Sugar Bear Quilt Along – Round 8

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Melanie Traylor

The post in this series are all part of the 2021 Sugar Bear Quilt Along.

To view all posts in this series, click here.

If you need the pattern, you can find it here.

Oh my goodness! It’s flimsy time! Sound the trumpets and everybody cheer! This quilt was not the easiest feat and you should be so proud of yourself for getting to this point or continuing the work if you are still getting here.   I know I’m proud of you. And I am just dying on a daily basis seeing all the Sugar Bears over on Instagram. It’s so wonderful to see it done up to suit all the different styles and color choices. If you haven’t seen them all yet, find them here. DON’T FORGET! Beth of Modernly Stitched is offering to longarm quilt any Sugar Bear quilt with 20% off her normal rate. This offer is good for 8 weeks after the Sugar Bear quilt along ends. Check out Beth’s site here.

 

This Round’s Task

All the blocks are done! So this round we are adding in our sashing, cornerstones, and border and sewing it altogether. This won’t take you too long!  

Product Spotlight

60MM ROTARY CUTTER

 
Introducing the all new Havel’s Sewing 60mm Rotary Cutter! Our latest rotary cutter features a brand new ambidextrous ultra-comfort grip. Just like our other cutters, the new ultra-comfort grip handle features the world class sharpness of our stainless steel blades. Havel’s blades are engineered for maximum cutting life, making cutting even the toughest materials a breeze.
 
 
 
View this product here.
 
Melanie’s Tip – I’m in love with the 60mm, that I lovingly refer to as Gramma.  She can cut through more!  Plus, she’ll cut through a quilt top like it’s butter.  Trimming a quilt top is my favorite place to use her.

 

The Quilt Top

I’m loving the way this one came out with the scrappy background. I’ve made two Sugar Bears already, but this is the first one that I went scrappy background on. I’m pleased with the look! Also, my fussy cut mermaids in the cornerstones are making me squeal.  

Tips:

When sewing those borders on, don’t forget to fold and press them to find their center. This way it will be easier for you to sew it on correctly. I always line up the press mark to the center of quilt top and pin it right there in the middle first. Then, I’ll pin the ends and and all the places between.

I can’t tell you how many times at the beginning of my quilting journey that my borders were cut correctly, but were either too short or too long when I sewed them to the quilt top. This is because fabric has a tendency to shift. Pinning the center first eliminates this easy to make mistake!

I also used this method when sewing the sashing to the individual blocks. The blocks are so big that doing this just really helped everything come together easily and accurately.

 

 

 

Giveaway

Just a reminder, you can enter the giveaway by posting your progress on Instagram using the #SugarBearQA.  Havel’s will be giving away random prizes to one winner each week.  Winners will be chosen and announced on Instagram @Havels_Sewing the Tuesday before the “next” post goes live.  You don’t have to be completed with each pattern release to win, you only have to post progress.

You do have to be following @Havels_Sewing and @SouthernCharmQuilts to be eligible. You must have a US address to ship to.

 

 

Yay! We made it! Oof that was a lot of work! I’m going to let it sit and stare at me a bit before I start thinking about getting it finished. I feel like we just ran a marathon that lasted several months. Ha! THANK YOU for making this quilt with me and participating in the quilt along. I’ve had so much fun and I hope you have as well. And thank you to Havel’s Sewing for letting me take up some space over here and supplying such lovely prizes and encouraging words. If you don’t already know, my next quilt along starts late next month. Get more details on that right here.  

Don’t forget to use the #SugarBearQA, so that we can connect!

Melanie Traylor ~ Southern Charm Quilts

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Sugar Bear Quilt Along – Round 7

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Melanie Traylor

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sugar-bear-quilt-along-2021.jpgThe post in this series are all part of the 2021 Sugar Bear Quilt Along.

To view all posts in this series, click here.

If you need the pattern, you can find it here.

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Last block! Last block and cornerstones!! And what a block it is! Tiny little baby friendship stars inside our bear paw. The friendship star was one of the first blocks I ever made when I began my quilting journey, so it has a special place in my heart. I’ve managed to slide it into many of my samplers.

What was your first block?

ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! Beth of Modernly Stitched just offered to longarm quilt any Sugar Bear quilt with 20% off her normal rate. This offer is good for 8 weeks after the Sugar Bear quilt along ends. Check out Beth’s site here.

Let’s get to this round’s task, shall we?

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This Round’s Task

We are working on Ruth Ann this round and the four cornerstones of the quilt. Pretty easy peasy! Although, Ruth Ann has some seriously tiny piecing to do. And even some tiny fussy cutting you COULD do if you feel the need.

I felt the need….

Product Spotlight

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4 1/2″ SNIP-A-STITCH SCISSORS

The 4 1/2″ Snip-A-Stitch is the perfect scissors for removing a single stitch. The notched blade slides easily under a single thread and cuts quickly and cleanly. An easy squeeze action is ideal for tired or arthritic hands. Great for all types of needle arts and embroidery!

View this product here.

Melanie’s Tip – I use this baby as my seam ripper.  It is AMAAAAAZZZZing!  I snip ever 3-4 or stitches and then pull apart my unit like you would with a normal seam ripper.  I’ve got a video tutorial here for this product.

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Ruth Ann

My Ruth Ann ended up really subtle as far as colors go. I decided to fussy cut the corner squares of the inner unit and only after deciding realized that there were 16 of them. Ouch! I barely had enough and I think it ended up looking a smidgen gawdy, but oh well. I’m rolling with it.

The florals are from Sharon Holland.

Another option would be to fussy cut the very center of the inner units. If you had something that tiny that is.

No matter what you choose to do, remember your starch. You’re going to need it to get this baby to lay flat.

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Cornerstones

The cornerstones are pretty straightforward. Just some half square triangles. There are four of them to complete and sew up into little 4-patch units.

Helpful Videos

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Giveaway

Just a reminder, you can enter the giveaway by posting your progress on Instagram using the #SugarBearQA.  Havel’s will be giving away random prizes to one winner each week.  Winners will be chosen and announced on Instagram @Havels_Sewing the Tuesday before the “next” post goes live.  You don’t have to be completed with each pattern release to win, you only have to post progress.

You do have to be following @Havels_Sewing and @SouthernCharmQuilts to be eligible. You must have a US address to ship to.

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Squee!! Loving seeing the blocks together. This is one of my favorite moments while making a quilt. Just before it all comes together, but you have everything you need done. Take a moment and let out a loving sigh and snap a pic of all your blocks together. Good job YOU!

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Don’t forget to use the #SugarBearQA, so that we can connect!

Melanie Traylor ~ Southern Charm Quilts

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Sugar Bear Quilt Along – Round 6

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Melanie Traylor

The post in this series are all part of the 2021 Sugar Bear Quilt Along.

To view all posts in this series, click here.

If you need the pattern, you can find it here.

 

 

Hey, sweet lovies! We are back with two more blocks that need doing. We are really so close now! And we are getting into some really tiny piecing this round. Which is fun and adorable all at once!

So set the mood, with a candle, music or audiobook and let’s get our sewing on!

 

 

 

This Round’s Task

We are working on Maya and Eloise this round. Not difficult, but there is a lot to get done. It’s time to take a look at your other blocks and focus on some of your fabrics. What have you not included enough of? Do you have a balance going on? If not, take stock of what color/fabric can get you there.

 

Product Spotlight

Picture of 7" SERRATED FABRIC SCISSORS

7″ SERRATED FABRIC SCISSORS

 

Elegant and durable Japanese stainless steel scissors with double-ground edges for silky smooth, precise fabric cutting. Comfort grips add beauty and style. Fine teeth serrations make cutting slippery textures a cinch.

 

View this product here.

 

Melanie’s Tip – These are one of my favorite products that I have of Havel’s Sewing.  They are the single best pair of scissors for fabric I’ve ever used.  There’s tiny teeth on them and they cut all the way to the very tip which keeps me from being frustrated like with some of the scissors I’ve purchased in the past from other manufacturers.

 

 

Maya

I really love this block, and I’m very interested in one day making a whole quilt of the inside of Maya. She’s so fancy! If you manage to get some fussy cutting in, yay you! The best I could do was slipping some of those pink florals into my B fabric. I kept C and D fabrics intentionally lighter, so that A and B could shine a bit more.

The florals are from Sharon Holland and Maureen Cracknell.

 

 

Eloise

I love Eloise. She is so cute! And I think she looks like she’s dancing. There is A LOT of pieces to this block, but it’s not a difficult make. On mine, I’ve chose to put the emphasis on the A and C fabric so that they really pop. I used a low volume for B, so it would fade into the background.

 

Helpful Videos

 

 

 

Giveaway

Just a reminder, you can enter the giveaway by posting your progress on Instagram using the #SugarBearQA.  Havel’s will be giving away random prizes to one winner each week.  Winners will be chosen and announced on Instagram @Havels_Sewing the Tuesday before the “next” post goes live.  You don’t have to be completed with each pattern release to win, you only have to post progress.

You do have to be following @Havels_Sewing and @SouthernCharmQuilts to be eligible. You must have a US address to ship to.

 

 

Omigoodness! I’m enjoying these blocks. One more! One more block and then cornerstones, and then sashing and borders and then BOOM! We will have a quilt top! Have fun making Maya and Eloise. I’ll see you next time!

Don’t forget to use the #SugarBearQA, so that we can connect!

Melanie Traylor ~ Southern Charm Quilts

 

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Sugar Bear Quilt Along – Round 5

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Melanie Traylor

The post in this series are all part of the 2021 Sugar Bear Quilt Along.

To view all posts in this series, click here.

If you need the pattern, you can find it here.

 

 

As much as I enjoy seeing my completed blocks this round now, I had a very hard time with one of them, and became very fussy and down about it. Ha! I’m sure that happens to all of us. You get an idea in your head and it doesn’t work out. And sometimes it takes a while to get over. The second block definitely cheered me up some though.

If you haven’t signed up for the quilt along yet, you can do so here. This will just send bi-weekly prompts every other Wednesday to your inbox so that you don’t miss a post.

Let’s dig in!

 

 

 

This Round’s Task

We are making Jessalyn and Rita Mae this round. Probably the very last of the blocks that can be easily fussy cut. The next three blocks are smaller piecing and less opportunities. So Jessalyn has consistently been one of my favorite blocks in the quilt. I love the broken sawtooth star look. Rita Mae is a more bolder block and has a flower look about her, I think.

 

Product Spotlight

EXTRA LARGE CUTTING MAT

 

Large professional quality, self-healing cutting mat, double-sided with 34×22 inches both sides with multi-angled grid lines. Five layers thick to protect your rotary blades as well as your work area.
Melanie’s Tip – So many things to love about this mat!  It’s thicker and smoother than other cutting mats I’ve used, it’s double sided, so it’s like getting two mats in one and well, it’s pink.  Who doesn’t want that?!

 

 

Jessalyn

I had originally planned to have the Sleeping Beauty print that I used below for my Jessalyn block above, but cut it up into quadrants. This did not work out. So Peter and Wendy it became.

The Peter Pan and Wendy print is from Windham, I believe. It’s very old. The other two fabrics in my center are Speckled Melon and Add it Up Peach.

 

 

Rita Mae

I am about as smitten as a girl could be about this block. I did get to use Sleeping Beauty after all and when I fussy cut her, I did it diagonally, so that I could turn her in all the different directions. I think this added a bit to the look instead of just fussy cutting straight on like I did with Peter and Wendy.

Sleeping Beauty is a print from Heather Ross. The orange print is Bee Cross Stitch in Pumpkin.

 

Helpful Videos

 

 

 

Giveaway

Just a reminder, you can enter the giveaway by posting your progress on Instagram using the #SugarBearQA.  Havel’s will be giving away random prizes to one winner each week.  Winners will be chosen and announced on Instagram @Havels_Sewing the Tuesday before the “next” post goes live.  You don’t have to be completed with each pattern release to win, you only have to post progress.

You do have to be following @Havels_Sewing and @SouthernCharmQuilts to be eligible. You must have a US address to ship to.

 

 

I love seeing all the blocks together every time I get the next two completed. Making progress can be inspiring all on it’s own.

How are you doing? Keeping up, having fun, or going at your own pace? Either way, I hope you are loving the work and getting a chance to connect with other quilters doing the same. It’s such an honor for me to have you on this journey with me and making Sugar Bear. Thanks for showing up!

Don’t forget to use the #SugarBearQA, so that we can connect!

Melanie Traylor ~ Southern Charm Quilts

 

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Sugar Bear Quilt Along – Round 4

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Melanie Traylor

The post in this series are all part of the 2021 Sugar Bear Quilt Along.

To view all posts in this series, click here.

If you need the pattern, you can find it here.

 

 

More blocks this round! I had so much fun making these two. Both are fairly simple with just some straight line sewing, but there is a place to play with color or fussy cutting.

If you haven’t signed up for the quilt along yet, you can do so here. This will just send bi-weekly prompts every other Wednesday to your inbox so that you don’t miss a post.

Shall we begin?! Yes, yes!!

 

 

 

This Round’s Task

We are making the Lizbeth block and the Imani block. Of the two, Lizbeth is probably my favorite. Having that third fabric within her makes it a bit more striking, but I also love that diagonal box created when you put the sections together. Imani makes more of a pop though, a bit more bold. In both the Sugar Bear quilts I’ve made so far, she was a block that stood out. Probably because of that border-ish unit. It kinda highlights everything.

 

Product Spotlight

6.5 X 6.5 INCH SQUARE FABRIC RULER

 

Havel’s Square Fabric Ruler is a fantastic addition to any fabric artist’s tool kit. Make quick measurements, angles, and squares with ease. Available in 6.5″ and 12.5″ sizes.
Melanie’s Tip – I love these and I usually use them to cut smaller pieces.  I’m using both the 6.5″ and the 12.5″ often.  I’ve always used a long rectangle ruler for my cutting, but lately have been taking advantage of the smaller size rulers.  Maneuvering the ruler when doing smaller cuts is simply made much easier.

 

 

Lizbeth

Lizbeth has room for color play and for fussy cutting. I fussy cut both the A and C fabrics and then used a solid to bring things together for my B fabric. I cut my little florals diagonally to spice things up. I’ve never done that before and I love the effect! The mice are from Heather Ross and have been languishing in my stash for years.

 

 

Imani

Imani is one-round quarter log cabins. Like I mentioned above, she comes off a bit more bolder than some of the other blocks. I’m not crazy about my work on this block. I may end up pulling the peach out and replacing it. I’ll wait though and see what I think when all the blocks are finished.

 

Helpful Videos

 

 

 

Giveaway

Just a reminder, you can enter the giveaway by posting your progress on Instagram using the #SugarBearQA.  Havel’s will be giving away random prizes to one winner each week.  Winners will be chosen and announced on Instagram @Havels_Sewing the Tuesday before the “next” post goes live.  You don’t have to be completed with each pattern release to win, you only have to post progress.

You do have to be following @Havels_Sewing and @SouthernCharmQuilts to be eligible. You must have a US address to ship to.

 

 

Well that was fun! And I love seeing all the blocks together. Seeing them altogether helps when I’m choosing fabrics for the next block. I’m always using them to decide which fabric or color do I need to use more of or which am I using too much.

I hope you are enjoying making the blocks too! Let me know if you are!

Don’t forget to use the #SugarBearQA. , I’ve been reposting many of your blocks in my stories and getting such sweet messages about them. They are looking great!! Have a good week!

Melanie Traylor ~ Southern Charm Quilts

 

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