Monday, January 10, 2022

Chicken Salad 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 is the point to start gathering
your supplies and order
your quilt kits for the sew along.

This one is the 
CHICKEN SALAD SEW ALONG
and I'm so excited for it to start!

During this sew along I'll be 
making TWO Quilts!!
I'll tell you about the second quilt
at the very end of this
"Bee Prepared" blog post:)



We will be making the 
Chicken Salad Quilt 
which finishes at
 64" x 80"
It has twelve appliquéd blocks
 which we will be using my 
Sew Simple Shapes to make...
and there are borders on the blocks
 and border blocks around the
 entire quilt that are rotary cut 
and sewing machine pieced.
Each Chicken Block 
without the block borders
 finish at 12" x 12" 



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

This one starts January 31st
(Updated to February 14th)

How do you join the sew along?

1.You simply grab yourself a
 Chicken Salad Quilt Fabric Kit

2. You will need the
 Chicken Salad 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 February 14)
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
gathering what you will need.


There is no pattern to purchase...
because basically the
 Chicken Salad
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
for week one 
during the sew along.




After purchasing the shapes you will 
need to download the handy dandy 
Chicken Salad  
Sew Along Guide
for the free download.

The guide is not a pattern...
remember that the shapes are the pattern
 and the guide is simply a guide.
Why do I create a guide?
It has all kinds of info such as...


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:)


There are embroidery patterns
for the baby chick legs too
and a print out with each 
of my chickens and their name 
so that you know who is who!



And as always I have designed a page
 for "Chicken Salad 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:)

So now you know what the guide includes.
The instructions to make each block 
are detailed step by step
 and I show you here each week
 during the sew along:)



As per usual 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!

I also added one of my 
Cook Book Enamel Charms 
to the zipper pull for the cuteness factor:)




This is the COOK BOOK Beekeeper Binder 
that my Sew Along Guide will live in...
and I love it!!


I'm also happy to announce that 
I'll be using this binder 
to make a 
"Favorite Family Recipes Book!"

I designed this set of dividers
 to go into the binder specifically
 for my recipe book:)
I'll be sharing a 
favorite family recipe
 here on my blog every week 
during the sew along.

I love a good recipe 
so I thought you might like them too!
Here are what all 8 dividers look like.
This photo shows you both sides:)

For those of you who are joining me...
as promised I will be showing you
how I am making mine on my 
as a paper crafting series.
It's going to be really fun...
and afterwards I will have a 
very special recipe binder
for my vintage kitchen 
that I can use and keep adding to!
I'll be doing this sometime
towards the end of the sew along:) 
Along with the dividers for my 
recipe book I'll be using my 
Cook Book Crafting Paper Pad
for making the recipe cards, pages, cover 
and all kinds of fun things:)


And speaking of recipe pages...
I designed two pages as a free download
for you to use if you are joining me
in my "Family Recipe Book Along!"
to download and copy this one
 with the potbelly stove...



to download and copy 
this one with the chickens!

You can print your recipes on these
 or write them on by hand...
(or use a vintage typewriter 
for a true vintage recipe page look)

I'll also be using my 
Cook Book Washi Tape for my recipe book.



Looky at what I did 
with the packaging card...
I made a cute bookmark 
to use during the sew along:)

I simply trimmed off the hanging hole
 that was next to Penny's head 
and then punched a few holes 
with a regular paper punch 
to fit into the top two rings of the binder.



Peek - a - boo Penny!
Look how cute she is 
peeking up at me 
from the top!

Now Penny can help me to 
keep track of where I'm at 
and she can be moved from
 between any pages as necessary.

I'm just having too much fun already
and the sew along hasn't even started!!



Okay...
enough about the guide and the binder...
let's talk about the fabric!
The collection that we are using 
for the Chicken Salad Quilt is of course...
COOK BOOK!!
Designed happily by me... 
and produced and distributed 
to quilt shops everywhere 
by the amazing Riley Blake Designs:)








Can I just tell you something?
I'm super in love with this collection:)
As you all know...
I love vintage vintage vintage!
And especially vintage kitchens:)

I have been working on Cook Book
 for a very long time...
I wanted to get it just right
 and I must say it's exactly 
how I wanted each and every print
 to turn out and I hope you love it too!


So let's talk fabric kit!
Several shops are stocking the kit...
both brick and mortar shops
 as well as online quilt shops.

The Cook Book notions as well as the
 fabric has begun shipping
to quilt shops everywhere 
and will continue to ship as 
each print arrives at the warehouse!

So of course if you have not 
already pre-ordered 
your fabric kit and need one...
it is not too late at all!

The sew along does not begin
 until the end of this month...
and when I say "BEGIN"
that just means it's when I begin
to do the weekly tutorials.
As always...
everyone sews at their own speed,
at their own time and so it simply 
does not matter when you start.
 
Do what makes you happy 
and do what works for you...
because I always keep 
each and every tutorial right here
 on my blog and it never goes away.

The schedule is NOT to keep 
YOU 
on a deadline or stress you out ...
it is simply the schedule for 
ME 
to do my tutorials.
If you will look at my sew alongs that way
hopefully that relieves any stress.
Sewing is FUN!

 So again...
if your kit has not arrived
just know that it's coming.
And if you are just deciding to join in 
Just do a quick google search of
 "Chicken Salad 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 COOK BOOK projects...
it's so nice when you don't have to 
piece the back!

Here is the Cook Book Wide Back
 (in the color way Cayenne)
 that I am using for the back of my quilt...
I designed all 3 to look like
 vintage tablecloths 
and so that's what I named them!

You can choose whichever 
color way you would like 
for the back of your quilt...
they all 3 match perfectly:)



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 Chicken Salad 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 Trim - It Rulers 
that you will need are the
 16 1/2" - 12 1/2" - 8 1/2"
These rulers are not only to 
trim up the applique blocks 
but also the pieced blocks so that 
they are accurate before 
sewing them into the quilt.
 For me they are also essential to use 
when I lay out the appliques 
and place them where they go 
before basting and applique.

I have several other sizes 
of my Trim-It Rulers 
that come in handy for every 
applique and piecing block that I make.

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


You will need 1 package
 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.


One of the things you will need is a package 
of my 1/4" Cute Little Buttons
to use for all of the 
chickens and baby chicks eyes:)

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!

For the sew along...
I'm keeping my smaller supplies
 like these inside my new 
Cook Book Lunchbox!


Here is the 1/4" Clover Bias Tape Maker 
that you will need for this quilt.
It's used along with this 
Bee Cross Stitch 
prints for all of the legs and beaks:)

I keep all of the other sizes
inside one of my 
Bee Organized Storage Jars
to be used with other quilts!


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 
COOK BOOK. 

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.

to watch my tutorial on both 
machine or hand applique.

Then you can decide 
which you would like to do! 


There is a little bit of embroidery 
on a few of the blocks...
they are the blocks that have baby chicks:)
My PRIM Aurifloss set
 has a dark brown color that you could use
or you can use DMC 08.
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.

I use my aqua needles to embroider:)


The embroidery patterns for the 
baby chick legs 
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.
Of course I use my Easy Trace Light Box!


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 Cook Book 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 to match up seams.

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.

I use Bee in my Bonnet Design Boards 
when cutting and for pinning and
 glue basting each applique block.
The new Cook Book ones will 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 my quilt blocks.


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 SEW HANDY!!


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 a few sneak peeks
of what is to come!
This is HATTIE and PERCY
For Week One we are doing Hattie
and PERCY comes along 
during Week Two:)

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 Happy Place Sew Along
to watch my week one tutorial for my
 PRIM Sew Along and 
to watch week one tutorial for my 
Flea Market Flowers Sew Along
to watch my entire playlist 
of each and every one of my 
Sew Simple Shape tutorials:)


Okay...
so this is the part where 
I talk about the second quilt 
that I am making during this sew along!

As you know by now...I'll be making the 
Chicken Salad Quilt 
as regularly planned of course...
and for the second quilt
 I am using two of my books
Farm Girl Vintage
and 
Farm Girl Vintage 2

I will be using 12 of the 12" blocks
 that I have designed with
 "vintage kitchen themes"
and using the EXACT same setting
and the same kit
as the Chicken Salad Quilt. 
I just feel like I need 
these two quilts for my kitchen!!


And so I had this in mind 
from the VERY beginning 
and that is why I made sure that 
the chicken blocks finished at 12"
 so that I could easily
just "pop in" those Farm Girl Blocks
into their place.
So as you can see above I have two kits
all ready to go...
and I think that I will use the 
blue tulip print for the binding
 in the quilt with my Farm Girl Blocks:)

I will reveal one Farm Girl Block
that I have sewn each week 
during the sew along and show it to you...
along with the prints from the kit 
that I have used and which book
 of the two that it's from 
and what page it's on.

Of course there are many more of my 
Farm Girl Blocks
 than just twelve I am using
from my Farm Girl Books that 
would be great to use in your pieced quilt
 and so I will talk about them as well.

These two extra projects are fun additions
that I'm looking forward to. 
That makes three super fun things 
that I'll be hosting during the sew along:
1. Chicken Salad Quilt
2. Farm Girl Kitchen Quilt
3. Cook Book Recipe Binder. 

WHEW!!
I can hardly stand it.
I am SEW excited for this adventure to start:)

I will meet you right back here 
on Monday February 14th for the 
step by step tutorial on
how to make HATTIE...
And also show you my first 
12" Farm Girl Block and...
share a favorite family recipe too:)


Sew with you soon...
xx
Lori