Size Matters Moda Blog Hop

KT Winner

First of all, congratulations to andsewon who commented last week to win a huge pile of Icicle Stars scraps. Please send your mailing address and we'll box it up right away. Thanks to everyone who stops by my blog and comments. I'd love to visit with each of you! Our KT Retreat schedule for 2014 is on the website now at ktquilts.com. Gather a bunch of friends and come see us!

Size Matters

It was perfect timing this week when UPS dropped off several boxes of my newest fabric precuts for Sweet Pea. I always enjoy sewing with the rich, warm browns, pumpkins, golds, greens, reds and blues of autumn groups. There are already a couple of favorites on my hoarding list. Can you pick them out?

The first thing that hit me when I heard the theme of the blog hop was PRECUTS - I admit I'm slightly addicted. What better way to start a project than with a perfectly coordinated group of prints cut into the exact sizes you need? Is bigger better? With a Layer Cake and a charm pack, you can have a lap size quilt in a day - really! Love a smaller project? A charm and mini charm whip up into a wall quilt or table topper in half the time. What a quick and easy way to stitch for everyone on your list for the holidays! Need a juvenile or novelty print quilt? Pick precuts and you'll have no unblendable leftovers in your stash. I've actually expanded my precut shopping to include several other designers now since I don't have to decide how much fabric to buy. Just a couple precuts and yardage for borders and I'm good to go! Check out our Loose Change book and rulers for over a dozen ideas to see just how Size Matters.

When our marketing genuis, Lissa & crew, at Moda unveiled the theme of this fall's blog hop, I wanted to select a traditional block that could be transformed with my layered patchwork technique. (If I couldn't use precuts, I could certainly make it simpler.) The rules required us to begin with 3", 6" and 12" blocks so they all play nicely together. Once I took the work out of piecing the little triangles, it was all play! I began with (4) 6" blocks in the center. Simply piece a traditional bias square (or half square triangle), then layer a square that's been cut on the bias on the tan corner; stitch about 1/8" from the bias edges and shazam! Your block is done! The squares that are layered on top are cut on the bias so the edges will gently fray but not unravel. Precuts work perfectly for this technique since the pinked edges prevent raveling.  (This would be the perfect fit for a mini charm square using a finished 5" bias square as the background.)

Simply piece a bias square, layer a square on top & stitch!

Create (4) 6" blocks for the center and surround them with (20) 3" blocks for a zigzag-gy border. It's a great way to use leftover scraps from a quilt project for a coordinating moment in your home decor.

Size Matters Pillow featuring Sweet Pea fabric collection. Double Take Stars, behind the pillow, is a new KT Stash pattern for October usng a Sweet Pea charm pack and mini charm.
Go to Size Matters Pillow to download the free pattern for this project.
Instructions for traditional piecing are also included.

My 18" block would also be very cool multiplied in a lap quilt. An assortment of fat quarters - or a pile of scraps - would make an awesome guy quilt for the holidays. Add a couple borders to make this 54" x 72" quilt even snugglier.

Comment here by Monday, Sept. 16th for a chance to win one of three Sweet Pea prizes - a fat quarter bundle, Layer Cake/charm/mini charm trio or a Jelly Roll. We might even throw in one of the new patterns for Sweet Pea - Through the Year featuring a Jelly Roll, or the Lil' Sweet Pea Charm pattern.

Jelly Roll project with 4 seasonal button-on toppers to change through the year.
Through the Year at ktquilts.com 

Whimsical floral is surrounded by a "charm"-ing layered patchwork border.
Lil' Sweet Pea at kquilts.com 

Visit  Cosmo Cricket and Comfort Stitching today for more bloggin' goodies!