Kaleidoscope of Fabrics Quilt

One of my favorite quilts of all time was this super simple Kaleidoscope of Fabrics Quilt that I made with my daughter.  She loved boho florals and did not want them cut up into little pieces.  All she wanted was them framed so each block print stood out.  Most of us have a collection of prints we just can't think of cutting up, and this simple and quick quilt if the perfect pattern to show case them.  It is also a super simple quilt for beginners!

 This quilt only took two hours to make (minus the shopping and machine quilting)...and is so easy that anyone could make it.  It is a throw size (64 x 85)...perfect for a bench, couch, or corner of a bed.
Materials
12 fat quarters 1 3/4 of fabric for sashing (borders) 5 yards for the back & 3/4 for the binding Cotton batting (twin size) Thread, rotary cutter, mat, ruler, iron
Instructions
1.  Trim all of the fat quarters to 18 inches square using you rotary cutter, mat and ruler.  Press.
2.  To make the sashing (in-between borders), cut 15 strips of fabric 3 1/2 inches wide.  Then cut across four of the strips to make eight pieces that are 3 1/2 x 18 inches wide.
3.  Cut three of the long strips in half and sew five of the half pieces to the ends of five strips to make  five strips that are 3 1/2 x 59 inches long.
4.  Cut one more strip in half and sew each half-piece to the ends of two strips to make the side borders.
5.  Press all of the strips.
6.  Lay out all of the 18" squares on a floor or large surface in the pattern you would like.  
7.  Using a 1/4" seam, sew one 18" long sashing strip to the side of the top left block square (right sides together).  Press.
8.  With right sides together again...sew the next block square to the other side of the 18" strip.  Press.
9.  Continue this process until all four of your rows are stitched together.
10.  Then you will take the top row and carefully pin one of the 59" long strips to the bottom of the row (right sides together) and using a 1/4" inch seam, stitch it together.  Press. 
11.  Sew the row together using the remaining 59" sashing strips.
12.  After the rows are sewn together you will pin the top border and bottom border to the top and bottom rows and sew together.  Press.
13.  Lay out the remaining two long strips onto the quilt top and pin to the top (right sides together).  Make sure the seams in the border strips are laying where you want them to.  Trim off any of then excess border...and stitch together.  Press.  Hurrah...you quilt top if now done!!!
14.  Measure the baking fabric and seam it together to cover the edges of the top of the quilt.  Make sure you leave 3 to four inches all the way around for your machine quilter to use in her quilting process.  
15.  Iron the top, and back using a spray starch for a little stiffness.  This will help the quilter as well.
To finish the quilt either machine quilt it or enjoy the process of slow stitching it together.   I had a dear friend quilt mine with an all over floral pattern that matched the flowers in the block squares.  A special polka-dot block had a heart stitched into it.  
16.  Once you have it quilted, you will want to bind it.  Cut eight strips 2 1/2 inches wide for your binding.  You can find instructional videos on binding techniques on the web....maybe I will need to make one myself.

This darling quilt was made with love for your daughter and has been shared with her family and friends on picnic, beaches visits, and whenever a warm "hug" from home was needed.  It was so easy to make it is the perfect quilt to make as a gift.  So find your favorite collection of fat quarters and start sewing your own Kaleidoscope of fabrics into a quilt of your own.

Happy Barn Quilt Anniversary

Today is kind of a special day here at Tweetle Dee.  It is our three year Barn Quilt Anniversary!  Three years of painting and teaching this folk art beauty, and many, many others.  We totaled our barn quilts that we have painted and it is over 3 thousand!!!!  That doesn't count all of the supplies and patterns that have gone to our amazing crafting people.

To say we feel very blessed is an understatement!  

Our First Published Barn Quilt & Elsie and Ollie To celebrate we are giving you the special code to our Anniversary Sale for the rest of August!  Shhh...it is BQAnniversary.  Don't pass it on, no wait....pass it on!!!  We want everyone to celebrate this month!!!  

 The First Tweetle Dee Barn Quilt

So, get yourself a big glass of punch (or Spiked Diet Coke) and a cupcake and celebrate this anniversary with us!  Seriously, we are so grateful to all of you for the love and support these past few years.  We cherish the friendships we have made along the way and look forward to many more of these experiences as we continue to grow.  

Our All Time Best Selling Barn Quilt - The Texas Star

So remember BQAnniversary is the code and we are celebrating until the end of the month!  We love you all.  xoxo Abby & Mike

Barn Quilt Pumpkins

Our newest collections of pumpkins are in The Shop and oh man are they so cute!  You all know how much we love fall and the rich colors of the season, and these pumpkins fill my pumpkin dreams right up.  There are three different patterns, the Sawtooth, Rhodie, and the Checkered Star.  Each of them come with a barn nail stem loaded with berries and bows.

Barn Quilt Pumpkin Collection

Checkered Star Barn Quilt Pumpkin

Sawtooth Barn Quilt Pumpkin

Rhodie Star Barn Quilt Pumpkin
We are having a holiday pre-sale in The Shop through Monday with every holiday item in the shop 20% off!  Use code Holiday20 at checkout.  Our Barn Quilt Pumpkins are ready to go and we can't wait to share them with you.  It's pumpkin time!!!

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

Oh heavens, it's National Ice Cream month and we had to celebrate with a birthday last night by making our family's Chocolate Chip recipe and a big scoop of ice cream!  This cookie recipe has been passed down in our family and is my go to when I need to make either a ton of cookies or really large ones.  It has this magical quality of being perfectly firm on the outside and soft on the inside...and they never fall apart!  They are the perfect cookies for placing a big scoop of your favorite ice cream on!!!

Lyke Family Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups butter 2 cups white sugar 2 cups packed brown sugar 4 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 5 cups oats 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp. salt 2 tbl. baking powder 2 tbl. baking soda 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 8 oz. chocolate candy bar, grated 3 cups of chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter with sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla to mixture and beat well.  Grind oats in blender until powdery.  Stir in flour, oats, salt, baking powder and soda into batter gradually.  Add chocolate chips and grated chocolate into batter.  Add nuts if desired.  
Form batter into golfball-sized balls and place 2 inches apart on parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.  Bake for 12 minuets.   Take out of oven and let rest on hot tray until cooled.  
We have a new young friend staying with us  for a while who is from Australia and he said that they never had cake for birthdays, but they had a big tub of ice cream...with candles!  So we made up these big cookies and sang happy birthday to him with a huge scoop of chocolate chip goodness.  
You can make these ahead and place the ice cream in between the cookies and place in the freezer until it's time to serve them.  This recipe made about 24 ice cream sandwiches!  Seriously...it was the best for a summer birthday night in the garden.

Belle Prairie Botanical Embroidery Collection

Be still my heart!  I am so in love with the Belle Prairie Collection and the meaning behind all of the flowers that I can't wait to share them with you.  We designed the Belle Prairie Barn Quilt with each block having a flower that was on the prairie.  When we were traveling last year through my grandmother's beloved prairie's we found a garden that had a plaque listing the wildflowers of the prairie and how they were given between friends and loved ones in times of joy and sorrow.  

I was so moved by this garden and our time there on my ancestors land that we decided to make 2018 our Belle Prairie year and one of my favorite parts of this collection are the Botanical Embroidery patterns and kits!

I drew these patterns to look like the old wall paper botanical drawings my grandparents had in their library.  I wanted a black background to resemble the style of the old black paper photo albums that we would collect and press wildflowers into.  I used a variety of flosses for the stitching to give it an aged non-commercial look and kept the stitches farily simple like the strokes of a pencil.

I have six more in the works for a total of twelve, and a spectacular collaboration garden embroidery pattern that will be out very soon.  My goal is to create a new Belle Prairie Botanical Quilt for fall.  Of course the pattern and kits will be in The Shop as soon as they are finished.  
These first six patterns and kits are in The Shop now!!!  They can be purchased as stand alone patterns or in kits.  The white frames are also available.  Everything in our shop is 30% off through Monday as our Summer Sale winds down.  Use code SUMMER to get the discount.  
I hope you love these as much as we do.  I walk into my sewing room everyday and look at the wall with them on it and sigh...like I'm somehow transported to that magical evening on the prairie.  I wish I could take you all there with me!!!