Let’s Go Trippin’!

Hello again!  I’m Polly from Aunt Polly’s Porch blog and I’m so happy to be sharing my designs again on the Moda Bake Shop! I know many of us are looking forward to school being over soon and going on a fun summer vacation.  So, I thought you might need a travel set to take with you. Let’s Go Trippin’!!!

My five piece trippin’ travel set includes a hanging bag, a large weekend tote bag, a laptop bag, a cosmetic case and a day-tripper bag.  My set was made with amazing fabric from Moda’s “Oh, My!” collection by Sanae.

a layer cake
a jelly roll
2 yards for straps
3 yards for linings
fusible fleece
fusible interfacing
48” plastic zipper for hanging bag
14” plastic zipper for cosmetic bag
Velcro

big cool buttons for bag closures

1. The Hanging Bag-
Select twelve layer cake pieces for the front and twelve layer cake pieces for the back.  Sew them together with three squares across and four down.

As I’ve had shoulder surgery, I am very conscious of the weight of things I carry, so I chose not to add fleece or batting to the hanging bag and quilt it.  Instead, I used interfacing to give the fabric more body without the added weight…but you could also add batting and quilt the bag if you so desired!

Following the manufacturer’s directions for your fusible interfacing, press it to the wrong side of both front and back.  Use a marking pen and draw a line right down the center on the right side of the front for zipper placement.

Next, for the hanging loop, cut a strip of lining fabric 2  1/2” X 8”.  With wrong sides together, press in half lengthwise.  Now open up the strip and bring the long raw edges into the center fold and repress (like bias tape).
 
Topstitch down both long edges and down the middle.

Place the short ends over each other with a pin and set aside.

For the handles, from the strap fabric, cut four strips 3  1/2” by 21” and cut four strips of fusible fleece 1  1/2” by 21”.   Fuse the fleece on the wrong side of the strips.

Press one long edge over the fleece then first press the remaining edge of each strap under 1/4”, then fold that over the first pressed side and top stitch close to that edge…which is close to being right down the middle of the strap.
 
Press the strap flat then fold the two long edges together and stitch beginning about 3” from the raw ends. Backstitch at the beginning and end of that stitching line and set aside for the moment.

Cut four rectangles 6” X 25” from the strap fabric for the top and bottom yokes for front and back.  Fuse interfacing on all four rectangles.

Pin the raw ends of the handles onto the pieced bag front and back at the seams as shown below and baste across the handle ends with a 1/4” seam allowance.

At this time, you can sew on the yoke pieces with a 3/8” seam allowance, onto the top of both the front and bag back, but only on the bag bottom for the time being.  Topstitch along the yoke seam and through the handle where it comes out of that seam as shown below.  You will wait to sew the last yoke piece onto the bag front until after the zipper is attached.

Lay the closed zipper down centered on the drawn middle line with the wrong side of the zipper against the right side of the bag front. Using a zipper foot, stitch down the zipper 1/4” from the each edge of the zipper tape on both sides.

Next, cut two strips from the strap fabric 2” by width of fabric for the zipper trim.  Press one long edge of each strip under about 3/8”. On one side at a time, lay the raw/unfolded edge of one strip right side down on top of the zipper with the raw edge of the strip evenly aligned with the edge of the zipper tape.  Stitch down through all layers with a 1/4” seam allowance.

Flip the strip over and now with the wrong side against the right side of the bag front, press and stitch the folded edge down, thus enclosing the edge of the zipper tape.  You can also topstitch the edge of the zipper trim that is sewn to the zipper tape closest to the teeth.

Attach the zipper trim strips like this on both sides of the zipper.

The zipper is longer than you need, so at this time you can sew across the closed zipper at the end of the bag then cut off the leftover zipper end and zipper trim strips and discard.

Now carefully sew the remaining front yoke onto the bottom of the bag front and topstitch as you did on the other yokes/handles. Go carefully and slowly as you sew across the cut off zipper end.

Pin and stitch the hanger loop with a 1/4” seam allowance on the bag front bottom in the center with the loop raw edges even with the bag yoke bottom as shown below.

Flip the bag front over and using thin scissors, carefully cut through the fabric and interfacing right down the center- go carefully so as not to cut through the zipper in any way.

Press the raw edges back away from teeth on both sides of the zipper.

Next, I folded the bag front lengthwise down the middle with the side edges pinned together, I trimmed off 2” from both sides.  Repeat this with the bag back.

While the bag front and back are folded, trim off the top two corners at the sides in a straight line from the edge of the zipper facing strips to about 1  1/2” above the top yoke seam.

Repeat with the top of the bag back.

To finish the top center edges of the bag where the clothes hangers will come out, you will need to cut 2 pieces from the strap fabric 2  1/2” by 6”. 

Fold one long edge under on each piece about 1” and press.  Cut one strip in half. 

Unzip the front about 3” then lay one small piece with right sides together on the top edge of the bag front on each side of the zipper.

Do the same with the longer piece on the bag back at the top edge.

Stitch them on with a 1/4” seam allowance.  Flip the facings to the wrong side and top stitch them down as shown below.

Repeat with the facing strip on the top of the bag back.

Use the bag front as a pattern piece by laying it cross grain on the lining fabric.  The bag front and back lining is cut out in two pieces.  It is pieced with a bottom yoke band. Cut 2 lining pieces matching the outer bag pieces and two bottom bands that are 6” tall by the width of the finished outer bag pieces. Trim the top corners to match the angled outer bag corners.
 
Cut one lining piece in half and press the cut center edges under about 1/4”- later, this will be hand sewn on the inside of the zipper tape. You can topstitch this folded edge if you desire.  Sew the bottom bands onto the lining bottoms.

Now, were ready to assemble the hanging bag!

Layer the 4 bag pieces together with the outside bag pieces in the middle with their right sides together and the bag linings on the outside with their right sides out and pin all around. 
 
Stitch all around the bag edges with a 1/2” seam allowance. Finish this seam edge with a wide zigzag stitch.

Hand stitch the front lining down on both sides of the zipper and around the “neck” edges.  Add a zipper pull if desired.

F.Y.I- the little hanging loop that was stitched into the center of the bottom seam is used by looping it over the hangers coming out of the top to make the hanging bag fold to an easier size to carry!  🙂

OK, the biggest piece is done, 4 more to go!! 🙂


2. The Weekend Tote bag-
Cut the remaining layer cake squares into 5” squares- you will get 4 from each layer cake piece.

Select 19 squares for the front, 19 for the back, 8 for each side and 10 squares for the tote bottom.  Lay them out as shown below, leaving out the center block to form a center “slot” in the top row.  I arrange them on my design board right next to each other so I know what fabric squares are next to each other including the sides and bottoms.

Sew all the squares together into 4 pieces- front, back, 2 sides and bottom.  Lay the pieces wrong side down on top of the fusible fleece with the fusible side up, cut around the pieces and press with iron.

Quilt the pieces at this time. I stitched diagonally through the squares with a wiggly stitch.

Select two groups of 4 squares. Sew together to make two 4 patch pieces for 2 large pockets.  Lay the two pieced pocket fronts right sides together on the lining fabric.  Cut around them and then sew around all sides, leaving an opening to turn it right side out.  Press, then topstitch across the top edge and set aside.

Use the quilted bag pieces as patterns to cut out the 5 lining pieces by laying them right sides together on top of the lining fabric and cutting around them.  I fused interfacing to the wrong side of all the lining pieces to give the tote a bit more structure.  Place the 2 completed pockets on the right side of one lining piece. Pin and stitch around them on three sides.

To make the long closure tie, cut a strip of lining fabric 1  3/4” by 20”. Press the strip in half lengthwise, then open it up and fold the long raw edges into the center.

Refold and press, then topstitch down both long sides.

To make the straps, cut two pieces of lining fabric 5” by 30” and cut 2 pieces of fusible fleece 2” by 30”.  Fuse it down the center of the strap fabric, then press one long edge under 3/4”.

Fold the raw edge side over the fusible then fold the pressed edge over it all. 

Topstitch down the folded edge through all thicknesses, then down both sides.  Repeat for second strap, then set aside with the closure strip.

Sew the bottom piece on the long side to one bag side.

Sew one long edge of each sidepiece to the front and then to the bottom and then to the back, assembling the outer bag completely.  Do the same with the lining pieces, using a 3/8” seam allowance.  The lining piece with the 2 pockets is the back and the plain lining piece is the front.  Remember to leave an opening in the lining between the bottom and back pieces to be able to turn the purse through later!!

Pin the straps as shown below over the seam lines on the front and back.

Pin the center fold of the long thin closure strap on the center “slot” and stitch them all down with a 1/4” seam allowance. 

Pin the lining over the outer bag with right sides together, matching all the side seams and center slot edges all around the top.  Stitch with a 3/8” seam allowance. Clip the inner corners and trim the outer corners to facilitate sharp points when completed. 

Turn the tote right side out through the opening you left in the lining.

Then stitch that opening closed as shown below.

Push the lining down inside the bag. Pin, press, and topstitch around the top finished edges about 1/4” in down.

If you like a firmer bag bottom, you can cut a piece of heavy cardboard or plastic needlepoint canvas to fit the bottom and cover it with leftover scrap fabric.

Now, the Weekender Tote bag is VERY large, so I wanted a way to make the size adjustable!  I added a buttonhole and button on each side to be able to button it up when I want it smaller and unbutton it when I need the bag to hold more!  The button and buttonhole are about 1/4” in from the side seam and the same distance from the top edge.

You don’t have to do this if you only want your tote to be full sized.

This is what it looks like when the button is in the buttonhole, making the tote sides smaller.

Sew on the big closure button where you like on the front of the bag in the center. Because I also wanted the bag closure tie to be able to be tighter if the bag is not too full, or looser if the bag is really stuffed, I stitched two ties together in two places for varied tightness.

Voilaaaa! Piece two is also complete! 

YAY! Only three more to go!

3. The Laptop Bag-
For this bag, we will use the jelly roll! Pull the duplicate strips out of the pile of jelly roll strips and set aside then cut all the other strips in half at the center fold.

Using only one half of each strip, sort then sew the strips into groups of three.

Then sub-cut the strip set into 2 1/2” segments.

Using strip sets of three squares makes piecing the bag much quicker than sewing together each square separately. Layout the strip sets in any way you like in order to get one piece made with 10 squares across by 7 squares down. This piece is the front of the bag and both sides.  Sew together, press as desired and iron fusible fleece onto the wrong side.

Next, layout the strip sets in order to get one piece made with 8 squares across by 8 squares down. This piece is the bag back and the bottom.  Sew together, press as desired, and iron fusible fleece onto the back.

Quilt each piece as desired! I just did a simple meander!

Use the two quilted pieces as patterns for the lining by laying them right sides together on the lining fabric and cut around them.  Set aside for now.

Using the leftover strip sets, arrange and sew a piece together with 8 squares across by 3 squares down for the top flap. Press and iron fusible fleece onto the back, then use it to cut a matching piece from the lining fabric.  Quilt it as you wish.  Trim off the corners as shown below. 

Before we sew the outer flap and flap lining together we have to make a little flap loop. Cut a piece of fabric 2” by 7”.  Fold in half lengthwise and press, then open it up and fold the long raw edges into the center, then repress, topstitch both long sides and press as shown below.

Pin the loop in the center of the flap as desired, trim the raw ends even with the flap edge, and baste across with a 1/4” seam allowance.

With right sides together, pin and stitch around three sides of the top flap.  Turn right side out, press and topstitch around the seam.  Stitch the soft strip of a 9  1/2” long set of coordinating Velcro strips along the flap edge as shown below.

Sew the coordinating rough strip on the quilted outer front about 4” down from the top edge.
Next sew the side seams and bottom seam on both the outer quilted bag and on the lining.  Remember to leave an opening in one lining seam to turn the bag through.

From the strap fabric, cut one 4” by 22” strip for the strap. Cut one 1  1/2” by 22” strip of fusible fleece. Fuse the fleece strip down the center of the wrong side of the strap. 

Press one long edge under 1/4”.  Fold the long raw edge over the fused fleece then fold the other side over that. Stitch that folded edge down from end to end, and press.  Now fold the two stitched edges together and pin then stitch through those edges, starting and stopping 3” from each end.

Pin the strap ends to the top back edge as shown below and baste them down with a 1/4” seam allowance.  Next pin the top flap over that handle and baste with a 1/4” seam allowance.

With right sides together, pin the lining to the outer quilted bag around the top seam and stitch with a 3/8” seam allowance.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening left in the lining seam then stitch that opening closed and push the lining down into the bag.

Pin then topstitch around the top seam!  Taaa daaaa!!  🙂

Piece three of the travel set is now complete!  Yessss!
Now, three down and only 2 to go!!

4. The Cosmetic Bag-
Using the leftover strip sets, layout two sets of 24 squares using a 6 squares across by 4 squares down layout.

Fuse fleece on the wrong side of both pieces.  Using leftover 5” squares and jelly roll strips, piece together to create 2 lining pieces.

Place the lining and outer bag side wrong sides together and quilt as desired.

Cut a piece of fabric 2” by 5”.  Fold in half lengthwise and press, then open up and fold the long raw edges into the center fold, and repress.  Cut into two equal pieces.

Take the zipper and stitch across the top ends about 1/4” from the top of the teeth as shown below.  Then trim off ends to 1/4”.

Next, slide those stitched raw edges into the fold of the prepared strip then topstitch through all thicknesses close to each long edge and down the middle of the prepared strip as shown. Trim the strip edges even with the zipper tape.

Lay the zipper down on top of the bag side and on the other end of the zipper, place a pin 1” from the end of the bag piece. 

Stitch across the zipper at the pin and then cut the zipper off leaving about 1/4” after the pin.  You can do this stitching by hand or by machine using a very wide zigzag that fits over the width of the teeth.

Then finish this end of the zipper the same way as the other end by slipping the cut edges into the fold of the prepared strip and topstitching as desired.  Be careful as it is easy to break a needle trying to sew through the zipper teeth.  Trim the strip edges even with the zipper sides.

Place zipper face down on one bag side with right sides together, zipper tape side edge even with the quilted side edge and centered from end to end.  Stitch through all thicknesses 1/4” from the aligned edges.

Do the same with the other quilted bag piece and the other side of the zipper, but watch that the quilted bag sides line up, as well.

Unzip the zipper at least 3 inches, then pin and stitch around the other three sides of the bag with a 3/8” seam allowance.  I finished the raw edges with a tight and wide zigzag after clipping the seam allowances at the 2 corners.

Turn right side out and use a pointed tool to push out the 2 bottom corners.  I used a piece of the beige woven ribbon used to wrap up the jelly roll as a zipper pull!  Yippeeskippee!!  The fourth piece of your new travel set is done!  🙂

Four down only one more to go!!  🙂

5. The Daytripper bag-
Using the remaining jelly roll half-strips for this fun little bag!
Select 5 strips for the bag and two strips for the top flap.  Select one of the 5 strips to use as an accent.  Cut that strip in half lengthwise.

Stitch two strips together, then the thinner accent strip, then the other two strips as shown below. Fuse fleece onto the wrong side, then quilt as desired.

Use the leftover scraps of strips and squares to piece together a large enough piece for the bag lining.  Lay the quilted outer bag and pieced lining right sides together and trim the lining to the size of the quilted outer bag.

Sew the two top flap strips together with the thinner accent strip in between, then trim it to the same length as the bag width, as shown below.  Fuse fleece onto the wrong side of the top flap and quilt as desired.

Trim off the flap corners as shown below. Lay it right sides together on top of lining fabric and cut around it. 

Cut a strip of fabric 2” by 14” for the button loop.  Fold in in half lengthwise and press, then open it up and fold the long raw edges into the fold, press and top stitch down both long sides. Fold in half and baste it down in the center of the flap as shown below.

Lay the quilted flap and lining right sides together, stitch around the 5 sides with a 1/2” seam allowance.

Turn right side out, press and top stitch around the seam edges.  Baste the open raw edges of the top flap with right sides together to the top of the outer quilted bag back. 

Use two leftover 5” squares to make an inside pocket.  Place them right sides together and sew around all edges leaving a 2” opening.

Clip the corners and turn right side out. press and top stitch across one edge to become the pocket top. Place it on the right side of the lining 2  1/2” below the top and centered side to side, as shown below.  Pin in place then stitch around the three sides.

Fold the quilted outer bag in half- the fold will be the bottom of the bag.  Stitch both side seams from the fold up to the bag top.  Repeat this with the lining, but remember to leave a 4” opening on one side to turn the bag right side out through!

Box the corners at the fold so that they measure 2” across the boxing seam.

I used one uncut jelly roll strip for the bag strap.  I prepared it the same way I did the button loop by folding the strip in half lengthwise and press with iron.  Then open up the strip and fold the long raw edges into the center fold, press and top stitch down both long edges.
 
Baste the raw ends of the strap on the right side over the side seams of the quilted bag with a 1/4” seam allowance.

Time to assemble the bag! Put the quilted outer bag and the lining right sides together and pin the top raw edges together.  Stitch around the top edges with a 3/8” seam allowance.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the side lining then stitch that opening closed. 

Push the lining down into the bag.  Pin around the top seam and topstitch 1/4” from that seam edge with the top flap out.

Fold the top down to see where to stitch on the button.

Knot the button loop where desired and trim off the excess.

Yessindeeeedy!!  The fifth and final piece of your new travel set is now complete!

This little bag is the perfect size to throw your phone, keys, and money in for a hands free shopping day at the nearest quilt show vendor hall!!  🙂  I hope you enjoy using this handy travel set on your next trip!


one long hanging bag
one large tote bag
one laptop bag
one cosmetic case
one small handbag

Yogi and I would love to have you as a follower on our blog- Aunt Polly’s Porch! 
Come for a visit soon and let me know how you like this set of projects!

Polly Monica
{Aunt Polly’s Porch}

Love Beads Quilt

LOVE BEADS QUILT By Carla Timberlake 

Have you noticed all the groovy 1970’s inspired fashions that are hitting the stores? Bright and wild colors dominated the scene and what hippie didn’t own love beads during the ’70’s! The “Oh, My!” line of fabrics by Sanae reminds me so much of the psychedelic fabrics of that day!  This lap-size quilt celebrates the era in a fun and creative way! I’m Carla Timberlake from Lollyquiltz and this is my first Bake Shop pattern. I hope that you enjoy it!

2 Charm Packs of  Oh, My! by Sanae
2 1/2 yards of background fabric: Moda Bella buttercup 9900-28
3 1/3 yards border and backing fabric: Oh, My! 32450-18
1/2 yard binding fabric: Oh, My! 32453-14

Makes one quilt: Approx. 54.5 in. x 63. 5 in.

CUTTING:
Begin by cutting each of the 84 charm squares into two pieces with your rotary cutter and ruler.

Cut off a 1.5 in. X 5 in. piece from one side of each square. This will leave a section 3.5 in. x 5 in.

From the background fabric,

CUT: 23 strips WOF(Width of Fabric) 1.5 inches wide

From remaining background fabric,

CUT: 3 strips LOF (Length of Fabric) 1.5 in. X 59 in.

         7 strips LOF 3 in. X 59 in.                                                         

SUBCUT: Using 12 WOF strips 1.5 in. wide from above , subcut into 320 squares 1.5 in. X 1.5 in.

       

The Love Bead Quilt is made with two simple blocks, the bead block and the chain block.

MAKING THE BEADS:

Place a 1.5 in. background square in each corner of the 3.5 in. x 5 in. Oh, My! rectangle. Sew across the background squares on the diagonal. 

*Hint: Crease the square on the diagonal or draw a line for better accuracy when stitching, if desired.

Using chain sewing will make this step go faster! You will end up with at big stack that looks like this!

Next, using scissors or your rotary cutter, trim off the corners, leaving a 1/4 inch seam.

*Hint: If your stitching line is not quite on the diagonal line, you can trim out just the background corner from the middle, leaving the print corner to keep the block square. Your seam will be a bit more bulky if you choose this.

Press the background corners up toward the outside on each bead block.

MAKING THE CHAINS:

Choose 42 of the 1.5 in. x 5 in. strips that you cut from the charm squares. Lay them, right sides together (RST) along 6 of the 1.5 in. WOF background strips. You can get 8 charm strips on each background strip. Sew the charm strips along the background strips with a 1/4 in. seam.

*Hint: Test to be sure that you are making an accurate 1/4 in. seam before beginning.

Press the seams toward the charm strips.

Use your rotary cutter and ruler to cut across the background strip even with the charm strips to 5 inches.

Now, repeat the steps above to attach the charm strips along the remaining 1.5 inch WOF background strips.

Again, cut apart the 5 inch sections from the long background strips. They should measure 3.5 in. across.

Cut 34 chain pieces in half to make (68) 3.5 x 2.5 sections. Cut the remaining 8 chain sections to 3.75 in. in length. Lay aside.

CREATING THE BEAD/CHAIN BLOCKS:

Begin by choosing 12 beads and lay them aside. (You will use these later to complete the long rows.) Now, using the 68 short chain sections that you cut in the step above, pair up a chain section with a bead and sew them together using a 1/4 in. seam. Mix and match the prints for a fun look. Press seams open. Your bead/chain blocks should look like this:

Now for the really fun part! This type of quilt is called a strip quilt because the blocks are set together, end to end, creating strips. Then background strips, or sashings, are sewn in-between the block strips. Begin laying out the bead/chain blocks to create 9 long rows.

1. Use 8 blocks to create 5 rows, beginning with a bead at the top. At the end of these rows, add a single bead from one of the ones you laid aside above. Now you will have 5 chains of 9 beads, beginning and ending with a bead. Sew together and press the seams open.

2. Create 4 rows using 7 blocks, beginning with a bead at the top. At the end of these rows, add a single bead from one of the ones you laid aside above. Now, add a 3.75 in. chain piece to the beginning and the end of each of these 4 rows. You will now have 8 beads in these 4 rows, beginning and ending with a long chain piece. Sew together and press seams open.

*Hint: You will have 3 beads left over. You could piece them into the backing, just for fun!

3. Using a design wall (or even the floor) is a great way to move around the beads to get a pleasing combination. The 10 LOF background strips that you cut at the beginning of this pattern will be used to separate the long bead chains in the quilt top. Measure several long bead strips and cut the sashing strips  to that measurement. 

*Hint: You can use an average if the lengths vary slightly.

4. You can lay out the strips in any way that you like, but use a 3 in. background strip on the outside edges and alternate the 9 bead rows with the 8 bead rows. Use the cover picture, or the ones below, as a layout guide. Some of the bead stings will be closer together, depending on where you use the 1.5 in. sashing or the 3 in. sashing.

5. Once you have the rows laid out how you like them, sew them together and press seams toward the sashing pieces.

*Hint: The back of a flannel tablecloth makes a great, portable design wall. You can fold it up with the blocks laying on it and they will stay put.

BORDERS:

Fold the background/border fabric in half crosswise and cut. Each section will then be approx. 60 in. long. Using one section, cut (4) LOF 4.5 in. strips. Use these to make the outside borders, measuring across the middle and then cutting the borders to fit that measurement.  Add the side borders first and then the top and bottom. 

BACKING AND BINDING:

Piece together the remaining backing fabric to create a backing 3 in. larger than the quilt top all the way around. Layer with batting and quilt as desired. Use the binding fabric to make a French binding by cutting strips 2.25 in. wide. Fold and press in half after sewing them together end to end on the bias. Bind the quilt.

One funky LOVE BEAD QUILT to remind you of the 1970’s! 

54. 5 inches X 63. 5 inches

ENJOY!

Carla Timberlake
{Lollyquiltz}

Large Chrysalis Lattice Quilt

Hello fellow Moda Bake Shoppers! My name is Amy Smart and I enjoy sharing my quilting fetish at my blog Diary of a Quilter. I’m so excited to show you my first MBS recipe!  This quilt is perfect for showing off large, graphic prints.  I am using Sanae’s new Chrysalis collection for this project.  Although this is a larger quilt (finishes 83″ x 83″), a Layer Cake and Charm Pack help it come together very quickly.

1 Charm Pack
1 Layer Cake
3 ¼ yards Bella Solid (I used Stone)
½ yard blue border fabric
5/8 yard binding fabric
4¾ yards backing  + contrasting half yard

Cutting:

From the Bella Solid Gray cut:   
(2)  9½” (x width of fabric) strips
(2)  14″ (x wof) strips
(13) 2½” (x wof)strips for sashing
(16)  2″ (x wof) strips for outside borders


From each of the 9½” (x width of fabric) strips, subcut 16 units measuring 9½” strips x 2 ½”. You will need 32 total of these units.

From the 14″ strips, cut a total of (4) 14″ squares. Reserve the extra fabric. Subcut each of these 14″ squares twice on the diagonal to create 4 equal triangles per square. Set these aside as Setting Triangles. You will need 16 Setting Triangles.

From the remaining piece of 14″ wide fabric, cut (2) 9″ squares. Cut them each once on the diagonal. These are your Corner Triangles.  You will need 4 total.

Trim 33 of the Layer Cake squares down to 9½” squares.

Cut (8) 2″ x wof strips from the blue border fabric.


Cut (8) 2½”x wof strips from the orange binding fabric.

Assembly:


1.  Using 32 of the Charm Pack squares, create (8) 4-patch blocks.

2. Using the 33 trimmed Layer Cake squares and 8 four-patch blocks, layout your 9½” squares on point starting with 5 squares across (see picture below) until you get the balance of color you like. 


Then add the sashing strips and setting/corner triangles.  Because you are assembling the quilt using diagonal rows, laying out the quilt on the floor or a design wall will help you keep track of which block goes where.

3.  Start assembling rows diagonally with a Setting Triangle at the beginning and end of each row. Alternate  9½” x 2 ½” strips between the squares on rows 2-8.  Sew a Corner Triangle at each end of row 5.  I pressed seams toward the solid strips.

4.  Sew 2½”x wof strips end to end to create the long sashing strips. Begin to assemble pieced rows with a sashing strip in between.  Leave about 3″ of strip at the end of each row. (You’ll square-off the ends later.)

5.  In order to make sure the side-sashing strips match up, place the row with the long-sashing strip sewn to it on top of the row to be attached, right sides together.  Fold back the row with the solid sashing strip at the top and make sure the side sashing segments are lined up.  Carefully return the top row back in place, pinning raw edges to sew together.

6. Press toward solid strips.

7. Square-off ends using a long ruler. Make sure to leave a  ¼” seam allowance at the corners of the printed blocks.

8. Square-off Corner Triangles using quilt sides as your guide.  Be careful to keep the corner square.

9.  You are ready to attach the borders. This is my favorite method for attaching borders.  It’s quick and simple, but it still keeps the quilt square and not wavy at the edges.  Spread the pieced portion of the quilt flat on the floor. Before you measure the lengths of your border strips, trim off the selvage edges.  Match up ends of the strips with one edge of the quilt and lay 2 of your border strips across the center of the quilt.

The other ends of the strip will hang off the end.  Mark the quilt length with a pin and trim ends off with a rotary cutter.

Fold the border strip in half end-to-end and mark the center with a pin. Pin the center of the strip to the center of the edge of the pieced quilt. Then pin strip ends to the ends of the quilt edge.  Space pins carefully along the rest of the strip to secure in place. (It’s not bad if the strip is slightly shorter than the edge of the quilt, but this is why pinning starting at the center and ends of the quilt is important.)

Repeat this step with all quilt edges. Start with (8) 2″ x wof strips for the first border.  The second border (blue) requires (8) 2″ x wof strips and the last gray border requires (8) 2″ x wof strips.  Sew two strips together end to end for each side and trim accordingly.


10. For the backing, you will need at least 4¾ yards.  Cut the yardage into 2  2³/₈  (85.5″) pieces and sew them together lengthwise matching up selvage edges. 

If you want a pieced back or a back that’s slightly larger for machine quilting purposes, you can do what I did:


Part One: Get an extra ½ yard of coordinating fabric.  Cut into (4) 4½” x wof strips.  Sew two sets of strips together end-to-end to create 2 strips measuring 4½” x (about) 85″. Take the back pieced together as above and rotary cut 22″ off the bottom of the back.  Sew one of the 4½” strips where you’ve rotary cut and sew the 22″ piece back onto the bottom. (click on diagram to enlarge):

Part Two: Take large backing piece as is and rotate it 90 degrees. Rotary cut 22″ off from a perpendicular side (should cut through the new coordinating fabric.) Set these two backing pieces aside.


Take the second coordinating 4½” x 85″ strip and cut 22″ off from one end.  Chose a contrasting fabric from your remaining Charm Pack squares and trim down to 4½”. Insert square here and then sew 22″ trimmed piece back onto the end of the strip.


Now, matching up contrasting Charm Pack square with the 4″ coordinating print, sew this strip to the large piece of backing fabric. Attach the 22″ trimmed piece to the other side of the coordinating strip. 

10. Quilt using your favorite method (or use your favorite quilter.) My friend and co-worker, the talented Becky Heslop, did an amazing job quilting this for me. Thanks again Becky! 

11. Binding.  This is the method I used to bind my quilt.



One 83″ x 83″ quilt.  This quilt is simple, but a perfect way to show off those pretty, larger prints. The sashing breaks them up and really highlights the fabric design. This quilt would work in so many different fabric styles – traditional to modern. Once again, I loved how quickly this came together for such a large quilt.  It could easily become a queen or king size quilt just by adding wider borders.

I hope you enjoy making one of your own! It has been a lot of fun to come bake with Moda! I hope you’ll come visit me at Diary of a Quilter. I would love to hang out more!

Amy Smart

{Diary of a Quilter}

Three Halloween Treats

Hello again! It is LeAnne over at Everyday Celebrations. Today I am bringing you three delicious little Halloween treats that can all be made from one jelly roll!

I will warn you, this is a loooong post! However, I made one apron, three wall hangings, and six trick or treat totes with one jelly roll! (Along with minimal additional fabrics.)  So if you are looking for some quick projects, just pick up your favorite seasonal jelly roll, some solid fabric, a couple of fat quarters, and get sewing.

p.s. These all would make adorable Christmas projects too!

p.p.s Since I was able to make so many cute little trick or treat totes, I have a couple in need of a home! So click on over to my blog and leave a comment to win one of the pictured trick or treat totes!

1 Haunted Mansion Jelly Roll by Sanae

Below is the breakdown of materials for each project.


Additional fabrics/materials for wall hanging:
1/2 yard Bella Solid in Black
2 Fat Quarters
1 yard jumbo black ricrac
1/4 yard iron-on adhesive, such as Heat n’ Bond Ultrahold – the kind that does not require sewing
(2) 6 foot 1″x 2″  finished or unfinished, mine are finished
hand saw or table/circular saw
staple gun

Additional fabrics for trick or treat tote:

1/2 yard Bella Solid in Black for lining & top and bottom pieces – per tote
30″ of 1″ wide black handle strapping, found with the trims – per tote
seasonal ribbon, optional

Optional: If you want the top and bottom pieces to be from a different fabric you will need
1/2 yard fabric for each the top and bottom pieces – will yield enough pieces for many totes

Additional fabric for hostess apron:
3/4 yard Bella Solid in Black

note:
WOF = width of fabric
RST = right sides together
All seam allowances 1/4″ unless otherwise stated.

Tip: I remember the first time I sewed with jelly roll strips. Boy was I surprised when I had a massive ‘curve in my pieced jelly roll strips! Argh, it was one of those ‘Why do I sew?’ moments. 

To help with this, place two strips RST lining up the selvages (uncut end) as PERFECTLY as you can. Sew the length of the strip. Press seams open. Then sew another pair together, repeating the same process. Repeat till all jelly roll strips are in pairs. Next sew two pairs together, again lining up the selvages as perfectly as you can and pressing the seam open. Now sew the sets of four jelly roll strips together, each time remembering to match up the selvages at the top and pressing seams open. It worked for me. 🙂

{wall hangings}

1. From the black fabric cut the following pieces:
(3) 15″ x 7″ pieces
(1) 1.75″ x WOF, then cut in half

 2.  Select 6 strips from the jelly roll and cut in half at the fold. (You will need 6 half jelly roll strips for this project, save the other halves for the totes or apron.)

3. From the two Fat Quarters cut the following:
(4) 5″ x 5.25″
(2) 5″ x 5.5″
(4) 6.5″ pieces of jumbo black ric rac

 4.  Sew together the jelly roll strips adding a 1.75″ black strip on the top and bottom. Press seams open. Even up the ends of jelly roll strips so the panel is 20″ long.

5. Cut the panel into (4) 15″ x 5″ strips.

6. With RST, sew a 15″ x 5″ strip on both sides of a 15″ x 7″ piece. Press seams open. Repeat again to make an identical wall hanging.

7. Place one of the pieces of ricrac across the 5″ edge of one 5″ x 5.5″ rectangle. Place the ricrac so the dip in the top wave is just about even with the top edge of fabric.

8. Place a  5″ x 5.25″ rectangle on top, RST. Line up the top edges of both rectangles and pin together. Sew in place. Repeat for the opposite end of the rectangle.

9. Press seams open. Top stitch the ricrac in place. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for the remaining rectangles. Sew both pieces to the sides of the remaining 15″ x 7″ black piece like in step 6.

10. Trace the words ‘boo’, ‘trick’, and ‘treat’ onto iron-on fusible webbing. Follow the directions for adhering to fabric for your brand of fusible webbing. Cut out letters. Templates for words are included in the Printer Friendly PDF at the bottom of the post.

11. Fuse the words 3″ up from the bottom in the lower right hand corner of the black panel. Top stitch along either side of the black panel as shown. I used a decorative zigzag with orange thread. Repeat for the remaining panels. (Since this is a wall hanging, I am not concerned about reinforcing the letters with sewing.)

12.  To help stretch each panel evenly, stitch around each panel about 1/4″ away from the edge. Trim away threads and ricrac ends.

10.  Cut both 6 foot long 1″ x  2″s every 10.5″ with a hand saw or table/circular saw. Arrange as shown below. Repeat for other two frames.

11. Secure in place with two staples at each joint. Flip frame over and staple from the other side at each joint. Repeat for the other two frames.

12. Place one of the wall hangings right side down. Place the blunt side of the frame on top of the panel. (The rounded edge should be facing up.) Center the frame 1.5″ from the top and bottom and 2.25″ from each side.

13. Fold up the top and bottom edges and staple in place, slightly stretching as you go. Stretch evenly. (It is helpful to have one person fold the fabric and the other staple.)

14. Fold the side pieces as shown below. Secure with a staple.

15.  Finish folding up the sides like you are wrapping a present. Secure with staples. Repeat for other wall hangings.

{trick or treat tote}

1. Cut the following pieces:
5 jelly roll strips
(2) 4″ x 12.25″ bottom – from FQ or solid fabric
(2) 2.5′ x 12.25″ top – from FQ or solid fabric
(2) 12.25″ x 16″ lining
(2) 15″ pieces of 1″ wide handle strapping, found with the trims

2. Cut three of the jelly roll strips in half at the fold line. (The orange strips. You will only need 3 halves for this project.)  Trim the two remaining jelly roll strips to 2″ wide then cut in half. (The gray strips. You will use all four halves for this project.)

Arrange the half strips in this order:

4. Sew strips RST. Press seams open.

5. Even up the panel so it measures 21″ long. Then cut into (2) 10.5″ pieces.

6. Take one of the 4″ x 12.25″ pieces and pin to the bottom of one panel. Sew RST along the bottom edge.

7. Repeat with the 2.5″ x 12.25″ piece and sew RST along the top edge. Press seams open. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the other panel.

8. If desired, cut a 3″ piece of ribbon for a ‘tag’. Fold in half and pin in place about 1″ from the top edge on one of the panels. Match up the raw edges of the ribbon with the raw edges of the bag.

9. Pin both panels RST and sew. Leave the top open. Press seams and clip the bottom corners. Turn right side out.

10. Pin handles in place  3.25″ from the side of the bag. Repeat for other side. Baste handles in place using a long machine stitch about 1/8″ away from the top edge.

11. Pin the two lining pieces RST and sew together. Leave the top open and a 6″ opening at the bottom of the bag. Press seams and clip corners.

12. Place the outer bag inside the lining, RST.

13. Pin the two bags together and sew the two bags together. Do not leave an opening.

14. From the opening in the bottom of the lining, turn the bag right side out. Press along the top edge of the bag making sure the lining isn’t peeking out. Top stitch about 1/8″ from the top edge of the bag.  Tuck the raw edges in the raw edges of the opening in the lining and press. Sew the opening close.

{hostess apron}

Note: The finished size of this apron is 26″ wide x 21″ long. The ties measure 37″ long on either side. To add/subtract width to the apron just add/remove jelly strip halves.  For each strip added/removed, you will add/reduce 2″ to the width of the apron. The length is also adjustable. I am 5’10” and the apron comes to just above my knee and ties generously around me.


1.  Cut the following pieces:
14 jelly roll halves
(1) 6.5″ x 27″ top band (add/subtract an additional 2″ to/from 27″ for each strip added/removed)
(1) 4″ x 27″ bottom band (add/subtract an additional 2″ to/from 27″ for each strip added/removed)
(2) 6.5″ x 36″ ties

2. Sew the jelly roll strips together in pairs lining up the selvages at the top.Press seams open. Then join all the pairs together.Press seams open. The cut edges will be slightly uneven and all at the opposite end. (See second picture in this step.) The panel should measure 27″ wide.

3. Even up the panel and trim to 17″ long.

*Note: You can cut the panel to any length. The bands/hems will add about an additional 4″ to the apron.

5. You will want to finish the raw edges. Either serge or zigzag each seam of the panel.

6. Along the long edge of the 4″ x 27″ bottom band, fold under 1/4″ and press. Then fold under another 1/4″ and press again. Sew hem in place 1/8″ from the edge. Pin the raw edge of the bottom band and the bottom raw edge of the apron RST together and sew in place. Zigzag or serge to finish the seam.

7. Fold the side raw edges under 1/4″ and press. (From the top to the bottom band.) Then fold under another 1/4″ and press again. Sew in place 1/8″ from the edge.

8. Sew the ties and top band together RST. (The top band needs to be in the middle and a tie on either side.) It will be WAYYYY long. Press seams open.

7. Center the WAYYY long band/ties over the apron panel RST and pin. The seams should be on either side of the apron panel. Sew only to the apron panel. Do not sew onto the free hanging ties.

8. Press the seam and place the band/ties up as shown below. You should now see the right side of the band/ties. Press well.

9. Now fold the band/ties down, RST so the raw edges of the free hanging ties meet. Pin the free hanging ties as shown below.

10. Start sewing at the end of one tie and continue sewing. Stop when you get to the apron panel. Skip over the apron panel and continue sewing the other tie together. Clip corners at the ends. Press.

11. Turn the ties right side out. Push the end back through the tie with a wooden spoon.

12. Tuck the raw edge of the band/tie to the inside and press. Pin in place from the front, being sure to catch the back of the band with your pins. Top stitch 1/4″ from the edge starting at one of the ties continuing onto the apron, closing the opening, and ending at the end of the other tie. Press well when completed.

I hope you enjoy your yummy Halloween Treats. 😉
Happy Baking!!

1 hostess apron
3 wall hangings
6 or more trick or treat totes

LeAnne Ballard
{Everyday Celebrations}

Bricks in Bloom

Last July, my brother and sister-in-law adopted my niece Molly. They received a phone call from their adoption agency on Friday, and went to pick up their one-week old daughter on Saturday! All the frustration, disappointment, heart-break and waiting were replaced with over-flowing joy and gratitude for them and our whole family. Because I am a mama to a boy (whom you will meet at the bottom of this post), living in a world of way too much cute girly fabric, I sew for Molly. The fabric in this quilt, from Oz by Sanae, with its cheer, sass, and bright whimsy, suits her and this Spring season perfectly.

My name is Tracey Jacobsen, I blog over at traceyjay quilts, and I hope you enjoy my first Moda Bake Shop Recipe. If you are new to, (or scared of) appliqué, then this is the quilt for you.  Great texture, fresh colors, subtle movement, and simple piecing make this quilt easy to love.

The pink and green fat quarters from an Oz FQ bundle

The yellow dots fat quarter

The large focal print fat quarters for appliqué section

2 ½ yards Moda Bella solids in Natural (for backing and appliqué section)

½ yd your choice of Oz print for binding (I went scrappy)

Assorted coordinating Perle Cotton in No. 8 for hand quilting

Neutral thread for piecing and appliqué

Fabric pencil for making letters and marking quilting lines

Various appliqué tools: Freezer paper, Heat ‘n Bond Lite, Heavy Starch and/or (not pictured) glue stick

¼ yd Moda Bella solids in Brown (for name appliqué)
Coordinating brown thread
PDF file of letters (Lucida Handwriting is the font)
(Thank you Julie for converting this!)

Fat Quarter cutting diagram

 (all four rows are the same)

4 ½” x  4 ½”	4 ½” x 6 ½”	4 ½” x 8 ½”

*not to scale

Line up your fat quarters on your cutting mat, making sure you have a full 18″ height (If you do not, then make your bricks a tiny bit smaller; it will not impact the design so long as you are consistent with the width of all the bricks)

As shown in the diagram and photo, cut 4 strips at 4 1/2″ each.

You will then sub-cut those strips in to three different sized bricks: small (4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″), medium (4 1/2″ x 6 1/2″) and yes, you guessed it, large (4 1/2″ x 8 1/2″)

Each FQ will give you four small, four medium, and four large bricks.

For the next step, after cutting, all the greens went in to a bin, and all the pink went in to another.  Because I didn’t want the vertical seams of my bricks to line up, I graphed a random lay-out with the different sized bricks (see below).  

Following the graph, I picked up the bricks for each row in to a stack and sewed them together. If you could have heard my inner dialogue during this process, it would have sounded something like this: medium pink flowers, medium pink stripes, large pink packed flowers, small green packed flowers, medium dark green dots, large green flowers.  

I found working one row at a time was easier for me, because after each row was sewn, I used it for comparison in selecting the bricks for the next row down.  This way I did not have to lay out all the bricks for the whole quilt before sewing, and yet I was happy with the way the fabrics went together, and didn’t have too many of any one design bunched together.

Because the vertical seams did not line up, I pressed my seams open; I find it helps make the quilt top lie flat.  If you prefer to press your seams to the side (saves time after all), either direction is fine.

Line up your rows after pressing seams, and sew them together.

Here you can see the diagram I used for the lay-out of the quilt.  Each square on the graph equals 2″ finished on the quilt.

The appliqué section:

For your center appliqué section, use your Bella solids in Natural, a few bricks from the yellow dots fat quarter, and a couple of the light green dots if you’d like.  Cut three 4 1/2″ x WOF (width of fabric) strips from the Natural, and sub-cut them in to small, medium, and large bricks.  Sprinkle in a few yellow dots and light green dots bricks as diagrammed, or as suits your fancy.

Sew these three rows together; however, it is important that you do not yet sew these rows to the top and bottom pink/green sections of the quilt.  If you attach this to the main portion of the quilt, it will be more difficult to stabilize and maneuver your fabric as you appliqué.

Now for the fun part!

Go back and grab the fat quarters with the large focal prints.  Look at them and decide which parts you like best and may want to use on your quilt.  I left out most of the large leaves and/or any of the flowers that looked too jungle-y.  Do not cut until you have decided on your method of appliqué.

If you are new to appliqué, like I still consider myself, then I recommend you follow Natalia’s starch appliqué tutorial (Natalia from Piece ‘n Quilt). With this method, you simply starch all the areas of the focal fabrics you plan to cut out (and remind yourself how badly you need to make one of these), starch the base fabric, cut out and arrange your pieces, glue or pin on to the base fabric, and then sew them down.  (Make sure you sew the pieces on the bottom layer first, and stack up).

There are other methods of appliqué which are also effective; feel free to use whatever method you prefer.  On my blog, I’ve written up a few notes for newbies that are meant to help you get through this section of the quilt.  

After my pieces were starched and arranged, I lowered my feed dogs, attached my darning foot and free-motion stitched around them.  I had to go back in a few places where I had failed to catch the fabric, but I found this method much faster than pivoting and turning my fabric over and over.  Some of the pieces had very small curves that made it difficult to blanket or straight-stitch.  I did use a blanket-stitch to go around the letters, because I wanted them to have a nicer finish.

All the pieces in the original quilt were done with raw-edge appliqué.

After you have sewn on your appliqué pieces, attach all your rows together, and your quilt top is complete!

For the back:

Cut a piece of the Bella solids in Natural about 60″ long.  You will then sub-cut that piece in to a large top portion, and a smaller bottom portion.  It works out to about 28 inches on the top (finished), and 12 inches on the bottom, (the extra is important if you plan to use a long-arm quilter.)  Cut four 1 1/2″ x WOF strips for sashing in between the bricks.

For the pieced section of the back, use your extra bricks and separate each of them with a 1 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ strip of sashing.  Sew the three rows together and join to the top and bottom solid portions.

To finish:

Make your quilt sandwich, and baste.  To quilt, I drew lines with my pencil at 4 1/2″ apart on a 60 degree angle, then used my walking foot.  I did not quilt over the appliqué pieces when I came to them with the walking foot.

To add more texture and that very hand-made feel, I hand quilted the appliqué pieces using Perle cotton in No. 8.  If you are unfamiliar with hand-quilting, I have a few notes for newbies who are trying hand-quilting; hopefully my trial and error will save you some time.  My stitches are not close to perfect, but I love the overall effect they give to the quilt.

  

Lastly, don’t forget to bind, label, and enjoy!

A 50″ x 54″ quilt perfect for any sweet little girl in your life.

(This is my son, Steiger, pictured here… Just breaking it in for Molly…)

And here is the sweet little recipient herself! 🙂

If you have any questions, please hop on over to my blog, and ask!  I’d also love to hear what you think of Bricks in Bloom.

Lap Quilt "In a Jiffy"

My name is Kari Ramsay and I am the designer of Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co. I am new to the world of posting Tutorials here, and it is a great pleasure of mine to bring you this one. This is a great lap quilt to make when you need a gift or a fun project in a jiffy! It goes together very quickly, and I think you are going to love it!

1 Arcadia Layer Cake or a different equally cute Layer Cake!
1/2 yard Binding
3 yards backing fabric

6 1/2″ Acrylic square ruler
Mary Ellen’s Spray Starch or other spray starch product

1. Separate your Layer Cake into two stacks of light and dark fabrics. Some may not be considered a ‘dark’ fabric, but if the color has a strong contrast to the light fabrics it will work great.
2. Choose 12 of the light fabric 10″ squares, and 12 dark fabric 10″ squares. Set aside.
3. The remaining 16 squares will be used for the outer border.
4. Take one light and one dark square and place them with right sides together. Pin around the squares in several places to secure the squares.
5. Sew the squares together on one side with a 1/4″ seam.
Then continue to sew around the squares until all four sides have been sewn.

6. Spray both sides of the square with Mary Ellen’s Spray Starch and press the block. This will help keep your bias edges from stretching or moving in the next steps.
7. Take your long acrylic ruler and line it up to cut the square block diagonally from corner to corner. Then make one more diagonal cut from the opposite corner to corner. This will yield four Half Square Triangles that are identical.

Press the seams toward the darker fabric. Repeat steps 4-7 with the remaining squares.
8. Trim the Half Square Triangles (HST’s) to 6 1/2″ square if necessary. (I did not trim mine and all of the blocks came out just right for me.)
9. Choose 4 different Half Square Triangles. Place two of the HST’s with the right sides of the darker fabric facing. Pin into place. Sew a 1/4″ along the raw edge. Repeat with the remaining two HST’s. Press the seams in opposite directions.

Be careful not to push or pull on the triangles when they are moving through your machine. Let your feed dogs do all the work and you won’t have any trouble with the fabric stretching. Also, be sure with these blocks not to use your thread cutter on the side of your machine- that will stress the fabric in the wrong directions.

With these blocks you will be placing all of the darker fabrics to face the center of the block.

10. Place the two halves of the block with right sides together and pin in place along the raw edge. Sew the two halves of the block together. Press the seam.
11. Repeat with the remaining HST’s to create 12 blocks measuring 12 1/2″ square.
12. Sew the blocks together into 4 rows of 3 blocks each.
13. Take the 16 squares set aside for the border and cut each square into (4) 2 1/2″ x 10″ pieces.

14. Pair up different border pieces and sew them together along the 10″ length of the pieces. Press the seam.
15. Sew 5 of these border segments together on the 4 1/2″ side end to end to create one long border piece. Repeat and make one more with 5 border segments, and two more with 7 border segments in each. These are your borders.
16. Measure the quilt horizontally from side to side to determine the top and bottom border lengths. Cut the two borders with 5 segments to that length. Pin and sew them to the top and bottom of the quilt top.
17. Measure the quilt top through the center vertically to determine the side border measurements. Cut the remaining two borders to that length and pin and sew them to the quilt top. Press the seams and you are all done with the piecing! Quilt and bind and enjoy!

1 Lap quilt measuring 45″ x 58″

Thanks for checking out my tutorial and if you want to check out my blog or website, that would be great too!
A special thanks to the great folks at Moda/United Notions for all of your support!

Funky Quilted Binder Cover

1/2 yard of a large scale print
2 fat quarters for pockets
1 fat quarter for binding
1 charm pack
1/2 yard backing fabric
1 leftover piece of lightweight batting
1 1/2 yard ric rac

(I used Arcadia by Sanae for Moda)

Photo pages, scrapbook pages or journal paper for binder

From your large scale print, batting, and backing, cut a piece 3 inches taller and wider than your binder. It will shrink up a bit when quilted. (My binder measures 11 1/2 x 24. Yours may vary!)

From the charm pack, cut strips 1 1/2 inch wide x 5 inches. (I used about 46 pieces for mine.) You can leave the pinked ends on them. They will be trimmed later.

Sew your first two 1 1/2 x 5 inch pieces together as shown in the photo.

Continue to add 1 1/2 strips until your braid piece is longer than the width of your large scale print piece.

Trim the uneven edges as shown.

Cut both ends of your braid piece straight, leaving them a little longer than needed.

Sew the ric rac on the long sides, 1/4 inch from the edge.

Press, turning raw edges under.

Pin the bottom edge of the braid piece 2 inches from the bottom edge of the large scale print.

Topstitch both long edges to the large print piece.

Layer your backing, batting, and top and quilt as desired. I just did a quick meander, and left the braid section unquilted.

Carefully measure your binder and cut your quilted piece 1 inch taller and 1 inch wider than the binder.

You now have a cute little mini quilt!

Cut your pockets the height of your quilted piece by 16 inches. Fold in half so the piece is 8 inches wide and press. Pin the pockets to the back of your quilted piece as shown.

The fold should be to the center.

Stitch the pockets down a scant 1/4 inch on three sides, leaving one side open for the binder.

Slide the binder into the pockets. At this point, you can adjust the size if the quilted piece is too loose. The binding will tighten it up just a bit, so don’t make it too tight. (Ask me how I know this!!!)

Cut your binding 2 1/4 wide and press. Sew binding to the quilt cover. Hand stitch your binding to the back side.

Slide your binder into your cover. Sit back and marvel at how cool it is!!!

I purchased photo pocket pages for mine and I’m using it for a wedding shower gift.

There are a million ways to jazz up those binders. All you need is a quilt the size of your binder. It could be pieced, appliqued, embroidered, monogrammed. Just use your imagination! If you send me photos, I’d love to feature them on my blog!

One very funky binder cover.

I dare you to make just one!
Maria at passingdowncrazy