A few weeks ago I told you about a new project I was starting, a Tumbler quilt. I’m pleased to share the final result with you, a sweet little quilt for my sewing room. She’s a super cute complement to the Lone Star quilt I shared with you last spring.
While the Lone Star quilt hangs above my cutting table (a DIY project made by my husband and me), the new Tumbler quilt is displayed in an opposite corner of the room where I can see her from my sewing machine. I’ve used an old yard stick as my hanging rod. Doesn’t that add a fun finishing touch?
My sewing room probably seems a little sparse to many people. If I’m snooping at sewing spaces on Pinterest or Instagram, I truly admire studios decked out in pretty decorations and bookcases filled with fabric bolts, precuts and books. But the truth is, I work best in spaces with less clutter. \”Less is more\” makes me feel calm. Feeling calm helps me to feel inspired and motivated. So I keep it simple.
My sister painted this wall art for me at one of those sign painting parties. Wasn\’t that a thoughtful gift? It fits into my sewing room so nicely!
Just in case you are wondering where all the \”stuff\” is, I keep my stash of fabrics, books, patterns and doo-dads in a small walk-in closet in my sewing room. It\’s nothing fancy, but I must admit I do enjoy opening that door and stepping inside.
But I\’ve gotten a little off track. Back to the Tumbler quilt . . . I created my project from scraps and fat quarters in my stash. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of picking through pretty fabrics, cutting my Tumblers and placing them here and there in a scrappy layout. (For more details on how I cut my Tumblers, please see my earlier post.)
Another great thing about a Tumbler pattern is that it is very easy to quilt at home on your domestic machine. My machine quilting talents are limited to simple, straight-line quilting. But on some quilts, like a Tumbler, this simple technique can create a wonderfully pleasing effect.
Using a longer stitch length (3 on my Bernina), I began by quilting lines 1/2” above and 1/2” below each horizontal seam. Begin in the middle of the quilt and work your way to the top and to the bottom. Also be sure to alternate which side you begin stitching on. If your first horizontal line of stitching runs from left to right, sew your next horizontal line of stitching from right to left. By doing that, you should avoid “skewing” the quilt. After creating the horizontal quilting lines, I simply followed the natural shape of the Tumblers and stitched from top to bottom, 1/2” away from the Tumbler seams. Presto! I used Fat Quarter Shop’s exclusive Happy Cloud Batting and Aurifil\’s 50wt thread in the Moondust color (6725).
As I mentioned in my previous post, there are many patterns and templates available for sewing a Tumbler quilt. I ordered the “Crumbler” ruler by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie’s Quilt Company from Fat Quarter Shop. The ruler comes with a very detailed pattern packet which includes instructions, fabric requirement guidelines, different Tumbler layout options and more.
My Tumblers are 3 1/2” tall and were cut from a variety of Moda fabrics in my stash. It’s kind of thrilling to see collections from so many different designers blending together to create a cohesive design. Here are the fabric collections I used, with designers in parenthesis.
Olive’s Flower Market (Lella Boutique)
Farmer’s Daughter (Lella Boutique)
Flower Mill (Corey Yoder)
Sundrops (Corey Yoder)
Victoria (3 Sisters)
Volume ii (Sweetwater)
Chestnut Street (Fig Tree)
Handmade (Bonnie & Camille)
Thanks for stopping by the blog today. I hope you\’ll add a Tumbler quilt to your \”must make\” list, as I\’m pretty sure you\’d love this project as much as I did. Thank you for your support and positive feedback in 2018, and I wish you all a wonderful 2019. Now go and get carried away quilting!
~Taunja
