Jiggling Jelly Rolls expand

I took my Jelly Roll with 20 white/black strips and 20 bright color strips (5 strips in each of 4 colors) to make the sample for my workshop at the Georgia Quilt Show in Gwinnett this October www.georgiaquiltshow.com. I was having so much fun making these blocks with the Log Cabin Trim Tool that I just couldn't stop. I made 12 additional blocks and turned a square quilt into a rectangle.

Then I decided I needed a bolder border for the larger quilt, so I added a black border cut 2-1/2" wide, the same width as the jelly roll strips in the block and topped it with my clever folded narrow accent border.

Here is how I do my folded accent border: I cut fabric 1-1/2" wide and sewed the strips together using a bias joining at the seams to minimize the seam allowance. Then I folded the long strip in half lenghth-wise and firmly pressed the fold line. Then the narrow accent border is fused in place using the steam-a-seam two fusing material that comes in a roll, precut to 1/2" wide. I followed the manufacturer's directions to do the fusing. After fusing the narrow border I top-stitched it in place on the black border.

Next I cut the black and white print 5-1/2" wide times the length of fabric. Lately I have been buying enough fabric to cut borders on the length of the fabric without having to seam them together when I am making a small quilt. I needed 1-1/2 yards because I added the side borders first then the top and bottom. I trimmed the borders to size after sewing them in place.

Here is the virtual quilt diagram I worked from to sew the top together. The quilt itself is on my longarm machine and I going to finish quilting it today. 

The directions for both the smaller square quilt and this expanded larger quilt will be included in the pattern handout for my workshop at the Sewing Expo's Georgia Quilt Show this October. www.georgiaquiltshow.com

There are still places available in the workshop, so sign up now! This is a class that allows you to bring your own fabric or purchase a fabric kit from the workshop leader (that's me). 

Week 4, Sunbonnet Sleuth Mystery

Here is the 4th week clue for the Back To School Mystery. This week completes the blocks for the quilt. Next week you will get the scheme for the quilt layout so you can finish your quilt over the Labor Day weekend. I will be going to Art On The Square in old Marietta. It is a lovely weekend event and I plan to buy some new earrings from one of my favorite artist vendors. Who knows what else I might find.

1. Cut fifteen 5-1/2" x 10-1/2" rectangles of the purple fabric. Cut thirty 5-1/2" squares of the light blue or aqua background fabric.

2. Position one of the light 5-1/2" squares at one end of the purple rectangle with right sides together. Sew from corner to corner. Trim away excess fabric 1/4" from stitching line. Fold out triangle and press seam line.

3. Repeat step 2 in the opposite corner of the rectangle to make a flying geese unit. Make a total of 15 units. 

4. Using the units made in Week 3, join the fishy fins and the fish head together to complete the block.

5. Using a quarter for a template cut 15 round black eyes from felt or fabric, or use a quarter size button to add an eye to each of the blocks.

This completes week 4.

Sewing Expo Workshops

Announcement! I have been contracted to teach at the Georgia Quilt Show this October 18, 19 and 20. Workshop enrollments opened this week. I am offering five workshops, four with strip piecing techniques and one free motion quilting. Sign up for classes at the Sewing Expo website. www.sewingexpo.com/Home.aspx The listing for the Georgia Quilt Show is at the bottom of the double column list of shows.  

Here are the my workshop quilts. Lickety-split Log Cabin, Pretty Boxes, Trash To Treasure Pineapple and Jiggling Jelly Rolls. Something new for the Sewing Expo, you can now bring your own fabric (BYOF) or you can buy a fabric kit from the teacher, your choice.

I am really excited about joining the Sewing Expo roster of teachers. They run a really professional event with a judged exhibit with cash prizes a large vendor area and lots of workshops. There are Sewing Expo events coming to a city near you! Try Birmingham Al Sept 20, Chantilly VA Oct 4, Kansas City Oct 11, Minneapolis Nov 8, Tinley Park IL Nov 15, all in 2012. In 2013, back to Atlanta, then to Lakeland FL, Cleveland, Schaumburg, IL, and Worcester MA.

If you live near any of these areas, you don't want to miss the event.

Week #3 Sunbonnet Sleuth Mystery

Time for the next step in making this quilt. This is such an easy mystery to sew that I feel guilty for making it so simple. Maybe the next one will be more of a challenge.

Cut (8) 5-7/8" squares from each of the hot pink and the bright yellow fabrics. Cut each square in half on the diagonal to make (16) half square triangles in each color. Using 15 of the half-square triangles in each color, sew to the units made in Week #2 of the mystery. Easy-peasy. :-)

Zany Zinnias

My Log Cabin Trim Tool Two is here at last. I have been playing with making blocks that we don't see as typically coming from a Log Cabin construction. Here is a courthouse steps variation with just two rounds of strips around a center square. I used the 12" side of the trim tool, fussy cutting the 3" flower centers from the leftover border fabric. The finished strips in the rounds are 1-1/2" and the block finished size is 9". I just couldn't stop making blocks and ended up with 35 of them for a pretty good size quilt. With the new trim tool I made the whole quilt measuring 60" x 78" in just 3 days. Incredible.

The Log Cabin Trim Tool Two can be ordered from my website: www.jeanannquilts.com

Here is what the tool looks like. You can see that the centering squares for 6" blocks start in one corner of the tool and the centering squares for 12" blocks start in the opposite corner. Two blocks from one tool...economical and versatile. What could be better!

Week 2 Sunbonnet Sleuth Mystery

Are you ready to cut and sew. Once again we are going to make the quilt week-by-week and unit-by-unit. Here is your first set of identical units.

How is this for simple sewing! This is going to be a quick and easy mystery. 

It's The Cat's House

I am new at blogging, so you will have to forgive me if I am a little slow to figure things out. One of the quilters following my blog has a blog of her own. Jan, The Calico Quilter, from Chattanooga is author if the blog she calls It's the Cat's House, I just live here.

www.itsthecatshouse.blogspot.com

Check it out, you will like it! I have signed up as a follower and can't wait to see everything that Jan is making. 

Jan made the Have A Cuppa Sunbonnet Sleuth mystery and she has finished her quilt top. To read all about it follow this link to see what Jan has to say:

http://www.itsthecatshouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunbonnet-sleuth-mystery-quilt.html

Week #1 Sunbonnet Sleuth Mystery

A Back To School Mystery...I am really into listening to mysteries this week. Still working on the series by Charles Todd with a WWI nursing sister as the main mystery sleuth... When Bess gets back to England she discovers the killer has shot, but not killed a young woman at a farmhouse. Bess bundles her into a dog cart (not everyone had cars in 1916) trots her off to the local doctor's clinic. The nurse at the clinic takes one look at the gunshot patient and says, "I'd better go get us all a cup of tea!" I LOVE this series!

At any rate, tea has absolutely nothing to do with the new Sunbonnet Sleuth mystery quilt. Instead, it is more about people who live in Atlanta GA do in August. Off to the beach, then back to school. Wonder how I am going to fit beach and school into one quilt? You gotta start sewing to find out!

Here are your fabric requirements. The finished quilt measures 49-1/2" wide x 64" long. The blocks are 10" x 10". The four fabrics on the top row are used in the blocks along with the pale aqua on the second row. The other 3 aqua fabrics are for sashings, borders and binding. 

As for beach vacations before heading off to school, here is my youngest granddaughter Cymia (on the right), with her cousin Madeline (on the left) enjoying a bumper boat ride at Rehoboth Beach, VA while on their end of summer vacation with the family. The girls are both 5 yrs old and are best of friends.