Week 1 - Balderdash Quilt Sew Along
Sep 24, 2023 - 2:12pm
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Balderdash Quilt Sew Along
Week 1
Week 1
Welcome to Week 1 of the Balderdash Quilt Sew Along.
This week is all about choosing your fabrics, and also some tips on how to use charm squares and also fat quarters for the large throw.
GETTING STARTED:
- Make sure you’ve purchased your Balderdash Pattern.
- The Balderdash SAL will be taking place on Instagram, so be sure your account is set to public so we can all see your posts using the #balderdashquiltsal and #balderdashquilt hashtags.
- If you are more of a Facebooker, there is a private Emma Jean Jansen Sew Along Group which has recently grown to over a 1000 people. I still can't believe there are over a 1000 of you that want to make my quilt patterns! The group is lovely and we're a very encouraging bunch of peeps.
- Post a photo of your fabric selection - In this newsletter we will be talking all things colour. Once you have chosen your fabric, post a photo and introduce yourself to all the other “dashers”, this is a great way to meet like minded craft folk!
- Pre-Cuts - I know a lot of you are interested in making the large throw size in fat quarters. This is totally possible and I will talk a bit about it this week and elaborate more in the cutting week. There will obviously be a bit more wastage but if you are fine with that, use up those fat quarters. I have also had a look at making the quilt in layer cakes - 10" squares, and it is possible, you just need lots.
PLANNING YOUR QUILT:
Your first step is to decide what size quilt you are making. The Balderdash Quilt comes in 3 sizes, Baby, Small Throw, Large Throw. It's not my usual larger range of sizes but as this quilt has a large repeating pattern, it's just the way it is. Hopefully there's a size to suit everyone!
CHOOSING YOUR FABRICS:
This week we are concentrating on choosing fabrics. The original quilt was made using a mix of fabrics, mainly Ruby Star Society. There is a bit of Little Darlings, some Honey and the rest were just fabrics from my stash. I decided to make the crosses from my large collection of low volumes and I really love how it turned out
My second quilt was again made from fabrics that I already had. Now this quilt has some older fabrics that were actually designed by me back when I was designing fabric. The magpies are from my Melba range and then a number of other fabrics are from my Eureka range. Both of these ranges are still available from Patchwork with Gail B in Melbourne. The two florals are from Sally Kelly and Tula Pink from their ranges that are both called Eden. The big stripe was by Jodie Carleton from her range Bug City. The cute typewriters are from Little Darlings by Ruby Star Society and the yellow sun print and animals are from Cotton and Steel. So, you can see I have used a real mix of fabrics but I think they work. Large novelty prints are perfect for this quilt design and pairing them with stripes and spots can make the quilt really sing!
I knew that as soon as I had finished this design that I needed to make one with Anna Maria Horner fabric. Her large scale florals work so well together with my quilt, it's like they were made for each other. I used a mix of of designs from a number of Anna's ranges and paired it with one of her low volume prints for the crosses. I think this shows how well large florals can be showcased and the fabulous possibilities that this quilt design gives.
This fourth version, (can you believe I have made four of these quilts, I can't, well actually I can because they are very quick to piece) I made for my hairdresser who retired late last year. I choose a mix of soft pinks and grey and paired them with a gorgeous woven gingham. These are Leanne's favourite colours and it was fun to work out of my usually bright palette. The prints that I used are a mix, there is a Liberty quilting weight, and Dashwood Studio's floral, a spot from Tilda and also some prints from Yuwa. I also used a number of basic checks and stripes to complete the look.
Black and white check - Handworks Yarn Dyed Medium Check
Large pink and white floral - New Beginnings – In Bloom
Pink Tulips - Liberty Quilting Weight Tulips In Pink
The softer pink floral is by Juniko Matsuda - Taupe-ism TS101395
Strong pink gingham - Yuwa medium scale pink and peach
Feathers - Jennifer Sampou Time to Fly Collection
For this sew along I'll be making the small throw size using a selection of Heather Ross novelty prints and some basics I had in my stash. I'm going to fussy cut the white background novelty prints to use for the centres of the crosses. In my stash I had a fun tone on tone spot that I will use for the rest of the crosses. I am looking forward to watching this quilt come together and I'm itching to start sewing. Next up are some mock ups from current fabric ranges.
Parisville by Tula Pink in the large throw size using 8 - ½ yards.
I just added some solid pinks in my design program but I'm sure there would be something very similar out there that you could use.
Now how super cute is this mock up using Petunia by Sarah Watts for Ruby Star Society? This kit was put together by Wendy from the Next Stitch and if you're lucky she will still have some left.
I've always loved the range Florida by Sarah Watts so I definitely had to include a mock up of this one in the newsletter. Again the larger sized prints work so well and how about that colour pallette. So good.
This is another range designed by Sarah Watts called Reign for Ruby Star Society. I used one of the darker colours for the crosses and don't they just pop. This range also features some sparkly gold and because the blocks are large enough you can see all the people hanging out. That's a pretty cool print.
Last up, I had some requests for a Kaffe Fassett mock up. These are from Kaffe's 85 and Fabulous range. Once again his colours are so vibrant and delish and I see this design working with all of them. I had some fun adding the lighter colour in the centre of the squares. It shows you can have a bit of fun with the crosses too just by changing the up the centre square.
LAYER CAKE
I have had a number of requests asking if this quilt can be made from a layer cake. The simple answer is yes, so here you go.
BABY SIZE:
12 - 10" Squares
2 of each design for a total of 24 Squares
SMALL THROW SIZE:
24 - 10" Squares
2 of each design for a total of 48 Squares
LARGE THROW SIZE:
40 - 10" Squares
2 of each design for a total of 40 Squares
How amazing is this Balderdash quilt? All I can say is, goals.
Made by Maria @quiltmomoffive
LARGE THROW - FAT QUARTERS
I've also had a number of people ask if they can make the Large Throw using fat quarters and the answer is again, yes!
There is a bit of wastage so that's why I didn't include it in the pattern but if you don't mind, here's what you need:
24 Fat Quarters
Here are two examples of using fat quarters for the large throw size. This is Heather Bailey's lastest range, Local Honey. How yummy!
This quilt mock up has been done using Reverie by Melody Miller for Ruby Star Society. I am totally head over heels and love the print that has been used for the crosses. It's called Spark in Dove, also by Ruby Star Society. I just need to save up so I can buy all the fabric to make all the quilts!!
Now check out this stunner. Made by Josephine @josephinek74 and she deep dived into her Cotton and Steel stash to make this quilt happen.
This quilt is a bit of fun and it was made by Simone @piecenriot, and it features the crosses more than the squares. It makes me think that this quilt could be stunning in solids. Fingers crossed one of you make one so I can be inspired.
Last one I promise! This amazing quilt has been made by Vanessa @_vanessa.griffin_ and I just think it's just the perfect mix of fabrics.
Next week we will be cutting our fabric, so clean up your work space and change those rotary cutter blades! It's cutting time!
Thanks so much for joining me on this super fun patchwork adventure.
Whether it's your first or 20th sew along, I hope you get some joy from making alongside fellow creatives.
Emma x
