MONTH 12 -- THE QUILTING AND FINISHING

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401 

IMPORTANT REMINDER:  the patterns for Pick a Petal are available FREE to Star Members of The Quilt Show through December 31, 2024. Be sure you have saved/printed/backed up the files if you need them after that date. Any files you don't have will have to be purchased directly from the designer. No one here can give them to anyone, the rights to the pattern return to the designer per the contract. We protect the copyright of our designers who continue to create wonderful quilt designs for the exclusive use of The Quilt Show  Star Members for a specific amount of time.

This month the pattern instructions show how to assemble various parts of the quilt. Most of us did this as we were making the quilt. If you are ready for the quilting, it's time! 

Be sure to watch Show 3401 while it is free to Star Members, through December 31, 2024. Jen talks about her quilting designs and shows some details of the free-form quilting she did with decorative thread. She doesn't have a plan for specific motifs quilted in specific places. It appears she did what the quilt told her it wanted in any given area.

Here are some detail shots that may assist you as you do the quilting on your own Pick A Petal:

Some of the visible stitching is additional embroidery added to just the top, not quilting lines that go through all three layers. Some of the visible stitching is hand quilting, that does go through all three layers. I leave it to you to decide how you want to enhance your quilt with your quilting.

In addition, the Month 12 pattern contains Jen's instructions for how she added a FACING, to finish the completed quilt, rather than an applied binding. I plan to  try that on a small quilt I will soon have finished. A FACING is a nice way to treat the edge of a quilt when a binding might detract. 

The FACING brings the front of the quilt to the back without adding a binding. Here you can see additional rows of hand quilting at the very edge of the quilt. People will wonder how you did that outside edge! 

I hope you have enjoyed Pick A Petal this year. Now it's time to pull my fabrics for Laurel Ridge--the 2025 Block of the Month Quilt designed by Lynn Wilder exclusively for The Quilt Show. Be watching for a post about how you can be prepared to get started in January 2025 when Laurel Ridge hits the website! 

Grandmother's Autumn

Granddaughter's Spring

I am making mine with Granddaughter's Spring and some additional fabrics. Be watching for that soon.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 11

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401 

This month we work on the final border, a set of Fan Blocks combined in pairs.

The Fan itself was provided in Month 1, it is the same size as the fans around the middle of the center Star. In month 2 I provided the Template for the background shape so you could be working on these 64 fan blocks throughout the year. Those who bought the acrylic template sets had that shape, I wanted everyone to have it.  Find it in Month 2 under Patterns/Documents.

Also in Month 2 I provided a lengthy Supplemental Video on how to paper piece the fan blades. It was so much faster to cut 256 rectangles for the fan blades than using the template to carefully cut each one individually. That Video provides lots of information to make these fan blocks more easily.  If you are logged in as a Star Member you can find the video HERE

The fan blades can have the handles appliqued on them, by hand or machine. They can be pieced in, by hand or machine. The backgrounds can be appliqued in place or pieced, again by hand or machine. It's your quilt, you get to decide.  I did some of each method to find which I liked best.

I wrote a detailed Blog about making these blocks way back in February so you cold be working on them throughout the year. Find it here: BONUS PAPER PIECED FAN BLADES

Try using Freezer paper for foundation paper piecing

A finished block with two handles and one background

Fan blades paper pieced

Handle glued in place ready to be appliqued

My motto is "I want the fastest method that gives me the results I want." Simply try several methods to find your favorite.

This is when I remind you the patterns are only available FREE to Star Members of The Quilt Show until December 31, 2024. TELL YOUR FRIENDS! If they want this pattern FREE all they have to do is join The Quilt Show before December 31, 2025 and download ALL THE PATTERNS now for FREE.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 10

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401

This month we work on the remaining embroidery for the last 2 Log Cabin borders. 

Here are some detail photos to assist you:

These images came to me as videos, they may also help:

Feel free to do your own thing, add whimsical motifs and shapes, whatever you like.

Next month provides the instructions for making the final Fan Block outer borders. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara 

PICK A PETAL -- Month 9

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401

This month we work on more applique motifs for another Log Cabin border. For me, this is my Left Side. Yours might be different depending on which photo of the quilt you used for a reference.

Photos of Jen's sample quilt:

These photos allow you to see a bit of the embroidery and quilting up close.

Here are three photos of mine:

My Top done minus remaining embroidery

Next month we get the rest of the embroidery motifs for the two remaining Log Cabin borders. We are getting to the finish line!

Be sure to post your progress photos on the FORUM. And if you share photos on social media please use the hashtag #thequiltshowbom2024 or #pickapetalquilt

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 8

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401

This month we work on more appliques for the Log Cabin borders. Border 3 for me is the Right Side of the quilt. Which it is for you depends on what photo you are using as your guide--it's a square quilt. 

Jen's blocks from the sample quilt:

My blocks:

Happily, I FINISHED MY TOP this month! It will be going to it's new owner in October when I go to Houston. Alex will enjoy doing all the remaining embroidery. It wasn't my favorite part of making this quilt. I did enough to know it's not my favorite thing although I do enjoy handwork and will do more embroidery when it is appropriate. 

My finished top at this point:

I have been asked about the quilting instructions. The pattern doesn't provide any information on the hand quilting Jen Kingwell did on her quilt. She discusses the quilting in the Show #3401--you will want to watch that again.  

In December I will post many photos of her quilt so you can see the many ways she quilted hers. It is very free-form, no real specific plan would be possible to describe. 

Now I am eager to start work on the 2025 BOM--it's still a secret until later this year but it's a great quilt. And it's big: 90" square. Stay tuned...

Let's quilt.

Barbara

PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 7

PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401

This month we start on the EMBROIDERY. The pattern provides basic embroidery stitches and placement guides for two of the log cabin borders. Month 10 will provide the remaining embroidery motifs and placement for the remaining two borders.

While I am familiar with embroidery it is not my strong suit. Here I will show a lot of photos of the embroidery on the  quilt. And I will provide links to great resources, showing how to do the basic stitches used.

Watch Jen's show, #3401, it's FREE for  ALL this year--use the link ABOVE. She explains how some of the embroidery is actually quilting stitches, taken through all 3 layers. We are only doing the embroidery stitches now that form the various motifs on the borders.

Alex Anderson is great at hand embroidery and has provided several CLASSES with excellent videos:

BOUNTIFUL FRUIT  a great place to start. Click the VIEW  button to see the 4 lessons.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN EMBROIDERY STITCH ALONG LESSONS 19 lessons!!

The current Alex Class, MAGIC GARDEN GNOME Lessons 4-7 show BASIC stitches you will use. Find it in her Classroom on The Quilt Show: MAGIC GARDEN GNOME

Alex advised me to: 

1. Use a hoop on the pieced log cabin borders to keep the fabric from being pulled or distorted.

2. She uses SASHIKO needles, her favorites are in the SHOP

3. Work with thread about 18"-22" long. Single strand for thicker thread, like Perle size 8, or double strand like the Wonderfil size 12 included in the kit. When using double thread cut it twice as long 36"-44".      See how to make a Non-Knot with doubled thread:

Alex's Make it Your Own Embroidery Stitch Along--LESSON 2, start at 16 minutes

LESSON 3 start at 30 minutes  Chain Stitch, also called Stem Stitch  

            BTW--from 8-30 minutes is an interview Alex did with me about my personal exhibit at                         Houston in 2021--if you want to see what I used to look like and lots of my quilts. 

4. Mark designs with Quilters Select Self Erase Marker--it disappears in less than a day so don't mark more than you will stitch today.

There are MANY videos on Hand Embroidery, simply Google it. Here are two I found very simple to understand and helpful:

5 BASIC STITCHES

14 Hand Embroidery Stitches NO WORDS, just demos

I am using the threads from the KIT, Wonderfil size12. I preferred double strands for good definition and I love the little "knotless-knot"--I used it all the time in cross stitch. I have lots of needles in my collection, find the size that works best for you. The eye must be big enough to allow easy threading. When doing "wrapped stitches", like French knots, you want a needle that is straight all the way, like Sashiko needles that Alex likes. 

I am just getting started. Here are my SUPPLIES:

My first stitches in many years

Lots of needles, two hoops, both a bit large for this 6" border 

Try a variety of threads and needles to find your favorites. If you have trouble threading needles, try the Self-Threading ones. Alex doesn't like them but I have found them useful for some threads. 

You can add more stitches if you like, or do fewer motifs. It's your quilt, you get to decide.

It will be fun to see all the embroidery/embellishments everyone will do. Please post your work on the FORUM so we can see your progress.

Next month we get more appliques for Border 3. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara