Layers of Charm, Fat Quarter Shop Shortcut Quilt

A couple of months ago, I received an email, asking me if I wanted to take part in a blog hop with Fat Quarter Shop.  Imagine my reaction.  My first thought was Fat Quarter Shop know my name!  And then I thought of course they do I buy from them all the time! And then I thought definitely yes I want to make Layers of Charm.  I love the short cut series having made Charm Pack Cherry and Fat Quarter Fizz.  So welcome to my stop on the Fat Quarter Shop, Layers of Charm blog hop! 

The pattern requires 1 layer cake and 1 charm pack  or thirty six 10" squares and thirty six 5" squares.    A printed layer cake and a solid charm pack is recommended.

As soon as I saw the pattern I couldn't stop thinking about Solids!  I thought maybe the 1930's Colours Bella Solids would be fun but I settled for the Modern Bella Solids in greys and off whites.  My layer cake and charm pack of Bella Solids white were duly dispatched last November, and then stepped into the quantum leap accelerator that is the Chicago Postal depot, and vanished!

I did eventually get my hands on that elusive layer cake and put the quilt top together.  Instead of using all solids in the centres, I cut up one of each layer cake colour to give me 20 squares and added 16 solid white.  I really like this quilt top but have to admit I am somewhat relieved it was not my main blog hop quilt.  Quilting this one has me running scared.  All that open space.  How would you quilt it?  Straight line, free motion?

In the meantime though, while Moderns was wandering around the world, I decided that Layers of Charm would be perfect for large scale prints that I usually have trouble figuring out what to do with!

I had some yardage of these fabrics by Amy Butler and decided to cut a 10" strip from 9 different fabrics.  I was able to get four 10" squares from each strip and used Moda Bella Porcelain for my 5" squares.  I love this colour and it may be my new background fabric of choice this year.

In the end I didn't like the stripey fabric dominating too much and swapped 2 out for a blue dot.   And this is the finished quilt!

Winter weather interfered with getting lovely location shots, so I tried a few photos in trusty places.  I usually use this fence to take outdoor close ups of quilting.  Wilbur was getting a bit agitated as I was pegging the quilt up and when I stepped back to take the shot, he dived in digging and came out with a rawhide bone!  He's a bit of a digger and he has 4 or 5 spots around the garden.  Guess this is his latest one!  Sorry Wilbs for invading your spot!

I quilted this with an all over flower pattern and wrote about it and solving tension problems on my machine on this post.

I left Wilbur to chewing his bone and decided to try some indoor window shots to give you a better view of the quilting.

I really like the effect on this quilt but it is slower than a wiggly stipple and gives some challenges moving around the quilt top.  You have to be careful to not leave too empty a space.  I used my favourite Aurifil light pink 50wt thread #2410 for the entire quilt. I love that thread colour, it just seems to go with everything!

For the backing, I used 4 different prints I had on hand in half yard cuts.  I just sewed them together 2 per row and trimmed off the excess.

Trying to match binding was a little bit tricky with so many colours in the quilt top.  Mum suggested Navy, Gordon went for orange but in the end I had to trust my instinct and go with this green stripe, again from Amy Butler.

I turned away from  the table to make a cup of tea and came back to find Charly, on guard, perched on top.  There are two terriers bigger than her that walk past our house on a Sunday morning, Spot & Buddy.  She does not like them!  She does like doing a Princess and the Pea impression though. 

Sorry Charly you can't keep this one either!  This is going to my friend Caitriona.  I kept getting reminded of our holiday in China (4 of us spent 22 days there - best holiday ever!) and this, I think, is Caitriona's style.  Hope she likes it!

The fog didn't lift for the whole day yesterday.  Final photo artfully draped over the sofa (artful draping is not easy!).

So, what do you think?  Feel like making a Layers of Charm Quilt?  Solids or print?

The video will be available today on You Tube and Kimberly shows step by step instructions and some handy hints for pressing seams open.

You can also download the free pattern at Fat Quarter Shop where there is a whole host of free patterns and video tutorials including Layers of Charm.  There are size options for a table runner all the way up to a King Size bed quilt.

This really was a fun, very quick to piece and very versatile quilt pattern.  Probably the quickest quilt top I've pieced to date.  If you have large scale prints, looking to make something quickly or just want to use up a layer cake feeling unloved in your stash, why not give Layers of Charm a try?

Linking up to Finish it Friday

Make Modern Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Make Modern Magazine Blog Hop!  Make modern is a new online magazine from Australia, with patterns and articles for Modern quilters.  Lara, Jane (Where Jane Creates) and Kirsty (Quiet Play) have put together a great first issue and today I get to show you my contribution to the magazine.  

This is Storybook, a quilt pattern using pre-cuts to make a colour block quilt.

This was my first time using a brushed cotton and even though you can't see it in the quilt it is super soft (a little like flannel) and perfect for a baby quilt.

I used 2 charm packs of Storybook by Kate & Birdie for Moda for this very quick to piece baby quilt. My cousins in Chicago have just had a baby girl so I may just have to make another one!

As this was also my first pattern published in a magazine I asked my friend and fellow Just Threads (Sewing group) member Paula Rafferty if she would like to quilt it for me on her longarm.  She did a fantastic job quilting the cow jumping over the moon (keeping with the storybook theme!)  I love it to bits!

I think Teddy does too!  Not having any kids ourselves (just the 2 dogs!) I used this teddy bear as my model!

One of the things we were asked to think about, when writing our patterns, was to include options so things can be changed up a bit and add a bit more value for the readers.

I scaled my pattern up to a layer cake to make a bed sized quilt for my mum.  Since I began quilting, I've not made a proper bed quilt for my mum.  She has 'borrowed' 2 pieced cushions, a mini-quilt and I am under orders to make her a Christmas table runner but no proper big quilt.  Feeling a bit guilty about that I thought this was a good opportunity to finally make her something for the winter.

This version of the pattern uses 2 layer cakes and the layout is included in Make Modern with the baby quilt above.  The fabric used is from the Limerick Quilt Centre and is called Table for Two.

Photographing this was a little tricky.  It was quite windy so Gordon had to stand on the tripod legs to keep this from blowing over while I grabbed a photo.  It blew down 3 times and we got some funny smiles from the neighbours walking across the green with a bed quilt draped over a photo stand!

The back was made with a a panel pieced horizontally and I quilted this on my home machine using a wiggle stipple.  I just have to label it and then it'll be on it way to mum this week!

If you would like to see more of Make Modern there is a preview here on Issuu and if you would like to buy the first issue or subscribe you can do so here on the Make Modern website.  The Make Modern blog is worth having a look at with many guest posts and interviews with the contributors.  

The blog hop is continuing throughout September and there is more to see on the following:

1^st September                   Make Modern
3^rd September                   Kristy @ Quiet Play
5^th September                   Where Jane Creates
7^th September                   Gina @ Party of Eight: Our Story
9^th September                   Molli Sparkles
11^th September                 Juliet @ The Tartan Kiwi
13^th September                 cat&vee
15^th September                 Ruth @ Ben and Charly’s corner
17^th September                 Kelly @ Kelliotmagic
19^th September                 Alyce @ Blossom Heart Quilts
21^st September                 Serena @ Sew Giving
23^rd September                 Melissa @ Ms Midge
25^th September                 Anne @ Hudson Valley Quilts

Tutorial for Tuesday - 4 Houses Cushion

Do you have some layer cakes squares left over or some fat eight's or even scraps that you want to use up? This 24"pillow/cushion project might just be of interest. I had great fun making this so thought I'd write it up as my first project based tutorial.

I used 12 layer cake squares and some background fabric to make this and have enough left over for another set of roofs to make a matching pair of cushions. If you go with matching roofs it's possible to do this with even less fabric squares.



I have downloadable piecing instructions here including how to make the half rectangle triangles for the roof. Otherwise step by step instructions are below with lots of photos!

I stacked the four layer cake squares together that I wanted for the houses and cut 3 rows 2.5" wide and the remaining 1.5" wide.

1. The first row is for the windows and doors. Sub cut two 2.5" squares and one 2.5" x 3.5 rectangle.
2. Sub-cut row 2 into one 2.5" square and four 2.5" x 1.5" rectangles for the window sashing.
3. Cut row 3 into two rectangles 2.5" x 4.5" long
4. Lastly take row 4 and cut 2 rectangles 1.5" x 4.5" long

Lay out as follows and mix and match windows and doors for a nice contrast

I chain pieced the sashing on either side of the windows first, then the top and bottom. There will be 2 of these House units per house.

 Sew the mantel to the door and sew a House unit on either side of the door unit.

For the roofs you will need 2 rectangles 5.5" x 6.5" in background fabric and 2 in patterned fabric matching or in the same colour way .

Place BGF and one of the patterned squares right sides together. Mark a quarter inch from top and bottom and draw a diagonal line from mark to mark.

Repeat for the second matching rectangles but the slope going in the opposite direction. This is important to get a left hand half rectangle triangle and a right hand one to make the roof.

Cut along this line through both rectangles. You only need one of each for each house.

Take a BGF triangle and a patterned triangle and lay them right sides together like this. Yes it looks wonky but this is correct!

Put the remaining aside for a second house or cushion if you don’t want matching roofs. Sew with a 1/4" seam along the long edge.

I chain pieced them to speed up the process.

Do the same for the opposite sloping triangles. You should have 4 of each kind. Press the seams and open.

Match up right to left hand triangles to make the roof.

These rectangles are oversized and will need to be trimmed down. I squared up the short edge where I am sewing them together and trimmed the whole roof down afterwards. It is easier to do this to keep the point at the roof top.

Trim to 10.5" x 4.5" keeping 1/4" at the top. Don't worry if this doesn't work out. I clipped points and the roof still looks great when its all put together.

Attach the roof to the House body. Don't do what I did and attach the roof to the bottom of the house! Dope that I am I did this and didn't notice until I had the whole thing quilted. It's my cushion and I can live with a wonky version! 

Attach 2 houses together to form a row - yes this is the house I sewed the roof to the wrong side! So now you know not to do it like me!

Cut 4 strips from the background fabric 9.5" x 2.5" and sew to either side of the 2 row of houses.
Cut 3 strips 25" x 2.5" for sashing between rows and top and bottom of the rows.

And you should have a finished cushion top measuring 24.5" square.

I layered with wadding/batting & utility fabric and quilted using this stencil pattern:

I made a simple envelope cushion with 2 pieces of fabric measuring 24.5" x 18" (instructions in the piecing pattern). You can trim to 24" if you want a plumper fit.  And here's my wonky version! Hope you like this project!