Don’t you love to wear soft and comfortable knits? Well, how about quilting with them? I know it sounds challenging, but this is why I asked Lena, our beautiful teacher, to show us the basic steps of quilting knits.
Here are the fabric prints featured: Furries Cool, Etchings Nectar, and Line Markings from the magical Pine Lullaby collection.
Preparation
Lena started by choosing her two favorite prints from the collection, and since the fabric is 58” to 60” wide, she just cut 52” in length from each one to make a 58” x 50” quilt.
Then she made a fabric sandwich placing cotton batting in the center, and securing it with many safety pins.
Quilting
She installed the walking foot before threading the machine; the walking foot is a very important tool for quilting especially for knits, because it helps feed the fabric on the top at the same time as the dog feet in the bottom, thus avoiding unwanted fabric gathering.
Something to Remember
Lena made sure to guide the fabric while feeding it through the machine, and keeping in mind not to pull it against or towards her.
Stabilize
Once the quilt was ready and trimmed, it was time to bind, so to ease the cutting and sewing process of the binding, the fabric was stabilized with fusible interfacing.
Smile and Be Proud
After choosing her favorite prints and quilting her own blanket, she is very happy with the results!
Now it's your turn, give it a try and let me know how it goes!
You may know her as the founder of Quilter's Candy Box where you would sign up for a subscription box of curated sewing goodies..and now she's officially part of our AGF Family! Please give a warm welcome to the wonderful, Elizabeth Chappell!
Currently living in Texas with her husband, daughter and two sons, we first noticed Elizabeth while scrolling on social media, and would stop in awe whenever she posted something beautiful using our fabrics. Often inspired by home decor, she finds a lot of her inspiration in rugs and tiles. In 2015, she fell in love with quilting while attending the Houston Quilt Market after seeing all the fabrics and projects, and since then has been sewing nonstop! We’re so honored to have her as part of our AGF family and can’t wait to share all the fun projects she’s got in store for you.
To get to know Elizabeth Chappell a little better, here's a fun little interview we did with her!
Congratulations on becoming an AGF Sewcialite! Can you tell us a little bit about your background, and how you eventually got to where you are today?
I really got introduced into the quilting world when I was a child. My mom was a quilter - and an amazing one at that! But my personal interest for quilting came much later in life. It wasn’t until 2015 that I went to the Houston Quilt Market and saw all the fabrics, projects, and felt the buzz and excitement that I caught the bug.
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so I saw this huge market and thought how fun it would be to be a part of it all. So a good friend and I started a monthly subscription box just for quilters. At the same time, she taught me how to quilt. The more I quilted, the more I fell in love with it. So it has all snowballed from there!
What was the very first thing you sewed?
The VERY first thing I sewed was as a child. I made a little purse. The very first QUILT I made was a pattern by Bonnie Cottonway. It’s called ‘Abundantly Blessed’. I still love that quilt!
What are some of your favorite projects to create? Favorite technique?
I am a quilter through and through. I would love to try making clothes one day, or a hand bag. But quilts are my comfort zone It’s familiar and safe.
What’s currently on your playlist?
Ha! I DO love my music! I did find a streaming station recently that plays all these songs from when I was in Jr High and High School. So oddly, that’s been what I’ve been listening to. 90’s Alternative.
If you had to describe your aesthetic in 3 words, they would be?
Clean, fresh, soft.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Houston, Texas!?
I actually don’t make it downtown often. I live about an hour north of Houston, and we try to avoid going downtown as much as possible (traffic here is no joke!). But I like to do a lot in my area - The Woodlands. It’s a beautiful place to live with a lot of outdoor trails, lakes, places to eat, concerts, plays. But when push comes to shove, I’m more of a homebody. I do love spending time in my house, quilting, watching a good show, or listening to a book on Audible.
Where do you often find your inspiration?
I find a lot of inspiration for my quilt patterns from home decor, actually. I look at rugs and tile patterns and think about how to make those into quilts. I also use EQ8 (a quilt writing computer program) and it’s fun to put quilt blocks in different arrangements and play around with ideas on that.
Do you have a certain ritual you have before you begin a project? (Light candles, organize everything on your desk, etc)
I DON’T have anything like this, but I may just start! The idea of candles sounds right up my ally..specifically the Volcano Capri Blue candle. If you haven’t smelled that candle, you are missing out!
What’s on your “sewing to-do list” for this year?!
I have two quilt patterns in mind that I just need to write already. I am SO excited about them! Then, I also really want to try making a dress, and Art Gallery has some amazing fabrics that would be perfect for a dress. So, it’s in the cards!
Looking for some new knits to sew with, or maybe you're on the hunt for some fabrics for some homemade gifts to give a mama-to-be or a little one?!
With all the trends of gender-neutral color palettes for kids' clothing and decor, we decided to do our own spin on a collection with this in mind and created "Pine Lullaby!" In case you don't know, a capsule is a small collection we make in-house here at AGF. For these ten, darling prints, we gathered inspiration from the woods and nature, fusing them with a modern touch of white backgrounds and a natural color palette like sprucy mint, sunlit cedar, and blush rose.
Our knit is super soft and stretchy which makes a versatile substrate to use for a multitude of sewing projects like quilts, babies’ garments, and accessories. Ranging in a warm or cool colorway, you’ll discover hand drawn woodland critters like hedgehogs, foxes and whimsy pine trees that are great for fussy cutting as well. This collection can also be mixed and matched with warm or cool colors and prints!
Enter a chance to win TWO YARDS of TWO PRINTS from our Pine Lullaby collection.
Congratulations Jennifer Stover! You're our WINNER! Please check your email. :)
*Once you have entered the giveaway it's normal for your information to disappear. To confirm your entry check your email for a confirmation and approve it. By entering our giveaway you'll be automatically signed up for our newsletters. Don't worry, we don't spam!
Quilting Knits