Sweet as Honey Quilt

Hello everyone!  My name is Chrissy Lux and I am thrilled to be sharing a project here at the Moda Bake Shop!  I co-own Sew Lux Fabric with my mom and share my adventures in sewing on our blog.

Hexagons are so cute and I was excited when Moda introduced their Honeycomb precuts.  If you’re scared to piece them, don’t be!  I am going to walk you through this quick and easy quilt.  I’ve listed the ingredients below, but if you need a kit for this quilt you can order one here.

Let’s get sewing, shall we?!

Fabric Needed: 
1 Honeycomb (Scrumptious 55070 HC)
1/2 half yard for sashing (Bella Off White 9900 200)
1/2 yard for inner border (Scrumptious Berry Pink 55074 21)
1 yard for outer border (Scrumptious Paisley Aqua 55077 12)
1/2 yard for binding (Scrumptious Printed Color Aqua 55078 12 )
3 yards for backing (Scrumptious Summer Aqua 55072 12)

Tools Needed:
Marking Pen
Hexagon template (included with Moda’s Honeycomb precuts)
Rotary cutter & ruler
Machine & Basic sewing supplies

STEP ONE: 
First, let’s cut all your sashing & borders so they’ll be ready.

From the outer border print, cut five strips 6.5″ x WOF.
From the inner border print, cut four strips 3.5″ x WOF.
From the sashing solid, cut six strips 2.5″ x WOF.
From the binding, cut six strips 2.5″ x WOF (not shown in photo below).

STEP TWO:
Sort your precut hexagons into the following stacks:
SIX stacks of 5 prints
ONE stack of 6 prints (these will be cut in half and mixed among the stacks of 5 hexies)

Note: Try to disperse your colors among each stack.  OR make them monochromatic – its up to you!

Use a ruler to cut the stack of six hexies in half.

Add two half hexies to each of the six stacks of 5.

STEP THREE: 

Each Honeycomb comes with a plastic template with holes in the corners that make it super easy to mark your seam allowances!

 Grab a stack of five full hexies + two half hexies, the template and a marking pen.

Use the template to mark dots on all the points the WRONG side of each hexie.

Next, take your center hexie and one of the half hexies and place them right sides together, lining up the dots.

Pin in place and stitch from dot-to-dot using a 1/4 in seam.  Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end (the dots).

Stitch the other half hexie to the opposite side of the center hexagon.

Sew two full hexies together.  Line up the dots and stitch using a 1/4″ seam from one dot all the way to the outside edge of the hexies (ignore the second dot).  Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning dot!  Make two pairs.

Now its time to hook them all together!  Start by sewing one hexagon to the half hexagon.  Match the dots and stitch from the inside dots (closest to the center hexie) to the edge of the fabric (past the outer dot) using a 1/4 inch seam.  (NOTE: You are going to ignore the dots along the outside edges of the hexie block and stitch all the way to the edge of the fabrics so that all seams along the outside of the block are completely closed.) 

BE SURE YOU ARE ATTACHING THE SIDE PAIR WITH THE OPEN DOT TOWARDS THE CENTER HEXIE.

Pin the top side hexie to the center hexie.  Match the dots and move the other pieces out of the way so they are like wings sticking out from the intersection of the dots. Stitch from dot-to-dot.  Don’t forget to backstitch!

Continue going around the center hexie.

Pin and sew from dot-to-dot to attach the hexies.  Make sure to move the other fabrics out of the way.

For the bottom, you’ll sew from the inside dot all the way to the outer edge of the fabrics.

Repeat the process on the other side so you have a ring of hexies around the center hexie as shown below.

Press your hexagon block as shown.  (Away from the center hexie.)

Make six blocks of pieced hexies.

Press and use a ruler and rotary cutter to trim each hexie block to 9.25 in  x 11.5 in. 

STEP FOUR: 
Let’s sash and add the borders!

From one of the sashing strips, subcut into four 2.5″ x 9.25″ strips.
Sash the blocks by adding the 9.25″ long strips between blocks to make two columns of 3 blocks.

Then join the columns by adding the WOF strips between the columns and onto the right and left sides. Then use the remaining two strips to add sashing to the top and bottom.

Add the inner border to the sides first (long sides) and then to the top and bottom (short sides).

Finally, add the outer border.  Cut ONE of the outer border strips in half (6.5″ x 22″) and sew one half strip to each of TWO WOF strips to make them longer.

Sew two WOF strips to the top and bottom (short sides).  Then add the pieced strips to the right and left sides (long sides).

For the backing, cut your yardage into two 1.5 yard pieces.  Sew along the selvage side – be sure to include a seam allowance and trim away the selvage.

Layer and quilt as desired.  Finish by adding binding.

Need help binding?  See the MBS tutorial here.

One pretty lap quilt (42 in x 59 in)

Chrissy Lux
{www.sewlux.blogspot.com}

Marmalade Squares (Two!) Quilt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Putting Together the Quilt Top

Piece the Center Portion

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

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

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

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

Piece the Left Side of the Quilt

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

Piece the Top Right Half of the Quilt

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

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

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

Piece the Quilt Top

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

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

  

Finishing the Quilt

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

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

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

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

 

Thanks, and I would love to have you visit me at Swim, Bike, Quilt!

 

Quilt measures 45’’ x 48’’

Katie Blakesley
{Swim, Bike,Quilt} 

Christmas Spools Quilt

It’s not even Halloween yet but that didn’t stop me from getting a jumpstart on Christmas sewing! This quilt is an easy project that will get you ready for the holidays in a hurry.

1 charm pack of In From The Cold by Kate Spain (spool centers)
1.5 yards Bella Solids in Paper Bag (spool tops and bottoms)
1.5 yards Bella Solids in Bleached White (surrounding spools)
1.5 yards Bella Solids in Bleached White (sashing and borders)
1/8 yard In From The Cold – Mint (center squares)
4 yards (backing)
1/2 yard In From The Cold – Marshmallow (binding)

 
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cutting instructions

for the top and bottom of spools

cut 21 – 2 ½” x wof strips

subcut each strip into 4 – 2½” x 9″ strips

you need 84

for the sides of spools

cut 11 – 2½” x wof strips

subcut each strip into 8 – 2 ½” x 5″ strips

you will need 84

for the corners of spools

cut 11 – 2½” x wof strips

subcut each strip into 16 – 2 ½” squares

you will need 168

for the corner stones

cut 2 – 2″ x wof

subcut both strips into 40 – 2″ squares

you will need 30

for sashing

cut 18 – 2″ x wof strips

subcut each strip into 4 – 2″ x 9″ strips

you will need 71

for binding

cut 7 – 2 ½” x wof

for backing
cut 2 –  72″ x wof pieces

**for border

cut 7 – 2″ x wof strips

measure the perimeter of the quilt top

firstsubcut 2 strips to that length (should be 59″)

sew top and bottom borders on

nextmeasure the sides and subcut 2 strips to that

length (should be 72″)

piecing instructions

for each spool block you will need : 
1 charm square
2 – 2½” x 9″ strips
2 – 2½ x 5″ strips 

4 – 2½” squares

1.  Draw a diagonal line on each of the 168 – 2½” squares

 

2.  With right sides together, pin 2½ ” squares to corners of the spool top and bottom strips, as pictured.

 

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }3.  Sew directly on the line, trim ¼” from seam, press out.  Repeat until all 84 strips are completed.

 

4.  Sew 2½” x 5″ strips on opposite side of each charm square, press  toward charm square.

5.  Pin spool top and bottom to center.

6.  Carefully sew top and bottom to the center, press toward center.

block should measure 9″ x 9″

Repeat as instructed for each block.  **To use less thread and time, I chain stitched all the center portions of the block, then the spool portions.

lay blocks out as you like

7.  Sew 35 – 2″ sashing to the right side of each block minus the far right row.  Press seams towards sashing.

8.  For horizontal sashing, sew 30 – 2″ corner stones to 2″ sashing strips. 

9.  Sew strips into rows consisting of 5 corner stone/sashing strips.

You will then sew the remaining 6 – 2″ sashing strips to the end of each row.

10.  Press corner stones out.  Pin each sashing strip to the bottom of the first 6 spool rows, sew together. 

11.  Pin rows together, sew.  Press seams towards sashing.  

12.  Sew sashing to the top and bottom, press out.  Sew sashing to sides, press out.

13.  Quilt, bind, and enjoy!  
Beautifully long arm quilted by Kathy Olkowski.

The Moda Bake Shop has a fabulous binding tutorial here.

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62″ x 72″ adorable Christmas spools quilt

Trish Poolson
{notesofsincerity.blogspot.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}

Sunnyside Stars Quilt

Hello again!  This is Karin Vail from Cascade Quilts with yet another Moda Bake Shop project for you!  This one is super quick and EASY, I promise!  If you have a layer cake that has larger prints that you just hate to cut down into small pieces, this is a perfect pattern for that!  It has nice large blocks that will show off those wonderful prints!  Let’s get started!

1 layer cake (Sunnyside by Kate Spain)
1 jelly roll (Sunnyside by Kate Spain)
1/3 yard of 2 different prints (each cut into four 10” squares)
3 2/3 yard Moda Bella Solid (Snow) cut into fifty 10” squares)
3/4 yard print for binding (or you can use 10 strips left from your jelly roll for a scrappy binding)
6 2/3 yards print for backing

Your layer cake will contain 42 squares.  Since the base of this pattern is made from 100 HST’s, you will need 50 print squares and 50 solid squares.  So, from your 1/3 yard cuts of 2 different fabrics, cut four 10” squares from each, so you will now have 50 print squares.
Cut fifty 10” squares from your Bella solid yardage.

On the wrong side of your solids, draw one diagonal line from corner to corner.  Pair the solids with the prints (right sides together) and stitch a scant 1/4” from the each side of the line.  Continue with all 50 pairs.

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Cut each of the 50 pairs on the line drawn.

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Press each section open to reveal 100 large HST’s.  Do not square them up yet. Set aside 36 of your HST’s.  Lay one at a time of the remaining 64 HST’s on your cutting mat with the lower left corner matching up with lines on your cutting mat.  You will be cutting a wedge off the solid portion 2” down from the top/left corner and 2” over from the bottom/left corner.

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You will now have 64 pieces that look like this.  The scrap to the left is waste.

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Now, take 16 strips from your jelly roll and cut the selvages off and cut them into quarters.  This will yield approximately 11” long strips (64 total).

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Take a strip and line it up (right sides together) with the cut edge of one of your HST’s.  Make sure it hangs over the top edge by at least 1/4”.

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Stitch 1/4” along  the edge of the strip.

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Press open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Now, you can square up your blocks to a perfect 9.5” square.  If you didn’t do a *scant* 1/4” when you stitched on either side of the line, you might find it difficult to get the full 9.5” square.  You can trim them to 9.25” if you like, just as long as they are all the same. You can also square up your 36 HST’s that you set aside that didn’t get the wedge shape (the same size as the ones with the wedge).

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Now that you have your 100 sub-blocks ready, I suggest matching them up into 25 sets of 4.

There will be 9 sets with all four sections with wedges.

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There will be 16 block sets with 2 wedge sections and 2 plain HST sections.

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And there will be 4 sets with only one wedge section and 3 plain HST sections.

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Now, arrange your blocks so that the plain HST sections are on the border and sew together.  You now have a finished quilt top that should measure 90.5”x90.5”.

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Since this is such a large quilt top, you will need to piece your backing in several pieces (unless you use a wide backing material).  This is one option for piecing your backing.

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This is the backing on this finished quilt – I decided to piece it using 2 different prints – the yellow from Sunnyside and the blue from a print from Cuzco (a previous collection print also by Kate Spain for Moda)

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I was playing with options for this quilt, and I think it would look wonderful if you used all the same print for the stars as well:

If you wanted to go this route, you could use 1 1/8 yards of a print for your stars in place of the partial jelly roll.   OR, if you wanted to use a Bella solid, you would only need 5/8 of a yard because you can use the cut-off pieces from your wedges when you square up the blocks to use on another block since Bella solids are reversible!  I like this idea since I hate to see any waste 🙂

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Here is a mock-up of what it would look like using S’more Love (making it smaller).  I love the contrast with this fabric line.

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After you have finished piecing the top, layer your quilt top/batting/backing and quilt as desired!  This was my first experience with longarm quilting a quilt, and I can’t wait to try the next!  I’m hoping to do FMQ next time!  This was a pre-programmed pattern on a computerized longarm that I ‘rented’ time on.

I love the texture of a freshly washed quilt!

approx 90”x90” quilt

Karin Vail
{www.cascadequilts.com}

Spider Web Little Quilt

Hi. My name is Karen O’Connor and my husband, Kevin, and I own Red Rooster Quilts. Our quilt shop is locate in beautiful Dublin, Ohio home of the Memorial Golf Tournament and now playing the President’s Cup Golf Tournament. We have over 3500 bolts of fabric and 100+ samples on display. Please visit us when you are in town or shop on line at www.redroosterquilts.com. This is my first recipe on Moda Bake Shop and I am so excited! I love fall and Halloween and I think I have more quilts and decorations for those seasons than any other season. I hope you enjoy this little spider web quilt.

 
4 – The Boo Crew Mini Charm Packs by Sweetwater + 1 extra purple spider print 2″ square
1/4 yard of Moda Solid black #9900 99
1/4 yard of Boo Crew Tricky Orange #5512 21 for binding
3/4 yards of Boo Crew The Bash Green # 5510 13 for backing
1 craft size batting

1 – 2 1/2″ square Olfa ruler #QR2S
1 – Sewline Fabric Mechanical Pencil green
Best Press
Quilt Basting Spray by Sullivans
Aurifil thread

 
Open one mini charm pack at a time. You will need 36 of the charms. Cut each 2 1/2″ square in half on the diagonal. I like to carefully open the pack and leave them stacked neatly. I choose about 6 charms at a time to cut. You can choose however many you are comfortable with.

Sometimes the corners are not very well defined.  Just do your best to center the ruler and slice.  We will be trimming them up later so it’s not that critical that you get the exact center.

Layout your triangles like this.  It’s not critical that you put the same prints in the exact same spot as I did.  What does matter are the purples.  If you want your purples to be all the same in the center then you need to place the purple spiders in the same spots as I did.

Sew each pair of triangles together with a scant 1/4″ seam allowance.

I sewed mine just over 1/8″ of an inch. 

Press the seams towards the dark.  Lightly spray with Best Press.  I use this product because it helps keep the fabric from stretching.  And, I like the way my fabric feels while sewing with it.   

Square up each block to 2″  Using your 2 1/2″ square ruler, line the diagonal line up along the seam.  Trim two sides. 

 Flip the block around and line up the diagonal line on the seam and the cut edges on the 2″ lines.  Trim the other two sides.   

A perfect 2″ block!  Love it when that happens.

Continue to sew the triangles together and square them up to 2″.  Sew the blocks together into rows then sew the rows together to make this block:  Make 4 blocks total.

 Cutting the black:

      Cut 3 – 2″ strips. 

          Sub cut into 4 – 2″ x 9 1/2″ strips

                              2 – 2″ x 20″

                              2 – 2″ x 23″

Sew the 2″ x 9 1/2″ strip between two blocks.  Repeat for the other two blocks.

Sew one 2″ x 9 1/2″ strip to the 2″ purple block.  Then sew the other 2″ x 9 1/2″ to the other side.  Sew this strip to the blocks in the center.

Sew the 2″ x 20″ strip to each side.

Sew the 2″ x 23″ to the top and bottom. Spray the entire quilt top with Best Press and press.

Layer with your batting and backing.  I like to use the Sullivans quilt basting spay.  I lay my backing down, wrong side up and spray.  Then I fold my batting in half and lay the fold down in the center.  I smooth the half down that is on the backing.  Then I fold the other half over and smooth it down. Repeat with the top. 

I drew a diagonal line with the Sewline fabric mechanical pencil down the center of each color to make squares.  I sewed on the line with black thread.  You can see the quilting better on the back:

Binding:  I cut 3 strips 2 1/4″ x wof.  I prefer a little bit thinner binding.  Attach binding in method preferred. 

A kit is available on our web site that includes all the fabrics for the top, binding and backing for $34.99.  Backing may vary from the one used but it will be from the Boo Crew line.

Makes one little quilt ~23″ square.  It would be great as a center piece on your table with a basket of candy or a vase of flowers or with a candle.   Makes a great addition to your Halloween décor!

Karen O’Connor | Red Rooster Quilts

{www.redroosterquilts.com}

Midwinter Cozy Quilt

Red is the color of toy wagons and rubber balls.  It is the color of roses and fire trucks.  These things are always red in my mind.  Even so, there is room in my mind for wagons, rubber balls, roses, and fire trucks of other colors.  However, when winter rolls around and the days get long and dark I always reach for my red sweater.  Midwinter Reds by Minick and Simpson packs all of the warmth and spirit of my favorite red sweater into a fabric line.  It fills my heart with memories of cold days and warm ginger bread, with visions of hearth and home.  It is a natural for this tiny quilt/toy/table topper.  I hope you home is filled with all of the warmth and joy that midwinter red has to offer.

• Stars and Backgrounds
• 8, 2 1/2″ Candy Charm Packs + 1, 5″ Charm Pack for a very scrappy look
• OR 1 layer cake
• Inner Border & Binding
• 1/2 yard (I used tone on tone paisley in red SKU#14766-13)
• Outer Border
• 1/2 yard (I used red floral on tan, SKU #14761-16)
• Backing
• 1 yard (I used red dots on tan, SKU14767-16)

Cutting Directions:

• Stars – If you are using a layer cake rather than the charm packs you can cut all of the required pieces from 1, 10″ x 10″ square.
• cut 12 sets of
• 8, 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares (if not taken one each from the candy charm packs) for points.
• 1, 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ square (from matching 5″ charm) for centers.
• Backgrounds – using either 3, 5″ charms or 1 layer cake square
• cut 12 sets of
• 4, 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangles for edges.
• 4, 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares for corners.
• Borders
• Inner
• cut 4, 1″ x width of fabric (wof) strips
• Outer
• cut 4, 3″ x wof strips
• Binding
• cut 4, 2 1/2″ x wof strips

Sewing Directions:

The directions are written as if you were making one block at a time.  When I want my projects to be more unified (less scrappy) I make them this way.  It is easier to keep all of the same colors together.  If you want a more scrappy project make all of the flying goose units at the same time, randomly selecting squares and rectangles.

• Flying Goose Units
• Gather
• 8, 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares
• 4, 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangles
• Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each 2 1/2″ square
• With right sides together align one square atop one rectangle.
• Sew along the line but just to the outside. (on the side toward the smallest part of the rectangle

• Iron flap open – pushing the triangle lying over the larger part of the rectangle up and over the seam.
• At this point you can trim the excess fabric from the back of the patch; however, I leave mine in.  It gives me a little more control over the bias edge that tend to make triangles warp, and it make the points stick out just a little more in the finished product.

• You now have a rectangle with one corner different.
• Repeat the process on the opposite side of triangle.

• Be careful to get the seam going in the right direction.  It should be perpendicular to the seam you already made.

• Trim unit back to 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangle
• Again, you choose to trim the seam allowances or not.
• Repeat 3 times for a total of 4 units.
• Block

• Gather
• 4 flying goose units
• 4, 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ background squares
• 1, 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ star square
• Sew Rows
• Top and bottom
• Sew patches together as shown

• Iron seam allowances towards the background squares
• Center
• Sew patches together as shown





• Iron seam allowances towards the center
• Sew rows together to form square.
• Iron seam allowances away from the center block.  This will require a good deal of steam if you left the extra fabric on the goose patches.
• Trim final block to 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
• Make 12 blocks
• The Quilt
• Gather
• 12, 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ star blocks
• inner border – 4, 1″ x wof
• outer border – 4, 3″ x wof
• Arrange blocks in a 4 x 3 grid to your liking.
• Sew 3 sets of 4 blocks together to make rows
• Sew rows together to make center of top.
• Sew inner border strips on long edges.
• Iron seam allowances towards the border
• Sew inner border strips on short edges
• Irons seam allowances towards the border
• Repeat border process with outer border.
• Layer and quilt as desired.

One super cute little quilt for doll or baby.  This quilt is also sized nicely to fit on a coffee or end table.  Alter the arrangement of blocks to a 2 x 6 grid and create a sweet holiday runner.

 Food for thought –  This block was designed to be used with candy charm sized pieces.  You used them to make the points of the stars in the flying goose units, and the corner background pieces.  You could also use them to make the rest of the block.

Sew 2 candy charms together to make 1, 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ rectangle.  This is the size of the foundation rectangle for the flying goose unit.

Sew 4 candy charms together to make 1, 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ square.  Perfect for the center of these stars!

Check out the block I made with 24 candy charm squares and the scraps from my inner border.  To do the same you need 12 light squares and 12 dark squares.  Depending on the fabric line (not all lines have the same number of dark and light fabrics in them) you could make 2 blocks per candy charm pack.  OR, go with a regular sized charm pack and you have the makings of 8 blocks.  OR go with a layer cake and you can make 32 blocks.  I think I would love to see that quilt!

This is a picture collage made on PicMonkey.   Imagine how cool it would look with 16 different blocks!

No matter what version of this pattern you use, or what fabric line, I ‘d love to see it.  Please add a picture to the Tops to Treasures Flickr group, or send me your photo.  I would be glad to add it for you.

Cindy Sharp
{www.topstotreasures.blogspot.com}

Owl Pocket Pillow

Hello again my dear friends!! I know it’s been a while since I have posted here but I am back and I am very excited to bring you this adorable little project!! If you don’t know me, I am KarrieLyne Winters and I am owner/designer of Freckled Whimsy. I’d love it if you stopped by to say hello! 🙂

Are you ready to make oodles and oodles of these pocket owls??!! They are a bit addicting… so there you have your warning! Heehee!

Ok, on to fabrics… For my tutorial I used Sweet Serenade by Basic Grey.  I would also encourage you to pilfer through your scraps and come up with some lovely combinations, such as maybe a quilt as you go version for the pocket. I think that’d be super cute!

Grab those fabrics and let’s make some owls!

1/2 yard cuts for the body
1 Fat quarter for the front pocket
1 Fat quarter for the back pocket
Scraps for the wings, eyes, and nose
Iron on adhesive that is paper backed, such as Heat’n Bond for face pieces
Your favorite craft stuffing

**Light to Medium weight fusible interfacing ( 3 yards) ** — This is optional. If you are making these for kids who will bury them in the sand box or use them for pillow fights, I suggest using this as a stabilizer to help support the cotton fabric.  If you are only using them for decoration, you will not need the stabilizer. A good Medium weight is Pellon 93TD.

1.  Print out the PDF that has the templates.  Be sure not to reduce the size. Print at 100% and check your 1″ square against a ruler to ensure its truly 1″.  If it is not, check your printer settings.

2. Pages 1-4 is the body of the owl. Cut out each piece and tape together making sure to match up outer edges. Don’t worry if inner lines don’t line up right on.

3.  Using the 1/2 yard cut, keep wrong sides together and lay the body template on the fabric. Pin around the edges and using a rotary cutter or scissors, cut out the pattern.  Unpin. You will have a front piece and a back piece.  Set aside.

4.  If you are using interfacing, repeat step 3.  You will then need to trim 1/2″ away from the edge all the way around. If you don’t, your edges will not fray. Iron interfacing to the wrong side of the body pieces following the manufacturers instructions. Be sure to center the interfacing before ironing it down.

5.  Next, cut out and tape the front pocket and back pocket pieces together.

6.  For each pocket you will need a fat quarter.  Take each fat quarter and fold it in half, wrong sides together and press. Lay the pocket templates on the fabric lining up the fold marks on the template with the fold on the fabric.  Pin in place and cut around sides. Do NOT cut the fold and keep the pocket folded.

7.  Repeat for interfacing if you are using it.  Make sure you trim 1/2″ around this piece too, only don’t  cut the fold. Center on the wrong side of the fabric of each pocket, iron down per manufactures instructions.

8.  Cut out the wing template and cut from fabric. I used a different fabric for each wing.  Feel free to do this or use the same fabric.

9.  Take one owl body piece and lay the front pocket on top lining up the edges.  Lay the wings down, also matching up the edges. They will match up, just move along the edge until it lines up. Pin all 3 pieces in place.

10.  Sew 1/2″ around the edge of each wing going through all layers (wing, pocket, owl body).

11.  Cut out face pieces. Trace both eye pieces, two of each, and beak on the paper side of the heat’n bond. Cut out each piece. Do NOT remove paper backing yet. Using the manufacturers instructions, iron the pieces to the fabrics you chose on the WRONG side. Let sit to cool. Cut around pieces to remove excess fabric.  Remove paper backing.

12.  Lay the beak on the front owl piece that has the pocket sewn on.  If you want it centered, fold the body in half to create a guide. Unfold and center beak on this fold mark. Make sure not to put it too close to the top of the head.  You need to leave room to sew the edges at a 1/2″ plus room for rounding edges after stuffing is put in. Use my photo as a general guide. Once you have it where you want it, press in place to activate the glue. Zig zag, or use another decorative stitch, around the edge of the beak. 

13.  Repeat for the “whites” of the eyes using steps in #12 and then for the “pupils” of the eyes.  Experiment here before ironing down.  Change the placement of the pupils for different emotions. 🙂

14.  Take the back owl body piece and the back pocket.  Line up the edges and pin in place along the top and center. Keep pins at least 1″ away from all outer edges.

15.  Lay the back owl body WRONG side up, then lay the front owl body RIGHT side up and pin all layers together.

16.  Starting at the left wing where the stitching begins, 1/2″ seam allowance, take a few stitches, backstitch, and continue sewing around the edge of the owl body keeping a 1/2″ seam allowance. Stop and backstitch when you get to the bottom of the opposite wing.  This leaves the bottom open to allow for stuffing.

17.  Remove all pins and stuff.

18.  Following the same 1/2″ seam allowance, stitch the bottom closed, backstitching at the beginning and end.

19.  Maneuver and squish the owl to distribute the stuffing to your liking.

20.  Here comes the fun part.  Making him scruffy! You can get this look multiple ways. Have your kids throw it around, sleep on it, hug it and squish it and call it George.  It will get there. You can also use a bristle brush to coax the fibers apart. My favorite thing to use is a wire bristle cat brush. Cleaned of course.  Those wires go to work like crazy and your owl will be scruffy in no time.  Just don’t brush too hard if you use one of the wire brushes so you don’t create holes.

One super adorable owl! 😉

Measures about 17″ high and about 13″ wide.

What are you waiting for??? Go make some owls!!

I would love to see the owls you make!! If you use Flickr, you can add the photo to my group HERE. Or just use the hashtag #FreckledWhimsy in any social media. You can also email them to me too!

Thank you so much for looking. I hope you like the project!

Much Love!!!

Karrie Winters
{www.freckledwhimsy.com}

Hexa-Bunting

Hi everyone! This is Anna from HootnHaller. I am very excited to share my first Moda Bake Shop tutorial with you today. This is a tutorial for a bunting that is a great decoration for a party, special event, or to spruce up any room. If you have been nervous to try the honeycomb precuts in the past, I hope you try out this project that uses these fun fabric cuts!

1 Moda Honeycomb precut (Honeysweet by Fig Tree & Co.)
1/2 yard coordinating fabric

MAKING THE HEXAGONS
1. Sort your hexagons into pairs. Stack the pairs right sides together.

2. Use the template that comes with your precuts to mark dots on one of the hexagons in each of your pairs. (If you have never used the honeycombs before you are in for a treat! This template is amazing and makes sewing the quarter-inch seam soooooo much easier!)

3. Connect the dots that you drew using the template as a straight edge. You can leave one side without a line. These lines show you where to stitch your seams.

4. Follow the lines to sew a quarter-inch seam allowance along five of the sides.

5. Trim off the corners of each of your sewn-together pairs.

6. Turn each unit inside out. You may need to use a turning tool to get the points to pop out. Give your unit a good press.

7. Bring the units back to your machine. Using a coordinating thread, topstitch a quarter-inch from each edge.  

MAKING BIAS TAPE 
1. Cut one 20″ square from your fabric.

2. Using your rotary cutter, cut down the diagonal of the square. I used two rulers to reach the entire length, but you can use one ruler and move it for a second cut.

3. Sew the two triangles together by lining up the straight sides as shown below.

4. Cut 2″ strips along the bias, or the diagonal line you have created with the fabric.

5. Pin and sew the strips together.

6. Fold the bias strip in half and press.

7. Open the fabric up on the fold and fold each side towards the center crease. Press.

8. Fold the strip in half so that no raw edges are showing. Press. You have just created double-fold bias tape!!

ASSEMBLING THE BUNTING
1. Lay the hexagons out in an order that is pleasing to you.

2. Pin the hexagons into the center of the bias tape. Make sure to leave at least 10″ of bias tape before you place your first hexagon. Leave 3-5″ between each hexagon. Once you start to pin the hexagons you may decide to leave a larger or smaller gap – it depends on how you want your finished bunting to look.

3. Sew about 1/8″ from the edge of the tape. This will keep the bias tape closed and will secure the hexagons.

You will have one completed hexa-bunting! Enjoy!!

 Anna Haller
{www.hootnhaller.blogspot.com}

Bake Shop Basics: Turned-Edge Machine Applique

Welcome to Bake Shop Basics on turned edge applique!

I count myself among those who’d like to give a big hug, and maybe even a NOBEL PRIZE, to the person who invented fusible webbing! Fusible webbing has given us the ability to quickly embellish quilts, clothing, and innumerable other objects. In her Sept. 16th Bake Shop post, Angela Yosten explained the basics of machine applique using fusible webbing.

But some projects simply beg for turned-edge applique, which creates a smooth edge, and doesn’t reveal the underlying seams that you see with fused applique.

So. . .if you’re not in a hurry, and you prefer the tidier look of turned-edge applique, try the technique that follows. It’s the method I prefer (when it’s feasible) for turning the edges under and then macine appliqueing. The size and complexity of the applique element are what determine whether this technique is feasible or not.

I’m currently working on a pattern for party goods, using Moda’s “Honeysweet” fabric by Fig Tree. The placemats have a circle appliqued to the center. Here are the simple steps for preparing it for applique.

Trace the design–in this case an 8″ circle–onto lightweight SEW-IN (not fusible) interfacing. Use an air-erase marker or trace lightly with a pencil. As you see in the picture, I found a lid that is 8″ in diameter and used it as a template. Cut the interfacing about 1/2″ from the traced line. Pin the interfacing, marked side up, to the right (top) side of your fabric, pointing the pins toward the outside of the circle. This will cause it to lay flatter than if you pin it from the outside edge toward the center.

Sew on the drawn line with thread that matches the circle fabric, with the stitch length set where you usually have it set for piecing (2.5 on my machine). Sew all the way around the drawn line.

If you have pinking shears, use them to trim the seam allowance to about 1/8″. I LOVE using pinking shears to “clip” curves in this way. If you don’t have access to pinks,  carefully clip it every 1/4″ almost to the seam line.

Make a clip in the middle of the interfacing, being careful not to cut the circle fabric. Gently–so as not to tear the interfacing–turn the circle right side out. Use a Purple Thang or a plasticware knife to push the seam to the edges of the circle. Iron the edges using a pressing sheet to protect your iron and to prevent the interfacing from distorting.

With the fabric side up, press the circle flat, being sure the interfacing isn’t showing at the edges. Pin it in place on the background fabric, pinning toward the outside edge. 

In Angela’s blog post, she showed a variety of fund and pretty decorative stitches that can be used with fused OR turned-edge applique. For invisible machine applique there are a couple different types of stitches usually recommended. They’re shown in the picture below. One is a narrow, long zizag stitch and the other a blind stitch. The zigzag is my personal favorite, but I encourage you to experiment with each of them. With either, you should use clear polyester or lightweight thread that matches your applique fabric. 

The inside point of the zigzag stitch should pierce the applique piece and the background, with the outer point piercing only the background fabric. The blind stitch is made up of a few straight stitches followed by a single zigzag. The straight stitches pierce only the background.

Here’s a close-up of the circle appliqued to the placemat with a narrow, long zigzag stitch.

Perhaps you’re wondering if this method is limited to extremely simple shapes, and, happily, the answer is no. Here’s a little bird that’s going to be part of the party goods pattern.

 After turning the edges under using the method described above, I simply (and I DO MEAN simply!) straight-stitched near her edge with the same thread I planned to use for quilting. 

The example shown uses Moda’s “Daydream” fabric by Kate Spain.

Here are a few more things to consider for turned-edge applique:

• You’re free to cut away the extra fabric and interfacing under the appliqued piece.
• Substitute FabriSolvy for the interfacing, and rinse it away after appliqueing your design to the background. The art quilt in the top photo was done this way.
• Decorative stitches may be used instead of hidden ones.
• If the applique design has a direction (as with the little bird), the way it points as you look at the interfacing is the direction it will point after sewing. So if desired, you can reverse the direction by simply flipping the interfacing before sewing, since the drawn line will be visible on either side of the interfacing.
• The applique piece doesn’t have to be closed on all sides. In fact, this technique is even easier if at least one edge of the design is open (where it will be overlapped by another piece or where it lays at the quilt edge), as was the case with the quilt in the top photo.
• If you’re having trouble getting the edge to press nicely, cut a piece of heat-resistant template plastic a “hair” smaller than the shape, insert it through the slit in the interfacing and press. Remove the template and press again.
• Forgive me for stating the obvious, but this method works nicely for hand-applique projects, too!

May your projects be many and your frustrations few,

Kara Peterson

Seams & Dreams Pattern Co