Block 2 of the Fall into a QAL Mystery Quilt is Harvest Basket by me, April Adams! I am so excited about this block!  After completing it, I decided to make an entire quilt pattern with 12 variations of Harvest Baskets. The quilt pattern will be released soon. So if you enjoy making this block, come back to see the entire quilt pattern in my Quilt Shop!

To download the Harvest Basket Block, click on the button below. 

Harvest Basket Tutorial

The block is constructed by making two 6 1/2" by 12 1/2" rectangles called the Handle Rectangle and the Basket Rectangle. The block is then completed by sewing the two rectangles together.

Cut the pieces as directed in the pattern, use a 1/4" seam allowance throughout, and press seams as indicated.

Making the Handle Rectangle

Assemble the pieces needed for the Handle Rectangle. Sew one of the brown strips to the edge of the 8 1/2" background square. Press toward the background square. 

Sew the 1 1/4" gold square to one end of the remaining brown strip. Press toward the square. Then sew the strip to the large square as shown. Press toward the large square. The seams should lock. See photos below.

Cut the 7 1/2" background square along one diagonal to make two triangles. Sew each triangle to a brown strip. Press seams toward the triangles. (Note that the triangles are oversized.)

Trim the resulting rectangle to 6 1/2" by 12 1/2" . Be sure to leave a 1/4" seam allowance above the gold square as shown below. This completes the Handle Rectangle.

Making the Basket Rectangle

The Basket Rectangle has a Design Center made from strip sets and strips of fabric sewn to the top and bottom of the Design Center. In the final step, triangles are added at the bottom of the basket.

First, make a strip set as shown below. Press toward the center strip. Then cut the strip set into five 1 1/2" by 3 1/2" rectangles. See photos below.

Then make a second strip set, pressing away from the center strip. Cut the strip set into four 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" rectangles. See photos below.

 
To complete the Design Center, assemble the rectangles from each strip set as shown below. Sew the rectangles together. The seams should lock. Press away from the smaller rectangles.

Completing the Basket Rectangle

As you can see in the photo below, the Design Center is wider than the top and bottom strips. Trim the Design Center so that it measures 3 1/2" by 12 1/2". Be sure to center the design. Then sew a gold strip to the top and bottom of the Design Center. Finally, add a brown strip to the bottom of the rectangle as shown below.

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of a 3" by 3" diagonal background square. Align the squares on the bottom of the basket as shown and sew along the line. Trim the seams to 1/4". Press toward the bottom corner. The Basket Rectangle is complete. See photos below.

Sew the Handle Rectangle to the Basket Rectangle to complete the block. See photos below.

Hope you enjoyed making the block! I really enjoyed designing it.

What Are the Giveaways for Block 2: Harvest Basket?

How Can I Find Our Block 2 Sponsors?

JANDA Bend Quilts (That's me) is supplying the Braid in a Day pattern from Quilt in a Day. I love this pattern. It can be used to make lap-size through king size quilts and even table runners.  I am a Quilt in a Day Certified Teacher. Please visit my Workshop Page to request a Quilt in a Day Workshop in your area, or visit my Quilt Shop to see my own patterns.

How Do I Enter to Win the Giveaway for Block 2?

There are three ways to enter. Do one of the following by June 11 , 2018 at 11:59 pm  EST:

1. Upload a photo of your finished block to my Linky Party. Click on the Blue Frog below to add your photo. The site will guide you through the process.

     2. Upload a photo of your finished block to the Partners in Design Facebook Group.

     3.  Upload a photo of your finished block to Instagram using #fallintoaqal.
​
How Will the Winner Be Chosen?

The winner will be randomly selected from those who post photos of their completed blocks by the deadline. Although creativity is encouraged, the block must follow the design for this two-week period. You must be 18 to enter.

I Want to See More Versions of the Block. Who Are the Other Hosts?

Abbie at Sparkle On 
April at JANDA Bend Quilts  That's me!
Bobbi at Snowy Days Quilting 
Jennifer at The Inquiring Quilter 
Karen at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats 
Sherry at Powered by Quilting  
Vanda at Quilting with Vanda

I Have Questions. Who Can I Ask?

You can ask me in a comment to this post or in an email, or I am sure that any of the Hosts would be happy to help.

When Will the Next Block be Released?

June 12, 2018

​See my Quilt Alongs Page for all of the release dates.

Where Will I Be Able to Find Block 3 on June 12, 2018?

You can find the Block 3 by Sherry at Powered by Quilting! All block locations will be available on the Partners in Design Facebook Group or on any of the Host's blogs which are listed above.
​
What Group Is Organizing This Quilt Along?

Fall into a QAL is brought to you by Partners in Design.  All the bloggers in the Partners in Design group met through the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. They are:
 
Abbie at Sparkle On (Host + Block 11 Designer)
April at JANDA Bend Quilts (Host + Block 2 Designer) That's me!
Bobbi at Snowy Days Quilting (Host + Block 7 Designer)
Jennifer at The Inquiring Quilter (Host + Block 8 Designer)
Karen at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats (Host + Block 9 Designer)
Kathleen at Kathleen McMusing (Block 5 Designer)
Sandra at Sandra Healy Designs (Block 10 Designer)
Sandy at Sandy Star Designs (Block 4 Designer)
Sherry at Powered by Quilting  (Host + Block 3 & 6 Designer)
Vanda at Quilting with Vanda (Host + Block 1 & 12 Designer)

We are a group of quilt designers and bloggers who are friends and who like to work together.

Who Are the Sponsors of This Quilt Along?

​In addition, the following members of Partners in Design are providing prizes as well:

Abbie at Sparkle On 
April at JANDA Bend Quilts That's me!
Kathleen at Kathleen McMusing 
Sandra at Sandra Healy Designs 
Sherry at Powered by Quilting  
Vanda at Quilting with Vanda

Thanks for joining me and Happy Quilting!

​This post was originally published at JANDA Bend Quilts.

Now it is your turn! I enjoy seeing your posts! You can link up your in-progress or completed piecing projects using the blue button with the frog below. Please note that the thumbnail photos and links will not show up on this page. You will need to click the blue frog button below to see the photos and links. This may be a little different from what you are used to.  The link-up will be available until Saturday, June 2, 2018 at midnight. If you prefer, you can also link up on Instagram using #PiecefulSundayatJANDABendQuilts. 

​Thanks for stopping by. If you have questions or comments, please go to comments or contact me by email. 
​​​
​Happy Quilting!
​
This post was originally published by JANDA Bend Quilts.

My husband was a great sport. He got the trailer ready for travel and drove all the way. In addition, he was very patient about me sewing all week from 9:00 am-5:00 pm each day. He also delivered all my sewing supplies to the activity room where all of the classes and free sewing times were located. I love my little trailer, but I am glad we could all sew  together in a larger space! See photo below.  I fixed most of our meals in our outdoor clamshell kitchen, but we did go out to dinner a couple of times. We also went to a show one night. Branson is a fun place to be!

The photo of Celebrity Station shows less than half of the room.  The Wagon Master, Debbie Davis was great! She reports that the planning took 12 months and that 40 sites were occupied by our group.  A total of 45 quilters and 35 spouses attended. The RV Quilter who drove the farthest to join us lives in Canyon Lake California. 

We also had three, six-hour workshops. The workshops were offered by 

• Carla Klop , Random Stars
• Debbie Davis, Irish Mist
• Sally Pelikan, T-shirt Quilt.

I wanted to take all of them, but I decided that I needed some free sewing time if I were going to complete any of the quilt tops. Turns out that I was right! 

The photo below show two of the Randoms Stars sample quilts. Aren't they great? I really love the design!

​I also took the T-Shirt Workshop. Sally brought several t-shirt quilts to show us. There are three examples below. 

I found her discussion of multiple variations very interesting. We were able to design our own settings. I chose a variation of her simplified, attic window design.

​Before the workshop, I cut all of my t-shirts apart as suggested. It was great fun choosing the t-shirts. As many of you know, I taught science at the high school and at the university level. I decided to make a quilt for me using some of the many science t-shirts that I had collected over the years. Here is list of the type of t-shirts I used.

• Scientific American (I won a subscription to Scientific American at a Science Fair as a youth. That subscription cemented my interest in science.)
• Science Olympiad Contest (My high-school students participated in the Texas Science Olympiad.)
• Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston (I worked there as an Educational Coordinator after completing my doctorate degree.)
• Oklahoma Science Teacher Association (I attended and presented many workshops there.)
• Science Fair (My pre-service science teachers and I judged many local science fairs over the years in Oklahoma.)
• Science Jokes (Science teachers love a good science joke.)

It was really fun to reminisce while selecting my t-shirts. I think that is really what t-shirt quilts are about-memories.

Sally had a wonderful press at the workshop that we used to  quickly iron the stabilizer onto the back of the t-shirts. My husband got me one for Mother's Day! I love it!

If you live near Tahlequah, Oklahoma and would like to make your own t-shirt quilt, join me for my T-Shirt Workshop on June 9, 2018! We are going to have a great time, so start selecting your t-shirts!

After the first workshop, we had a shop hop! What fun! It was actually my first shop hop, believe it or not. It will not be my last!

We had a great time at the RV Quilters first Sew2gether Rally! In addition to the workshops and shop hop, there were goody bags, door prizes, refreshments, block drawings, campfire get togethers, and a pitch-in farewell dinner. If you quilt while you RV,  join our RV Quilters Group Facebook page! We have over 17,000 members worldwide and are well led by our founder Joy Anderson. 

We are planning new Sew2gethers in Moab, Utah and in North Carolina. I can't make the Moab Rally because it is right before Christmas Tree selling season, but I hope to make other rallies. The first one was great! Thank you, Debbie Davis, our Wagon Master!

Now it is your turn! I enjoy seeing your posts! You can link up your in-progress or completed piecing projects using the blue button with the frog below. Please note that the thumbnail photos and links will not show up on this page. You will need to click the blue frog button below to see the photos and links. This may be a little different from what you are used to.  The link-up will be available until Saturday, May 26, 2018 at midnight. If you prefer, you can also link up on Instagram using #PiecefulSundayatJANDABendQuilts. ​ ​

Thanks for stopping by. If you have questions or comments, please go to comments or contact me by email. 
​​​
​Happy Quilting!
​
This post was originally published by JANDA Bend Quilts.

At last, the Fall into a QAL quilt along has begun. Block 1 is Hedgehog by Vanda Chittenden. Her tutorial can be found at Quilting with Vanda. As a host, I am presenting my version of the block and my tips for completing it.  All 12 of the blocks in the Fall into a QAL quilt along will be  available for free on the designer's  web site until November 13, 2018 at midnight EST. I will offering links to the released block patterns on my Quilt Alongs page until then. Collect them all! In addition, I will be showing my version of the block every two weeks as well right here on my blog. Want to keep track of all of the released blocks? Subscribe to the JANDA Bend Quilts Newsletter. You can also join our Partners in Design Facebook Group to follow the block releases and see the blocks of others.

Here is my version of Vanda's cute Hedgehog block. The block is raw edge applique. I sewed the raw edges down using a straight stitch and a blanket stitch.

Before I show you how I made the block, I would like to remind you about my focus fabrics for this quilt. They are shown below. I may add fabrics as I go, but having a set of focus fabrics helps me select additional fabrics. My choices are from batiks at Connecting Threads (not an affiliate link). I chose them because of their Fall colors.

Vanda's pattern has full-size drawings of all of the raw-edge applique pieces. When I printed the pattern, I made sure that I selected actual size in my printer dialogue. (This is sometimes called 100% on other printers.) Then once the pattern was printed, I checked the 1" square register on the page to make certain that the sides actually measured 1". I used fusible Heat N' Bond Lite for the raw-edge applique pieces. I traced the shapes onto the paper side of the fusible and rough cut them leaving at least a 1/4" around each piece. Then I ironed the fusible side to my selected fabric and cut the pieces out along the lines.

I used a teflon applique sheet to align the pieces and iron them down. This process ironed the pieces to each other, but the teflon allowed me to remove the completed hedgehog as one piece. I started with the back of the hedgehog  and then added the head, inserting the ears and legs under the head. Then I added the face, eyes, and nose. See the photo below. Once this process was complete, I lefted the hedgehog from the teflon sheet.

I cut a 13 1/2" background square, folded it on the diagonals, and ironed in the creases. This helped me align the hedgehog in the center of the block. The square will be cut down to 12 1/2" finished size later. Using a slightly larger block allows for shrinkage as you sew down the edges of the applique pieces. Then I ironed the hedgehog to the background square. See the photo below.

I selected threads that matched the fabrics in the hedgehog and used them to sew down the raw edges. Since the back of the hedgehog was irregular, I decided to use a straight stitch. The other pieces were sewn down with a  blanket stitch by machine.

The photo below shows my completed hedgehog!

How Can I Find Our Block 1 Sponsors?

Craftsy Products:  https://craftsy.com

Quilting with Vanda | Craftsy Store
From Vanda: ​ I  am a Quilt Pattern Designer, mostly of paper pieced patterns, but also some applique. Most of my patterns are fandom inspired, for the geek in me. Please visit my website for more free patterns. I am also a Staff Writer and designer for Fandom in Stitches. www.fandominstitches.com I especially love Star Trek, Fantastic Beasts, Paper piecing, applique, patchwork, quilting.

How Do I Enter to WIn the Giveaway for Block 1?

There are three ways to enter. Do one of the following by May 28, 2018 at 11:59 pm  EST:

1. Upload a photo of your finished block to Vanda's Linky Party at Quilting with Vanda
2. Upload a photo of your finished block to the Partners in Design Facebook Group
3. Upload a photo of your finished block to Instagram using #fallintoaqal

How Will the Winner Be Chosen?

The winner will be randomly selected from those who post photos of their completed blocks by the deadline. Although creativity is encouraged, the block must follow the design for this two-week period. You must be 18 to enter.

I Want to See More Versions of the Block. Who Are the Other Hosts?

Abbie at Sparkle On
April at JANDA Bend Quilts That's me!
Bobbi at Snowy Days Quilting
Jennifer at  The Inquiring Quilter
Karen at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels and Eats
Sherry at Powered by Quilting
Vanda at Quilting with Vanda

I Have Questions. Who Can I Ask?

You can ask me in a comment to this post or in an email, or you can ask the designer at Quilting with Vanda.

When Will the Next Block be Released?

May 29, 2018

Where Will I Be Able to Find Block 2 on May 29, 2018?

You can find the Block 2 by April Adams at JANDA Bend Quilts right here on my blog! All block locations will be available on the Partners in Design Facebook Group or on any of the Host's blogs which are listed above.
​
What Group Is Organizing This Quilt Along?

In addition, the following members of Partners in Design are providing prizes as well:

Abbie at Sparkle On 
April at JANDA Bend Quilts That's me!
Kathleen at Kathleen McMusing 
Sandra at Sandra Healy Designs 
Sherry at Powered by Quilting  
Vanda at Quilting with Vanda
​
Thanks for joining me and Happy Quilting!

This post was originally published at JANDA Bend Quilts.