Pro Tips: Making a Hey Betty Boo Quilt

Ready to make a Hey Betty Boo quilt of your own? Here are some helpful preparation, cutting, and piecing tips to consider.

The Hey Betty Boo quilt is really fun to sew together, but I can appreciate there are a lot of pieces to cut and several piecing techniques used. But don't panic! I've got you! Here is a list of multiple tips that will help you enjoy the process from beginning to end.

Note: If you would like to walk through making this quilt one week at a time, over the course of 12 weeks, sign up for the FREE quilt along here.

Want to learn more about each ghost's personality? Check out this blog post to learn about Betty, Bunny, Bailey and Birdie Boo!

Art Gallery Fabrics for the Hey Betty Boo Quilt

Pattern Corrections

Before beginning any pattern, be sure to check the designer's website for any mistakes that have been identified / corrected. Please check your copy of the Hey Betty Boo pattern and take note of these changes:

• Bailey Boo: Steps 8 and 9 should read 5 ½" tall. (PDF pg. 27 / Book pg. 26)

• Birdie Boo: Steps 8 and 9 should read 5" tall. (PDF pg. 32 / Book pg. 31)

You can find a list of all of my pattern corrections here on my website. 

Fabrics

There are a few things to consider when selecting your fabrics:

1. CONTRAST: For the ghosts and the letters, you'll need fabrics that contrast with their backgrounds. But note that while the ghost fabrics only need to contrast with the background color (BG), the letter fabrics need to contrast with both the background AND fabrics A-N.

2. DIRECTIONAL FABRICS: While directional fabrics will be a little challenging to use, it can be done! I used directional fabric for my ghosts and letters in the cover quilt. If you use directional fabrics, be sure to purchase more fabric than the pattern calls for. Note that the pattern does not give specific guidance for directional fabric. All cutting was formulated to help quilters get the most out of every cut.

3. GHOST EYES: The eyes are made up of 3 different fabrics:

   1. The outline fabric is the same as the background color (BG)

   2. The eyeball itself is Fabric H

   3. The inside of the eye is the ghost fabric (GST)

4. POPS OF COLOR: While the personalities of the ghosts bring joy to the design, the pops of color will set the tone for your quilt. Consider playing with color options on this free online coloring tool called Quilt Ink. I recommend using it on a laptop/desktop as opposed to a phone. If you've never used Quilt Ink before, check out this tutorial video before you start.

   
   

Download the FREE Fabric Labels

Cutting Pieces

I am a visual learner. I can't always follow instructions just from written words, but once I see it with my own eyes I can almost always execute like a champ!  For that reason, it's always important to me to have cutting diagrams available to quilters who purchase my patterns.  You can find them on the free downloads page of my website.  Just making 1 or 2 blocks? Reference the individual cutting diagrams on pages 2-7.

PRESS: Press all of your fabrics. If you look at the picture above you'll see fabric that has fold lines in it.  Normally this wouldn't be a huge deal but because we are cutting such small pieces there will be little room for error. You're going to need nice clean, straight cuts.

1. WATER: If you're using AGF (Art Gallery Fabrics) you might be surprised to find that a little spritz of water directly onto the fabric can be just as effective as starch to get out a stubborn wrinkle. Spritz the fabric, use your finger to work the water into the weave of the threads, then press without pulling / distorting the fabric.

2. STARCH: Sometimes starch can leave dots or spots on your fabrics so I tend to use it sparingly. I do love this brand shown above (you can get it here) but I've found it's better to give the fabrics a light dusting instead of spraying to produce heavy droplets.

CUT: I find that I use two rulers over and over again when cutting pieces for a quilt, and there is a way to use the ruler as a trimming guide instead of your mat. There are some skinny pieces to cut this week so take your time. Go nice and slow.

1. FABRIC LABELS: When pattern designers offer fabric labels, I always recommend that you use them to keep your pieces organized. The Hey Boo block has several background pieces that are similar in size but not exactly the same.  If you label them as you cut them, you're less likely to need your seam ripper. 

2. 24" RULER: Having a long ruler that reaches all the way across your cutting mat is helpful to achieve long, straight cuts from the WOF (Width of Fabric). There are more tools than I can list here to help keep your ruler from slipping.  If you have a trick for this, feel free to share it in the Facebook Group!

3. 12" RULER: I find that using a smaller ruler is perfect for those smaller cuts. It is especially helpful to place your fabric UNDER a smaller ruler when cutting the small pieces for the comma in this block.

4. Try not to follow the inch marks on your mat, but instead put your fabric under the ruler and use the guides to cut the exact size you need. Sometimes this is a brain bender for me and I use the guides on a mat - but I DO wear out my mats faster this way.

Piecing the Blocks

1. TEST YOUR SEAM ALLOWANCE.  Take the time to test your seam allowance to ensure your pieces are the correct lengths AFTER they are sewn together. I've included a little TIP section just under the block diagrams. Small mis-steps in pieces can snowball into a big problem when you try to sew all of your letters together into words.

2. SHORTEN YOUR STITCH LENGTH. I like to use a stitch length of 1.7-2.0 when I am sewing smaller pieces together.

3. SPRAY STARCH ON LETTERS. Sometimes starch can make your fabric shrink so only use this tip if you've already tested your starch on your fabrics.  I like to give my letters a little spritz of starch to help them lay flat. You can even use a quilt clapper to hold that heat in for extra crispness.

4. STITCH AND FLIP TIPS. There are tiny stitch and flip sections on the letters Y and B, and also in the Comma of the HEY BOO block. Sew your fabrics RST first, then flip the piece back and PRESS to check that it is going to create a perfect edge.  If all looks good, THEN snip off that small excess leaving ¼" of fabric in that seam allowance.

5. FOUR-AT-A-TIME HSTs (Half Square Triangles). Need a little extra guidance when making 4-at-a-time HSTs? Here is an indepth video that shows the process from beginning to end:

Time Saving Tips

Here are a few tips for chain piecing, trimming and more while you're making your Hey Betty Boo quilt:

It's absolutely thrilling and fulfilling to see what you make from my designs. Feel free to tag me on Instagram when you post photos of your blocks & quilts. I'd love to see what you're making! Happy sewing, y'all!

-- love --

Annie Moose