Quilting with Birch Fabrics

Birch Fabrics was kind enough to send us some very cute 100% organic cotton fabric to play around with!

I take absolutely NO credit for making this quilt.  I roped my mother-in-law, Kathleen, who is a master quilter- to create a wall hanging quilt with the Birch fabrics. She was too kind to give in! The original plan was for her to teach me how to make a simple quilt, but when she saw the adorable whimsical printed fabric, she was excited to create her own with her own unique style.  I was happy to let her take the lead, she is so very talented. We couldn't wait to see what she would come up with.

Kathleen is an incredible creative quilter, she loves to go beyond the traditional. She has been involved in an art quilt group for years that encourages the members to be expressive with fabric and not use patterns. I love taking a peek in her sewing room to see what she is up to. Our family has been blessed to receive so many of her beautiful quilts.

Kathleen used the Commute and Mod Basics fabric line 

from Birch Fabrics to create the quilt. 

"Birch Fabrics was created in an effort to provide an environmentally friendly cotton alternative to the quilting and crafting community. Is produced from 100% organic cotton, and printed with low impact dyes. Birch fabrics, mixes retro style with whimsical juvenile accents that lend themselves perfectly to nursery bedding, while still being sophisticated enough for pillows on your sofa, or curtains in your craft room."

What a great idea to use organic fabrics, especially if you are sewing for a baby's room, or children.

Kathleen used a free form rotary cutting method to piece the quilt. The Commute fabric is filled with bicycles, airplanes and buildings. She envisioned curves similar to roads, rivers and  trails that one would travel on. The free form method is the perfect way to quilt the curves.  

When you free form cut with a rotary tool, there's no pattern, just whatever your imagination and free hand can come up with.  As seen in the picture below, you first place BOTH right sides up, overlapping about 1/2 inch.  Then you cut to create the curves. She then used the first piece as a pattern to create the next piece, and so on...building as you go. Then you just stand back and see what you need next. The more contrast you have- the more interesting it is.  Add contrast with color and pattern.  Kathleen encourages you to do it the way you want to, and not follow the traditional rules. Be expressive! 

Next, she took the matching seams and sewed them together.

Sew right sides together with a 1/8th inch seam.  

When she was finished piecing the top, she squared it up on the sides.
For batting, Kathleen used 80 percent cotton / 20 percent polyester Hobb's heirloom batting.
She then machine quilted each fabric section with curved lines, circles, and squares.  Again, no rules, just being expressive.

For the binding, she used left over scraps to make a 2 1/2 inch strip, folded in half.  Kathleen calls it a "scrappy binding." I love the mix of colors!

Isn't it great?  I love the non-traditional look! Thank you to my sweet Mother-in-law! 

The quilt is now on it's way to Quilt Market for Birch Fabrics.

If any of want to learn basic piecing and quilting, I will be back soon (with Kathleen's help), to share a simple beginner's quilt with the adorable Birch fabrics.  I have a bicycle loving son that is saving a spot on his wall for the quilt. 

(To purchase Birch Fabrics online, you can go to fabricworm.com)

Nicole is busy working on Teacher Door decorations this week and tomorrow she will be back to share some of the great ideas from her school!

Star Quilts Into Wall Art

Years ago I went through a little Americana fixation. 

It all began with this quilt made by my super Mother-In-Law.

She made the quilt for my son to match his nursery. 

The night I went into unexpected labor a month early,

I was roaming the aisles of Home Depot looking for a dowel

to hang my beloved star wall hanging in the perfect spot in his nursery.

I had some serious "nesting" urges going on! 

I love how the squares are off just a little and the stars are scattered across. 

 Looking closely you see the quilt pattern of how it all fits together. 

Quilt patterns are so intriguing. 

It's the same pieces, but with different fabric and rotated. 

I've vowed that one day I'll learn to quilt! :)

For a while now I've wanted to try the same pattern

with wood for a wall hanging for my son's "older" room. 

I traced the pattern onto some mdf scraps and I used the scroll saw to cut.

It's so easy to use, it reminds me of a sewing machine. 

Nicole is really the master on this thing.

I am definitely an amateur... but practice makes perfect!

If you are careful and go slowly, you could easily do this with your jig saw.

I traced each piece onto scrapbook paper and cut it out.

I tried something I have never done. 

 I couldn't find my glue or mod podge, so I used my Gorilla Glue Wood Glue. 

I do have to say it worked really well, especially with the thick heavy scrapbook paper. 

Gluing scrapbook paper to wood surfaces is hard

because you have to make sure you have a really thin

layer of glue so that the paper won't buckle.

 I smoothed it out with my fingers to make it nice and even,

and it went on like a charm! 

 

Make sure you rub all over the paper for good contact!

I even used a pencil to smooth out those bubble pockets.

 

 

I built some frames with a 1x2's and thin plywood backing.

 

I took each block and sanded the edges where the paper overlaps. 

I did add some stain,

which I would recommend doing before you put the papers on.  :)

 

Then I put the puzzle pieces "back" together. 

We've been watching a lot of tiling shows on DIY lately

so I wanted a gap between that mimicked the feel of tile.

I ended up chopping a few chunks of extra wood and adding them

underneath certain squares to give it height and make them pop. 

 

 

 

My Mother-In-Law's quilt is pretty fabulous....

 

and I think....these will compliment it well!

 

If the older boys don't like them, thank goodness the little ones do!

Shaggy Quilted Hearts

 This is my kind of quilting.....sloppy!  No need for detail sewing. These hearts have a raw edge that you top stitch.

A few years ago, my mother in law (her name is Kathy) helped me make a sunflower wall hanging using this method.  I thought it would be fun to try with hearts. 

I didn't intend to make pillows, but as I was piecing them together the idea came to me.

  I had a ton of pink dyed and coffee stained filters left from my last project, so I used them with the fabric.  I love their texture! 

My topstitching was NOT 100% accurate, but that's alright!  Don't cringe Kathy! One day I'm going to spotlight her quilts.  They are AMAZING!   

I added a little tulle. Is that how you spell it?  Why oh why does blogger not have spellcheck?

Here's how you do it...if you want to try.

Sew them back together.

 I sewed and stuffed this pillow and sewed the extra two onto linen and put them into an old frame. 

Good sewing skills are not required! :)