Dresden Quilt Workshop Quilt-Along Week #2

Week #

It’s fun to see the progress of participants with your completed Week #1 “Quilts” block!

Thanks for posting & sending me pics.

If you’re not part of my Facebook group, Dresden Quilt Workshop,

head over there & sign up so you too can share & see all the progress.

 

This week we will refer to

Sharing My Happy quilt, page 22.

The “parts” are scattered across the quilt:

Since we’ll start making Tiny Dresden plate blocks this week,

you’ll want to read Tiny & Mini Dresden Plate Assembly Techniques,

starting on page 16.

You’ll learn all of my tricks & techniques to make

FLAT & ROUND little Dresden plates;

VERY IMPORTANT traits for Dresden plates of any size!

After I cut 3″ strips of each stripe print,

I cut apart all of the stripe fabrics so I could easily use 1 at a time.

Have I mentioned lately that this collection,

Circulus & Lollies Sweet, is the PERFECT collection for this quilt! Lol…

BTW, I still have kits available on my website.

Now you’ll make:

• 1 Tiny Dresden Four-Patch block 
• 1 sawtooth border strip of 6 hst’s plus a 2″ square  
• 2 sawtooth border strips of 7 hst’s plus a 2″ square

Key point this week is to “Check Your Sewing Accuracy” found on page 20.

Sew 2 Tiny Dresden petals together and lay them on top of the illustration there.

The petal pair should fit perfectly like mine do 🙂

If yours do not fit perfectly, your plates will not lie flat!

See the notes also found there if your petals don’t lie flat.

Basically, you’re not sewing a scant 1/4″ seam if they don’t fit exactly.

See page 12 for making a precise scant 1/4″ seam with the

Perfect Piecing Seam Guide by Perkins Dry Goods.

It’s my best advice!

Just Keep Sewing…

& showing us your progress on my Dresden Quilt Workshop FB Group.

Susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DQW Sampler Week #1 Progress

How is your Week #1 progress?

I hope your block is finished or almost finished.

Tomorrow you’ll have more fun to work on!

I have my block hanging on my “new” coolest-ever antique cabinet.

I knew I needed this thing as soon as I saw it at Tinner’s Anvil

in downtown Alton last month.

The two oval beveled mirrors are beautiful.

It was love at first sight!

I told myself I didn’t “need” it.

Well, after I got home I realized it would fit perfectly where I wanted it to hang.

With the help of my camera & computer I “put” it on my wall, Lol…

A bit of a freak I KNOW!!!

& now you know a bit more of how my crazy brain works!

Sorry…

The next day we went back & bought it, brought it home & David hung it for me.

It took me about 5 minutes to vacuum up the mess of drilling holes in the wall

& then start filling it with my “junk”!

Last week I used a couple more of those cute little hangers to hang

my “Quilts” block from the drawer pulls.

The perfect spot for it to hang out for now.

It makes me smile!

I hope my quilts help you to smile too!

See you tomorrow.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

Dresden Quilt Workshop Quilt-Along Week #1

Week #

I’m so excited that you’ve decided to join the challenge

& sew my Dresden Quilt Workshop Sampler with me!

It is such an honor to have you join me.

You’re going to love the finished quilt.

It was so much fun to create & so beautiful too!

Everything you need is in the pages of my book;

Dresden Quilt Workshop.

I’m just going to help you realize it!

Each week, for 26 weeks, we will create a portion of the quilt

using bits of each of the 13 quilts in the book.

Today it’s finally time to get started with week #1!

This week we will refer to

Button Box quilt, page 51.

This step was chosen first because the block touches so many other blocks in the quilt.

Whenever I make a sampler quilt I’m careful to plan

 the fabrics so they will not blend into each other.

That can change or even ruin a design.

I had fun auditioning fabrics for this block.

In the end, my favorite lime green won out for more reasons that it’s my favorite.

I really liked the contrast of the black letters on the green.

This is the only block in the quilt where I changed the dimensions.

This block will fit on a fat 1/4 yd. (18″ x 22″).

Cut the background 9 1/2″ x 21 1/2″.

(Not as instructed for the actual Button Box quilt in the book!)

Follow the illustration below & the instructions on page 56 to make the applique.

If you purchased one of my kits,

you can use the “Authentic” black fabric

with words printed on it for the “Quilts” applique too.

Just remember, yours doesn’t need to match mine.

Use whatever fabric you want anywhere in the quilt.

Please note: I’m VERY FRUGAL when it comes to using sample fabric in a quilt.

Sample meaning, new and not yet available in quilt shops,

but if you follow my blog you already know that…

Many of my quilts are made with sample fabrics generously supplied by Moda.

I order what I think I need and if I need a bit more of something it may or may not be available so I use it very sparingly.

If you’re more liberal with your cutting you may not be able to use your kit the same way I used my sample fabrics.

You may also want add more fabrics to make it your own.

It’s your quilt!

 

I love using Sulky’s 12 wt. threads for my fusible web applique.

I like to say that it reminds me of when I was little & outlined everything with my black crayon!

(Most often I use this thread in black. This sample is an exception.)

It covers the raw edge of the fusible web really well & it makes my applique stand out.

That’s what we want, right?

With the REALLY busy print in this fabric it’s hardly the best example,

but I love it just the same.

Once you’ve stitched around the letters you’re done with this week’s challenge.

I hope you enjoy week #1!

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

Just 1 week ’til the start of DQW Quilt-Along

Just 1 more week!

Are you sharpening your little Dresden skills???

I recommend that you prep your fabrics

like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.

In case you’re just now joining us,

that means spraying & ironing them with Mary Ellen’s Best Press.

I also mentioned for those of you that are using the same

Circulus & Lollies Sweet fabric collection like I used,

to cut 3″ strips of each of the stripe fabrics & hang

them like I did on these adorable little hangers so you can see them all at once.

Those 3″ strips of the stripe fabrics

can be used for the border.

The finished quilt is 62″ x 62″.

You’ll need a bit more than 6 strips for the border.

Do you see the one strip that is all black & gray stripes?

I didn’t want to use that one in the border.

If you don’t want to use that one either,

you’ll want to cut another strip

to use in its place as well.

(7 strips total)

Thanks Heather for reminding me to note that to everyone here!

I suggest hanging the extra strips on a hanger too

so you don’t accidentally use them before you get to the border!

Am I the only one that in a few weeks would wonder…

hmm… why did I cut this? & then use it for another part of the quilt???

Lol… NOT!

My memory stinks, so any little trick I can use to

remind myself of something I better use it…… NOW!!!

Another prep step you can do now:

(Circulus & Lollies Sweet users)

cut all of those stripe fabrics apart on the black & white or blue & white lines that separate the stripes.

Aside from the border strips I didn’t use any of the stripe prints more than 1 print at a time.

So, I cut them apart to make them more convenient to use.

But hey, it’s your quilt!

Do your own thing!

In case you already cut all of the stripes apart BEFORE cutting off enough 3″ strips for your border,

contact me & I can probably help you with that!

Aside from prepping your fabrics, please read in Dresden Quilt Workshop:

• Perfect Tools for Perfect Little Petals, starting page 9
• Mini Classroom, starting page 12
• Tiny & Mini Dresden Plate Assembly Techniques, starting page 16

This will help you to jump right in next week when we start cutting & sewing.

Learning how & why I do what I do for perfect little Dresden plates will help you to have similar results!

Send me an email if you have any questions.

SuznQuilts@aol.com

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

Just 2 weeks ’til the start of DQW Quilt-Along

I hope you’re going to join me in the challenge to make what I think is

one of the most awesome quilts that I’ve ever designed!

You’re going to love it, I promise!

Today I want to mention a couple of things to help you get ready.

First, book binding.

I took my Dresden Quilt Workshop to Office Max

& for less than $5 had a small binding put on it.

This will allow it to lie flat when it’s open.

No need to constantly bend it open.

Second, I’ve made a color in sheet for you.

Either right click the image below to print it,

or go to my website’s home page and you can print the pdf from there.

The link is just below the image of the quilt.

You can either make color choices & color each block before you begin

or color in the blocks as we go to track your progress.

I’m looking forward to starting, you?

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

Looking Forward Winner

Hi Quilting friends,

The lucky winner of the Jen Kingwell fat 1/8th bundle of Looking Forward

is #2.

Loraine Jarman Says:

July 20, 2018 at 9:26 pm e

You use the single finger pump bottle because it allows a very fine spray that will evenly coat but no saturate small fabric pieces.

This is correct!

Mary Ellen’s Best Press is the best for my little Dresden plates and all of my quilting cottons.

Now Loraine will have to decide what to do with the lovely fat 1/8th bundle

because she already bought a kit from me to make Dresden Quilt Workshop Sampler with.

What a tragedy!

Maybe she’ll make 2 versions?

If you know Loraine, she’ll have it made into something in no time at all

& have her own wheelbarrow full of scraps.

If you still need a kit for the Quilt-Along I have them available on my website.

Thanks Moda for the lovely fabrics for the give-away!

Lissa Alexander actually gave me 2 bundles, so watch for another give-away.

I’ll be bringing you more Dresden Quilt Workshop Quilt-Along prepping ideas soon.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan

 

 

 

 

 

Jen Kingwell, Looking Forward Give-Away Tomorrow!

Quilting friends,

Have you left me a comment for a chance to win the fat 1/8th bundle

that I mentioned in my last post?

These lovelies will go to a lucky winner tomorrow!

It could be you maybe…

You could soon be filling your own wheelbarrow!

Disclaimer*** wheelbarrow not included.

You’ll have to find your own!

See you tomorrow.

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan