Tag Archives: #materialgirlfriendspatterns

Hi Lo

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On a rare occasion, you come across a fabric line that takes your breath away. Your heart begins to beat faster and you know exactly what pattern you intend to use. I am making a Quilt of Valor!

The Bandana Ballad by Michale Miller Fabrics sang a beautiful patriotic melody to my soul!

I had designed a simple quilt a couple years ago called Hi Lo.  It had 10 rows of rainbow fabrics. The row starts with a bright batik color and collided with a lighter hue of the same color. Sometimes when you see a design in black and white print, you see something new. What if? What if I had blue rows and red rows instead??  My heart sang again.  It is time to sew!!

Momma met me at Lisa’s house and the three of us began to sew. We are really fast when one of us cuts and presses and the others two run the sewing machines. Before you knew it the quilt design was beginning to come together.

We added one more row because I wanted a strong blue in the top left corner, now I have 11 rows making the finished size, 60” x 66”.

For our backing I used the bandanna border fabric.  I matched and aligned the fabric design in the seam in the back.  I used the leftover fabric from the backing for my binding.

I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

Lisa created a Hi Lo promotion on our Material Girlfriends Square Store. Enter HiLo in the coupon field when checking out and receive free shipping on your entire order. Check with Melissa and Leslie at our local quilt shop in Livermore, In Between Stitches for the Bandana Ballad fabrics. If you’re local, or just desperate for a road trip, In Between Stitches is where you can find many of the  Material Girlfriends patterns, including Hi Lo.

The first Monday of September is Labor Day. Already! Set out your red, white, and blue decor and enjoy sewing on this patriotic pattern.

We both miss you more than you’ll ever know. We look forward to when we can stitch face-to-face. In the meantime, stay safe and sound. Try out Zoom. We’ve found it a great way to connect with other quilters.

Hi Lo, Bye Lo!

Lo Ra Zmak

Peak into Batik Block #7

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Are You Ready? Let’s SEW! Michael Miller Fabrics has a free Monthly Quilt Along going on this year. Block #7 instructions are now available. Video tutorial by Lora and Lisa of Material Girlfriends! Tadah!!

This has been a fun Quilt Along. You can either cut your pieces using your Accuquilt machine using the 8″ Qube or you can cut your pieces in the traditional way. Both cutting instructions are included on the Michael Miller blog. Find all the info here blog.michaelmillerfabrics.com

When we were asked to give the Accuquilt system a go for this program, I was… less than excited about it. I liked cutting fabric the traditional way. They said Accuquilt was fast and accurate. So was I. BUT, I was blown away. It is VERY fast and accurate. In December, we were generously given the AccuquiltGo! – the hand crank one – as well as the 8″ die block for being Michael Miller Ambassadors. Since then we have purchased the larger version, AccuquiltGo! Big, plus the 12″ and 6″ Qubes, as well as a few others dies. The 9″ Qube is next on my wish list. I’d like to start adding an Accuquilt page to all my compatible patterns. The cutting system is amazing. Pricey, but amazing.

Material Girlfriends was given the honor to present Month 7! The block looks complicated. After all, it has 44 pieces! Challenge accepted, right? We created this video to break it down into manageable units. The Michael Miller instructions are very clear too. Check it out.

If you didn’t fall asleep before the ending of the video, you’ll see that Lora and I are making two Michael Miller Fabric Quilt Along quilts. I’m making the one in the lovely Michael Miller batiks and Lora is making her quilt using their sumptuous Cotton Couture solids. Both fabric bundles were sent to us in December and we have had a huge amount of pleasure working with these high quality cottons. They are just delicious.

We have five more months, five more blocks. Let’s have fun together! It is not too late to join in on the fun. In December, I’ll share instructions for an optional layout design as well.

Absewlutely,

Lisa Norton

Let’s Start at the Back

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We always start at the front, so today, let’s start at the back.

Let’s choose our backing fabric first. I was quilting grandbaby quilts for two of my friends this week.  Both chose minky backs.  I LOVE minky!  It is perfect for cuddly baby quilts. Nancy fell in love with Michael Miller’s Animal Alphabet minky.

For the front, she chose solid Michael Miller Cotton Couture in complimentary colors.  The quilt pattern is called Fresh, in a book called Simply Retro by Camille Roskelley.

Katheline chose Michael Miller’s Rosebud snuggle solid pink minky for the back of her Granddaughter’s quilt.  So incredibly soft!!!
Her quilt pattern is called Bona Fide by Material Girlfriends.  I love how Katheline fussy cut her Michael Miller Fairy fabrics for the center of the blocks!

A few tips for quilting your quilt with a minky backing:

  • If you are quilting on your domestic machine spray baste AND use safety pins.  It does like to slide around a bit. Keep the quilt design loose. The best thing about minky is it’s drape, so don’t over quilt it.
  • If you are quilting with a long arm, be sure the stretch of the minky is from side to side and no stretch from top to bottom. Pin and baste the top and sides of the quilt top and then use your side clamps.
  • Don’t seam minky backing for long arm quilting. Never. It will lead to four letter words and/or heavy drinking.
  • On occasion, the long fibers of minky can be pulled to the top of the quilt as the stitch is made. If this happens, you can use a hair brush to brush the minky back.

Here are a couple more dreamy examples of other minky backed quilts:  Confetti Star by Material Girlfriends is backed with a thick soft long haired brown minky.

Recovery Quilt by Material Girlfriends, has a luxurious pea green minky.
A Material Girlfriend Mystery quilt called Bricks and Window is adorned with Michael Miller’s Silky Minky dot purple.
My family always grab the minky backed quilts first! It’s comforting, soft, and cozy. Another advantage is that unlike fleece or flannel, minky doesn’t collect pet hair! So I can cuddle with our old puppy and not worry about his fur clinging to my quilt.
So next time you think about starting a quilt, begin with the back!
Lora

Material Girlfriends Mystery Final Clue #5

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You did it! This last clue includes the finishing fabric requirements and four layout options. Visit www.inbetweenstitches.com to find the last Clue #5. Pat yourself on the back. For facing the “unknown” current events of our nation, you had the courage to also embrace the “unknown” of the Material Girlfriends Mystery. I feel honored that you trusted us for a fun project.

Check out these lay-outs! The first two images are from a beautiful 10″ square set from Michael Miller fabrics called Strata. I organized the blocks from dark to medium fabrics. I’m super please with how these turned out.

Lisa’s Designs
Lora’s DesignsJudy’s Designs

Melissa’s DesignFabrics from In Between Stitches

Quilt top instructions. Layout your blocks in a manner that pleases you. Sew your blocks into rows by aligning and pinning each block. Press the seams in the rows in alternate directions. Align seams, pin, and sew the rows together. Press the seams in one direction. Well done. If you did the 6 blocks x 8 blocks lay-out designs in Clue #5, your quilt top should measure 45″ x 60″.

I’m not really a border person and only add a border if I want the quilt bigger. If you love borders (Lora & Jennie) or if want to make it bigger, I’ve included yardage amounts for a 4 1/2″ (cut size) border. You need exactly 36″ so if you bought a yard and you have exactly 36″, cut your strips at 4″ instead. Otherwise, your last strip will be slightly small. If you have 36+” inches, straighten that first edge and then cut eight 4 1/2″ strips. Cut off the selvage and sew two strips end to end. Make four sets. Measure the left and right sides of your quilt top, cut two of the strip sets to that size. Pin and sew to the left and right sides. Repeat for the top and bottom border.

The clues will be a free download while we’re all in Shelter in Place. After we’re freed to roam, we’ll make the instructions available as a pattern. What should we name this pattern? I already know I’ll need to include a few more layout options. I keep seeing the creative layouts on facebook! Post your design on Facebook pages Material Girlfriends and In Between Stitches Inside the Hive or instagram #MaterialGirlfriendsMystery, #inbetweenstitches1.

Thank you Amy for finding I had a little typo. Third line should say 6 blocks x 8 blocks lay-out. I love receiving edits because I’m horrified if I have mistakes. Being slightly dyslexic, I assume I’ve made mistakes and scrub the instructions for my errors. I really believe the Material Girlfriends patterns have a great reputation BECAUSE of our proofing and testing friends (you too!). Thank you sew much!

Remember, with this Shelter in Place order, we must have physical distancing. We NEED social interaction. Stay connect. You introverts check on your extrovert friends. We’re not used to this kind of isolation and it has been a yo-yo of an emotional ride! 🙂

Have fun and I will be sitting on social media waiting to see your lay-outs!!

Absewlutely,

Lisa Norton

Material Girlfriend Mystery Clue #4

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Clue #4 is here!! Whoohoo! Today we have the instructions to sew up our blocks. Material Girlfriends Shelter in Place Mystery Clues #1, #2, #3, and now #4 are hidden on inbetweenstitches.com. Click the link on the main page and then hunt for the pink Mystery Icon to download for the clues. The final Clue #5 will be released April 3.

Piecing tips for Clue #4:

In Clue #3 you cut your blocks twice on the diagonal. What you have now are triangle units. The triangle units look like Mountain Peaks and Houses. Do you see the house image and mountain peak?

Mountain Peaks

Houses

You will sew two light Mountain Peak triangles and two dark Mountain Peak triangles together to create the Mountain Peak block. Likewise, you’ll sew two light House triangles and two dark House triangles together to create the House block.You can choose to use the same fabrics or mix up your fabrics.

Refer to the diagrams in the Clue #4 download page for sewing instructions. For a successful block, it is important to nest the seams. Because you pressed your seams toward the darker fabric, the seam allowance creates a slight hump. Nest those two humps together by sliding and meeting the two humps. You can feel with your fingers when the seam humps are nested, there will be no tiny gap. Stick a pin in it. Then ease the two ends together by gently tugging the fabric if necessary.

We’re working with the bias with this seam. The good news is, the fabric with stretch when you need to ease the ends. The bad news is the fabric will stretch. LOL! Seam ripping can cause the fabric to stretch out so nesting and pinning is important. Seam rip carefully without tugging the fabric. No steam and press gently, not vigorously. Otherwise, your blocks will get a little wonky.

Last step is to square up your block to 8″. Align the 45 degree line of your square with a diagonal seam. Pull corners in the correct position and trim with your rotary cutter. You’ll just be trimming slivers of fabric.

Have fun!

Absewlutely,

Lisa Norton

 

Material Girlfriends Mystery Clue #3

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We have an easy clue today! You’ll just be cutting up the blocks that you’ve sewn.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence, wondering if you should play with us, it is not too late! Material Girlfriends Shelter in Place Mystery Clues #1, #2, and now #3 are hidden on inbetweenstitches.com. Click the link on the main page and then hunt for the pink Mystery Icon to download for the clues. The Clues are delivered every other day. Clue #4 will be released Wednesday, April Fools Day. Then on April 3, we will release the final Clue #5.

Here are some tips on cutting Clue #3.

Your blocks should measure 10″ x 9″. The 10″ length is what is getting trimmed. The edges are probably a bit uneven so squaring up will make your block look nice and clean.

For ALL of the blocks, trim a little off both sides to make the block 9″ x 9″. For accurate cutting, have good light, wear your pretty glasses, and stand while cutting at counter height.  Cut with a sharp rotary cutter and away from your body. Hold the ruler with a flat hand, not the spider finger tip hold. If you anchor your pinking finger on the mat off the outside of the ruler, it helps to keep the ruler from sliding and keeps the important fingers out of the way of the rotary cutter.

Next, you’re going to cut ALL your blocks, twice on the diagonal. This is when you’ll want to get out your rotating mat if you have one. If not, a small mat spins quite nicely on the kitchen counter.

There are 45 degree lines on your mat. Ignore those. In a perfect quilters world the blocks would be 9″ square and fit within those lines. In reality, your blocks are probably a little cattywampus and won’t fit perfectly. Check first that you don’t have an overlap of fabric from pressing. Repress if necessary. Align your ruler, corner to corner, and cut. Rotate your mat and cut corner to corner again.

Fun!! Can’t wait for the next clue!

Absewlutely,

Lisa Norton

Five Steps to Surviving Isewlation

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I’m in isewlation. You too? Here are my 5 Self-Care Steps for Quilters in Quarantine. Whether your isewlation is self-imposed or mandated, following these 5 steps will help you mentally and emotionally.

1. Make a list. Lists provide a simple structure for your day. Otherwise you can feel like you’re not getting anything done, or just spinning your wheels. Tip: Don’t put the day of the week on top of your list. Just put ‘Today’. Let Today roll over to tomorrow, which will be the next ‘Today.’  You can keep multiple lists. Some for quilting, crafting, business, health, holiday ideas, etc. Free printable list.

2. Stick to your routines. Routines are extremely important for mental health. It can help us to cope with change and to reduce our stress levels. Part of our routine should include feeding our creative side.

3. Clean and declutter your sewing room. What? Yes. In 2011, researchers at Princeton University found that clutter makes it more difficult to focus on a task. Specifically, they found that the visual cortex can be overwhelmed by task-irrelevant objects, making it harder to pay attention and complete tasks efficiently.

According to a recent study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, people who described their homes as cluttered, messy, and full of unfinished projects were also more depressed, tired and stressed out than those who described their homes as restorative and clean.” Psychology Today

Check out Lora’s Studio. It isn’t always like that. She did spend time tidying up!

Confetti Star Quilt Project4. Finish a UFO [UnFinished Object]. Finishing a project will give you a sense of achievement. Project saturation happens when you’ve worked so long on a single project that you’re sick of it. Then it goes in the basket or closet and becomes a UFO. First, take stock of your UFOs. Do some need to marinate in the closet a bit longer? Then put them back. Consider the Psychology of Color (see previous blog) Is there a UFO that has a color that would be emotionally beneficial at the moment? When working on a UFO, you don’t have to sew on that project until you’re finished. Sew on a project for an hour, and then put it away for a different project! A wise woman once told me that a project doesn’t get finished if you don’t sew on it. Treat it like eating an elephant, one little bite at a time.

5. Treat yourself to a new project. Unlike an award that is earned for doing something (like completing any of the steps above) a treat is a small pleasure or indulgence that we give ourselves just because we want it. When we give ourselves a treat, we feel energized and content. A new project doesn’t have to be big, just something you want to do or try. It will make you feel better.

“By contrast, when we don’t get any treats, we feel depleted, resentful and angry and justified in self-indulgence. We start to crave comfort—and we’ll grab that comfort wherever we can, even if it means breaking good habits.” Oprah.com

Isewlation. One of my girlfriends mentioned that we had been in isewlation for 13 days. What? Only 13 days? It seemed so much longer than that. Depending on your personality type, extrovert or introvert, you may be climbing the walls, or you may almost be ready to peer out the peephole in the front door. I’d say I’m a bit of an extrovert. I love social interaction. I’m not home alone during this Shelter in Place. I’m home with three men. The old one is deaf, and the other two don’t listen. Oi.

Even though we are to have physical distancing, we still need social interaction. Isolation can lead to loneliness and depression. Do a self-check. How are you doing? The computer is an amazing way to stay connect. Face time, Skype, and a dozen other video conversation apps can keep you connected to friends and family. Create a text group of family and/or friends. Check in with them regularly. And Call. Don’t feel like you’re interrupting something important by calling. You’re important. Be sure to reach out.

I narrowed my Self Care for Quilters in Quarantine to just 5 steps for this blog. There are a lot more ways to stay sane while in isewlation. What are your Self Care steps? I would love to hear them. Leave me a comment below.

My mom always said attitude is the most important thing. Stay positive.This is a stressful time for everyone. Remember, we’re in this together.

Absewlutely,

Lisa Norton

 

 

Quilters Therapy

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I’ve been “Sheltered in Place” now for a week. 7 days. 168 hours. The isolation has been getting to me a bit. I’m beginning to talk to my iron. I’ve named him Wilson. Wilson and I disagree about steam or no steam. But whatever, he’s hard headed and full of hot air.

I miss you. Really. I hope you’re well. Last blog, Lora talked about how GREEN is a very supportive color when dealing with scary stuff like the Pandemic. It soothes our frayed edges.

Today I want to give you a present. Wilson wanted a present too, but I said no. This was for quilters. He’s sitting on my ironing board huffing and puffing. “Dial it back there a bit, Wilson. You have steam coming out of your nose. Besides, you can’t sew.”

Here. For you. I hope you like it. I call it “Recovery Quilt, Psychology of Color for Quilting Therapy.” Click HERE and this FREE pattern will download for you.

The first page has great information on the Psychology of Color. We’re focusing on GREEN  for the moment.

The quilt is made up of Xs and Os, or Hugs and Kisses, blocks. Each block is made up of green and white Half Square Triangles. I used 10 solid greens plus the background white for the pattern. The solids come from Michael Miller’s Cotton Couture line. LOVE all these beautiful solids. BUT, since shipments were delayed and I don’t have all my solids yet, my Half Square Triangles are only half done. *sigh*. Lora tested the pattern using a lovely selection of green batiks from her stash. Her combination of warm and cool greens (yellow greens and blue greens) give the Xs and Os sparkle. When selecting your greens, don’t get too matchy-matchy but look at the value (light/medium/dark) and the hue (warm green and cool greens). I think Wilson just rolled his eyes at me. Really, it creates drama. Check out Lora’s results.
Now, aren’t you wanting to sew up some green and white Half Square Triangles? Me too. The pattern includes four ways to create Half Square Triangles. You can sew them two-at-a-time, four-at-a-time, or eight-at-a-time, depending on the size of your green fabric. Plus, I’ve included instructions if you have an AccuQuilt machine.

Lora and I had a video interview with Rob Appell. It should air sometime after Thursday. He is a funny guy and sew much fun to work with. You can watch his show at Making it Fun with Rob Appell.

Wilson says he’s thirsty so I probably should go get us both some more water. Stay sane! Sew with some green. Remember, we’re in this together. Shelter in Place is Physical Distancing, not Social Distancing. Stay connected.

Absewlutely,

Lisa Norton

GREEN

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It was noon and I hadn’t even brushed my hair yet. The rush to stock groceries, prescriptions, and other preparations for a county-wide shelter-in-place order, sapped the energy right out of me.

Day 1 of extreme “Social Distancing” was pretty hard. I am a very social person. I was not only worried about the Covid-19 virus, but I was also anxious about how I was going to deal with three weeks of isolation. I was troubled most of the day.

Then Rob Appell sent me an email. “Let’s video chat.”
“Ummm, tomorrow good?” I responded, pulling my fingers through my uncombed hair. We had exchanged emails last week. We were going to talk about Color Psychology. Lisa had designed a brilliant quilt project and Rob was all over it. Rob had said it was exactly what he needed.

Color Psychology you ask? Yep. The Psychology of Color has been around for a very long time, but in our modern culture, it is the secret of marketing and politicians to appeal to people’s emotions. You see, color can help us and it can help us a lot. We told Rob about Green.

Green relaxes us mentally as well as physically and helps alleviate anxiety. Green supports and stimulates health, new growth, generosity, and fertility.

Where I had only talked about green, Rob physically dove into his green stash and swam to a much healthier place than where I was at. Therefore, he was ready for Day 1 and I was still in my pajamas.

To prepare for our video chat, I began to pull out all my green. Green stash, ahh, green projects, hmm, and completed green quilts. *Sigh*. I had only stroked the green pile and I was already feeling better and able to cope. Visualize walking through a fresh green meadow, the woods and forest dancing in a gentle breeze. Exhale. Feeling a bit less anxious? That is the feeling of green.

Today I really enjoyed our three-way video chat between Rob, Lisa and I. We laughed a lot. Rob is so cool and positive. I’ve been physically alone all day in my sewing studio, yet I have felt so connected to our quilting community. I am really grateful for modern electronics that keep us linked together, arm in arm. I can do this. Remember, we’re in this together. Let’s stay connected. Visit your green fabrics. I suspect it will soothe your frayed edges as it did mine.

Lora Zmak
Material Girlfriends

Definition: A shelter-in-place order is when, during an extreme public health emergency, residents of a specific city or region are asked to stay indoors in their homes or other safe spaces. Though the rules on this vary depending on the region, mandates often require everything just short of a complete lockdown with exceptions to go out for medicine or food. Contra Costa County was one of 6 counties that issued the Shelter-in-place order which will last 3 weeks, until April 7.

What Makes a Good Recipe?

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Flexibility, good ingredients, and ease. Inspired by Michael Miller’s new panel, Mon Ami, we decided to cook up a new pattern. The trouble with panel patterns are not all panels are the same size. Therefore, panel patterns are really limited. We needed one that would be flexible, have good ingredients, and easy to put together.

With any good recipe, start with your main ingredient, the panel. The pattern example uses Mon Ami fabric panel by Michael Miller Fabrics. The panel size is 2/3 yard by WOF [Width of Fabric] before trimming. It was just too pretty. What you can’t see in the tiny picture is the lovely marble background and the lush deep colors of this panel.

The other good ingredients for this panel are the beautiful fabrics in the Mon Ami line. Check out this Michael Miller’s link to see all the coordinating fabrics.

The Panel Sampler Recipe Pattern was designed to give you flexibility and control. By changing just a few design ingredients, you have the ability to create a variety of flavors. You can customize your quilt around the size of your panel. The design options are given in 3” increments, making your panel project a successful experience to design and sew.

We’ve made two versions of the Mon Ami while testing this pattern. The first uses the whole panel. The second trims the panel down to just the bouquet.

The examples below show how the Panel Sampler Recipe Pattern can be customized to fit any size panel, full cut or a portion of the cut. Since panels come in many shapes and sizes, having the design flexibility of 3” increments allows you to fit a fun sampler design to the panel size of your choosing.

Fabric requirements: 1 panel, 3 fat quarters of light, 3 fat quarters of medium and 3 fat quarters of dark. If your panel is small, you’ll end up with a little extra fabric.

Because this sampler pattern booklet is so new, it hasn’t returned from the printers yet. But we decided to have an instant download available for a short time. Because, who likes to wait?! The printed version will resale at $16.95 and should be available in 2 weeks. Or you can visit our Etsy store today to purchase your instant download for half price, $8.00. Don’t wait to purchase the instant download. This really will be for a limited time only.

Check out these Panel Sampler Recipe quilts from our Gallery!

The eagle one was sewn up by Diana Garnhart. She said she recently bought the panel at Quilters’ Hollow in Stockton.

Ric-Rac added to the wheel gives it an animated look.We would love to see what you whip up with your panel and the Panel Sampler Recipe pattern. Send us a picture to Lisa@materialgirlfriends.com or share on your social media #PanelSamplerRecipePattern

Absewlutely,

Lisa Norton