Bake Shop Basics: Piecing Batting

Another post in celebration of National Sewing Month!

I LOVE using my fabric scraps… It’s my favorite fabric to sew with… And I equally LOVE using up my batting scraps as well. You know that feeling when you gather up all the left overs and little bits and pieces in the fridge and make a really good dinner? Yeah…. such a great feeling! Which is the same feeling I get when I use up my batting left overs!

I’m going to show you the method I use when piecing larger batting leftovers. There are many ways to piece batting, and perhaps you’ll want to experiment a little to decide which method you prefer…

I take two pieces of batting over to my ironing board, put a piece of fabric on top of them and give em a good press to get all the wrinkles and folds out… Then over to the cutting mat, where I trim them up to the same size… {you don’t have to do this, it’s just the way I like to}

Overlap the two pieces about 2-3 inches

Using your rotary cutter, cut a nice wavy line from bottom to top making sure you’re catching both pieces of batting… Discard the little strips left over from the cut…

Look at that smooth crisp wavy line… exactly what we want…

There are a few different ways to “fuse” the two pieces together:

1… Lightweight fusible Interfacing

2… Fusible Batting Tape

3… Either Hand or Machine Basting with a large zig zag or cross stitch

I prefer to use up my scraps of fusible interfacing. I think it works perfectly!

Lay the two pieces of batting on top of your ironing board, matching up the curved cut… The pieces should butt up together, but not overlap.

Then follow these steps:

1. Cut a strip of fusible interfacing that will cover the entire curved cut

2. Place sticky side down onto the batting

3. Place a piece of fabric over the top and press with a hot iron.

And that’s it! Your batting is fused together and all ready to go! I personally think the curved cut is less likely to show up on the finished quilt, than a straight one.

And what do I do with my smaller batting left overs?

I pre-cut them into a couple different sizes… This size {6″x 9″} is perfect for Mug Rugs…

I made this set of mug rugs using the quilt as you go technique.

And this size {5″x5″} is perfect for coasters!

These pre-cut pieces make great foundations for Quilt As You Go projects! Oh so fun!

With these little tips you’ll be using your batting leftovers in no time! And I’m sure you’ll come up with some great projects to use them with too! I also have a list of 15 different uses for batting leftovers on my Blog... You might be surprised at some of them….

Happy Sewing !!! ooxx

jodi from Pleasant Home!

Happy Camper Quilt or Quilted Tablecloth

Jul29

I recently “inherited” this tablecloth from my Great Aunt. It’s a simple tablecloth with ric rac trim that she would put out during BBQ’s at their home and on Picnics. Everyone in attendance would sign and she would later embroider each signature. Such a great idea! It inspired me to make my own version into a quilt. Don’t ya love it! It’s SUPER SIMPLE and will be so fun to have our friends and family sign it when we get together for our Camping Trips.
The Ingredients are simple and so are the Instructions, so let’s go!

1 Jelly Roll 2 Yards of fabric for the front
3 yards of fabric for the back
Jelly Roll Strips and Nine Patch pieces left over are used for the binding
Batting

1. Make 40-42 Nine Patch blocks

Making Nine Patch blocks is easy peasy.
a. Cut your Jelly Roll Strips in half.
b. You will need 2 strips of one fabric and 1 strip of a coordinating fabric for each set.
c. Sew strips together as shown below:
d. Cut sewn strips 2 1/2″ wide as shown in photo below:
e. You’ll end up with something like this:
f. Sew 2 1/2″ wide pieces together as shown in photo below:
g. Tah Dah! A Nine Patch block. You’ll need 40-42 blocks. 2. Sew 2 strips of 11 or 12 -Nine Patch blocks each.
3. Sew 2 strips of 9 – Nine Patch blocks each.

Sew long strip(s) to long sides of front piece first.
Then sew shorter strip(s) to ends of front piece, matching Nine Patch blocks at ends.
(see photo):Depending on your seams, and the actual length and width of your front piece, will depend whether you use 11 or 12 blocks on each long end. You’ll have to measure and do a little math.

Put top, batting and backing together and quilt as desired {I did a big grid first (to leave room for signing names) and then extra quilting on the borders}.

Use your left over strips and Nine Patch pieces and sew together end to end to create a binding. I usually do a 2 1/4″ binding. But I just left the pieced binding at 2 1/2″ and it turned out rather nicely.

Bind as desired and you’re all done! Enjoy!

1 Quilt or Quilted Tablecloth! Your Choice. Finished size is approx. 54″ x 84″

Happy Camping from Jodi at Pleasant Home!

Hushabye Tote Bag and Coin Quilt

Sep1

1 Hushabye Jelly Roll
Yardage for Lining
Yardage for Front and Back Panel of Tote.
Fusible Fleece
Medium to Heavyweight Interfacing

I used the left over Jelly Roll strips from the Tote Bag to make a Coin Quilt based on Amandajean’s Stacked Coins Quilt tutorial. Instead of cutting charm squares in half, I cut the Jelly Roll strips at 5″. You can find her tutorial HERE.

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Tote Bag Front & Back:
from Fabric – Cut 2 @ 14″ x 15 1/2″
from Fusible Fleece – Cut 2 @ 14″ x 15 1/2″
Tote Bag Lining:
from Fabric – Cut 2 @ 14″ x 15 1/2″
from Interfacing – Cut 2 14″ x 15 1/2″
Front Pocket:
from Jelly Roll Strips – Cut 16 @ 10″ (for outside pocket)
from Fabric – Cut 2 @ 9 1/2″ x 15 1/2″ (pocket lining)
from Fusible Fleece – Cut 2 9 1/2″ x 15 1/2″
Handle:
Choose 2 strips (I like using the same color)
from Fusible Fleece – Cut 1 @ 2 1/2″ x 44″

Iron 14″ x 15.5″ Fusible Fleece to wrong side of front and back pieces.

To make Outside Pockets;
Sew 8 – 10″ Jelly Roll Strips together twice (for back and front pockets).

Iron 9″ x 15 1/2″ Fusible Fleece to wrong side of Pocket pieces.

Quilt as desired. Now lay the trim piece right sides together at top of pocket,
then lay the pocket lining piece on top of trim, pin well.

Sewing pocket lining, trim and pocket front.

(I used muslin for my pocket lining and a Brown Jelly Roll
strip ironed in half and ironed in half again for the trim.

Fold lining piece up as shown in next photo and press.

Then fold lining piece to the back and press again.
The seam is bulky, so you may need to use some pins and perhaps
top stitch, so lining doesn’t show. Lay pocket pieces right side up, on top of Front and Back Panels.
The Pocket pieces might be a little larger
than the Front and Back Panels, Center the pocket piece
and then trim to fit.
Sew a couple seams from top to bottom of pocket,
to make outside pockets.

A close up view of the outside pocket.
I created 3 pockets on each side of the Tote Bag,
by sewing 2 seams on each side.
Handle:
Sew 2 strips together.
Press each raw edges into the centerIron 2 1/2″ x 44″ long fusible fleece to center of handle.
See photo.

Fold raw edges towards middle again,
Fold in half, pressing and pinning as you go.

I like to stitch 3 times down the handle for looks and strength.
Cut handle in half. Now you have 2 handles.
Place Handles aprox 3″ in from each side of the bag front and bag back.
Sew a scant 1/4″ to hold handles in place.
Create your own pockets for inside of Tote Bag.
I used scraps of Jelly Roll Strips, sewn together
to form a pocket. Sew pocket to lining.
Place bottom of pocket 5″ up from bottom of lining.

Here is the small Cell Phone pocket I made.
And a larger pocket for keys and misc.
Sew front and back panels right sides together leaving the top open.
Cut a 3″ square template.
Lay it on the bottom corners of the bag.
Front and Back.
Trace with a pen or pencil.

Box the corners and sew along the line.
Cut the excess fabric about 1/4″ to 1/2″ from seam line. Sew lining right sides together, leaving a good amount of space
on the bottom, open for turning.
Do the same for the lining.
Turn the lining right side out.

Place the lining in the Tote Bag, matching side seams.
Pin around the entire top.
Stitch the top of the Tote Bag all the way around.

Put your hand through the lining opening and turn the bag
right side out. Press the top edge. Top stitch.

You’re all done!
This is a great size for a purse. Not too wide and a little deeper than most.
Or it would make a great Diaper Bag too.
If you want to create a solid bottom for your bag.
You’ll need a firm piece of cardboard covered in
fabric to put in the bottom.
The cardboard should measure approx. 5 1/2″ x 9″

What a great gift this would make for a new mom! A cute tote bag she can either use for herself or as a diaper bag, with a matching quilt.

Finished size of Tote Bag is approx. 10.5″ tall x 5.5″ deep x 14″ wide

Finished Size of Quilt is approx. 41″ x 50″
{for quilt instructions, see Amandajean’s MBS Tutorial, HERE}

Jodi {www.pleasant-home.com}

Christmas Table Ensemble

Jul20

A Table Topper, Table Runner and Pillow Cover

1 Winter Song Turnover
1 Yd. of Moda Bella Solid White
Batting
Backing
Binding

Yep! I used 1 Turnover to make all 3 of these projects!
Now how cool is that.

Cut your turnovers in half as shownCut your white fabric into 4 1/2 ” strips
Cut your strips into 4 1/2″ squares.

You will need 72 – 4 1/2″ squares (for all three projects)

Cut in half diagonally

To help speed things up while I was sewing,
I put a white triangle with a print triangle ready to sew.Now start sewing.
Queen Elna and I sped right along.

Sew the longest side of the triangle,
and don’t worry if the white piece is a little bigger
than your print piece. It’ll be fine, you’ll see…
Iron the triangles to make a square
I ironed my seam towards the print side.

Now trim/square up your blocks to 3 3/4″
You’ll have plenty of room to trim and make a perfect square block.

for some reason I felt the need to take a picture
of all the scraps. Aren’t they pretty.
Lay out your blocks for your pillow
4 across and 4 down
Lay out your blocks for your Table Topper
10 across and 10 down.
Do the same thing for your Table Runner
9 across and 3 down.
Sew your blocks together to form rows.
Sew your rows together

I love using a blue Mark-B-Gone pen and my quilt ruler to mark
my quilting lines. So very cool.
For the pillow I quilted the top to a layer of batting first.

To make the pillow cover, Kim has a great set of instructions HERE for making a pillow “envelope”. My pillow comes out at 12-13″ square. Kim’s is for a 16″ square pillow, so you’ll need to do a little adjusting. I make all my pillow covers with the envelope style back.
Easy Peasy.

Bat, Back, Quilt and Bind your Table Topper and Table Runner as desired. And pat yourself on the back for getting a Christmas project done way early! What a good feeling. Yes?

1 Table Topper @ approx. 32″ square 1 Table Runner @ approx. 10″ x 29″ 1 Pillow @ approx. 12″ square

Happy Christmas in July!
ooxx`jodi of {pleasant-home.com}

Holly Jolly Snowmen

Jun2

I know ! No groaning out there.
I can hear you! LOL
Yes I’ve made a Christmas Project.
Peoples it’s June already! Only 205 days until Christmas!

I said I was going to make one Christmas Gift each month this year.
Starting in January. {It hasn’t happened} Until this month! I just finished my first Christmas Gift! A Super Fun and Pretty Simple Table Runner And the Holly Jolly Snowmen Fabric by Kathy Schmitz is PERFECT for this pattern.

So go ahead! I give you permission to make your first Christmas Gift of the year! It will feel totally awesome to have one thing checked off your Christmas List already!

1 Charm Pack of Holly Jolly Snowmen
1/4 yd. Sashing / Featured: snowflakes from Holly Jolly Snowmen Collection
1/4 yd. Binding & Stars / Featured: red from Holly Jolly Snowmen Collection
1/2 yd. Backing / Featured: navy snowmen from Holly Jolly Snowmen Collection
Batting

All seams are 1/4″
Pick out 10 Charm Squares for inside of Table Runner

Pick out 12 Charm Squares for Outside Border

Cut from 12 Charm Squares (outside border): 48 – 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares

Cut from 1/4 yd. Sashing: 13 – 2 1/2″ x 5″ rectangles and 3 – 1 1/4″ x 44″ strips

Cut from 1/4yd. Binding and Stars: 4 – 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares and 32 – 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ squares (for points) and 3 – 2 1/4″ x 44″ for binding.

Sew 2 1/2″ squares from 12 charm squares picked out
You will need 2 strips of 8 squares (top and bottom or width of Table Runner)
and 2 strips of 16 squares (sides or length of Table Runner)

Sew 1 1/2″ squares to the 2 1/2″ x 5″ rectangles as shown
Trim ends and press point of star away from rectangle piece
Repeat for other side (see photo below) You will have 10 rectangles with points on one end and 3 rectangles with points on both ends. Piece Table Runner as shown in photo’s;
Refer to photo of finished Table Runner for placement of the rectangles w/ points on both ends.

Sew 1 1/4″ Inner Border, short ends first, and then sides. Trim. Now sew Outer Border; sides (16 square strips) first.
Then bottom (8 square strips)Quilt and Bind with method you prefer

Wrap it Up and have your first Christmas Gift finished and ready to give!
Approx. Finished Size is 35″ x 16″
ooxx`jodi

{pleasant-home.com}

Pinwheel Baby Quilt

Mar23

1 Charm Pack of Snippets by American Jane {40 squares}
1 1/4 yd. Moda Bella Solid White
1/3 yd. for Binding
1 1/4 yd. Backing and Batting

All seams are 1/4″
From White Cut:
3 – 5″ x 44″ strips (for pinwheels): Cut again into 5″ squares:
Cut again in half diagonally
4 – 2″ x 44″ strips (for inner border)
4 – 5″ x 44″ strips (for outer border)
From Charm Pack Prints:
Choose 24 Charm Squares:

Cut in half diagonally
Cut remaining Charm Square Prints into 2 1/2″ squares (for prairie points)
Sew White triangles to Print triangles, long sides together.
Press towards print.
Sew 4 of these squares to make one Pinwheel block.
I pressed seams open when joining squares to eliminate bulk.

Make 12 Blocks and Square to 8 1/2″
Sew Pinwheel blocks 3 to a row
Sew 4 rows
Sew 2″ inner border strip to top and bottom, then sides

Make Prairie Points:

Fold a 2 1/2″ square in half diagonally

Fold diagonally again and press
Pin points to inner border on quilt, as shown. Overlap just a tad bit.
(Hint: pin all points to quilt top. There should be exactly the right amount of points. Should you run short, use a little of your binding or backing fabric to cut a few)

Baste points close to the edge as shown
Sew 5″ outer border strip to top and bottom, trim excess, sew sides, trim excess

Iron outer border towards outer edge of quilt.
Back, Quilt and Bind!