Scattered Squares Pillow

Hello All!–Corey Yoder of Little Miss Shabby here! I always love hanging out over here on MBS and sharing a new project with you. =) This is a quick, beginner friendly design that will add a dash of panache to your living space. It uses just one mini charm pack and a bit of yardage–you might even already have all the supplies you will need to complete this project. I love adding hand quilting to my projects but you could easily swap out the hand quilting for machine quilting and have this pillow on your couch in a jiffy.

(The fabrics I used are in parentheses)

-1 Mini Charm Pack (Miss Kate)
-1/4 yard background fabric (9900-98)
-1/8 yard border fabric (55091-12)
-1/2 yard pillow backing fabric (55090-17)
-1/8 yard binding fabric (55092-17)
-20″ square piece of pillow backing fabric (this will be used for the pillow top sandwich)
-20″ square piece of quilt batting

-18″ pillow form

Thread for hand quilting, if desired. I prefer to use an 8 wt. Perle Cotton.

Cutting Instructions

From the background fabric cut:

(3) 1″ x width of fabric strips, subcut into (36) 1″ x 2 1/2″ rectangles

(3) 1″ x width of fabric strips, subcut into (36) 1″ x 3″ rectangles

(2) 1″ x width of fabric strips, subcut into (2) 1″ x 15 1/2″ strips & (2) 1″ x 16 1/2″ strips

From the border fabric cut:

(2) 1 1/2″ x wof strips, subcut into (2) 1 1/2″ x 16 1/2″ strips & (2) 1 1/2″ x 18 1/2″ strips

From the pillow backing fabric cut:

(2) 12 1/2″ x 18 1/2″ rectangles

From the binding fabric cut:

(2) 2 1/8″ x wof strips, trim selvages and sew together to create continuous binding

Piecing Instructions

Notes:
-Use a scant 1/4″ seam allowance

-You will need (36) mini charms from the charm pack. I opted to remove several of the solid colors.

1. Sew a 1″ x 2 1/2″ background rectangle to the side of each of the 36 mini charm squares. Press toward the rectangle.

2. Sew a 1″ x 3″ background rectangle to the side of the units made in Step 1. Press toward the rectangle.

3. Layout the squares as pictured. Sew the squares together in horizontal rows. Press seams in adjoining rows in opposite directions. Sew together the rows. Press seams in one direction.

Adding the Borders:

(Press all seams away from the center)

-Sew the 1″ x 15 1/2″ background strips to the sides of the pillow top.

-Sew the 1″ x 16 1/2″ background strips to the top and bottom of the pillow top.

-Sew the 1 1/2″ x 16 1/2″ border strips to the sides of the pillow top.

-Sew the 1 1/2″ x 18 1/2″ border strips to the top and bottom of the pillow top.

This completes your pillow top!

Layer the pillow top, 20″ batting square, and 20″ pillow backing square to create a pillow sandwich. Quilt as desired.

Finishing the Pillow

1. Hem (1) 18 1/2″ side of each of the 12 1/2″ x 18 1/2″ pillow backing rectangles. To do so, fold the edge in(wrong sides together) approx. 1/4″ and press into place. Fold in an additional 1/4″ and press. Top stitch into place.

2. With the pillow top facing down, place the hemmed rectangles as shown. The finished pillow backing edges will overlap in the center of the pillow and all raw edges will be aligned.

3. Pin the backing pieces into place. Use a long stitch and baste 1/8″ around the perimeter of the pillow top.

4. Sew the binding onto the pillow to complete your pillow. The scalloped fabrics in Bonnie & Camille’s fabric lines are perfect binding fabrics.

1 beautiful 18″ x 18″ Pillow which, incidentally, is the perfect companion to my Ruby, Pearl, & Opal quilt which I shared on MBS several years ago when Bonnie & Camille’s Ruby line of fabric was released.

You can find the tutorial for this quilt here.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial!–I hope you’ll stop by my blog, Little Miss Shabby, for a visit!

Corey Yoder
{Little Miss Shabby}

Baby Showers Quilt

Mar20

Hi there! It is LeAnne Ballard from Everyday Celebrations with a fun baby quilt for you today. Like many, I absolutely adore the new line April Showers and loved making these two baby quilts. The design is the same for both, appliqued raindrops, but the placement is different for each quilt.

I hope you have fun making this quilt! Check out my other recipes here.

Per Quilt

10 fat quarters*
1 1/2 yards background/neutral fabric
1 1/2 yards backing fabric
1/2 yard binding
2 1/4 yards fuisble webbing (I prefer Heat n’ Bond Lite or you can use your preferred applique method.)
template plastic (Print out raindrop template and trace onto template plastic. Transfer markings from the raindrop onto the template plastic. Cut out template.)
batting

*Note: You could also use jelly roll strips for the scrappy raindrops and fat quarters/fat eighths for the solid raindrops.

Decide whether you want to make the normal or staggered layout:

*All seams are 1/4″ unless noted.

Cutting

From the 1 1/2 background/neutral cut:
{4} 12.5″ x WOF strips
subcut into {4} 10.5″ x 12.5″ rectangles for a total of {16} rectangles
*Note: If you are making the staggered raindrop quilt, trim {4} of the rectangles to 10.5″ x 12.25″. Place these in a separate pile and label. This is the only cutting difference between the quilts.

From each fat quarter cut: the remaining fat quarter will be used for the solid raindrops
{2} 2.5″ x 21″ (or width of the fat quarter) strips
from each strip subcut {1} 9.5″ x 2.5″ and {1} 11.5″ x 2.5″ (I just left the remaining strip. The strip needs to be at least 11.5″.)

Binding
From the 1/2 yard for the binding cut:
{5} 2.5″ x WOF strips

Prepare Applique
Trace {16} raindrops onto the fusible webbing using the raindrop template. Transfer markings onto the fusible webbing. Roughly cut around each raindrop leaving about 1/4″ around each raindrop. Next, cut out the centers of the raindrops leaving about 1/2″. This will help keep the quilt cuddly and soft instead of stiff from the fusible webbing.

Block Assembly

Vertical Raindrops

1. For each vertical raindrop select {4} 2.5″ x 11.5″ strips. Arrange as desired and sew. Press seams OPEN. Make a total of {4} vertical units. (You will have extra of these strips.)

2. Flip the unit over and line up the mark at the bottom with the center seam as shown below. Line up the tip of the raindrop with the same center seam. Quickly fuse in place. (I found it easier to “baste” the fusible web in place by quickly lifting the iron up and down over the webbing. Then I flipped the unit over to the front and fused as directed by my instructions. Otherwise, it was easy to mess up the directions of the seams.)

3. Cut out the raindrop. Leave paper in place until you are ready to fuse in place. Repeat for {4} vertical raindrops.

Horizontal Raindrops

1. For each horizontal raindrop select {5} 2.5″ x 9.5″ strips. Arrange as desired and sew. Press seams open. Make a total of {4} horizontal units.

2. To line up this raindrop, fold the unit in half and lightly press to create a crease. Fuse the webbing in place just like you did for the vertical raindrops, just use the crease as you guide. Repeat for {4} horizontal raindrops.

Solid Raindrops

1. Select {8} of the fat quarters for your solid raindrops. Fuse the raindrop fusible web onto the remaining part of the fat quarter. (Follow the directions for your brand of fusible webbing.)

2. Allow to cool then cut on tracing line. Repeat for {8} solid raindrops.

Patchwork Raindrop
If you opt to make this block, make in place of one of the solid raindrops.

1. From one of the remaining fat quarters cut {1} 4.75″ x 11″ piece and {1} 3.5″ x 11″ piece. From the leftover 2.5″ strips cut {6} 2.5″ squares.

2. Sew together all the 2.5″ squares. Press seams all one direction. Trim unit to measure 11″ long. I just trimmed a little off the top and bottom.

3. Sew the pieces cut from the fat quarter to either side of the patchwork unit. Mine didn’t line up exactly which is fine. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

4. Flip unit over with the patchwork unit to your left. Line up the mark on the raindrop with the seam line running the length of the patchwork unit. Fuse in place and cut raindrop out.

Fuse Raindrops to Background

1. Fold the background rectangles in half lengthwise to create a crease.

2. Remove paper backing and center raindrop onto the rectangle. Raindrop should be about 1.5″ inches from the sides and 1.25″ from the top and bottom. Fuse in place following webbing directions. Repeat for all raindrops.
*For the staggered layout: Adhere {2} of the SOLID and {2} of the VERTICAL raindrops to the slightly smaller (12.25″ x 10.5″) rectangles. These will go in the positions shown below. (Don’t sew the quilt top together yet, this picture just references where the smaller rectangles will go.)

3. Machine stitch around each raindrop to secure in place. This can be done in a variety of ways. You could use a zig-zag, satin, blanket (if your machine has that option), or a simple straight stitch. For my quilts I opted to use a blanket stitch and straight stitch. With the straight stitch, I sewed about 1/4″ away from the edge of the raindrop. Note if you choose to use a straight stitch, the raw edges will fray and wear over time. This step is easiest to do BEFORE you sew the quilt top together.

Quilt Assembly

For the regular layout:
1. Arrange the quilt units in {4} rows of {4} as shown below.

2. Sew units together in rows and press seams one direction, alternating from row to row. Then sew rows together. Press seams one direction. Press entire quilt top.

For the staggered layout:
3. Cut 2 of the SOLID raindrops in half, NOT the slightly smaller ones. Cut the unit in half to make {2} 6.25″ x 10.5″ units. These will go in the positions below:

4. Sew units together in rows and press seams one direction, alternating from row to row. Then sew rows together. Press seams one direction. Press entire quilt top.

5. Then baste, quilt, and bind!

one 40″ x 48″ baby quilt

LeAnne Ballard

{everydaycelebrate.blogspot.com}

Quilt As You Go Improv Pillows

Mar7

Hi All! This is Jera from www.QuiltingintheRain.com bringing you a creative weekend project. This pillow uses a modern Quilt as you Go technique which will be featured in my upcoming book, Quilt-As-You-Go Made Modern, to be released this Fall. I’m so excited to share this technique with you all!

The Quilt as you Go technique is very creative as it doesn’t follow a precise pattern. Rather, it takes on more of a improvisational style of piecing and quilting. For updates on my latest quilting endeavors, check out my Quilting in the Rain Facebook page and blog. You can also find me on Instagram. Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy the tutorial!

Please Note – For this pillow I used leftover Layer Cake squares from the April Showers Collection by Bonnie and Camille. Leftover fat quarter scraps will work too. For the solid borders, I used Moda Solids Prairie Cloth in Buff (this material is home decor weight but has a linen/canvas feel to it). For the back of the pillow, I used Moda’s Twill (home decor weight), Nautical Ticking Stripes in Red.

For Pillow No.1 (14″ x 14″ pillow cover):

1 layer cake square (or a 10″ square cut from a fat quarter)
1/4 yard border fabric
3/8 yard Backing
15.5″ x 15.5″ batting square (needle-punched batting)
pillow insert

For Pillow No.2 (16″ x 12″ pillow cover):

6 layer cake squares for variety (or six different fat quarter prints)
1/4 yard border fabric
3/8 yard backing
17.5″ x 13.5″ batting square (needle-punched batting)
pillow insert

For Pillow No. 1 (14″ x 14″ pillow cover):

1. Take a 10″ square and place it in the center of the batting. Place a few pins to help keep it down. Then, quilt it directly to the batting. As shown below, make sure your stitch starts and ends on the batting.

I did free-motion quilting with some simple loopy-loops. If you’ve never free-motion quilted before, now is a good time to try it out as it’s easier to do it on a smaller, more manageable block.

2. From your border fabric, cut two 3.5″ strips along the length. Take a strip and trim it with fabric scissors so it’s the same length as the side of the square. With right sides facing together, sew a 1/4″ seam allowance.

3. Press open, and then quilt lines that run parallel to the seam. There will be some extra fabric hanging over the batting. As shown below, make sure your stitch starts and ends on the batting.

4. Take the strip and trim it with fabric scissors so that it measures the length of the square and strip that you just pieced together, as shown below. With right sides facing together, sew a 1/4″ seam allowance.

5. Press open, and then quilt lines that run parallel to the seam. There will be some extra fabric hanging over the batting.

6. Repeat the previous steps until there is border fabric surrounding all four sides of the square. You are essentially piecing fabric in a log-cabin style method, but quilting it directly onto the batting as you go.

When you are finished, the entire batting will be covered and will look similar to this.

The back will look similar to this:

Flip the block over so the batting side is facing you. Trim the excess fabric sticking out side of the batting. Then, flip it over so the patchwork is facing you and trim approximately 1/4″- 1/2″ from all four sides so that your block measures 14.5″x14.5″.

7. Next, create an envelope closure for the backing. From your backing fabric, cut two 11″x14.5″ rectangles. Along the length, turn the edge 1/4″ under, press, then turn under 1″, then press again. Stitch along the fold to keep in place to create a pretty seam. Repeat on the other rectangle as well.

With right sides facing together, take one rectangle and align it along the left side of the pillow cover. The finished seam you created from the previous step should be facing toward the right. Pin to keep in place, then sew a 1/4″ seam allowance along the perimeter as illustrated by the dashed line below. Start and end your stitch with a back-stitch.

Repeat with the other rectangle, but align it on the right side of the pillow. Lastly, trim the corners to get rid of bulk fabric, and then turn right side out.

Insert the pillow and there you have it! 🙂

For Pillow No.2 (16″ x 12″ pillow cover):

Please note: For this pillow, the same exact technique that was described above (for pillow No.1) was used, except with smaller pieces of fabric. The technique I explained from the first pillow will give you the basic understanding you need to complete this next pillow. That being said, I will not list step-by-step instructions. Rather, I have listed the order in which the strips should be pieced. Enjoy!

1. From your fabric, cut one 3″ square and a couple 2″ strips from each print (you will trim these strips as needed).

2. Start by placing the 3″ square in the center of the batting, and then quilt it. Next, add strips making sure to trim them with fabric scissors to the correct size. Add the strips in the following order, using the quilt as you go method previously described. For this pillow, I quilted straight lines that ran parallel to all of the seams.

Tip! Fabric can shift while stitching on the batting. Correct for this by keeping the strips aligned and ‘square’ them as necessary. The seams of each successive piece should be at a 90° angle to the previous quilted piece.

Also, please note that your pieces will shift around slightly and the batting will stretch a little – this is completely normal. So don’t expect yours to look as straight as the illustration above. =)

3. From your border fabric, cut one 5-6″ wide strip along the length. With right sides facing together, place the strip along the length of the patchwork as shown below. Overlap the strip with the patchwork as needed to straighten it out, and as mentioned in the “Tip!” above. Sew.

4. Press the strip down, and then quilt lines that run parallel to the seam. Repeat for the top so that the entire batting is covered.

5. Flip the block over so the batting side is facing you. Trim the excess fabric sticking out side of the batting. Then, flip it over so the patchwork is facing you and trim approximately 1/4″- 1/2″ from all four sides so that your block measures 16.5″x12.5″.

6. Next, create an envelope closure for the backing. From your backing fabric, cut two 11″x12.5″ rectangles. Repeat step 7 from Pillow No.1 to create the envelope closure and to finish your pillow.

And that’s it! Quilt as you Go is a fun and different way to quilt. I hope you enjoyed learning this new improvisational technique! Now that you know the concept, you can get really creative with all the other fun Quilt as you Go pillow designs you can think up!

(Above: Paige modeling a Quilt as you Go strip quilt using the Scrumptious collection by Bonnie and Camille).

Come visit me at www.QuiltingintheRain.com for more Quilt as you Go projects. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram.

Let your creativity rain!

xoxo

-jera brandvig

{www.QuiltingintheRain.com}

Hourglass Star Quilt

Feb27

Hello! My name is Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting and I am here to share a quilt made with a fat eighth bundle of Bonnie and Camille’s beautiful new April Showers collection. This quilt is really quick to put together and it is a great way to show of some of those pretty fabrics.

1 Fat Eighth Bundle April Showers
2.5 Yards Moda Weave
1/4 Yard Teal Border Fabric
1/2 Yard Umbrella Border Fabric
1/2 Yard Binding Fabric

From your background fabric cut:
4 strips 8″xWOF. Subcut into 16 blocks 8″x 8″.
4 strips 4.5″xWOF. Subcut into 32 blocks 4.5″x 4.5″.
10 strips 4″xWOF. Subcut into 64 blocks 4″x 4″.

Using the prints that will create the most contrast with your background fabric cut:
16 squares 8″x 8″
32 squares 4.5″x 4.5″

Borders:
Cut 3 strips 2.5″x WOF
Cut 3 strips 5.5″x WOF

Binding:
Cut 7 strips 2.5″x WOF

For each block you will need:
1 – 8″x 8″ print
1 – 8″x 8″ background fabric
2 – 4.5″x 4.5″ print
2 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ background fabric
2 – 4″x 4″ background fabric

Take the 8″x 8″ background fabric square and the 4.5″x 4.5″ background fabric squares and draw a diagonal line using a washable pen onto the wrong side of the fabric.

Place the background square together with a print square of the same size, right sides together, and sew 1/4″ away from the drawn line on either side.

Cut along the drawn line.

Press the seams open.

Trim the larger blocks down to 7.5″ square and the smaller blocks down to 4″ square. When trimming line up the diagonal on your ruler with the seam to make sure that your trimmed square will be straight.

Admire your trimmed block.

Arrange the blocks like the image below.

Start by piecing together the smaller squares into pairs.

Piece together the blocks in the order illustrated in the following photos.

Repeat to make 15 more blocks.

Sew together the border pieces to create 2 pieces 2.5″x 57.5″ for Border A and 2 pieces 5.5″x 57.5″ for Border B.

Arrange the blocks and borders as shown below. Sew together the blocks into rows and sew the Border A and Border B pieces together.

Sew the rows and borders together to create the finished quilt top.

Baste, quilt, and bind as desired.

Finished size: 57″x70″

Erica Jackman
{kitchentablequilting.blogspot.com}

Applique Hearts Pillow

Feb15

Hi All! This is Jera from www.QuiltingintheRain.com bringing you this simple Applique Hearts Pillow tutorial just in time for Valentine’s day. Depending on what fabrics you use, the pillow can be used year round. This pillow has an easy envelope enclosure, making this a quick and fun weekend project that you can complete in a few hours.

Also, I wanted to share that I have a quilting book coming out this year, so come check out my blog for details (or for some great tutorials!), or follow me (and my corgi, Paige) at Quilting in the Rain’s Facebook to see my latest quilts and projects. Thank you so much for stopping by! Let your creativity rain!

1 yard Moda Solids Prairie Cloth in Buff (this material is home decor weight but has a linen/canvas feel to it)
1 Bella Solids charm pack in Porcela, plus one scrap for the colored heart
Clear glue that works on fabric
Coordinating thread
20″ square pillow insert

1. From the prairie cloth, cut one 21″ square. For the back of the pillow, cut two 15″ x 21″ rectangles (these will be made into the envelope closure).

From the charm squares, cut hearts of varying shapes and sizes. I think the variety and imperfection of the heart shapes adds character to the pillow. To cut a big heart, simply fold a charm square in half and crease it with your finger so it stays folded. Then, use fabric scissors to cut the arch of ‘half of a heart’ along the folded edge. When you unfold it, you will have a heart shape.

To make smaller hearts, repeat but cut two hearts from one charm square.

I started by cutting approximately 8 big hearts, and then filled up the pillow with smaller and medium sized hearts. Also, from your scrap fabric cut one medium-size colored heart.

2. Next, arrange the hearts on the 21″ square.

3.Use clear glue that works on fabric to temporarily hold the hearts in place. Use very little glue as this is just an alternative to using pins and is meant to be temporary. For each heart I put the tiniest drop of glue and then spread it with my finger to make a very thin layer.

This is the glue I ended up using but i’m sure Elmers would work just as well. I just recommend getting a clear adhesive.

4. Sew the hearts in place using a regular presser foot. I simply guided the edge of my presser foot along the heart to sew a 1/4″ seam allowance, using a straight stitch setting.

If you’ve never done this before, to get around the curves of the heart you will need to stop and pivot the fabric quite often. To do this, simply stop sewing with the needle in down position, lift the presser foot and pivot the fabric underneath to follow the curve. You’ll get the hang of it. 🙂

5. Along the length of a 15″ x 21″ rectangles, turn the edge 1/4″ under, press, then turn under 1″, then press again. Stitch along the fold to keep in place as shown below. Repeat on the other rectangle as well.

6. With right sides facing together, take one rectangle and align it along the left side of the pillow cover. The finished seam you created from the previous step should be facing toward the right. Pin to keep in place, then sew a 1/2″ seam allowance along the perimeter as illustrated by the dashed line below. Start and end your stitch with a back-stitch.

Repeat with the other rectangle, but align it on the right side of the pillow.

Clip the corners to rid of bulk and then turn right side out through the envelope opening.

7. Lastly, rub your hands up and down the pillow to help ruffle-up the edges of the hearts. The semi-freyed and ruffled hearts adds texture to the pillow. The freying will not go beyond the stitch.

And there you have it! A beautiful, applique heart pillow!

One fabulous 20″ x 20″ pillow

Thanks again for checking out my tutorial! Come visit me at www.QuiltingintheRain.com or follow me on Facebook at QuiltingintheRain. You can also find me on Instagram.

Let your creativity rain! 🙂

Jera Brandvig
{www.QuiltingintheRain.com}

Candy Scraps Quilt

Feb13

Hello all!–I am excited to be sharing another quilt pattern with you here on Moda Bake Shop. My name is Corey; you will usually find me blogging over at Little Miss Shabby.

I am always drawn to a great scrap quilt–they are probably some of my favorite quilts. Moda’s mini charm packs are a perfect way to create a scrap quilt. If you prefer a less scrappy quilt, this quilt could also be made using one regular charm pack and one mini charm pack. Check out the end of the tutorial to see the quilt made using Mirabelle by Fig Tree Quilts.

*5 Moda Candy packs (I used From Outside In, Ducks in a Row, April Showers, Mixed Bag, & Daydream)
1 White Solid Jelly Roll
2 1/4 yard Linen Mochi Dot Unbleached Linen (32911-11)
3 1/8 yard Backing
1/2 yard Binding (I used April Showers, Teal Stripe, 55083-12)
56″ x 72″ batting

*For a less scrappy version choose one regular charm pack & one Moda Candy pack, cut each 5″ square into (4) 2.5″ squares

(48) 8 1/2″(trim a regular sized piece of paper to the correct size) pieces of copy paper; draw a diagonal line from one corner to another

A variety of 8 wt. Perle Cotton if hand quilting

Cutting Instructions

From the Jelly Roll:
Use 22 strips, cut (192) 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangles (cut 9 from each strip)

From the Linen cut:
(16) 1 3/4″ x WOF strips; subcut (48) 1 3/4″ x 14″ strips
(7) 6″ x WOF strips; subcut (48) 6″ squares, cut diagonally once to make 96 triangles

Block Construction

~All sewing is done right sides together using a scant 1/4″ seam allowance~

Begin by sewing together the mini charm pack squares in pairs. You will need a total of 96 pairs. Press toward the darker fabric.

Sew a 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangle onto each side of the units made above as pictured below. Press to the white.

Center a 1 3/4″ x 14″ linen strip across the unmarked diagonal. Tip: use a little bit of temp. spray adhesive to keep it in place.

Place a mini charm strip right sides together with the linen strip. Center as illustrated. Using a small stitch length, sew the strips together. You will be sewing the strips onto the paper. Press away from the center.

Sew another mini charm strip to the other side of the linen strip in the same manner.

Sew a triangle onto each side. Center as illustrated. Press away from the center.

Your block should now look like this:

Trim the block even with the 8 1/2″ paper. Remove the paper to complete the block.

Make a total of (48) 8 1/2″ blocks.

Layout the blocks 6 blocks x 8 blocks. Sew together, pressing the seams of adjacent rows in opposite directions.

Your quilt top is now complete and you can baste, quilt, and bind using your preferred methods. For my quilt, I opted to big stitch, hand quilt using a variety of 8 wt. Perle Cotton threads.

A striped binding is the perfect addition to any quilt.

And, of course, as promised here is the quilt using all Mirabelle by Fig Tree Quilts:

One scrappy 48″ x 64″ Candy Scraps Quilt. Perfect for snuggling under–my kids will attest to this! =)

For other fun quilts, tutorials, quilt alongs, and stitch alongs, visit my blog at Little Miss Shabby.

Corey Yoder
{www.littlemissshabby.com}

Patchwork Pot Holder

Feb3

Hi everyone! My name is Hilary and I blog over at Young Texan Mama. I am really excited about sharing my first project with you over here at the Moda Bake Shop. I love working with pre-cuts and this is a simple and quick project that uses the adorable Moda Mini Charm Packs.

1 – Moda Candy Mini Charm Pack
2 – Fat Quarters
1 – 6.5″ x 6.5″ piece of cotton batting
2 – 6.5″ x 8″ piece of cotton batting
or
1 – 6.5″ x 8.5″ piece of batting & 1 – 6.5″ x 8.5″ piece of Insul-Bright batting

Cutting:
Out of one Fat Quarter cut the following:
2 – 6.5″ sqaures
1 – 6.5″ x 8.5″ rectangle

Out of your 2nd fat quarter:
3 – 2.25″ x 22″ strips (they don’t have to be exactly 22″ just cut them from the long side of your fat quarter).

Step 1: Select 9 mini charms to be the main panel of your pot holder, and 3 mini charms to be the accent of the larger piece.

Stitch the 9 minis into 3 rows of 3. I like to chain piece my squares over sewing one at at time.

Press your seams in alternating directions, then sew the 3 rows into a 9 patch block. I like to press the seams between the rows open to reduce the bulk. You’ll be left with a 6.5″ square.

Step 2: Take your 3 remaining minis and sew into a row of 3. Press your seams in one direction, you’ll be left with a 2.5″ x 6.5″ strip. Sew this strip to one of your 6.5″ squares of fabric from your FQ.

Step 3: Using your 9 patch block, a piece of 6.5″ batting, and the remaining 6.5″ fabric square, make a quilt sandwich & quilt as desired.

I like to baste the layers together with a couple of safety pins to keep the layers from shifting while quilting.

I quilted my piece with diagonal lines through the points of the squares, but you can quilt it however you want. I think it would look cute with loops or an all over meander.

Step 4: Take your pieced 6.5″ x 8.5″ rectangle, your 2 – 6.5″ x 8.5″ pieces of batting (or Insul-Bright), and your 6.5″ x 8.5″ rectangle. Sandwich the 4 layers together, baste with safety pins, and quilt. I used 2 pieces of cotton batting for the interior of my pot holder.

I’ve never had problems with 2 layers of cotton batting not being enough insulation, but if your worried, then a layer of Insul-bright would definitely protect your hand from heat.

Step 5: Sew your 3 binding strips together, end to end, so you end up with on long strip. Press the seams open to reduce the bulk. Fold binding in half, wrong sides together, and press. Cut a 4 inch piece of binding for your loop, and cut a 6.5 inch piece of binding for the top of your square panel.

Take the 6.5 inch strip and sew it to the top edge of the main panel with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Once sewn, fold it around to the back and stitch in place. I like to machine bind mine, but if you prefer you can hand stitch it down.

This is what your main piece will look like when you’re finished. Set it aside.

Step 6: With your mini charms facing up, baste your 2 panels together with a 1/8″ seam allowance. That will prevent shifting when you sew your binding on. Sew slowly because you’ll be sewing through several layers of fabric.

Take the 4.5″ piece and fold the ends to the center and press, creating a double fold binding. Sew along the open long edge to close it together.

Pin and baste the loop you just created to the back of the 6.5″ x 8.5″ quilted panel.

Step 7: Take the remainder of your binding and stitch it to your potholder with 1/4″ seam allowance. Again, sew slowly because you will be sewing through several layers of fabric. A walking foot might be beneficial for this step.

When you get to the loop, make sure it is laying flat on the back of the pot holder.

Step 8: When you get back around to your starting point, make sure you have enough binding so that the 2 edges overlap about 3/4″. (I had already trimmed out the remainder of my binding at this point.)

Fold over the raw edge of one strip, and then tuck the other one inside. That way when you sew it together there are no raw edges showing. Fold the edges flat and continue sewing your seam, making sure to back-stitch where you started.

Step 9: Once it is stitched down, fold binding to the back and pin or clip in place. If you pin, try not to sew over your pins because it could break your needle and mess up your machine. I learned that the hard way when I first learned how to sew.

Again when you get to the loop, make sure it is laying flat.When you get back around to your starting point back-stitch to secure the stitches, and you’re done!

When you’re finished you are left with 1 super adorable pot holder to spice up your kitchen!

There are enough mini charms in a pack to make 3 pot holders, but you’ll need more of your other materials.

I hope you enjoy making this pot holder as much as I did, and if you make it I’d love for you to share it to the Moda Bake Shop Flickr group. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hilary Smith
{www.youngtexanmama.com}

Layer Cake Waterfall

Dec4

This is literally a no sewing project! Layer cakes are my favorite pre-cut to sew with but my least favorite to hoard because they just aren’t as pretty as the rest of the bunch. I tend to sew with them right away. But with this easy folding technique, I can make them look pretty to wait for me on the shelf while I spend some quality time with my jelly rolls and fat quarter bundles.

I’ve used this same technique to dress up fat quarter bundles so I thought I’d give layer cakes a try. A layer cake rolled up in this way is the perfect size to stuff into a stocking. And if you don’t think Santa is going to bring one of these lovelies to you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with putting one in your own stocking!

1 Layer Cake (I used Scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille)
6 to 8 inches of twill tape or ribbon (I used Moda twill tape that I saved from a jelly roll)

Fold your layer cake squares in half. (Look at all that layer cake dust!)

Line up the folded and bottom edges and fan them out about 1/4″ apart. Stack some prints on top of each other but make sure the ones you like best are showing.

Starting from one end, roll them up.

The ends of the outer layer cake should almost touch. Use a rubber band or twill tape to tie the bundle together.

Start folding down the edges of various layer cake squares to create a waterfall effect. You won’t be able to fold down each one individually but you should be able to get a nice variety.

Adjust the folded layers until you get just the right look.

One sweet little bundle! Perfect to keep and lovely to give.

Hop over to {my blog} to see this tutorial using fat quarters.

May your stocking be stuffed with layer cakes this Christmas!

Lisa Calle
{www.vintagemodernquilts.com}

Scrumptious Scrappy Chevron Picnic Quilt

Oct23

Hi Everyone! I’m Rhonda from Patchwork Sampler and I’m thrilled to be sharing my first Moda Bake Shop project with you. This is an easy project that’s perfect for a baby quilt, throw or bed topper. I used the beautiful “Scrumptious” line of fabric from Bonnie and Camille for this quilt and it turned out to be a wonderfully bright, happy project!

Fabric:
One layer cake-Scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille
1 yard of background-Bella Porcelain (9900-182), Scrumptious Cream Solid (55078-17) or similar fabric
2/3 yard binding-Scrumptious Diagonal Stripe Aqua (55071-12)
3½ yards backing-I used Scrumptious Aqua (55073-12)

Tools:
Pencil
Rotary cutter and ruler
Basic sewing supplies
Sewing machine

Use ¼” seams throughout this project unless otherwise noted. Pressing directions are given when it makes a difference in piecing units or sewing blocks together. There are two squares of the cream solid in the Scrumptious layer cake. I did not use those in my project because of the similarity to the background fabric. Just set them aside and use them in another quilt!

This quilt is made from two easy blocks. We’ll start by making Block A, the chevron block first.

Cut each of the remaining 40 squares in half so you have (2) 5″ x 10″ rectangles from each. Make two stacks of rectangles. One set will be used in block A. Set the other set aside to use for Block B.

Cut each of the rectangles from the Block A set in half, making two 5″ squares from each.

Select 42 of the 5″ squares to use for the half-square triangles (HST) in Block A. Be sure to select squares that contrast with your background. Trim each of the selected squares to 4⅞” square. Set the remaining 5″ squares aside to use in Block B.

From the background fabric cut (6) 4⅞” strips. Sub-cut into (42) 4⅞” squares. Draw a diagonal line on the back of each background square. Pair each of the background squares right sides together with a print square.

Sew a ¼” seam on both sides of the drawn line. Then cut apart on the drawn line.

Press seams toward the print fabric and clip off the “dog ears.” Your HST units should measure 4½” square. Make 84 HST blocks.

Select four HST units for each block. Try to choose four different colors and prints for each block.
Layout a set of four HST units as shown below. Make sure the triangles are placed correctly to form the chevron.

Sew the units together into pairs. To reduce bulk, press the seams open.

Sew the pairs together to make the block. Again, press seams open. Make 21 blocks. Your blocks should measure 8½” square at this point.

Now gather up the 5″ x 10″ rectangles you set aside along with the remaining 5″ squares and get ready to do some more cutting to make the “B” Blocks.

Cut each of the 5″ x 10″ rectangles in half lengthwise to make two 2½” x 10″ rectangles.

Select 56 of these rectangles and sub-cut them to 2½” x 8½“.
From the remaining 2½” x 10″ rectangles and 5″ squares, cut (112) 2½” x 4½” rectangles.

Sew pairs of 2½” x 4½” rectangles together along the short side. Press seams to one side. Make 56 pairs.

For each B Block select two 2½” x 8½” rectangles and two units from the previous step. Try to get an assortment of colors and prints for each block.

Sew the blocks together as shown. Press all the seams up toward the 2½” x 8½” rectangle at the top. Make 28 blocks. Blocks should measure 8½” square at this point.

Now you should have 21 “A” Blocks and 28 “B” Blocks and you’re ready to lay out the quilt. It has seven rows of seven blocks each. The odd numbered rows are “B” blocks and the even numbered rows are “A” blocks.

Every other block in Rows 1, 3, 5 and 7 are rotated 180 degrees (just turn them upside down!).
Lay out four rows that look like this and sew them together.

Now lay out three rows that look like this and sew them together. All blocks go the same way on the even rows.

Sew your rows together to finish your quilt top. Press the seams toward the odd rows.

Cut your backing into two 1¾ yard pieces. Cut off the selvages and sew the pieces together for the backing. Layer quilt top with batting and backing, then quilt as desired. This is how I quilted mine.

In the odd rows I simply quilted continuous up-and-down lines.

In the even rows, I got a little fancier (but still very easy) and quilted little pebbles in the background. The chevrons were quilted with three wavy lines. I quilted in the ditch to outline the chevrons and on the seams between rows.

Bind your quilt and enjoy! If you need help binding, there is a MBS tutorial here.

One quilt, approximately 56″ square.
~~A limited number of Scrappy Chevron Picnic Quilt kits are available in my Etsy shop~~ here. Sorry, kits are now sold out.

Rhonda Roberts
{www.patchworksampler.com}

Marmalade Squares (Two!) Quilt

Oct15

Author’s Note: Thanks to readers who found errors in the tutorial. They have been fixed on the website but not pdf download. I will post here when the download has been fixed. Apologies and thanks.

A note from Oda May: Marmalade Squares is a popular name! I’ve called this version Marmalade Squares (Two!) so we won’t be confuse it with the first Marmalade Squares Quilt.

My name is Katie Blakesley and I blog at Swim, Bike,Quilt, and I’m sharing my Marmalade Squares quilt with you today. Marmalade, by Bonnie & Camille, is a bit of a flashback, I know! I started this quilt last fall while I was co-writing a book (Vintage Quilt Revival) and I’m so happy to be sharing the tutorial today. I backed the quilt in one of the lovely soft flannels from the line, which adds to the calm, cozy nature of this quilt.

Marmalade Squares is charm pack friendly and fun to sew—it would be a great baby gift or a charity quilt (just wrapped up 100 Quilts for Kids 2013 on my blog– maybe you will join us next year?)

And just a note–I have included very specific instructions here, but this would be a fun quilt to “wing it” a bit with, and do a bit of improv piecing, if you are so inclined.

2 Charm Packs
1 ½ yards neutral Moda Bella Sand or other neutral solid (9900 201)
2 ½ yards backing fabric
1 ¼ yards batting (or 44’’ x 50’’ piece of batting)
3/8 yard Stripe in Raspberry for binding (55054 12)

Note: You may be able to use 1 charm pack + a little bit of coordinating fabric from the backing or your stash if you would like–the extra charms also work great as a stripe on the quilt back. For more ideas on quilt backs, see “The Other Side of the Quilt,” a linky party.

1. Cut solid fabric according to the chart below. I suggest cutting the longest pieces first.

2. Choose 25 five inch charm squares to make the central patchwork square, which measures 23’’ x 23’’ (unfinished). Arrange them in a grid of 5 squares by 5 squares. Sew the top row of squares together, and press seams to the right.

3. Sew the second row of squares together and press to the left. Repeat with the third row (press to the right), fourth row (press to the left) and fifth row (press to the right).

4. Place the top and second rows right sides together, and pin at each seam intersection. Sew the two rows together, and press well.

5. Continue pinning, sewing, and pressing the rows until you have a 5 x 5 grid.

6. Cut 15 + charm squares in half. (You may need more or less charms, depending on how scrappy you want the quilt to look).

7. Cut the 30 (+) charm halves as follows:

Cut some charm halves into 2.5’’ x 4.5’’ rectangles, and discard the remaining .5’’ x 2.5’’ rectangle.

Cut some charm halves into 2.5’’ x 3.5’’ rectangles and 1.5’’ x 2.5’’ rectangles.

Cut at least 10 charm halves in half again, leaving you with (20) 2.5’’ x 2.5’’ squares.

Cut some charm halves into 2.5’’ x 3’’ rectangles and 2’’ x 2.5’’ rectangles.

8. Set aside six 2.5’’ x 4.5’’ strips and eight 2.5’’ x 2.5’’ squares for the top left part of the quilt.

9. Piece the remaining charm square pieces into strips. You will need 2 strips that are 2.5’’ x 37.5’’ and 2 strips that are 2.5’’ x 30’’.

Note: You can piece the strips together and trim them to the desired length.

Putting Together the Quilt Top

Piece the Center Portion

1. Arrange the pieced “center” square (A) and strip B and C as shown below.

2. Place B (7.5’’ x 23’’) and A right sides together, pin if necessary, sew, and press.

3. Place C right sides together with AB, pin if necessary (I suggest in the center, at the two ends, and intermittently throughout), sew, and press.

4. Place D right sides together with ABC, pin, sew, and press.

Piece the Left Side of the Quilt

Note: This is not how I pieced it, but it will result in a cleaner look, and if I was remaking this quilt, I would piece it this way.

1. Choose eight 2.5’’ x 2.5’’ charm squares and one solid center square the same size to make the nine patch at the top left corner of the quilt. Sew the nine patch together, the top row, then the center row, then the bottom row. Press well. Pin the top and center row together, sew, and press. Pin the bottom row to the rectangle, sew and press well. The 9 patch square will measure 6.5” x 6.5”.

2. Continue to build the upper left corner of the quilt—see diagram below for layout. Sew “Row 1” together as shown and press.

3. Sew together two 2.5’’ x 4.5’’ charm rectangles with one solid 2.5’’ x 4.5’’ rectangle in the center as shown below, and sew it to the left side of the 9 patch square.

4. Repeat step 3, and sew it to the right side of the charm square. Note: You can also piece charm strips together to make a 2.5’’ x 4.5’’ strip as shown on the right side of the diagram, if you prefer a very scrappy look.

5. Pin Row 1 and the extended 9 patch rectangle right sides together, making sure to match intersecting seams, pin, sew, and press.

6. Place strip E (4.5’’ x 37.5’’) and F (pieced strip 2.5’’ x 37.5’’) right sides together, pin, sew, and press. Sew strip G (2.5’’ x 37.5’’) and strip H (pieced strip 2.5’’ x 37.5’’) right sides together, pin, sew, and press. Sew EF to GH. Press well. Sew EFGH to I. Press well.

7. Pin the top half of the left side (includes the 9 patch square) to the bottom half of the left side (just sewn above). Be sure to match intersecting seams, pin, sew, and press. Set aside.

Piece the Top Right Half of the Quilt

1. Place strip J (solid 4.5’’ x 30’’ strip) right sides together with strip K (pieced strip 2.5’’ x 30’’), pin, sew, and press.

2. Repeat with strip L (solid 2.5’’ x 30’’ strip) and M (pieced strip 2.5’’ x 30.5’’), pin, sew, and press.

3. Pin and sew JK and LM together, press well.

Piece the Quilt Top

1. Pin the piece just sewn (JKLM) to the center square (ABCD), and sew. Press well.

2. Piece the left side of the quilt top (EFGHI) to the right side of the quilt top. Take care to pin the intersecting seams at the top and match points. Sew together. Press. Voila! Quilt top is finished!

Finishing the Quilt

1. Cut six 2.5’’ x width of fabric strips. Join them together, and bind according to your favorite method. [I have a machine binding tutorial on my blog that I used].

2. Baste your quilt top, batting, and quilt back and quilt using your favorite method. I used a serpentine stitch on my Bernina; you could also do something similar with a free hand free motion quilting stitch. Bind the quilt, and do a happy dance! You made it.

The finished quilt top measures 44.5” x 47.5” — it has been rounded up for convenience.

Note on quilting this quilt—as you can see, it is easy to “pull” the charm pack chains as you quilt the quilt. If you are doing horizontal or vertical quilting (in contrast to an all over free motion design), make sure to quilt a few lines from top to bottom, then a few lines starting at the bottom and going to the top, alternating often so you don’t “pull” the quilt.