Words To Live By BOM | Month 1

Written by: Natalie Crabtree

Introduction

Welcome to the Words to Live By BOM Quilt-A-Long! My name is Natalie Crabtree, quilt pattern designer and pattern writer. I have been honored to work alongside Stacie Bloomfield and her wonderful team for over 2 years now. Throughout those two years we’ve designed dozens of quilts, exchanged many emails and messages about how to bring fun and creative projects to our customers (you), and how to continue producing the fun and whimsical Gingiber spirit that you know and love.

Fabric and quilt pattern design are two creative outlets that are somewhat secretive by nature. Sometimes Stacie and I work months (and even up to a year) on projects before we can introduce them to you. We anxiously design and hope that it is received well, and that is resonates with customers when it is finally released.

That is what is so special and unique about the Words to Live By fabric collection and quilt.

When Stacie and I first begin talking about a potential BOM with Moda Fabrics, it was April/May 2020. Right in the middle of quarantine and with the uncertainty of COVID-19, we began working on projects to accompany Stacie’s collection that would lift and inspire people. We had no idea that when the collection was finally released and shipping to stores, that we would still be facing COVID-19 challenges. The Words to Live By collection aims to lift spirits, inspire strength, and give little reminders to be kind to yourself.

What could resonate more with the challenges we’ve faced globally over the past 1.5 years than the messages built into Stacie’s Words to Live By panels? “When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade.” “You Are Strong.” The collection is releasing at the perfect time.

We hope that you enjoy this project and take in its messages. Every time you cuddle underneath the quilt, we hope that it brings you all the warm and fuzzy feelings. It’s our great pleasure to sew along with you as you create this quilt!

Month 1

Month 1 uses super fun fabrics! You have all the fabulous colors (pink, coral, gold, grey, blue and black) that represent the spirit of the Words to Live By Collection. Month 1 also uses Panels 15 & 16, the bird and the heart!

A few notes before we begin. Because this is Month 1 of the quilt-a-long, I wanted to provide a small list of essentials that I would recommend using for this project:

• Small rulers for trimming and squaring units. (Notice how I have used painters’ tape on one of my rulers. Sometimes I use painters’ tape to help me center things while trimming, or for fussy cutting fabric. It helps!)
• A Quilt-In-A-Day 6 ½” Triangle Square Up Ruler. This ruler is a game changer for trimming HST units. And as you’ll see in the following photos, I even used it to trim my QST units!
• A sharp rotary cutter with a fresh blade.
• Nice pins.
• Snips or small scissors.
• A fabric labeling system. We have a large amount of fabrics being used in this quilt (Fabrics A-Q). It may be helpful to label the fabrics with their corresponding letter! These handy pin labels were homemade, however they do have labels for purchase. Follow this link: Pink Alphabitties Specialty Marking Tools | It's Sew Emma #ISE-701 | Fat Quarter Shop
• Nice thread. I recommend Aurifil.
• Frixon pens, or another erasable marker/pen brand.
  

The wonderful thing about this BOM is that you can truly go month to month. Each month has its own cutting list. There are a few fabrics (Fabrics I, K and Q) that we want to provide extra cutting support for. These fabrics are used frequently throughout the pattern, and we want to make sure you have all the tools you need to cut these fabrics efficiently. *Note: cutting guides for Month 1 available at a later date. Stay tuned!* Easy to follow charts assist you when cutting these fabrics throughout the entire BOM process. Reference these often as you work your way through the pattern.

Once I cut all my fabrics, the first thing I did was lay out my QST (Quarter Square Triangle) from Fabrics F, K, L, M and N as shown. Laying them out in stacks and as the QST units will be sewn together helps keep things organized and on track. It also helps to chain piece the units quickly and efficiently! At this stage, it may be helpful to starch QST from Fabrics F, K, L, M and N and press dry. The triangles may stretch on you and will help eliminate frustration.

Chain piece the QST units! It will save time and thread.
I used the handy dandy Quilt-In-A-Day Triangle ruler shown in the picture above to trim my oversized QST units. The triangles cut for Block 1 were oversized intentionally to give customers room to trim units perfectly! If using the ruler for this purpose, make sure that the center green line on the ruler perfectly runs along the center diagonal seam. The seam located under the green ruler line should be nestled. That is crucial.

If this is your first time using the ruler for this purpose, perhaps do a few testers with scrap fabrics before trimming the QST units for the BOM.
Blocks 1 and 2 went together in a flash! Did you reference the Quick Piecing Guide included in the pattern to help piece the HST units?

Because I’m sewing along with you, this is my second time sewing this quilt! I had even more fun cutting into these fabrics and making these blocks the second time! Easy sewing makes for a fun and carefree Month 1.

Thank you for tuning in! I’ll be back next month to bring you Month 2 of the Words To Live By BOM. – Natalie

Find us on Instagram @gingibermakes. Share your work with the hashtags #gingiberbom and #wordstolivebyquilt so that we can follow along with your progress! 

Questions? Contact us at [email protected]