule if you’d like!

I will be sewing along with you using the “Cold Spring Dream” line and you’ll have a chance to win some for yourself at the close of the sew along.

You, of course, can use whatever fabric suits your fancy!   I think the design would be striking in all solids too.

•••••

Feb 11th, :: Getting Ready! (fabric selection + supply list)

Feb 18th, Week 1 :: Pattern release + cutting/organizing

Feb 25th, Week 2 & 3 :: Piecing + quilt layout

March 11th, Week 4 ::  Backing + Basting your quilt

March 18th, Week 5 & 6 :: Quilting & Binding + Link Up Opens to add your finished project

April 1st, Link Up Closes and Winner selected from photo pool

•••••

On April 1st I will randomly choose an entry to win a fat quarter bundle of Cold Spring Dreams, donated by RJR fabrics.

Finished quilts and quilt tops are accepted.  (It must be the entire quilt top, not just a portion).

I had a fabric photo shoot this morning to show you how beautiful the colors are!

I hope you’ll consider joining in.  The quilt is simple to put together, so it should be a fun and relaxing time!

Join in the LRstitched flickr group and feel free to grab a blog button to spread the word!

You can also click on the Orbit Quilt Along tab at the top the page to find all posts related to the quilt along.

Zakka Style Sew Along
<div align="center"><a href="http://lrstitched.com/orbit-quilt-along/" title="orbitquiltAlong"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8372/8415951312_f45c9975a7_o.jpg" alt="orbitquiltalong" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

You can find the Cold Spring Dreams line available online now at:

Skye Reve Fabrics

Shabby Fabrics

10 Comments

Filed under Fabric, Giveaway, Orbit Quilt Along, Quilt Along, Quilts, Sew Along, Sponsors.