Monday, August 16, 2021

UPDATE about My Happy Place Sew Along!!

 


I wanted to let you all know 
about an important update to the 
My Happy Place Sew Along

Because of what's been 
going on around the world...
we have had unforeseen shipping delays
and  the sew along will begin on
September 13, 2021


All of the information in my
 "BEE PREPARED" post that I did last Monday
 is exactly the same other than
 the start date and the schedule
 and I will update that.

if you have not read that post yet.

The schedule page has been changed
 on the free PDF of the 
Sew Along Guide
so you can copy off just that page
 to add to your binder.


The goal is to give everyone 
the opportunity to have their kits
 in plenty of time before the 
new start date so that they can 
Bee Prepared!!


I'm so excited to make the 
My Happy Place Quilt with you !!!


I will meet you 
right back here on 
Monday September 13th for Week One!!
xx
Lori




Monday, August 9, 2021

My Happy Place Sew Along - Bee Prepared!!



YaY!!
Today is the day for the 
"Bee Prepared" 
post that I do in preparation for my
 appliqué sew alongs using my 
Sew Simple Shapes 
and my latest fabric collection.

This one is the 
MY HAPPY PLACE SEW ALONG
and I'm so excited for it to start!



We will be making the 
My Happy Place Quilt 
which finishes at
 76" x 88"
It has fifteen appliquéd blocks
 which we will be using my 
Sew Simple Shapes to make...
and there are thirteen 
rotary cut and 
sewing machine pieced blocks. 



My Sew Simple Shapes Sew Alongs
 always take place here on my blog
 and they are on Monday's.

This one starts September 13th

How do you join the sew along?

1.You simply grab yourself a
 My Happy Place Quilt Fabric Kit

2. You will need the
 My Happy Place Sew Simple Shapes and
 the Sew Along Guide

3. Gather up supplies needed 
to make the quilt

4. Come here to my blog every Monday 
during the sew along 
(starting August 23rd)
where I will give you the 
free step by step tutorial 
for that weeks block.

Please read ALL of the information 
within this post telling you all that 
you need to know about this sew along.

Once the sew along has begun...
each of my weekly posts will be 
tutorials about actually 
making the blocks and so I am
 telling you here all about the supplies
 and other things necessary to get started.



There is no pattern to purchase...
because basically the
 My Happy Place
Sew Simple Shapes
 are the pattern and the instructions on
 how to use them for each block 
are shown weekly here 
on my blog or YouTube channel 
during the sew along.



Along with the shapes you will 
need to download the handy dandy 
My Happy Place Along 
Sew Along Guide
for the free download.

In the guide you will have:
 A print out of the finished quilt...
the schedule of what blocks
 we will be doing each week 
during the sew along...
Also in the guide you will find
 fabric requirements for the quilt...
and notion requirements for the quilt
 as well as suggested notions 
that I use when making mine.


You will also find instructions 
for cutting each and every 
piece of fabric in your kit!

It will tell you what that piece is for...
which Sew Simple Shape it is used with
 and what block it belongs to.

This way you can cut ahead of time
 and make individual block kits for
 your quilt and have them all 
ready to go each week!



As with any sew along...
organization is really the key.

I like to have this information 
ready for you ahead of time 
so that each week we can 
simply make the block!!

You will also find the cutting 
measurements of the Sew-In Interfacing 
that goes with each Sew Simple Shape 
so that you can have that all cut
 and ready to go:)




And as always I have designed a page
 for "My Happy Place Notes" 
so that you can 
jot anything down from my blog posts
or video tutorials 
 during the sew along.

You can print as many
note pages as you would like 
for your own personal use...
just keep in mind that 
they are under copyright 
and they are not for re-sale:)


I put one of my 
Bee Keeper Binder Pocket Inserts
 in there to hold my set of 
Sew Simple Shapes....
for easy access during the sew along!


The two largest circles in the set
 do not fit inside of the pocket
 because I needed to make these circles
 very large for the Cross Stitch Block...
I'll show you where I store these
two shapes as soon as my 
STITCH Crafting Paper Pad gets here...
it's going to be a nifty solution!!


This is the STITCH Beekeeper Binder 
that my Sew Along Guide will live in:)

I love this print because 
of all the vintage ladies...
reminding me of my 
Grandma's, my Aunt's and my Mom:)


I'm happy to say that this binder is 
wider than my Flea Market binder was 
and will house the guide perfectly.
YaY!



Okay...enough about the guide...
let's talk about the fabric!
The collection that we are using 
for the My Happy Place Quilt is of course...
STITCH!!

This is the written introduction 
to STITCH that is written on the back 
of the fabric storyboard 
that goes to quilt market:

"Riley Blake Designs is
 introducing STITCH fabric!
This newest collection
 by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet 
is all about her sweet 
love affair with stitching -
whether it's piecing quilts,
sewing for her home,
doing applique blocks or
embroidery, cross stitch, 
knitting or crochet...
she loves all things 
that have to do with stitching.

Lori's Mom has often been quoted 
as saying that she was practically born
 with a needle in her hand!
Most days you will find Lori 
in her Happy Place -
 just happily stitching away.

Several prints in this collection 
are a nod to all the types 
of stitching that Lori loves to do, 
as well as her endearing love of vintage.

We hope that you will love her new 
STITCH collection and that it will
 inspire you to "stitch all the things!"


STITCH
Fat Quarter Bundle:)



Now about the fabric kit.
Several shops are stocking the kit...
both brick and mortar shops
 as well as online quilt shops.

If you have not already pre-ordered 
your fabric kit and still need one...
 just do a quick google search of
 "My Happy Place Quilt Kit" to find one...
google is your best friend lol...
easy peasy!!




With each collection that I design...
I also design 3 wide back prints 
(108" wide)
 to use for the backings on any and all
 of your STITCH projects...
it's so nice when you don't have to 
piece the back!

Here are the 3 STITCH Wide Backs.
You can choose whichever you would like 
for the back of your quilt...
they all match perfectly:)


You will need 10 yards of my
 Large "Riley Red" Vintage Trim. 
It comes on a large spool with 12 yards.
It's to sew into the binding and is so cute:)

You will need 1 yard of my 
Small "Steel" Vintage Trim 
for the Iron Cord.
It comes on a small spool...
also 12 yards are on there as well.


You will need 1 or 2 packages 
of my new STITCH Buttons to use 
throughout the quilt and 
for the Button Jar Block.


You will also need one package 
of my 1/4" Cute Little Buttons.



MY HAPPY PLACE 
Sew Simple Shapes

This is the back of the header 
and you can see that the set includes 38 shapes...
two of them are bonus shapes 
that will not be used in the quilt...
but I will be using them this month
in the August ReMix Block
in my ReMix Series on my YouTube channel

Because I am a visual person...
I thought you might like to see 
a photo of each of the supplies
 and notions that are listed in the guide.

 ***The following photos are some
 of my notions and other of my
 favorite notions that I am using 
to make My Happy Place Quilt.

Some are listed in the guide
 and some are not ...
but I will explain each one!

You will see me using them in the
 tutorials during the sew along...
 so I thought I would tell you about 
each of them here...
 to answer any questions that 
you may have about them.

You can of course use what 
you would like...
these happen to be my favorites:


The Cute Cuts 20 1/2" Trim - It Ruler
is used to not only to 
trim up the large applique block
 in the top left corner of the quilt....
but to lay out the appliques 
and place them where they go 
before basting and applique.



The 8 1/2" Cute Cuts Trim - It Ruler
 is used for centering and trimming up the Pieced Quilt Blocks 1 thru 10
All of them are 8" finished blocks:)

I have several other sizes 
of my Trim-It Rulers
listed in the guide that will 
come in handy for every 
applique block in the quilt.

(Backgrounds are cut larger to allow 
for working the block and 
then trimmed up later)


You will need 1 1/2 packages
 of my Sew-In Interfacing.
Since starting my sew alongs that use
 my easy applique method...
 I have developed what I think is the 
perfect strength and thickness of 
interfacing for shaping the appliqués.

I also use the
 Point to Point Turner by Clover 
to shape each of my pieces...
I could not do without this handy tool!



I pin and then glue baste 
each block for applique prep.
I love love love this glue by Sue Daley
 and affectionately nick named it
 "Sue Glue"
It is water soluble...
dries clear...
keeps my pieces in place for applique
 but can be pulled off if I need to reposition...its a win win!


Here are the 4 sizes of the 
bias tape makers by Clover
that you will need for this quilt.
The green is 1/4" -
purple is 3/8"
red is 3/4"
and the blue is 1"


Here is a photo of my NIFTY NEEDLES...
they come in a card with several of each different kind...
and also come in 
individual needle tubes as well.

There are 6 different kinds 
for all stitching tasks...
shown in the tubes are the ones 
that are relevant for this quilt.
Embroidery...applique and binding.

You can also use the sewing needles
 in one of the smaller sizes 
if the applique needles are 
too small for you.

It's really a personal preference...
they both work just as well and 
there are several sizes 
to choose from within each tube.




Now let's talk thread.
I have a Aurifil thread set
called Bee Happy
and it will work for all of the colors in STITCH. 

The thread is 50 wt. and 80 wt. 
and is used for
 APPLIQUE and NOT embroidery.

You can decide if you would like to 
machine applique or hand applique...
either way you will need to 
have matching thread for each applique.

This thread works for both!

If you are machine appliquéing
 you would use it for the top thread
 but you would not need to change 
your bobbin color as it would 
not show on the top.

There is a little bit of embroidery 
on a few of the blocks 
which uses all the same color.


My Bee Basics Aurifloss set
 is used for the Cross Stitch Block 
and the embroidery that there is
 in some of the blocks.
P.S. Aurifloss is made by Aurifil and 
is a six stranded embroidery floss 
for handstitching...not for the machine.

You do not use Aurifloss for applique...
I use it for embroidery or cross stitch.

The colors I used are listed in the guide.



Any embroidery patterns for the quilt 
are in the sew along guide.
You can tape that page to a window 
on a sunny day to trace directly
 onto the fabric for embroidery 
(I use a .05 mechanical pencil)
 or you can use a light box.
I use my Easy Trace Light Box.


I'm excited to announce that 
it was time to produce them again!...
it is exactly the same amazing quality 
and the only thing I did was
do it in a different color...
and designed new packaging as well.
 It was fun to change it up!



I use my washi tape for 
taping my embroidery pattern and fabric
 onto my light box for tracing.

I don't want my pattern or fabric
 to shift during this process.
For those of you who may not know
 what washi tape is...
it was developed for paper crafting and packaging but I also use it 
for sewing and quilting!

Just think of it as cute 
miniature painters tape.
It has a low adhesive so that it 
can hold temporarily and can be 
peeled off without leaving 
a residue on fabric.
Perfect for taping paper 
and fabric to the light box!

I do a set of washi tape designs 
with each fabric collection 
and these are from my STITCH set:)


I have several different sets of 
Pretty Pins and these are the two
 that I use when making this quilt.

The Double Pins are used when 
piecing blocks and I will 
show you during that tutorial.

The Applique Pins are used for 
pin basting into the design boards 
and are essential to me!
These are just the right length 
for this task...
which is why I call them appliqué.

I also have "mini applique" Pretty Pins 
that are short and tiny and are 
used for hand applique 
when I don't glue baste.



And again...speaking of pins...
of course you need a pincushion 
for this sew along! 

I made this one from a
 pretty little vintage aqua apple 
dish that I thrifted for
 just a few dollars.
For making this one...
I simply glued a good 
strong magnet onto the bottom 
making it a magnetic pin bowl.

I also did a tutorial on my 
YouTube channel on how I make my 
pincushions from vintage finds.
to go on over for a visit!



I use Bee in my Bonnet Design Boards 
when cutting and for pinning and
 glue basting each applique block.
The new STITCH ones come in
 four sizes...7" - 10" - 14" and 18"
There are 2 prints for each size.


I use my Seams Sew Easy Guide 
to piece all of the blocks in the quilt.
It's used as an accurate
 1/4" seam allowance and also when 
piecing all of the easy corner triangles 
in the sewing machine block 
and the Quilt Blocks.

I'll show you how to use it 
during those block tutorials:)


You will need sewing scissors 
as well as embroidery scissors.
I use both...these are my
 9" Sewing Scissors 
 and my Stork Scissors.


Besides my Trim-It Rulers 
for laying out and trimming blocks...
You will need all sizes of 
cutting rulers and of course a cutting mat...
I have a variety of Cute Cuts Rulers 
in 4 different colors and shapes and sizes.
These are the ones that I use
 to cut all of my fabrics for everything...
including all of my pieced quilt blocks.


When I am cutting I use my 
Sew Handy Stickers for labeling 
my cut pieces and blocks etc.

They come in 5 different colors 
and are letters and a few
 number pages as well:)

These stickers adhere well...
can be ironed over...sewn over too...
but then they easily peel off 
without leaving any residue.

LOVELY!!



And speaking of sewing...
you do not need a 
fancy shmancy sewing machine
 to make the applique pieces from the 
Sew Simple Shapes 
or to piece the quilt blocks.

Just a good straight stitching 
machine is all you need...
at just a regular
 stitch length or just a bit shorter.

As usual...
I am using one of my vintage
 Singer Featherweight machines
 for making this quilt.

You can see my 
Seams Sew Easy Guide
 taped to my machine...
(I use washi tape for that too)


Also...a note about ironing.
I do not use steam in my iron 
and you want to make sure not to
 after you have sewn your shapes
 and are pressing them.

Just a good and dry hot iron works well
 and I have found that a 
seam roller works fabulous for
 pressing my shapes after shaping as well.

I don't like to "smoosh" them down
 and iron them too flat.
I like a little poof in my shapes 
because it gives my applique a nice finish.

to watch my video about why and how 
I use vintage irons and where to
 find them and what to look for!


So here are my Week One fabrics 
already cut and ready to sew! 
I just need to trace the shapes onto the interfacing first.
For Week One we are doing the 
Tomato Pincushion Blocks.

During the first week I always do
 a video tutorial for that block 
and I'll be doing that on my 
YouTube Channel.

I'll of course also be posting 
all about week one here on my blog 
and will have a link to my 
YouTube video here for you 
on my week one blog post.

If you are new to my 
Sew Simple Shapes Sew Alongs...
I suggest that you watch a few 
of my previous week one video tutorials
 because I know that 
they will help a you a lot!!

to watch my week one tutorial for my
 PRIM Sew Along and 
to watch week one tutorial for my 
Flea Market Flowers Sew Along.



Here's a little peek at my
 Week One in progress.
I have been working ahead so that I 
can prepare the tutorials for you...
I am a few blocks ahead right now 
and let me tell you...
I am sew excited for this adventure to start!!

I will meet you right back here 
on Monday September 13th for the 
step by step tutorial for 
the Tomato Pincushions:)

Relax and have fun while 
preparing your block kits 
using the guide instructions.
It's not a race...take your time!

When I have a lot of cutting to do 
I like to listen to an audio book 
or binge watch something.
While I cut all of the pieces
 for My Happy Place Quilt 
I binge watched one of my 
favorite series again called...
"A Place to Call Home" 


Sew with you soon...
xx
Lori