Red White and Blue Tumbler Quilt Fabric
Tumbler Quilt

Colorful Nautical AccuQuilt Tumbler Quilt

Starting a New AccuQuilt Tumbler Quilt

Tumbler quilts are so fun.  It is a traditional patchwork quilt pattern that is simple to make, but has so much character.  Here in Texas, we are experiencing temperatures in the 80’s and I am already getting the itch to go to the beach.  Might as well put some of that energy into my next project, a beach tumbler quilt.  

It will be big enough for a toddler to drag around and snuggle with.  The colors and prints bring to mind ocean water, the sand, and the seafood!  It’s all calling my name.

These tumbler quilt blocks are made with the AccuQuilt Go! Fabric Cutter.  The template is the AccuQuilt Tumbler 3 1/2 Die and it makes an easy tumbler quilt block.  The AccuQuilt Go! Fabric Cutter is a fun way to cut quilt shapes and it saves so much time.  

Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the rotary cutter. 

AccuQuilt Tumbler Quilt

Reds...

Blues...

✩ Racer Stripes Red – Children at Play by Sarah Jane for Michael Miller
✩ Seashells Red – Marine by Lecien
✩ Lobster in White – Catch of the Day by Hoodie for Timeless Treasures
✩ Modern Whimsey Organic Park Circles by Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufman
✩ Black Eyed Susan in Deep Water by Joel Dewberry
✩ Sea Blue – Boho Chevron by Annette Tatum for Free Spirit
✩ Pencil Sweater Check – Little Apples Aneela Hoey for Moda
✩ Rain Drops Navy – Catch of the Day by Hoodie for Timeless Treasures
✩ Honeycomb Dot Blue – Kei Fabrics
✩ Moat Aquamarine – Kingdom by Jessica Levitt for Windham Fabrics
Prepping a Tumbler Quilt

I love laying out the pieces and playing with the different fabrics and colors.  It takes a bit of time to arrange and rearrange the tumblers until I am happy with the layout.

As soon as I start setting them out, the sharks start to circle.  My two very inquisitive cats just sit and wait for me to turn my back so they can pounce.

Once I start laying out the rows, I have to finish it without leaving it or leave a guard in my place.

When every piece is where I like it, I start stacking each row in order to keep it organized.

And then the chain stitching commences.  It makes the process so much faster.

Chain Piecing Quilt Blocks

I don’t have enough free wall space to have a design wall and often hang my pieced quilt tops and bottoms on my curtains in my sewing room.

My south facing windows are covered in thick, white linen curtains that still let in bright light.  I love how the quilt tops look with the light shining through.  They remind me of stained glass windows and brighten my sewing room.

Beach Tumbler Quilt Top
Pinning a Quilt Top
Kwik Klip

When it comes to pinning the quilt together, the Kwik Klip is a handy tool. It makes the pinning process so much easier and saves you all the heartache of getting stuck by the pins.

I always say I am going to be more careful the next time I pin a quilt and it never fails, I end up sticking myself more than once and scratching my nails.  Using the Kwik Klip to help close the pins is so much easier on the hands.

I heavily pin my quilts, but I am careful to pin where I don’t plan on stitching.  This makes quilting faster because I don’t have to stop to remove pins while quilting it on the machine.  I just remove them all after I am finished quilting.

Quilting Beach Tumbler Quilt

On a side note, I would like to mention that I had originally planned to have Rain Drops Navy – Catch of the Day by Hoodie in the mix.  After looking at all the pieces set out, I realized that the navy was just too dark for this quilt and really took away from the aqua and blues.

I chose Little Apples – Lollipop and White Linen Sweater Check by Aneela Hoey for Moda Fabrics for the backing.  It is a good match for this quilt.

Stitching is all finished and now off to work on the binding.  The finished quilt is in the next blog post here: Cheerful Nautical Tumbler Quilt.  Using the AccuQuilt Tumble Template made this such an easy and fun project to make.

You can find fun quilt patterns and completed quilt projects for sale in my Etsy shop Saltwater Quilts.

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