You can even do a big block quilt using your hands.
One of the things I love about big block quilting as well
is that you can use beautiful designed fabrics
with patterns and bright and bold colors
or you can just use traditional basic colors.
Sky's the limit, you decide.
So I'm going to show you how I big block quilt,
and I hope that you'll learn a few tips along the way.
I hope you'll enjoy this
and I can't wait to share with you
how I create a big block quilt.
So the first thing you wanna do is grab your fabric pieces.
As I mentioned, you can use very bold and bright colors
or you can use solids.
In my pattern that I created, I used a lot of solids.
And you'll notice that I use different shapes,
half quarter squares
as well as long, rectangular big block pieces.
I currently use for my oldest son's quilt
these beautiful mix fabrics that have an array of colors
and style to reflect our family's personality.
And the reason I like using fat quarter pieces
is it's super simple to cut out a large 16 by 16
or an 18 by 18 size.
But you can do the same thing with your solid fabric.
So I went ahead and pressed out my pieces
as best as I could.
And now what I'm going to do is sandwich them together.
So traditionally when you're working
with some sort of printed fabric,
you wanna ensure that you take a look at the bold prints
that are on the right side.
Sometimes when you have a in particular fabric
and there's one side has a print and the other side doesn't,
it's hard to determine which side is the right side
and which side is the wrong side.
So a rule of thumb for me is I look for the deepest
and darkest color of the fabric design
and that helps me to determine which side is the darkest side.
So that's a little tip that I do for myself
when I'm matching fabrics with designs
and looking for the wrong side.
So you essentially want to just sandwich
the two of them together
because we're going to scale this down.
So fat quarter pieces are usually an 18 by 22 size.
But for me, I want this to be around an 18 by 18,
all around so that once I create my half square triangle,
I can cut it down to a 16 by 16 size.
So I have my ruler here.
Oh no, what's happening?
My fabric [laughs] is moving a little bit.
And you can line it up on your board.
I have one of those boards that have the lines on it
so you can line it up on your board.
But how I started out is I like to clean up my edges.
So I'm gonna get as far over,
I want you to see this, as I can to just clean up my edges
and then I can start at the edge of the board.
[rotary cutter snips]
So that just helps me out.
I love the sound of the rotary cutter cutting.
So now I have a beautiful edge that I can line up
on the edge of the board.
So now we have a beautiful square.
Like, I get so excited by these things
because even when you're creating
essentially your big block quilt,
you're going to need a square solid as well,
and I'm going to show you how to do that.
So I'm just gonna set this aside for one second
and I'm going to grab my fabric off the bolt
because I need to create a few pieces
for the quilt that we're designing right now
with solid colors.
So I have my bolt fabric and I'm just going to,
sometimes in your bolt fabric,
you'll open it and you'll have some wrinkles in it,
but I think that's fine.
I'm just gonna measure it out
the same way I would measure out a fat quarter piece
and you're going to just cut it straight down,
the same way that they will cut for you
at the fabric store.
So we're just gonna cut that down.
So it's just like having another fat quarter piece.
I always miss these little tidbits
that can't just come apart in the end.
Okay, there we go.
So now that I have my fabric,
again, I want to measure it out the same way
I have my 18 by 18 pieces.
So we're going to edge it out,
clean it up the same exact way we did our fat quarter piece,
just take off all those little raggedy edges.
Someone asked me before,
"What do you do with all those edges?"
And I love to add them to my stories on social media
because I think they're so cute.
Or the other side is I take all these pieces
and I usually stuff them in my couch
because when you have big boys like I do,
the foam in the cushion in the couch
traditionally seems to go back or go down
or go away or whatever it does,
but this helps to keep the cushion going on in the couches.
So that's what I do with these little edges.
So I think they're so fun and pretty.
I love to play with the colors
of what I'm making with the edges.
And like I said, then I get rid of them in the couch.
[laughing]
So we cleaned up our edges.
And now we're going to scale this piece down.
I'm just gonna cut one more side.
Here we are, just cut that down.
So where's the end piece
that I have the challenging time with, okay.
So it kinda looks like a fat border piece here,
a little bit more than a fat quarter piece.
So you do the same thing you did with the fat quarter piece,
which is find the 18-inch line and just measure it out
if you have one of these boards.
If you don't, just use your ruler and measure it out.
I have a little, just gonna move it up just a teeny bit
so we can get a clean cut.
So as you can see at the bottom here,
I also have an 18.
So it's gonna be 18 inches.
So we're gonna cut that down.
I'm just gonna line my ruler up
and pray that my hand will stay as steady
as it's supposed to.
[rotary cutter snips]
There we go, oh, the sound of that, amazing.
We're gonna set this aside.
Again, we're gonna make some binding from this.
So no fabric lost.
And I would love to share a binding story
with you when I can.
And actually, I'm already at 18 which is,
so I'm just going to ensure that it's, yep,
perfect 18, right at that 18 mark.
And then we're gonna turn it again
and I need to get to this 18 mark.
So here we go.
Just gonna cut it down.
Let's line it up right at that 18 mark and steady hand.
Beautiful binding fabric.
Or this can be a part of a quilt,
which I think it might be.
So we have our 18 by 18 square block.
So again, set this aside
'cause we don't need that right now.
Okay, so we have essentially sandwiched the pieces together
and cut our pieces.
Now we're going to turn our piece
and line it up with our board because diagonally,
we're going to create an invisible line
and that's going to help us make a half square triangle.
So I'm gonna try and get this as accurate
as I possibly can.
Sometimes, so you need a pencil,
a number two pencil will work just fine, a quilter's pencil,
a marker, whatever you use.
I like pencils because we're going to cut on that line.
Even if you use a pen, you're gonna cut away that line
and you're not gonna see it anymore.
So you wanna get the line straight down the diamond shape
that we turned our square into, just straight down,
and make sure that line is bold enough for you to see.
I like to make sure that I mark it pretty dark
so that I can see it when I'm on the machine.
There we go.
So you have your line
and you're going to sew on the opposite line.
So we're gonna stitch down the line,
but we're gonna stitch twice.
It's gonna be one on this side and one on this side,
and we're just gonna stitch right on down this line
to create our half square triangles.
So I'm gonna grab my sewing machine over here.
So as you can see here,
you see our line right down the middle.
We're going to just line it on each side of it
and we're going to stitch it.
So you want to stitch and use your foot
as a guide down this line that we created.
So I'm just gonna turn on my machine.
There goes that bright light.
And let's get started.
[sewing machine whirring]
So now that we have essentially stitched on each side,
we're just going to cut down that line.
And this is always the fun part for me
'cause when you cut down the line,
you already see your block coming together.
You have your half square triangles
that you can now stitch together.
So it's always a fun part for me.
So you can use a rotary cutter or you can use a scissor,
whatever you feel like using, and just cut down that seam
because now we're going to stitch those two pieces together
and create a part of our block.
So now that we have stitched them together,
you should have half square triangles, just like this.
And I get so excited by these half square triangles
because automatically I think,
"What is my quilt design going to look like?"
Or do I just want to showcase these pretty bold prints
as my quilts; sky is the limit.
Once you get all your pieces sewn and set aside,
you can kind of maneuver the pieces to figure out
what is the best way you want your quilt to look.
And that's one of the things that I enjoy
about big block quilting.
So let's get started on figuring out
what our pattern is gonna look like.
With half square triangles,
you can match them to make beautiful,
big, large triangles,
or whether you just want to turn them upside down.
Again, there's so many variations that you can create.
So let's set these aside and let's try it.
So now that I've finished with all my half square triangles,
I'm going to lay them out to create a design that I want.
So in this instance,
we're gonna repeat what I did with my quilt that I made
for my oldest son, which is a star quilt.
So you just lay your pieces out to match that star pattern.
But again, the fun thing about big block quilting
is you can essentially create any style you want.
But for me, we're going to focus on creating that star.
So I'm going to lay them out just to see what it looks like.
And once you finish laying out your pieces,
you can move them, you can match them together.
You can determine what you want your quilt to look like.
It's really up to you.
Again, I love saying the sky is the limit
on creating a big block quilt because it's your version,
it's super fast and super easy to finish it up.
So I'm just going to take the matching pieces.
And if you notice on the side here,
I'm using the solid piece.
The solid actually helps just bring that star together
and I'm gonna match them together.
And then I'm gonna stand back and see
if this is what I want my quilt to look like
or if I wanna switch it up a little bit.
For instance, maybe I want to move this one,
change the look of this and make the blue
more of the focal piece in the middle.
And this is the fun part, just playing with it
and figuring out what looks best for you.
And then once you determine
what you want your quilt to look like,
the next step is to sew it together
and create the quilt top.
So let's do that.
[sewing machine whirring]
So you're just gonna bring it to the side here.
You're gonna press your seam.
Press your seam, oh, I'm losing a few pieces here.
Okay, press down.
And then we're going to open it up
and press that right open.
And then you're just going to continue
piecing all your pieces together.
Wow, I finished the quilt top already
and I'm so excited by how it looks.
Now that's left for me to do is to press this out.
See how quickly the quilt comes together.
Now you should have a full quilt top.
My quilt top came out pretty solid
and I'm happy with the colors.
It's a replica of the one that I made for my son
many years ago.
And I can't wait to send this one off to a longarmer.
And I'll share that with you during our live.
But big block quilting is pretty much there for you
to create something so fast
and to show your creative quilting skills through it.
Now, if you have any questions about big block quilting,
don't hesitate to ask me on our live.
Also, I wanna remind you,
you can do your own quilting designs on your sewing machine,
just making organic lines right on your home sewing machine.
Or better yet, you can use a quilting hoop.
This is also one of my favorites.
I take my quilting hoop and I sandwich my quilt together
and I just start quilting in the car,
on a ride with a family up to the mountain side
or on just the afternoon drive to our local supermarket.
That's what I do when I have my spare time
with my big block quilts.
And you could give it a try as well.
I wanna thank you so much for watching this
and I look forward to talking to you on live.
And I also look forward to showing you the end result
of the quilt that we made today.
And I can't wait to see some of your big block quilts.
Don't hesitate to share that with me.
Thank you so much for watching and I really hope you enjoyed.
Bye.
I'M DEANNA SPRINGER.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE
GREAT WISCONSIN QUILT SHOW AND
FOR PORFIRIA GOMEZ'S BIG BLOCK
QUILTING.
WE'RE SO PLEASED TO HAVE HER
HERE TODAY FROM HER STUDIO IN
NEW YORK.
GOOD MORNING, PORFIRIA.
>> GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
>> SO GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
I SEE YOU HAVE YOUR FINISHED
QUILT BEHIND YOU.
>> YES.
I GOT IT BACK FROM A LONG-ARM ER
AND IT IS BRUTEFUL.
I AM -- BEAUTIFUL.
I CAN'T WAIT TO GIVE IT TO MY
SON.
IT'S PERFECT FOR HIS ROOM RIGHT
NOW.
>> WELL, IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND IT'S
FUN TO SEE WHAT YOU CREATE WITH
YOUR BIG BLOCK QUILTS.
I SAW YOU ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA,
INSTAGRAM.
IT'S FUN TO SEE YOUR NEW
CREATIONS.
WE CAN SEE THE ENTIRE QUILT
HERE, TOO.
>> YES.
DEFINITELY.
>> AND WE HAVE QUESTIONS AND
COMMENTS ROLLING IN, SO I'LL
START SHARING THOSE WITH YOU.
>> SURE.
>> PORFIRIA, WHEN WORKING WITH
LARGE BLOCK QUILTS, DO YOU HAVE
TROUBLE KEEPING AN ACCURATE SIZE
TO THE BLOCK?
IT SEEMS LIKE IT COULD BE EASY
TO BE AN EIGHTH OF AN INCH OR A
16TH OF AN INCH OFF WHEN YOU
WORK WITH SUCH BIG BLOCKS.
>> YEAH.
I FIND IT CAN BE EASY AND
THERE'S SOMETIMES IT'S A BIT
OFF.
SO I TRY MY HARDEST TO STAY TRUE
TO THE SIZE OR SCALE IT DOWN.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME THAT'S THE
BEAUTY OF BIG BLOCKS AS WELL.
EVEN IF YOU'RE JUST OFF A TAD
BIT, IT REALLY DOESN'T TAKE AWAY
FROM YOUR DESIGN.
IF YOU WANT TO BE LIKE AS
ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE, AGAIN, YOU
CAN ALWAYS SCALE IT DOWN.
>> AND JEAN IS ASKING IF YOU
STARTED WITH AN 18-INCH SQUARE
FOR YOUR HALF SQUARE TRIANGLE,
DID YOU TRIM IT DOWN TO 18
INCHES OR ALL THE SAME SIZE WHEN
YOU'RE DONE?
>> I TRIM THEM ALL THE SAME SIZE
WHEN I'M DONE.
AFTER YOU STITCH TOGETHER,
AGAIN, YOU CAN SCALE IT DOWN TO
THE SIZE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE
USING.
BUT YOU DO LOSE SOME ONCE YOU
START PIECING IT TOGETHER.
BUT I SCALE IT DOWN AT THE END.
>> AS LONG AS THEY'RE ALL THE
SAME SIZE, THEY'LL FIT TOGETHER,
RIGHT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> AND WE HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION.
DID YOU SAY ABOUT HOW MANY SET
QUARTER SIZE PIECES YOU USED TO
MAKE THE QUILT YOU'RE SHOWING?
>> SO THAT IS A PARTICULAR QUILT
THAT I USE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER IF I DID
MENTION IT, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S
ABOUT 12 TO 14 PIECES, DEPENDING
ON IF YOU'RE USING SOLIDS OR IF
YOU'RE USING PRINTED FABRIC.
SO YOU CAN DETERMINE THE STYLE
FOR THAT QUILT IT WAS BETWEEN 14
TO 16 PIECES, BUT I CAN
DEFINITELY SHARE THAT ON MY
MEDIA WITH YOU.
>> THAT SOUNDS GOOD.
YOUR BIG BLOCKS ARE LARGE, SO IT
SHOWCASES THE BEAUTIFUL FABRIC
AND SEE ALL THOSE PRINTS THAT WE
ALL IN LOVE WITH.
>> YES.
>> ANOTHER QUESTION IS COMING
IN.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO FIGURE
OUT THE YARDAGE NEEDED WHEN
YOU'RE MAKING A QUILT?
OR DO YOU ALWAYS USE SET
QUARTERS?
AND THAT'S FROM MISS DEE IN
CONNECTICUT.
>> I USUALLY HAVE BOTH THE
FABRIC IN MY STUDIO OR IF I
DECIDE A MAKING A SMALLER BLOCK
ON A GRAND ER SCALE, I DETERMINE
WHAT COLORS I'M GOING TO
INCORPORATE AND DECIDE HOW MANY
SET QUARTERS I SHOULD BUY FOR
THAT PARTICULAR BLOCK.
SO THAT KIND OF HELPS ME OUT
FIGURING OUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO
LOOK LIKE AND THE END RESULT.
SO I ALWAYS HAVE BOLTS OF FABRIC
THAT YOU CAN DECIDE WHEN YOU GO
TO YOUR LOCAL FABRIC STORE WHAT
YOUR BLOCKS SHOULD LOOK LIKE OR
YOU CAN JUST BUY THE FAT
QUARTERS.
I JUST BOUGHT A FEW OF THEM
BECAUSE I'M WORKING ON ANOTHER
BLOCK QUILT, SO I BOUGHT LIKE
TEN BECAUSE I WANTED TO
INCORPORATE TEN DIFFERENT
COLORS.
>> FABULOUS.
ANOTHER QUESTION FROM JUDY ON
FACEBOOK.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION,
PORFIRIA.
ALSO, LOVE YOUR WORK WITH COLOR
OF CONNECTION.
TELL US ABOUT COLOR OF
CONNECTION?
>> OH, MY GOODNESS.
COLOR OF CONNECTION, LABOR OF
LOVE.
COLOR OF CONNECTION STARTED
ABOUT A YEAR AGO NOW, AND IT
STARTED DURING A VERY, VERY
CRAZY TIME IN THE WORLD.
IT WAS JUST A LOT GOING ON.
AND I REALLY WANTED TO SHOWCASE
WOMEN OF COLOR.
SO I PARTNERED WITH MY WONDERFUL
FRIENDS, MICHELLE AND KIANA, WHO
ARE FELLOW QUILT QUILTERS AND
CO-FOUNDERS OF COLOR CONNECTION
AND WE CAME TOGETHER OVER THE
LOVE OF QUILTING.
AND WE WANTED EVERYBODY TO
EXPERIENCE THAT.
NO MATTER WHAT WALK OF LIFE, IF
YOU HAVE A COMMON INTEREST, YOU
SHOULD BE ABLE TO SIT TOGETHER
AT A TABLE AND DO WHAT YOU LOVE
AND THAT WAS QUILTING FOR ALL OF
US.
AND WE HAD SUCH A WONDERFUL,
WONDERFUL OUTCRY OF SUPPORT FROM
EVERYBODY WHO WANTED TO SEE
CHANGES HAPPEN IN THE QUILTING
WORLD.
AND CHANGES HAPPENING IN THE
WORLD, PERIOD, AND WANTED TO
BREAK DOWN THESE BARRIERS OF
COLOR AND GENDER AND RACE.
WE JUST WANTED TO SEE SOMETHING
DIFFERENT.
SO WE DECIDED TO SHARE OUR COLOR
OF CONNECTION QUILTS.
WE ALL DESIGNED A BEAUTIFUL, FUN
QUILT, SUPER EASY QUILT THAT
EVERYBODY CAN MAKE.
AND THE WHOLE PROCESS WAS THAT
WE WANTED IT TO BE SIMPLE AND
EASY SO WHILE YOU'RE QUILTING,
YOU'RE CONVERSING WITH SOMEBODY
THAT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE YOU AND
MAY BE FROM A DIFFERENT WALK OF
LIFE FROM YOU AND YOU CAN FINISH
THE QUILT AND HAVE GREAT
CONVERSATIONS OVER MAKING
QUILTS.
>> AND OTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF
HOW QUILTING BRINGS PEOPLE
TOGETHER.
GREAT WORK WITH YOUR COLOR OF
CONNECTION.
AND TELL US THE WEBSITE WE CAN
GO TO SEE THE QUILT AND LEARN
MORE.
>> YES.
SO COLOR OF CONNECTION, IT
STARTED AGAIN AS QUILTS, BUT IT
BLOSSOMED INTO A NONPROFIT.
AND WE SUPPORT PEOPLE OF ALL
IMHIKECONOMIC STATUSES.
WE WANT EVERYBODY TO ENJOY THE
WORLD OF QUILTING.
WWW.COLOR OF CONNECTION
QUILT.COM AND LOOK UP THE
INFORMATION OR JOIN US ON OUR
SOCIAL MEDIA, MISSION PORFIRIA
ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK AND
PINTEREST.
CHECK ME OUT AND SEE WHAT'S
HAPPENING WITH OUR COLOR OF
CONNECTION QUILTS.
>> GREAT.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
WE HAVE MORE QUESTIONS ROLLING
IN ABOUT YOUR BIG BLOCK QUILTS.
DO YOU RECOMMEND USING A SIZING
OR SPRAY STARCH BEFORE YOU
STITCH YOUR BLOCKS TOGETHER OR
EVEN CUT THEM OUT?
>> SO I DO RECOMMEND USING A
SPRAY STARCH BEFORE YOU CUT THEM
OUT.
IT KIND OF GETS AWAY FROM YOU AT
TIMES WHEN YOU'RE CUTTING AND I
MENTIONED THAT WHEN I WAS
CUTTING MY PIECES.
SO DEFINITELY YOU WANT TO USE A
GREAT STARCH TO MAKE SURE THAT
YOU GET YOUR FABRIC ALL READY
FOR THOSE CUTS.
>> GREAT TIP.
AND THAT WAS A QUESTION FROM
CAROL.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.
AND WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM GAIL
ON FACEBOOK.
GAIL IS ASKING IS THE STAR
PATTERN AVAILABLE OR CAN WE SEE
THE WHOLE QUILT ON YOUR SOCIAL
MEDIA?
WHERE CAN WE SEE THE ENTIRE
QUILT?
I KNOW YOU CAN'T PULL IT OUT
FROM BEHIND YOU.
>> YEAH.
BUT YOU CAN DEFINITELY SEE IT ON
MY SOCIAL MEDIA.
IT IS GOING TO BE POSTED.
THE ORIGINAL FIRST ONE IS POSTED
ON MY INSTAGRAM.
SO IF YOU JUST SCROLL DOWN,
YOU'LL SEE THE WHOLE STAR QUILT.
BUT IF YOU REFERENCE MY WEBSITE,
WWW.PORFIRIA GOMEZ YOU'LL SEE
THE WHOLE STAR QUILT ON MY BLOG.
>> THANKS FOR SHARING THAT.
ROXIE IS ASKING DO YOU EVER HAND
QUILT YOUR BIG QUILTS?
IT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL QUILT TO
SHOW OFFHAND QUILTING, SHE SAYS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO I STARTED, ROXIE, I
DEFINITELY STARTED.
I'LL BE HONEST.
I HAVEN'T FINISHED.
SOMETIMES WHEN WE QUILT, WE'LL
START A BIG PROJECT AND SET IT
ASIDE.
BUT I DEFINITELY HAVE STARTED
WORKING ON A BIG BLOCK QUILT AND
HAND STITCHING IT.
I ACTUALLY ASKED MY MOM RECENTLY
TO HELP ME FINISH IT BECAUSE IT
WAS SO BIG.
BUT I CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE THAT
IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS WELL.
YOU CAN DEFINITELY HAND QUILT
IT.
I'M ALL ABOUT HAND QUILTING.
I JUST DON'T DO IT.
BUT I NEED TO DO IT SOME MORE.
>> WELL, WE CAN SURELY SEE THAT
YOU ENJOY THE PIECING PROCESS.
>> YES.
>> WE HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FROM
CHER.
SHE LOVES SEEING YOUR WORK AND
HEARING YOUR STORIES.
DO YOU EVER USE RECTANGLES?
IS THERE ANOTHER IMPORTANT
CONCEPT OR ARE YOU INTERESTED IN
EXPLORING ALL YOUR HALF SQUARE
TRIANGLE TECHNIQUES RIGHT NOW?
>> SO I HAVE A PATTERN COMING
OUT AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND
I'M USING RECTANGLE PIECES AND
CIRCLE PIECES AS WELL IN THIS
MODERN QUILT.
SO DEFINITELY LOVE DOING IT ON A
GRANDER SCALE.
SO THEY'RE NOT SMALL PIECES.
BUT I SHARED MY MOM'S QUILT AND
SHE GAVE ME AN IDEA OF MAKING IT
A GRANDER AND BIGGER QUILT USING
BIGGER CIRCLES BECAUSE MY MOM
HAD LITTLE CIRCLES IN THIS
IMILT,QUILT, BUT I HOPE TO EXPAND IT
TO BIG BLOCK CIRCLES.
>> I LOVE HEARING ABOUT HOW YOU
COLLABORATE WITH YOUR MOM.
THAT'S SO SPECIAL.
GAIL SAYS I LOOK FORWARD -- MY
MONITOR WENT OUT.
LIVE REMOTE HERE.
THIS ONE IS FROM ELISE.
GOOD MORNING.
FABRIC, PREWASHING, DO YOU
PREWASH YOUR FABRIC BEFORE YOU
START THE QUILTING PROCESS?
>> SO THAT'S A UNIVERSAL
QUESTION FOR ALL QUILTERS, DO
YOU PREWASH.
SO I DON'T.
I FIND MY FABRICS TEND TO SHRINK
AND I CAN'T GET THAT DESIRED
LOOK THAT I PERSONALLY LIKE.
I'VE TRIED IT IN THE PAST, TO
PREWASH MY FABRICS, BUT WHAT I
DO NOW IS I CREATE MY QUILTS
UNPREWASHED AND THEN ONCE IT'S
COMPLETED, I THROW IT IN THE
WASH AND IT GETS THIS NICE,
LITTLE CRINKLY FEELING LIKE THIS
ONE I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME.
AFTER I STITCHED IT TOGETHER, I
THREW IT INTO THE WASH AND IT
ACTUALLY GETS THAT NICE LITTLE
CRINKLY FEEL THAT I LIKE.
SO I WASH AFTERWARDS.
>> GREAT TIP.
AND HERE'S A QUESTION FROM
EVELY.
DO YOU PRESS YOUR SEAMS OPEN OR
TO ONE SIDE?
>> THESE ARE GREAT UNIVERSAL
QUESTIONS.
I AM A PRESS TO THE SIDE KIND OF
GIRL.
NOW, THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
SOMETIMES WHEN I'M QUILTING, I
PRESS MY SEAMS OPEN.
SO IT'S ALL BASED ON I GUESS THE
QUILT THAT I'M WORKING ON IN THE
MOMENT.
BUT NATURALLY THEY'LL BE PRESSED
TO THE SIDE.
>> AND THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM
DORIS.
WHAT SIZE QUILT BLOCK DO YOU
CONSIDER A BIG BLOCK?
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT IS THE
SMALLEST SIZE BLOCK THAT YOU
STITCH WITH THAT YOU DON'T
CONSIDER A LARGE BIG BLOCK?
>> WOW, THAT'S A GOOD ONE.
THE SMALLEST SIZE I'VE DONE IN
THE PAST, A BLOCK IN ITSELF IS
USUALLY I PIECE USING LIKE TWO
AND A HALF-INCH SQUARES, HALF
SQUARES.
ONE OF THE PATTERNS THAT I DID
FOR A FRIEND, SHE USED TWO AND A
HALF-INCH SQUARES.
SO I WAS ABLE TO PIECE THAT
TOGETHER.
BUT TRADITIONALLY I LIKE THE
BLOCK TO BE WITHIN A 10X10 SIZE.
SO I THINK I PRETTY MUCH STAY TO
THAT SIZE WHEN I'M NORMALLY
QUILTING MY QUILTS, YEAH.
>> OKAY.
GREAT ANSWER.
DEBBIE IS ASKING I HOPE YOU WILL
COVER HOW TO ENLARGE A PATTERN.
>> SO, DEBBIE, I ACTUALLY DID A
SMALLER BLOCK FOR A SAMPLER
QUILT, THE SUMMER SAMPLER QUILT
THIS SUMMER, AND THEN I DECIDED,
BEING TRUE TO MYSELF, I WANTED
TO SEE IT ON A GRANDER SCALE AND
I HAVE THAT ONE IN FRONT OF ME
AS WELL.
AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THIS
ONE ON MY MEDIA AS WELL.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE SMALLER
BLOCK THAT THEY INCORPORATED IN
IT.
BUT I TOOK THE BLOCK AND I KIND
OF MADE IT -- SEE IF I CAN GET
THIS.
SORRY.
I GOT IT AS BIG AS I COULD USING
10-INCH PIECES.
SO YEAH.
I DEFINITELY LIKE TO DO THAT AND
SHARE HOW TO DO THAT IN THE
FUTURE, YES.
>> THANK YOU.
AND JOE AND CHRIS HAVE SIMILAR
QUESTIONS.
JUST TO RECAP, DO YOU SQUARE UP
YOUR HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES AND
WHEN DO YOU CUT THEM DOWN FROM
THE 18 INCHES TO 16 INCHES?
>> SO I CUT THEM DOWN AFTER I DO
THE HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES
TOGETHER.
SO ONCE YOU DO YOUR HALF SQUARE
TRIANGLES AND YOU CUT THEM DOWN
AND YOU HAVE YOUR HALF SQUARE,
THEN I WILL CUT IT DOWN TO THE
DESIRED 16X16 OR 15 1/2 BY 15 1/
15 1/2, WHATEVER IS EASIER TO
WORK WITH.
>> GAIL ASKS HOW LONG HAVE YOU
BEEN QUILTING AND WHO ARE YOUR
ROLE MODELS?
>> ROLE MODEL OF COURSE IS MY
MOM.
AND I'VE BEEN QUILTING, I HAVE
TO BE HONEST, SINCE I GOT BACK
INTO QUILTING, I SHOULD SAY WHEN
I HAD MY FIRST SON, WHO IS NOW
15 YEARS OLD.
AND FOR ME QUILTING SYMBOLIZES
FAMILY.
SO WHEN I HAD MY FIRST KID, I
WANTED TO HAVE A QUILT FOR HIM
AND THAT'S HOW I STARTED GETTING
BACK.
SO SINCE -- IT'S ABOUT 15 YEARS
THAT I'VE BEEN QUILTING, THIS
QUILTING JOURNEY FOR ME, BUT I
GREW UP WITH QUILTS AROUND ME.
I GREW UP WITH WONDERFUL
STORIES.
MY MOM GREW UP ON A FARM IN
NORTH CAROLINA, SO SHE WOULD
TELL ME AMAZING STORIES OF MY
GREAT GRANDMOTHER'S QUILTS.
SO THEY WERE ALWAYS IN MY HOME.
I CAN ALWAYS REMEMBER COLD
SCHOOL DAYS COMING HOME AND MY
MOM WOULD HAVE HOT COCOA FOR US
AND I LOVED THE QUILT THAT WAS
ON MY BED THAT SHE MADE.
SHE DID A LOT OF SCRAPPY QUILTS.
I WOULD COME HOME AND MY BED
WOULD BE MADE AND THIS BEAUTIFUL
SCRAPPY QUILT OF COLORS AND
DIFFERENT DESIGNS, DIFFERENT
FABRICS THAT SHE WOULD JUST FIND
AND PIECE TOGETHER.
I JUST ADORED THAT.
SO THAT WAS THE JOURNEY OF
QUILTING FOR ME.
SO AS AN ADULT, IT JUST CAME
BACK BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU
HAVE YOUR OWN CHILDREN, YOU WANT
TO GIVE THEM THAT COZINESS THAT
YOU KIND OF GREW UP WITH.
THAT WAS MY QUILTING JOURNEY.
IT'S ABOUT 15 YEARS.
>> WHAT WARM MEMORIES.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.
WE HAVE MORE COMMENTS AND
QUESTIONS.
THIS IS MORE OF A COMMENT.
SHE SAVES HER SCRAPS, HER EDGES.
SHE ENJOYED YOUR SAVING YOUR
SALVAGED EDGES FROM YOUR QUILT
BLOCKS.
SHE SAVES THEM.
SHE'S GOING TO USE THEM IN A
NANCY ZIEMAN LANDSCAPE QUILT.
SHE'S BEEN COLLECTING THEM FOR A
YEAR, SO SHE HOPES TO HAVE
ENOUGH VERY SOON.
>> YES.
YES.
AGAIN I'LL MENTION, MY MOM WOULD
COLLECT THESE PIECES IN THE BAG
AND THEN SHE WOULD PULL THEM OUT
AND STITCH THEM TOGETHER.
SO THAT'S A GREAT WAY OF USING
YOUR SCRAP PIECES AS WELL TO
CREATE ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL BLOCK
QUILT AS WELL.
>> AND YOU'RE CREATING LOTS OF
INTEREST AND LOTS OF IDEAS ARE
ROLLING AROUND.
SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE FACEBOOK ARE
SHARING THESE WOULD MAKE GREAT
QUILTS FOR DONATING.
BIG BLOCK QUILTS GO TOGETHER
QUICKLY, SO YOU COULD USE YOUR
FABRIC SCRAPS AND MAKE QUILTS TO
DONATE.
ANOTHER QUESTION IS DO YOU USE
RULERS TO QUILT?
HOW DO YOU MARK YOUR QUILT
LINES?
>> SO I DO USE RULERS TO QUILT
AND THEN SOMETIMES I ORGANICALLY
JUST GO FOR IT.
BUT I DEFINITELY DO USE SOME
RULERS WHEN I'M MARKING MY QUILT
LINES.
>> GREAT.
AND THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM
NANCY P.
THIS WOULD BE A FUN QUILT TO
PRACTICE FREE MOTION QUILTING.
SO NOW PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT
THE QUILTING AND I KNOW YOU SEND
SOME OUT TO THE LONG-ARMER AND
YOU DO SOME YOURSELF WITH THE
STRAIGHT LINE QUILTING.
>> YES.
ABSOLUTELY.
AND THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT,
RIGHT?
BECAUSE YOU HAVE THIS WIDE OPEN
SPACE TO JUST BE CREATIVE WITH.
AND THAT'S WHAT I LOVE SO MUCH
ABOUT BIG BLOCKS.
YOU KNOW, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT,
AS I MENTIONED, BECAUSE YOU CAN
CREATE WHATEVER ART THAT YOU
WANT TO CREATE ON IT, WHETHER BY
HAND OR BY MACHINE OR BY A
LONG-ARMER AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE
BACK WITH THESE BEAUTIFUL ARROWS
THAT SHE ADDED.
IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL THAT SHE
WAS ABLE TO DO THAT DESIGN.
YOU CAN SEE THE DESIGN ON THE
BIG BLOCK QUILT.
>> IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AMY ON FACEBOOK IS ASKING
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BATTING,
YOUR QUILT BATTING?
>> I DON'T HAVE A FAVORITE.
I REALLY DON'T HAVE A FAVORITE.
MY GO-TO IS DEFINITELY HUBS
BATTING AND IT'S USUALLY THEIR
ORGANIC BLEND.
<!8192> I DON'TI DON'T REALLYHAVE A FAVORITE.
ANYTHING WORKS FOR ME.
BUT I TEND TO GO WITH THE
ORGANIC BLENDS OF BATTING.
>> GREAT ANSWER.
LINDA IS ASKING HOW DO YOU LINE
UP YOUR RAW EDGES?
SHE HAS THE HARDEST TIME WITH
YOU.
>> I'M WITH YOU.
I DID THAT AT ONE POINT, TOO.
I USUALLY LINE UP THE EDGE WHEN
I'M CUTTING ON MY CUTTING MATS.
AND THEN IF YOU'RE STITCHING IT
TOGETHER, TRY AND LINE IT UP ON
THE EDGE OF YOUR FOOT.
SO IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING ALONG
THAT EDGE OF YOUR FOOT, YOU
SHOULDN'T HAVE TOO MANY
PROBLEMS.
AND TAKE YOUR TIME WITH IT,
BECAUSE I KNOW FOR ME I WAS
RUSHING.
AND WHEN I RUSHED THROUGHT I WAS THROUGH IT, I
WAS GETTING SNAGS AND HOLES.
WHAT ALSO HELPED FOR ME IS I
WOULD DRAW A LINE ON THE FABRIC
AND JUST FOLLOW DOWN THAT LINE.
>> GREAT ADVICE.
AND A COMMENT FROM ROXIE.
SHE'S THINKING OF THOSE
BEAUTIFUL ANNA MARIA HORNER BIG
PRINTS TO USE, SO SHE'S FINDING
INSPIRATION WITH YOUR BIG BLOCKS
AND WOULD USE THAT FABRIC TO
MAKE SOME REAL BRIGHT QUILTS.
>> YES.
DEFINITELY.
AND THAT'S ANOTHER GREAT IDEA
WITH MAKING A BIG BLOCK QUILT,
IS THAT SOMETIMES WE DON'T GET A
CHANCE TO SHOWCASE THE BEAUTIFUL
FABRICS THAT WE FIND AT OUR
LOCAL FABRIC STORE.
YOU'RE SO BUSY CUTTING IT UP.
IT TAKES AWAY FROM THE BOLD,
BRIGHT PRINTS.
SO THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE TO
SHOW OFF YOUR PRINTS AND
PERSONALITY BASED ON THE PRINTS
THAT YOU'RE USING.
>> WONDERFUL.
AND DORIS IN A CHAT IS ASKING DO
YOU STILL HAVE THAT QUILT FROM
YOUR MOM?
AND IS IT ON YOUR BED?
>> I DO HAVE A QUILT FROM MY
MOM.
I DON'T HAVE THE CHILDHOOD ONE I
HAD.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO IT
DURING OUR MOVING AROUND
NEW YORK CITY.
BUT I HAVE ONE THAT I SHARED
HERE AS WELL WITH YOU, RIGHT?
AND I HAVE IT STORED AWAY AND
KEPT AWAY.
IT'S THE ONLY ONE I WAS ABLE TO
GET FROM MY MOM.
SHE HIDES THEM FROM ME WHEN I
COME OVER, THOUGH, BECAUSE SHE
KNOWS THAT I WANT TO TAKE THEM
ALL.
BUT I HAVE ONE OF HERS, YES, THE
ONE THAT MEANT THE MOST TO ME
BECAUSE IT'S SO DETAILED AND SHE
DID IT BY HAND AND IT'S SMALL
PIECES.
SO I HAVE ONE.
>> SPEAKING OF SMALL PIECES AND
DETAILS, LESLIE IS ASKING DO YOU
EVER PIECE SMALLER PIECES OF
FABRIC TOGETHER AND THEN MAKE
THEM INTO BIG BLOCK QUILTS?
>> SO ACTUALLY I AM TRYING TO DO
THAT NOW.
EVERY SO OFTEN YOU HAVE TO
CHALLENGE YOURSELF AND I AM
CHALLENGING MYSELF TO BE PATIENT
AND CREATE SMALL, INTRICATE
PIECES AND MAKE IT A BIGGER
BLOCK QUILT.
SO YES.
I AM WORKING ON PROJECTS NOW
THAT I HAVE IN MY STUDIO WHERE I
WANT TO DO THAT.
BECAUSE I HAVE SO MUCH SCRAP
PIECES FROM THE BIG BLOCKS.
SO I DEFINITELY WANT TO TAKE
THEM, CUT THEM OUT AND MAKE THEM
SMALLER AND MAKE IT ON A GRANDER
SCALE.
>> WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING
THOSE DOWN THE ROAD.
I'M SURE YOU'LL SHARE THOSE ON
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA SITE.
>> DEFINITELY.
>> MAUREEN IS ASKING IS YOUR
PATTERN A DOWNLOADABLE PATTERN
OR A PAPER PATTERN?
IT LOOKS LOVELY AND THANK YOU
FOR SHARING YOUR TALENTS.
>> YES.
THANK YOU.
IT WAS MY FIRST PATTERN AND THAT
PATTERN IS INSPIRED MY MY MOM
AND INSPIRED BY GROWING UP IN
THE BRONX.
I GREW UP IN THE BRONX AND THERE
WAS THESE BEAUTIFUL HILLS IN THE
BRONX THAT NOBODY REALLY
REALIZES.
THE BRONX HAS ALL THESE HILLY
SPACES.
SO I WANTED TO CREATE LIKE THESE
HILLS GOING UP.
IT WAS DEFINITELY INSPIRED BY
CHILDHOOD AND IT'S A
DOWNLOADABLE PRINT, SO YOU CAN
DOWNLOAD IT.
AND IT'S MY FIRST PATTERN, WHICH
IS THE DOTTIE QUILTD.
AND, AGAIN, I'M LOOKING FORWARD
TO THE NEXT QUILT THAT'S COMING
OUT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, SO
STAY TUNED FOR THAT.
>> WE'LL SURELY STAY TUNED.
JOANNE ASKS WHAT IS YOUR
FAVORITE MARKING TOOL?
I KNOW YOU USED A PENCIL IN YOUR
VIDEO?
>> I USE PENCILS ALL THE TIME.
I HAVE PENCILS THAT ARE TRUE TO
MY PERSONALITY AS WELL.
THEY SAY "JUST KEEP QUILTING"
AND "IT'S THE QUILT LIFE FOR
ME."
PENCILS ARE SO SIMPLE AND DO THE
JOB OF MARKING EXACTLY WHAT YOU
NEED.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY A PENCIL.
>> WHAT GREAT INSPIRATION.
AND YOU'VE INSPIRED US SO MUCH,
PORFIRIA, WITH ALL OF YOUR QUILT
BLOCKS AND ALL OF YOUR SHARING
TODAY AND YOUR EASY TECHNIQUES.
EVERYONE CAN DO -- IF SHE THEY CAN
SEW A STRAIGHT LINE, THEY CAN
MAKE YOUR BIG BLOCK QUILTS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND
SHARING YOUR TALENTS WITH US.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE.
YOU CAN ALWAYS FOLLOW ME AN
INSTAGRAM AT MISS IMPORTANT PORFIRIA AND
ALSO AT WWW.PORFIRIA GOMEZ.COM.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK
YOU EVERYONE FOR JOINING IN
TODAY WITH YOUR GREAT SESSION
TODAY AND GREAT Q & A.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU HEADING
OVER TO QUILT SHOW.COM AND
TAKING IN EVERYTHING THE QUILT
SHOW HAS TO OFFER INCLUDING THE
VENDOR MALL AND BEAUTIFUL
EXHIBITS.
ENJOY.
- Deanna Springer: Thanks again for joining us.
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