Saturday, February 20, 2021

How to Make this Stunning Silver Jubilation Quilt

Welcome back to our blog! Today I'm going to walk you through how to do the Square in Square blocks made from bias triangles and the mitered borders that make up our beautiful Jubilation quilt pattern. These are great techniques to take with you when making other projects as well so I made a full video tutorial for YouTube that you can come back to and re-watch at any time. 

For this project, I chose to start with the Silver Jubilee fabric collection from Maywood Studios. It's a really elegant collection of pretty blues, white and silver that celebrates Maywood Studio's 25th anniversary.  

The block is built out with little square in a square units made with flip and sew, and diamond shapes. Because we've covered flip and sew before, this post is going to focus mainly on the bias triangles and diamond shapes. 


You can use the templates included in the Jubilation pattern or use Creative Grids 2-Peaks-in-1 Ruler to make the Diamond blocks. 


The diamond shapes are made up of two triangle in a square units. To create the diamond, sew two mirror image triangle units together end to end. Press the seam open; I recommend using a strip stick and purple thang for ease. 

You'll notice the diamond points are 1/4" away from the edge, and that's how they should be! You'll need four of these units per block, and our pattern calls for two different color ways, one color for the center block and the second for the surrounding blocks. 

Now, let's move on to the center of the block which is made using bias triangles. The center is a square, which I fold in half in both directions and give it a good press. I fold each bias triangle in half to mark the center line as well. This gives us our center lines that we can use during assembly.

The first round is white triangles. I take the first white triangle and nest it into the center square, following that folded line to center the bias triangle on the square. Next, do the same thing for the opposite side and sew with 1/4" seam. Then, in order to not stretch the fabric, gently fold up the white triangles and press down using the edge of the iron into the seam. Next we can add on the remaining two white triangles using the center square's folded line for alignment. Press the triangles and square up the unit. 

Next, we'll add on the remaining triangles and square up the finished unit. Then we can assemble the block using all three units that we've made!


To piece the half triangle blocks, start with a half of the center unit from the above step as directed in the pattern. The block is sewn in rows, so we'll start with a small triangle, diamond and square in a square for row one. Then sew a second diamond unit to the half center unit for row two. Sew rows one and two together, and finish with another small triangle at the top. 

Following the pattern, match up the finished setting triangles with the main blocks to assemble the quilt top. 


Once the two inner borders are on, let's start on the outer border, which will have the mitered corners. To figure out how much fabric you need, take the overall size of the quilt and add 4" to give yourself a little excess to work with. 


To sew the outer border, begin by centering it on your quilt and pin it in place. Then flip the project over and sew with the border on the bottom and the quilt top on top. This makes it easier to start and stop 1/4" away from each corner. Sew all 4 sides on, but don't press anything at this point. 

Fold your quilt top in half diagonally, wrong sides together, so that the borders lay flat. Mark the miter on the outer border fabric using a ruler with a 45 degree line, and sew from end to end. If your border lays flat with no pleat, then you're ready to trim away the excess, leaving 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat for the other 3 corners, and you're all set!


I hope you enjoyed following along for this project and that you feel empowered to take on square in a square blocks, diamond units and mitered borders! Are there any other techniques you'd like a tutorial on? Let me know in the comments!

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Free Project for Valentine's Day




February is widely known as the Month of Love thanks to its most popular holiday, Valentine’s Day. While for some Valentine’s Day may feel like an over-the-top Hallmark holiday, I personally love the idea of everyone collectively coming together on the same day to celebrate the people in their lives that they love. Whether you’re bringing roses home to your partner after a long day of work, dropping off homemade brownies to your best friend, or watching a romantic comedy on the couch with your family, Valentine’s Day gets its true magic from the traditions that you and your loved ones create. 


One way that I show love to my friends and family is by creating sweet, thoughtful (and usually easy) projects to let them know that I was thinking of them. This is a free project I designed for exactly this purpose – quick, sweet and easy! It’s the perfect size for a wall hanging or table topper, and while I like that it’s not in traditional Valentine’s Day colors, yours easily could be! For the version I’m showing here, I chose the Curious Dream collection from Windham Fabrics. It’s soft, pretty and inspired by one of my favorite fairy tales, Alice in Wonderland. 


Dearest Heart
36" x 36"



This project features the use of the GO Mix and Match 6” Qube, GO! 6” Companion Set and Queen of Hearts Die Sets, however traditional cutting instructions are included in the pattern instructions. You can download this free pattern from our website: https://media.rainpos.com/4806/dearest_heart_pattern_with_cover_fr064_01182017.pdf





While constructing the pieced block for this quilt, I wanted to keep things simple. I used a Monkey’s Wrench Block, featuring assorted dies from the GO! Qube 6” Mix and Match dies. I added a touch of white fabric as the restring strip to help break up the different peach and teal pieces. 




For the appliqué block, I used a combination of colors and different heart sizes from the Queen of Hearts Die to add dimension. I centered the layout easily by folding the background square into quarters and pressing. Then, once you open the block, the center lines are pressed in and can be used as a placement guide for the hearts. 



I choose a bright turquoise Aurifil thread for the finishing stitches around the hearts as I like the way that the color pops off against the block. Even though thread color can sometimes look very intense on the spool, I recommend laying out a piece of thread you’re considering against the block to see how it looks. You’d be surprised at how much your opinion can change when you see everything together. I tried several softer colored threads initially, but kept coming back to the bright turquoise!



To pull everything together, I used the darkest teal fabric in the collection as the sashing as it works as a frame around each of the lighter colored blocks. I also used the peach words fabric for the corner stones to help bring the peach color through to the outer areas. 


Now if you know me, you know just how much I love polka dots! So for the Outer Border I made (44) 3” Drunkard Path blocks and used them to create a polka dot border. I’m absolutely thrilled with how this came out and feel like it has the potential to bring such an interesting element to other borders and projects. Also Make sure to check out our video on how to do curves without pinning 



If you decide to make this pattern for a loved one in your life, I hope you have as much fun making it as I had! Happy Valentine’s Day and don’t forget to share any pictures with me – seeing your creations is my favorite part!




Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Hi My Name is Lucky Block Mania Blog Hop



It’s now month seven of the Block Mania Blog Hop! I can’t thank you enough for following along and coming back for this next free block! Have you made any of our previous blocks yet? If so, please send us a picture at Heidi@thewhimsicalworkshop.com or share it with us in the comments below. I would love to see what you’ve created! 

If this is your first time stopping by for a free block, welcome; we’re so glad you’re here! All 6 of our previous block patterns and SVG files are available on our website, www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com. So make sure to collect them all! 

The theme for this month’s block is “Lucky Charms”, with a corresponding color palette of bright pastels. I used this direction to bring to life, Lucky, a cute and colorful unicorn that’s here to bring more luck into your life. He’s sitting on his lucky clover patch at the end of a rainbow, just waiting to brighten up your day. Here are the links to the pattern and SVG files for Lucky.

I hope you’ve been having as much fun meeting these characters, as I’ve had in creating them. Comment below with your favorite so far, or if there’s an animal you’re still hoping we’ll create for an upcoming block. 
Now let’s get started crafting our newest pal, Lucky!


I like creating video tutorials to accompany these free block patterns because sewing and quilting is such a visual activity. It can be really helpful to see the block come together while you’re following along with pattern instructions. I tend to focus mostly on how to assemble the various pieces into the final block, but if you’re interested in seeing how I create the original concept in my sketchbook, let me know! 

To see how I assemble this block, be sure to watch the video to learn more about the block and finished design while I put everything together.


This month’s block features an assortment of basics from our friends at

Benartex Fabrics. You’ll need a mix of pastels, solid black and solid white

to make this block. 


You’ll also need to make a gentle curved bottom for the block. If this is a new technique for you, don’t be discouraged! I’ve already got a quick YouTube video tutorial ready for you.



Next, it’s time to pull out your appli-fuse sheet and placement drawing so we can start assembling Lucky. I always recommend building out these complex shapes in sections, starting with the smallest first. For example with Lucky, that would mean starting with the eyes and nose, or the tail. Once all your sections are together, we can then put them together to build out the full unicorn.




Once the main body is assembled, we can add in the additional details like the smile and horn accents. Maker Tip: I recommend adding these to the unicorn before pressing him to the background!
Using the placement drawing on the bottom, add the unicorn on top and you should be able to see the lines through the fabric. Take a fabric pencil and mark the lines.



Next, let's build the rainbow! Refer to the quilt photo and start with your yellow fabric, slightly overlapping each shape as you work up. Do not press the bottom of the rainbow pieces down yet!

Once all the rainbow pieces are together, trim the bottom of the pieces to match the curved seam. Now press the ends to the background.

Now let’s finish up the block by adding the Unicorn and Clovers to the background.



Now that we have our block assembled, it’s time to pick out your favorite Aurifil threads for the finishing stitch and move to the sewing machine. As always, I am using Aurifil Cotton threads. If you're as obsessed with Auriful threads as I am, be sure to check out my video on YouTube where I organize my hundreds of spools. It makes for such a beautiful visual when I'm all done!


If you need a quick reminder on how to finish the edges and machine embroider on the details, visit our Present for Penny video:

And there you go, now you've got a finished unicorn block!



I hope you have enjoyed this month’s free block. Make sure to visit all the other designers on the Blog hop to collect your free Luck Charms blocks!

Each month a group of top designers in the quilting industry will each create a FREE 12” block that fits the month’s theme and color palette. We will all post our blocks on the first Tuesday of the Month. You can hop from blog to blog to learn more about each designer and collect your free block pattern. This month’s theme is “Lucky Charms” and I created our adorable "Hi My Name is Lucky" block for you. The pattern is available on our website. The Block Mania Blocks will only be available free of charge for the first two months afterwards they will be for sale for $5.00 as a digital download.



Lucky Horseshoe by Carolina Moore
Lucky Squares at Slice of Pi Quilts
Lucky Spin by Carolyn Burgess
Charming Wreath Block by Blockofthemodotcom
Lucky Squares Improv at Love to Color My World
Luck and Sunshine
Luck o' the Irish at Patti's Patchwork
Simply Charmed by Cotton Street Commons
Hi My Name is Lucky by Heidi Pridemore
Swedish lucky horse by duck creek mountain quilting
Charmed Clover at Perkins Dry Goods
Charming Lucky by Puppy Girl Designs
Star Bright at Studio R Quilts
Lucky Charms by QuiltFabrication
Magically "Quilt"lious
Wishing Stars
Heart Shine 4th by Sara Flynn
Lucky Shamrock Block
Lucky Gnome
Feelin' Lucky by Inquiring Quilter
Pastel Clover at Blue Bear Quilts
Daddy Hex by Pretty Piney Quilts
Pieced Lucky Hat
Sam's Pot of Gold
Love and Luck by PhoebeMoon Designs
Maneki Neko by Capaquilts
The Butterfly Charm

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Let's Get Organized for the New Year!


Wow, I can't believe it's almost the end of 2020! And what a year it's been. For many of us who have spent so many months inside, our New Years Resolutions are probably an interesting mix of wanting to get out and socialize more, but also find new ways to keep our homes and studio spaces clean, organized and easily accessible. 

I'm a big believer in the power of an organized space to make hobbies more fun. If you know where everything is, can reach all of the tools you might need, and your main crafting space is clean when you walk in, it's that much easier to enjoy what you're working on. 


To that end, I've curated a playlist of videos that are all about organizing your quilting/sewing craft space. Together we'll walk through how to store your fabric stash and your rulers, tips for getting organized before starting a new project, how to keep things together when you're in the middle of a project, and ways to sort and store small notions. I'll take you through a tour of how I've personally set up my studio so that the space works best for me, and I'll share lots of secret tips I've learned throughout my many years of working in the fabric and quilting world. 

Hopefully these tips and tricks are helpful if you're looking to re-organize your space for the coming New Year! 


To start off, let's take a 360 degree look at my own personal studio space! 


A really important step in keeping your sewing and quilting space clean and enjoyable to work in, is to find a way of organizing all of your tools and supplies that really works for you. Everyone's space is unique and might have different storage or space limitations. Take a moment to really think about your space - the kinds of projects you like to work on, the tools you reach for the most, how much room there is for storage, etc. Your space doesn't have to look like anyone else's, as long as it serves you and your needs!


Ah yes, the famous fabric stash... I absolutely love collecting new fabrics, and personally don't see a problem since they're all different patterns and colors, from different designers, and clearly I need them all! However finding a place to put all of it away in my studio space has been an ongoing adventure. I like being able to see what I have already so that it can inspire me to work on new projects, but I also don't want big piles of fabric laying around and taking up space. If you also have a fabric stash, here are the ways I've chosen to organize mine!


My other big collection is of rulers. There are so many different rulers for creating all kinds of unique block shapes, angles, and designs. I really enjoy working with rulers and having them right at my fingertips so that I can reach for the right one quickly and easily. While most may not have quite as many rulers as I do, you probably have more than you realize! They're easy to collect as you work your way through different patterns and blocks, and pretty soon you've got quite the collection. So how do I keep my rulers organized? Let's take a look!


And what about all of those smaller notions that we need for our projects? Sometimes finding ways to sort and store smaller things can be even trickier because there are so many options. Do you keep your binding clips in a little box on their own, or in a drawer with pins and bobbins? One of my favorite tips for sewing machine feet, Cricut wheels and even bobbins, is to use a bait box. I get mine from Amazon and I love how they're stackable and have little compartments that keep all of the different pieces from getting tangled/damaged. 


Now that we've found the right home for all of our fabric and tools, how do we organize ourselves for a new quilt project before we even begin? I think this is the most important step in any project. While it takes a bit of time upfront, it can save you so much time later on down the road. It's almost impossible to get all the way through a quilt top pattern in one sitting, and it can be so easy to forget which step you're on or which piece of fabric you're working with next. Take the time now to pre-cut and label your fabric, make sure you have a box big enough to store all of your larger pieces and pattern. 


If you have unfinished projects sitting around in your space that you've been meaning to get to, or feel overwhelmed by, you're in good company! It happens to all of us. On average in my studio, I'm working on anywhere from 20-30 different projects at a time so I have to keep track of a lot of moving parts and pieces. I'm excited to share with you the methods that I've developed over the years because I think they're helpful whether you're working on one project, or ten at a time. 


Thank you so much for sticking around and I hope I've been able to share some useful tips and tricks with you. If there's an aspect of your space that you're working on organizing that we didn't cover in this series, please email me at heidi@thewhimsicalworkshop.com or leave a comment down below! I'd love to come up with more ways to help you keep your space clean, productive and enjoyable!  

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Sarah's Favorites


Hi everyone! My name is Sarah, and I work at The Whimsical Workshop behind the scenes doing social media writing, scheduling and posting, etc. While I've been working with Heidi a lot since March when I lost my full time position in Marketing, the truth is that I've been circling around the studio for most of my life. Heidi's husband and my father are cousins, but Heidi has always been much more of an older cousin, best friend and mentor to me. When I was 7 or so, she took me for a ride in her bright red convertible and no one has ever been as cool in my eyes since that day! 

While I'm not very talented behind a sewing machine, I did work for a major fabric company for three years and learned a lot about this whole wonderful world from a unique perspective. I feel it prepared me really well for the work I now get to do for the studio, and I'm so grateful to have had that opportunity. 


When Heidi asked me to pull together a list of some of my favorite quilts, I was honored and overwhelmed. They're all my favorites in some way because they were designed by one of my favorite people; so how could I choose?! I quickly got to work narrowing it down to a small set of 30. I'm still working on narrowing it down even more... But I'm so excited to share some of these with you and why I like them so much. 


One of the perks of being related to a talented designer and studio owner like Heidi, is that I'm pretty high up in line to claim quilts that need a new home. My husband has also been enjoying that benefit, and has inherited an absolutely stunning quilt that tops my favorite list; Pencil Box. He's a middle school teacher and has this huge, kind of cold, classroom. Bringing in such a bright, fun quilt instantly lifted the room and made it a much more welcoming space. While his students are still learning remotely, I can't wait to hear about their reaction when they get to see it for themselves! All classrooms should have a quilt like this in my opinion. 


Another recipient of Heidi's generosity is her soon-to-be-born nephew, joining us in the world this coming Spring. When I found out that my husband and I were expecting our first child, we were originally planning to keep the news a secret until I entered the second trimester. However while at an early visit with my doctor, I accidentally sent a video of the baby's heartbeat to Heidi instead of my husband - Whoops! There was no explanation, no fun surprise announcement, and I felt terrible. Luckily, Heidi was thrilled to find out in such an unconventional way and has sent me a huge stack of baby quilts that are now hanging up on the walls of the nursery. While in full on baby mode, and as a sucker for cute appliqué, of course I had to include this totally adorable Baby Shower quilt in my favorites. How could I not? 



And finally, the last quilt I'll share with you as one of my favorites, is this jaw-dropping stunner, Rising From the Ashes. This project will always have the most special of places in my heart because it was one of the first times Heidi and I got to collaborate as co-workers in a sense. I was working in the marketing department of the previously mentioned fabric company, and part of my job was to solicit pattern ideas from quilt designers and studios to showcase new fabric collections. We had this overwhelmingly large collection of Batik solids that were being re-branded and introduced back into the market and our initial idea was to ask Heidi to produce a quilt depicting a volcano erupting in color. Heidi came back and said that design wasn't really coming together and how would we feel about a rising phoenix instead? Of course we gave her the green light, but we had no idea just how amazing the finished product would turn out. The sample she made included a delicately placed crystal in the phoenix's eye and caught everyones attention immediately. It hung on the main entrance wall for months! I've tried to lay claim to Heidi's version whenever she's done with it, but I have a feeling I'll be fighting off everyone else in our family for it... 


I've had so much fun sharing these quilts with you and talking a little bit about my life and experience working with Heidi. But I'd really love to hear about you and what are some of your favorite patterns from The Whimsical Workshop? Ones that you've already made or ones that you want to make? Tell me all about it in the comments! 


Tuesday, January 5, 2021

FREE Puppy Love Block for Block Mania Blog Hop


Can you believe we’re on Month Six of the Blog Hop already? Time really flies when you’re having fun in the studio. Here’s a quick a look back at the blocks we designed for past months. Remember that the patterns and the SVG files are all available on our website, www.TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com!


This month’s block for the blog hop may be my favorite, but ssh don’t tell the others! I’m thrilled to introduce Puppy Love - this sweet guy is modeled after Macaroni Ahern (he even has his own Instagram page @Macaroni_Ahern). You may not know this about me, but I’m a huge dog lover. Currently I’m puppy-free, but this sweet guy belongs to Sarah, our Social Media Guru, so I borrowed him as inspiration for this design! 


 


In this month’s video we walk through the process of uploading an SVG file, like the one used in Puppy Love, to the Cricut Design Space for quick and easy cutting. If you’ve never seen one of these machines in action, this a great sneak peek at how they operate. And if you’re a happy Cricut owner who has yet to try it out for quilting projects, let me show you the ropes! I also cover making the Puppy Love block and how to select the perfect threads. 


 



Once everything’s been imported, it’s time to start cutting. If you do not have a Cricut maker, don’t worry, I have written the pattern for the traditional method as well, complete with templates. 




Once all of our pieces are cut, it’s time to start assembly! For this block, we’re using an Appli-Fuse sheet, as well as the included placement drawings, to make up the treats bag and Puppy. 





Once we have these two built, let’s add the finishing touches. First draw on the details using an iron out pen; then embroider along the drawn lines to add the toe lines and garland.



Once the lines are drawn, carefully add the hearts to the garland. I pressed up to the drawn line, but not over it since it is an iron-out pen. No worries if you “erase” part of the line, you can always re-draw it after pressing the little hearts down in place.



Now that we have our block assembled, it’s time to pick our favorite Aurifil threads for the finishing stitch and move to the sewing machine. 



I selected hot pink to go around the hearts to really make them pop. Since the dog fills most of the image, I wanted give the hearts some more pizzazz so they aren’t overwhelmed. I also went with a more dull, dark brown to help outline the dog. As always, I am using Aurifil Cotton threads. 


Now time for my favorite part – adding the edge stitching. If you don’t do this much, I recommend drawing a heart or star shape and fusing it to scrap fabric. Practice on this piece before jumping into the main piece. Edge stitching is just like quilting;  you have to warm up before really starting on the piece. 



For the final touch, add the embroidery details. I use my machine and a Triple Stitch setting to sew along the garland and toe details. You can hand embroider these as well. If you’re just starting out or don’t feel like doing embroidery, another option is to use a permanent marker like a Micron Pigma Pen and just go over the lines. Once you have drawn the lines in place, iron the drawn lines to set the ink. NOTE: Test the pen on a scrap piece of fabric first to make sure it will not bleed. 



And just like that, you’re all finished! 



I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s free block. Make sure to visit all the other designers on the Blog hop to collect your free Romance blocks!



Each month a group of top designers in the quilting industry will each create a FREE 12” block that fits the month’s theme and color palette. We will all post our blocks on the first Tuesday of the Month. You can hop from blog to blog to learn more about each designer and collect your free block pattern. This month’s theme is “Romance” and I created our sweet Puppy Love block for you. The pattern is available on our website. The Block Mania Blocks will only be available free of charge for the first two months afterwards they will be for sale for $5.00 as a digital download.


Check out all the great blocks on these Blogs!

Chain of Hearts by Carolina Moore
Heart Postage Stamp by Slice of


Pi Quilts
Special Delivery by Appliques Quilts and More
Intertwined by Devoted Quilter
Interlocking Heart Halves by Blockofthemodotcom
Romantic Patchwork Heart by Love to Color My World
Love Notes by Blue Heron Quilting
Woven Together at Patti's Patchwork
Love Arrows by Cotton Street Commons
refracted heart at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Puppy Love
Be Mine by Perkins Dry Goods
Love is family at Puppy Girl Designs
Love Owl-Ways by Studio R Quilts
Lacy Hearts by QuiltFabrication
Piece of My Heart by Orange Blossom QDS, LLC
Quilting by Candlelight by Snowy Days Quilting
Sunset Walk Block by Sara Flynn
Mini Log Cabin Heart by Katie Mae Quilts
Flowers and Candy by PhoebeMoon Designs
On Point Heart by Oh Kaye Quilting
Love My Gnome
Love Conquers All
Blue Bear Hug by Blue Bear Quilts
Love Me Knot by Pretty Piney Quilts
Pieceful Heart by Off the Wall Quilt
Rose Buds by Rona the Ribbiter
House of love
First Love by Sarah Marcina
Love postcard by Capaquilts