Accuquilt Snowball Quilt in Bee Creative (# 80)

The fat quarter bundle of Bee Creative by Deb Strain was huge and has made lots of lovely little quilts.

This is my 3rd snowball quilt in this bee fabric and it beautifully showcases the novelty fabrics. The Accuquilt snowball die is a great way to show off large and busy fabric.

Yarn dyed Essex linen in black and this awesome border is paired with a black minky for the back.

Robert Kaufman's Fusion Texture is the border and I got it at a real quilt store. I would never have seen its potential in a small on-line image.  My local quilt store has since closed and it saddens me to think of all the choices we miss by not being able to feel, touch and experiment with fabrics we would never buy on-line.

Materials:
Bee Creative by Deb Strain
Essex linen yarn dyed black
Fusions Text Collection Ebony / Robert Kaufman
Accuquilt Snowball die
Warm & White batting
Aurifil 50wt #5004
Black dimple dot minky / Hawthorne Threads
Size: 48.5" x 48.5"
June 2017

Day of the Dead Snowball Quilt (#64)

Textile house Alexander Henry never disappoints Day of the Dead fans with their colorful & glorious designs. The main problem I find with these large repeat novelty fabrics is that they don't do well cut up into tiny quilt pieces. Fussy cutting can ruin the motif as well as waste fabric.

I made grocery bags out of Cartas Marcadas Stamps by cutting a horizontal chunk. This was originally my cheater quilt idea - just leave the fabric as is. Unfortunately the non-black version of this pattern looked really weak & needed some color.

Enter the snowball block with my Accuquilt die - a large shape that didn't conflict with the rectangles and showed the details of the design - perfect.

The end result is a really nice jumble of color and images - every snowball holds some interest with a different skeleton.  Quilted with Aurifil 50wt. #2360 in a wavy stitch following the seams and through the middle of the blocks - this thread complements the brown accent corners.

A deep brown minky on the back harmonizes with one of my favorite blender fabrics: Mix Master Dot to Dot by Robert Kaufman (which is sadly not available much anymore).

Materials:
Folklorico/Cartas Marcadas Bright by Alexander Henry
Mix Master Dot to Dot / ccoca / Robert Kaufman
Skinny Strips in Spice / Laura Gunn (binding)
Dimple Dot minky brown
Warm and White batting
Aurifil 50wt. #2360
Size: 58" x 74"
December 2016

Snowball Quilt in Feather Flock (#50)

A perfect way to showcase large repeat fabrics is with a snowball block.  

 Feather Flock by Tina Givens is rich in saturated colors and harmonizes so well that only a little white is needed to separate all the different patterns and hues.  Some quilts look good with a random placement, but this collection needed similar colors to be grouped together so the weaker fabrics wouldn't get lost.

I used the Accuquilt snowball die, fat quarters and lots of starch.  Once you have had fun cutting out the center pieces, its just routine to do all the corners and iron.  

For all its simplicity in assembly, the final effect of a snowball quilt is a winner every time.  Aurifil 50wt. is my go-to choice to piece & quilt through spray baste, minky & batting.  By following the seam lines and then through the snowball, the finished blanket always looks good front & back.

One of my favorite dimple dot minky's is vanilla - great when I need a 'neutral' to go with a strong colorful quilt top.  A minky & batting blanket is heavier than a traditional quilt, but when I give everyone a choice of backing, they want "that soft fluffy stuff"!   My standard size of maximum 60" wide and no longer than 74" makes it machine wash & dryer friendly. 

Some fabrics are thinner than others but Feather Flock is regular quilting weight and needed a #14 needle to attach the binding.  Sometimes I can get away with a #12,  but after my thread kept skipping I knew it was the needle size, not the Aurifil Dove #2600, which blended well with the Kona Grape Mist. 

Materials:
Feather Flock by Tina Givens (LlamaFabrics)
Kona: White & Grape Mist for binding
Dimple dot minky in vanilla (Fabric.com)
Accuquilt snowball die
Warm & White batting
Aurifil #50wt. White, Light Sand #2000, Dove #2600
Size: 58" x 74"
April 2016

Gypsy Caravan Snowball Quilt (#34)

Rustic chic doesn't get any better than a snowball quilt made with Amy Butler's Gypsy Caravan and real linen.

Linen is so organic & soft after washing, and as always, Gypsy Caravan doesn't disappoint. Amy Butler's patterns & colors harmonize next to each other and the linen adds a natural element.

There are lots of tips for sewing garments with linen but not many on how to make a quilt with it.  The biggest caution seems to be a concern with the linen edges unraveling when using a 1/4" seam.  Internet advice suggests that sewing with a larger 1/2" seam is a safer option. 

Good advice but this was not possible if I wanted my corners to fit into the 'snowball' and not make a distorted block.

 A scant 1/4"  was my only choice.  I pressed my seams open and quilted on them in a grid pattern, as well as through the middle of the snowball using a medium broken zigzag  stitch.  That way, any stray or loose linen edges are sewn down on the inside - and the seam is really secure.

 I did pre-wash in hot water & dry the linen on hot a few times to maximize shrinkage (which was a few inches). This really did tighten up the fabric weave (which was a good thing). Between starch and ironing, the linen did become 'shiny' - but in the end everything looked great after washing.

 If you are nervous about how the linen will look in it's final stage - iron and starch a decent sized scrap piece.  Throw it in with your hot washes a few times.  Afterwards you will see that you really can't ruin this natural fiber and be able to sew with confidence. 

The most time/labor portion of this quilt seemed to be in the ironing. Fabric for 528 corners and 132 snowballs needed to be starched/cut/sewn - and ironed again - but the Accuquilt die was fun and the cutting part went quickly. 

The end goal was not to make this look like beautiful pressed linen bedding - but a textured quilt worthy of a 'very cool & fancy gypsy caravan."

Materials:
Amy Butler / Gypsy Caravan
Natural Linen IL090 from Fabric-Store.com
Warm & White twin sized batting
Aurifil 50wt. Light Sand 2000 for piecing & quilting
Accuquilt Snowball die
Faultless Starch (lots)

Size:  71"x 83"
February 2015