Okay...
enough about the guide and the binder...
let's talk about the fabric!
The collection that we are using
for the Prairie Meadow Quilt is of course...
PRAIRIE!!
Designed happily by me...
and produced and distributed
to quilt shops everywhere
by the amazing Riley Blake Designs:)
I'm really in love with
how this collection turned out:)
I dedicated my Prairie collection
to my pioneer ancestors and the
journey that they endured
while crossing the plains.
With each and every
Prairie project and print
I hope to honor them well...
from their courage and integrity
to their handmade bonnets and quilts
made with precious and sentimental
fabrics carefully brought with
them as they traveled in covered wagons
to make their new home on the prairie:)
There are 42 prints in the collection...
Along with 8 backgrounds that I designed
to coordinate with the prints:)
I hope my Prairie collection speaks
to you and finds a home in your heart
like it has in mine:)
And after all...
one of my favorite quotes from
Laura Ingall's Wilder...
"HOME is the nicest word there is"
So let's talk about the
Prairie Meadows Quilt Kit.
Several shops are stocking the kit...
both brick and mortar shops
as well as online quilt shops.
The Prairie notions as well as the
fabric have begun shipping
to quilt shops everywhere
and will continue to ship as
each item 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
"Prairie Meadow Quilt Kit"
to find one...
google is your best friend lol...
easy peasy!!
With each collection that I design...
I also design wide back prints
(108" wide)
to use for the backings on any and all
of your Prairie projects...
it's so nice when you don't have to
piece the back!
Here are the Prairie Wide Backs
and I love how they look like
flowers from the prairie!
You can choose whichever
color way you would like
for the back of your quilt...
they both match perfectly:)
I also designed this
"Very Prairie"
print for the collection.
It's not used in the quilt
but I just had to show it to you
because I love it so much!
If you would like to see
all things PRAIRIE
to view the story board!
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 Prairie Meadow 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:
You will need the 16 1/2" Square
Cute Cuts Trim - It Ruler
to trim up the Prairie Meadow Blocks
after they are appliquéd.
This ruler will also be essential
to use when laying out the appliques
to correctly place them where they
need to go
before basting and applique.
I have several other sizes
of my Trim-It Rulers
that come in handy for every
applique and pieced blocks that I make.
***NOTE***
(Backgrounds are cut larger to allow
for working the block and
then trimmed up later)
You will need 2 packs 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!
For the sew along...
I'm keeping my smaller supplies
like these inside my new
Prairie Sewing Tin!
Here is the 1/4" Clover Bias Tape Maker that you will need for this quilt.
All or the flower stems are cut
from the same print.
Some are on the bias and most are not.
I always like to keep my cut
and prepared bias rolled up
on one of the empty spools
from my large Vintage Trim.
It's very handy!
You can watch any of my week one in any
of my sew along videos if you have not
seen how I prepare my bias strips for applique.
If you have never cut strips on the bias
you can watch how from this weeks tutorial
from my Sew Simple Shapes ReMix Series.
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
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 most of the colors
in my fabric collections including
PRAIRIE.
The thread is 50 wt. and 80 wt.
and is used for
APPLIQUE and NOT embroidery.
Because I have introduced several
new colors in PRAIRIE
I have once again collaborated
with Aurifil for a 10 spool
Prairie set
that match the new colors.
I also have my PRIM Aurifil Thread set...that can be used for some colors as well.
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.
These thread sets work for both
machine and hand applique!
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!
I use my washi tape to tape my
Seams Sew Easy Guide
onto my sewing machine.
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
easily peeled off without leaving
a residue on fabric or your sewing machine.
I do a set of washi tape designs
with each fabric collection
and these are from my Prairie set:)
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.
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 the Bee in my Bonnet Design Boards
when cutting and for pinning and
glue basting each applique block.
The new Prairie ones will come in
four sizes...7" - 10" - 14" and 18"
There are 2 prints for each size.
You will need sewing scissors
as well as small machine 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
and the same goes for my cutting mats.
I have a big variety for cutting and of course
to make your sewing room look cute!!
These rulers 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.
You can use them to help label your
appliqués or blocks as you cut them.
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 bit shorter than
regular stitch length.
It really is a matter of
personal preference and what works
best for you but I would suggest
doing a smaller stitch
rather than larger.
As usual...
I am using one of my vintage
Singer Featherweight machines
for making this quilt.
You can see my
Seams Sew Easy Guide
washi taped to my machine...
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.
Use a seam roller that is flat and not rounded
so that it will not distort the shape.
I don't like to "smoosh" my shapes down
and iron them too flat.
I like a little poof in my shapes
because it gives my applique
a nice handmade 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 is a sneak peek
of what is to come!
3 Prairie Meadow Blocks:)
Again...during the first week I always do
a video tutorial for block one
which is the center block in the photo.
and I'll be doing that tutorial 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.
I have been using my blog exclusivelyfor my sew alongs for several years now.
If you would like to know
what I am up to on a weekly basis...
check out my weekly videos on my
YouTube channel.
There I talk about what I've been doing
and new things happening:)
Last week in my video
I announced something very exciting...
I'm going to be a grandma again
at the end of this year!!
Kassidy and Caleb are expecting
and it's a boy:)
We are all so excited and we know that
they are going to be great parents.
If you have been following me for
a while you know that I have
a granddaughter Sophie Belle.
She is now 13!
She is the daughter of our oldest son
Ben and my daughter-in-law Nicky:)
Another update that I announced last week
was the launching of my new website
I moved from Etsy shop that I have
had for several years onto
this website created by my son Sterling:)
We have been busy as bees!!
And finally...above photo is what the home page
of my channel looks like.
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 week one tutorial for
Chicken Salad Sew Along
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:)
OH MY GOODNESS!!
That is a lot of information
but it's all very important and meant
to be informative and answer all questions
so that you can Bee Prepared
as much as possible.
As for me...
I will be doing what I always do
while preparing for a
sew along which is...
Cut my fabric and make kits for each block
so that every week I am ready to go!
I am SEW excited to make the
Prairie Meadows Quilt with you:)
I will meet you right back here
on Monday August 29th for the
Week One kick off!!
Sew with you soon...
xx
Lori
