Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs Book Review and Book Blog Hop/Unruly Safari Moon

Today is the book launch  of Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs, the latest book by Kelly Young, My Quilt Infatuation. I was asked back in March if I would be interested in reviewing her book by making one of the thirty patterns designed specifically for quilt backs and participating in her Book Blog Hop. It was a  Big Yes from me. Kelly wrote the book for Quilters, like me, who aren’t comfortable with making pieced quilt backs or for those Quilters, definitely not me, who need new pieced quilt back ideas. 

It was rather serendipitous that I would be asked because around that time I was thinking my scrap fabric overload was caused by having too much leftover after a quilt finish and that I maybe ought to start making pieced backs which is something I avoid like catching Covid. Also at that time, Linda, Texas Quilt Gal, had posted about her latest quilt being a mullet quilt and since it didn’t remind me of Billy Ray Cyrus, I had to find out what she meant by that. Well, I learned that a mullet quilt means that the business or the seriousness is in the front and the party is in the back which I take it to mean the back of the quilt has the more “fun” fabric or approach. My quilt backs tend to be on the quiet or bland side and not much time is spent planning or making it, so in the terms of a mullet quilt, my backs are definitely party poopers. When I first started quilting over 25 years ago, quilt backs were not important to me, I didn’t want to use the same fabrics as in the front, especially at that time $9/yard and I used a fabric purchased on sale which is the reason for my backing fabric vault. Another caveat I had for backing was that it had to somewhat complement the top and not look like I sewed any old fabric(s) together.  

I was thinking the reason why Kelly asked me to participate in her Book Blog Hop was because several years I participated in her Book Blog Tour of Scrappy Improv Quilting but then I realized that she may have seen some of my backs and sensed that I needed to stop being a pieced back resister and come over to the party side. Like Kelly saids, she has your back.

It was no surprise for me to that Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs is just as inspiring and resourceful as Kelly’s previous two books, Scrappy Improv Quilting and Stash Statement.  It definitely is a Scrap-Smart Guide. The thirty patterns are divided into three sections depending on whether you want to use Small Scraps, Medium Scraps or Large or Mixed-Sized Scraps/Fat Quarters. It may have exceeded my expectations being that as you read my Post, I have been converted to a happy pieced backer and my days of whining and resisting are over. Planning  a quilt back beforehand and not as an afterthought is the way for me to sew now. As Kelly mentioned in her book,  a pieced back adds a little something extra or lagniappe as the French would say.

From the thirty patterns presented in Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs, I chose to make the Double Bar pattern, page 64, because it made the best use of my leftover blocks and scraps which were large or mixed-sized scraps and fat quarters.I just needed to purchase yardage of the dark blue fabric.

The leftover blocks and scraps were from my Safari Moon  quilt using a modified version of Kelly’s Unruly Pattern (not an affiliate link) and I made especially for the book blog hop. We had a choice of either making a quilt back for an existing flimsy or just a simple top but I saw it as another reason to make another Unruly quilt as it is one of my favorite patterns.  I was planning on making this quilt and have been stashing the fabrics for several years now. 

The name of this quilt is also the name of the Art Gallery fabric line designed by Frances Newcombe which I had yardage and fat quarters of the wonderful prints. I modified the Unruly pattern so I could feature the Zebra and some of the other larger prints. Little did I realize that this would also be enough to use for the pieced backing and it helped that I originally made thirty blocks and decided to only use twenty blocks.

Three Quilt Backing Sizes (Lap (72” square), Twin XL (80”x108”) and Queen (96”x108”) are given for each of the thirty Quilt Back patterns. You can easily modify the dimension to fit your quilt which is what I did for the Double Bar pattern since my top measured 60” x 75” and I needed a backing to measure 68”x 83”. Using leftover blocks and scraps, I made three panels measuring 15-1/2” wide by 83”long and I cut the solid blue fabric 12-1/2” wide by 83” long. 

I should point out that I may have made a mistake with the block panels made for the sides. I thought I was being smart for putting the bright rectangles vertically to avoid having too many seams on the outside but you can see once the backing was trimmed, these bright rectangles were almost cut off just leaving skinny pieces on the sides. At first I thought it was awkward looking but then as Kelly pointed out in her book, you are not making double sided quilt, to which I add, you still want to be able to tell which side is the front and which one is the back. Although my back is pretty, it still looks like the back but Unruly Safari Moon does have two-sided appeal.

Some of the things I learned from Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs are:

• Patience as I used to think sewing a pieced quilt back was like sewing another top but it’s really not because you may just spend an hour piecing scraps and to me is it makes for a nicer finish. Rather than seeing the top and backing as two separate pieces, there is a connection now between the two with a pieced quilt back.
• I was making my quilt backs too large as I was using the measurement of adding 8” to both the wide and length which is what you do if you were sending it out to a long armer which I do not do 99.5% of the time. I can get by with just adding 4-6” on both sides now that I’m…..
• Taking the time to measure both the quilt top, batting and backing and marking the center of each piece in both directions.
• I am no longer eye-balling centering the backing on my big 48”x76” table where I baste my quilts since I have now marked the centers on the table.
• More confidence and less stress now that the layers of the top, batting and backing are centered and no surprises if one of the layers is  too close to the edge after the majority of the pin-basting is done. I may have been surprised more than once and salty language was definitely used.
• Making pieced backs is fun and using up leftover fabrics does feel good.

Here’s a pic of the leftovers which could have been more if I hadn’t made a pieced back. This is  enough to make a pillow to go with Unruly Safari Moon. A fun thought is to send these to Kelly so she has an idea for her next book like When Quilt Friends Give You Scraps.

And just to show how much Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs converted or inspired me, after I finished Unruly Safari Moon, I made a pieced back for my Sushi Shuffle Quilt. It is a version of the Double Bar pattern but with only one pieced panel in the center. 

Sandra @mmm quilts

Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

Laura @Slice of Pi Quilts

Jayne @Twiggy and Opal

Anja @ Anja Quilts

Nancy @Grace and Peace Quilting

Vasudha @Storied Quilts

Kris @Sew Sunshine

Leanne @Devoted Quilter

Rebecca @Rebecca Grace Quilting

Preeti @Sew Preeti Quilts

Susan @Quilt Fabrication

Kate @Katie Mae Quilts

Sarah @Sarah Goer Quilts

Linda @Flourishing Palms

Anne-Marie @Stories From The Sewing Room

Michelle @From Bolt to Beauty

Gail @Quilting Gail

Kat @Scrapbox Quilts

Julie @Julie’s Quilts and Costumes

Jan @The Colorful Fabricholic

Rose @something rosemade (that’s me!)

There are twenty-two (including me) Quilt Bloggers who are joining in the Perfectly Pieced Quilt  Backs Blog Hop by reviewing this book and making a pieced quilt which I can bet theirs’ will be perfect. We are all posting today so be sure  to check out their posts by clicking the links on Kelly’s Book Launch Blog Hop Post.

Besides the thirty quilt back patterns in Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs, when you purchase this book, you will be able to download 18 bonus quilt patterns for the tops which went with the quilt backings. I already have a collection of Kelly’s patterns (I already made her Tinkering quilt, which I named Kaleidoscope Krosswalk) and to think I now have 18 more just make this book so worthwhile to purchase.  Kelly’s patterns are fun and easy to sew. There are already a few that I want to check out the pattern because I may already have the fabric. I will say now that most of the quilt back patterns I would consider making them as tops. (Please note that the Unruly Pattern is NOT one of the 18 bonus patterns but is a pattern so worth purchasing—not an affiliate mention). You can purchased this book directly from Kelly, through Etsy, which you will receive a signed copy or from Amazon Prime, Barnes and Noble, Connecting Threads, Missouri Quilt Co. and Fat Quarter Shop. (Not an affiliate link).

Just some closing “glamour” pics from of Unruly Safari Moon quilt, front and pieced back which I enjoyed making for the Book Blog Hop. I want to thank Kelly for inviting me again to participate in promoting her latest book. You are always an inspiration to me.  Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs is definitely a book you would want to have in your library and maybe you want to mention it to Pieced Back Resisters or Party Poopers which I am happy to say that I’m no longer a member of this group.

A Pair of Patchwork Throws

Whenever I back a quilt top with just a plush fabric like Minky, I call them a Patchwork Throw since there is no batting in the middle. I’ve made at least twenty Patchwork Throws during the last six years and like to make them for a number of reasons; they finish quick with simple quilting, feel and wash nicely, no need to iron the plush fabric and a nice way to finish a flimsy which may have been sitting around for too long. The pair above are for me, the one on the right is for my bedroom at home and the one on the left is for me to use when sleeping in the darling Granddaughter’s bedroom. Here are some deets on these pair of Patchwork Throws.

The Amy Butler Patchwork Throw is my April finish for the Country Threads Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge. This is the second patchwork throw finished for the Challenge, the first one Innocent Crush was posted last August and I mentioned that I would be finishing the Amy Butler throw some day. Both of these throws were made with 8” HST from over five years ago when I went on a die-cutting spree after I purchased the die. This throw measures 48” x 64”, a nice lap size for keeping the legs warm when sitting and is backed with one of my favorite plush fabrics in lime green. I machine quilted with straight and diagonal lines and was pleased with how it looks and feels. BTW, this is the second patchwork throw made with the Amy Butler fabric since I made almost 100 HSTs back then. The first throw was a quick gift I made for my Godmother who was recovering from a knee injury in 2016 and also the first time I ever made a patchwork throw. I can’t say enough how nice these are.

After I finished the Amy Butler Patchwork Throw, I thought I would work on my Carrie Bloomston quilt which is a modified Unruly Pattern by Kelly Young, My Quilt Infatuation (not an affiliate link). I started  sewing the strip sets almost a year ago and finally pieced the blocks. After the flimsy was finished, I decided to make it a patchwork throw since I needed one and I like them for sleeping. I bring one whenever we travel and stay at a hotel. I have to mention that the second patchwork throw I ever made was with Carrie Bloomston fabrics but a little smaller.

The backing is a gray chenille plush which is another favorite. I machine quilted with straight vertical lines spaced 2” apart. Again, this throw quilted beautifully. The gray binding was the only print which is not a Carrie Bloomston fabric and is a print from Ann Kelle’s Remix fabrics. This throw measures 54” x 90”. 

The Master Quilt Holder was able to help me this time as his knee is feeling a lot better.  He was able to climb the step ladder to hang one throw and stoop a little for the other throw—glad to have him back. I wish the weather would have been nicer for the photos outside but we’ve been experiencing cloudy and rainy weather for the past week. Supposedly, we may have some 80 degree days next week but I’m pretty sure I won’t have a quilt ready to photograph outside. Would you believe the next project I’m working on involves more Carrie Bloomston fabrics. I forgot to mention earlier that I really love her fabrics.

I’m looking forward to a nice and relaxing Mother’s Day weekend and hope you are too.

Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation/NTT

September Scream: Eerie Unruly

I wasn’t planning on making a Halloween quilt this year since I thought I was good with the three Projects finished last year. As I was putting away some recently purchased fat quarters of Halloween fabrics with the remnants of the Eerie Alley stash, I heard the screams of the Squirrels yelling that a Halloween quilt needed to be made for the Grandparent House. Normally, this would be considered a DrEAMi project but since this involves Halloween fabrics, it’s the month of September and I like alliteration in my titles, I’m calling this a Scream. 

Just having finished participating with Scrappy Improv Quilting Book Tour hosted by the author, Kelly Young, I knew just the right pattern I wanted to make. Kelly’s Unruly Pattern (not an affiliate Link) is one of my most favorite quilt patterns  and I now have finally finished three quilts with two more being in the processed of being finished. I describe this pattern as an improv version of a rail fence pattern made with big strips and definitely more merrier when made with lots of fun fabric. This pattern is fat quarter friendly and as you can see from the fabric above, it was just right for the Unruly pattern. I like that the Eerie Alley fabrics from years past went so well with the newly acquired fat quarters along with the addition of some blenders to offset the prints. Over twenty-one different prints were used in this quilt and although I only needed fifteen, like I said before, the more, the merrier.

I should mention that not only the Unruly pattern is great for fat quarters or stash fabric, it’s also is a quick and easy make.  It only took three days for it to be a Finally Finish. I did modify the width of the quilt in order to be able to use a piece of batting which would not have been wide enough and someone was too lazy to pull out the roll of batting to cut another piece.

Vertical straight-line machine quilting, spaced 1” apart, with Smoke Gray Aurifil #50 thread was done to showcase the many fun prints.

Binding was a thin black and white stripe found in the binding drawer and a black tone on tone fabric was used for the backing which I did not take a pic. I will say that I was committed to using  something from the stash but had a hard time deciding which one to use since I’m always afraid it may be needed for a future project, so I think. This quilt measures approximately 58” x 75”.

It’s been almost three years since I made the darling Granddaughter her first Halloween quilt and a new one was needed since  this one is almost too short for her long legs. I just love the fun colors of orange, purple, lime green, etc and glad they’re still around.

The Eerie Unruly Quilt was a Finally Finish just before we left for the Grandparent House last weekend. I was able to take a photo of it  on the front porch along with some Halloween/Fall decor I luckily had around the house. (Do you see the squirrel on the table, most  fitting, don’t you think?) I bet you know who would look sweet with her new Halloween quilt and I definitely will take photo of her in her Halloween regalia with the quilt next month. I’m pretty proud that for someone who in previous years could not make a quilt, etc. in time for Halloween and has now done this two years in a row now. There were an awful lot of new Halloween prints this year and I did buy another collection which you may see next year for my impending trifecta of yearly Halloween finishes.

BTW, I thought I mention that for the past month or two, I’ve been indulging in some major fabric purchases and finally realize that my heart knew before my brain that this month is my 25th Anniversary or my Silver Anniversary of being a Quilter. What a great way to acknowledge this milestone is with fabric and if I was keeping tabs on fabric purchases this year, this wouldn’t count because according to my rules, fabric gifts don’t count. I’m feeling a little less guilty now and wondering if I bought enough—I think it should be 25 lbs and not 25 yards which is a whole lot of fabric.

 

Linking up with:My Quilt Infatuation/NTT