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riley blake + cricut quilts, part 3...

it's finally here. reveal day! i'm so excited to share my finished riley blake + cricut quilt with you.

this is the third and final post. if you haven't been following along (shame on you), you can check out posts 1 (here) and 2 (here) where i share how easy it is to use the cricut maker to cut fabric.

don't forget, there are over 30 riley blake quilt patterns available in cricut's design space and i chose to make hashtag with the little dolly quilt kit. this adorable baby quilt has just the right amount of color, novelty, and sweetness to brighten up a modern nursery. 

so you've cut all your fabric, what's next? you'll need to gather the following supplies:

  1. quilt pattern. which you can purchase in design space.
  2. sewing machine.
  3. 1/4'' sewing machine presser foot.
  4. sewing machine walking foot (for machine quilting).
  5. iron and ironing board.
  6. cricut sewing kit.
  7. matching thread. i used aurifil 50 weight for piecing and quilting.
  8. chunky thread (optional).
  9. 1 1/2'' yard backing fabric. i used riley blake designs confetti cottons.
  10. batting. for this particular quilt, a crib size batting package will work.

okay, so now that you have your supplies, here are some tips for joining your quilt top together:

  1. print or download the quilt pattern.
    1. follow the layout in the pattern.
    2. or create your own layout (keep in mind, this may not work with each pattern).
  2. layout the pieces according to the pattern.
  3. begin to piece the churn dash block.
    1. when piecing, use pins to keep the fabric from shifting.
    2. use a 1/4'' sewing machine presser foot to achieve the perfect seam allowance.
    3. if you don't have the presser foot, use washi tape as a guide.
  4. press your seams away from the bulk with a hot iron, no steam.
    1. steam may cause your HST's (half square triangles) to stretch.
  5. take your time. if you rush, you might end up with a wonky seam allowance.
  6. make all 9 churn dash blocks.
  7. begin to piece the sashing to the churn dash blocks.
    1. follow the tips under #3 and #4 above for piecing the sashing.
  8. begin to piece the rows together.
    1. follow the tips under #3 and #4 above for piecing the rows together.
  9. cut and piece the borders to the quilt top.
    1. i left off the border so the quilt is a bit smaller.
    2. if you add the borders, continue to piece/press as listed above in #3 and #4.

ta-da. you're quilt top is all finished. pat yourself on the back (especially if this is your first quilt!).

you can machine quilt top yourself or send it out to a long arm quilter. my friend, amy smart has an awesome post on quilting here. while the fabric quilt kit comes with enough fabric for the binding, i decided to use my own. amy has a terrific post on binding here.

and there you have it! your finished riley blake + cricut quilt!

using chunky thread, i added tied knots in each of the white cornerstones. it's just that extra little touch that takes it from wow to holy moly guacamole!

there are so many tools available for cutting fabric. the cricut maker is fast and accurate. it's the only digital cutting machine on the market! so, what are you waiting for, grab a cricut maker, fabric quilt kit, and make a quilt.

check out these awesome posts featuring different patterns and fabric quilt kits:

  1. Diary of A Quilter
  2. Sweet Red Poppy
  3. See Kate Sew
  4. Simple Life Pattern Company

off to make another project with the cricut maker. the possibilities are endless!

cut, sew, repeat...

the tattooed quilter

this is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of cricut. the opinions and text are all mine.

riley blake + cricut quilts, part 2...

last week i introduced you to our new BFF's: riley blake designs and cricut.

cricut has made it sew (get it?!) easy to cut fabric with this awesome adaptive tool system and now they've joined forces with my friends at riley blake designs to bring you over 30 quilt patterns and fabric quilt kits. how awesome is that?

well, today, i'm going to share more about the fabric prep and cutting process.

trust me, you'll be sewing in no time!

prepping the fabric:

  1. remove the fabric from the packaging, laying it out in the cutting order. the cutting order can be found in the printable instructions in design space.
  2. press the fabric with a hot iron. this keeps everything nice and flat on the fabric mats.
  3. while most of the fabrics in the quilt fabric kit are pre-cut, it might be necessary to trim them down. use the self healing cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter to trim them.

cutting the fabric:

  1. line the fabric up on the fabric mat, making sure the selvedge edge is at the bottom. and if necessary, use the brayer tool to smooth out any lumps and bumps.
  2. cricut recommends not trimming off the access fabric at the bottom of the fabric mat, but i'm a rule breaker and trimmed the fabric to fit exactly.
  3. if you have access to multiple fabric mats, prep as many as possible, this will save you time!
  4. keeping the fabric mats in cutting order, go ahead and start cutting with the cricut maker and the awesome rotary cutter! it might be tiny, but it's mighty!
  5. after each fabric mat is finished, take it out of the cricut maker.
  6. peel away the excess fabric first.
  7. remove each block component using tweezers or spatula.

and there you have it. easy, peasy, huh?!

you'll notice over time that the fabric mats collect thread and teeny tiny bits of fabric. don't worry the cricut maker will cut right through those and as you can see, mine are well used and loved. if the fabric mat stickiness starts to fade, check out this post on how to clean the fabric mats.

the cricut maker gives me perfect, precise cuts every time! it's also a huge time saver and is perfect for those with limited hand mobility.

i can't wait to start sewing, but i think i'll take a nap first, hehe!

cut, sew, repeat...

the tattooed quilter

p.s. stay tuned, because next month, i'll reveal the final quilt! yay!

this is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of cricut. the opinions and text are all mine.

 

 

 

 

 

introducing riley blake + cricut quilts...

i'm so excited to introduce riley blake + cricut quilt kits to you. and since I design and work with riley blake designs, this is even more exciting! they're what we like to call, new quilting bff's!

as you've seen over the past several months, i've been making lots of fun mini quilts with the cricut maker. the rotary cutter on the maker gives me precise cuts each and every time!

it's so easy to design your own quilt blocks in cricut's design space but did you know there are over 30 quilt patterns already built into design space? how cool is that? and if you're new to design space, don't worry, you can sign up for free!

wanna know something else cool? cricut also has 6 fabric quilt kits available and these kits come in two sizes: baby and throw. regardless of which fabric quilt kit you purchase, you can get wild and crazy and use the fabric quilt kit with another pattern in the same size (baby for baby and throw for throw)! mind blown, huh?

the fabric quilt kit and the quilt patterns are the perfect combination for beginners.

over the next several weeks, i'm going to share tips and tricks on cutting and piecing as i make the hashtag baby quilt featuring the little dolly collection by elea lutz.

I'm also completely in love with cricut's newly introduced fabric cutting and sewing tools.

there's even a rotary cutter kit that comes with the mat, clear ruler, and rotary cutter! score!

stay tuned for next week when i'll share some tips and tricks on cutting out your project with the cricut maker. it's going to be so much fun, hope you can join!

cut, sew, repeat...

the tattooed quilter

this is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of cricut. the opinions and text are all mine.