If you’re ready to add another tool to your quilting arsenal, graffiti quilting is an awesome one to have. A few years ago (when I was prego with Gemma), Karlee Porter visited our guild to teach her Graffiti Quilting workshop. Also, I love Guns N Roses. I just saw them in concert a few days before this, so the shirt I bought there was getting some heavy use! Ever since I found Karlee, I’ve been a serious fan girl–so I jumped at the chance to take the class. I learned so much from that workshop and the techniques Karlee taught stuck with me and influence my personal quilting style.
Today is Cabin Fever Release Day! I’m so excited to share this modern log cabin quilt with you today, as it’s a design I planned out about two years ago. It’s always difficult to be patient waiting for this day! The PDF and print versions are now available :)–and a limited amount of kits.
The inspiration for this quilt came from a few things…even though the name conjures images of being stuck inside. (Which, admittedly, we can all probably relate to currently.) First, I wanted to make a quilt that came together fast and looked great with solids or prints. I like to try out new quilting motifs, and this quilt is so much fun to practice on. Secondly, our daughter was one at the time. A lot of times, I felt the repetition of house chores and potty training (who was I kidding? She still wears a pull up to bed sometimes–and I’m fine with that 😉 made me a little cagey. So I jokingly named it Cabin Fever. The geese represent breaking free from routine and they’re ridiculously fun to quilt.
Funny enough, I didn’t realize how appropriate the name would be at the time, but here we are!
The Cabin Fever quilt instructions come in two sizes, baby and throw. These quilts go together really quickly, and they’re a nice break from traditional block-based quilts. The pattern comes with some fun and easy tips for making flying geese quickly.
Tula Pink Solids / Kona Cotton Equivalents
This colorful version is one of my favorites. I’ve been using all Tula Pink solids and stripes to work on another quilt, and I stumbled across a perfect stack of colors just as I was about to make an all blue version. Sadly, after I made it, I realized the Tula Pink solids can be a bit hard to find, so I matched them closely to Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Solids. Thank goodness for color cards! I quilted the outer border with some ghost geese to make it appear the entire border had flying geese. Then I did some fun ruler work in each strip of color. I love how the straight lines pop so much on solids! This is the baby version, which measures 52″ x 52″. It’s a really nice size, and I use this one to cover up on the couch while I english paper piece.
Blue & Grey Cabin Fever
This colorway is the very first one I had planned out but didn’t end up making until just recently. I love how the brightness of the blues contrast with the darkness of the grey. I haven’t decided just how to quilt this one yet. Some nice ruler work and custom quilting would really pop against those solids, but I have a new edge to edge design I’m itching to try out. This is the throw size, which measures 81″ x 81″.
Peaches and Pinks Cabin Fever
This was the very first Cabin Fever Quilt I made. I mixed in prints with Kona cotton solids, but I’ve added a color chart in just solids. The great thing about Robert Kaufman fabrics is they generally use the names of the coordinating solids in a lot of their prints. It’s easy to mix and match prints from different collections to what the coordinating solid would be. This is another throw size.
Ruby Star Society – Clementine
Have you seen Miss Melody Miller’s new collection for Ruby Star Society called “Clementine”? I love it so much!! She’s a wizard when it comes to color, and these ethereal pinks and blues are insanely good together. I used Rashida Coleman Hale’s Speckled as the sashing/background fabrics. My daughter Gemma saw me putting this one together and claimed it before I could say no. I let her pick out a color of Shannon Cuddle. Her favorite color is pink, so it was a no brainer. And then she got to pick the edge to edge design that I quilted. They’re subtle, but they’re little heart rainbows. This is the softest quilt, so cozy and squishy.
I can’t wait to see what fabric collections or solids you guys pick for your Cabin Fever quilts! I love seeing the amazing different quilts that y’all make and the incredible fabric selections you make. Have fun with this one–I know I do 🙂 If you want to see more of the photos I’ve been posting of Cabin Fever, you can head over to Instagram and check them out!
I’m stoked to finally introduce to you the Trippy Triangles Quilt pattern! This quilt has been a pet project of mine for the last year (and then some). From picking just the right fabrics–I changed my fabrics several times before I finally got with it stitching–to fussy cutting, etc. and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’m currently working on another version and planning yet another with some fun fussy cutting 🙂
The thing with EPP
Here’s the thing with English Paper Piecing: It’s an obsession of mine. Aside from longarm quilting (which I do almost all day), EPP is my favorite way to pass the time. I always have a little EPP kit in my purse so that if I’m caught waiting at the doctor’s office, or getting my car inspected, or whatever, I always have a little something to keep me busy AND productive. I hate wasting so much time on my phone when I could be sewing something, right!? It’s such a convenient way to pack a little sewing kit and get things done when you otherwise couldn’t.
If you’ve spent any amount of time on my blog or Instagram, you know by now that I LOVE sewing and quilting. SO much so that I like to have a travel-friendly project I can take with me, whether it’s in the car, waiting at the doctor’s office, taking my daughter to the dentist, etc., to help pass the time. While English paper piecing is fun, it is much slower than powering up your sewing machine and zipping through a few seams. There’s something meditative about it that helps the craziness of the world to fade away for just a moment and let you appreciate the thoughtfulness of a stitch. English paper piecing appealed to me first when I was still an ag teacher. A lot of times, I’d be on a school bus with kids and nothing to do for hours while we traveled to judging contest OR I’d be stuck in a hotel room at night, not able to go to sleep and wishing for something productive to do. So I started dabbling in EPP. My husband bought me the La Passacaglia kit (Pattern by Willyne Hammerstein) for my birthday and I was totally hooked. I want to take the time to share my favorite English Paper Piecing supplies and tips in the video below.
Have you guys seen Sheri of Whole Circle Studio’s newest pattern? It’s called the Typecast of Characters, and it’s an amazingly fun English Paper Piecing pattern that lets you create the entire alphabet and customize it to your heart’s desire. You can snag your copy of the pattern guide and paper packs here.
OLFA is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year and has teamed up with Aurifil to create the Slice and Stitch Challenge! I was asked to be part of the challenge, and I’m so excited to included in this talented group of makers, showing you how to use handy tools to create things you’ll love :). I don’t know about you, but if you sneak into my sewing room, you’re sure to find several OLFA tools (and cutting mats) and LOTS of yummy Aurifil thread. Some of my favorite (and quite possibly underappreciated) tools are specialty rotary cutter blades. You can (carefully) pop one of these blades into your regular rotary cutter and quickly achieve a decorative finish that will look like it took you forever to cut…but that can be our little secret! I also just LOVE the new OLFA RUBY rotary cutter…I use it daily (photos below are from OLFA’s website). For the Slice and Stitch challenge, I saw those decorative blades paired with Aurifloss and knew immediately I just had to make a zip pouch!
Pinking blade
Scallop blade
Wave blade
Ruby Rotary Cutter
You can see the dreamy Aurifloss colors I chose for the hand quilting on my zip pouch. Love those blues with a punch of bright colors! Let’s get moving and start sewing up your own zip pouch!
Aurifloss in your favorite colors (I used #1320 Bright teal, 2225 Salmon, 2220 Light salmon, 4020 Fucshia, 5005 Bright turquoise, 2735 Medium blue, 1147 Leaf green, and 4644 Smoke blue)
To begin, you’ll need to take the two exterior pieces of fabric cut at 6.5″ x 9.5″ and center each one on top of a piece of batting. Use a Hera marker or chalk pencil to mark your hand quilting lines, then hand quilt a pattern or random stitches onto each exterior piece. I like to make my stitches about 1/4″ in length, and spaced the same distance apart.
Grab your template:
Now you’ll take the cork pieces, and the bottom portion of the template printed from your supply list and line the template up along the bottom 9.5″ of the cork. Use a standard OLFA 45 mm Rotary blade to trim along the curved edge. I used my OLFA Ruby Rotary Cutter for this part. Once you’ve trimmed the curved portion, take the Wave Rotary blade and trim just along the curved edge to leave a cute wavy edge.
Take one of the quilted exterior pieces and place the decorative cork on the bottom 9.5″ edge. Use clips to hold in place, or use some wash away hem tape to secure. At this point, I like to take an air erasable marker and echo the line of the wave just below the wavy edge of the cork – about 1/8″ from the curvy edge – as a stitching guide. Take this piece to the sewing machine and topstitch along the guideline you drew with a coordinating thread. Then stitch around the remaining edges of the cork, about 1/8″ away from the raw edge to secure it in place. Don’t worry — the cork won’t fray, so it’s great for special decorative finishes with the OLFA rotary cutter!
Take your zipper and place it lined up with the top edge of one exterior, as shown in the picture below. Mark the end of the zipper (the end with the metal stopper) where it meets the end of the right side of the fabric, then mark about 1/4″ in from that mark as well. Take the zipper to the sewing machine and use a zig zag stitch to sew a new zipper stop on the mark furthest in. Trim away the rest of the zipper on the outermost mark.
Install the zipper
I opted to quilt each exterior a little differently 🙂
Take the newly trimmed down zipper and place it RSD on top of one side of the hand quilted exterior. Use binding clips to clip the zipper in place. Take one of the lining pieces and place it RSD on top of the zipper, the replace the clips to include all three layers. Use a zipper foot to sew through the three layers with a 1/4″ seam allowance, beginning at one end of the fabric and sewing to the opposite end, all the way to the edge of the fabric.
Press the lining and exterior away from the zipper with your iron, and topstitch 1/8″ away from the folded edge of the fabric.
Repeat the steps above with the remaining exterior and lining pieces.
Assembling the zip pouch
Open the zipper part way, then match the exteriors, placing them right sides together. Pull the linings together and match them, right sides together. Pin or clip in place, and mark about a 5″ opening along the bottom center of the lining to leave open in the next step. Pull the zipper pieces towards the lining, as shown below.
Sew all the way around the perimeter of the zipper pouch, leaving the 5″ opening unsewn. Clip the corners for crisp turning. Turn the zipper pouch right side out through the opening in the lining. You can use a turning tool for crisper turning, if needed. Fold the opening of the lining in 1/4″ and press. Clip in place. Topstitch the opening closed, then push the lining down inside the pouch.
And you’re done! Fill this pretty pouch up with all the sewing things you need on the go 🙂
We’re moving right along into Week Six of the Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along! Head over to the Original QAL Post to review the details and schedule, if you need to.
A quick review of what we’ve done so far–scroll to the bottom of this page for links to each weekly post.
Congratulations to Erica M. for snagging the Week Four prize-a Quilter’s Planner from The Quilter’s Planner! This prize was sponsored by the awesome people at The Quilter’s Planner. These were Erica’s trimmed and squared up HSTs from Week Four:
Be sure to include the hashtag when you post to Instagram so everyone else can see what you’re up to, and if you’re in the US, you can enter to win prizesÂ
Stay in the loop!
If you haven’t signed up for the weekly emails that will go out for the Quilt Along, sign up here. There might be some added info and bonus content for you as a little treat!
Alright, so here’s the breakdown for Week Six:
In Week Five, we assembled sections 1, 3, 7, and 9. Here’s the action list to complete for Week Six!
And here is where irritating elevator music starts playing until the start of Week Seven ;)Â (Or, if you’re a mom, it might be Momma Shark da da da da….)
If you fell behind, go ahead and use this free week to catch up with us!
If you’re an overachiever–I see you there in the front with your quilt nearly done–You can work ahead, if you like. Just make sure you follow the original schedule (linked at the top of this post) so you have pictures to post to Instagram for the prizes.
This week, you can post a picture of anything Cheeky Churn Dash related on Instagram using the #cheekychurndashquiltalong hashtag. Be sure you post your IG picture with the hashtag before the start of Week Seven to qualify for this week’s prize. Week Six’s prize is sponsored by Aurifil. The amazing folks at Aurifil are giving away a small spool thread set, and man…their thread is top notch. A huge thank you to Aurifil for sponsoring Week Six’s prize!
Next week, we’ll be assembling sections 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along Posts:
Week One – Introduce yourself and gather your fabrics
We’re moving right along into Week Five of the Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along!
Congratulations to Tracie M. for snagging the Week Three prize-a sweet fat quarter bundle and thread set from Crafter’s Companion! This bundle was sponsored by Crafter’s Companion. This were Tracies’s HSTs and accordion from week three:
A quick review of what we’ve done so far–scroll to the bottom of this page for links to each weekly post.
Fabric Discount!
Jennifer at Knotted Threads on Etsy has joined in the Quilt Along fun to bring all Cheeky Churn Dash QAL participants a 10% discount on fabrics purchased from her shop! She has a great selection of current and modern fabrics, so you’ll want to take advantage of this  Use the coupon code: CHEEKYCHURNDASH at checkout.
Be sure to include the hashtag when you post to Instagram so everyone else can see what you’re up to, and if you’re in the US, you can enter to win prizesÂ
Stay in the loop!
If you haven’t signed up for the weekly emails that will go out for the Quilt Along, sign up here. There might be some added info and bonus content for you as a little treat!
Alright, so here’s the breakdown for Week Five:
In Week Four, we squared up and trimmed all our HST blocks to the correct size, based on the selected option. Here’s the action list to complete for Week Five!
Take a look at your coloring sheet–if you have a specific layout in mind for your HSTs.
I like to have a pretty specific plan for my Cheeky Churn Dash before I start sewing, so I lay out the HST blocks for section 1 (we’re on pages 8-11 for Option A, and 19-20 for Option B in your pattern), then sew them together and press.
Assemble sections 1, 3, 7, and 9. These are the outermost corners of your quilt. They all have the same construction, except they are slightly rotated 90 degrees each time.
Make sure you check that you pin at your seam intersections whenever you have a seam intersection so everything lines up as it should:
Double check your layout prior to sewing each section together, and press when you’re done!
This week, post a picture of your completed sections 1, 3, 7, and 9 on Instagram using the #cheekychurndashquiltalong hashtag. The sections can be all in one picture, or you can do multiple pics in one post, or multiple posts. As long as all four completed sections are posted, you’ll be good to go. Be sure you post your IG picture with the hashtag before the start of Week Six to qualify for this week’s prize!
This week’s prize is sponsored by Olfa! I love using Olfa Rotary cutters because they precisely cut whatever I need and have great safety features. I’m so excited that they’ve jumped on board to sponsor a great prize for Week Five.
Next week is a catch up week, so don’t fret if you’re behind 🙂
Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along Posts:
Week One – Introduce yourself and gather your fabrics
We’re moving right along into Week Four of the Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along!
Congratulations to Ruth B. for snagging the Week Two prize-a Tula Pink De La Luna fat quarter bundle! This bundle was sponsored by Kustom Kwilts (me!). This was Ruth’s stack of fabric cuts for week 2:
A quick review of what we’ve done so far–scroll to the bottom of this page for links to each weekly post.
Fabric Discount!
Jennifer at Knotted Threads on Etsy has joined in the Quilt Along fun to bring all Cheeky Churn Dash QAL participants a 10% discount on fabrics purchased from her shop! She has a great selection of current and modern fabrics, so you’ll want to take advantage of this  Use the coupon code: CHEEKYCHURNDASH at checkout.
Be sure to include the hashtag when you post to Instagram so everyone else can see what you’re up to, and if you’re in the US, you can enter to win prizesÂ
Stay in the loop!
If you haven’t signed up for the weekly emails that will go out for the Quilt Along, sign up here. There might be some added info and bonus content for you as a little treat!
Alright, so here’s the breakdown for Week Four:
In Week Three, we sewed all the half square triangles for either Option A or Option B. Then we pressed all of our HSTs. Here’s the action list to complete for Week Four!
Week Four is pretty easy. Grab your rotary cutter and a quilting ruler and slide your HSTs over to a cutting mat.
For the 81″ square quilt size–Option A and Option B, you’ll square up all your HSTs to measure 9.5″ square.
For the mini or pillow size, you’ll square up all your HSTs to measure 2.5″.
To do this, you’ll need to make sure the diagonal of your HST is exactly centered within the square measurement. Then trim off any excess as needed. Â
Check out a quick video tutorial of how to line up your ruler when trimming your HSTs.
That’s it! It is a little labor intensive, but it’s worth it to go back and check that all your HST blocks measure correctly before we start putting this quilt together.
This week, post a picture of your stacks of trimmed and squared up HST blocks (and trimmings/rotary cutter if you have them!) on Instagram using the #cheekychurndashquiltalong hashtag. Be sure you post your IG picture with the hashtag before the start of Week Five to qualify for this week’s prize!
This week’s prize is sponsored by The Quilter’s Planner! I just purchased my 2019 Quilter’s Planner, and it’s amazing! I’m so excited that they’ve jumped on board to sponsor a 2019 Quilter’s Planner for Week Four.
Next week, we’ll be assembling sections 1, 3, 7, and 9!
Cheeky Churn Dash Quilt Along Posts:
Week One – Introduce yourself and gather your fabrics
