Serendipity Blog Tour

Many of you will be familiar with my love for Minki Kim's (@zeriano) work.  I have long loved her Sewing Illustration and her fabric collections are so reflective of her style and flair. Today I am sharing with you here latest fabric collection for Riley Blake Fabrics called - Serendipity.

This collections features Minki's signature illustrations with absolutely gorgeous prints of little girls spending time under trees and having picnics.  Along with a beautiful Hexagon "Cheater Print" with cute hexes all ready to go without the fuss of sewing them yourself.  Sweet strawberries and Flowers together with cute Birds and Dandelions have you dreaming of childhood days.  The bright colours in the Pinks and Blues absolutely compliment the Low Volume Prints perfectly. 

I knew straight away it was going to be hard to settle on making just one project with these beautiful fabrics - hence why I have made 3.  First up I decided to make a Crochet Trim Blanket.  With fabrics perfect for a little fussy cutting together with busier prints - this blanket meant that I could use every print in the range to make this Crochet Trim Blanket.  

The beauty of this Crochet Trim Blanket is that the actual quilt is very simple to make which lets the prints shine and be the star.  With some simple machine Quilting (using one of my favourite Aurifil Colours #2405 - Oyster) I was able to quickly sew this quilt all ready for the Crochet trim to be crocheted on.

With the crochet trim on - this is such a sweet and cute blanket, perfect to make for a little toddler or to celebrate the arrival of a new baby as a gift.  These Serendipity fabrics are just so cute.

Crochet Trim Blanket pattern available here

I told you these fabrics are cute - well how adorable does this PJ Pal look in Serendipity.  I really love the Floral and Strawberry prints in the range and there was the perfect mix of colours to make this PJ Pal.  These PJ Pal's are the perfect place to keep the kids PJ's away during the day.  They won't be on the floor anymore, however tucked away in this cute Bear. 

PJ Pal Pattern available here

(Sew Along is a joint pattern venture between 

Tied with a Ribbon and Claire Turpin Design)

And lastly I had to make my latest pattern - Rip It Mini Quilt.  I think of all the prints this stunning Dandelion Print in Cream that I have used for the background is one of my favourites.  I am definitely going to be getting hold of more once this fabric range arrives in stores.

This Mini Quilt is all about the "not so fun part" of sewing and quilting. Whether you call it a Seam Ripper, an Unpicker or Reverse Sewing it is defiantly one of the less joyful parts of sewing but means sometimes that is exactly how to get things right.  This Rip It Min Quilt is fun to make and I love how they show off these Serenditpty prints.  Those Strawberries are another firm favourite of mine.  

Rip It Mini Quilt Pattern available here 

Minki's works truly stands out in this Quilting and fabric industry and I am proud to call her a friend.  She is truly as delightful as her fabrics and Illustration works. Serendipity is shipping to stores now and definitely should be on your list.

Happy Quilting 

Jemima x x

Latest Pattern Releases - Rip It Mini Quilt, A Pattern Bundle and Tinseltown Quilt.

Over the past few weeks I have released several new patterns.  

The first up is my new Rip It Mini Quilt!

A new play on words Mini Quilt about the "not so fun" part of quilting and sewing to add to your collection.

This pattern had been swirling around in my head for a long time.  I knew I wanted to make a round Mini Quilt to add to my #sewingquotequilt collection of Mini Quilts and using the theme some how of a Seam Ripper.  For a long time I played with different layouts adding more elements, taking away things but eventually deciding on this design going with much simpler details that originally intended. 

It is funny to note that depending on where in the world you live - this piece of sewing equipment has different names - some call it a "Seam Ripper", for others it is know as an "Unpicker" and to others a "Quick Unpick".  

No matter what you call it, it is certainly one part of the quilting and sewing process that we generally don't like but certainly makes things better in the end!

This Rip It Mini Quilt is perfect for Quilt Swaps, to gift for a friend, to hang in your sewing space or to just make for fun.  

I'd love to see your version so please tag me over on instagram - @tiedwitharibbon and share using #ripitminiquilt, #tiedwitharibbonpatterns

With the release of my fourth #sewingquotequilt, I thought it was time to put together a Bundle Pattern deal for those who would like to purchase all four of these Sewing Quote Mini Quilts (for a better price than purchasing each individually).

You can get the pattern, here for the 

Sewing Quote Mini Quilts - 4 Bundle

Its never too early in the year to sew Christmas quilts right!  Here in Perth, Western Australia - it doesn't snow - in fact we are in the peak of our Summer with some of our hottest days of the year during the festive season.  

This quilt is all about what I imagine a Village looks like during a beautiful snowy Christmas day!  

Introducing - Tinseltown

A Village at Christmas time, covered with the whitest of snow, houses trimmed with Fairy Lights and Christmas Trees with Tinsel and Christmas Tree Stars to light up the Village.  

This Quilt uses Foundation Paper Piecing and Applique to make this quilt.  The pattern walks you through the steps of Foundation Paper Piecing so if you are new to this technique you will find these instructions helpful to walk you through the construction.  

This is a Traditional colour way of the quilt and I am have been busy making a "Brights" version, so no matter what your Christmas Colours are to decorate your home during the festive Season then this quilt will look magical.

You can get the pattern here for this Quilt - Tinseltown

I'd love to see your version so please tag me @tiedwitharibbon over on instagram and share using #tinseltownquilt, #tiedwitharibbonpatterns

Patterns are also available Wholesale through Creative Abundance for stores who would like to carry this pattern.  2 pattern options are available to wholesale customers, not only the regular pattern version but also a "Workshop Edition" of this pattern.  It comes with Full Colour Instructions and a Complete Set of Paper Templates to make both the Pillows.  That means that you can simply take the Templates out and start sewing straight away.  That means no mucking about with tracing or Photocopying patterns and that makes it great for Workshops and customers alike.  

More Information about Foundation Paper Piecing can be found here on my blog with some past posts and also the Online Course I created for the Quilting Company.  

Foundation Paper Piecing Made Easy

Farmers Wife - Foundation paper Piecing Block

Have you ever given Foundation Paper Piecing a go before - I'd love to hear your experiences with it? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Quilting

Jemima x x 

Coming Soon - Aurora Quilt Sew-Along

I am so, so excited to be hosting the Aurora Quilt Sew-Along.  This is my first hosting gig and I cant wait to Sew Along with you over the coming weeks.  There has been a lot of love for the Aurora Quilt so I thought it would be a fun and inspiring adventure to host a Sew-Along.

Earlier this year I designed this quilt to share my love for Half Square Triangle s and as a way to explore and show of fabrics, prints and colours in a quilt. The Aurora Quilt Pattern comes in Two Quilt size options - Lap - 64.5in x 65.5in (164cm x 164cm) and Queen - 80.5in x 80.5in (205cm x 205cm) as well as a Pillow size 16.5in x 16.5in (42cm x 42cm).

The Sew Along will be 8 weeks long which gives you plenty of time to work through the quilt without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.  I will be hosting it over on Instagram using the #auroraquiltsewalong and #auroraquilt hash tags.  There will be prizes from some fantastic sponsors, newsletters with information about each week along with tips and helpful tricks to make your #auroraquilt.  

AURORA QUILT SEW_ALONG DETAILS

Dates - June 4th - July 24th

Duration - 8 weeks

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Get a copy of the Aurora Quilt pattern 

Sign up for the Aurora Quilt Newsletter 

Follow along with me @tiedwitharibbon using the hash tags - #auroraquiltsewalong and #auroraquilt

SUPPLIES NEEDED

To make your quilt you will need:

I also used a Bloc-Loc Half Square Triangle Ruler.  These are completely optional but are a tool I use all the time to make Half-Square Triangles.

I am going to be using Cotton and Steel's - Spectacle Range by Christian Robinson for my Aurora Quilt in the Sew-Along.

The pattern also comes with a Colouring In Page to help you plan out your fabric choices.

SCHEDULE

Week 1 - Choose and cut fabrics

Week 2 - Make Half Square Triangles

Week 3 - Construct 1st Quadrant

Week 4 - Construct 2nd Quadrant

Week 5 - Construct 3rd Quadrant

Week 6 - Construct 4th Quadrant

Week 7 - Sewing Together Quilt, Quilting, catch-up if needed

Week 8 - Finishing up, Binding 

PRIZES

I have some amazing Sponsors on board for this Sew Along - Check them out!

SewMondo - Aurifil 12wt Threads 

Along with a special discount coupon for Aurora Quilt Newsletter Subscribers

Cottoneer Fabrics - 1/2yd Bundle Spectacle Fabrics

Sew Stitching Happy - 10 FQ Fabric Bundle

Ava and Neve - Liberty Fabric Bundle

My Fabricology - Merchant and Mills Scissors and Aurifil Thread

Aurifil - Allison Glass Thread Box

Quilters Candy Box - Some Fabric, Pattern and Notions 

Maker Valley - A T-shirt Voucher and Pins

I told you there are some great prizes up for grabs! You don't want to miss out on all the fun! I will also have some extra Spot prizes here and there as well.

The Aurora Quilt is a beginner friendly pattern or great for those with more experience.  You have so many fabric style options that you can make this quilt from - you can make it with a Range of fabrics, Solids, Two-Toned, Scrappy along with so many other fabric options.  I'll give lots of details and ideas in the Aurora Quilt Sew-Along Newsletter to help you choose your fabrics to get you started along with lots of helpful hints along the way.

So don't forget to get your copy of the Aurora Quilt pattern and sign up for the  Aurora Quilt Sew-Along Newsletter (there will be a special Aurora Pattern coupon code included in the Newsletter going out next week) here to RSVP.  

Happy Quilting

Jemima x x

Machine Quilting Tips

A lot of people find this part of the Quilting process a little daunting - mostly it comes down to practice - the more you practice the better your machine quilting will become.  I am sharing some of the things I think that will help the most and they ways I prefer to do things, to set yourself up to enjoy and be successful at machine quilting.

Here are all my tips and tricks for successful Machine and Free Motion Quilting.

NEEDLES

* Make sure to change your machine needle at least every 8 sewing hours or at the start of a new quilt.

* I recommend using Universal size 80 needles.

* If using thicker style threads such as Aurifl 12wt - use a Topstitch needle.

THREADS

* I love to use a variety of different threads when machine quilting - you can     create lots of interest and detail in your quilt by using different colours, weights and specialty style threads such as Metallic and Variegated threads.

* My favourites are Aurifil threads - in 50wt, 12wt and Brillo (metallic). Always   use a good quality thread so that you don't have trouble with snapping,    shedding or breaking.

* I like to use the same thread usually top and bottom.  If you make them different colours then you need to test your tension on a scrap piece of fabric first so that the thread colours do not blend through to the alternate side.

MARKING TOOLS

* My favourite tools to mark up a design on a quilt are Masking Tape, Clover    Herra Marker or this Sewline Air-erasable Fabric Pen.  Make sure that if you   use any pens or fabric markers - you read the instructions carefully for how to remove the pen/marks from you quilt before you iron or wash your quilt.  

SANDWICHING YOUR QUILT

* With a Quilt always have your wadding and backing at least 4in larger around all sides of your quilt.  I allow 2in larger for Mini Quilts or Cushions.

* I like to use natural Cotton Batting - there is a large choice of different types of fibre content for Battings - each will yield a different result when quilted.

* I prefer to Pin-baste my quilts - as shown in the picture.  Pin about a "fistful" apart.  Make sure to remove pins from the area you are machine quilting as you go.

* When using white background fabrics I prefer to use a "Bleached White"  Cotton Batting so that the white stays nice and bright.  Natural Batting can leave white fabrics looking "discoloured".

FREE MOTION QUILTING

* Free Motion quilting requires attaching the Free Motion Foot to your machine and dropping down the feed dogs (the serrated teethe under the stitch plate).  When you are stitching with these - you are in complete control of your machine and its sewing - this takes practice but the more you do the better you will become. 

* It is important not to create "drag" on your quilt when machine quilting.  Roll  the quilt so that the bulk is on the outside of the machine rather than in the quilting bed (neck).

* Get comfortable - make sure you position yourself so that you are at the right height and can sit well at the chair so that you are not "hunched" over your  machine.

* Start in 1/4 of the quilt and work your way around in a circular motion, unrolling the quilt as you go if you are working on a Free Motion design.  When Machine Quilting lines, sew all the horizontals and then all of the verticals.  Take your quilt out of the machine and re-roll when needed to help reduce the bulk of the quilt in the quilting bed and to make sure you don't have "drag" on your quilt.

QUILTING PATTERNS

* There are lot of different patterns you can make when Machine/Free Motion Quilting

* Machine Quilting - you can make Cross Hatching, Double Cross Hatching or   Curved Cross-Hatching Tram-lines just to name a few I use regularly.

* Free Motion Patterns I love to use are Stippling, Loops, Geometric Patterns,   and designs which incorporate all of these. 

* I recommend going to your local Quilting store and taking lessons on Free   Motion and Machine Quilting.  This will really help to increase your confidence and you can work through with them if you are having any issues with your machine and having someone right there can really help.  It is also a great way of practicing. 

               

Happy Quilting

Jemima x x 

All Stars Pillow Tutorial

I think it safe to say that with each Tula Pink collection - the designs and colours get better and better - well - meet "All Stars".  Hands down my favourite collection to date.  Tula Pink All Stars features some of Tula's favourite prints - not just re-printed but these have been re-coloured and given a new feel to make a whole collection of all your past favourites.  Along with gorgeous focal prints - "Stripes" and "Pom Poms" along with "Tula Pink Solids" round out this amazing range.  

Here is a fun cushion to make to brighten up any spot - a chair, a bed or a reading nook  Take your favourite prints and solids and get making with this fun and bright Tutorial for you to make your own "All Stars Pillow"

All Stars Pillow

20.5in x 20.5in

1/4in seam allowance included

Requirements -   ½yd (45cm) Background fabric (Glacier)

                            Fat ¼ or 20cm each of 4 Prints

                            Fat ¼ or 20cm each of 4 Solids 

                                 (Cornflour, Sweet Pea, Taffy, Agean)        

  6in (15cm) Binding

                            24in x 24in of Batting

                            ½yd (45cm) Backing fabric

                            Machine sewing thread

                            Erasable marking pen

                            Rotary Cutter, ruler and mat

                            General sewing supplies

                            Size 20 Cushion Insert

Cutting Fabric - 

From the Background fabric, cut 16 – 3in x 3in squares and 16 – 3½in x 3½in squares

From each Print cut 4 – 3½in x 3½in squares

From each Solid fabric colour cut 4 - 3½in x 3½in squares

From the Binding fabric cut 2 – 2½in strips for the binding

From the Backing Fabric cut 2 – 16½in x 20½in rectangles

Instructions - 

Step 1 - Cut Fabrics as per cutting instructions.

Step 2 - To make 1 Star Block you will need the following – 4 Background fabric 3in squares, 4 Background fabric 3½in squares, 4 – 3½in fabrics squares from 1 print and 4 – 3½in fabrics from a solid fabric.

Step 3 - To make the centre pinwheel block - draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of 2 of the same 3.5in square prints using your erasable marker. Place a marked square on top of the solid print with right sides together. Pin to hold.

Sew down each side of the marked line using a ¼in seam.  Cut through the diagonal of the square on the marked line and press seam towards the darker fabric.  Repeat for the other pair of squares.

Step 4 - Trim these squares to 3in.  This will make 4 HST (Half Square Triangles) units in total.

Step 5 - To make the outside star points – take the 2 remaining squares from print 1, the 2 remaining squares from the solid print and the 4 – 3½in Background fabric squares.  Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on each of the fabric prints.  Pair each up with a Background fabric square and pin to hold. Sew down each side of the marked line using a ¼in seam. 

Step 6 - Cut through the diagonal of the square on the marked line and press seam towards the darker fabric.  Repeat for the other 3 squares.  This will make 8 – HST units in total.

Step 7 - Layout the following fabrics to make the rows

Row 1 – Background fabric 3in square, Solid/ Background fabric HST, Background fabric /Print HST, Background fabric 3in square.

Row 2 – Background fabric /Print HST, Print/Solid HST, Print/Solid HST, Solid/ Background fabric HST

Row 3 - Background fabric /Solid HST, Solid/Print HST, Solid/Print HST, Print/ Background fabric HST

Row 4 - Background fabric 3in square, Print/ Background fabric HST, Background fabric/Solid HST, Background fabric 3in square.

Arrange the star so that the same colour print matches up at the points.

Step 8 - Sew each of the 4 squares in each row together pressing alternate rows in the opposite direction.  This will mean that when you sew up each row the seams will “nest” and lay nice and flat.  Press rows downwards.  Your block will measure 10.5in (unfinished)

Step 9 - Repeat steps 2-8 to make a total of 4 star blocks. Sew up the squares of your pillow by sewing each of the 2 Blocks together the make a row.  Press the seams in the same direction.  Sew each of the rows together pressing alternate rows in the same direction. 

Step 10 - Baste and Quilt your Pillow top – centre the pillow top over the batting, pin to baste then Machine quilt your pillow top.  Trim Batting to size.

I used Aurifil Brillo #800 to quilt my pillow top.

Step 10 - To make the Envelope Back – take the backing rectangles, fold down the backing fabric ½in down from the 20½in end.  Press in place.  Now turn over and pin this folded edge down 1in, pin and press in place.   Machine stitch down both the folded edges to hold in place.  Repeat this for the second backing piece. Take your completed cushion top and the completed back envelope panels.  Place the Front of your cushion down onto the bench (so you can see the wadding), place your first back panel on top of the wadding facing you, matching the raw edges of the side of your cushion front and the raw short edge of your backing.  Then lay your second backing piece down along the opposite raw edge also so that the right side is facing you.  Pin around the outside edges and sew these three layers together by sewing just in from the raw edges to hold in place to make it easier to sew on your binding.  

Step 11 - Take the binding strips and join them end to end.  Press the seam open.  Then press the entire strip in half lengthways with wrong sides facing.  Start about half of the way along one side of the pillow, sew the binding strip to the right side of the pillow, mitring the corners as you go.  Stop about 6in from where you started.  Join the ends and cut off excess.  Continue sewing the binding to the pillow top.  Fold over the binding and slip stitch into place along the back-seam line.

I'd love to see your All Stars Pillow - tag me over on Instagram (@tiedwitharibbon) and share using #allstarspillow, #tiedwitharibbonpatterns, 

#tiedwitharibbontutorial

Happy sewing!

Jemima x