Taffy Twist Again

jill here...reminds of a song from my adolescence!

I stopped by Sioux City at Heart and Hand Dry Goods last week.  Ann has a wonderful quilt shop filled with great fabric and a good selection of our patterns.  I offered  to make a new sample for her shop and spied this cute collection.  Taffy Twists is a great pattern for graphic prints or solids  in various combinations; could even be easily adapted for just two twist fabrics and a background.

This rendition utilizes four prints and a staple background from Moda's "basicgrey"(it's cream colored with  a slight white overlay to add a sparkle).

The collection is "Walkabout" by Beth Studley for Makower.  I love the different scales of prints and the grey with the orange.

The intersections are a bit more challenging to piece but really fun to see how they come together with the strip sets.  You like a little challenge, don't you? All the negative space gives the twists lots of focus so in no time, the quilt top is satisfying and complete.

The oranges give the graphic read an exciting contrast!

Quilting will add a level of depth and texture.  Check back later !

"Till next Tuesday...

Taffy Twist Pattern revisited

Pillow top featuring a single twist block from the Taffy Twists pattern
 with just a taste of something different added!

Marny here…to answer a customer's question I made a single block from our Taffy Twists pattern this week. I'd forgotten how fast and fun it is to sew up the twist block!! The pattern relies on using a scant ¼'' seam and pressing the seam allowances open, it is not difficult but consistency is important. A practice block might be in order.

our Taffy Twists pattern

Taffy Twists block under construction

Aligning the diagonal

Sewn, just needs a bit of trimming.

What to do with a single block? Make a pillow. I explored two ideas. At first I thought of extending the diagonals out into the bordering fabrics. But in the end I settled on changing the shape of the single twist block from a rectangle to a lozenge.

I want to share a little hint with you all.
The math for the triangles/squares for completing flying geese units using the triangles I already had hurt my head! So I just added strips, leaving extra. This photo shows the points trimmed evenly with the triangle. They started out as oversized rectangles. So the hint boils down to consider adding oversized pieces and trimming to solve some construction dilemmas. 

The unit is seamed to one end of the twist block, matching the triangle seams.

The extended flaps are trimmed even with the twist block.

The lozenge is trimmed ¼'' above the corner for a seam allowance.

Using different widths of dark to either side of the block creates a pleasing asymmetry. I really like it! Now to quilt or not before making it into a pillow?

Till Tuesday!

Binding a King Sized Taffy Twist

jill here... latest on my list!

Modern Quilt Relish Taffy Twist in Marcus Fabrics Next Wave 

 This Taffy Twist is a wedding gift that will keep some newlyweds in California warm.  Sounds kind of crazy to send a warm quilt that direction after all the cold we've had here. 

King sized quilts are BIG!  Not to complain but they are heavy and cumbersome...especially when it comes to binding.  I usually machine bind by sewing the 2.5" binding to the front, turning to the back and stitching in the ditch from the front (catching the folded edge, most of the time).  I've gotten pretty good at it but its a multi-step process, two passes through the machine and there is a lot of quilt to corral.

Marny suggested that I use a one-step method to bind with a decorative stitch.  I planned on a "forgiving" print binding fabric so now seemed like a the  perfect opportunity to try something new.  I tested out several stitch options and decided on one that was a little more complex than a zig zag but still had some decorative interest.  

Machine settings.

I googled one step binding and came up with wrapping the backing around to the front.  Wouldn't work here. I  decided to design my own one step wrapped binding.  I needed 400 " of  binding.  I cut my 11 strips 3" wide, mitered the WOF seams (for better seam allowance distribution) and folded it essentially into thirds. This leaves two layers of fabric at the top of the fold, where the wear is the greatest.

Marked 45 degree seams....

Chained the strips...

Trimmed the seam allowance to 1/4 inch...

Pressed the seam open....

Folded 1" up from the bottom...

Folded the remaining 1" over, not quite to the bottom.

Pressed the trifold binding in half.

These steps took more time than my usual method but still easier to handle than the whole quilt.

I wrapped the binding around the trimmed edge of the quilt,
leaving a 12" tail, starting on the side.  The unfinished edge of the
binding was on the underside to keep it flat.  I tucked the edge
into the binding, sewing then pausing,  to to keep the feed straight
and even with a gentle tension.  No pins!

At the corner, with a straight stitch, I sewed the end of the fold.
This keeps the miter from popping out.

One pin to hold the miter...

I fixed my stitch and started again on the next side.

                      When I rounded back to my starting side, I stopped

                 with 8 " to spare, mitered the two ends together, trimmed 

and pressed the same. I then stitched the final stretch with the decorative stitch

                   Much, much faster with good, sturdy results!

All that's left is a label!
The back is another story....

Till next Tuesday,,,

New Modern Quilt Relish Patterns & Magazine Reveal

We have so much to reveal and share today!! 

Here is our first bit of news.  Janelle gave us a phone call Friday, from the Quilting Connection in Ames, IA.  It is the store we used to work in--full of fabric, full of fun, and all around fantastic.  She was eager to congratulate us on having a quilt published in a magazine on their shelves.  Quite a surprise for our old co-workers to be leafing through the pages and to see our smiling faces looking up at them!

Yes, we have a quilt published in a really wonderful magazine!  The link for the McCall's Quilting America Makes Fast Quilts is here.  

Introducing Cafeteria Line!

Cafeteria Line, Modern Quilt Relish.  

Our quilt's feature page is here.  There is lots of information on that page.  Including the fact April West did the quilting that you see!  We used the Robert Kaufman's Stockholm fabric in the blue and green color way.  Robin Zingone really hit a home run with the fabric design.
Love that fabric.  It is mixed with a couple of solids. 

 It features all of our design hallmarks.  Negative Space, Asymmetry, Simple Shapes and the use of Color and Value to create focus and depth.  Can you tell we are practicing our talks for Quilt Market?  

The magazine and the fabric (or as close as possible) are available at The Quilting Connection, Ames, IA 515-233-3048.  Tell them Marny and Jill sent you. ;-)  It is a busy shop so keep your fingers crossed.

Can you believe it?  We have even more exciting news.  We wanted to share with you, our readers,
what we are about to debut at Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City.

Today we are just sharing the covers.  In upcoming posts we will go into detail about each one and share photos of other versions.  Our online Pattern Shop is updated, and the Quilting Connection will have some too!  After Market we hope your local shops carry them as well.  Let them know if feel so inclined.  Thank you!.  And without further ado...

Introducing our two new patterns!!  

Recipe Cards

Taffy Twists

And now it is off to Quilt Market.  We are eager to see old friends, meet new friends and to see lots of online friends in person!!   We are certain to squeeze in a fair amount of work as well.  

Till Tuesday....