Patchwork

Heartfelt Charity QAL: Precious Block

Happy July 1st and welcome to a fun release day for the Fat Quarter Shop Heartfelt Charity QAL! I was really excited to participate in this year’s QAL and love that they chose Beautiful Day designed by Corey Yoder! I’ve known Corey for years and feel blessed to call her a sweet friend.

I absolutely loved piecing these cute Precious blocks (aren’t they adorable)! I had so many pink, red, and purple scraps in my stash from previous collections and knew that worked well for this quilt pattern (of course I was itching to use them up). It has been fun mixing and matching these particular colors, plus it’s giving me a really cute scrappy look.

This block uses easy piecing techniques (don’t be intimidated by the center heart, it’s easy peasy) and goes together quickly. I’m thinking a whole quilt of the Precious block would look stunning!

It warms my heart seeing Fat Quarter Shops Charity QAL’s come together each year. Donations bless so many families lives! If you wish to donate and sew along you can find the link here!

It’s always a joy to share things with my mom! I loved her block using our Emma fabrics! Be sure to check out Fat Quarter Shop’s blog for a fun feature today with my mom and I! You can also find the pattern for Release 6 here! I hope you enjoy sewing these sweet blocks!

Chelsi

Xoxo,

Moda Block Heads Roundup

Hello there! It’s been a little bit since I did a roundup of my Blockheads and since it’s Moda Block Heads Wednesday It seemed like the perfect time to catch up.

Today’s block 15, Highland Plaid, is brought to us by Crystal Manning! I love simple patchwork and piecing, but especially if it’s plaid! This block would actually make an awesome holiday plaid quilt top. I’m also still using all Emma fabrics (Emma ships in September 2022), but that tone on tone dot is actually a print by Vanessa Goertzen of Lellaboutique! I really enjoyed making this block and definitely have plans for a plaid quilt this Fall! P.s. be sure to check out Crystal’s blog for the pattern here! Keep reading for an update on more blocks!

Block #13, Evening Delight by Debbie Maddy

I have absolutely enjoyed sewing along with Moda Blockheads 4 and really like the weekly challenge of consistent sewing. It’s also really fun to see my pile of blocks growing!

That’s all for today friends! If you’d like to see more fun things be sure to follow me on Instagram @ chelsistratton or on the A Quilting Life Youtube channel here! You can also find my pattern shop here!

Xoxo,

Chelsi

Be Mine Quilt Along 2021

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here! Can you believe it’s a new year already!? I’m so excited for all the fun things I have planned and especially excited to share them all with you! On that note, I’m detailing everything you will need to know about the Be Mine Quilt Along!

Be Mine (as shown below) is a Fat Quarter friendly quilt measuring 75 1/2″ x 75 1/2″ and uses fabrics from our Sincerely Yours collection. The QAL will run from January 12th to February 9th. Videos will also be available every Wednesday morning on the A Quilting Life YouTube channel here! Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss anything! You will still need the Be Mine pattern (here) as the videos will not release any sizes needed for blocks.

The Be Mine quilt pattern is a great skill builder which makes it great for any beginner quilter. Blocks range from very simple piecing to confident beginner piecing. Each block uses different techniques all which can build confidence as well as bring enjoyment to any skilled quilter. I have also listed the fabric requirements below!

1 Fat Quarter Bundle (at least 30 Fat Quarters)

4 7/8 yards background, sashing, and border

3/4 yard binding

4 2/3 yard backing

Chelsi Stratton of Chelsi Stratton Designs

I am so excited about this QAL! It is such a fun quilt and great for setting quilting goals! If you’re joining in I would love to hear your comments below and if you’re interested in a kit, I have just a handful available here in my shop! You can also find me on Instagram @chelsistratton Be sure to use the hashtag #bemineqal so I can see all your progress!

Happy sewing and thanks so much for stopping by!

Sewcialites Block 14 – Serenity

Good morning friends!

Today I’m excited to share Sewcialites block #14 with you all! If you’re new to the Sewcialites here’s a bit of what’s been going on…

Fat Quarter Shop is celebrating our quilting community with a free block of the week (yay!) They gathered a fun group of designers to design the blocks that will end up making a beautiful sampler quilt. Be sure to check out more information here.

The Serenity block is beginner friendly and so much fun to make. I made a 6″ block version (don’t you love all of the different size options Fat Quarter Shop gave us).

I decided to use our Balboa collection for this block. Lately I have been diving into my stash for a much needed clean out and this has been the perfect project to do so! Choosing a 6″ block made it possible for me to make the best use of my scrap sizes that are available.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post today and that you’re enjoying your Sewcialites sewing! Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Xoxo,

Chelsi

Happy New Year: 2021 Kickoff

Hello there and Happy New Year! I must admit it’s been awhile and I’ve missed you all here on the blog. One of my goals for the new year is to blog a little more consistently. My hope is that you’ll find this space inviting as well as something to look forward to reading every week. With that said, I’m excited to start off the new year with this kickoff post in hopes that it will inspire you!

I have so many fun things planned out for this year! New fabric, new patterns, quilt-along, giveaways, YouTube videos, tutorials, etc. are a few I can think of right away! You’ll be able to find more content and information here. I can’t wait to share it all with you! So with that, here’s just a few highlights to start off the new year!

Despite coming off of a very challenging year I know that this community is invested in making the world a better and brighter place. My hope is more unity, more kindness, and more creativity. You are welcome here, you belong, and I’m lucky to have you all here with me! I hope you truly feel that as I share more of my journey here with you all.

My mom (Sherri McConnell/A Quilting Life) and I just recently finished designing our thirteenth fabric collection for Moda Fabrics. These past several years designing has been such a joy and we feel so incredibly grateful for every one of you who has supported us and cheered us on. Also, we hope to bring your more beautiful fabrics to create with. P.s. Keep an eye out for new fabrics being announced in the next couple of months as well as Happy Days being shipped to shops in March.

I started my journey spending more time with my sewing machine and designing fabrics with my mom for Moda, but I found a real love with designing patterns shortly after that! You can find my pattern shop here!

My sewing studio is well loved and has given me a space to create and focus when working. My husband put together the bookshelves and I think they turned out wonderfully! If you would like to hear all about my sewing room be sure to check out my YouTube video here!

I hope you’ll stick around so I can connect with you! I plan to bring you a lot of fun quilts, fabrics, and tutorials! Happy New Year friends, I hope it’s the best one yet!

XOXO,

Chelsi