VINTAGE BOWTIE SEW ALONG: WEEK 2

Welcome to week 2 of the VINTAGE BOWTIE FANCY SEW ALONG!

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SCHEDULE

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THIS WEEK: MAKE (20) BLOCKS

I know what you’re thinking…20 blocks?! But I promise you, these are so simple to piece, and you can very likely get them completed in one short evening a week. I’ve seen many of you in our FACEBOOK GROUP working ahead and already piecing some blocks and I just love all the combinations you are coming up with. Keep ’em coming!

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TIPS & TRICKS FOR PIECING

Some lovely orange goodness from Susan…isn’t it dreamy?

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• First and foremost, I have seen a lot of discussion on what size bowtie block to create. The Strawberry Garden Block-of-the-Month sampler quilt does use a different bowtie block size (pg. 32) than the companion VINTAGE BOWTIE FANCY quilt along we are following on page 98. The best part? Either size is great and if you have already started with the ones from the sampler, no worries! These simple blocks allow you to add or take away rows and columns to personalize your finished quilt size. No matter the block size, your quilt is sure to be a stunner, so no worries there.
• Secondly, I’ve heard a lot of chatter about feeling behind. Please know that we are only on week 2, which is truly just the beginning! We do have a lot of over-achievers out there ;-), but you should always feel comfortable to go at your own pace. The weekly “assignments” are simply a way for us to break down the sew along and keep us all somewhat accountable. It is most important that you HAVE FUN and finish your project. So share your progress using the #vintagebowtiesewalong so we can cheer you on – even well after the sew along ends!
• If you haven’t had a chance to view the Fat Quarter Shop Friday Livestream from 2 weeks ago, you totally should! I was honored to be their special guest (even though it was extra early for me…IYKYK). We had a lovely time chatting about all things quilting, my latest fabric collections, the bowtie sew along, and enjoyed a beautiful trunk show.
  • TIP: I did also see that some of you were struggling with SEW & FLIP and maintaining accuracy after pressing out. First, we aren’t perfect – right? It’s totally fine and once assembled, nobody will know! For those of you who do strive for more perfection, here’s a tip I shared on the livestream:
  • If your background square is a light background, and your SEW & FLIP corner is a print, you can sew your seam and only trim out the “print” backing, leaving the background in place to use as your foundation. It will not show through your print and I’ve never had a longarm quilter raise concern for bulk, especially in this style of block.
• If you are worried about keeping your directional fabrics upright, you will have to do a bit more prep work to keep that straight. I would only do a few at one time and lay them out as shown in the diagram on pg. 100. Once you are happy with your directional fabrics, begin sewing your top and bottom units together, basically creating (2) 2-patches. You can press your 2-patch blocks to the PRINT fabric, so the bowtie unit will “nest” when sewn together. Once that final seam is sewn, I would recommend NOT pressing that last seam completely until you decide where they will be placed in your final layout. You can then press the final seams up or down to have your blocks easily nest together, too, as you create rows. This is a tip from Susan.
  • Alternatively, you can simply let your directional fabrics go whichever way they choose during construction. This is how I will be doing mine. This is from Joanna! Along with the colorway I’ve chosen, I also feel the “every which way” of directional prints add to the scrappy, vintage vibe I am going for so I keep them every which way very much on purpose.
  • LAST TIP: If you are nesting your 2-patches to create your bowtie block, I recommend pinning at that center seam. But here’s the trick: if they don’t match up completely, no one will know because the feature prints all come together right there in the center to create that classic bowtie. Isn’t that great?!

THANK YOU

Check back on Thursday for our FIG FRIEND FEATURE…Kristyne Czepuryk with her TINY VINTAGE BASKETS TABLETOPPER (pg. 92).

Happy Sewing!

-Joanna