Firecrackers Quilt - a Fat Quarter Shop pattern

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR ENTRIES - THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Today, I'm delighted to be sharing my version of Fat Quarter Shop's newest quilt pattern, the Firecrackers Quilt!

If you're interested in making this quilt yourself, all the resources you need are right here:

Firecrackers PDF pattern
Firecrackers video tutorial
Firecrackers quilt kit
Firecrackers backing set

 

This quilt uses two jelly rolls, and a background fabric.  I was super lucky and managed to get my hands on not one but two fabric collections I've been jonesing for - Modern Background Paper and Modern Background Ink.  Although these fabrics have been designed as backgrounds, I wanted them to be the stars of my quilt, and chose Moda Grunge in Duchess for my background.

 

I'm really pleased with how this quilt top has turned out.  I really liked the angles in the pattern design, and I wanted to keep the graphic nature of the quilt with my fabric choices.  I think the black, white and grey achieves that perfectly.

 

I had a nice time making this quilt - there are a few steps to it but they are all pretty simple and perfect for doing while watching a TV show or listening to a podcast (lately I've been listening to and really enjoying Reply All).  If you're going to make this quilt, I totally recommend this rotating cutting mat for the trimming stage.  I actually bought one when I was holidaying in Auckland last year.  I was making a quilt with lots of half square triangles, and I forgot to take my other rotating cutting mat with me.  I found the Matilda's Own one in a shop up there and I haven't looked back since - it's that good.

 

I really like the subtle texture of the Moda Grunge fabrics.  I have a few stashed but I think this is the first time I've actually used one! It has reminded me why I stashed them in the first place!

It was a pretty windy day when I took these photos - it always makes photographing a quilt top challenging!  Here is my tip for anyone making this quilt: once you have finished assembling the quilt top, stitch a line about 1/8" from each edge of the quilt.  This will help keep the edge stable and prevent it from stretching.

I can't wait to see the quilts made by the other bloggers who made quilts from the Firecrackers pattern!  You can find the other quilts here:

Ants to Sugar by Daisy

Silly Mama Quilts by Brooke

Happy Quilting by Melissa

627 Handworks by Julie

Must Love Quilts by Corinne

Mommy Sew by Jenn

Little Bunny Quilts by Alison

Fly Away Quilts by Lauren

One of the things I really enjoyed about making the Firecrackers Quilt was the opportunity to use the Creative Grids 30 Degree Triangle Ruler for the first time.  I'm already a big fan of 60 degree triangles, and the 18 degree wedges that are typically used for making Dresden plates, and this ruler hits the gap in between perfectly!  I've already started a little project using some of the 30 degree triangle scraps from this quilt, which I hope to share with you soon. 

Fat Quarter Shop is very generously letting me give away a Creative Grids 30 Degree Triangle Ruler to one lucky reader.

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment letting me know about your favourite ruler or other quilting gadget - I'm just curious to know what people have found and love.

You can get an optional extra entry for each of the following (just leave an extra comment on this post for each that applies):

 - following my blog (through google friend connect or a feed reader like Bloglovin' or Feedly); and
 - following me on instagram (I'm there as @adrianneonthewindyside).

This giveaway is open to everyone (including international participants), but if I can't contact you, you can't win.  If you are a no-reply blogger, please leave your email address in the comment.  If you're not sure whether you're a no-reply blogger, check out my tutorial on how to stop being a no-reply blogger by clicking on the button below.

The giveaway will stay open until around 6 pm Tuesday 17 November at 6pm (New Zealand Time), and I will use the random number generator at random.org to pick a winner then.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR ENTRIES - THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

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Seeking pattern testers

Thank you so much for the wonderful response to my request for pattern testers.  Enough people have put up their hands at this stage that I'm not looking for any more.  More patterns are in the works so to anyone who missed out this time, thank you, and there will be another opportunity.

For a long time, I've been thinking about writing up some of the quilt designs I've created as patterns. I've essentially written several patterns already, for my Paper Petals quilt, for my Rubies in the Rough quilt, and for the various classes I've been teaching this year.  I just haven't self-published any of them.

Anyway, this week I came up with a new quilt design, as a way of using my charms from Ms Midge's Bonnie and Camille charm swap.  It's a nice pattern in that it's completely pre-cut compatible (you could use charm packs or layer cake squares, and jelly rolls), it makes use of strip piecing to speed things up, and it only involves squares and rectangles.  I've written the pattern to include five different size options: baby (30" by 43"), cot (43" by 56"), throw (56" by 69"), queen (69" by 82") and king (82" by 95").

I spent a while trying to find excuses not to publish it, and then I decided to put my big girl knickers on and go for it.  Now, I'm wondering whether anyone would be willing to volunteer to test this pattern for me.  I'm looking for testers who:

- can make a finished quilt top, and send me clear, well-lit photos, by my proposed pattern release date of 27 October (New Zealand time, so that probably means 26 October elsewhere);

- have made a couple of quilts before - the pattern is super simple but it's not written as a complete guide to making a quilt.  I've given cutting instructions (of course) but have assumed the reader knows how to straighten the edge of fabric, sew a quarter inch seam, etc; and

- can give me feedback on the pattern - whether the instructions and diagrams are clear, whether my quilt math seems to work, whether there's anything they wish I had included, etc.

Ideally I'd love to have testers make the whole range of sizes, but I realise my deadline is totally ridiculous!  If you're keen, please send me an email at adrianneonthewindyside at gmail dot com with the size you'd like to try, and if possible, a link to your blog / flickr page / other social media presence.

Testers will receive a copy of the final pdf pattern and their photos published on my blog, with a link back to their blog / flickr stream / other website.  I would be grateful if testers could keep the pattern private until it is officially released, but sneak peeks are definitely permitted!

I'm making the throw sized version myself, and I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Thank you so much for the wonderful response to my request for pattern testers.  Enough people have put up their hands at this stage that I'm not looking for any more.  More patterns are in the works so to anyone who missed out this time, thank you, and there will be another opportunity.