Kimberbell Clear Blue Tiles: Know Your Tiles

You've heard the buzz about Kimberbell Clear Blue Tiles®, but do you have questions about how they work?

Or do you have a set . . .but they're still in the box? 🤔

Friends, it's time to whip those tiles out, use them, and expand your creativity more than you can now imagine. (Don't be intimidated . . .they're SEW easy to use!)

Clear Blue Tiles Seminar 

Over the past few months, Kim has hosted a series of (incredibly helpful) Clear Blue Tiles seminars. Here's the first one, where Kim demonstrates how they work!

You can find the other seminars on our YouTube channel. 😊 Just imagine how you can use these tiles to take ALL of your projects across the finish line! 

Now, let's get acquainted with the tiles themselves, as well as review how Clear Blue Tiles help you achieve all-over background quilting. (You can also use them to custom quilt individual blocks!)

Knowing Your Tiles

Each Clear Blue Tile was designed with very specific markings, and each is used for a different purpose. 

1. Grid: Tiles are marked with 1 x 1" grid squares
2. Center Dot: Shows the center of each tile and the design
3. Size: The tile size in inches, which corresponds with an embroidery file
4. Name: Clarifies whether it's a Finished Block Tile or a Finished Border Tile
5. Crosshairs: Used to mark crosshairs on the fabric and center the design in your hoop
6. Size Window: A space for marking the tile size on the fabric
7. Corner Mark: Where to mark the tile corner
8. Side Mark: Where to mark the tile side
9. Arrow: Where the top of hoop should be when hooping fabric

Marking Your Fabric

Now let's talk about how they work!

First, you'll choose the tile you want to use. Clear Blue Tiles come as Finished Block Tiles or Finished Border Tiles in the following sizes:

• Finished Block Tiles: 2x2, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, 2x10, 4x4, 4x6, 8x8, 8x10, 4x8, 6x6, 6x8, 6x10, 4x10
• Finished Border Tiles: 1x7, 2x7, 3x7, 4x7 5x7, 6x7, 1x10, 2x10, 3x10, 4x10, 5x10, 6x10

Once you've chosen your tile size, simply place the tile on your fabric and mark the center dot, the crosshairs, and the side and corner markings with a water-soluble pen.

You'll also write the tile size in the little window. This is important because the embroidery files correspond to specific tile sizes (and have the same name)! 

Pssst! You can use a variety of tile sizes on the same project, as they're all the same scale.

Please note that you'll need the Essentials Set before adding to your tiles collection with the Expansion and/or the Expansion 2 sets (which have larger tile sizes). 

Quilting Your Design

Once your fabric is all marked up, simply hoop your fabric (making sure the marked arrow is pointing to the top of your hoop and the needle is centered with the center dot).

Then choose the embroidery file size that matches the size of your Clear Blue Tile and start stitching! After that section is quilted, you'll just re-hoop and repeat. 

The result is continuous, seamless background quilting! After embroidering your project, simply spritz the water-soluble markings away so all that remains is your beautiful quilting design.

And that, my friends, is a quick recap of what the tiles are like and how they work. Learn more about Kimberbell background quilting HERE!

The Clear Blue Tiles Essentials Set, the Expansion Set, and the Expansion Set 2 are available through your favorite quilt shop or HERE on Kimberbell.com. 

And by the way . . .the Essentials Set comes with a Seasonal Table Runner project and coordinating background designs! Here's just a sample:

Pretty, huh? Clear Blue Tiles really are a game-changer and can be used on everything from quilts and table runners to zipper pouches, apparel, and so much more! 

Remember to check our YouTube channel for Clear Blue Tiles seminars and other helpful tutorials! 

Happy Stitching!