Hey Y'all!  
I am so excited to invite you to come check out my next LIVESTEAM, Kimberly Jolly, owner of The Fat Quarter Shop will be joining me in my tiny little sewing room to do some FMQ (free motion quilting).  The live quilting fun starts at 9am CST Nov 29th, on YouTube or Instagram.  But, if you miss it, that's ok too, it will be on YouTube forever, and you can scroll down to the bottom to watch.  You should also subscribe to The Fat Quarter Shop's YouTube channel so you don't miss future updates, or become a paid member to get access to new top secret stuff, great discounts and lots of other goodies.  

The last LIVESTREAM we did earlier this year we talked all about quilting on a long arm, but many of us do not have the space for a long arm, so it's great to learn to quilt them yourself.  I quilted on my domestic machine for many years before I got my long arm, and it's a great way to really understand the entire process.  It's also really great if you are on a budget, or if you need to get a quilt finished in a hurry!   So put your feed dogs down, and lets get started!  

I always get questions about tension, and this diagram has always been very helpful for me as I sew.  You might like it too!! :)

The first thing we need to do after we have our quilt top and backing all finished, is to get the 3 layers basted.  The best way that I found to do this is on a tile or hard wood floor, or a large table if you have one available. 
​Here is what you will need....

I like the 505 Basting spray best, I have tried others in a pinch and nothing works as well as this one, in my opinion.  You can order it on Amazon or get it from Walmart of most craft stores, it's great because I have never had the needle get all sticky like other sprays do sometimes.  You will also need curved safety pins, and some duck tape, red is my favorite color so that's what I use. But, I hear Fat Quarter Shop is going to stock some snazzy colors soon, so you can get that when you order your safety pins, needles and Aurifil Thread.  OOOh are you getting excited?  

Ok, so I lied, this part really isn't exciting, it kinda sucks, but it doesn't take that long, and you will be so proud of yourself when you are done!!  I never could afford to use a long arm quilter when I first started quilting, so I taught myself how to finish them myself.  I think it's important to do at least one or two quilts all the way through, just because you really get the feel goods when you can say you did it all yourself!  If nothing else, it will make you appreciate all the requirements that the long arm quilter has.  
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***OK First, I put my quilt backing on the tile floor with the pretty side facing down, then I put my batting on top of that.  Make sure your backing and batting are at least 4-5 inches bigger on all 4 sides than the quilt top, because it will shrink up unevenly around the edges after you push it around the machine.  
***Next, you need to lay your quilt top with the pretty side up, in the center of your batting, and you now its time to watch the video.... 

So once you let your spray dry for a few minutes, you will then need to secure the quilt with the curved safety pins.  I put some on all 4 corners, then throughout the center in several spots, the more spray you use, the fewer pins you will need.  So here is what it looks like after I added my pins.  

Here are a few of the other items you will need to get started....
The Aurifil 50 Thread works great in my machine with the 90/14 quilting needles, so that is what I would suggest.  Fat Quarter Shop has a fabulous selection of quilting supplies with lots of new items stocked every day to help you.  The 80/12 needles are sometimes too small and I get skipped stitches or uneven tension.  But you might do some testing with your own machine and see what results you like best.  I also use painters masking tape when I quilt, it's great to lay from one side to the other to get straight lines with your walking foot.  The quilt clips here are good to hold the rolled side of the quilt while you work.  Then no FMQ (free motion quilting) is complete without some kind of quilting gloves or tips.  These will just help you get some traction when you push your quilt under the needle. Since you are moving the quilt not the needle, it helps to be able to get a good grip.  I hope you will check out my LIVESTREAM for all kinds of tips and tricks to finish your quilt on your domestic machine.  

When you need a quick quilt with a FREE pattern and video tutorial, a Shortcut Quilt is your best friend! And luckily, the Fat Quarter Shop LOVE Shortcuts! 
There are over 20 quilt patterns, click here to see some previously made shortcut quilts! 
But today, we are going to talk about the newest shortcut quilt, and I know you are going to love it!  It's call the Layer Cake Custard Quilt, and it's great for beginners, or quilt pros. 

​There are a lot of fun fabrics that would look great with this pattern, but since sofa snuggling season is upon us,  I decided to really dive into some fun fall colors for this quilt.
I really love fall, but only because I live just outside Austin Texas,  Fall around here is beautiful, we still get mostly warm summer like days, with a mix of a few cool ones here and there.  I hate winter, but I do love to snuggle up under a nice "krinkley" (I love that word ha ha) quilt, with my bulldogs. 

The great thing about these shortcut quilts is you don't have to worry about what to buy and how much you need, or if things are going to match.  These are very straight forward patterns!  When I first started quilting, I had a hard time deciding how much to buy online and sometimes after I got the fabric, it didn't look as good together as it did in my head. That wont happen with these shortcut quilts.

So here's what you need to do, easy peasy....
1) Click here to search The Fat Quarter Shop layer cake selection... 
2) Pick out your favorite Layer Cake, you'll only one.
3) From that same collection pick out 3.5 yards for the background fabric,
    7/8 yards binding, and 5.5 yards for the backing .
4) Peek out the window and watch for the mailman LOL :)

Best of all, you know it's gonna look great because there are several bloggers that did this same pattern, and you can go check out pictures by searching the hastags #layercakecustardquilt on Instagram!  Oh, and I hope you will follow me too @gina_tell_threadgraffiti since I am a blogger, pattern tester, and long arm quilter for the Fat Quarter Shop, I get to post so man fun new things, with a few bulldog pictures in between, come say hi! 

I always tend to enjoy more modern fabrics, and for this quilt I picked out
Meraki BasicGrey for Moda Fabric for my layer cake and backing, and I used some grey Grunge for my binding.  Meraki is a colorful mix of bright reds & oranges with some gold, blacks, and brown, and it all has great florals and shapes, it just screams fun to me! ​

Since I am also a Long Arm Quilter, I get excited about the quilting designs too.  I only do custom freehand work right now, so I decided I wanted a modern rounded square for the stitches, and I really like how it turned out.  I am alway up to take custom orders from new clients, so feel free to post a comment, follow me on social media, or shoot me a text.  :) 

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  We'd love for you to share your creations with us on social media, please tag us by using  #layercakecustardquilt and #shortcutquilt !!  
Here are the current Layer Cakes that can be found in 2021 Click HERE

It's an exciting day, its Throw Back Thursday!   I got to show off the tote bag last year, and I think its equally great this year!!  The Jolly Braid Tote Bag pattern is available at Fat Quarter Shop and it uses one Jolly Bar Precut to make it, so fast and easy!  

The pattern is available from Fat Quarter Shop.  You’ll need a Jolly Bar package, yardage for the sides and liner, some Annie’s Soft & Stable, one-inch polypro strapping for the handles, and a roll of “Fat Jelly Braid” Triangles on a Roll paper.  

The Triangles on a Roll paper made it very easy to make the bag, it takes the guess work out, and it's a great technique if you have never made a bag.  I decided to use True Blue Jolly Bar by Zen Chic for Moda Fabric for the braid portion of the bag, and I used Fragile Mustard for the liner, because I love a pop of color, this collection is from last season, but there are so many new and fabulous fabric collections you can't go wrong, Fat Quarter Shop has it all!  ​I also made a little zipper bag to match since the pattern didn't add any inside pockets.   It was super easy to make, because I just added a few more strips to the "triangle on the roll" paper as I was making the main braid portion of the bag.  Then I used left over mustard fabric from the liner and added a zipper.  Super Cute!

I had some questions about the back of the tote bag on Instagram (follow me @gina_tell_threadgraffiti), and I wanted to let you know that the back of the bag is also braids!! The braid portion of the pattern is one big piece, so it folds and gives you braids on both sides.  You can really have some fun with the fabrics you use!

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The Fat Quarter Shop has a tutorial video to help you make your own bag!
​You can also find great pictures on Instagram by searching  #jollybraidtote and #jollybraidtotebag.  This is a great pattern that is easy to follow, and I look forward to making more!