Quilting Mod : July 2015

Welcome to the Fractal Blog Hop hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop and sponsored by Art Gallery Fabrics. As usual, the Fat Quarter Shop has you covered with a video tutorial and free pattern download. To make the process even more convenient, the Fat Quarter Shop offers a quilt kit featuring the Imprint collection by Katarina Rochelle for Art Gallery Fabrics.

I must fess up. When I read through the pattern and came to the realization that it contained a heap load of y-seams, I panicked a bit. Historically, I have avoided y-seams, partial seams, and other such foul-seeming atrocities. However, with beautiful Art Gallery Fabrics and a brand-spankin' new Creative Grids ruler in hand, I was in too deep to turn back. I did what any self-respecting woman ought to do and told myself, "Self, suck it up!"

While I love acrylic rulers, I'm a bit skeptical about ones that seem catered toward one specific quilt. I was pleased to see all the possibilities the versatile Creative Grids Kite Ruler had to offer. I quickly came to embrace the Kite Ruler, with it's anti-slip texture on the back and holes for marking where to begin or end your line of stitching. I found the Clover Air Erasable Pen to be an excellent choice for marking, except if you leave your blocks unsewn for more than a day. (Because you have yet to put on your big girl pants and get over your unmerited trepidation about y-seams, or maybe that's just me.) Then, the marker is true to its word, and vanishes. This is a blessing if your blocks are sewn, and a curse if you haven't gotten down to business yet.

I'm sure you are astute, and it hasn't escaped your attention that the photos feature a bag, and not a quilt. I did make my quilt blocks, and I assure you they will become a quilt. I'm ashamed to admit how quickly and nicely they came together, given that I dedicated myself so fully to wallowing in self-pity over the dreaded y-seams.

Making these blocks with 8 1/2" kites was so pain-free, that I decided to make blocks using 2 1/2" kites from my luxurious leftovers. After all, I firmly believe that, as a general rule, smaller is cuter. I combined these adorable blocks with other Art Gallery fabrics from my stash, to make the Pepper Tote by Clover & Violet. It's a free, and user-friendly pattern. Besides, it has pockets on the inside.

And, it has a fancy-looking inset pocket on the outside.

The Art Gallery fabrics I used include Commute by Taxi from Leah Duncan's Gramercy (lining), Garden Gate Berry (outside pocket) and Bed of Daisies Golden (inner pocket) from Bonnie Christine's Sweet as Honey and Wildwood Nectar (in block) from her Hello, Bear collection, Aves Chatter Shine (in block) from her Winged collection, Pointelle Celeste (in block) and Triangularity Topaz (in block) from Urban Mod, Pearl and Gold Metallic from Etno by Pat Bravo, and Cuneiform Script (straps) from Recollection by Katarina Roccella.

Art Gallery fabrics have a much softer hand than other quilt shop quality lines, almost like a voile. Don't be fooled by their incredibly drapey hand, they are also durable. At some point during my bag's photo shoot, an entire bottom corner was dredged through some horrible black soot. I had to rectify this atrocity immediately, so I did some rigorous scrubbing with stain remover, and threw it into my washing machine. The stain came out, and the fabrics were unscathed. There's wasn't any snagging, piling--nothing. Phew!