Charm Party Baby Quilt + Bonus Pillow

Hi!  I’m Julie from 627handworks.com. Today I’m sharing a Charm Party baby quilt with matching bonus pillow.  I’m someone who likes to get as much as I can out of my fabric. The half square triangles leftover from the quilt top are perfect for creating a bonus project like a pillow or even a doll quilt.  I would love to see your version if you make one!

2 Charm Packs – Print (Chance of Flowers)
1 Charm Pack – Solid (Bella Solid Snow)
1 1/4 Yards for Backing (Chance of Flowers, Cloud Flower Garden)
1/2 Yard for Binding (Chance of Flowers, Cloud Flower Garden) 

To make the 16″ Pillow Cover you’ll need:
2 Yards of Trim
1 Fat Quarter (Chance of Flowers, Rose Sandy’s Solids)
18″ Zipper
Pillow Form

Gather up your fabrics.  How pretty are these?

Pull:

• 64 Prints for Quilt Blocks
• 17 Prints for Quilt Border
• 32 Solid Charms

Choose 4 different charms:

Take 2 of those charms and pair with a solid, right sides facing.  Mark a diagonal line.

Stitch along your mark and sew another line 1/2″ over.

Cut between those lines.  Set the smaller half aside.

 Press open and arrange your HST (half square triangle) with the other 2 charms.

Stitch together.

Make 16 ‘mini-blocks’.

Take 4 mini blocks and form a large block.

Make 4 large blocks.

Sew the 4 large blocks together.

Take the 17 Charms we set aside earlier.

CUT:
1 Charm into quarters (4) 2.5″ squares
16 Charms in half  (32) 2.5″ x 5″ rectangles

Take 8 rectangles and sew end to end creating a border.   Make 4 borders.

Choose 2 of the borders and sew a square onto each end.

Attach the 2 border strips that do not have the square end charms.

Attach the two border strips that have the squares on each end.

You have completed the quilt top!

BONUS PILLOW

(OR you can also use the leftover HST’s to make a matching doll quilt)

Pull 25 HST’s leftover from making the quilt top.

We will be trimming these into 3.75″ squares.
If you don’t have a special HST ruler, you can use this method for trimming your squares.

Using Washi or masking tape, mark a line from corner to corner on the 3.75″ line.
(Make sure you are using the squared end of the ruler and one side isn’t an extra 1/2″ wide)

Lay your HST (still folded in half) with the seam line (NOT the raw edge) along the 3.75″ mark.

Trim

Press open creating a perfect 3.75″ square.  Repeat for the rest of the HST’s.

Stitch together in 5 rows of 5 using any layout you like.  Quilt if desired.  Trim to 16.75″ square.
 

Sew decorative trim along the edge with the decorative part facing the center of the pillow.

Lay your zipper facing down, pillow front facing up, and stitch in place.

Cut your fat quarter into a 16.75″ square (or the exact size of your pillow front).

Lay your back piece facing up (edges aligned with the pillow front edges), zipper facing down, and stitch. 

Open your zipper half way.   Lay your pieces right sides facing.  Pin all around the edges and and stitch, being careful not to catch your trim along the way.  Zig-zag or overlock the raw edges to prevent fraying.

Pillow cover is done!

40″ Square Baby Quilt
16″ Pillow Cover

If you make a quilt I would love to see it!
Julie Hirt
627handworks.com

Candy Flowers Pillow

1 Mini Charm Pack – Print / Chance of Flowers
2 Mini Charm Packs – Solid / Bella Solid in Snow
3 Coordinating Fat Quarters
21″ Pillow Form

22″ Square of batting for quilting the pillow top
22″ Square of scrap fabric or muslin

Pull 40 printed charms and 64 solid charms.

Pair up 40 prints with 40 solids, right sides facing.  Finger press a a diagonal crease on one side.

Chain stitch the 40 pairs of prints and solids on the diagonal crease.

Optional: 
Without breaking the chain, run the the charms back through and stitch a 1/2″ over.  Rather than throwing the trimmed fabric away, this quick step will create 40 little HST’s for future projects.

Cut. The pictures below show both options.

Open and press.

You should have a stack of 40 Half Square Triangles (HST) and 24 Solids.

Layout:
Using 12 HST’s and 4 solids, create a star.

Add the next row around – double check to make sure your HST’s are going in the right direction.

Add the points on the top and bottom.

Fill in with the remaining solid charms.

Piece:
Feel free to use your preferred method, I’ll show mine.

Some people like to stitch from the inside out, others in rows or even quadrants. This is how I piece several small squares that I want to keep in a certain layout and direction.

Going in vertical rows:  Fold the squares on the right column onto the squares on the left.

Chain stitch – do not cut the thread between squares.

Feel free to press the seams, I don’t find it necessary and I will press later on.

Using the set of chained pairs, fold the first two pairs right sides together and stitch.  Open. Fold the next pair up onto the previous pair and stitch. Repeat until all 8 pairs are pieced together.

 

Leaving them chained is nice because they stay in the right order and direction.

Open and press the seams all in one direction.  When you complete the next row, press those seams in the opposite direction. This will make it easier to piece the rows together.

Stitch the two completed rows together.

Stitch the other two rows using the same method, and sew the halves together.

If your edges are raggedy, feel free to trim a little and straighten them out. Just be careful not to cut off the HST points along the edge and leave a seam allowance.

Take a Fat Quarter and cut four 2.5″ strips down the length of the fabric.  You will have four strips approximately 21″ wide.

Attach one strip to the top and one to the bottom of your block.

Press open and trim.

Attach the other two strips to the sides.

Press open and trim.

Optional:  Using the batting and scrap fabric, quilt as desired. Trim.

Double fold:
Take your remaining 2 Fat Quarters and along the 21″ side,  fold over 1″ and press.  Fold over another 1″ and press.

Top stitch along the top and bottom of the fold.   Repeat with the other Fat Quarter.

The Math:

The two back pieces will create an envelope style enclosure and they need to overlap about 4″.  Since everyone sews 1/4″ seams a bit different, we may have slightly different sized pillow tops.

Take the width of your pillow top and divide by 2.  
Add 2″. 
You should be somewhere near 12″. 

Trim both Fat Quarters to that measurement. Trim the raw edge opposite your double edge fold, leaving the 21″ width intact.

Example:  My pillow top is 20″.  20 divided by 2 = 10. Add 2 = 12″.  I now have two fat quarters that measure 21″ x 12″ each. (21″ side has the double fold)

Part 2:

Trim both Fat Quarters so they don’t hang off pillow top. Instead of being 21″ they will probably around 20″.

Layer:  
Pillow Top right side up
Fat Quarter #1 right side down – lining up raw edges along the side
Fat Quarter #2 right side down – lining up raw edges along the opposite side

Pin or clip edges in place. Stitch along the edge all the way around.

Zip Zag or Serge the seam you created. This will help prevent fraying in the future.

Turn right side out and you are done!

I’m using a 21″ pillow form.

One pillow cover.  If you make a Candy Flowers pillow cover, I would love to see it.

Julie Hirt
{627handworks.com}

Lattice Bones Quilt

Hi!  I’m Julie from 627handworks and I’m really excited to be sharing this quilt pattern with you.  The design was kind of an accident.  Originally I was playing with some ‘bone blocks’ I made out of strips and dreaming up a dog quilt for my spoiled pups. When I started twisting the blocks around I realized they made a lattice pattern.

This pattern is perfect for chain piecing and comes along pretty quickly if you make an assembly line of sorts.

1 Jelly Roll – Potluck by American Jane
1 Jelly Roll – Moda Bella Solids in Snow
4 yards of Moda Bella Solids in Mustard (backing)

Use leftover strips as a scrappy binding for your quilt

We will be using 1/4″ seam for all piecing and remember to press after sewing each piece.

PRINTS:  
Pull 32 Strips.  Each print will yield 2 blocks for a total of 64.

From each of the 32 prints cut:

• Four 6.5″ strips, then
• Four 2.5″ strips

SOLIDS: 
Pull 37 Strips.

Take 29 solids and cut from each:

• Nine 4.5″ strips

Take 8 solids and cut from each:

• Sixteen 2.5″ strips

 

• Four 4.5″ solid
• Two 2.5″ solid
• Two 2.5″ print
• Two 6.5″ print

Arrange your bone pattern.

Sew the sides of the bones.
 

Take your 6.5″ prints and lay a 4.5″ solid diagonally across the top.

Mark it from corner to corner with a fabric pen, iron or finger press.

Make sure your diagonal line is going the same way as pictured. If you want your diagonal to go the other way, you will need to place the excess of the solid fabric on the OPPOSITE side of print.  It doesn’t matter which way you choose, just be consistent so the seams on your blocks are all going the same way.

Sew from corner to corner.  Open it up and make sure it creates one long piece. TRIM.

Lay out your bone strips.

Sew all the strips together.

After you’ve created a few ‘bone blocks’ I recommend chain piecing.  

You will have a total of 64 ‘bone’ blocks.  Take 4 blocks to sew into a ‘lattice bone’.

Sew the top and bottom blocks together.

Sew the sides together. Now you have a larger block. 

Create 16 larger blocks.

Sew into rows.

Sew the rows together. 

Use leftover prints to create a scrappy binding.

If you make a Lattice Bones quilt please share it with me, I’d love to see it!


64″ x 64″ Quilt

Julie Hirt
{www.627handworks.com}

Quilted Patchwork Pouch

Hi!  I’m Julie from 627handworks.com.  My main love is quilting but I always enjoy making a good pouch.  Zipper bags are fun to make whether you are a seasoned quilter or just started sewing. Is there really such a thing as too many bags?  Never.

I love how the Mini Charms make it easy to put together a scrappy look. I’ve taken some of my favorite pouch options and combined them into a quilted zipper bag.

Gather up your materials.

1 Mini Charm Pack – Sunnyside by Kate Spain
1 Coordinating Fat Quarter
11″ Zipper
(2) 12 x 10 Pieces of Batting

1/2″ D-Ring for Pull Tab
Interfacing for lining fabric

PIECING

Break open those Mini Charms.

Choose 36 charms for your quilted exterior, 2 for your zipper stops and 2 for your pull tab.

Lay out the exterior charms. Notice there are no charms on the bottom corners. 

 When piecing little charms for patchwork I like to chain sew. Use a 1/4″ seam for piecing.

Don’t iron quite yet – wait until you have strip sets (rows of charms) in place.

When have your strip sets sewn together, iron the seams with each row going opposite directions.

This makes it easy for lining up the rows. You won’t even need to pin!  The way you’ve ironed the seams helps lock them together for sewing.

If you feel more comfortable pinning, go for it.  I’m okay using this method for smaller projects that are easier to handle.

Now you should have 2 pieced panels similar to this.

PULL TAB

Make the pull tab by taking 2 of the charms we put aside and sew them together, ironing the seam open.  

Iron lengthwise to mark the center and open it up.   Now fold and iron the edges to the center iron line.

Fold in half again and stitch down the edge of each side.

Optional D-Ring:  Fold your tab in half and stitch the ring in place.

FABRIC STOPS

Take 2 more of the charms we pulled aside. These will be used as fabric stops for the zipper.

Fold in half, iron and open.  Fold and iron a generous 1/4″.

QUILTING

Layer your batting under your fabric panel.

The quilting design is up to you!  I stitched straight, diagonal lines through the middle of each charm.

If you do a lot of straight line quilting, chalk markers will line right against your ruler. Makes it kind of nice.

Trim the batting, be careful not to cut any of the charms.

I don’t place fabric on the underside and I’ve never had a problem without it.  You can use muslin or scrap fabric if you want, but this will all be hidden.

Cut two 8.5″ x 10.5″ rectangles from your fat quarter. This will be your lining.

Optional Interfacing: Iron the interfacing to your fabric.  I like using interfacing because it provides extra stability.

Trim your lining and cut a 2″ square from the bottom corners so they resemble the shape of the quilted panels.

ASSEMBLY

You should have something like this:

Take a fabric zipper stop and fold it over the edge of the zipper end.  Sew along the folded edge of the stop to attach.

Open the little tab and cut the zipper down to 1/4″ seam. This removes extra material so the corners aren’t so bulky.

Attach the other fabric zipper stop – leaving 8″ between the two stops.  Trim the extra zipper material from the inside of that stop as well.

Layer:
Quilted exterior right side up
Zipper facing down
     (center the fabric stops so the same amount of fabric sticks out on the right and left)
Lining right side down

Using a zipper foot sew along the top edge of the exterior-zipper-lining sandwich.

Fold the sewn layers off to one side and layer:

Quilted exterior right side up
Zipper facing down
     (the first set of fabrics should be folded down with the other fabrics and out of the way)
Lining right side down

Using a zipper foot sew along the top edge.

Fold each side open. A lining and quilted panel should be wrong sides together on each side.

Top stitch along each side of the zipper and trim the extra fabric off the zipper stops.

Fold the two lining fabrics together – right sides facing.

Fold the two quilted panels together – right sides facing.

Place the pull tab on the inside where the zipper pull will be when the pouch is closed.  If the pull tab is too long for your liking, trim a 1/2″ off first.

Make sure your zipper is OPEN!

Line up the top stitching from the two quilted panels and pin in place on each side. This keep your sides lined up. 

Sew using a 1/2″ seam down the sides like the image below.  Don’t sew the corners. Remember to leave a turning hole!

Once the sides are sewn, separate a corner and fold the seams together.  Sew using 1/2″ seam.

Repeat for all corners and you should have something that resembles this.

See that little hole we left in the lining?  Stick your hand in there and start pulling the bag right side out.

This is why we left that zipper open!

Sew your lining hole closed. This is a good spot to sew in a label.

Stuff the lining down inside the pouch and poke out the corners of the bag and the zipper.

Don’t use anything sharp or you’ll stab right through your fabric creating an ugly little hole.  I may or may not have done this before. And I may or may not have done it more than once.

 

One Awesome Quilted Patchwork Pouch

Ta-da!  Your pouch is complete. 

If you make a patchwork pouch I’d love to see it!

Julie Hirt 

{627handworks.com}

Umbrella-Friendly Patio Topper

Hello!  I’m so happy to be here as this is my first project for the Moda Bake Shop.   During the warmer months we spend a lot of time outdoors and tend to eat outside as well. I thought it would nice to pretty-up our outdoor space.  Using a jelly roll gives the topper a nice patchwork look and tons of color. 

1 Jelly Roll (I used Mimi by Chez Moi)
1 1/8 yard of coordinating fabric
40″ square cut of thin batting or heavy canvas
Fabric Pen or Chalk
Spray Baste or Basting Pins
Wonder Clips or Pins
5 yards of binding

Select 16 strips from your Jelly Roll

Arrange your strips into two groups of 8

Place 2 strips together.  Line up the selvedge end and sew down the length using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Iron the seam open and grab your next strip. 

This time align your strip on the opposite end and sew.   Changing direction for each strip prevents the strip set from curving.

Keep adding strips until you have 8 pieced together.

Bring your strip set over to your cutting mat and trim off one end. Leave the other end uncut.

 

MARKING:

Using a ruler mark the TOP edge of your strip set at 9.5″ and 10.5″.

Move your ruler edge down to your 10.5″ mark.  Mark again at 9.5″ and 10.5″.  

Do this all the way down the top of the strip set.

Using your ruler mark the BOTTOM edge of your strip set at 4.25″ and 5.25″.

Move your ruler edge down to your 5.25″ mark.  Mark at 9.5″ and 10.5″.  

Continue marking at 9.5″ and 10.5″ down the length of the strip set.

CUTTING:

Line up the top left corner and the first mark (4.25″) at the bottom of your strip set.  

Double check.  Cut!

 

Line up your ruler with the first mark at the top (9.5″) and at the bottom with the next mark available (originally 5.25″) and cut.

This provides you with your first ‘wedge’.  It should be 9.5″ along the top and 1″ along the bottom.

Repeating the cuts (6 wedges) the length of the strip set.  Use the next mark available on the top and bottom as your cutting guide.

Each cut will be 1″ on one end, 9.5″ on the other end.   Your ruler will change angles each cut.

You will have enough fabric to cut 7 wedges but you only need 6.  I’m saving my extra for another project.

 

Repeat the above steps with your second fabric set.

SEW:

Arrange the wedges to your liking.  You will have 3 wedges of edge color variant for a total of 12.

Sew 2 wedges together a time. Pin each seam together – it really helps to keep everything lined up and looking nice.

Then complete 2 sides. (Bojangles wanted to say hello!)

Then sew one more side together – leaving seam open.

Find a circle approximately 3″ in diameter, trace over the center hole and cut.  This cleans things up a bit and makes it easier for quilting.

Prepare your topper for quilting by stacking:
Backing fabric (pretty side down), then your batting or canvas, then the topper (pretty side up).

You may use a light batting or a heavy canvas like duck cloth. I find the canvas is a little easier to work with and the finished result lays a bit flatter. The pictures below are using a thin cotton batting.

Baste using your preferred method.  Spray baste is a quick and easy option for this project.
 

I chose to sew 1/4″ down the length of each side of the wedges.  You can be as elaborate as you want!

After quilting, trim off the batting and backing. Be sure to trim the open seam and center hole.

 

Since we are going for a circle it makes it nice to trim a little off the points.

1/4″ or less – just enough to get the pointy part off.

It should be looking something like this.

OPTIONAL:
If you chose to use store bought binding or want to make your own binding, now is the time to add it.
Then you are done!

If you are going to use the folding method for finishing, keep going!

Baste 1/8″ all around the unfinished edges.  This just helps hold all of the layers together.

After basting:  Starting at a corner fold under 1/4″, then fold again.  Pin or clip in place.
This should create a nice, tight 1/4″ double fold.

Continue clipping all the way around.

Due to the curving and tight fold, you will need a lot of pins or clips.  

Be sure you are folding under, not to the top.

 

I find it easier to clip a section, sew, then clip another section.

Sew between 1/4″ and 1/8″ all the way around the top. This will be enough to catch the folds underneath.

For the final step I decided to stitch all the way around using one of those decorative stitches that I never get to use!  This is purely optional.

You are done!  Take it outside and enjoy.

1 Jelly Roll will make 2 table toppers.

If you are attending any outdoor barbeques or parties this summer these table toppers would make a nice gift for the host.

Julie Hirt
{www.627handworks.com}