COLOR MY WORLD--Month 3

This Block of the Month quilt is available FREE to Star Members of The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. It was designed by Wendy Williams exclusively for The Quilt Show for 2021. It is not too late to start--you will learn a lot.

Month 3 brings us the remaining 16 Small Houses--#3 and #4, eight of each:

RESOURCES:

1. WATCH the MONTH 3 VIDEO--find it with the Patterns under Instructional Videos

2. You might want to review the Video "The Basics of Sewing", shown in Month 1.

3. Watch the LIVE Broadcast I will do Thursday March 4, 2021,  10 am PST, on Facebook and YouTube. I will answer your questions and review this month's process.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW:

1. Small Houses 3 and 4 are the same size as Small Houses 1 and 2 that were made in Month 1. 
Double check the 1" box on the pattern before beginning--both the file copy you make for your binder AND the paper foundation you print, whether you are using freezer paper or newsprint or some other lightweight paper for your paper patterns. 

2. Small House 3 has 3 sections, instead of 2. Make all 3 sections and join them together.

3. Cutting instructions for each fabric are in the pattern and they will work. I prefer to increase the size of very small pieces. Any piece that was to be cut 1.25" I cut 1.5". You can always cut the fabric larger to provide a bit more ease in placement--it will, of course, mean you waste a tiny bit more. In the photo ABOVE, the top fabrics were cut as the directions say, the bottom fabrics were increased--from 1.25" square for the light green to 1.5" square. The blue window was increased from 2" x 1.25" to 2" x 1.5". 

4. When all 32 Small Houses are complete, join them into 16 pairs. Then STOP! Do not join the pairs to each other until Month 4, after all the trees have been added to each pair.

5. Plan your colors however you like them. Wendy suggests sewing the houses into pairs 1/2 and 3/4, and then placing them as 1/2/3/4, all the way around the circle--remember, they are all joined AFTER the trees are added, in Month 4. It is more important you like how the colors play with each other than it is to have the houses in 1/2/3/4 order--only you will know if you move some to other positions. Here, in  my quilt, the light green treetop is on Small House 2/1, the dark green treetop is on Small House 3/4:

5. Try to sew a very accurate 1/4" seam allowance when joining the pairs of houses. How round your final circle is and how flat your quilt lays depends on this accuracy. I cannot stress this enough.  Press the seam OPEN after sewing two houses into a PAIR. 

6. When joining two houses into a pair, be sure the lower edge is accurately aligned--the top edge will be covered by the tree so if some of your houses are not exactly the same height, that will work out. The lower edge will be pieced to the Inner Road in Month 5--that edge needs to be as accurate as you can make it. 

7. To cut the Backgrounds, you have a choice--follow the pattern cutting directions, they work. OR use my Speed Cutting Instructions that we talked about in Month 1. Find the VIDEO about that HERE.

The Speed Cutting Instructions are the same two pages that were introduced January 1, 2021. The Month 3 instructions are in the lower box--Small House 3 and Small House 4. Find the PDF HERE.

 If you find it too confusing to cut rectangles different sizes for this method, simply cut them ALL from 5.5" x 7.5" rectangles, half face up ad half face down. That generates more waste but less confusion. 

The Month 3 Video, in Instructional Videos on the Pattern page, goes into this method in detail. 

The Large piece Small House 3=o, Small House 4=k

The Smaller piece Small House 3=n, Small House 4=j

Some must be cut Face UP

Some must be cut Face DOWN

Next month we will add the Tree Trunks and Treetops and you will be sewing all 32 Small Houses into a complete circle. Then the fun begins!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

The BIG REVEAL!

 Finally! I can show the world the 2021 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show.

Designed exclusively for The Quilt Show by award-winning Australian designer, Wendy Williams, this quilt is only available on The Quilt Show through all of 2021. Color My World is a fun quilt that has so much to offer! It features Small buildings, Tall Buildings, Little Houses in the City, four landmark Skyscrapers and a beautiful Mariner's Compass center. All contained by Inner and Outer Roads and surrounded by Trees:

Here is my Sample quilt top, with my granddaughter, Stella, for size reference. I changed the Mariner's Compass center fabric choices to make this my own:

And here is mine, completely finished:

In the coming weeks, we will talk about Fabric Selection, the Kits that are available from The Quilt Show if you want them, and how to prepare now so you are ready on January 1, 2021 when paid Star Members of The Quilt Show will be able to print the first month's patterns for this quilt, absolutely FREE!

The Introduction  is up now under Download Instructions and my Fabric Selection Video is up under Instructional Videos. These are open to all. The patterns will only be available to Star Members, beginning January 1, 2021. 

My usual pitch--if you are not a Star Member of The Quilt Show, I can think of no better time to Join Now! Between now and December 31, 2020, you can download and/or print the 2020 Block of the Month Quilt, Afternoon Delight, designed by Sue Garman--an $80 bargain. It leaves December 31, 2020 and on January 1, 2021, this new Block of the Month becomes available--patterns are posted on the first of each month, throughout 2021. And you get access to ALL the shows ever produced, over 300 of them--you can learn so much for such a small cost.

I made my sample Color My World quilt in 8 weeks, start to finish, from the day I washed the fabric to the day I sewed on the label. I learned a lot:

1. How to use Freezer Paper Patterns--so many advantages to this method

2. Precise piecing means the circles all fit into each other--really!

3. Designing buildings any color I want them is fun

4. Machine Quilting this quilt myself was fun and easy

Each month I will have a Blog post with tips and tricks for that month's patterns. There will be Facebook Live posts, later shown on YouTube and videos showing exactly how I made this. Having someone walk you through this will add to your quiltmaking Journey.

I hope you will join me and many others as we create a bright and colorful world going forward into 2021. It has been SO hard to keep this under my hat all this time. Please let me know if you are as excited as I am about this one!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

It's a New Day. Every Day!

 It is such an honor and pleasure to be the "guest artist" on The Quilt Show--for the 3rd time now.

In a new studio, this time in Dallas:

This show will air January 1, 2021, and be FREE for the entire year for everyone. It features a truly exciting quilt designed by Wendy Williams of Flying Fish Kits. 

NONE of the quilts shown here are "THE ONE", but you get the idea--Wendy's quilts are bright and bold, energetic and fun to make. This quilt was designed exclusively for The Quilt Show and will only be available on The Quilt Show for all of 2021--and, best of all, the patterns are FREE FOR STAR MEMBERS!

Look at the amazing detail of Wendy's work. Here is Round The Garden, a quilt she is well known for. It is full of such intricate hand embroidery and embellishments, you can stare at it for hours:

Wendy is a well-known designer and teacher from Sydney, Australia. Her work is influenced by the bright colors, creatures and shapes of her landscape. She is most known for wool applique with amazing embellishments. Our new Block of the Month quilt does not have any wool or embellishment and just a bit of very simple applique. 

Here is one of Wendy's designs I was thrilled  would be in the Studio for taping. It is the 2020 Block of the Month quilt for Material Obsession, a quilt shop in Sydney, owned by Kathy Doughty, where Wendy teaches lots of classes. I first saw this on Instagram when  a student showed her work and I was so excited by it. Wendy should have the pattern available for sale now, if not soon:

Wendy says she likes to make Sampler quilts and this Block of the Month definitely falls in that category--BUT it is not your usual Sampler. 

Just a tease--I expect the quilt to be revealed in October, watch for a big announcement:

I learned a "new to me" technique, of folded edge freezer paper piecing. Judy Mathieson wrote about this method in her 3rd book on Mariner's Compass quilts, published in 2005. In my copy of the book I have hand-written notes and highlighted sections so I know I read about this method way back then. For this quilt I actually used it and it is such a great method for this quilt and others that use many of the same patterns over and over. I am very eager to teach it to you:

 

COVID has made things a bit different this time around. To minimize the number of people on set, only Ricky is hosting--Alex and her husband John remained in CA, along with the amazing techno-guru Mary Kay Davis. Everyone wore a mask at all times. The guest artists were provided a form of mask with a clear plastic front that we could wear during the actual taping. At least this allows our face and mouth to be seen. If the guest preferred, they could wear their own mask, but masks are required for all.  I look forward to the day this show will air and people will say "MASKS--what is up with THAT?!"

And there is no studio audience. As the guest, this seems like it will make it easier for me, less nerve-wracking to have all those people watching hour after hour of taping. BUT, no laughter either--I am energized by the laughter of my audience and I want us all to have FUN, as we learn. Oh, well, just one more thing a little different this time.

If you are not yet a member of The Quilt Show I encourage you to try the super special price of $19.95 for 6 months, currently available--or $39.95 for a full year--the lowest prices ever for this subscription service to a world-wide quilting community. You have access to ALL 13+ years of shows and so much more. Including the current Block of the Month patterns, Afternoon Delight by Sue Garman, and you will be all set to start the 2021 Block of the Month quilt--by Wendy Williams, coming in January. 

I have been a fan of The Quilt Show for a lot longer than I have been involved "behind the scenes". Check out this post to see why you should join now: What The Quilt Show Offers One of the things I love most, is when someone sends me a note to say "I finally took your advice and joined--wish I had done it sooner!" This happens a lot.

It was fun and exciting and a bit scary, but I loved every minute of my visit to Dallas for taping. The new crew seemed to learn how The Quilt Show people work and what the plan is to produce excellent shows for our audience. Behind the scenes:

And it was wonderful to work with some of the best folks in television again--Zumi, Betsy and Shelly--all have worked to produceThe Quilt Show for at least 10 years. These are really good people:

 After dinner at The Ranch at Las Colinas 

I hope you will watch when the show airs January 1, 2021. You can bet I'll remind you.

Let's quilt,

Barbara

AFTERNOON DELIGHT--Month 8

This pattern is the 2020 Block of the Month pattern offered FREE to Star members of The Quilt Show--join today to receive the entire year of patterns free. This is in addition to all the great content provided by The Quilt Show, 26 shows, a new one every two weeks, and so much more. If you want to know more about why I am such a fan, here is why.

This month brings two more applique blocks and more Double 9 Patches, unless you are done all 64 of those. A few people have mentioned on the Forum that they just couldn't bring themselves to do all those Double 9 Patches with 3/4" finished squares. Someone mentioned a great alternative:  just make regular 9 patches. The blocks are 6.75" finished, so the squares are manageable at 2.25" finished. This will still give the quilt strong diagonal lines and have the feel of the original, with much less work. As I always say, "It's YOUR quilt, you get to decide".

Here are the two blocks in my sample quilt made with the help of the Sunday Sew and Sews last year:

Block 25

Block 26

I hope you are taking the time to watch the 4 Master Classes that The Quilt Show has put together--they include the best of many past shows. Two are on Piecing and two are on Applique. I "watch" them as I am sewing and jump up if I see something I just have to really watch closely. Some of my favorite teachers are in these shows, some who no longer teach and sadly, Sue Garman, who has passed away. Such a great way to see the wide variety of instruction and inspiration membership in The Quilt Show provides.

Recently, Alex Anderson told the world I am making the 2021 Block of the Month quilt from Australian designer Wendy Williams' pattern. Wendy has designed an exclusive quilt pattern only available in 2021 from The Quilt Show. I am hard at work on the machine quilting right now so I can be ready to tape The Quilt Show in Dallas later this month. I first wrote about this Here.

How about a teaser:

Mostly the back but there is a pretty amazing border fabric...

Eventually, you will get to see the entire quilt in all its' glory. I just know you are going to love it.

Let's quilt.

Barbarra

The Cat Is Out of the Bag

The other day Alex Anderson told the world I am making the 2021 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show. Yes, that is the "Secret Sewing" I have been working for a while now.

The designer is the amazing Wendy Williams. She lives in Australia so will not be able to come to the US next month for the taping of the show that will present the quilt to the world. The show will air January 1, 2021, but I will be in Dallas taping it August 21, 2020--less than 4 weeks from now.

Check out the wonderful designs Wendy has made--her patterns are for sale on her website:  Flying Fish Kits   The quilt we will be making as the 2021 TQS Block of the Month is NOT one of those patterns. Wendy has designed an exclusive quilt pattern just for TQS members and it will ONLY be available on www.thequiltshow.com beginning January 1, 2021 and running until December 31, 2021.

Over the Hill by Wendy Williams

Round the Garden by Wendy Williams

My Place or Yours by Wendy Williams

These are just teasers of the kind of patterns Wendy designs and the bright colors she likes to use. The look is fresh and vibrant and exciting.

The Australian look is different from what I usually gravitate to but I LOVE this quilt and am having a lot of FUN making it. I learned a new-to-me-technique, paper piecing with Freezer Paper, that I am eager to share with you.The quilting is in the home stretch and I am enjoying that process too.

No, I still can't show you the quilt--be patient another month or two, but here is a teaser:

Just some of the threads I am quilting with--this is the back of the quilt

As usual, I have several projects going. at the same time. This week I finished the top for a new workshop I am calling "It's a Puzzle", based on an antique quilt that looks much more complicated than it is. It is now basted and I am thinking about quilting designs as I do other things:

The other project that will become a new workshop is still under construction--being used as a Leader/Ender project at the moment. Also based on an antique block, I call this "Cobblestones". I designed it in EQ8 in a variety of sizes. 12" was too big, 8" and 7" had weird sizes for the pieces, 6" is more workable, so it will be a smaller quilt, like a crib or toddler size:

Back to the quilting of the 2021 Block of the Month--so glad I can talk about it, just a bit.

Let's quilt.

Barbara