Splendid Sampler + Circle Applique Tutorial

Thursday is here again which means it's time for a quick blog post to share the next Splendid Sampler 2 block!

This block was designed by Rebecca Bryan (Bryan House Quilts) and it's called Milk and Cookies.
You can find the printable PDF here.

This block has some applique steps in it and you can definitely use your favorite technique - or take this opportunity to try a new one!

I recently found this tutorial from Sarah Fielke for applique circles and have been looking for an excuse to try it out.  It worked GREAT - and I'll definitely use it again!  There's a text version of the tutorial here, and or watch the video below.

If you're sewing along with us on the Splendid Sampler 2, hop over to the facebook group to share your block!  And if you haven't started yet, no worries - it's easy to catch up.  You can grab the free pattern for block #1 here, and block #2 here.  And don't forget to pre-order the book here from Amazon.  

Happy stitching!

--Andy

Spelling Bee Quilt Blocks

Hooray for Saturdays!  Boy have I been looking forward to today.  We've had a busy week and I feel like I've spent most of it in my car driving my kids here and there.  Isn't Summer supposed to be relaxing?? Sheesh!

Today I get to share with you a couple of blocks from the Spelling Bee Quilt Along that's been happening all year - hosted by Lori Holt & The Fat Quarter Shop. 

This week the quilt along is highlighting the number 2 and number 3 blocks.  I made mine using fabrics from the Bake Sale 2 line from Lori Holt & Riley Blake Designs.  That red print is one of my favorites!  (But you know I'm a sucker for great red prints, right?)  

This book is a fun one - filled not just with 100 different block patterns, but also six quilt patterns and another dozen or so mini quilts.  And each block pattern has instructions for both a large AND a small block.  

Remember the scrappy apple mini quilt I made back in march?  Those adorable apple blocks were found in the Spelling Bee Book!

Here's a view of each of my number blocks for this week:

For the number 3 block I decided to use the green print as the background.  Kinda fun!

Want to see what others have been working on?  Check out the hashtags #spellingbeesaturday and #fqsquiltalong on Instagram.  And if you've been sewing along, be sure to add those hashtags so we can all find your projects!


And here's the list of bloggers and dates so you can see what other's have shared over the past months - just a few weeks to go!

• Saturday, 10/7 – Melanie (A Bit of Scrap Stuff) and Amanda (Jedi Craft Girl)
• Saturday, 10/14 – Kristie (crosshatchquilts on Instagram)
• Saturday, 10/21 – Melissa C. (Happy Quilting Melissa)
• Saturday, 10/28 – Sharon (Lilabelle Lane) and Joanna (cottonjo on Instagram) 
• Saturday, 11/4 – Holly (holly_draney on Instagram) and Debbie (Happy Little Cottage)
• Saturday, 11/11 – Jennie P. (Clover & Violet) and Megan (Quilt Story)
• Saturday, 11/18 – Heidi G. (Buttons and Butterflies) and Pam (Pam Kitty Morning)
• Saturday, 11/25 – Anorina (Samelia’s Mum) and Heidi G. (Buttons and Butterflies)
• Saturday, 12/2 – Taunja (Carried Away Quilting) and Cynthia (dreamquiltcreate on Instagram)
• Saturday, 12/9 – Taunja (Carried Away Quilting) and Cynthia (dreamquiltcreate on Instagram)
• Saturday, 12/16 – Cynthia (dreamquiltcreate on Instagram) and Charise (Charise Creates)
• Saturday, 12/23 – Melanie (A Bit of Scrap Stuff) and Jennie P. (Clover & Violet)
• Saturday, 12/30 – Heidi G. (Buttons and Butterflies) and Jennie T. (Porch Swing Quilts)
• Saturday, 1/6 – Kerry (Very Kerry Berry) and Kristyne (Pretty by Hand)
• Saturday, 1/20- Jodi (Pleasant Home) and Kristi (crosshatchquilts on Instagram) 
• Saturday, 1/13 – Kim (Persimon Dreams) and Joanna (cottonjo on Instagram)
• Saturday, 1/27 – Melanie (A Bit of Scrap Stuff) and Melissa C. (Happy Quilting Melissa)
• Saturday, 2/3 – Jodi (Pleasant Home) and Pam (Pam Kitty Morning)
• Saturday, 2/10 – Megan (Quilt Story) and Jina (Jina Barney Designz)
• Saturday, 2/17 – Kerry (Very Kerry Berry) and Taunja (Carried Away Quilting)
• Saturday, 2/24 – Cassie Putney (sewstitchinghappy on Instagram)
• Saturday, 3/3 – Christopher (The Tattooed Quilter) and Jacque (Lily Pad Quilting)
• Saturday, 3/10 – Elizabeth (In the Boon Docks) and Jacque (Lily Pad Quilting)
• Saturday, 3/17 – Melissa L. (Oh How Sweet) and Nadra (Ellis & Higgs)
• Saturday, 3/24 – Sherri (A Quilting Life) and Sondra (Out of the Blue Quilts)
• Saturday, 3/31 – Connie (Freemotion by the River) and Amanda (Jedi Craft Girl)
• Saturday, 4/7 – Pam (Pam Kitty Morning) and Charise (Charise Creates)
• Saturday, 4/14 – Kim (Persimon Dreams) and Kerry (Very Kerry Berry)
• Saturday, 4/21 – Sharon (Lilabelle Lane) and Jina (Jina Barney Designz)
• Saturday, 4/28 – Christopher (The Tattooed Quilter) and Jennie T. (Porch Swing Quilts)
• Saturday, 5/5 – Sinta (Pink Pincushion) and Jina (Jina Barney Designz)
• Saturday, 5/12 – Melissa L. (Oh How Sweet) and Heidi S. (Fabric Mutt)
• Saturday, 5/19 – Sinta (Pink Pincushion) and Pat (Pat Sloan’s Blog)
• Saturday, 5/26 – Sinta (Pink Pincushion) and Amy (Diary of a Quilter) 
• Saturday, 6/2 – Keera (Live Love Sew)
• Saturday, 6/9 – Connie (Freemotion by the River) and Heidi S. (Fabric Mutt)
• Saturday, 6/16 – Andy (A Bright Corner)
• Saturday, 6/23 – Sondra (Out of the Blue Quilts) and Jennie T. (Porch Swing Quilts)
• Saturday, 6/30 – Pat (Pat Sloan’s Blog) and Holly (holly_draney on Instagram) 
• Saturday, 7/7 – Greg (Greg Dogwood Studio) and Joannat (cottonjo on Instagram) 
• Saturday, 7/14 – Kristyne (Pretty by Hand) and Debbie (Happy Little Cottage)
• Saturday, 7/21 – Anorina (Samelia’s Mum) and Sherri (A Quilting Life)
• Saturday, 7/28 – Elizabeth (In the Boon Docks) and Greg (Greg Dogwood Studio)
• Saturday, 8/4 – Nadra (Ellis & Higgs) and Amy (Diary of a Quilter)

Follow me on Instagram (@abrightcorner), Facebook, and Pinterest!

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.

Splendid Sampler Sew Along

Guess what?  Today is the start of the Splendid Sampler II quilt along!  Even though the book is not yet released, we're getting a head start on sewing twenty of the blocks.  Yes - 20! 

Each week a new (and free) block pattern will be released and I hope you'll be sewing along!  This week's block is designed by Alex Veronelli and is called Quilt Market.  You can download the free block pattern here....and it's a fun one!

The quilt along will be hosted by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson - and there's a facebook group too where you can share your blocks, see other's blocks and join in the SSII community.

You can still pre-order the book here, which will be ready to ship in October.  It sounds so far away, but I know it will be here before we know it.  The book will have all 100 quilt block patterns, designed by dozens of designers - including yours truly!  I can't share my block yet though!

It took me awhile to decide on the colors I wanted to use for my blocks - but I think I've narrowed it down to this group -

It started as a stack of solids and then I'll be adding in some favorite different prints as I go.
We'll see if I can keep red and navy out of the quilt - it seems like lately everything I made has red & navy in it! lol

Be sure to go here to grab the free block pattern, pre-order the book, and then join the facebook group and I'll be back next week with my version of block #2!

Oh, and stop by the Aurifil blog to read about Alex's block and enter the giveaway!

Happy sewing,
--Andy

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.

Second Look Sunday: Bow Tie Quilt + Pattern

Well hello there!  It's been quiet around here, hasn't it?  It's time for another Second Look Sunday post and I'm sharing a quilt I finished just this week, using a tutorial that originally appeared on my blog in 2015.

What's Second Look Sunday you ask??  Well, on the 2nd Sunday of each month I highlight and share a quilt tutorial from past years that you might have missed the first time around!

My original version of this quilt was made using some lovely Liberty prints and ever since then I've reeeaaallly wanted to re-make it in some summery, patriotic colors.  Right now I'm in love with the red/navy/aqua color combo.

The quit finishes at 56" x 70".  This time around I used fabrics from my stash and I tried not to repeat any prints - so it's got a fun and scrappy look to it.

It took longer to cut the fabrics this way, but the blocks stitch together quickly so it was still a pretty quick project.

You can find the original blog post and tutorial for this quilt here, and if you'd like a handy printable PDF pattern you can grab that here in my Craftsy shop.

If you make a bow tie quilt from my tutorial I'd love to see it!  Tag me on Instagram (@abrightcorner) or Facebook and use the hashtag #abcbowties so we can all see what you create!

Quilt Details:
56" x 70"
Pattern:  Ties to Liberty Bow Tie Quilt Pattern
Fabric:  Scraps from my stash
Quilting:  Honeycomb edge to edge computerized design

Splendid Sampler 2!

Hi everyone - I'm just popping in for a few minutes today to share some exciting news with you!

There's a Splendid Sampler 2 in the works, and I'm honored to be one of the contributing designers.

The Splendid Sampler 2 book will be filled with 100 different quilt blocks from a great group of talented designers.  Every block is 6" square and they include a fun variety of techniques ranging from traditional pieced to paper pieced to applique.

You can pre-order the book now, and it will be shipped to you in October - how handy is that?  I love pre-ordering books from Amazon.

And because five months is along time to wait, there will be a sew along starting June 14 - with some free blocks being released early so we can all start sewing along, even before the book arrives!  More than 28,000 quilters have joined in with the first Splendid Sampler quilt along and they've created quite a fun community in their Facebook group.

This week my goal is to decide on what colors and fabrics I want to use for the sew along.  I keep changing my mind!

I'm already thinking about a setting for all of my sampler blocks, and I've started a Pinterest board with great sampler quilt ideas!

So mark June 14 on your calendar for the sew along, and be sure to pre-order the book here:

And for some inspiration, you can see the gallery of completed quilts from the Splendid Sampler 1 quilt along here.  

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.

Second Look Sunday: Zoo Dwellers

Happy Sunday!  Time for another Second Look Sunday post.  For those of you that are new followers, on the second Sunday of each month I highlight and share a quilt tutorial from past years that you might have missed the first time around. 

This month I chose to re-share a favorite crib size quilt tutorial.  This one only needs 7 fat quarters and some background fabric to make a 48" x 55" quilt.   

The pattern is called Zoo Dwellers, based on the fabrics that I made the very first version from oh-so-many years ago (2011).

I love how quickly this quilt comes together- there are no blocks to piece, or triangles to trim.  Just find some favorite fabrics and let them be the star!



You can find the free PDF download pattern here, and if you make a Zoo Dwellers quilt & want to share it, be sure to use the hashtags #zoodwellersquilt and #abrightcornerpatterns so we can all see your creations!  

And if you're not quite ready to make a Zoo Dwellers quilt but want to save it for later, take a second and pin this image below so you can find it when you need it!

Happy sewing!
--Andy

Charming Lucy Mini Quilt + Pillow

Hey everyone!  I have a fun little project to share with you today, and I've created a handy PDF download for it as well. 

Remember when I shared my Charming Lucy baby quilt pattern?  Well ever since then I've wanted to try making a mini quilt version!

The original Charming Lucy uses a charm pack (5" squares), so for this mini I wanted to figure out a way to use a mini charm pack (2.5" squares.)  It turns out that one mini charm pack plus a little background and backing will make an 18" mini quilt or pillow. 

Since I didn't really want to keep a Christmas mini quilt up on my wall year 'round, I decided to make mine into a pillow.  And I've added the instructions for the pillow into the PDF pattern to give you that option as well!

The pillow has an envelope backing (speedy!) with binding on the edges.  I just love adding binding to my pillows.  It frames them up so nicely, don't you think?  Plus it just gives one more opportunity to add some color! 

One thing I've started doing with my mini quilts and pillows recently was to make the outer border slightly larger than needed.  Then after it's quilted I trim it down to size.  Sometimes I find that in the quilting process things can shift a little, and with small projects like this, every 1/4" counts!  The extra border space gives me just a little bit of wiggle room and helps to create a nicer finished project.

For my pillow I used a mini charm pack of Vintage Holiday fabrics by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics.  You can find Vintage Holiday fabrics here at the Fat Quarter Shop, including charm packs and mini charm packs. 

And if you're wanting a non-Christmas version, you can see other fun mini charm packs here from the Fat Quarter Shop.

Before you go, be sure to grab the free PDF pattern here, and if you make a Charming Lucy mini quilt or pillow I'd love to see it!  Tag me on Instagram (@abrightcorner) or Facebook, and be sure to use the hashtags #charminglucymini and #abrightcornerpatterns. 

Happy sewing!
--Andy

**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.