Hello fellow quilters, craft makers or sewists. I am so honored, excited and overwhelmed at the same time to be here to share with you. This is such a different type of opportunity for me.
I am Carol, of Carol Smiles Quilts on Intsagram. I am also known as Sew Savvy Treasures and can also be found on Facebook. My social media presence is small, however, I have been sewing for many many years. My Grandmother always sent quilts to us as gifts and my mom made my sisters and I dresses for special occasions during our elementary years. I have always been around hand/machine sewn things. It sparked my love and interest in sewing and I remember making my own skirt in kindergarten that I wore for picture day. It was red cotton fabric with white flowers and lace at the bottom. I remember being so proud of that skirt.
My Grandmother’s quilts were scrappy looking squares and handtied and I always thought they were amazing. I still have many of them. I’ve made hundreds of quilts since childhood but still have so much to learn, as I’m self-taught. There is so much that I still don’t know. This is the most expensive, yet rewarding hobby that I could imagine. And I love it so much.
Anyway, I’ve been asked by Elizabeth to share with you a little bit about making the Art Gallery Fabrics free quilt pattern, Vintage Market. It was included in the lookbook for Elizabeth Chappell’s collection release, Road to Roundtop. This collection is calming and sweet with soft pinks, rustic reds, cremes, warm blues and variety of small wildflower designs. Just as an FYI, I don’t have any pictures of my process while actually making this top, as I was asked to share with you after it was completed.
Every once in awhile, Art Gallery Fabrics contacts me to help with sewing projects that they would like included in an upcoming lookbook. Vintage Market quilt was one of them. I jumped at the chance to make this one, as it looked straightforward enough and didn’t seem like it would take too long to complete.
(picture of backing and mosaic looking front)
Vintage Market is comprised of all half-square-triangles (hst for short). In my opinion, the hst is one of the worst blocks to make. The marking, the trimming, the pressing. There’s so many steps to making them look decent. However, i don’t despise them as much using the Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmer, by New Leaf Stitches. These trimmers really do help make your hst look much better. I always have trouble figuring out where to trim with my regular cutting rulers. So when I found this to help with the trimming, i was ecstatic. I was so sad when i accidentally dropped my trimmer off of the cutting table once. It broke and it was a scramble to glue it back together. Using this slotted trimmer is easy, just line up your seam with the dotted line and trim the edes and dog-ears. I find it better to use a rotary cutter with a smaller blade to get into the slots easier. If you don’t have one of these trimmers, I highly suggest it.
When making this Vintage Market quilt, be sure to pay attention to your fabric combinations. It uses several different ones that are easy to get mixed up if you don’t stay organized. Many people use labels for keeping track of fabrics and blocks while cutting and sewing. I don’t. For me, they just get in the way. So, I lay out my fabrics or constructed blocks carefully while putting the top together. It is much easier to construct the top if you are organized with this quilt and its pieces.
The actual construction of the hst is quite simple, though it can take some practice if you’ve never done them. Most people mark the wrong side of one block from one corner to the opposite and then sew a seam on either side of the drawn line. I was tired of marking the back of each square and came up with a different method.
I found a strip of scrap fabric that measured longer than the diagonal of the squares. I place an edge of the strip on the square and carefully line up the edge from one corner to the other. Basically, the strip is acting like your drawn line. Then you can sew your seam ¼” from the strip, on both sides. Don’t forget to flip the strip so that it covers your first seam when coming back to sew the other side. Also, i use a scant ¼” seam when making the hst. I like a little extra trimming room to square up my blocks. If that doesn’t make sense, I did try to post a short video reel of my method on my Instagram page. I also need to mention that this alternative method is easier on smaller sizes of squares. I don’t do this for fabric squares over 6 or 7 inches, since the diagonal is larger.
This quilt top assembles quickly with careful attention to the orientation of your hst blocks and the fabric combinations. I assembled the top in rows as suggested and it came together in a couple of hours after the hst block combinations are complete. I’d say this quilt is definitely beginner friendly, but fun enough for the experienced quilter or sewist. Since I was contacted by AGF to make this quilt for them, the fabric and color placement is not my own. I just sewed everything together according to their instructions. The topstitching, or quilting, is mine though. I am practicing with quilting ruler still since my longarm machine is a sitdown version and I have to physically move the quilt around myself. This Vintage Market quilt just has an organic looking leaf design in rows and I love its simplicity.
The Vintage Market quilt is quite a fun make. The muted tones of color and smaller designs of the Road to Round Top fabric line make it pleasing to work with. Its relaxing and just makes sewing this top fun and enjoyable.
I hope you enjoy making this quilt!
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