Bloom Sew Along

Linda and Teri were so excited about Lori Holt's new Sew Along that we got started ahead of time and have our quilt almost done!  Lori's Sew Along starts today, and you can get your kits from us and sew a block a week from now until June 6.

Linda used Lori's technique for applique, which involves featherweight interfacing, and she treated herself to a new pair of pinking shears to trim the rounded pieces.  This makes the curves smoother.  Linda machine stitched the pieces with a buttonhole stitch and cream thread on the top and bottom. She used Sew Fine from Superior, which is a very fine polyester.

As the blocks were appliqued, Teri trimmed them and added the block borders.  The strips are laid out by design, and the long strips are on a different tray from the corner squares.  It made it easy for Teri to find the right fabrics to add to each block.  She kept her iPad handy so she could enlarge the picture and determine the correct fabric!

One thing that Teri did differently was add the top and bottom border first on alternate blocks, then the side borders first on the other blocks.  Because she pressed toward the borders instead of pressing open, it made the seams nest together better.  She marked the borders to be sewn on first on a copy of the picture to stay organized.

Here's one the blocks with the first borders being added.

The top two rows are completed.

And the rest of the blocks are in various stages of progress.  If you get a chance, be sure to check out the rest of Lori's blog.  She has so many cute gift and decorating ideas.  We're already looking forward to her Cozy Christmas collection, arriving in May.