If you are new around here and not familiar with this quilt along, its totally free and tons of fun!  Here are the patterns for the previous Sewcialites1 and Sewcialites 2 ​

Guess what I have been working on... yes you got it, a brand new pattern from the Jolly Bar Book Vol. 5 and it is SEW cute!!  When The Fat Quarter Shop asked me if I would like to make a quilt for their book tour celebration on the new book I was so excited!!  I have made several other quilts from some of the previous books and the patterns are beginner friendly and easy to understand so they make great gift quilts! 

This time I got to make the Brookside Quilt from page 10 of the new book, and oh gosh, I really enjoyed this little pattern!!  Check it out.... 

 I decided to use this fantastic fabric is called Raspberry Summer by Sheri & Chelsi for my quilt, you should totally grab a couple Jolly Bars of this collection, it's really beautiful!  

Since I am a full-time longarm quilter I love to try out new pantographs for my own personal quilts so I used this new Diamond Texture and I scaled it way down so it has lots of dense textures, I love it!  Of course I also used my binding rulers I designed so I got perfect mitered corners too, you can purchase them in my online shop, and watch my YouTube channel for binding tutorials, both machine and hand.   

Here is the list of all the quilty friends that have joined the quilt tour, they each made their own versions from the book and will be sharing on Instagram and Facebook.
Be sure to give all of us a follow!

• Week 1 – April 15th:
  • Melissa Corry, Happy Quilting, (@happyquiltingmc)
  • Taunja Kelvington, Carried Away Quilting, (@taunjalynn)
• Week 2 – April 22nd:
  • Melanie Call, A Bit of Scrap Stuff, (@abitofscrapstuff)
  • Michelle Smith, The Patchwork Loft, (@thepatchworkloft)
• Week 3 – April 29th:
  • Gina Tell, Thread Graffiti, (@gina_tell_threadgraffiti)
  • Haley Schober, Mistletoe Quilting Co., (@mistletoequiltingco)
• Week 4 – May 6th:
  • Susan, The Felted Pear, (@thefeltedpear)
  • Wendy Sheppard, Ivory Spring, (@ivory_spring)

The quilt tour doesn’t stop there!  Fat Quarter Shop will have all eight of our quilts in person to show you in a Livestream Trunk Show, there has never been a better time to watch some YouTube!! Mark your calendars! 

Join Fat Quarter Shop for a special YouTube Livestream on Saturday, May 10 and celebrate the very first Jolly Bar Day! They'll highlight everything about the favorite 5” x 10” precut to give you tons of scrumptious quilty ideas, a trunk show, and some super sweet savings! 

Speaking of Savings... Let's have a GIVEAWAY!! 

TO ENTER MY JOLLY GIVEAWAY: 
1- FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM and tag friends
2- SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
3- COMMENT HERE ON MY BLOG AND TELL ME YOUR
FAVORITE PATTERN FROM ANY JOLLY BAR BOOK 
(Tap the green word "comment" on the top or bottom of the post to leave a comment)
THAT'S IT! I WILL RANDOMLY DRAW 2 WINNERS FROM BLOG COMMENTS
​ON JOLLY BAR DAY MAY 10TH:
Prize 1 - Jolly Bar 5 Book 
Prize 2 - My Binding Ruler Combo Set
 
Thanks for stopping by my blog, I would also like to invite you to check out my online shop to find my Binding Rulers, Teddy Tell & Bunny Tell Pattern, and my favorites on AMAZON

Hey y'all who's ready to have some fun in the snow?! The Quilted Snowman Quilt Along will be running for eleven months, starting January 25th and ending November 29th of 2025.  I'll be sewing along with Fat Quarter Shop and several other quilty friends and we will all be sharing our monthly progress photos and videos on social media.  You can read the full schedule below,  I hope you will join me!!   

Here is the first progress picture I have taken for this quilt along, I got a few little snowball blocks started and then I decided I wanted to switch my fabrics up a little.  I did purchase the fabric kit but I am going to use a grey background for mine, and I also ordered some white fabrics to mix in for my snowman, you know me, I love to switch things up! 

Right-click the badge below to download and share to show you’re participating in The Quilted Snowman fun. EVERYONE can sew along, and we hope you will!

Who is Sewing Along?
Here are some of my quilty friends that are joining in for this year-long quilt along, they’re sharing their progress too, follow them on social media for inspiration and tips.

• Becca, Sugar Sand Quilt Co., (@sugarsandquilter)
• Becky Thompson, Power Tools with Thread, (@powertoolswiththread)
• Beverly McCullough, Flamingo Toes (@flamingotoes)
• Gina Tell, Thread Graffiti, (@gina_tell_threadgraffiti)
• Kristen, Meadowbrook, (@kkmeadowbrook)
• Mary Mata, Mi Mundo en Telas, (@mimundoentelas)
• Melanie Call, A Bit of Scrap Stuff (@abitofscrapstuff)
• Michelle, The Patchwork Loft (@thepatchworkloft)
• Pat Sloan (@quilterpatsloan)
• Rika King, House of Stitch & Stash, (@houseofstitchandstash)

Thanks for stopping by the blog, follow me on social with the icons above, and drop a comment below if you are sewing along!!
Happy Quilting,
Gina 

Oh, say, do you see… it's another fun quilt along!  So I have been doing quilt along's with Fat Quarter Shop for around 10 years now and since I am also a full time longarm quilter I don't have a ton of extra time, but when I saw this quilt I knew I had to make time!!  There is just something super striking about that ring of stars and I really needed a new Red, White, and Blue quilt to go with my patriotic table runner. 

I made the table runner below back in 2021 using a free Fat Quarter Shop pattern called "Wave your Flag" so some of the fabrics are no longer available, but I pulled some new ones that really work well for my new Heart of America Quilt.  Wait until you see both of them together!! 

Here are the fabrics that I am using for my quilt: 

Background:  3 yards Confetti Cotton Songbird 
White Stars: 1 yard  Dapple Dot White Yardage 
Navy: 2 yards Shabby Navy
Red: ​2 yards Shabby Cherry
Binding: 1 yard Star Spangled Red Star  

Free Pattern:  Heart of America Pattern

​Please keep in mind as you order fabric.  Mine is 60x60 since I left off the final top and bottom borders shown in the pattern.

The backing fabric that I picked out has been out of stock for a few weeks, so I got a little behind, but the Cook Book Denim 108" was just perfect for my quilt so I had to wait.  If you are interested in checking out this great wide backing here is the link 

To participate all you have to do is gather your supplies, download the FREE pattern, and follow the order of the pattern to stay on schedule! You can find all the instructions for the blocks in the pattern, and comment here on the blog if you have any questions.
#HeartOfAmericaQAL #GinaTell #ThreadGraffiti

Here are some friends sewing along too, tap for inspiration:

• Becca, Sugar Sand Quilt Co., (@sugarsandquilter)
• Colleen, Stitching with the Sisterlies (@stitching_with_the_sisterlies)
• Gina Tell, Thread Graffiti, (@gina_tell_threadgraffiti)
• Kate, Katie Mae Quilts, (@katiemaequilts)
• Pat Sloan, (@quilterpatsloan)

SCHEDULE:
Stars and Heart Block Week 1, March 5
Quilt Center Week 2, March 12
Inner and Middle Borders Week 3, March 19
Outer Border, Rectangle Border, and Finishing Week 4, March 26

Thanks SEW much! 
​Gina 

I dream of being your favorite witch this fall as I fly through the night sky waving my magic needle wand and making all your quilty dreams come true!

Let celebrate fall with The Quilted Witch Quilt Pattern and sew along together!  This super cute design was created by  by Lori Holt and measures 76.5″ x 89.5″.

• The Quilted Witch Downloadable Quilt Pattern by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet 
• Quilted Witch Quilt Kit
• Quilted Witch Backing Set
• The Quilted Witch It’s Sew Emma Foundation Paper Notion Set

The Quilted Witch Sew Along Schedule:
The Quilted Witch Sew Along runs for nine months from October 18, 2023 to May 1, 2024. We’ll be sharing our progress on “Witchy Wednesdays” and invite you to share as you sew along as well.  The Quilted Witch Sew Along is for EVERYONE! To participate, all you have to do is gather your supplies and follow along with us stitching the schedule listed HERE.  ​

Let's Talk Fabric:
When I sign up to do sew alongs I never use the same fabric as the designer or Fat Quarter Shop, I love to get crazy and use a variety of fabrics, and today is no different! You can click HERE for the fabric requirements for this quilt along, don't think you have to use the kit, get creative and make your quilt unique to you! 

Here is what I am using for my Quilted Witch:
Riley Blake - POParazzi Fat Quarter Bundle 
Riley Blake Lori Holt - Warm Shabby Fat Quarter Bundle 
Riley Blake - Confetti Cottons Pina Colada & Black Yardage 
Riley Blake - Small Cotton Gingham Black Yardage 
Riley Blake - Black Tie Black Pinstripes Yardage 
​Plus lots of Lori Holt fabrics from my stash! 

​

Keep up with us by following the hashtags #QuiltedWitchQAL on Instagram to see and share work from your fellow quilters and stitchers, and tag me if you want me to see what you are working on, I love seeing them! #ginatell 

TO ENTER THE WITCHY GIVEAWAY:

• FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM and tag friends
  
• SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
• COMMENT HERE ON MY BLOG AND TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE WITCHY SEASON! (Tap the green word "comment" on the top or bottom of the post to leave a comment)
  

THAT'S IT! I WILL RANDOMLY  DRAW TWO WINNERS (one crossstitch and one quilt winner) NEXT WITCHY WEDNESDAY (OCT 25) AND ANNOUNCE THEM ON MY SOCIAL -
​GOOD LUCK!  

Thanks for stopping by my blog, I would also like to invite you to check out my new online shop where you can purchase my new  Binding Boss Rulers I designed, as well as some fun quilty shirts me and my friend Jody designed!  Tap to SHOP my online store!
Oh and make sure you stop by my YouTube Channel and Instagram, it's almost time for my Week of Giving surprises, subscribe  and follow so you don't miss them! 

My husband has a white elephant holiday party at work each year, so I am always thinking of new gift ideas to make.  This year I have been much more into wine tasting than previous years because we have a lot of beautiful wineries near our home.  I am not a big drinker, never have been, but a nice glass of wine while sitting outside in the Texas Hill Country with my hubby can really be relaxing and fun.  We usually buy a bottle or two to take home and I thought it would be really nice to give some local wine as gifts this year to some of our friends close by.  Well you can't give a bottle of wine without a cute little gift bag, right?  So this is what I came up with....

I guess I should back up and tell you how this started.... It's no secret all crafty people love Hobby Lobby, the store has everything, and I could spend hours in there, and hundreds of dollars too.  So as I was walking around the other day I found some cute holiday fabric on sale for $6 per yard, it was so cute so I got a couple yards.  I decided to cut some of it into small table runners and quilt it on my long arm and then add a quick machine binding that I had in my stash and poof, it's adorable.  Then came the idea for wine bags.  

I just recently made Christmas stockings for a friend out of state and I had some white fluffy stocking fabric left over, I thought oh how cute would that be on the top of the wine gift bag?  I also use it as a binding on the inside of the bag to cover the raw edges, it made a fluffy protector for the wine, it was easy and adorable. I actually made one, and couldn't stop, I started pulling out fabric left overs from my stash and going a little crazy, I am going to need more wine drinking friends LOL! 

This fabric was leftover from my Jelly Snowflake quilt I made a couple years ago,  it was a FREE Christmas in July project hosted by the Fat Quarter Shop so I got this for the backing. I just did a simple crosshatch quilting, added a quick binding, and tied a bow.  If you are wondering about the Jelly Snowflake pattern, I will link it here, and show photos below.  Oh and Jelly Rolls are on sale right now, check them all out! 

Oh and while we are talking holiday gifts, check out this adorable Mr. Frosty table runner I made to match my Jelly Snowflake.  The pattern is also FREE made by Christopher Thompson aka. "The Tattooed Quilter" and really, really cute!  Click the green above for his blog post with the pattern!

Ok, sorry I got sidetracked with all the fun holiday stuff, now lets talk about how to make the wine gift bags... 

Since I have a long arm, I cut out one big piece of backing and loaded it to the frame, used some leftover batting and then placed each piece of fabric I had cut out for the wine bags on top.  I cut my main bag piece 7"x30" and did simple quilting, below is what it looks like from the back side for 3 bags.  If you don't have a long arm, this is a great time to practice FMQ or straight line quilting on your standard machine.  

Trim each one down so you have a 7x30" piece, you can actually get away with probably 25" if you want the top of the wine bottle to show (insert personal preference here)

Ok, now fold it so the right sides are together on the inside and sew both sides, the bottom is your fold so you wont have to sew that part, see pic below...

Now lets square off the bottom.  That means I marked 1" in from each side of the bottom with a frixon pen (pic 1 below), and then stitched down the line (pic 2 below), then cut off the excess (pic 3 below)  

I used a 1" strip of the white fluffy santa fabric to cover the inside seam, (pic below) I just folded it over the raw edge and stitched it down, very simple & it looks cute, and it will add some extra cushion for your wine bottle.  Or you can do a few other things here.  You can leave it alone and let the raw edges show, you can use a serger to put a serged edge on it, you can make matching cotton binding, or you can make a quick liner to put in it.  If you pick the liner option you will want to cut it just a tiny bit smaller than your exterior cut (6.75x30) 

Flip it so you can see your work, it's cute! Lets make the fluffy part for the top now...

Cut a 3x12" piece of fluff, with good sides facing together sew the fluffy white Santa fabric  on the short side (pic above). Then make sure your bag is right side out, & put your fluffy piece inside the bag top with the fluffy side facing in like the first pic below, then use clover pins to hold it in place, take it to the machine and stitch down... Then fold it over the top of the bag and poof you made an adorable bag! I like to put my wine bottle inside and then tie a ribbon around the top to tighten.  Or you can stick a handle strap on it in this last step. 

If you don't want to use the white Santa fluff on the top, you can also just add binding.  I made mine 2" and stitched it down with the machine, I didn't have time for hand biding, but if you do that would be really great too.  Don't worry about being perfect either, they are adorable handmade gifts even if your stitches are not perfect!   Just have fun with them, and do what works best for you! 

They are just too cute! Make sure you share them on your social media and tag me so I can see what you made #ginatell #threadgraffiti #ginaswinebag

I would also love for you to subscribe to my NEW YouTube channel I just started, I  have 2 new videos if you have time to watch.

Happy Holidays and Lots of Love, 
​Gina 

I have had this Barn Star Sampler quilt on my to-do list in my mind since I first saw it, so I was really excited when Fat Quarter Shop asked me to join in and sew along with them! 

The Barn Star Sampler Quilt book was designed by Shelley Cavanna and it has sold like crazy, so the hard copy books have been on backorder, but should be available in March, in the meantime you can still buy the EBook and sew along with us, that's what I am doing.  I just printed my book out and put it into a binder, or you can cut and sew right from the screen of your favorite device. 

​Now let's talk about the fun stuff... Tula Pink FABRIC!!

This sampler pattern is just so fun, I felt like it was totally necessary to use Tula Pink fabrics to give it that bold and modern look I always love!  So I have pulled a variety of Tula Pink fabrics from my stash (I love Tula solids!)  Plus, I just got my sample fabric from Free Spirit the NEW Everglow is as amazing as I had imagined!  It's a neon rainbow Y'all!! Tap the image above to reserve your bundle, it will begin shipping early April!  Plus Besties by Tula Pink will release in the Fall and I hope I can all some of that in too.  

Here are my blocks for January, February and March we made 2 blocks from the first 3 patterns in the book, I am totally in love with them! These blocks are huge, and such fun to make, I shared a couple reels to my Instagram with my bad hair #behindtheseams while I did the sewing on block two.  I decided to use a black and white feature in the centers, because I am planning to incorporate some black and white within the rest of the quilt later, Oh... I used Kona Dove for the background and then a variety of Tula prints and solids.  

Throughout the year, we'll been sewing all the Barn Star Sampler Quilt blocks in the same order as they appear in the book, but you can piece them in any way.  This Queen-sized quilt finishes at 80.5" x 100.5" and is written for traditional piecing techniques, but if you would like to use foundation papers, Fat Quarter Shop has created a collection of Triangles on a Roll for you to use.  

As we near the end of 2023 we are finishing our Barn Star Sampler, here are the last of my blocks before I start sewing all of them together then we will be ready for longarm quilting, I am so excited to see this one finished!  ​

I shared some of these blocks on the YouTube video below, tap to watch...

​Quilt Along Schedule
 I'll be following this FQS schedule when I share my blocks to social media. 
There won’t be a tutorial for these blocks, as all of the instructions are in the book, but I will have YouTube tutorials for the quilting, trimming and binding portion later in the year! 

Month/Blocks/Date
January Make two of Block 1- January 27
February Make two of Block 2 - February 24
March Make two of Block 3 - March 31
April Make two of Block 4 - April 28
May Make two of Block 5 - May 26
June Make two of Block 6 - June 30
July Make two of Block 7 - July 28
August Make two of Block 8 - August 25
September Make two of Block 9 - September 29
October Make three of Blocks 10-15 - October 27
November Make four of Blocks 16-20 - November 17
December Backing and Finishing December 15
I can't wait for the finishing, it's my favorite part!

Who’s Sewing Along?
You can follow all the makers on social media for inspiration and tips.

• Anne Boundy, Said With Love, (@said_with_love)
• Kim Lapacek, Lapacek’s Orchard, (@lapaceksorchard)
• Melanie Call, A Bit of Scrap Stuff, (@abitofscrapstuff)
• Rebecca Bird, One Wee Bird, (@oneweebird)
• Reece Ortolani, Hurricane Quilty Stitches, (@hurricanereecequiltystitches)
• Melissa Corry, Happy Quilting, (@happyquiltingmc)
• Pat Sloan, (@quilterpatsloan)
• Gina Tell, Thread Graffiti, (@gina_tell_threadgraffiti)

Thanks for stopping by my blog, I would love for you to check out my new online store while you are here, I have a brand new ruler design that I just released to help you get perfect binding and if you have a pile of quilt tops laying around you really should consider getting them quilted, I love long arm quilting! 

Keep up with my progress by following @gina_tell_threadgraffiti on Instagram and don’t forget to use #BarnStarSamplerQAL to share your progress on social media, so we don’t miss seeing your quilts!  

Happy quilting!
Gina 
​​Blog Posts may contain Affiliate Links - thanks for your support. 

Hey Quilty Friends, if you have been following me a while you know I love to share long winded posts, what can I say, I have the gift of gab. Well, today is no exception because I am excited to share the story behind my new ruler designs! 

I started quilted back in 2002 and I was terrible, I mean really terrible!  I used bad scissors, cardboard rulers and had no idea what baste meant, I would make a giant pillow case looking thing and actually crawl inside the open end to get the batting to reach the 4 corners!  ha ha 

I was self taught so I didn’t know the “right” way to do anything, and I never really seemed to improve from one bad project to the next!  But my biggest failure in the process was definitely the binding, I tried everything, I was so bad!  I bought pre-made bias binding strips from Hobby Lobby and just wrapped it over the edges for a long time and then I learned I could make my own, but I still couldn’t figure out how to get it to look decent.  I actually cried real tears! 

So after about 10 years of thinking & struggling, I finally came up with an idea, I needed something that was simple, without any math to figure, that I could actually do, and so the Binding Boss ruler and his big brother The Scant Trimmer ruler were born!  I am so excited to share my new designs with you because I know after you watch my new YouTube video you will learn to love the binding process too.  It really is the best part, because you spend all that time on the piecing and the quilting, you really should enjoy the feeling of finishing that beautiful quilt!! 

So now it is time to grab your favorite device and watch my new YouTube tutorial so you can learn how they work!  I will be kicking things off with a SALE all weekend to get you started with my rulers, use Promo Code "PerfectBinding" at checkout for 20% your Combo Ruler Set (This coupon will only work for the combo set) Then, make sure you Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss my upcoming videos!  We will talk about some new ways to try trimming your quilts and getting the binding perfect every time.  We'll also learn how to do hand binding, as well as machine binding, and I will walk you through all kinds of tips along the way..  

Part 3 I show you how I do all my hand binding - it's much easier than you think! 

Tap the button below to shop for my new rulers!  Please keep in mind my t-shirts are filled from a third party company and my rulers are shipped by me, so if you place an order with rulers and t-shirts they will be delivered from different locations and be in multiple shipping packages.

Here are the supplies I use around my sewing room:
FREE Ruby Star Pattern - www.rubystarsociety.com/blog/rss-summer-sewalong
Ruby Star Charm Packs - shrsl.com/3wqgk
Panto - www.karleeporter.com/shop/digital-designs/shapes/blocks/flower-chain/
Mini Fig Tree Cutting Mat - shrsl.com/3wqhs
Red Olfa Rotary Cutter - shrsl.com/3wqhv
Quick Press Seam Roller - shrsl.com/3wqi1
Frixion Pens (removes with iron heat) - shrsl.com/3wqi5
Clover Glass Head Pins - shrsl.com/3wqif
Reliable Steam Iron Station - amzn.to/3l2gVFu
Silicon Iron Rest - shrsl.com/3wqiv
Wool Pressing Mat- shrsl.com/3wqjb
Gingher Scissors (I have several sizes, I love them!) - shrsl.com/3wqj2

Don't forget, I am also a long arm quilter and I would love to quilt for you.  If you have a special quilt that is ready for lots of beautiful quilting textures please check out my services.  You can mail your quilts to me, or arrange to drop them off at my studio just North of Austin Texas. I can't wait to see what you have been working on!! 

I have dreamed of being a long arm quilter and selling my own products for many years,
​so I truly appreciate your support and love as I start this journey!
Please contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns,
I want all things that come from Thread Graffiti to make you smile! 
Thank you sew much!!! 

Happy Quilting 
​Gina Tell 

Each year I try to donate toward some kind of cancer research.  I have lost friends and family to a few different types of cancer, and this year my focus is on breast cancer.   When Fat Quarter Shop asked me to make the sample quilt several months ago for their new Support Group Quilt Along I was honored.  I made the quilt above that was photographed for the pattern cover, and I knew from the beginning I was planning to auction it off to raise money, so I was really glad that Fat Quarter Shop agreed to do the auction for me. 

Below I will share a few of the pictures I took while putting this quilt together, and once complete I loaded it to my Handi Quilter long arm machine and did the long arm quilting with the Daisy Delight digital pantograph, those little flowers are only 2" big so it is covered with lots of beautiful texture!  After quilting I prepared super scrappy binding & then attached it and finished the final stitches by hand.  Tons of love went into this quilt, and I look forward to seeing how much we can raise for those women we love!   Link to bid below, thank you for bidding!  

If you know someone who is struggling through the tough times of cancer please wrap them up with the love of a quilt.  The Support Group Quilt pattern was designed by Lori Holt in honor of her mother, who survived breast cancer, with literal symbols of support.  The pattern is available for you to use the prepared fabric kit, or you can purchased the pattern and sew with fabric from your stash.