Bedding Plants QAL – The Tulip Row (includes Project Pouch Tutorial!)

Not only is this the post for row 5 of the Bedding Plants QAL it’s also a tutorial for making my Project Pouch!

We are motoring through these rows and are up to the tulips. This is one of my favourite rows to look at but not actually to sew as I’m really not that keen on Half-Square Triangles (shhh, don’t tell anyone!).

I first designed these tulips for my A Month in the Country BOM in Today’s Quilter a few years back.  This year long BOM meant designing two blocks every month that were inspired by life at Shangri la Farm where I live. This particular month was ‘Spring Flowers’ and for the alternative block I cleverly (IMHO) turned the flower upside down to create snowdrops! I loved this tulip block so much that the idea for the bedding plants quilt began percolating in my head and grew from there.  For the actual quilt I scaled up the flower size (something you will thank me for over the next two weeks!).

The small project this month is my Project Pouch, a roomy zipper pouch that is perfect for carrying around your latest handwork project, whether that is knitting, crochet, embroidery or patchwork! I’ve been making these for years and teach it as part of my Tendrils Technique workshop but I’ve been meaning to do a proper tutorial for ages.

Meanwhile let’s make some tulips!  I’m using 5 flowers for the pouch but because I couldn’t decide which fabrics to use I cut out 6 (and used one for the back). I am using the gorgeous Hand Stitched fabric line by Karen Lewis for Figo Fabrics. This is due in stores any day and Karen is still waiting for her yardage. But luckily she still had enough of her strike-off pieces for me to make this pouch.

It’s definitely best to cut everything out ahead for this row and make sure you don’t get your triangles mixed up. If you are making the pouch you will need 3 small triangles and 2 large for the background.

There is a comprehensive chapter on triangles in the book which covers 2-at-a-time HSTs. As I said these aren’t my favourite thing and I try to avoid them as much as possible, but there is only one set per flower here so it’s not too bad (and other people seem to love them!).

If you are going to end up with quite a few flowers in the same fabric you might want to consider buying Lynne Goldsworthy’s excellent Super Speedy HST Templates.  I much prefer making them this way (with a paper template) when I am working in numbers and Lynne’s pattern is excellent.

It’s pretty straightforward stuff for this row but I would like to encourage some chain piecing as I think it’s definitely the most efficient way to go. You can see the little 1.5″ squares above and how I’ve pieced them in a chain so they look like a string of bunting.

When I made my tulips for the quilts I picked out all my fabrics and cut equal amounts of main flower and contrast square but I didn’t plan which two fabrics would go together until this stage. Once I had the HSTs and the tiny squares unit finished I laid them all out and matched them up together.

When piecing the flower stems make sure you pay attention to the bit about only trimming down the stem squares that will remain whole squares. Don’t trim the stem squares that get cut on the diaganol.

Then it’s just lining them up and piecing them ‘on point’ in diagonal short rows as shown in the layout diagram in the book.

I then trimmed my panel to H15.5″ x W11.5″.  I pieced my spare tulip (without a stem, just floating and on it’s side) into extra background fabric to make a backing panel the same size.  These were then spray basted to some wadding ahead of quilting (no need for backing fabric unless your machine really doesn’t like wadding/batting against the throat plate).

My go-to method for quilting project pouches is matchstick lines using Aurifil 50wt in a variegated shade on the machine. I always leave some random spaces that can be filled later with a thicker Aurifil thread and hand quilting. Here I used 12wt wool again in variegated shades. I also leave a clear and generous half inch free of quilting at either end of panel.

Finally trim your panels down to the preferred size.  I trimmed these to W15″ x H11″, this is a little wider than usual due to the size of the tulips. I would usually make my project pouches using quilted panels W13″ x H11″ and use a 12″ zip.

Project Pouch

You will need:

• Pre-prepared quilted panels measuring 15″ x 11″
• 14” zip
• lining fabric – two pieces measuring 15″ x 11″
• iron-on interfacing – two pieces measuring 12½” x 10½” (optional)
• zip end covers – two pieces measuring 1½” x 2¾”

I first made this type of pouch using a tutorial by Florence Knapp of Flossie Teacakes. Since then I have adapted it a fair bit and added in various different techniques and tips I’ve picked up along the way so I think it does deserve a tutorial of it’s own.

Start by trimming a little off each end of the zip so that it’s around 1/8″ smaller than the panel width either side (left). This will help when poking out your zip ends in the final stage.

Fold your zip end tabs in half wrong sides together and pin so that the folded edges point in to the centre of the zip and the raw edges cover the ends of the zip and line up with the sides of the panel (right).

Top stitch the zip end covers to either end of the zip close to the fold line. I usually stitch two rows here but that’s optional. Open your zip halfway.

Press the interfacing to the back of your lining if using. I always cut my interfacing a little smaller than the fabric as I like to press from the fabric side and this avoids getting glue on my iron!

Now put your zipper foot on. I also move my needle over to the far left position on my machine.

Put your outer panel face up. Place your zip on top of this face down. Now place your lining on top of this face down. Pin it (or use binding clips as I do) so that the top of the zip and the top of your fabrics are all perfectly aligned, your zip end covers will be slightly higher than the rest of this.

Make sure that your pieces are also aligned side to side as well.

Use your finger nail to find your zipper teeth as shown top left , aim your seam halfway between the teeth and the raw edge, if anything make it slightly closer to the teeth. When you reach the zip fastener keep your needle down and raise the presser foot and slide the zip closed before carrying on sewing. Keep checking inside your seam that the three layers are all still lined up together at the raw edge.

Fold over so that your outer panel and lining are wrong sides together. It’s time to attach the other side of the zip. This means repeating exactly what you did for the first side, the only difference is that there is fabric attached to one side of the zip now, try to forget about that and concentrate on the free side.

Below top right shows the outer fabric right side up, zip right side down and lining right side down. I then flip the whole thing over and sew from the wadding side, as shown below right.

Make sure you have your sides aligned too, use a clip to keep them together as shown above bottom left.

Flatten out so that the lining and outer fabrics are wrong sides together. Press, pulling them away from the zip. Increase your stitch length so it matches your quilting and top stitch along either side of the zip from the main side (right).

At this point I switch to my walking foot but a straight stitch foot (default machine foot) is also fine.

Pull your zip open halfway (IMPORTANT!). Line your two pieces of outer fabric RST and do the same with the lining making sure that the edges of the fabric all match up nicely.

Now pin the linings together. You will find that the zip doesn’t lie flat but looks like below top left. Flatten this with your fingers making sure that the zip ends are pointing into the lining side and not into the outer fabrics side (below top right). Check inside the seam to see that the top of the outer panels line up.

Start sewing at the bottom lining side about 4″ away from the corner. I use 3/8″ seam which is roughly equivalent to lining up with your straight stitch foot.  Sew all the way around the perimeter of the pouch, all the way round the main fabric too, until you get back to the lining base. Stop 4″ after the corner and leave a gap for turning.

Starting with the lining flatten out the seams at a corner so the seams from base and sides touch. If you push the top seam in one direction and the bottom seam in the other you can feel with your fingers that they are meeting. Pin and then use a ruler, lined up on seam, to draw a line cutting across the corner at 1½” from corner point. Sew along this lines. Trim away corner leaving 3/8″ seam. Repeat for other lining corner.

Flatten out the seams at the outer fabric corner and open the seams. Use a pin inserted through centre of seam to make sure that the seams are lined up. Mark 1½” lines, sew and trim as above.

Before you turn your pouch inside out trim away some excess fabric at the zip area (left). Just snip away corners of seams and any bulky bits like you would trim corners of a cushion.

Turn inside out, pulling the main fabric through the lining.

Push out the zip ends using a poking tool if need be. You need to give them a good ‘snap’ with your thumbs as you push the ends through. I always find one side works better than the other…

Turn under the seams at the lining gap and sew shut with a top stitch or hand sew.

Press both sides of the pouch gently. Push your lining inside your main fabric.

And voila! You have made your Project Pouch!  The gusset makes it extra practical plus it can stand up on it’s own which is very useful for photography 😉

This extra generous size will even fit my iPad! 

And here’s the other side complete with very subtle floaty tulip.

I do hope you enjoy making your tulips whether for a pouch or for the quilt row. They can seem a bit of a slog when you are making all the units but the whole thing does come together quickly in the end. I would also suggest leaving your end strips until you put the rows together in case you need to make any adjustments.

The Tulips Sponsored Prize!

Our sponsor for part five of the QAL is Aurifil Thread who are offering the perfect thread box for our flower themed QAL. It’s Petal and Stem, the latest collection from Amy Friend of During Quiet Time.

This collection ties in with Amy’s Petal and Stem book, published by Lucky Spool.

I’m a huge fan of Amy’s quilts which are so beautiful and distinctive.

She is the author of three excellent books which I thoroughly recommend. Please do go check her out on Instagram here and at her blog/website here. And if you are enjoying making this quilt and want another flower themed quilt  then look no further than Petal and Stem – same subject but a completely different look!

Amy is also offering an exclusive discount code to all the QAL participants/blog readers. Head to Amy’s Etsy shop here and use the code BEDDINGPLANTS15 to get 15% off all purchases except her books (which are already discounted). Offer code ends August 2nd. Thank you Amy and Aurifil!

To enter the giveaway all you need to do is use the hashtag #beddingplantsQALtulip when you post your Tulip blocks in your feed on Instagram, or share your Tulip blocks in a post in the Bedding Plants QAL Facebook group. I will choose a random winner from the combined IG and FB posts of Tulip blocks. You have from now until midnight BST Sunday 1st August to share your Tulip blocks on either platform. I will draw a winner on Monday 2nd August and post in both places.

Well I think that’s a wrap for this latest Bedding Plants QAL post! Remember as your host I am here to help, so if you have any questions just comment below or send me an email to [email protected].

Looking forward to seeing quilted fields full of beautiful Tulips!