Hello Spring! Free pattern and we have a WINNER!

Hello quilty friends!  There's a lot to share today so grab a cuppa what tickles you and relax.  So first things first.  I have a finish, Yippee!  Say hello to "Hello Spring!"   I'll be sharing the free pattern with you later in this post.

Normally when quilting on the frame it takes a long time  to come up with a design.  Well I decided to quilt this one to death so there wasn't too much thinking involved.

There was very little premarking except for a few reminders.  I tend to get in a zone when quilting a quilt to death and forget where I want to add some repetitive detail.

The backing is a vintage solid from my stash, it shows off the quilting quite well with the help of the poly batting.  

After quilting this I realized I hadn't planned for the binding...uh-oh.  That usually means a run into town to the LQS.  Luckily I found this forgotten print in my stash, it worked out beautifully.

So if you've been following along over the last few weeks you know this quilt is in a series or 3(maybe 4) quilt patterns I'll be sharing with you FREE.  The series is called Back Porch Blooms.  Each quilt will include at least one of the flower pot blocks you see in the picture below.  If your new here and haven't a clue what I'm talking about, just click the Back Porch Blooms image in the right sidebar.  That will take you to all post, tutorials and free patterns published on the blog so far.

If you make a block or quilt you can link up your progress here once a month.  By linking up your progress your automatically entered to win a giveaway.  I'll be posting the items for next months giveaway sometime next week.  This months giveaway is closed and a winner has been chosen.  Thanks to everyone who linked up.....drumroll....

The winner is #3!

Congrats VroomansQuilts!  Would you look at those mitered corners!  The stripes add a extra special touch.  You can read more about her design and progress here.

PRINT FRIENDLY IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON MY BLOG

Before we go any further I want to let you know I've added a new feature to my blog.  Print Friendly.  What is Print Friendly?  It allows you to print or save any post on my blog in PDF format.  It also allows you to remove the pictures and text in the PDF before saving or printing.  The first thing you need to do is go to a specific post or tutorial.  Scroll to the bottom of the post and click on the Print Friendly image.

A new window will open, allowing you to delete whatever YOU want.  The decision was made to add this feature for those of you who like to print out free patterns.  Sometimes I just don't have time to write a tutorial plus a PDF.  I usually will make one or the other, not both.  With the "Hello Spring" pattern I've written a PDF but you will also need to use other tutorials on my blog to make the quilt.  

Okay lets get onto the free pattern. "Hello Spring!" It measures 21.5 x 61

The free Hello Spring PDF pattern   The templates for the flower pots and "Welcome" applique are included in this pdf.   Piecing for the heart flower pot is also included.  Use only the fabric cutting list in this pdf pattern.  Use the tutorials as a reference for how to construct and layout cut pieces for sewing.  Before you hit print make sure you are printing in original size.  I've included a 1" measuring square on all template pages.

Tutorials needed to complete pattern

Butterfly block(do not set on point)

Back Porch Blooms Block

Below is how I made my applique pieces.  I didn't want to include it in the pattern because not everyone wants to make their applique like mine.  Before we get started,  someone asked what font I used for this quilt.  I'm sorry but I really have no idea.  

The letter templates are not reversed.  After printing them, cut them out about 1/8th of an inch away from the solid line.  Next I placed them right side up in a box and sprayed with quilt basting spray.  This makes them stick to the paper sided of the Heat and Bond Fusible webbing.  I placed all the letters close together, this makes fusing to the fabric easier.  You can see in the 3rd picture how I've trimmed one large piece then fused it to the wrong side of the fabric per the instructions on the webbing.  After a quick fuse from the back, flip it over and fuse from the front.  This is a fool proof method of making sure it's completely fused to the fabric.

Let it cool for a few minutes and then cut out the letters on the solid line.  Peel off the templates and the fusible paper.  If you have trouble peeling, use a pin to score the paper.  Be careful of those edges, if you score to hard it could fray your fabric.  The letters are ready to fuse to your project. 

A few quick blanket stitches is all that's needed to finish it off.

Happy Stitching!  See you in a few with my new project.

~ Lea Anne ~