30 Quilts for 30 Years Blog Hop

A Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Celebration

Welcome! Today is my day for the Robert Kaufman 30 Quilts for 30 Years blog hop! The team at Robert Kaufman are celebrating 30 years of Kona Cotton solids with 30 days of blog posts and giveaways!

Tangled Quilt
Quilt measures 72 inches x 72 inches 
Features 25 Kona Cotton colors (+ background fabric).

I am pretty excited to finally be able to show you the quilt that I designed and made (pieced and quilted) as part of this celebration. The quilt features in the 30 Quilts for 30 Years Kona Look Book. It is an honor to be included with so many great designers and quilters.

I decided to call the pattern Tangled - which seems an obvious choice - and the pattern is available as a FREE download from the Robert Kaufman website ~ here: Tangled Quilt Pattern (pdf file).

What's more, I was also asked collate my own Designer Palette Bundle of 25 Kona Colors - which made this project a little more challenging for me  ~ using all 25 colors in the one quilt. Choosing colors however was the fun and easy part!

Rita Hodge Designer Palette Kona Bundle

The Tangled Quilt includes all of these colors and no more than 1 fat quarter of each color is required to complete the quilt (plus yardage of the background fabric - Kona in Snow).

Rita Hodge Designer Kona Palette Bundle is in stores now and available from:

The Fat Quarter Shop ~ Quilt Kit also available.
Fabric Bubb

I also have a few fat quarter bundles listed in my Etsy Store however shipping outside of Australia is cost prohibitive.

GIVEAWAY:

With thanks to Robert Kaufman Fabrics I am giving away a Charm Pack of the Rita Hodge Designer Palette to one lucky reader.

To be in the draw please leave a comment on this blog post.  Please email me if you are not able to leave a comment (redpepperquilts at gmail dot com) and I will leave a comment on your behalf. International readers are welcome to enter. Only one entry per person/email address.

A winner will be announced on Friday 14 November 2014, at 2 pm (Australia EDT) by edit to this blog post.

Thank you for all of your entries!

ENTRY HAS NOW CLOSED.

The winner of the charm pack is:

Congratulations Sona!  Sona has been contacted by email.

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
30 Quilts for 30 Years Kona Look Book 
All blog hop participants.

Ohio Star Quilt ~ Work in Progress

Traditional patchwork and simple piecing really is my "thing" ~ where I am in my element and can spend hours cutting fabric, sewing and pressing (and trimming) and not at all be bored by the repetitive tasks. Sometimes I watch a movie, or listen to music, sometimes it all happens in quiet contemplation. Every block is different and the variety in fabric combinations alone is enough to hold my interest.

This quilt is based on traditional patchwork units and the Ohio Star Block with variation (I've marked the Ohio Star Block block as it tends to get lost in the design if you are not sure what you're looking for) and is inspired by the Bee (Swap) Quilt by Karen from Blueberry Park. In effect, this quilt is created by alternating a square with an Hourglass Block. It is super simple but really effective and it is the perfect scrap project.

I've made up my own block sizes (which can easily be adjusted to whatever block size you prefer to work with) and  started cutting fabric late last week generally from stash, although I like to think I have used up some of my scraps. It doesn't look like it when I look at my scrap bins.

Cutting instructions:

4.5 inch squares (for the simple square blocks)

5.5 inch squares for the Hourglass units

Piecing Hourglass Units:

I have used an easy piecing method for my Hourglass units (making 2 Hourglass units at once) in the same way that I have documented in my Hourglass Block Tutorial (when working your way through the tutorial please remember that you're making 4.5 inch square Hourglass units - from 5.5 inch squares of fabric - and that as always it is worthwhile to make a practice block before cutting all of your fabric. 

The Layout:

Too easy. Alternate a Square with an Hourglass unit and sew together in (horizontal) rows. 

My quilt is 17 rows of 14 units = total of 238 blocks 

(119 Squares + 119 Hourglass Units) 

and the quilt top measures 56.5 inches x 68.5 inches.

Happy sewing.

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Hourglass Block Tutorial
The Finished Ohio Star Quilt

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Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your holidays with family and friends 

and perhaps squeeze in a little time for fabric play and sewing.

I am spreading a little Christmas and holiday cheer ~ all Red Pepper Quilts Patterns in my Craftsy Store are reduced to $US6.00 for two days only.  No coupon required.  Patterns are available for immediate download. Sale has ended.

Red Pepper Quilts Craftsy Store

The following three Red Pepper Quilts Patterns are FREE ~

Kaleidoscope Block, Economy Block, and Hummingbird Block

Happy Holidays!  Stay safe.

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Red Pepper Quilts Craftsy Store

Details and Tutorials for Free Patterns

• Kaleidoscope Block
• Economy Block
• Hummingbird Block

Economy Block Quilt in Progress & Tutorial

This week I have been busy making Economy Blocks.  It seems this traditional patchwork block is well known but perhaps not as an Economy Block but rather as a Square in a Square block.  Either way it is a fun block to make!

I have pieced my blocks by rotary cutting the pieces, slightly over-sizing the triangles and trimming for accuracy. I thought it might be useful to share with you a tutorial for this process.  

ECONOMY (or Square in a Square) BLOCK TUTORIAL:

These instructions are for piecing a 5 1/2 inch Economy Block (including seam allowances).

For each block you will need:

• ONE 3 inch center square
• TWO 3 inch squares for inner triangles
• TWO 4 inch squares for outer triangles

Step 1 Cut squares for the inner and outer triangles in half on the diagonal.

Step 2 Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew a small triangle to the top and bottom of the center square. Press seam allowances away from the center square. Trim off excess fabric.

Step 3 Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew remaining inner triangles to the remaining sides. Press seam allowances away from the center square.

Step 4 Trim the unit to measure 4 inches x 4 inches. Place the 2 inch line of your ruler directly on top of the center point of the unit adding a quarter inch allowance all around:

Step 5  Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew the outer triangles to the unit  (in the same manner as described in step 2 and step 3 above).

Step 6 Trim the unit to measure 5 1/2 inches x 5 1/2 inches by placing the 2 3/4 inch mark of your ruler on what will be the center point of your unit (where the seams intersect), adding a quarter inch all around (see the black arrow). You will notice also that the center square is framed by the 1 1/2  inch and 4 inch lines on your ruler (see the red arrows).

And now you have a perfectly pieced 5 1/2 inch Economy block.

Of course there are other ways to piece this block including by cutting the exact size triangles and therefore avoiding the trimming process however I tend to prefer over-sizing and trimming units, especially when it comes to triangles.  There is no right or wrong way, do what works for you and what you are comfortable with.

The Economy Block can also be paper-pieced. Foundation Paper Piecing is easy and very accurate. In case this is your preferred piecing method I have made the Foundation Paper for this block available as a PDF file available for $2.00 from my Pattern Store. The download is ONLY for the 5 Inch Foundation Paper Piecing Pattern and does NOT including any paper piecing or assembly instructions but be sure to over size your pieces so ensure easy fabric placement : ~ 

5 Inch Economy Block Foundation Pattern (pdf file) 

I have made 80 Economy Blocks in the last few days; a fair amount of fussy cutting center squares, pulling out fabric from stash to work with, and sewing.  The best of times really.

And so my quilt top is finished  - the blocks pieced together into a quilt top without any stress. I am now ready to start basting and quilting.

If you have any questions regarding the tutorial above please don't hesitate to ask by leaving a comment and I will clarify by reply so as to benefit everyone.  

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:

The Finished Economy Block (I Spy Quilt)

5 Inch Economy Block Foundation Pattern (pdf file) available from RPQ Pattern Store.

Kaleidoscope Block and Free Foundation Paper Piecing Pattern

The weekend in stitches and pictures.

Kaleidoscope Patchwork Block

I stumbled upon pictures of Kerri's Kaleidoscope Pillow late last week and was immediately inspired to create my own Kaleidoscope patchwork pillow.   Having previously worked with a Kaleidoscope block I was able to quickly draft my own foundation paper-piecing pattern (using EQ7) for a 4 inch finished block.*

A and B Foundation Papers for a 4 inch Kaleidoscope Block

*my pattern is slightly different to Kerri's Kaleidoscope Pillow pattern - with the darker (corner wedges) being just a little wider.  If you'd prefer to hand-draw your foundation papers you can find a tutorial here (it is for Kerri's version of the Kaleidoscope block). 

I have made the Foundation Papers for this block available as a PDF file (ready to download and print) from my Online Pattern Store.  The pattern costs $2.00. The download is ONLY for the 4 Inch Foundation Paper Piecing Pattern and does NOT including any paper piecing or assembly instructions. 

However these basic instructions will assist you in successfully completing this project:

• Each Kaleidoscope block is made using an A Foundation Paper and a B Foundation Paper.
• The Kaleidoscope effect is created by alternating a dark and light (white background) fabric.  Start both the A and the B Foundation papers with a dark fabric and at number 1.
• Cut fabric pieces larger than required.  I cut each of my fabric pieces 2.5 inches x 4 inches.
• Reduce the length of your stitches.  This will make removal of the foundation paper a breeze and keeps your seams intact after the paper has been removed.  I go as short as 1.0 on my Bernina sewing machine.
• Don't stitch into the seam allowances that run around the edge of the foundation paper.  
• Don't remove your papers until after you have joined segment A and B together.

Once you have paper pieced both an A and a B segment you can sew the two segments together to make a Kaleidoscope block.  If you have not sewn into your seam allowances the seams that come together in the center will slide and lock together.  As you can see from the back of my block if you have started both the A and B  foundation papers at number 1 and have not sewn into your foundation paper your center seam will fold open and sit flat against the fabric. 

Kaleidoscope Block Patchwork - the back showing seam allowances.

I may have mentioned this before (several times) but I absolutely love paper piecing and there is no other method - that comes to mind - that is as accurate and easy for intricate patchwork piecing. If you need help mastering the Foundation Paper Piecing technique there's an online Craftsy Class that I can recommend by Carol Doak: (no longer available).

Don't be intimated by this technique, it really is very easy - sometimes you just need to actually see a technique in action rather than try and visualize it from words and a limited number of images.  We all learn differently.  Once you get that light-bulb moment you'll wonder why you waited so long ...

The Foundation Papers for the 4 Inch Kaleidoscope Block (pdf file) is available for purchase and ready to download from Store: Red Pepper Quilts Pattern Store.

Please note:

The foundation pattern does NOT come with paper piecing instructions but the above basic instructions will help in completing this project successfully.

Please print ACTUAL SIZE.  Do not reduce or scale to fit.

I printed my foundation papers on standard A4 copy paper without any difficulty removing the papers.

Happy Stitching!

Rita

RELEVANT LINKS:
Red Pepper Quilts Pattern Store
Kaleidoscope Medallion Quilt in Progress
The Finished Kaleidoscope Medallion Quilt