Friday, January 20, 2017

Clamshell Coin Quilt

Last week I was doing some testing for one of the new Quilt Theory patterns (Spring release scheduled around April).  I knew that I was going to wind up with a bunch of strips so instead of having some partially made blocks floating around my sewing room, I made a bunch of additional strips and turned them into a simple coin quilt for charity.  



I used a bunch of colorful Tula Pink prints (mostly from her Slow and Steady line) paired with Moda Bella in white.  

To make the coin quilt, I sewed a print and a white strip together along their long edges to make strip pairs.  Then I cut each strip pair into 6 pieces.  I pressed the seams towards the prints so that when I sewed the columns together, the seams would nest and I got pretty decent points even without pinning.  

The quilt top finished at about 38" x 40" (it was important to me to keep the width of the quilt below 40" so I did not have to piece the backing).  I used some of the blue snail print for the backing.


Next came the fun part, trying out my new Bernina ruler foot.  I bought the foot right before the holidays but had to get some secret sewing done before I allowed myself to play with it.  

I used a the HQ Versa Tool by Handi gadgets   (affiliate link), a longarm ruler (so it is 1/4" thick) that is a little larger than my hand in size and has 4 different quilting shapes on it.  I used the clamshell shape and with complete luck (I wish I could say it was planned but it was not), the clamshell design was the exact height of the finished rows (2").

The foot is great and after a just a little learning curve, I was making the clamshells pretty quickly.  The entire quilting took under an hour and a half.  

This quilt is on its way to Tennessee for a family that lost their home in the large forest fires there this fall.



I am working on a post highlighting some of my learnings and tips for using rulers on a domestic machine.

I am linking up to Link a Finish FridayWhoop Whoop FridayThank Goodness Its Finished FridayFinish It Up FridayFabric Frenzy FridaySewjo @ My Go Go Life, and Show Off Saturday @ Sew She Can.




20 comments:

  1. Awesome clamshell quilting! It's perfect!

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  2. What a great way to use up extra fabric. I love the Versa Tool ruler. So much you can do with that small little ruler.

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  3. Such a pretty quilt! I am sure the recipient family will love it!

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  4. The clamshells look great and what a happy coincidence that it was the height of the pieced strips! I'm sure the family in TN is going to appreciate your generosity and kindness. I look forward to reading what you learned and tips for rulers on a domestic machine! :)

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  5. Coin Quilts are one of my favorites and it is nice to see this variation. The clam shells look great and I can't wait to hear your tips for using the rulers.

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  6. What a great project to try out your new rulers! I, too, sent a quilt on to the TN fire victims. Such a loss for their community.

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  7. Great quilt and a generous gift. I'm looking forward to your post on rulers for a domestic machine.

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  8. Beautiful quilt and the family in Tennessee will cherish it.

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  9. So cute, love the colors. I think the clamshells look great!!!!

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  10. wow, great design,quilt,fabric combo and quilting.Sure it will be a winner and the family will be delighted with it!

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  11. That backing fabric is adorable! I use the versa ruler for 90% of my ruler work - it does so many different deigns. Your quilt is so lovely and I'm sure it will be much loved. :)

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  12. This will make someone really happy.

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  13. Such a fun quilt and the clamshells are beautiful! I'm sure this will be well loved.

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  14. So cute, thank you for this post, I'll be looking for that new foot for my machine!

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  15. This is really pretty, and I am totally with you on making quilts small enough that you don't have to piece a back! I've been intrigued by all the ruler quilting I've seen lately and am looking forward to your tips.

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  16. Neat! I like your quilting choice especially.

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  17. What a great design. The concept is so simple, but the end result is awesome.

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  18. Great quilting! I want to get a ruler foot for my Baby Lock, just need to figure out one that will work for it.

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  19. Lovely quilt and what great quilting using the Versatool - I have one but havn't used the clam shell end yet. Thanks for sharing that 2" fits just right!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!