The Love Bunny Skirt

Hi!  I’m one of the Elizabeth’s from over at Simple Simon and Company and today we are sharing how to make one of our favorite things—skirts for our girls. This skirt in particular was made for my Grace to wear through out both the Valentine and Easter seasons.  Here’s how I made it.

One Layer Cake:  I used “Jubilee” by Bunny Hill
1/2 Yard of Bella White
1 inch elastic
bonding material (like Heat’n Bond)

2 Pompoms for the bunny tails

Today’s skirt is a a simple tube with a gathered, elastic waistband.

To get started you will need to take just 2 measurements.  First measure the circumference of your little one’s waist.  (Grace is 18 inches.)  Next measure your little one from her waist to her knee.  (Grace is 13 inches.)  Ok, write those numbers down and save them—you’ll need them in a few minutes.

Now let’s get down to business. Choose 3 of your favorite squares from the Layer Cake and cut them each into 4  rectangles measuring 4 and 1/2 inches tall by 5 inches wide.

Next sew the squares together (in a repeating pattern) into one long strip.

(You’ll sew them right sides together.)

 When you are finished iron them nice and flat.

(This will be the patterned strip at the bottom of your skirt.)

Now we need to cut the solid white portion of your skirt.  I like my girls skirts to have some body to them so I make them as wide as the fabric is (44 inches) and as for the length…well, we’re going to have to do some math.

Right now your patterned strip for the bottom is 4 and 1/2 inches high.  But when we hem it we will loose a half inch and then when attach it to the white fabric we will loose another 1/4 of an inch so that leaves us with 3 and 3/4 inches of length for the skirt.

For Grace’s skirt I wanted it to be 13 inches long so what I did was take that 13 inch measurement and then subtract from that the 3 and 3/4 inches (from the patterned strip) which puts me at 9 and 1/4 inches.  Easy…but we aren’t done just yet. 

Now I need to add in 1 and 1/2 inches to fold over the top for the elastic casing and add an extra 1/4 inch for where the white will be sewn to the gray strip. 

So after I add this extra 1 and 3/4 inches I know that I need to cut the white portion of my skirt 11 inches long.

Which I did.  Which means I cut my white piece of fabric 11 inches long by 44 inches wide.

(The length of your white area may be longer or shorter depending on the hip to knee measurement of your little one.)

Now with right sides together sew your patterned strip to the bottom of your white strip.

Iron.

Then top stitch.

You will have a little excess patterned fabric left over on the end of your patterned strip.  Just cut that off so it is even with the end of your white fabric.

Now turn under the bottom (patterned) edge of your skirt 1/4 of an inch, iron, and sew.  Then repeat (turning it under another 1/4 inch, ironing, and sewing).  This will finish off the bottom hem of your skirt. 

  

Next we get to attach our heart and bunnies!

Select the fabric you would like for your heart and bunnies from the layer cake.

Then, following the instructions from the medium of your choice, iron on your bonding material to the back of your bunny’s fabric.

Now print out the bunny and heart template (which you can download HERE) and trace them onto your fabric.

Cut out and position them on your skirt.

(I like mine off to one side.)

Iron them on.

Next I set my machine on the following settings and stitched around all the edges of both bunnies and the heart.

Once that is finished we need to add the bunny tails which is easy—just tack on a pom pom with a needle and thread.

Now all we have left to do is close up the back of our skirt and add the elastic. 

To close up the back just fold your skirt in half, right sides together, and starting at the bottom sew your skirt together to make the back seam.  (Then top stitch if you’d like.)

Next, make the casing for your elastic. 

To do this fold the top of your skirt over (wrong sides together) 1 and 1/2 inches and iron. 

Stitch along the bottom of the fold to make the casing for your elastic. 

As you stitch leave an opening about an inch wide so you can insert your elastic.

  

To determine the length of elastic you will need take the measurement of your little one’s waist and minus one inch.  (Grace is 18 inches around so I cut the elastic for her skirt at 17 inches.) 

Cut your elastic. 

Now thread the elastic through your casing.

(I always attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic that I am threading through the casing…It makes it easier to push it through.) 

Sew the two ends of the elastic together.

Tack the elastic down in the back along the seam.

Close the opening you used for threading the elastic.

You are finished! And your little one has a brand new spring skirt!

I love this fabric. It’s so young, sweet, and clean. It is perfect for little girls and springtime!

I had so much fun with it that we ended up making Grace a bunny doll that matches her skirt.  If you’d like the pattern for her just stop over at Simple Simon and Company and check it out.

Thanks for letting us visit today.  We love any chance we get to talk about sewing and fabric!

 



One adorable skirt.

*Note you will have enough fabric left over from your layer cake to make a stuffed bunny, matching hair bows, or another skirt—especially if you have more Bella White fabric!

Simple Simon & Co.

{www.simplesimonandco.com}

Chenille Baby Blanket

I am so happy and excited to be back at the Moda Bake Shop to show you this wonderful Chenille Blanket.  My name is Pamela Lincoln and I blog over at Mama Spark’s World.  I am always on the look out for a great baby shower or new born gift and this is perfect!  With a few simple ingredients and a few hours you will have a fantastic gift.  I have some other examples over on my blog too if you want to see more.  Are you ready to get started?

2 Charm Packs of Oink-A-Doodle-Moo 30520LC  (I love this fabric line!!)
1 yard windsor blue marble flannel F9880-14
1 yard orange marble flannel F6727
2 one yard cuts of hot red marble flannel F9881-36
1/2 yard denim blue horseshoe fabric (for binding) 30526-17

Basting needle and thread
Masking Tape
Chenille scissors are really helpful too

The very first thing you need to know is do NOT pre-wash your fabrics. This is pretty important as in the end you want the flannel to fuzz up. So no washing!

You will be making the back of your blanket first.  You will use most of your 2 charm packs for this.  Lay out your squares so you are happy with the design you are using.  (Yes I used my Peacock for my design wall). Your lay out will be 10 squares across by 8 squares down.

Once you are happy with your layout,  sew the squares together to from a row.  You will have 8 rows of 10 squares.  I like to chain piece these.

Then you will sew your rows together to form the back.  If you press each set of seams from the even rows in one direction and the odd rows in the other direction your seams should nest and your intersections will match up nicely as you do this.  I like to pin my intersections.

 Don’t sew over your pins though as you don’t want to hurt yourself or your machine. Sew just up to the pin and remove it.

 Your back will look something like this when you are all finished sewing your rows together.

Next you need to make sure all four pieces of flannel are pressed.  It will help you make a smooth top.

Lay your back on a large table right side down. 

 At this point you need to think about the order you put your flannel down.  The layer closest to the back will not get cut and will not add to the chenille portion of your blanket.  The top three layers make the actual chenille.  I like to use a contrasting back fabric.  (This makes things easier when it is time to do the cutting.)   Lay the flannel down on top of the wrong side of the back (wrong sides together) and smooth into place to cover the back entirely.  Continue adding the other 3 flannels in the same manner.

 My favorite way to make the chenille is to make a color sandwich.  I like to make the top and the third layer the same color with a different color in the middle.  Experiment with colors and you will figure out what you like best too.  I have done all 4 different and all the same but in the end I like this method best.  You need to lay down each layer of flannel and smooth it over the previous layer until you have all 5 pieces of fabric layered together. 

Take a roll of masking tape and with the help of a friend lay the tape diagonally across the fabrics, being careful to make sure you are going corner to corner.  Press tape in place.

You are now ready to baste your layers together.  I like to use a large basting needle to do this.  Put a LOT of thread on your needle and starting close to the tape take some largish stitches along the length of the tape.  Make a few stitches at the end and go back the other direction until the whole half of the blanket is basted.  Then repeat on the other side.  This will hold everything together when you are ready to take it to the sewing machine.

You are now ready to take your sandwich to the sewing machine and begin sewing your lines.  At this point you should put your walking foot with guide on your machine.

You will want to sew along the tape line as close as you can on one side without sewing through the tape.

 Once you have sewn your first line, corner to corner down one side of the tape you may remove the tape.

 I set my guide at 5/8″ from my needle.  This will be your guide for sewing your lines.  line the guide up on your first sewn line, keep it there and sew another line.  When you get to then end of the top, break your thread and start back at the top, always guiding off the previous line.  Alternately, you could mark each line but if you have a guide this is so much quicker! 

It will look something like this as you go along.  I like to remove my basting threads as I stitch along and try not to stitch over them.

Now comes some fun!  You will be using your chenille scissors or cutter to cut through the top 3 layers of flannel.  Be very careful not to cut through the layer closest to the back (in my case it is the blue layer, another good reason for a contrasting back color is that it makes it easier to know which layers to cut!)

You can see that I have cut 3 of the 4 flannel layers right here.  I find that for me, the scissors don’t distort the the flannel as much as the cutters but both will work.

Continue to cut through all the channels you have sewn until the entire top looks like this.

Whew!  I don’t know about you but my hands are tired!!  We are almost finished.  It’s time to square up the top.  Using charm squares for the back makes this a little easier since you can line things up.  First fold your blanket in half one way, with the charm squares on the outside.  It doesn’t matter which way as you will do it both ways eventually.  I used a few pins to make sure things were lined up.  I checked the top edge and pinned.

I also checked the first intersection at the top and put a pin.  You can see the raw edge we will be trimming.

I lined up my ruler using the fold as the straight line and trimmed off the raw edge.  This is easier using a 60mm cutter as there are a LOT of layers.  When you finish with one side, turn the quilt and do the other edge the same.  After you have trimmed both edges one way refold the blanket, match in the same way and trim off the raw edges.

For me the second fold edge I was trimming contained the selvedge edges.  I  had to trim slightly more here to get rid of the selvedge edge.  I lined up the sewn line with the 4″ on my ruler and made my trim that way.  I did the same thing on the other side.  You could do all 4 sides the same or just the 2 like I did.  How much you want to trim is up to you.

Here is my blanket all trimmed and square and ready for applying the binding.  

I cut 5 binding strips at 2 1/2″ and sewed them into one continuous length.  I pressed the strips in half and cut off the ends.  On the flannel side, match raw edges of the binding with the raw edge of the blanket. 

 Sew binding on using your walking foot.

 It should look something like this when you are finished.

Once you have applied all your binding you are ready to turn it and stitch it down on the back.  A good tip is to press the binding from the flannel side in the direction of the back.  This will make it easier to stitch hand stitch the binding down.  I usually hand stitch my binding in place but machine stitching in place works too.

 Once your binding is secured put your blanket into the washer with soap and softner if you wish.  Wash on a normal cycle.  Mine went into the washer looking like this.

When it is finished washing pop it into the dryer and dry on high.  Be sure to check your lint trap frequently, every 15 minutes or so, as you will generate a LOT of lint!

Now for the MAGICAL part!  Are you ready??  This is my favorite part.  It comes out looking like this!

When it is done drying, remove blanket from the dryer and admire your beautiful, fluffy creation!!!

Here is a close up of the chenille part. 

I loved using the Moda flannel it was so soft and luxurious! Can you see the bits of white in the chenille?  That’s because the color in this flannel did not permeate all the way to the back, ie the back looked “white”.  If you use a flannel where the color goes all the way through, your chenille will be a little more uniform/saturated in color.  I really liked the effect the white gave to the chenille in this one.

You just know a baby is going to love the tactile nature of this blanket!  Beware though, once you begin making these everyone is going to want one.

One Chenille Baby Blanket that measures approximately 36″x 45″

I hope you have enjoyed making this fabulous blanket along with me and will stop by my blog and say hello!  If you do make one I would love to see it.  Please add it to my Flickr group.  I have one just for Chenille blankets.  Happy stitching!!

 ~XOP~ 

Pamela Lincoln
{www.mamaspark.blogspot.com}

Kissing Stars Quilt

Hello! It’s Crystal Hendrix again! I want to thank you all for your support and love that you have had for my previous tutorials! Thank you all for having patience with me when you discover that I am human! The main point is that quilting is fun and if you don’t make a mistake you don’t learn anything!

Today I bring you Kissing Stars made from the line, Flirt by Sandy Gervais. I fell in love with this line as soon as I saw it! I just love the greys, pinks,reds and teals that it showcases! This is a very popular block and there are tons of great tutorials that you can find out there, but I hope you like mine and that it teaches you how to make a good star block!

This is a LARGE quilt but the great thing about it is you can leave off rows or columns to fit any size bed or quilt size you want! Love that about this pattern! Now I am happy to present the tutorial, Kissing Stars!

For the Blocks:
1 Layer Cake + 2 Charm Packs  OR  6 Charm Packs  : Flirt by Sandy Gervais
1 Layer Cake + 2 Charm Packs  OR  6 Charm Packs : Moda Solid White (another good color that would go great with this is the Bella Solids : Gray, Zen Gray or Feather)

For the Border:
1 1/2 yards 17701-14 (or any other color combo you would like)

For the Binding & Backing:
 3/4 yards 17705-22 (or any other color combo you would like)
8 1/4 yards 7521-552 (or any other color combo you would like)

*Notes*     – Use a 1/4″ seam allowance through out the whole quilt
                      – When I refer to the term “solid color” this is my Bella White solid color.
                      – To make 30 blocks you will need 240 Flirt charm pieces and 240 solid color charm pieces. Each charm pack has a total of 42 pieces in each. This comes out to 5.7 charm packs needed. If you use a layer cake, you can cut it down to 4 charm packs. This is what I have done with my layer cake. So if you are using a layer cake, cut it all into 4 – 5″ squares and this will give you your charm pieces. Then you can either use 2 more charm packs or 1/2 of another layer cake.
                      – WOF = Width of Fabric. This is usually 45″ but after trimming off the selvedge edges you end up with either 42″ to 40″ left. This is still the WOF.

For this pattern we are working with a 5 x 6 layout design for a total of 30 blocks.

For each block you will need:
4 – 5″ charm pieces of your solid color
8 – 5″ charm pieces of Flirt ( This is 8 DIFFERENT charm pieces)
4 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ of your solid color

For the entire quilt you will need:
120 – 5″ charm pieces of your solid color
240 – 5″ charm pieces of Flirt (You only need 8 different pieces for each block, so for all of the blocks you can mix up the different charm pieces)
120 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ of your solid color

For your border cut your fabric into 10 – 5” strips. With these strips make 2 – 80.5″ x 5″ and 2 – 105.5″ x 5″ pieces. 

For the binding cut your fabric into 10 – 2.5″ strips. Sew these all together to make your binding. I use a fold-over binding method. 

For the backing cut all of your yardage into 3 – 97″ x WOF or 3 – 2 3/4 yards pieces. Then with your 3 different panels, cut the WOF down to 38“. Then sew the 3 panels together to give you approximately a backing of 97″ x 113″.

Now lets put together one block. You will do this same thing for a total of 30 blocks.

1. Take your 4 – Solid color charm pieces and your 8 – Flirt charm pieces and cut each of them on the diagonal. (There are MANY other ways that you can make a half square triangle, but this is how I prefer to make them. Simple and to the point. You can make the half square triangles using a different method but you will need to figure out the fabric required for it.)

2. Now I am a very visual person so at this point I lay out my block (see picture below –Yes I did this for all 30 blocks.) I think laying out your block helps reduce mistakes and having to use the dreaded seam ripper!

Once you know which piece you are going to sew together, I work on all of the half square triangles. Just place the right sides together and sew a 1/4″ seam down the diagonal of the pieces. Then press (always towards the darker side) and trim down your piece to 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″. There may not be a lot of discard but if you combine all of the discard for the entire quilt, you will see that it makes a difference when assembling your quilt top.

You can see above all of my half square triangles sorted and piled all together. See my trimmings pile? If you were to keep all of that it would have made assembling the blocks and eventually the quilt top a lot harder. This also helps give you your nice points! 

3. Once you have all of your half square triangles assembled, sew together two of your smaller blocks (your finished block will have a total of 16 smaller blocks – but you will now have a total of 8 sets of blocks, refer to the picture above if you are confused). Then press each block pieces.

4. Sew 2 sets to make 1 block (you will have a total of 4 sets now) and press. Then sew together 2 sets to make 1 block (you will now have a total of 2 sets) and press. Then sew your last two sets together to make your finished block!

Now at this point you have finished one block. Continue making 29 more blocks using the 4 steps above. I did not take a picture of this, but at this point I trim all my blocks to measure 16.5″ x 16.5″. Once again I might not get much trimmings, but it makes sure that when I assemble my quilt top, that it is easier. (I guess you could say that this is optional)

5. Now we will need to assemble 6 rows of 5 blocks. I used a random order and pulled one block after another to make my rows. Always press your seams when finished.

6. Then we will take our 6 rows and sew them together to give us our quilt top. Don’t forget to press your seams!

At this point your quilt should measure approximately 80.5″ x 96.5″. I say approximately because even though I trim and make sure that I use only a 1/4″ seam allowance I am sometimes off. But this gives you a good idea of where you should be.

7. Now we are to our last step! Attach your borders to your quilt top, but doing adding the top and bottom strips (80.5″ x 5″) and then adding strips to each side ( 105.5″ x 5″). Make sure you press all of your seams when you are done.

There you have it, your quilt top is done! Now you can baste, quilt and bind any way you like. I did add fabric and cutting information that you may use for your binding and backing if you like.

Congratulations! You have yourself one large quilt measuring approximately 89″ x 105″. I find this to be a perfect size for my bed! You can make a few extra blocks and attach them to pillow cases (or actually make pillow cases using your blocks – as you can tell I did not) and even make a few throw pillows! You will have some left over scraps, not a lot, but enough to be able to make a few things.  

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see your version of this quilt pattern or any quilt pattern tutorial that you used to make a quilt for either yourself or someone else. You will never know how much seeing your work brightens my day! 

If you have any questions or have found where I have made an “oops” please send me an email! I will help you the best I can!

Thank you all! 

Crystal Hendrix

{hendrixville.blogspot.com}

nmommy02(at)gmail(dot)com

The Cake Clutch

Hi! I’m Palak from Make It Handmade where I offer weekly tutorials on sewing, serging, knitting and everything in between. I’m so excited to share this clutch pattern with you all today!

As a former bride, I remember the desire to come up with gifts for the family and friends that would be thoughtful, meaningful, useful reminders of our wedding day– all on a budget. The Cake Clutch is a quick, easy clutch pattern that makes a perfect gift for bridesmaids, friends, second cousins, or even *gasp* your mother-in-law.

All the fabric needed for the clutches are pulled from one layer cake, which makes each clutch unique while still coordinating with the others. The finished clutch is the perfect size for stashing wedding day essentials while still being small enough to slip inside a larger bag for use as an everyday wallet.

Each layer cake is enough to make 12 clutches, making this project a very affordable way to come up with a dozen gifts.  Even if you aren’t a bride yourself, consider making these as a gift to a bride that you are close to. Simply ask her to choose a layer cake set from Moda’s selection that matches her wedding colors.

1 Layer Cake (I chose Bunny Hill)
1 nylon coil 9” (or larger) zipper for each clutch

Quilt batting to use as interfacing. A craft size package should be enough to make 12 clutches.

These clutches are pretty straightforward, especially if you are have already made other lined, zippered pouches. If you are new to zippers- don’t worry, by the time you’ve finished your last clutch, you’ll be an expert! Be sure to check out the tips and tricks at the bottom of the post for variations on the basic bag, and tips on choosing fabric.

Choosing Fabric:

The hardest part by far, is choosing fabric. You will need to choose 3 layer cake  squares and 1 zipper for each clutch.

One square will become the lining, another the main body of the bag, and the last will be the accent fabric. I recommend choosing a small print for the accent fabric to avoid having to fussy cut around large prints.

Cutting:

The best thing about using layer cakes is that there is very little cutting to do in this project. Slice your accent square in half to create a 5 x 10 inch rectangle. For the optional wrist strap, cut another 2×10 inch rectangle.

If you are using quilt batting as interfacing cut an 11″ square of batting for each clutch.

Pressing And Pinning:

Take your accent fabric and fold down the 10″ edges half an inch. Fold in half to match the center of both the main fabric and the accent piece. Lay the fabric on the batting square as shown and pin.

For the wrist strap (optional), take the 2 inch strip and press in half. Then open the strip and fold the edges inward and press again as shown.

Sewing:

Topstitch down the edges of the of the accent fabric 1/8″ inside the fold to secure the accent piece to the main fabric and batting. This is the the perfect time to add any quilting if desired. Once finished, trim the batting to be even with the fabric edges.

Sew down both long sides of the wrist strap 1/8″ inside the fold.

 Zipper Installation:

 Stack your pieces in this order, outside fabric face up, then zipper face down, and then lining face down. Sew down the edge of the zipper using a zipper foot.

When you are finished, you’ll have something like this.

 To sew the other side of the zipper, flip the outside fabric and lining fabric up to meet the other side of the zipper as shown. Sew along the zipper edge.

Cake Clutch Sides:

Now it’s just a matter of sewing the side seams of the clutch. Open the zipper half way, and reorient the lining as shown.  Insert the wrist strap between the outside fabric layers. (Guess who forgot to do this!). Pin to make sure the excess zipper tape is sandwiched between the lining layers, and the zipper teeth are pointed towards the outside fabric. Sew down both open edges making sure to leave an opening for turning

Finishing:

To finish, clip the corners and trim any excess zipper tape at the clutch edges.  Turn the clutch right side out and press well. Either hand or machine sew the opening in the lining. Topstitch along the zipper to secure the lining.

Now all that’s left to do is contemplate wrapping options!

Tips and Tricks:

• If you are planning to mass produce these clutches, I recommend running through the entire tutorial for one clutch before starting assembly line production for all of them. 
• I fell in love with some of the larger prints in the Bunny Hill collection. If you want to showcase some larger prints as the accent piece, fussy cut the prints to the dimension you think looks best. Keep in mind that you will need at least a 2″ strip leftover if you’d like to add a wrist strap.  Oda Mae’s post on fabric scale discusses how to judge a print’s scale by the online picture. 
• You can also mix up how the clutch looks with a few simple changes. Here I’ve moved the strip off to one side.  

• And in this picture I’ve added a small contrast band over the accent piece. 

 

• I found it useful to use an edge stitching foot for all the topstitching as well as using a zipper foot for the zipper installation.

Up to 12 clutches and 12 happy bridesmaids! (And perhaps a secretly impressed mother-in-law).

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you’d like to see more about making these clutches, or more about quilts and other handmade items, or simply simply want to chat, stop by Make It Handmade! I’d love to see you!

Palak Shah
{www.makeithandmade.com}

Scallop Bunting Cot Quilt

Hi guys!  I’m so pleased to be back here with another project!  I loooooved putting this quilt together. Super quick and easy, perfect for a beginner quilter such as myself.  I have an obsession with scallop bunting at the moment, and have been making quite a bit of it for my own home and those of friends and family.  This quilt combines that love, with my need to make some baby gifts for friends who are expecting babies.  I can see myself making quite a few more of these, so sweet and soft…

4 x fat quarters in the fabric of your choice
2 yards white (or light) fabric for your background
2 yards white fabric for your backing
1 yard white fabric for binding
2 yards batting
Fabric glue

1. To begin with you will need to cut out your scallops.  My scallops measure 5″ wide and 5″ long, including the seam allowance.  To get perfectly rounded edges, I used an appropriately sized dining plate as a guide.

2. Cut your first piece of white fabric into five strips measuring 10″ (which includes 2 x 1/4″ seam allowances) by 30″, and one strip of 5″ by 30″.

3.  Attach four scallops to each strip, using fabric glue (alternatively, attach scallops to interfacing and skip this step – pinning them to the strips instead).  Make sure each scallop sits right up against the top edge of the strip and snug against each other – but not overlapping. You will want to make sure that you have rotated the colours for each one (though a random mix would also look lovely).  You will need to leave approximately  5″ on each end of the strip, which will be covered with binding.

4. For those of you with fancy machines (or anything made in the last few decades ;-)) you will now applique your scallops using a tight & wide zigzag stitch, or whatever your fancy machine does.  For me and my antique machine (which has no zigzag option – I make do), I did two single seams about a 1/4″ apart, with one as close to the edge of each scallop as I could safely get.  There will still be some fraying (for me), but the fabric glue will help keep that to a minimum.  

5.  Next place two strips (ensuring you have them in the right order) right side to right side, with the top piece facing upside down.  See image below for clarification.

Attach the two strips using a 1/4″ seam allowance, and then repeat with each of the rest of the strips.

6. Take the 5″ by 30″ strip and attach it to the top of your quilt top (see image of final quilt).

7. Sandwhich, pin or baste, and then quilt your… erm… quilt!

8. Attach binding, and you’re done!

Like I said, this is a super easy quilt to make, and would be a perfect wee quilt to gift to an expectant mom (or just keep for yourself – something I was tempted to do!).  I think you could have a lot of fun playing with the colour scheme and pattern.  I’m eager to have another go with some different fabric and see what I can come up with!

Stella Rutherford
{verydarkhorse.blogspot.co.nz}

April Showers

Join us on the Moda Bake Shop for a month of celebrations! Our Chefs will be baking up projects for Bridal and Baby Showers.

Honey Hive Picnic Quilt

Hey there everyone! It’s Allegory again from {sew} allegorical.

I don’t know about you but I’m still waiting on spring to show up at my house. I figured while I was hiding inside from the cold I could put together a spring picnic quilt. This way I’ll be ready as soon as a sunny day hits.

This jellyroll friendly quilt finishes at 48″ x 60″ using a repeat of a 12″ finished block. The repeating design means you can adjust this pattern to be larger if you’d like.

Let’s break it down.

1 Jelly Roll of Honey Honey by Kate Spain
1 Jelly Roll of Bella Natural (9900JR-12)
1 Charm Back of Bella Black (9900PP-99)

Batting: 56″ x 68″
3 yards of backing fabric of your choice. (I used Honey Honey Tide Apiary)
240 inches of binding in your preferred technique

This quilt is constructed off of one basic block. For mine I chose to mix different prints from the line together for a scrappy look. You can also use a single print for each block (which I think would be a great variation!).

I’ve made a handy block diagram to help keep track of the cutting and piecing for each block.

Cutting:
For one block you need to cut the following:

*The Natural and Honey Honey cuts use the 2.5″ width of the Jelly Roll. Just cut the length straight from the Jelly Roll strip*

From Natural strips:

Two 12.5″ 

Two 5.5″

Two 4.5″

Two 3.5″

Two 2.5″

From Honey Honey:

One 2.5″

One 4.5″

One 6.5″

Two 3.5″

From Black Charm square:

One 2.5″ square

Here’s all my cuts for one block: 

Block Assembly: 
This block is super simple to construct. All piecing is done with 1/4″ seam.

Following the diagram above to match your cuts, piece together each of the rows. All of your rows will end up 12.5″ long.

Press seams however you choose. I like to press mine open.

Now that you’ve turned pieces into rows, sew the rows together into your block.

You’ve completed one Honey Hive block!

Repeat these steps to make enough blocks to complete your quilt. My layout was four blocks wide and five blocks long, so you’ll need twenty blocks total. 

Lay your blocks out into rows and play with the arrangement until you find one you like.

You’ll have five rows of four blocks.

Still using a 1/4″ seam, sew your blocks together into rows. Join your rows to complete your quilt top!

Baste, bind and quilt as desired.

For my quilt, I knew it would become my new picnic blanket so I chose a no-binding option and quilted it with wavy lines throwing in a few loops. It reminded me of a bee’s path.

One spring inspired 48″ x 60″ quilt!

Happy Sewing!

Allegory Lanham
{sew}allegorical

Type Geek Pillows

Hi there! It’s Casey from Casey York Design and Studioloblog.wordpress.com, and I’m back to share the pattern for my Type Geek pillows. I am a self-professed type geek, myself, so I couldn’t resist coming up with a project for Typography month on the Moda Bake Shop. These pillows are a perfect way to showcase your favorite fabric collections and fonts. I had so much fun matching typefaces to fabric lines that I couldn’t stop with just one pillow and ended up making three. You can find the templates for these three appliqued words in the Printer Friendly version of this tutorial at the bottom of this page. However, it’s easy to create your own templates, and this project is even more fun if you make up your own fabric-font pairings. I hope you have as much fun with this project as I did, and that you’ll share your finished pillows with me through the Casey York Quilts flickr group!

Front patchwork and back appliqué: one jelly roll (samples show PB&J, Comma, and 2wenty Thr3e)
Pillow back: (1) fat quarter or ¼ yd. solid white fabric (samples show Bella Solids in Porcelain)
Front Appliqué: (1) piece solid white fabric, 12” long X 3” wide
Lightweight, double-sided, paper backed fusible web: (1) 9” X 12” sheet
(1) 18” zipper 

Please note: this pattern uses only (9) jelly roll strips, resulting in a lot of leftover fabric. You may want to plan another project to use the excess—I recommend one of the other wonderful tutorials here on the Moda Bake Shop!

Step 1: Make the pillow front:

Select nine strips from the jelly roll, trim to measure 18” long. Stitch along long sides to form a striped patchwork panel. Trim to measure 17 ½” X 17 ½.”

Tip: For maximum contrast, try to position a darker print or near solid as the second stripe from the bottom. This will ensure that your white appliqués show up well. Reserve the rest of this strip for the appliqués on the back of the pillow, which you will make in Step 2.

Step 2: Make the Appliqués

Print the template for the typeface of your choice—this tutorial features Helvetica, Rockwell, and Playbill. You will only need one template page per pillow. Templates can be found in the printer friendly version of this tutorial linked at the bottom of this page.

Tip: Make your own templates: Select a favorite font from your computer’s word processing program (bold san serif or slab serif fonts work best for this project). Type out the name of the typeface, then enlarge the character size until the letters are approximately 2” tall. This generally works out to be a type size of 180 to 210 pt., although this will differ from typeface to typeface. Print your template; for the pillow front appliqués, reverse the letters by turning the page over and tracing the outlines of the printed characters on the back. Use your templates to make fusible appliqués as follows.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions, trace the templates onto the double-sided light fusible web. Cut out roughly, leaving a ¼” margin around your traced lines; you may want to cut out the entire word rather than cutting out each letter individually. Fuse the letters that appear reversed onto your white appliqué fabric. Fuse the letters that appear correctly oriented onto the wrong side of the jelly roll strip you reserved from Step 1, or a different strip that matches the second stripe from the bottom of your patchwork panel. Make sure to use a pressing cloth between your iron and fabric in order to avoid getting sticky residue on your sole plate.

Step 3: Place the Front Appliques:

Position your white fabric appliqués on the patchwork panel, aligning them with the bottom edge of the second stripe from the bottom. You will want to make sure that the last letter is at least 1 ½” from the right hand edge of the panel to leave room for the seam allowance.

Tip: Begin laying out your letters from the right-most letter and move left (i.e. backwards) towards the left side of the panel. 

When you are satisfied with your layout, fuse the appliqués in place, again using a pressing cloth between fabric and iron. Stitch around the appliqués using your machine or by hand; the samples were stitched by hand using a blanket stitch and a single strand of six-stranded cotton embroidery floss.

Step 4: Make the Pillow back:

From the solid white fabric, cut two rectangles measuring 17 ½” wide X 8 ½” long and 17 ½” wide X 11 ½” long. Fold one long edge of the 17 ½” X 8 ½” rectangle back 1 inch and press well, creating a crease.

Install the zipper: 

Make sure the zipper is zipped. Unfold the crease in the 17 ½” X 8 ½” rectangle and place with the crease facing up; this is the right side of your pillow back. Place zipper face-down along the 17 ½” edge closest to the crease and align long edge of zipper tape with edge of fabric; pin well. Your zipper will be slightly longer than your pillow back is wide; to create a new “stop”, simply stitch back and forth several times across the zipper teeth at the point where the zipper reaches the 8 ½” edge of the fabric. Use your machine’s zipper foot to stitch as close to the zipper teeth as possible. When you approach the zipper pull, lower the needle, raise your presser foot, and carefully unzip the zipper until the pull is behind your needle. Lower the presser foot and continue stitching to the end of the zipper.

Refold crease; stitch along fold as close as possible to the zipper, making sure not to catch the zipper tape in your stitching. This will create a placket to cover the zipper.
 

Unzip the zipper. Place the tape face down against a 17 ½” edge of the 17 ½” X 11 ½” rectangle and pin well. Stitch as close as possible to the zipper teeth. This time, when you reach the zipper pull, carefully zip the zipper until the zipper pull is behind your needle. Continue stitching to the end of the zipper. Zip the zipper, place pillow back right side up, and press well.

You should have a 17 ½” X 17 ½” square (if slightly larger, trim to measure 17 1/2″ X 17 1/2″). Baste along side edges to hold zipper together when you assemble the pillow cover.

Place the appliqués:

Place your pillow front right side up. Place the pillow back on top with the right side facing down, the zipper towards the top edge, and the edges aligned. You should be able to see your front appliqués through the white fabric of the pillow back. Use a removable fabric marker–I recommend a Hera Marker or other creasing tool–and your ruler to trace lines along the bottom and sides of the word on the front of the cover. These will be your guidelines for placing the appliqués on the back. Turn the pillow back right side up and use the guidelines to place your back appliqués; the letters should be backwards. When you are satisfied with your placement, use your iron to fuse them in place. Stitch around appliqués using your machine or by hand.

Tip: If you use a fabric marker or pencil to make your placement guidelines, make sure you remove your markings before you use your iron to fuse the appliques in place! This is why I prefer to use a creasing tool for this step–I don’t need to remove any markings before pressing.

Step 5: Assemble the Pillow Cover:

Place pillow front cover and back cover together, right sides together. Make sure the zipper is unzipped a few inches. Align edges and pin well. Stitch along edges with a ¼” seam allowance. If you wish, finish the edges with a zigzag stitch. Unzip zipper all the way and turn cover right side out. Insert an 18” X 18” pillow form and you’re done!

This pattern will yield one cover for an 18” X 18” pillow. I recommend making several—have fun matching typefaces to the character of different fabric collections!

  Casey York
{www.casey-york.com}

Read With Me Quilt

Hi Moda Bake Shop Readers!!  I’m Melissa Corry from  Happy Quilting and I am so excited to be back here at the Moda Bake Shop to share my Read With Me quilt!! This fun twist on a standard “book” quilt uses typography and adorable quilting to add a whimsical touch.  Adding quilted titles of my families books makes this quilt a treasured heirloom.  I hope you enjoy the tutorial and even more, I hope you enjoy creating your own Read With Me quilt!!

To make your own Read With Me quilt you will need :

1 Noteworthy Jell Roll
2 Yards of Moda Bella Solid White
1/2 Yard of Moda Bella Solid Black

4 Yards of your favorite print for Backing

Applique Templates (at the end of the tutorial)
1/2 yard of Heat N Bond
Twin size or 68″ x 82″ piece of Batting

Got your Ingredient’s, let’s get piecing!!

STEP 1 – CUTTING


Start by breaking out that jelly roll.  Choose 7 strips and set them aside to be used for your binding.  I choose to use the “white” strips for my binding.

From the remaining jelly roll strips, alternating prints and colors for each group cut
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ rectangles
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ rectangles
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ rectangles
   (24) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles
   (28) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles
   (28) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ rectangles

From your white yardage cut the following
   (10) 5 1/2″ x Width of Fabric Strips
   (4) 3″ x 15″ rectangles
   (4) 2 1/2″ x 6″ rectangles
   (4) 1 1/2″ x 6″ rectangles
   (36) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangles
   (8) 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ rectangles
   (32) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ squares

STEP 2 – BLOCK A

Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.
   (2) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (3) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles, and (1) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles
   (1) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (3) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.

Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.

Sew the 6 columns together.  Start by placing the second column onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third column onto the now sewn together first and second columns and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 6 columns are sewn together.  Press.

Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.

STEP 3 – BLOCK B

Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.
   (1) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (2) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles, and (3) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles
   (3) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (2) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.

Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.

Sew the 6 columns together.  Start by placing the second column onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third column onto the now sewn together first and second columns and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 6 columns are sewn together.  Press.

Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.

STEP 4 – BLOCK C

Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.
   (2) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (1) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangle, (1) 2 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ rectangle,
        (1) 2 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ rectangle and (1) 2 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ rectangle
   (2) 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ solid rectangles, (3) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (3) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.

Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips on either end of the strip and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.

Sew the 6 rows together.  Start by placing the second row onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third row onto the now sewn together first and second rpw and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 6 rows are sewn together.  Press.

Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.

STEP 5 – BLOCK D

Block D has an angled book.  To make this start by slicing a 3″ x 15″ solid rectangle in half diagonally.

Place a 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ print rectangle between the 2 triangles, taking care to center the strip.  Lay the strip onto the top triangle.  Sew a 1/4″ seam aligning the raw edges.  Press.  Lay the bottom triangle onto the strip and sew a 1/4″ seam aligning the raw edges.  Press.  Using the ends of the strip as a guide, trim the top and bottom of the unit even with the ends of the strip.

Now gather a 2 1/2″ x 6″ solid rectangle and a 1 1/2″ x 6″ solid rectangle.  Lay the 2 1/2″ strip along the bottom of the block and the /2″ strip along the top of the block aligning the raw edges.  Sew a 1/4″ seam along each edge and press.

Now all that is left is trimming.  The trimming has to be done one side at a time and needs to be precise or you will end up with a floating book 🙂
    Place your long ruler so the top left hand corner of the print strip aligns with the 4 1/4″ horizontal mark on your ruler and the bottom right hand corner of the print strip aligns with the 1/4″ horizontal mark on your ruler.  Trim along the right hand edge of your ruler.
    Place your long ruler so the right hand side of the block aligns with the 4 1/2″ vertical line on your ruler.  Trim along the left hand edge of your ruler.
     Place your long ruler so that the right hand side of the block aligns with the edge of the ruler, the left hand side of the block aligns with the 4 1/2″ vertical line and the bottom right hand corner of the print strip aligns with the 12 1/4″ horizontal mark on your ruler.  Trim along the top edge of the ruler.
     Place your long ruler so that the right hand side of the block aligns with the edge of the ruler, the left hand side of the block aligns with the 4 1/2″ vertical line and the top of the block aligns with the 12 1/2″ horizontal mark on your ruler.  Trim along the bottom edge of the ruler.

You know you will have trimmed correctly if the three corners of the book that are pointed out are 1/4″ away from the nearest edge.

Gather the following size pieces and lay them out as shown.

   (2) 2 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ print rectangles, (1) 2 1/2″ x 11 1/2″ rectangles, and (1) 2 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles, and a pieced angle book block.
   (1) 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ solid square, and (1) 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ rectangle.

Lay the solid rectangles onto the tops of the print strips and sew a 1/4″ seam along the edges.  Press.

Sew the 5 columns together.  Start by placing the second column onto the first, sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge.  Then place the third column onto the now sewn together first and second columns and sew a 1/4″ seam and so on until all 5 columns are sewn together.  Press.

Repeat this step to make a total of 4 blocks each measuring 12 1/2″ x 12 1/2″.

STEP 6 – APPLIQUE STRIPS


Now the blocks are done and you can move onto the applique.  If you are new to applique, and need a bit more instruction on how to do it, please see my video tutorial on Applique Basics here.    From your black yardage lined with Heat N Bond cut the following letters.  (use the templates at the end of the post or make your own if you prefer a different font.)

Grab the WOF strips cut in the beginning and cut them into the following pieces.  Sew the pieces end to end to create (2) 5 1/2 ” x 63 1/2″ strips to be used for the side borders, (2) 5 1/2″ x 58 1/2″ strips to be used for the top and bottom borders, and (3) 48 1/2″ strips to be used for the applique.  Set the border strips aside.

Fuse your applique onto the three strips as follows.  For the first strip, start the applique 1″ in from the left and space the applique out over 32″.  For the second strip, start the applique out 8 1/4″ from the left and space the applique out over 32″. And for the third strip, start the applique out 1″ from the right and space the applique out over 32″.

Secure stitch the applique.  It is much easier to do this while it is in a strip, verses once it is sewn into the quilt top.

STEP 7 – ASSEMBLING QUILT TOP

And now you are ready to put the top together.  Lay your 16 blocks out in 4 rows of 4.  You can use the same layout I did or your own, just whatever looks pleasing to your eye.

Once you have your layout, sew the rows together the same way you did with the blocks.  Lay the second block in each row on the first and stitch along the aligned edge.  Then add the 3rd block, and then the 4th.

Press your rows and then lay them back out adding the appliqued strips in between each row.

Sew the rows together.  Once again, use the same process as putting the blocks together.  Just sewing the second row onto the first, and then adding the third and so on until the rows are all sewn together.

Now gather your borders that were set aside.  Place the side borders along the sides of the quilt top.  Sew a 1/4″ seam along the edge, aligning as you go.  Press.  Then repeat the same process for the top and bottom border.  Press.

And your quilt top is finished!!

STEP 8 – FINISHING

Baste it, Quilt it, and Bind It.  I know, I make it sound so easy.  If you are new to finishing your quilt, I have created a video tutorial series that goes over the basics of each of these three steps.  You can find it at my blog 🙂   You will use the 7 strips you set aside at the beginning to do the binding.  I choose to quilt mine with a bit of a “Fairy Tale” scene.  I  used a water soluble pen to draw the basic sketch and then filled it in with all of my favorite FMQ designs.   The final touch of quilting that really made this quilt special was quilting a book  title of a family favorite onto each book.  To do that, I once again used a water soluble pen  and then quilt the titles in my very best loopy cursive 😉  To see more detailed quilted pictures see my blog 🙂

          One adorable 58″ x 73″ Read With Me Quilt that is sure to be a family favorite.  Whether you put it on a bed or just snuggle under it while reading stories, I hope it becomes a treasure.  Thank you so much for joining me and I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.  If you make your own Read With Me Quilt I would love to see it.  You can add it to my Inspired by Happy Quilting Flickr group here 🙂

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!

Melissa Corry
{happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com}

Spring Rainbows Quilt

1 1930s Colors Bella Solids Jelly Roll
1/2 yard Bella Solids Snow
1/2 yard Avalon Daisy (for backing)

This quilt is made in a truly improvisational style, which means minimal measuring and lots of free-wheeling cutting and sewing. Depending on how comfortable you are with this, you can measure a bit more as you go, but I like the slightly wonky, off-kilter effect of improvisation.

1. To start, unroll your jelly roll. Pull out one strip of each color. Cut each strip into approximately 3″-long pieces, then cut these pieces roughly in half (lengthwise). You’ll have lots of little strips of slightly different widths.

2. Then, freehand cut eight squares from the Bella Solids Snow. Make the squares approximately 2 1/2″-3″ each side. Don’t worry if they’re not perfectly square!

3. Sew together three of your small colorful strips along their long edges. Press the seam allowances to one side. Sew these three strips to one side of a square (they might be slightly wider or narrower than the square- that’s fine). 

4. Repeat on the opposite side of the square, then use a rotary cutter and ruler to trim the unit so it is exactly 6 1/2″ long. The strips and square might not be flush along the long edges- that’s fine.

5. Sew together approximately eight of the colorful strips along their long edges and press the seams to one side. Check to see if the strips are at least 6 1/2″ long; if not, add another strip. Also, make sure the strips are relatively flush along one side. Make another one of these 8-strip units for a total of two. 

6. Sew an 8-strip unit to the long edge of the 6 1/2″-long unit. Your 8-strip unit might be longer may have some extra length, that’s fine. Sew the other 8-strip unit to the opposite side of the unit. Press the seams to one side. 

Note: If your 6 1/2″-long unit wasn’t perfectly flush, line up and sew the two units together using a larger seam allowance as necessary to catch both units, then trim the seam allowance to 1/4″. This will give you a wonky, non-perpendicular effect.

7. Now trim the entire block so it is exactly 6 1/2″ square. Repeat to form seven more of these blocks. 

8. Now you’re going to create eight of the second type of block. Take one of each color strip from the jelly roll, and cut each strip into approximately 4″ to 4 1/2″-long strips. Cut these in half, similar to the freehand cutting you did before but with slightly longer strips. Also, cut five 2 1/2″-wide strips from the Bella Solids Snow, cutting from selvedge to selvedge. 

9. Sew together four of the colorful strips, pressing the seams to one side. Use a pair of scissors to freehand cut the edges so they are flush (but don’t worry about creating right angles).

10. Sew a white strip along the top of this unit, and trim with a pair of scissors to it’s roughly flush.

11. Repeat on the opposite end of the unit.  Trim this unit to exactly 6 1/2″ long, as you did with the other block type. Then sew white strips along the long edges, trimming with scissors so they’re flush, then cutting the unit to a perfect  6 1/2″ square when you’re done. Since I like some irregularity, I tried to cut so that the width of white varied in each block (you can also trim your strips shorter in some of the blocks to allow for more white).

12. Create eight of these blocks. Make four of them exactly as above, but for the other four, sew the first white strips on the long edges of the strip, so they end up like so:

13. Once you’ve created all sixteen blocks, it’s time to sew them together. You’ll want four rows of four blocks each, switching up the orientation of each block as shown. Press the seam allowances to one side, alternating the direction in each row.

14. Once you’ve created four rows, sew these rows together, lining up the seams. And the quilt top is finished!

15. Baste your little quilt and quilt as desired. I stitched one continuous spiral, starting at the center of the quilt, using white thread.

One cheery quilt, 24″ square. Perfect for use as a table topper!

Pippa Armbrester
{www.pippapatchwork.com}