Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2021 i McCall's Quilting

There are always flowers for those who want to see them. —attributed to Henri Matisse I’m so pleased with this issue of McCall’s Quilting. The theme we selected is English Gardens. I love to grow things, flowers in particular. My mom and my maternal grandmother always had beautiful gardens. Their gardens were not formal; I’d call them country gardens. There were lots of flowers (many native to northeast Colorado) in the beds surrounding their homes. Their vegetable gardens were farther away from the house. I always loved to visit my grandmother. Often, we would walk through her yard to see what was blooming and what was about to bloom. When I think of English gardens, I think of formal gardens with a full-time gardener; paths of stone, brickwork, and the…

• To create a pillow cover, arrange the muslin appliqué on a background. Quilting with batting is optional but will add wonderful dimension. Sew a second piece of fabric to the appliquéd front, turn right sides out, and stuff the cover with a pillow insert or fiberfill. • To make a framed piece of artwork, the appliqué can be mounted on a textured background or directly on to stretched canvas. • To use the appliqué as an embellishment, sew it onto a piece of clothing or accessory. It will look fantastic on the back of a denim jacket or on a tote bag. • To complete as a quilt, add batting, backing, and binding. • Embellish your design with additional background quilting or thread-sketched elements. For example, consider adding outline-stitched…

Quilt Designed & Made by Susan Smith Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 65" x 85" Finished Blocks 62 Section 1 5" x 5" 31 Section 2 5" x 5" 48 Section 3 5" x 5" Planning Inspired by a picture of houndstooth fabric, Susan enlarged it and then figured out a way to duplicate the look for this graphic quilt. We’ve given instructions to piece using triangle squares and stitch-and-flip. Susan pieced her quilt using strip sets. Read about it before cutting to see which method you would like to use. Use an accurate ¼" seam allowance throughout to ensure all elements of the quilt fit together well. Handle all bias edges carefully to avoid distortion. Fabric Requirements Fabric yardage assumes 40” usable width of fabric (WOF) unless otherwise noted.…

• trends • tools • cool stuff Gardener's Puddle-Proof Tote Wouldn't this be a perfect place to keep all those often-used tools? Or perhaps you could use it to carry all your supplies to a class or quilting bee? You could put a rotary cutter, scissors, thread and other small supplies in the outside pockets, then put fabrics and pattern in the tote. Everything would be gathered in one place and ready to go! gardeners.com MagnaFingers Invented by a teenager to collect spilled fish hooks, this magnet tool easily picks up errant needles or pins, then releases them where you want without poking your fingers! You need only two fingers to maneuver the clothespin-like mechanism. Manufactured with a 3-D printer in small batches, the color choices are practically endless. Check…

When I design an appliqué quilt, my goal is to make it achievable and approachable for all skill levels. I start with raw-edge appliqué for comfort, knowing that lovers of turn-under appliqué will opt to take that approach on their own. My quilt design, Tudor Knot, features delightful raw-edge appliqué that is easily achievable for a beginner to intermediate quilter. I opted to use vines that were individual pieces with the ends hidden underneath the flowers to make this design even more achievable for the average quilter. Sometimes long continuous vines can be challenging and intimidating! Originally, this quilt was colored using print fabrics. However the longer I analyzed this design, the more I longed for simplicity. The Moda Grunge fabrics by BasicGrey offer this simplicity with a touch of…

The first quilt I made was a lap-sized, Christmas quilt, a gift for my mom. Having grown up in a garment-sewing household, I knew almost nothing about quilting techniques. Or maybe I should say, I knew absolutely nothing about quilting—and to this day I do not know where the idea to make a quilt came from. I had a magazine with some pictures in it, and the ability to sew a straight seam. That’s enough. Right? I look back at that quilt now—which my mom still treasures—and I both marvel at my ineptitude and also am still charmed by the love that I stitched into that small quilt. What continues to amaze after all these years are the stunningly round corners. I will call it a scalloped corner now, but…

Quilt Designed by Joel Crabtree Made by Joel and Natalie Crabtree Machine Quilted by Stephanie Crabtree Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 62¼" x 62¼" Finished Blocks 9 Block X 11¼" x 11¼" 12 Block Y 11¼" x 11¼" 4 Block Z 11¼" x 11¼" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for appliqué templates, which are printed without seam allowances. Planning Joel’s design combines three different blocks to give the appearance of extra wide sashes between the appliquéd blocks. Decide whether you want to use fusible appliqué or turned-edge appliqué before cutting the appliqué patches. Both methods are explained in Quilt Basics. If you use the fusible appliqué technique, fuse the appropriate fabrics with paperbacked fusible web before cutting out the templates. Use an accurate ¼" seam allowance throughout to ensure all…

The idea came from a picture of fabric; I literally copied the graphic and massively enlarged it. I knew I didn’t want to piece all the striped blocks bit by bit, so I experimented with a number of different strip widths. The tricky part was to get the seam allowances to match up when sewing two blocks together, so the line of the houndstooth remained smooth. That took some trial and error, in ⅛" increments. When it came to quilting, my preference is for textural, rather than pictorial, like, say, footballs. So I chose to freehand Crazy 8’s in a neutral color, laying an even texture over the entire quilt top. I bound the quilt in the darkest color, to act as a frame. I stitched the binding to the…

Quilt Designed & Made by Jo Moury Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 36⅞" x 36⅞" Finished Blocks 1 Block 12" x 12" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for appliqué templates, which are printed without seam allowances. Planning The center of Jo’s quilt features beautiful appliquéd flowers which are repeated in the setting triangles. Decide whether you want to use fusible appliqué or turned-edge appliqué before cutting the appliqué patches. Both methods are explained in Quilt Basics. If you use the fusible appliqué technique, fuse the appropriate fabrics with paperbacked fusible web before cutting out the templates. Use an accurate ¼" seam allowance throughout to ensure all elements of the quilt fit together well. Handle all bias edges carefully to avoid distortion. Fabric Requirements Fabric yardage assumes 40” usable width of…

With this method, every fabric patch is basted around a stiff piece of paper and then the edges of patches are whipstitched together. Two templates are needed: one to cut the papers and one to cut the fabric patches. Use the dashed lines of the pattern to make one plastic template (for papers); use the solid lines to make another plastic template (for fabric patches). Using the smaller template, trace and cut one piece of stiff paper for each patch in the design. Using the larger template, trace and cut the number of fabric patches needed. Center the paper template on the wrong side of the patch; pin together. Fold the first seam allowance over the edge of the paper template and hold in place. Baste the seam allowance through…

Vivika DeNegre Creative Director Sometimes a hint of florals is all a quilt needs. If that is the case, stitching a rose motif or an improvised daisy using free motion quilting does the trick. If I want to get really fancy, I’ll intersperse the flowers with a few leaves or branches. Annette Falvo Technical Editor My favorite way to add a floral pop to quilts is to use wool. Wool is strong enough to hold up to most embellishments including embroidery and beads. Plus there are so many colorful and pretty dyed wools to use! Lori Baker Acquisitions Editor I really like to use machine-embroidered flowers to add that extra “something” to quilts (and clothes). I generally embroider the flowers to be a stand-alone embroidery that I can then appliqué…

creating art quilts with reckless abandon is one of my favorite ways to make whimsical appliqué. I have been teaching this fast and fun technique for about six years now. What makes it different from the rest? It allows everyone to be a successful artist by combining a wide variety of fussy-cut botanical fabric motifs with free-motion threadwork. After all of the design and stitch work have been done and before the image is appliquéd to the background, it is manipulated with water and friction to make each individual element “bloom.” This technique is fun, whimsical, improvisational, and even slightly imprecise—in a good way—allowing your inner designer to shine. DIRECTIONS 1. Place the muslin on a work surface. The muslin acts as a base for the collage, and will be…

My inspiration comes from almost anything—architecture, DIY and salvaged object art, even fabric with a unique print. I always keep paper and pencils on hand for sketching out the rush of ideas. It makes deciding which ones will work best in a specific project a challenge, because one idea seems to inspire another. And even another one after that. I like experimenting with techniques. This time it’s a simple stitch-and-flip corner. Using one corner per unit for my 4-patch block ideas, I can have the flipped corners all outside, all inside, rotating around the block, or two inwards and two outwards. With a bit of juggling, I arrived at a colorful, farm-style flower garden. Would I do anything differently? Yes, always. The fabric and colors can be different. The arrangement…

Designed by Terry Albers Made by LouAnn Eberhardt Machine Quilted by Mary Klein Finished Quilt Size 97" x 113" Number of Blocks and Finished Size 32 Four-Patch Blocks 10" x 10" Designer Information Visit hedgehogquilts.com to learn more about Terry and her wonderful designs. Plan Do you love all things Scottish, cling to a favorite pair of argyle socks, or adore quilts with dynamic designs? If so, then this project is for you. Fabrics from the Chelsea collection by Paintbrush Studios, a division of Fabri-Quilt, bring rich colors and whimsical paisley motifs to this clever pattern. A bevy of borders add the finishing touch to this easily pieced quilt. Use an accurate ¼" seam allowance throughout to ensure that all elements fit together well. Shop Dark gray floral paisley (blocks,…

Once I saw the fabric collection Violet Hill by Holly Taylor for Moda, I knew I had to design with it! The purples, delicate flowers, and polka dots inspired the dainty appliqué petals, leaves, and stems. The appliqué blocks are broken up by fun lattice blocks that weave throughout the quilt. My wife Natalie and I tackled this quilt together, and built great memories! In doing so, we have some tips for success on this quilt. 1. Use sandwich baggies to organize and separate all of your small appliqué pieces. It helped Natalie and I keep all the tiny pieces organized and we actually managed not to lose any! 2. Pay close attention to your pressing when piecing both types of lattice blocks. It’s so helpful if you can pin…

For the yo-yos I used 3”, 4” and 5” circles. Clover’s large yo-yo maker uses 5”, the small uses 3”. For the leaves I used circles also. I used 4” circles, folded the circle in half, then folded the sides in (like you do with a Prairie Point, only using a circle instead). I then gathered the raw edge. The embellishments I hunted for a while. I auditioned quite a few things. I bought a couple crystal bracelets and some “semi-precious” beads from Michaels because they were the exact color I wanted. I also raided my button jar and my Mom’s button jar. I just got most of my mother’s sewing notions. Some of the prices on the cards of buttons said 15 cents! My brother loves this quilt. He…

Quilt Designed & Made by Abigail Dolinger Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 39½" x 39½" Finished Blocks 12 Block Y 6" x 6" 1 Block Z 13½" x 13½" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for templates. Planning Abigail’s basket of flowers will work for a table topper or a wall hanging—your choice. Abigail’s method to make the base of the basket is a good one. Simple stitch-and-flip construction makes it easy to do. Yardage for the binding is for a diagonally printed stripe. If you chose a stripe that is printed with the grain and you want to cut it on the bias, you will need ¾ yard of fabric. Use an accurate ¼" seam allowance throughout to ensure all elements of the quilt fit together well. Handle all bias…

I absolutely love to do string piecing. It’s so interesting and it’s a great way to use scraps. I always have plenty of those. For the quilt I want to make, I’ve chosen Super Strings by Molly Black, from the March/April 2016 issue of McCall’s Quilting. For the cream-colored sections of the quilt, I found Quilters Flour II, a wonderful collection of white-on-white fabrics from Henry Glass & Company. For the bright-colored sections, I’ll be using batiks from the fabrics I have on hand—as I said, string piecing is a great way to use up scraps and my tub of batik fabrics is overflowing. I am changing the colors a bit. I’ll be substituting purple for the red that Molly used in her quilt because I really love purple. I’m…