Jaybird Quilts

Monday, July 27, 2015

Gravity Quilt Block Colors - Block 8 Eclipse

For those of you who are working on your Gravity quilt kits or block of the month programs, I thought it might be a good idea to have a some blog posts for those of you who are interested in making a spot on Gravity quilt.

Here is where you can find the colors for:

To make Block 8, you will continue to work from the 3rd fabric pack. The fabrics are in order in the pack. The next 6 in the pack are fabrics A through F of Block 8, as noted in the book:

And so on for the next set of 6 fabrics in the pack to make the second Block 8:

Follow these images clockwise to see the names of the colors with a swatch, the letters correspond to the letter label of the fabrics to cut in the Gravity book:

As I mentioned in the Introduction of Gravity, the intention is that you will have fun making your Gravity quilt and have fun with the subtle color variations within the quilt blocks. There is no need to stress about precisely matching fabric or color placement from block to block. The beauty of this design, and the variety of fabrics and colors used to create it, is that each quilt will take on a subtle and distinct look and feel of its own. With that in mind, for those of you who REALLY want to know which colors I used where, I hope you will find these posts to be helpful. If you're looking to order a Gravity Quilt kit, you can find a limited quantity of quilt kits still available from Hawthorne Threads, as well as other local and online quilt shops. If you've been on the fence about ordering one, I would recommend getting one now, as they are unlikely to be restocked once they're gone. Tell us in the comments below: Which Kona colors have you enjoyed sewing to make your Gravity blocks? Tell us all about it in the comments! Remember to share your photos on social media with the #GravityQuilt tag & have fun!

Monday, July 6, 2015

Gravity Quilt Block Colors - Block 7 Cosmic

Here is where you can find the colors for:

To make Block 7, you will start to work from the 3rd fabric pack. The fabrics are in order in the pack. The next 6 in the pack are fabrics A through F of Block 7, as noted in the book:

And so on for the next set of 6 fabrics in the pack to make the second Block 7:

Follow these images clockwise to see the names of the colors with a swatch, the letters correspond to the letter label of the fabrics to cut in the Gravity book:

As I mentioned in the Introduction of Gravity, the intention is that you will have fun making your Gravity quilt and have fun with the subtle color variations within the quilt blocks. There is no need to stress about precisely matching fabric or color placement from block to block.
The beauty of this design, and the variety of fabrics and colors used to create it, is that each quilt will take on a subtle and distinct look and feel of its own. With that in mind, for those of you who REALLY want to know which colors I used where, I hope you will find these posts to be helpful.
If you're looking to order a Gravity Quilt kit, you can find a limited quantity of quilt kits still available from Hawthorne Threads, as well as other local and online quilt shops. If you've been on the fence about ordering one, I would recommend getting one now, as they are unlikely to be restocked once they're gone.
Tell us in the comments below: Which block has been your favorite to work on so far & why? Tell us all about it in the comments! Remember to share your photos on social media with the #GravityQuilt tag & have fun!

Friday, June 26, 2015

I took a Craftsy Class! "Zip It Up" Review + a Giveaway!!!

I took my very first Craftsy Class this week! I've been a big fan of Joan Hawley's Lazy Girl Designs patterns & Press Perfect notions, so I was really excited to take my first bag making class with her and test drive the Craftsy class experience when she announced her new class, "Zip It Up," which launched last week.

It's always so great to have a chance to see Joan at quilt market & catch up over lunch or dinner. She snapped a selfie of us hanging out as spring quilt market started up this past May.

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At first I watched the class while sitting at my computer & without my supplies in front of me. This way I could learn the techniques without being distracted by my fabrics. Then, I cut my fabrics and watched the class a second time from my iPad while sewing along with Joan at my sewing machine. The class was the next best thing to having Joan here with me in the studio. I really enjoyed the class as it can often be challenging to grasp the concepts of 3D construction from a printed pattern alone.

In the opening lesson Joan covers presser feet. I'll be honest, I pretty much stick to my 1/4" foot or my walking foot for 99% of what I do. Nevertheless, I followed her directions and found that this foot allowed me to move the needle where I wanted it and sew in the middle of the zipper tape.

First up... the Runaround bag:

Basically a zippered pocket with a strap. The pattern calls for 2 fabrics, but I opted for 3 because I didn't want an orange strap. I went with a yellow zipper to draw out some of the details in the focus fabric I picked for the bag.

I think it'll be the perfect cross-body bag at the airport to hold my phone, passport and some cash. The bag is small enough to tuck into my tote bag once we board a flight.

Next up... Nickita:

Joan suggests some basic quilting, but of course I had to go crazy and do more. I used blue 3/4" painters tape to mark lines. I sewed them all in one direction and then a second to create a quilted diamond effect.

I picked a contrasting green zipper that brought out some of the colors in the fabric I used for the pull tabs. Joan shared a great tip about spreading out the bulk of the project layers with the V-tab placement technique.

I decided to use my Nickita bag to hold all of our extra chargers and cords. This way they will all be in one place and I won't have to search around the house next time I need one.

Last up... Bendy:

I actually made these a few months ago when the pattern came out, but I learned a lot by watching the class and now I know that I could have done a bit better when I made them the first time.

For example, I didn't press enough at this stage. I didn't realize at the time that it wouldn't be easy to go back and press later. Lesson learned.

My set of bendy bags.

Bendy stands up when closed.

Or when open.

Twice now I've used Bendy to hold my snacks when I travel. It is the perfect way to keep all of my yummy treats together inside my travel tote bag. The layer of fleece in the project is also just enough padding to help keep my snacks from getting crushed!

I made this Bendy by piecing together a strip of fabrics in rainbow order before making the bag.

I used a red zipper as a part of the rainbow instead of a red strip of fabric.

For the inside I used Ripstop Nylon instead of quilting cotton. It was a bit fussy to work with, but the result is totally worth it. The fabric is easy to wipe down, so now I can use this Bendy to hold makeup & toiletries without worrying about what will happen if something spills or leaks.

I have to say the #1 thing I learned from this class would be PROPER PRESSING techniques. Often pressing can feel like one of those things you should do, but don't need to do. Joan explains the reasons WHY to press at each step which is the kind of information I need to take the time out to do it.

If you use this link to enroll in the "Zip It Up" class before June 30th, you'll get 50% off of the class & you'll be automatically entered into a drawing to win a 2nd free Craftsy class of your choice. How cool is that?!?

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Ready for today's giveaway?!? I'm giving away a bundle of supplies to make your own Bendy Bag!! You get the pattern, fusible fleece, fabric and zipper!!

The Rules

1. Leave ONE comment to enter. Make sure your contact info is in your profile or that you leave it in the comment.

2. In your comment tell us about what will you keep in your Bendy Bag.

3. Comment entries must be left on this blog, www.jaybirdquilts.com, to be valid. Comments sent via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media will not be counted.

4. Simple as that!!

~~You have till 5PM PST on Tuesday, June 30th to enter.~~

Giveaway is now closed.

Winner will be selected by

True Random Number Generator.

Good luck + thanks for stopping by today!

Monday, June 15, 2015

Gravity Quilt Block Colors - Block 6 Ultraviolet

Here is where you can find the colors for:

To make Block 6, you will continue to work from the 2nd fabric pack, as you did for Blocks 4 & 5. The fabrics are in order in the pack. The next 6 in the pack are fabrics A through F of Block 6, as noted in the book:

And so on for the final set of 6 fabrics in the pack to make the second Block 6:

Follow these images clockwise to see the names of the colors with a swatch, the letters correspond to the letter label of the fabrics to cut in the Gravity book:

As I mentioned in the Introduction of Gravity, the intention is that you will have fun making your Gravity quilt and have fun with the subtle color variations within the quilt blocks. There is no need to stress about precisely matching fabric or color placement from block to block.
The beauty of this design, and the variety of fabrics and colors used to create it, is that each quilt will take on a subtle and distinct look and feel of its own. With that in mind, for those of you who REALLY want to know which colors I used where, I hope you will find these posts to be helpful.
If you're looking to order a Gravity Quilt kit, there is a limited quantity of quilt kits still available from Fat Quarter Shop and Hawthorne Threads, as well as other local and online quilt shops. If you've been on the fence about ordering one, I would recommend getting one soon, as they are unlikely to be restocked once they're gone.
Remember to share your photos on social media with the #GravityQuilt tag & have fun!

Monday, May 25, 2015

Gravity Quilt Block Colors - Block 5 Celestial

Here is where you can find the colors for:

To make Block 5, you will continue to work from the 2nd fabric pack, as you did for Block 4. The fabrics are in order in the pack. The next 6 in the pack are fabrics A through F of Block 5, as noted in the book:

And so on for the next set of 6 fabrics to make the second Block 5:

Follow these images clockwise to see the names of the colors with a swatch, the letters correspond to the letter label of the fabrics to cut in the Gravity book:

As I mentioned in the Introduction of Gravity, the intention is that you will have fun making your Gravity quilt and have fun with the subtle color variations within the quilt blocks. There is no need to stress about precisely matching fabric or color placement from block to block.
The beauty of this design, and the variety of fabrics and colors used to create it, is that each quilt will take on a subtle and distinct look and feel of its own. With that in mind, for those of you who REALLY want to know which colors I used where, I hope you will find these posts to be helpful.
If you're looking to order a Gravity Quilt kit, there is a limited quantity of quilt kits still available from Fat Quarter Shop and Hawthorne Threads, as well as other local and online quilt shops. If you've been on the fence about ordering one, I would recommend getting one now, as they are unlikely to be restocked once they're gone.
Tell us in the comments below: Have you enjoyed working from a quilt kit or block of the month program? Have you ever worked from a quilt kit or BOM before? Would you do it again? Tell us all about it in the comments!
Remember to share your photos on social media with the #GravityQuilt tag & have fun!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Splash!

I have a new quilt pattern to share with you today! Introducing Splash! You can get the PDF quilt pattern here.

Quilt Details

Fabric is Kona Solids by Robert Kaufman

Pattern - Splash, JBQ 153

Quilted by Angela Walters

Started on 2/13/15

Finished on 3/6/15

Quilt measures - 49" x 68"

Splash is made using my Hex N More ruler (click the link to the ruler to see the video tutorial on how to use it).

Ready for some outtakes from our cover photo shoot? Sometimes we get lucky and only need to go to one location, but often we end up shooting in a few places!

Since this quilt was inspired by our wedding colors it was only fitting to bring it along on our honeymoon to photograph. (Don't worry I did check with Lawrence first and he was on board with the plan!)

When I found this tree I thought this was going to be the spot.

We had to fight some wind...

The photos are good, but the lighting was harsh on the quilt top.

Did we get the shot yet?

The water was really pretty in person but it just didn't photograph as well as I hoped.

We wandered around the resort looking for options.

Again I had high hopes for the water, but the rocks just looked painful.

We went inside for a bit and I was able to take a few photos for Instagram. You can also see Stereo and Science fair in this photo.

We realized it was probably best to just head to the beach and that is where we had success!

If only my leg wasn't so awkward in this photo!

The lighting made the photos look a bit vintage.

You can see my pieced quilt back in this photo. The label is hiding behind me.

You can really see the entire quilt in this photo. Check out my tutorial on how to bind quilts with 120-degree angles to finish this quilt.

Fighting the wind!

We also took some time to snap some photos of all 3 quilts we brought to Hawaii.

Happiness = A successful photo shoot!

After we had the cover photo done we discovered this waterfall and had to take a few photos since the quilt is named Splash!

Lawrence was actually across the lagoon and pretty far from me. The water was really loud so we developed hand signals before he headed across the lagoon!

I just love these few photos!!

The pattern is printed in full color, and it includes templates. Plus there's no Y seams!
It has 5 sizes: baby, lap, twin, queen, king.

Splash will ship to shops in early June. Be sure to share your Splash quilts on social media using #SplashQuilt. I can't wait to see what you make!