Sunday, April 28, 2024

How to Build a Scarecrow Sew Along - Bee Prepared!!

 



Welcome Quilty friends!!

Today is the day for the 
"Bee Prepared" 
post that I do in preparation for my
 new fabric collections!

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

This Bee Prepared post is for the 
HOW TO BUILD A SCARECROW
 SEW ALONG
and I'm so excited for it to start!


We will be making the 
How to Build a Scarecrow Quilt 
which finishes at
 74" x 86"
It consists of 22 pieced quilt blocks
for te border which surrounds
the applique blocks in the center
of the quilt.
(The hay bale is also pieced)



To make the applique blocks
 we will be using my 
Sew Simple Shapes called of course...
How to Build a Scarecrow
 




The collection that we are using 
for the quilt is of course...
AUTUMN!!

Autumn fabric was designed by me... 
and produced and distributed 
to quilt shops everywhere 
by the amazing 

If you would like to know everything about AUTUMN 
to view the entire storyboard.


I am very happy with how the 
Autumn fabrics turned out and 
I love how it works for so many fall
projects as well as year round and also
 blends well with my other collections.

While we are talking fabric...
a note about pre-washing.
This is a personal choice and up to you.

I do NOT prewash my fabrics.
I did used to years ago 
but now we have such nice 
quality fabric available to us
I do not find it necessary.


So let's chat about the
HOW TO BUILD A SCARECROW
 Quilt Fabric Kit.

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

The fabric and notions as well
 have already shipped
to quilt shops everywhere 
and will continue to ship as 
each new 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 May 20th...
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 and should stay that way!

And if you are just deciding to join in 
Just do a quick google search of
 "HOW TO BUILD A SCARECROW Quilt Fabric Kit" 
to find one...
google is your best friend lol...
easy peasy!!


And speaking of sewing... 
like I always say...
you do not need a 
fancy shmancy sewing machine
 to make the applique blocks 
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.

  With that being said...
now let's talk more about 
the quilt and the supplies!

The following are supplies I'll be using
to make my blocks...


Very handy and helpful when cutting my
 pieced blocks especially are my
 Sew Handy Stickers


Of course you will need good scissors
 and a good rotary cutter.
For pressing I use my 
Quick Press Seam Roller 
and a good iron.
I always use a vintage iron 
which I tell you all about on my
 YouTube channel
CLICK HERE
but of course you don't have to 
use a vintage iron but if you are
 interested you may find my video helpful.

Also...for marking and trimming 
segments during
 the piecing process I use my 
 SMALL Cute Cuts Cutting Mat


These are the sizes of the 
Cute Cuts Trim-It Rulers that 
I'll be using to make blocks in this quilt.
The Trim-It Rulers are the ones with
 the aqua 1/4" around all 4 edges.
Sizes I will use are:
2 1/2"  3 1/2"  4 1/2"  6 1/2" 
7 1/2"  8 1/2"  9 1/2" 10 1/2"  
12 1/2"  15 1/2"  18 1/2"  20 1/2"
Some are used more than others
 but ALL are used to square up the blocks 
and to trim them down after applique.

 I use my Cute Cuts Trim-It Rulers 
EVERY time I piece quilt blocks... 
As well as for laying out applique blocks.



Besides my Trim-It Rulers 
for laying out and trimming blocks...
You will need cutting rulers and 
of course a cutting mat
 to cut out your fabric pieces for each block.
I have a variety of Cute Cuts Rulers 
in 3 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.


I have designed several sets of Washi tape
 to use and so I have several to choose from.
Here you can see my new Autumn set:)



 I use my washi tape with my 
Easy Trace Light Box 
to tape my patterns and fabric on there
when tracing on the embroidery
lines needed for a few of the blocks. 


And I also use it every day to 
temporarily tape my 
Seams Sew Easy Guide 
onto my sewing machine.

I use my SEAMS SEW EASY GUIDE
for piecing all of my blocks.
It is an accurate 1/4" seam allowance 
essential for me and also 
essential for me when sewing
 Easy Corner triangles 
  which we are doing for this quilt.

Also on another note...
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 
 residue on fabric or your sewing machine.




You will need Sew-In Interfacing 
for the appliques.
I'll be using both of these sizes.
I will need the package with yardage
not just the 14" squares
for a few of the applique blocks 
because we have some blocks 
where the appliqués are longer than 14"

 
I'll "bee" using 
Cute Cuts Marking Rulers
and
Busy Bee Mechanical Pencils
for tracing onto the 
sew in interfacing and for marking
the pieced block segments



For piecing the blocks and appliquéing
 the circles you will need
 Bee in my Bonnet Design Boards.
These are the Mercantile ones pictured
but as soon as the Autumn ones arrive
I'll take a new photo and replace this one!

In addition to the 
 Design Boards when laying out 
and basting onto the background 
I will be using:

 Sue Daley Glue

Clover Point to Point Turner
for shaping appliques

Bee in my Bonnet Pretty Pins
(applique set)

Bee in my Bonnet 
Flower Power Pin Holder

Bee Vintage Measuring Tape

Now let's talk thread for applique!


This is my brand NEW collection
 of thread for Aurifil called
HONEY BEE ESSENTIALS


It has 32 - 50 wt and 13 - 80 wt
 100% quality cotton spools...
both of which I use for 
either machine or hand applique.
Either method will work 
for the appliqués in this quilt.
to watch my video on BOTH methods.
I also use 50 wt. when piecing blocks.

 I always match my thread colors
 with my applique pieces...
so you will for sure find a color
within this set to use with all 
of the Autumn prints we will be using. 
 


If you are going to hand applique
there is sure to be a needle 
that you will love in my needle card.

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...hand sewing...
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 all work just as well and 
there are several sizes 
to choose from within each tube.



I will also definitely be using my
 STITCHY READERS
I use several strengths of magnification
depending on the task.
Each color is a different magnification:)
I could not do what I do without them!



Okay...for right now just a 
few words about the sew along guide.
 
There is no pattern to purchase...
because basically the
 How to Build a Scarecrow
Sew Along Guide
AND
My weekly tutorials
 are the cutting and then the 
instructions for each applique block  
are shown twice weekly here 
on my blog with the exception
for week one which will be
on my YouTube channel as
a video tutorial. 



My new fabric collection Sew Alongs
 always take place here on my blog.
 For this sew along each tutorial 
will be on Monday's and Friday's!



I have been so very anxious to sew 
with Autumn so I got a 
head start on this quilt by 
cutting my squares and sewing
all of the pieced border blocks first!


This is block #1...


This is block #2...



And here are blocks #3 thru #22!!!

Of course you can sew yours 
whenever you would like to 
during the sew along...
 but you just may want to 
do them first just like I did:)


I also went ahead and did a 
video tutorial for you on my
 YouTube Channel 
showing you how I made my blocks.
to watch my video!!



The How to Build a Scarecrow
 Sew Along starts 
May 20th and you are invited!
My wish is that you will join us
in making the quilt!
I have learned at a very young age
 that sewing along with others who have
the same interest as we do 
is sew much fun...
it makes our sewing time even
that much more special!!


How do you join the sew along?

1.You simply grab yourself a
 How to Build a Scarecrow
 Quilt Fabric Kit

2. You will need the
How to Build a Scarecrow
 Sew Simple Shapes Set  
and of course
 the Sew Along Guide

3. Gather up supplies needed 
to make the quilt

4. Come HERE to my BLOG every 
Monday and Friday 
during the sew along 
(starting May 20th)
where I will give you the 
free step by step tutorial for 
 applique blocks on each of those days.
*remember for week one  
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 blog posts here will be 
tutorials about actually 
making the applique blocks and so I am
 telling you here all about the supplies
 and other things necessary to get started
gathering what you will need.




After purchasing the fabric kit and 
the Sew Simple Shapes you will 
need to download the handy dandy 
How to Build a Scarecrow  
Sew Along Guide
for the free download.


For your convenience you may also
 download and/or view a 
larger photo of the quilt.



I will be keeping my sew along guide in the
AUTUMN
BEE KEEPER BINDER
to keep everything organized
and handy all in one place...
all of the info needed at my fingertips:)


I use sheet protectors to
 hold each page of the guide
for easy peasy reference!

Once again...  
The How to Build a Scarecrow  
Sew Along Guide
 is not a pattern!!
Yes...it is very handy and very full
of information but to find out 
HOW TO
make the blocks during the sew along
is when you come here on my blog. 
and my YouTube channel
on the first week. 
So to re-cap... 
the tutorials are the instructions
 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.



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 several pages of 
instructions for cutting each and every 
piece of fabric in your kit...



As well as the guide for cutting your interfacing 
and tracing your Sew Simple Shapes!


You will find cutting for the 
3 sizes of Clover bias tape makers 
that we will be using for this quilt:
1/4"  1/2"  3/4"


Towards the end of the guide you will
 find cutting for EACH of the 
22 pieced blocks for the border...


AND...
the cutting for EACH 
individual applique back as well.

YaY!!!
I hope you enjoy the guide and all 
that it brings to this sew along.
All of this is very helpful information
compiled for your use and convenience
to help you to "Bee Prepared"
and stay organized throughout:)

You can cut ahead of time
if you would like to
 and make individual block kits for
 your quilt and have them all 
ready to go for each tutorial!


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

I like to have this information 
ready for you 3-4 weeks ahead of time 
so that you can have each block cut 
and ready to go...
So that each week you can 
simply make the block or blocks!!


You will also find a diagram of the 
  blocks in sections  
and instructions for the quilt borders
 for when it is
 time for you to finish your quilt 
and sew it all together!



And as always there is a page
 for "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 tips 
that I will be giving you during
 the tutorials for each block:) 

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 block if you wanted to!



Again...
during the first week I always 
do a video tutorial...
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.

***NOTE***
Quite a while ago blogger changed their
 format and ever 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...
 just simply bookmark my blog page 
or even better...
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 info needed
but I also like the visual of 
actually showing you how I do my methods.
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 regular basis...
check out my 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 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 week one tutorial for my
Prairie Meadow Sew Along
to watch my week one tutorial for my
Calico Garden Sew Along
to watch my week one tutorial for my
Bee Vintage Sew Along
to watch my week one tutorial for my
Home Town Sew Along
to watch my week one tutorial for my
Mercantile Sampler Sew Along

and finally...

to visit my channel and to 
watch all of my tutorials:)




OKIE DOKIE!!
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 cut each block kit and label:)

I then place each cut block on a 
separate Design Board 
and then stack them up neatly 
where they stay nice and safe...
waiting patiently until it's their turn 
to be made into a Scarecrow Building Block!


I am SEW excited to make my 
HOW TO BUILD A SCARECROW Quilt with you:)

I will meet you right back here 
on Monday May 20th for the
Week One kick off!!



Sew with you soon...
xx
Lori

***EDIT***
It's now many weeks later since 
I posted this post and the sew along is
now over...it was sew fun!!!
I am posting this link to the 
very last week of the sew along 
so that you can see what my quilt 
looks like after quilting and binding 
and also photos of a very fun 
Scarecrow Door Banner Project!!
Click on the following link:

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