Fractured Background Quilt Block Tutorial

With the popularity of my Modern Hexagon Quilt over on flickr, I thought it might be a fun tutorial to show you how I made that fractured background.  This tutorial will give you the how-to basics.  We'll make one block, using the same ideas as the larger fractured background.

For the larger quilt background, I used strips of varying cut widths all cut from selvage to selvage. So my strip set was 42" wide x about 55" or so.

This tutorial will use shorter strips cut between 2" - 3" wide. These are old "binding scraps" that I had in my scrap bin.

Step 1.  Stitch your strips together and press them with starch.  

Step2.  Fold one end over, matching right sides. This fold is about 4" or so.  Make sure this fold is NOT square or neat or tidy.  Just fold it.  You can see in the photo (above) how the cutting mat grid lines are un-even along the top folded edge.

Step 3.  Use a rotary cutter + ruler to cut off the actual fold.  Trim it very narrowly, removing just the folded edge.  If you are making a much larger background, just use scissors to cut along the fold line.

 Step 4.  Keeping everything in place, pull the newly cut piece slightly towards the right of left.  This will "off set" the stripes for the fractured look.

Step 5.Use a 1/4" seam allowance to stitch the two pieces back together.

Step 6.  Open the seam and press.  Its totally ok that everything is turning out uneven.

Step 7.  Fold the strips onto themselves again. This time, try to angle your fold in the opposite direction as your first fold.  -Though really, it doesn't matter, this method is intended to yield a haphazard looking fracture.

 Step 8.  Cut off the new fold again, give it a gentle pull to either the right or left sides to off-set the strips, and stitch the pieces together.  Once its stitched, open and press.

You can repeat these steps for as many folds/fractures as you like.

Step 9.  You will now have a very jagged mess.  AWESOME!  The next step is to simply square it up.  If you are making a block, you'll want to decided on some size that fits into your design.  If you are making a large quilt background, in my case with the Modern Hexagon Quilt, I tried to make the background as large as I possibly could.

Finishing up:  For this tutorial, the quilt block ended up being cut to 9 1/2" square. I then took the 9 1/2" square to good 'old photoshop to generate a fractured quilt block quilt.  Of course, if you really use this technique to make a series of blocks, each of the blocks would be different because the folds are done randomly.  But here's an idea of how it might look:

*Fabric used in this tutorial are Black-Ikea Sheet, Pink- Nicey Jane by Free Spirit, Red- South African Schwe Schwe.

This block is listed/entered in the Quilt Story Block Party! 

 

Fractured Background Quilt Block Tutorial

Pattern Giveaway!

I'm sponsoring a giveaway over on CraftyTammie's blog.  She's a fellow MQG member.  She's in the Kansas City guild, where I initially started out, before I realized there was no realistic way I'd be able to make the meetings, 2 1/2 hours from my own home.  Anywhoo-  You've got to check it out!

Run over there to see the many ways to enter. 

The giveaway will run through Sunday February 13th around noon.

Pattern Giveaway!

Doll Quilt Swap 10, again

Ok, my second run at the doll quilt swap- which might still not be the one that I mail.  Who knows...

My partner really likes the colors blue and orange together.  (just like me!)  So as luck would have it, I have some Blue and Orange fabric.  The quilt is backed in -old- orange Heather Ross fabric.

The applique shapes are all stitched down by machine, but NOT raw-edge appliqued.  Every edge is folded under and stitched using a unique "facing" technique.  The machine stitching through each shape is ALSO the quilting lines of the project.  {{two birds, one stone, you know.}}

I added in "ghost" shapes using grey embroidery floss.  The floss is quilted through the three layers, too.

I really like this one.  I might have to keep it.

*Fabric used in this project are designed by Jen Eskridge and are for sale over on Spoonflower.com and SOON will be available on the ReannaLily Designs website.

Doll Quilt Swap 10, again

Doll Quilt Swap 10

 

Ok, this is my first brain storm for the Doll Quilt Swap 10 going on over on flickr.  I have a grand plan for the quilting, which will make the white space, not soooooooo white.  I'm not sure that this is the quilt that will make it to my partner.  My secret partner has some very specific requests, so I think if I post the final design- she'll totally figure out its hers.  But for now, lets just take a look at this little one.

Unfortunately, this quilt busts the size requirements by 1".  Its 18" x 25".  ((Hey Partner, is that a deal breaker???))  The color blocks are from a Kona Solids Charm pack.  Well, they are some scant leftovers from a charm pack- which I used for something else.  Each square is 2" square.  The white fabric is linen.

 With a little help from some of the ladies in the Wichita Modern Quilt Guild, I ended up machine quilting straight lines onto the design, and adding matching color DMC floss for additional hand quilting.  It has a neat effect.

 Last step is the binding- which I think will be white linen.  Stay tuned.

Doll Quilt Swap 10

Mug Rug- English Paper Piecing

At our Modern Quilt Guild meeting for January we had one of our members, Sheri, demonstrated English Paper Piecing.  With Hexagons being all the rage, it went over very well.  I love that "what's old is new again." 

 

One thing I never considered was all the many shapes you can use English Paper Piecing techniques on.  Its not just for hexies any more!  Sheri was kind enough to make up a hands-on kit for everyone to give the method a try at the meeting.  She provided all of us with a 6 pointed star, based on a diamond shape.

I went home and blasted out my diamond block.  The points were a bit tricky, but not unmanageable.  I then brainstormed a bit for what my small star should become.  In the end... I went with MUG RUG!  Its quite masculine, for what it is.  I have to say, though, I have yet to see my husband ever grab a biscotti to snack on with this morning coffee.  Even though it seems a little more man-ish, this might be my gift for the Wichita Modern Quilt Guild's next Secret Sister Swap.

Mug Rug- English Paper Piecing

Sewing Machine Guts

FINALLY a blog post on the sewing/design blog that my dad will like.  =)  

I went to a sewing machine shop today to pick up a tiny post which holds the spool of thread at the top of the machine.  Somewhere in the 6 moves in the past 11 years, it got lost or broken off or something.  And, it never hurts to throw a few more bobbins into the shopping cart.  I'm the last of the big spenders, leaving at under $5.00.

While I was there, a sewing machine was in the operating room.  I felt kinda bad.  I'm sure its family was sad, too.  I mean look at this poor thing.  The cool thing is that the shop will probably have it up and running in a couple hours.  I've never seen this FAR into an electronic machine.  Who knew?!  Very cool.  And yes, the repair tech definitely thought it was crazy that I wanted a picture.  Sorry for the quality, its a cell phone picture.  But wow- circuit boards, wire, gear, parts, shiney stuff, dull stuff, oh it goes on and on.

I was strangely fascinated by this machine.  I thought you guys might want take a peek inside.  (Sorry I don't have the model number.  Lets just say that is in the operating room privacy rules.  ha!)

Sewing Machine Guts

Recycled Wool Sweater for 18" Dolls

A while back I posted that I was using up some felted wool sweaters for all sorts of crazy things.  

...And I might be hoarding the felted wool scrap pieces...

Well, am I glad I did!  Turns out, adorable little doll shrugs don't require very much fabric.  I was also able to plan my cuts to have the finished original sweater ribbing fall right along the sleeve edges.

The grey sweater is Lamb's wool and the red one is cashmere (from the GAP, no less).

The shrugs turned out great, but I really wanted to make t-shirts to go under the sweaters.  Is that a weird thing to want to do, yeah, maybe.  So what.  Whilst the hubbs was at work, I *might* have snagged a v-neck undershirt (worn with USAF blues) and well...  um.... chopped it up.  I used the original lower edge hem of the t-shirt to also be the lower edge hem of the doll's tank top.

I wanted to also show you a picture of how I made the closure on the back.  I pretty much just folded the cut edge to the inside of the shirt, and added a velcro strip at the top/shoulder/neck area.

The patterns for the shrug, shirt and pants are my own original designs.

Recycled Wool Sweater for 18" Dolls