Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Telescope

I have a brand new pattern to share today and I'm in LOVE with this quilt!! Let me introduce you to Telescope!!

Quilt Details
Fabric is Everglow & Neon True Colors, both by Tula Pink
Pattern - Telescope, JBQ 180
Designed by me
Quilted by Teresa Silva of Quilting Is My Bliss
Started on 1/12/23
Finished on 3/7/23
Quilt measures - 56" x 72" Lap Size


Telescope was designed to be a beautiful way to showcase fussy cut prints.  It's made with the Jaybird Quilts Fussy Cut Shapes & the Sidekick (or Super Sidekick) Ruler and there's no Y seams!

Fussy cutting is easy with the Jaybird Quilts Fussy Cut Shapes. You can watch video tutorials on how to use the Fussy Cut Shapes and the Sidekick rulers on my YouTube channel. I'm also hosting a sew along to help you make those fussy cut kites. You can sign up for it here.


This pattern was designed for Everglow & Neon True Colors, both by Tula Pink. When selecting other fabrics, choose a variety of stripes, dots, and fabrics that can be fussy cut.

Not only are the creatures fussy cut, but the stripes are too! The pattern includes easy directions on how to create these awesome stripe kites in the blocks.





The Giraffes



The Elephants


The Lions



The Hippos


Telescope is shipping to shops now and will be available for purchase soon! Ask for it from your favorite local quilt shop or independent online shop.

As we learn of where you can shop for the Telescope pattern & quilt kits, we’ll continue to add shops here. Refresh your browser to see the latest shops that have been added:

JF Quilted Designs: Illinois (online only)

Fabric Sanity: Texas (in-person & online)

Threaded Lines Quilt Shop: Texas (in-person & online)

Sierra Sky Sewing: California (online only)

Stitch Fabric Company: Ohio (online only)

Hummingbird Lane Fabrics: Arizona (in-person & online)

Kaela's Patch: Queensland, Australia (in-person & online)

Old Alley Quilt Shop: Minnesota (in-person & online)

Quiltboutique: Zuid-Holland, Netherlands (online only)

PJ's Quilt and Longarm Studio: Florida (in-person & online)

Patched Works: Wisconsin (in-person & online)

Cozy Creative Center: California (in-person & online)

Fat Quarter Shop: Texas (online only)

The Fabric Candy Shoppe: New York (online only)

QuiltWinks: Texas (in-person & online)

Purple KATZ Quilting: Canada (online only)

Lovely Jubbly Fabrics Ltd: United Kingdom (online only)


**Attention shops**: If your shop is carrying Telescope & you would like to be added to this list, please fill out this form.







We've got a fun sew along planned to help you fussy cut these fun fabrics and sew kites with variety & interest.

I'll guide you through using the Jaybird Quilts Fussy Cut Shapes to make fussy cut kites like the ones shown here. Sign up here for the sew along. 



I finished off the quilt with a bias binding of Tula's black and white Tent stripes. Check out my striped bias binding video tutorial to make your own!



I can't wait to see the Telescope quilts that you make! Share photos on social media using #TelescopeQuilt so we can share in the fun. 

Telescope is printed in full color, with detailed fussy cutting directions and full color diagrams. It's got 2 quilt sizes, lap & queen size, and templates are included in the pattern.

Telescope is shipping to shops now and will be available for purchase soon! Ask for it from your favorite local quilt shop or independent online shop.



© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

A Wedding Anniversary Look Back: A Huppah How-to

Eight years ago today, we were married underneath a beautiful quilt. It was a collaborative project that was contributed to by over 150 people. On our one year wedding anniversary I shared photos of the finished quilt along with some photos from our wedding. 



Recently, I realized that I have not shared the details behind the physical construction and I thought it was time to do that.

This is the back of the quilt. It has 5 sleeves. The top sleeve is so that it could be hung vertically at our reception. The other 4 sleeves were placed to make the largest square possible for hanging it above our heads during the ceremony. If you make a square or rectangular huppah, you'd only need 4 sleeves, one for each side. The square in my huppah is just under 6' by 6' which was the recommended size from my rabbi.

This photo shows how we had it hung during the ceremony.  It was held up by 4 vertical poles and 4 horizontal poles. I made pole covers from navy fabric and created triangular pyramid bases from navy fabric to cover up the sand bags that were holding the poles in place. We were outside and I wanted to make sure that wind wouldn't be an issue. We did a couple test runs ahead of the wedding to make sure that everything would work out as planned. Here is a link to similar stands.

Here I am a couple hours before the wedding going over the assembly process. I had planned on setting it up myself because at the time it seemed easier than explaining it to others. I'll admit in hindsight that it was a bit crazy to have thought that. 

I ended up entrusting the process to two amazing quilters and their husbands. I knew that they would take great care to make sure it was perfect. Jessica LevittSusan DiBartolo, and their spouses put it all together on my wedding day shortly after this photo was taken. My brother, Brad, then hooked up a GoPro in the corner to capture a unique video angle of the ceremony.



This is a photo of the full quilt. We hung it with the designs facing down and we could see almost all of the blocks during our ceremony. I picked the light color background and yellow star color knowing that it would look like stained glass from below. The finished quilt is 96" tall by 111" wide from point to point.

The quilt is composed of 6.5" unfinished, 6" finished height triangles. 


I pieced the center myself. I did not write a pattern for the quilt and don't plan on it. This is a personal, family heirloom quilt I made just for my family. It was quilted by Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.

Here are some more photos of it in action.


It was hung vertical at our reception and made for a great backdrop.


Here's the blog post where we made: The original "call" for blocks to be made. Check that out to learn more about how the process began. 

These are the Kona Cotton Solid colors that were used in the quilt blocks. This color variety ended up being a great option for the wedding all around because it gave us a lot of depth, interest, and variety to work when it came to selecting all of the different finishes and decor for the day. 

I hope you enjoyed that trip down memory lane! Hopefully, it was helpful for everyone looking to make their own heirloom huppah this coming wedding season.



© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/

Friday, March 3, 2023

Alphabet Soup Sew Along


We’re kicking off a new sew along. Julie will guide you through her approach to making the letters, numbers, & projects from the book Alphabet Soup using the Hex N More & Super Sidekick rulers, and the new Jaybird Quilts Fussy Cut Shapes! The Fussy Cut Shapes are optional for the sew along and all of them are put to work to make Alphabet Soup. 

Sign up here to join us for the sew along. Sew along emails will have the links to the video tutorials as they’re available, sew along worksheets, giveaways and prizes, and discounts to quilt shops exclusively for sew along participants.


Here's the sew along schedule:
March 28, Video 1: Book overview & the sew along worksheets
March 31, Video 2: Fabric selection
April 4, Video 3: Cutting shapes for the blocks
April 7, Video 4: Basic sewing for putting the blocks together
April 11, Video 5: Monogram Pillow
April 14, Video 6: Block spacers for multi-block projects
April 18, Video 7: Name Quilt
April 21, Video 8: Baby Quilt
April 25, Video 9: Live Q&A wrap up
The links to the participating shops below will take you to their curated kits or the Alphabet Soup book to purchase to participate. We will continue to add shops to this list, so be sure to refresh your browser to see any new shops that many have been added to the list:

Fabric Sanity: Texas (online only) Alphabet Soup

Hummingbird Lane Fabrics: Arizona (online & in-store) Sew Along Kits

Threaded Lines Quilt Shop: Texas (online & in-store) Sew Along Kits

Perfectly Pink Quilt Studio: Ohio (in-store) Sew Along Kits

Idaho Sewing & Vacuum: Idaho (online & in-store) Sew Along Kits

Purple Katz Quilting: Alberta, Canada (online only) Sew Along Kits

Quilting By Design: Ontario, Canada (online & in-store) Alphabet Soup

Nanno Creative: Gelderland, Netherlands (online & in-store) Alphabet Soup

Old Town Quilt Shop: California (online & in-store) Alphabet Soup

Sew On & Sew North: North Dakota (online & in-store) Alphabet Soup

Pins and Needles: New York (online & in-store) Alphabet Soup

Stitch Fabric Company: Ohio (online only) Alphabet Soup


**ATTENTION SHOPS** If you'd like us to add a link to your shop’s kits or books, please fill out this form.
The sew along will cover fabric selection, cutting shapes for the blocks, block spacers for multi-block projects, and three Alphabet Soup projects: Monogram Pillow, Name Quilt, & the Baby Quilt.  For the Baby Quilt, we'll be featuring the CUT PIN SEW MAKE QUILT design shown below. 

When you can make these projects, you’ll be able to make any Alphabet Soup project you can dream up with confidence. Sign up here to join us for the sew along.

Sign up here to receive the sew along emails, sew along worksheets, exclusive quilt shop discount codes, & giveaways. We're looking forward to sewing with you soon!



© Blog post written by Julie Herman
For more information visit http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/