Bee In My Bonnet: August 2022

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

Prairie Meadow SEW ALONG

and I'm so excited for it to start!

We will be making the

Prairie Meadow Quilt

which finishes at

68" x 85"

It has twelve appliquéd blocks

which we will be using my

Sew Simple Shapes to make...

and there are sashings between the blocks

and pieced border blocks around the

entire quilt that are rotary cut

and sewing machine pieced.

Each Prairie Block

without the block borders

finish at 16" x 16"

My Sew Simple Shapes Sew Alongs

always take place here on my blog

and they are on Monday's.

This one starts August 29th!

How do you join the sew along?

1.You simply grab yourself a

Prairie Meadow Quilt Fabric Kit

2. You will need the

Prairie Meadow 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 29)

where I will give you the

free step by step tutorial

for that weeks block.

*for week one block I'll be doing a

video tutorial on my YouTube channel

and I will also be doing a

week one blog post here as well.

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

Prairie Meadows

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

Prairie Meadow

Sew Along Guide

CLICK HERE

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 as well:)

Notice that there is a number correction

in the first run of the shapes.

Two of the shapes have the same number

(N-5)which is of course not right!

The one that looks like a leaf should be

(N-3) so I just wrote

3 over the 5 with a sharpie.

Now my N-3 is labeled correctly!

You will also find a diagram of the

background and border blocks

that will be machine pieced.

There is of course a diagram on

sewing the quilt together

after all of the blocks are appliquéd

and the border blocks are completed.

And as always I have designed a page

for "Prairie 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

to take as many notes as you want:)

So now you know what the guide includes.

The instructions to make each block

is NOT in the guide.

The instructions are a detailed

step by step tutorial

and I show you those 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

Prairie Enamel Charms

to the zipper pull for the cuteness factor:)

This is the PRAIRIE Beekeeper Binder

that my Sew Along Guide will live in...

and I love it!!

Look how cute this little

covered wagon bookmark is!

I love how it peeks over the top

of the binder...traveling along

with me on my journey of making the

Prairie Meadows Quilt:)

I made it with the

Prairie Washi Tape label.

One more thing that I did was

make a paper pocket to hold the

N-13 Sew Simple Shape

because it was too wide for the

Binder Pocket Insert.

Sometimes I just need a

very large shape for a block lol

I used paper from my

Prairie Crafting Paper Pad

for the envelope and a few clip art pieces

from the pad to decorate the envelope:)

I showed you how I do this

(it's so very easy and fun)

in the My Happy Place video

on my YouTube channel.

Here is the link to that video

if you need a refresher!

CLICK HERE

I had so much fun decorating

my binder and I'll show it to you

in my week one video:)

So now I have my Sew Along Guide

and my shapes all in one place

and I'm ready to go!

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

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

CLICK HERE

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.

CLICK HERE

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.

CLICK HERE

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.

CLICK HERE

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 exclusively

for 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

Bee in my Bonnet Company

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!!

CLICK HERE

to watch week one tutorial for

Chicken Salad Sew Along

CLICK HERE

to watch my week one tutorial for

My Happy Place Sew Along

CLICK HERE

to watch my week one tutorial for my

PRIM Sew Along and

Click HERE

to watch week one tutorial for my

Flea Market Flowers Sew Along

CLICK HERE

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...

Lori

Other Places to find me:

@Beelori1 Instagram

Lori Holt/YouTube

Bee in my Bonnet Company

Monday, August 29, 2022

Prairie Sew Along - Week One!!

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Sew Simple Shapes ReMix Mini Series - Blocks 13 and 14!!

Monday, August 8, 2022

BEE PREPARED - Prairie Meadow Sew Along!!