Hello sewers and quilters! And welcome to all of you home decor enthusiasts to the wonderful world of SEWING. Quilts are hot hot hot in home decor right now. So I thought I'd give you an opportunity to learn how to make one. Melanie of Southern Charm Quilts is joining me here on The Curated Maximalist to help us out! She's designed an incredible quilt that's great for beginners and advanced alike. This post will give you an introduction and get you started. A big welcome to Melanie!

XO

-Bari

Hi!  My name is Melanie.  I teach quilt making over on my blog and you will find me on IG by the name Southern Charm Quilts.  I've been making quilts since 2009 and am utterly obsessed with patchwork and fabric.  Maybe you are too?  I gush a lot you will notice and am very excitable when it comes to making quilts.  You can learn more about me and my quilt making journey here.  Feel free to gush too!

Today is the first day of our 7-month journey into making Anthologie Quilt.  I am so excited to have you creating patchwork with me!  To declare that you are participating, feel free to post the image from here or at the top of this page on IG to spread the word.

Like all sampler quilts, Anthologie Quilt will feature different blocks and techniques.  Sampler quilts are perfect for skill building, so if you are new to patchwork or quilting you are in the right place!

Anthologie Quilt is a bit different though as it will have more of a modern look to it and we will be making sections of the quilt, not just different blocks.  Our quilt will also have some extra touches not typically found in quilts (think crochet lace and sashiko) giving it a little boho flair.

Every other Monday, a new pattern will release showing you how to make the quilt block or blocks or section.  Some weeks it will be one single block, and some weeks you will make more than one, maybe even several.

There will be a few surprise giveaways during this journey, and all you have to do to be eligible is to post your progress every other week on IG using the #barijquiltalong and by following Bari and myself.  The giveaways will be random.  You don't have to be caught up to win, you just have to be working on Anthologie and posting about it.

About the quilt

I'll be making Anthologie in all Bari J fabrics, but very heavily using the Wild Bloom collection.  You can choose any fabric you'd like to work with.  The quilt will finish at 65.5x80.5", making it a good size throw quilt.

Fat Quarter Shop has kindly offered a discount coupon for our quilt along.  Simply use the code "WildBloom" at checkout and receive 10% off your purchase of Wild Bloom fabrics now through Nov. 6th, 2017.

Pink Castle Fabrics has also offered a discount coupon.  You can use code "BariJ" to receive 10% off all Art Gallery Fabrics including Bari J.'s Wild Bloom.

There may be a few more discounts coming your way soon!

For more shops I love to buy fabrics from, please visit here.

Let's Begin!

Today is just an introduction and a chance for you to see the quilt we will be making and gather your supplies.  I've created a pinterest board about boho style, this isn't about the quilt, more about the feel I'd like my quilt to have and the Bari J. style.  Maybe you will find inspiration from it as well.

You can download this PDF and find out about how much fabric you will need and other supplies.  There is also a coloring sheet to let you get started planning.

I'll see you in a week when we release the first block!

A little more for beginners

Bari believes that some of you might have never created patchwork before, or never made a quilt, and are pulling out your sewing machine for the very first time, maybe you even just went and bought your very first sewing machine or "borrowed" your grandmother's (good luck getting that back, Grandma!).  A sewing machine can empower you!  You could make all the lovelies for your house and achieve exactly the look you want.  Plus, the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from making something with your two hands feels like nothing else.

We want to help and inspire you!

We've got your back and to get you started I've created a few videos of some basic patchwork lessons.  Beware that I am a quilt maker, not a video maker and that kinda shows in the videos with my tongue tied ways :).  I hope you find them helpful in spite of this!  I do talk about several different products and if you are looking for places to purchase those you can find that info here along with more details about every patchwork lesson.

 

Basic Supplies

 

 

How to cut fabric

 

 

What is “right sides together / RST” and how to sew a 1/4″ seam

 

 

How to alternate seams + How to press seams + How to nest seams

 

 

How to make Half Square Triangles / HSTs

 

 

How to make flying geese

 

 

How to add corners to rectangles

 

 

Go get your supplies and come and see me right here next week.  Get in on the IG conversation, use the #barijquiltalong and show off the fabrics you will be using.  Let's make a community!  Let's get chatty and gush together.  You know you want to!