Spring Cushion project - Let the Sun Shine In! - QUILTsocial project

 My latest project on QUILTsocial is for an applique cushion cover to welcome Spring!

This project features applique which I like to do, but rarely make the time to do it :) This cushion was a perfect opportunity to play with colorful fabrics and do some applique lettering.

Welcome spring with a fun quilted cushion using the PFAFF performance icon

I'm still lucky enough to be creating with the amazing PFAFF performance icon. This machine makes quilting such a joy!

I used the Radiant Stitch technique to stitch out the sun and it's rays.

The "Radiant Stitch" on the PFAFF performance icon: how to succeed

Then I quilted even more rays of sunshine into the background of the cushion cover top using built in quilting stitches.

Stippling with different size stitches is OK (defining space in a quilt)

The message for this quilt came to me while recovering from COVID. Certainly I did not get as sick as many others, but as a person with a history of chronic, invisible illness, it was a struggle to stay positive as the days of fevers kept coming. Finally at one point the song lyrics appeared when I was starting to have moments where the world didn't feel so dark. Holding onto that piece of light like a string that would lead me out of the dark forest, brought this project to life. And now I have a cushion cover to remind me to always look for the light - and let it shine!

Something fun I did while using the wonderful machine blanket stitch on the performance icon was mirror it when going around the word 'shine'. I think it added a fun look of rays shining from the letters. The machine blanket stitch on the performance icon is so good! It was enjoyable to stitch all these letters down.

A fun way to blanket stitch with the PFAFF performance icon: how original!

To finish off the cushion cover I simply sewed two backing panels to use with the cushion cover top. There are so many presser feet included with this machine (11) that there is one to do every type of sewing with precision. I used several to sew and join the cushion cover layers together.

A two-panel back completes the quilted "Sunshine" cushion

I hope you enjoy this project!

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Pieced Sunflower Block - visual tutorial

 

Here is my contribution to the quilt blocks being made to show support for the people of Ukraine.

My quilt guild is making a sampler quilt and I decided to make my own block.

This block is all pieced and finishes at 12 1/2" inches.

I partly decided to design my own block because I don't have a lot of yellow in my stash right now. This block doesn't use much - almost one jelly roll strip. And I used different white fabrics from my stash too. 

This tutorial is made in a 'vintage' blog style where the instructions are typed onto the images. I'm hoping there is enough detail for you to follow along and make your own block. If you have questions please leave them in the comments and I will respond as soon as I can!

Enjoy!

Fabric Requirements

Prep with Diagonal Lines

Make Half Square Triangles - HSTs

Trim Half Square Triangles

Add yellow triangles to HSTs

Press to the new triangles

Make Dash units

Sunflower block layout assembly

Sew the rows together. Press the seams towards the middle row :)

Sunflower Block

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Week 34 Sew Much Fun Tour

 Welcome to Week 34 of the Sew Much Fun Tour

Each week a designer will be presenting a 6" (6 1/2" unfinished) block on the theme of sewing.

This week's designer is  Kathryn of Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio

Click on the image above or here to get to Kathryn's block

Last week's block was from  Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting - I need to make this one :)

Week 32 was from Katie Mae Quilts (a rotary cutter)

Week  31 was Inquiring Quilter

The blocks will be free for the duration of the tour - 52 weeks - so you have time. BUT, if you see one you like, get it! Designers may ask you  to sign up to a newsletter to receive their block. I encourage you to ~visit~ the blogs and check out the designers' work. While blocks are free, designers do put in time and it's great to receive feedback ;)

Next week's block will be from  Laureen at Tourmaline & Thyme Quilts

followed by Christina at Sweet Potato Quilts

then Carolyn at Appliqués Quilts and More

There is a Facebook Group you can join to share your blocks and be inspired by others

Quilting Around the Block Sew Much Fun Tour 2021 Facebook Group

There are prizes! 

A rafflecopter has been set up and many of the designers will be contributing prizes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here is the list of participating designers.

Participating Designers:

• Dragonfly’s Quilting Design Studio
• Faith and Fabric
• Slice of Pi Quilts
• Orange Blossom Quilt Design Studio LLC
• Your Sewing Friend
• Limeleaves Designs
• Appliqués Quilts and More
• Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
• Blue Bear Quilts
• Patchwork Breeze
• Carolina Moore
• Scrapdash
• Penny Spool Quilts
• Craftapalooza Designs
• Cayenne Ridge Quilts
• Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting
• QuiltFabrication
• Ladybug's Cabin
• Inquiring Quilter
• True Blue Quilts
• Rona the Ribbiter
• QuiltFabrication
• Tourmaline & Thyme Quilts
• Nestlings by Robin
• Prairie Sewn Studios
• Pretty Piney Quilts
• Our Crafty Life
• Sew Joy Creations
• The Quilting Room with Mel

The blog tour website is here - Sew Much Fun Tour

I hope you enjoy the tour! 

Sarah V

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Welcome to the Citified Blog Tour!

 Today is my day on the Citified Blog Tour

Our host is Sherry Shish of Powered by Quilting. 

This is the third time I have taken part in a blog tour showcasing a signature line of fabric for Sherry. I have been inspired each time by the beautiful colours of the fabrics. 

For this blog tour I revisited one of my patterns and made it with the Citified fabrics. Here is Dropping In featuring Sherry's signature line.

These colors make me look forward to summer sunsets! But they also remind me of the way light plays off the tall buildings in a big city. 

I chose my Dropping In pattern because I think this log cabin variation plays with the idea of modern buildings - it looks like one building just bumps right into the next! 

Pattern Bundle this week only

I decided to have a special Pattern Bundle deal featuring the 3 patterns I've used during the 3 blog posts to feature Sherry's signature lines. 

The first pattern included in the bundle is Dropping In which I'm featuring in this blog tour :)

While right now my favourite is Citified, I have enjoyed the colours and fabrics of each past line too.

Sunbeams is also included in the Citified Blog Tour bundle. 

The blog tour I featured this pattern in was for the Plum Pudding fabric line. These beautiful winter inspired batiks make me smile! I finally found some backing fabric I like for this one (one of Pat Sloan's Harmony widebacks in purple!) and this is on the shortlist to be quilted.

You can read more about the Plum Pudding blog tour here.

The final quilt pattern included in the Citified Blog Tour Bundle is Hearts and Churns.

This is one of my more recently quilted quilts. This fabric line, Love and Kisses, inspired many designers to create quilts with hearts on them. You may have seen the Exploding Heart Quilt by Slice of Pi? Same blog tour!

I like this quilt because I found a way to incorporate the churn dash - my first and still favourite quilt block. You might notice it shows up in my patterns a lot ;) 
You can read more about the Love and Kisses blog tour here.

This 3 pattern bundle deal is only available this week! 

The bundle gets you these 3 patterns at 20% off each compared to if you bought them all separately. You can get yours in my online shop

Blog Tour continues

The Citified Blog tour goes until March 20. There are several designers sharing their beautiful patterns in Sherry's Citified fabrics.

• March 8 – Sherry Shish of Powered By Quilting  
• March 9 – Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis
• March 10 –  SKIP DAY
• March 11 – Kate Starcher of Katie Mae Quilts
• March 12 – Leanne Parsons of Devoted Quilter
• March 13 – Sally Williams of Paleofish Designs
• March 14 – Afton Warrick of Quilting Mod
• March 15 – Sarah Vanderburgh of Sew Joy Creations ~ you are here :)
• March 16 – Jen Strauser of Dizzy Quilter
• March 17 – Kathryn LeBlanc of Dragonfly’s Quilting Design Studio
• March 18 – Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quilts
• March 19 – Anja Clyke of Anja Quilts
• March 20 – Sherry Shish of Powered By Quilting

Thank you for visiting. Enjoy the rest of the tour :)

With Joy,

Sarah V.

P.S. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter. You will hear of specials first (like the Pattern bundle) and also have access to my library of free patterns that are only available to my newsletter subscribers. Subscribe here!

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Citified Fabric Blog Tour

 

There's a new blog tour showcasing some beautiful Island Batik fabric.

Citified is Sherry Shish's of Powered by Quilting's fourth signature line where she gets to design the patterns released to go with the fabric. What fun! Sherry invited several designers to join her with a blog tour to showcase the beautiful possibilities of this fabric line.

I have been working on my quilt on and off for several months. I am quilting it as you read this :) My day is next week, but you can check out the beginning of the tour starting now. Sherry is even hosting a giveaway for U.S. residents on her first blog tour stop!

Blog Tour Schedule

• March 8 – Sherry Shish of Powered By Quilting  
• March 9 – Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis
• March 10 –  SKIP DAY
• March 11 – Kate Starcher of Katie Mae Quilts
• March 12 – Leanne Parsons of Devoted Quilter
• March 13 – Sally Williams of Paleofish Designs
• March 14 – Afton Warrick of Quilting Mod
• March 15 – Sarah Vanderburgh of Sew Joy Creations
• March 16 – Jen Strauser of Dizzy Quilter
• March 17 – Kathryn LeBlanc of Dragonfly’s Quilting Design Studio
• March 18 – Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quilts
• March 19 – Anja Clyke of Anja Quilts
• March 20 – Sherry Shish of Powered By Quilting

Take some time to sew and be calm.

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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