CALICO GARDEN Sew Along - BEE Prepared!!

 

Welcome!!

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 

Calico Garden SEW ALONG

and I'm so excited for it to start!

We will be making the 

Calico Garden Quilt 

which finishes at

 90" x 90"

It consists of several machine pieced blocks

 in the border and in the quilt center

and appliquéd blocks the border

and quilt center as well.

 For the applique we will be using my 

Sew Simple Shapes called of course...

Calico Garden:)

We will start with the applique blocks

 in the border and then move on to the

 pieced border blocks

and then start in on the center blocks! 

My Sew Simple Shapes Sew Alongs

 always take place here on my blog

 and they are on Monday's.

This one starts January 30th!

How do you join the sew along?

1.You simply grab yourself a

 Calico Garden Quilt Fabric Kit

2. You will need the

 Calico Garden 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 January 30th)

where I will give you the 

free step by step tutorial 

for that weeks block or blocks.

*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

 Calico Garden

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 

Calico Garden  

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

the schedule of what blocks

 we will be doing each week 

during the sew along.

This sew will go for 19 weeks!

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 you can have each block cut 

and ready to go ahead of time...

So that each week you can 

simply make the block or blocks!!

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:)

You will also find a diagram of the 

 block sections and quilt borders

for when it is time to finish the quilt 

and sew it all together.

 

And as always there is a page

 for "Calico Notes" 

so that you can 

jot anything down from my blog posts

or video tutorials 

 during the sew along.

I recommend using these pages to 

write down the piecing tips 

that I will be giving you during

 the tutorials for each of the 

pieced blocks in the quilt:) 

You can print as many

note pages as you would like 

to take as many notes as you want

so you could print a page for each.

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

for EACH applique block

and 

EACH pieced block

 and I show you those here each week

 during the sew along:)

As per usual I used my 

Bee Keeper Binder Pocket Inserts

  to hold my set of 

Sew Simple Shapes....

for easy access during the sew along!

This time I used two of them

and separated the large pieces

from the smaller pieces.

This is a set with many shapes:)

I even went one step further 

and placed the circles and ovals

 in a baggie

and all the leaf shapes in a baggie

and placed those in the one 

with the smaller shapes...

for even faster sorting time! 

I also added one of my 

Calico Enamel Charms 

to each zipper pull for the 

cuteness factor:)

I am using my new

CALICO Crafting Paper Pad 

to create and decorate a binder 

for this sew along...

On the back of the pad it 

shows all of the papers included 

(papers are 8 1/2" x 11"

very nice quality scrapbook paper)

and the 2 pages of clip art that 

I designed for binder decorating:)

Here are 5 of the papers 

and the two pages of clip art so that 

you can see what they look like.

If you are not familiar with the term

 "clip art"

It simply means you cut the art out

 with scissors and use a

 glue stick to apply:)

I'm going to have so much fun decorating 

and creating my binder and 

I'll show it to you 

in my week one video:)

I'll probably use a 2" binder

or even my binder from Prairie

I'll decide which one when I do it

and of course will let you know!

I'll put my guide pages into individual 

sheet protectors as per usual.

 I will have my Sew Along Guide 

and my shapes all in one place 

and I'll bee ready to go!

Okay...

enough about the guide and 

that I'm going to decorate the binder...

let's talk about the fabric!

The collection that we are using 

for the Calico Garden Quilt is of course...

CALICO!!

Designed happily by me... 

and produced and distributed 

to quilt shops everywhere 

by the amazing Riley Blake Designs:)

I'm really excited to be working and 

playing with the Calico collection:)

There are 42 prints in the collection...

and 4 backgrounds that I designed

 to coordinate with the prints:)

I hope my Calico collection speaks 

to you and finds a place

 in your gardening heart

like it has in mine:)

So let's talk about the

Calico Garden Quilt Kit.

Several shops are stocking the kit...

both brick and mortar shops

 as well as online quilt shops.

The Calico 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

 "Calico Garden 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 Calico projects...

it's so nice when you don't have to 

piece the back!

It comes in 3 colors...

Alpine... Coral and Milk Can

I also designed this

 "Grandmas Calico Garden" 

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 CALICO

CLICK HERE

to view the story board!

If you would like to watch my 

Virtual Spring Market Video 

where I show you everything 

that is coming this year...(so far)

CLICK HERE!!!

We will be using the small Vintage Trim 

in the color Pebble for the 

smoke in the Potting Shed Chimney

And large Vintage Trim in Denim

 to use in the binding:)

Okay!!

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 Calico Garden 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 several sizes of the

 Cute Cuts Trim - It Rulers 

to trim up the Blocks

 after they are appliquéd

and during the piecing process.

I have several sizes 

of my Trim-It Rulers 

that come in handy for every 

applique and pieced blocks that I make.

The sizes that I will be using

for this sew along are

3 1/2", 4 1/2", 5 1/2", 6 1/2",

7 1/2", 8 1/2", 12 1/2", 14 1/2"

16 1/2" (shown in photo)

and the 20 1/2"

***NOTE***

(Background fabrics are cut larger 

to allow for working the block and 

then trimmed up later using these rulers)

You will need my Sew-In Interfacing

for the appliqués.

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!

I will use my other Cute Cut Rulers 

and my readers and these are all

pink so I had to take a picture 

of them together for you lol

Here is the Clover Bias Tape Makers 

that you will need for this quilt.

 

Some fabrics are cut 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

CALICO. 

The thread is 50 wt. and 80 wt. 

and is used for

 APPLIQUE and NOT embroidery.

Since then I have introduced several

 new colors in 

PRAIRIE and PRIM

that will also match 

other prints in CALICO 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!

You can bet I'll be using it for 

decorating my sew along guide binder!

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 Calico 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'm excited that I will get to

 use my brand new 

Flower Power Magnetic Pin Holder

 to make my Calico Garden Quilt:)

I use the Bee in my Bonnet Design Boards 

when cutting and for pinning and

 glue basting each applique block.

The new Calico ones will come in

 four sizes...7" - 10" - 14" and 18"

There are 2 prints for each size.

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 washing and ironing.

I do NOT prewash my fabrics.

I used to years ago 

but now we have such nice 

quality fabric available to us

I do not find it necessary.

 

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!

A few Calico Blocks...

both pieced and applique:)

Again...during the first week I always 

do a video tutorial.

The first block is the Coneflower 

and I'll be doing that tutorial on my 

YouTube Channel

and the Starflower Pieced Block

here on my blog.

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.

A while ago blogger changed their format

and since then I have not been able

to put a button on my blog

for you to get email notifications

or to follow me here.

But remember that google is your 

best friend and all you have to do

 is type in the name of my blog 

or the name of my sew along

 and it will bring you right here!

I have been using my blog exclusively

for my sew alongs for several years now

except for the week one video.

I like to be able to write everything 

down here for you such as the pieced 

block measurements and applique shape needed

but I also like the visual of 

actually showing you how I do my 

Sew Simple Shapes method of applique.

That's why I do the first week

 on my YouTube Channel.

Using both my blog and my channel

for these sew alongs is a perfect pair!

I do many other tutorials 

on my channel as well.

So...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:)

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 week one tutorial for my

Prairie Meadow 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 

Calico Garden Quilt with you:)

I will meet you right back here 

on Monday January 30th for the

Week One kick off!!

Sew with you soon...

xx

Lori

Other Places to find me:

@Beelori1 Instagram

Lori Holt/YouTube

Bee in my Bonnet Company