Blog

Glowing Quilt Along

The Glowing quilt along starts soon!

Join us for another Quilty Love quilt along!

The Glowing quilt pattern is a nice and simple one to sew up and will make for a fun quilt along this fall.

Glowing Quilt Along

Dates

Starts: October 5th, 2020
Runs for 5 weeks

Materials Needed

The Glowing Quilt Pattern
12 Fat Quarters
2 1/4 yards of background fabric
See full material requirements in the product listing

Takes place on Instagram

Sign up for the QAL so you don’t miss the weekly newsletter. The sew along will take place on Instagram. This is a virtual sew along where we all post our Glowing progess to the hashtag #glowingquilt.

Check out the hashtag often to see what other participants are doing. It’s always more fun to sew together!

Fat Quarter friendly

Glowing is a really great stash quilt! Use a favorite fat quarter bundle or create your own from your stash. The quilt below was pulled from my stash. It’s an assortment of fabrics inspired by the Ruby Star Society Warp and Weft fabric line.

The exact fabrics are listed and linked in this blog post.

Stash Friendly quilt

I’m running pretty low on fabric bundles over here so I decided to try something a little different for my quilt along Glowing quilt. I’m doing all of my blocks in Navy, minty aqua and green.

So I pulled 12 different navy fat quarters from my stash. I’m so excited to find a way to finally use up these fat quarters. I also pulled 6 minty aqua fat quarters for the centers and then green scraps for the plus signs.

Even my background will be pulled from my stash! I’m using leftover low volume fabrics for my background.

I’m pretty excited to make this quilt 100% from my stash. If you are running low on bundles, I encourage you to do the same! Stick with one continuous block colorway like this.

Above is my test block and I have to say, I’m pretty excited!

And below is a mock up I did in these colors.

Skip the sashing

If you really don’t like adding sashing to your quilts, you can skip it on Glowing! Below are a few mock ups with and without sashing.

Above mock up is using Ruby Star Society Smol.

You can check out the two Glowing quilts on the blog below:

Glowing quilt – the Figo fat quarter one

I have another Glowing quilt to share with you today! This is the second Glowing quilt I made (here is the first) but I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Glowing is now available in the Quilty Love pattern shop.

Figo Fabrics

This version of the brand new Glowing quilt pattern is done up using the A life in Pattern fabric line by Cathy Nordstom for Figo Fabrics.

This fabric line is so pretty! I love the blue, green, and peach combo. And those plaids! They were my favorite.

The Glowing quilt throw size needs just 12 fat quarters so I chose my favorite 12 from this Figo Fabrics line.

Mix and match fat quarter quilt

Glowing is a mix and match fat quarter quilt. That means you cut one entire block from one fat quarter and then you mix all of the pieces together to make your blocks. This quilt uses up a full fat quarter perfectly! I love when that happens!

The quilt pattern also includes instructions for a 1/4 yard cut of fabric. It doesn’t always work out to use a quarter yard when you write patterns for fat quarters but it did in this case! So whatever your preferred cut of fabric is, quarter yard or fat quarter, this pattern will work!

I always buy my fabrics as fat quarters. I really like fat quarters in my stash and I tend to write most of my patterns for them.

Look at those pretty stacks of fabric all ready to be made in to big bold quilt blocks!

My brand new Janome MC6700p

I took the photo below to share my brand new sewing machine on Instagram. This Figo fabrics Glowing quilt was up on my design wall at the time.

But yes, I purchased my own Janome MC6700p! I love this machine so much and can’t recommend it for quilters enough! I have been a Janome Maker for the past few years sewing on this machine on loan from Janome and I just couldn’t imagine trying to quilt without it anymore.

One of these days I’ll do a full review on this machine. I purchased mine from my friend Holly over at Bijou Lovely.

Big quilt blocks

The Glowing quilt has nice big quilt blocks! I kept them nice and large so the blocks didn’t get too tedious. While there are quite a few seams in each block, very few of them need to line up.

The throw size quilt only has 12 quilt blocks to make. I wouldn’t call this a fast quilt to make but it does go together fairly easily without taking too much time.

Baby, throw and full size quilt

Glowing includes instructions for a baby size quilt, a throw size quilt and a full or double size bed quilt. I didn’t include a larger queen or king size because the block measurements didn’t work out perfectly but you could always enlarge it by adding a row and a column. And since each block uses one fat quarter, just add an extra fat quarter for each block.

I’m excited to offer this one in a full size quilt! I think this is the first full/ double bed size quilt I’ve had. That size can be a little hard to find quilt patterns for.

Long arm quilting

This Figo fabrics Glowing quilt was sent off to Knot and Thread for quilting. Isn’t this quilting design so good!!? I always have Kait pick the quilting design and surprise me now because it’s way more fun that way. This quilting design did not disappoint.

Quilt binding

This larger throw quilt is finished off with a Kona cotton solids binding in the color peach. I used a solid from my stash since I didn’t have enough of the Figo prints for a binding.

My stash is getting pretty low right now and I’m struggling to find enough fabrics for binding lately..haha. I’ve been making a lot of quilts and therefore binding a lot of quilts and like I said before I mostly have fat quarters so finding binding has been a struggle. I really need to stock up on some fabrics. This is also why I use the leftover cut off backing as my binding majority of the time!

Quilting with a toddler – stand and sew

Here is what my days look like most of the time with a toddler..haha. I have my own sewing room but most days I’m sewing out on the kitchen island with toddler music playing.

A lot of quilters are surprised to see this stand and sew situation going on. Yes, I love to stand and sew! When you need to tend to a toddler it’s so much easier to be standing than sitting. Plus, the toddler tends to ignore you more when you are standing. Why is it the second you sit down, they want your attention!?? haha.

I wouldn’t recommend standing and quilting for long periods of time but let’s be real, that doesn’t happen with a toddler.

I feel like I need a disclaimer that our home is a work in progress…haha Come back in a few months when I finally have some new flooring down 😉

Look at that beautiful quilting texture! The movement in this quilting design is just so good! I never would have chosen a quilting design like this so that is why I love to leave it to the professional..lol.

I had fun photographing this Figo fabrics Glowing quilt. It sure is pretty!

Show off those prints

Glowing is perfect for showing off your favorite prints. Since the fabric pieces stay nice and big, you can really highlight the fabrics. This figo line has some fun patterns that are on the larger scale. I love that you can still see the fabric designs well.

Peppered cotton wide back quilt backing

I finally started using all of the Studio E Peppered Cotton wide back fabric I purchased! These Peppered Cottons are a shot cotton by Pepper Cory in 108″ widths! I don’t know about you, but I love wide back fabrics as backing. No piecing required!

This Peppered Cotton is the color fog. I also bought a ton of the color Charcoal. Shot cottons are really nice and soft and drapey. I’m really happy with how they are working out as quilt backings.

The block below is my favorite block in this Glowing throw quilt. That peach plaid fabric is just so good!

Materials Used:

Quilt Pattern: Glowing quilt pattern by Quilty Love
Prints: A life in pattern fabric line by Figo Fabrics
Background: Kona cotton Snow
Binding: Kona cotton Peach
Backing: Peppered Cotton in Fog

Pieced on a Janome MC6700p
Quilted by Knot and Thread Design

Take a look at the other Glowing quilt here.

Glowing Quilt – A new fat quarter friendly quilt pattern

I’m excited to share the new Glowing quilt pattern today! Glowing is the latest Quilty Love pattern and both fat quarter or quarter yard friendly.

You can find the Glowing quilt pattern in the pattern shop.

Fat Quarter friendly quilt pattern

Glowing is all about those fat quarters! This will be a really nice stash quilt since you can pull your favorite fat quarters from your stash.

I’m smitten with the brand new hard to find Warp and Weft line by Ruby Star Society. Since it is hard to find a full bundle right now, I made up my own using a similar color story. It was so satisfying using up fat quarters that I already had in my stash.

Some of my fabric pieces were a tad too small so I added a few more pieces to make it all work. Glowing uses a fat quarter or a quarter yard cut of fabric perfectly!

If there is a fabric line you love, try pulling the exact colors of it from your own stash! It’s a really great way to build your own bundle.

Crazy fact… I feel like I’m really low on fabric right now because I’ve been sewing like crazy lately!

Fabrics used in this Glowing quilt

I used some of my favorite fabrics in this quilt! Top to bottom of the photo above:
Bonnie and Camille Woven
Kona Windsor
Ruby Star Society Smol
Kona Curry
Ruby Star Society Speckled in Cactus
Ruby Star Society Anagram
Allison Kaleidoscope Thistle
Driftless in Mango
Kona Salmon
Kona Coral
Carolyn Friedlander Collection CF
Driftless in Aqua
Kona Sea Glass

Mix and Match fat quarter quilt

Glowing is a mix and match fat quarter quilt. Each block uses one fat quarter but then you mix and match the different cuts to make up your blocks. You can coordinate different fabrics that way since some colors will work better together than others.

Lately I’ve been trying to branch out from solid white backgrounds and instead opting for either color or subtle texture. This Glowing quilt uses Ruby Star Society Zip in the white colorway. I like that it’s still white but has that nice texture. You can see the stripes in the fabric in the photo above.

Machine quilting on the Janome MC6700p

This version of the Glowing quilt was quilted on my own machine! I’ve been quilting up quite a few of my own quilts lately because I’ve been making so many..lol.

I purchased my own Janome MC6700p very recently after using one from Janome for the past few years. This machine quilts like a dream and really makes it easy to quilt your own quilts.

I stuck with my favorite walking foot quilting design.. and that is the wavy stitch (or the Serpentine stitch). It’s basically straight lines but then the fancy stitch makes the waves. It doesn’t get any easier than that and it always looks good on everything!

The quilting lines on this quilt are 3/4in spaced. I start on one end, quilt the lines 1.5 inches apart. Then I go back and fill in the lines to be 3/4 inch spaced.

Below you can see how the entire quilt ends up in the throat of my sewing machine. This is after one pass through at 1.5 inch spaced lines. This Janome MC6700p has a huge throat space so it’s hardly a struggle even with a quilt this large.

I never flip my quilt and always keep it the same direction so that the fabric doesn’t pull in opposite directions. I never liked how you could tell exactly where you flipped the quilt because the fabric pulls. Honestly, this machine probably wouldn’t do that but I’ve gotten used to quilting this way since I learned on a smaller machine.

You just want to make sure your quilt is basted well and you handle it carefully to prevent warping or pulling in one direction. But I would rather deal with some warping than that pulled fabric.

Peppered Cotton Wide back

I was excited to try out this Peppered Cotton Wide back fabric as the backing for this quilt! I recently bought a ton of this shot cotton 108 inch wide fabric in both Fog and Charcoal. I use wide back fabrics whenever possible because I really don’t like piecing fabric together for backings…lol.

I was a little worried about the fabric being too slippery or puckering but there were no issues. It quilted up really nicely!

The wavy stitch gives your quilts the most beautiful texture!

Oh look, the little lady showed up during these photos 😉 This is a very accurate representation of life with a toddler right now. She is always on the go.

The puppy even made it into this quilt photo shoot..lol. Don’t be fooled by these photos… the pup is not a huge fan of the toddler.

Glowing quilt pattern sizes

Glowing includes instructions for a baby sizes, a generous throw size and a full/ double bed size!

I really like generously sized throw quilts and that is what this version is. You could also make this quilt in a square by making nine blocks instead of twelve.

Minimal seams to match up

Glowing is a really great ambitious beginner quilt pattern because although there are quite a few seams, very few of them need to match up. I kept the blocks bigger on this quilt pattern so it would go together nice and easy instead of feeling tedious to make.

Look at that yummy quilted texture! And these fun colors! I’m really happy with how this throw quilt turned out 🙂

Do you like the extra flair in the binding? I didn’t cut enough binding strips but knew it would be close. Instead of adding more of the same Ruby Star Grid I grabbed a left over piece from the quilt blocks for a little extra pizazz.

Binding fabric is Ruby Star Society grid in the color Peacock.

You can find Glowing in the Quilty Love pattern shop:
PDF automatic download
Paper booklet

Pieced and quilted on my Janome MC6700p
See the exact fabrics used at the beginning of this post.
Backing: Peppered Cotton Wideback in the color Fog.
Binding: Ruby Star Society Grid in the color Peacock.

Quilty Hearts baby quilt pattern – The scrappy solids one

I have a cute little Quilty Hearts baby quilt to share with you today!

The Quilty Hearts quilt pattern is available in the Quilty Love shop.

Connecting Threads Color Wheel solids

This Quilty Hearts quilt uses the Color Wheel solids fabrics from Connecting Threads. Connecting Threads sent me a bundle to try out.

This was the first time using this fabric and I really liked it! It has a nice weight and silkiness to it. It’s silky but not slippery. I didn’t prewash my fabrics (I never do) and I haven’t washed this quilt yet so I don’t know if there will be any bleeding of the fabrics.

Pre-washing quilting fabric

Yes, I said I don’t prewash. I know that’s controversial…haha. I always, always, always wash my quilts with a color catcher the first time or two. I have had so few problems with bleeding that I’m still over here not prewashing. I prefer sewing with unwashed fabrics. Is it a good idea to prewash…. you bet!

Colors left to right: Provincial blue, dusty aqua, aloe, dusty rose and antique pink.

Quilty Hearts baby quilt

Back to this cute little baby sized heart quilt…. This entire baby sized quilt top was sewn up in a nap time! Yes, a nap time! I couldn’t believe it. I always make throw quilts, really big throw quilts. So I’m always surprised by how fast baby quilts go together..haha.

I put the toddler down for a nap and started cutting. I had a completed quilt top done by the time she woke up. It was a really good nap… but still! This cute little heart baby quilt is a fast and easy one to put together.

Scrappy friendly heart quilt

Quilty Hearts is all about the scraps! This heart quilt is scrappy friendly or fat quarter friendly. In this case, I used five fat quarters for this baby size quilt.

Rather than sticking with the traditional pinks or reds you might find in heart quilts, I used an assortment of these pretty Connecting Threads Color Wheel solid fabrics.

Wavy quilting on my sewing machine

I spent another nap time quilting this one up myself on my sewing machine. I stuck with my favorite walking foot quilting, the wavy stitch!

This is basically straight line quilting but the fancy stitch makes the waves. It doesn’t get any easier than this and it always looks good when it’s done!

These wavy stitched lines are 3/4″ apart.

This is the first time I used a colored thread for my quilting. Usually I just stick with a neutral like white or grey. Instead I used an aqua Connecting Threads thread.

Connecting Threads thread

I’ve talked about the Connecting Threads Essential cotton threads over on Instagram a lot. I’ve been using their threads for years and really love them. They are a little thicker since they are 3 ply but you can’t beat the price and the quality is great.

I always have a cone of white and silver on hand. Their cones are only around $12!

I really like their thread for quilting since it is a touch thicker but lately I’ve been using it for piecing as well. It’s the only thread I’ve had for the past several months.

Quilty hearts baby quilt backing and binding

This cute little Quilty Hearts baby quilt is backed with a favorite fabric from Rifle Paper Co for Cotton and Steel. This floral print is an older fabric that I had in my fabric stash. I love how you can use those smaller sizes of yardage in your stash for baby quilts.

The binding is another one from my stash. I believe it’s a kona cotton solid.