Let's GO! Have A Snowball Fight!

My friend Bea is hosting a AccuQuilt GO! Challenge for 2014 and ask me to be a guest blogger for February.  Hope this blog post can be worthy of Bea and her great generosity and creativity.  Thanks Bea for all you do.  You can check out more of Bea AccuQuilt GO! Challenge post here... http://www.beaquilter.com/

We are going to focus on the new GO! Snowball die.  There are so many variation that this block can be layout out... just play with it and enjoy.  I have to give the credit to AccuQuilt for these directions... I just typed them up so you can enjoy.  :)


Dies Needed:
55330 - GO! Snowball - 6" Finished
55059 - GO! Square - 2-1/2" (2" Finished) or 55018 - Value Die

 

Cutting for 9-Patch Blocks 

–Fabric #1: Cut—20, 3” x WOF Strips
•Sub cut into 160—2 ½” x 2 ½” squares using the Value Die (55018)

–Fabric #2: Cut—7, 3” x WOF Strips
•Sub cut into 100, 2 ½” x 2 ½” squares using the Value Die (55018)
–Fabric #3: Cut—7, 3” x WOF Strips
•Sub cut into 100, 2 ½” x 2 ½” squares using the Value Die (55018)

Sewing the 9-Patch Blocks (Unit #1)
•Lay out
4—Fabric #1 squares
2—Fabric #2 squares and
3—Fabric #3 squares as shown.

•Sew blocks together into rows. Pressing seams in the direction of the arrows.

•Sew rows together to make
1—9-Patch block.

•Press in the direction of the arrows.
•Block should measure 6 ½” x 6 ½”.
•Repeat previous three steps to make a total of 20—Unit #1 blocks.

Sewing the 9-Patch Blocks (Unit #2)
•Lay out
4—Fabric #1 squares
3—Fabric #2 squares and
2—Fabric #3 squares as shown.

•Sew blocks together into rows. Pressing seams in the direction of the arrows.

•Sew rows together to make
1—9-Patch block.

•Press in the direction of the arrows.
•Block should measure 6 ½” x 6 ½”.
•Repeat previous three steps to make a total of 20—Unit #2 blocks.

 

Cutting for Snowball Blocks

•Fabric #1: Cut 7—3” x WOF Strips

•Fabric #2: Cut 5—7” x WOF Strips

•Fabric #3: Cut 5—7” x WOF Strips

•Cut the
7—Fabric #1 strips into 164—2 ½” Finished Half Square Triangles

 

 

•Cut the
5—Fabric #2 strips into
25—6” Finished Snowball Blocks

 

•Cut the
5—Fabric #3 strips into 16—6” Finished Snowball Blocks

 

 

•Lay out
1—Fabric #2 block and
4—Fabric #1 Half Square Triangles as shown.

 

•Sew all four corners onto block.

•Press towards the corners

•Block should measure 6 ½” x 6 ½”

•Repeat previous three steps to make a total of 25, Fabric #2 Snowball Blocks

 

Repeat with Fabric #2 block and Fabric #1 Half Square Triangles

Sewing Rows

•Lay out 5—Fabric #2 Snowball Blocks and
4—Unit #1, 9-Patch blocks, as shown.

 

Sew blocks together into a row, pressing towards the Snowball block. Make a total of five Row #1.

 

Repeat to make alternating rows...

Sew blocks together into a row, pressing towards the Snowball block. Make a total of four Row #2.

Sewing Quilt Top Together

 

Quilt Top

 

Again, this is just one layout out of many. Hope you enjoy!  If you would like to purchase this die or any others, please go to Stitches N Stories Quilting.

 

SPECIAL for YOU!

AC2014 - $5 off any mat purchase w/ the purchase of a feature die

AND

FSAC2014 - Free Shipping w/order (not required if ordering over $100 - in that case shipping is already free)

enter the code(s) at checkout on StitchesNStories

 

Now Let's GO! Quilting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowball Fight Quilt Top Class Was GREAT!

What an absolute PERFECT quilting day... We only had two attend the Snowball Fight Quilt Top Class but they are two AMAZING people.  First let me say a big thank you to The Carpenters Cabinet for allowing us to use this wonderful facility.  What a blessing to have a food bank in our community that is focused on helping people change their life.

Now about the class... The quilt below is the top for our class.  Boy was it easy to cut with our AccuQuilt GO! Cutter.  :)

Here the ladies are just piecing away...



Beth's first completed row...


Darlene's first completed row...

So proud of you ladies.  We got all the pieces cut during class and most of the blocks assembled.  They will have the remaining rows completed real soon and we will be showing off their completed tops.

Thanks ladies for making today such a great day.

Be sure to check out our website to see when other classes are scheduled.  Stitches N Stories Quilting

Webbing your quilt top - chain piecing to the next level.

I always recommend to chain piece whenever possible.  It makes things go by so much faster because you aren't cutting threads all the time, stopping and starting and you don't have to worry about that nasty wad of thread when you go from piece to piece.

Well, this week I read a blog post about Bonnie Hunter webbing her quilt tops together.  I had to give it a try.

You can't really see it that we'll in the photo but look at the bottom.  You can see that my quilt top is "together" even though it hasn't been stitched yet.  Let's see if I can describe this in text.

Rows are all laid out...

Piece block 1 & block 2 of row one... Chain piece block 1 & block 2 of row two... All the way to the end of your rows.

Now back to the top we go.  Piece block 3 to block 2 of row 1... Chain piece block 3 to row two.... All the way down.

What you end up with is your quilt top stitched together.  When you have everything chained or webbed together it made it easy to go back and stitch the row together without having to reorganize or keep track of rows.  Lay them out once and your good.  Now it did seem to add a little extra weight while stitching the blocks and rows together but again, it seemed to save a lot of time and in my world, I need more time.  :)

In case your wondering, this is a sample quilt for a class being planned in February using the new AccuQuilt Snowball Die.  More details coming soon.  If you want to go ahead and purchase your die, please go to Stitches N Stories.

Now let's GO! quilting!