Teal and Tan "Into the Wild" Baby Quilt

This recent finish is a smaller, baby version of Craft South's free Into the Wild Quilt pattern, measuring up at about 37"x48". 

I'm always on the lookout for fabrics that work for boys (without having cartoon trucks or ninjas on them).  This time, I put brown and tan tones into the mix, paired with blues and teals. 

Easy Quilted Euro Sham Tutorial with Invisible Zipper

Euro Shams are kind of fancy, right? I have a plan to use mine to make some benches in my entryway more comfortable, but they also adorn beds and sofas. These plump 26-inch pillows can easily be covered in fabric of your choice to decorate your space! Invisible zippers seem tricky, but they are approachable once you get the hang of setting them up, and using one allows you to create two seamless pillow faces.

If you're making a different size of square pillow cover, you can easily adjust the dimensions, using the same techniques below.

Sea Glass Goose in the Corner Medallion Quilt

Is summer on its way? Looking at this lap-size quilt, which I finished last summer, is infusing my day with thoughts of boat rides, beach walks, and cocktails on the deck.  

Converging Corners Love Llamas Baby Quilt

Although this little quilt is from wayyy back in the summer, isn't its palette perfectly festive for the holidays?  

For this baby quilt, measuring up at about 40x60 inches, I used Film in the Fridge's Converging Corners Block tutorial, one that has been LONG on my to-sew list. I love how the piecing method is improvisational, yet the results are all squared up!

Shockwave Squares Scrappy Baby Quilt

Gender-neutral, and "for boys" quilts as well, can really be a challenge for me. I have no problem using the whole gamut of colors for girls, so my stash is all over the place, but I tend to like floral prints too much for all of those same fabrics to also work for boys.

Baby Irish Chain Quilt

I love Irish Chain quilts, and I can't quite believe it took me this long to realize that they can be made simply from alternating nine-patch and background squares!

Refresh (& Protect): Sewing Chair Covers

A while back, one of my cats adopted my sewing chair.  He proceeded to systematically love it to death, a.k.a. destroy it.

To protect my sewing seat, as well as its office twin, I  decided to make some chair covers.

Before:

After!

I didn't want to buy any fabric for the project, and luckily I found just over a yard of Sarah Jane's Out to Sea in my stash. This being Maine, some type of nautical decor is almost mandatory, and I love those pink boats ;)  For the backs of the covers, I used some tan solid I also had stashed.

Here's a rough outline of what I did. Perhaps these steps will help you make your own custom cat protectors chair covers!

Scrappy Hexie Pillow

Hooray!  Another long-term WIP knocked out: some English paper-pieced hexagons.

Over two years ago, I (temporarily) caught the hexie bug-- it looked so simple, and people's inspirational results were so pretty.

I gathered together scraps, basted them to the paper templates during a massive tv binge session, and put them in a ziplock bag.  Whenever I needed some hand work, I could pull them out.

Whiskers: a Free Baby Quilt Pattern

It's no secret: cats are my favorite.

"Cat" was my second word, I'm told.

I've got one on my lap right now (he loves computing).

If I'm at your house, and you have a cat, I'll find it and pet it. Even if there is a party going on.

(I like dogs, too, don't worry.)

Inspired by the inventive work of many paper-piecing designers, I thought about creating a cat quilt block that would satisfy my own sensibilities about using animals--not too cartoony or literal, and more geometric and silhouette-ish.

I was also a bit tired of paper-piecing for hours and only having half a block to show for it, so I wanted to create templates that would result in a big, easy quilt block.

The result:  Whiskers!

Paper-Piecing Tutorials: Do It Your Way

Over time, I've received many requests from people who want to learn paper-piecing, but aren't sure where to start. I've created a Paper-Piecing page on this blog that shows the basic steps I take, but I want to give credit to the amazing work others have done, and avoid reinventing the wheel!  

In addition, I urge you to find the method that looks the most normal and logical to you, since there are endless ways to achieve wonderful results.  

Little Hand-Quilted Pillow Tutorial

There's one little pillow on our couch that I insist is mine, the perfect size for right behind my head while watching junky TV.  It's about 12x16 inches, and luxuriously feather-filled.  I decided that I needed another, of course, and thought I'd share the process.  

With the directions below, you can create fun hand-stitched a pillow out of any special block of your choosing.  

Step 1:  Pick a favorite 12.5x12.5 inch unfinished block.  I used one of my recent Star Seams blocks.  

Star Seams: a New Paper-Pieced Star, If You Dare

One evening while perusing a catalogue, I found a shape that I wanted to try replicating in fabric: this mirror. I love the look of outlined stars (evidence: Lone Starburst), and immediately had visions of this new paper-pieced specimen. This new 12.5-inch (unfinished) block, which I call Star Seams, was born.

I tried it out first with some lovely scraps... 

And then twice again with more limited, deliberate selections.

The template looks quite neat on paper. However, this block is quite fussy to sew up! Warning!

Quilting Bee Spotlight: Quilting Under the Rainbow II

Year-long quilting bees are a tough commitment! I don't think I've been in one that survives the year with all members intact, but this one, Quilting Under the Rainbow, came pretty close. Finishing up this fall was very satisfying, and I'm excited to share more about this group.  I always love reading bee block blog posts, since it's a perfect way to browse and store away ideas for future quilts.

I've written about the first six months here, and showed off my finished quilt, as well.

Here are the rest of the blocks I made.

In March, Leah sent us stained glass-inspired fabrics to make blocks for Elizabeth Hartman's Mod Sampler.

For April,  Jackie requested some fun inserted strip blocks.

May rolled in, and with it came bright fabrics from Ellie for these starflower blocks from Ellison Lane.

In June, we made up granny squares for Karen.

And, last but not least, we worked our creative muscles to make all different and unique leaves for Aud's trees. My first time with fusible webbing!

I've been busy lately with new, exciting, and totally non-quilty things in my life, but recently bestowed myself with a day off to sew.  Pictures and a finish to come soon!

Sharp Chevrons

Rainy days.

Perfect for watching old musicals, sitting on the couch with a cat or two, and some blog catch-up.

I've seen quite a few requests from you about how I made these very sharp, precise chevrons last year for the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee:

Well, to make 'em, I sketched out quadrant templates on graph paper, and sewed together a bunch of 1.5" colored strips and .75" strips of white and trimmed (and trimmed), winging it a whole lot, holding the strips up to the sketch to check on positioning.

Halfway through, I wondered why I wasn't just using a paper foundation.  Too lazy and stubborn to go make copies,  I finished my blocks using the original method anyway.  Silly.

That's probably not your style, so I created a paper-piecing template, available for free via Craftsy or  Google Doc! It's a little bit rough around the edges, but it's a pretty literal digital interpretation of my original sketch.  **If you access the templates via Google Doc, it will work best for you to download the pattern and access/print it via your pdf viewer.**

Notes on making your own: 

Print 2 copies (to make 4 units).

Printing Tips: Google docs isn't the best for printing templates, so I'd recommend downloading/saving the template to your computer, then opening it with your usual PDF viewer (Adobe has worked best for me) to print from there. Make sure that scaling is set to 100%, "Actual Size" or "none"' (so your comp doesn't try to "fit" it to a page), and measure the 1 inch scale line once printed to make sure it's EXACTLY one inch, no more, no less! Go the extra mile, and measure the short end of one of the templates, including the gray seam allowances.  It should be 2.5 inches.

I numbered the pieces so that seams will fall in opposite directions, making it easier to join the sections, and I'd also leave the paper on until the very end, but know that paper-piecing is quite personal ;) Join the sections into two A-B units, then join those two to make an 8"x8" finished block!  For the 4x5 Bee, I sashed them with 2.5" strips of white to bring the final size to 12.5".

(If you're not in to paper piecing, I also really love this tutorial for chevrons!)

I've written more about sampler bees I've been in here and here, and to refresh, each member of the group requests certain colors to receive, and then makes blocks in everyone else's colors.  So fun! 

As always, my favorite part is getting to test out all different color combinations! I think this block would also look great with a scrappy collection of fabrics (instead of making each row uniform), or with dark fabric in place of the white for the skinny rows.

Bright Windows Baby Quilt & Free Pattern (ish)

Right now, it seems like I have about 16 long-term, complicated projects going on.  The kind that I can only work on in little chunks at a time (telling myself, "ok, all you have to do for this one today is press open 50 HST's, and you can put it away").  

So it's very nice to take a moment and look back at a simple and sweet finish from last summer.  Its long quartered rectangles remind me of tall windows, so it's named Bright Windows, and it was very easy and fun to put together!

I sliced up a Valori Wells Del Hi charm pack, and just played around.  The fabrics are girly without being sticky-sweet, and I think the palette is really interesting.  This quilt, which finishes at around 36"x 48", really lets them shine.  

Want to make your own?  Here's a loose pattern. I don't have step-by-step photos, but the quilt is so simple that I hope a finished shot will be enough of a guide. Unlike my current endless projects, I completed this quilt top  in one weekend morning sewing session!

You'll need:

~(32) 5"x5" charm squares in assorted prints

~1 1/8 yards white (or other) sashing (I used Kona Snow)

~3/8 yard binding fabric

~40" x 52" backing of your choice

~40" x 52" batting (I like Warm and Natural cotton)

Get started!

1. Cutting: 

-Slice charm squares in half to make 64 2.5" x 5" rectangles

-Cut white fabric into 8 4.5" x Width of Fabric strips, trim selvages off.  (You could probably squeak by with just a yard of white, but since you need exactly 36 inches, I like to play it safe with the few extra inches an eighth provides)

-From 5 of the white WOF 4.5" strips, cut 20 9.5" x 4.5" units.  Save extra fabric for another project, or use it for a pieced backing.

(Use a 1/4-inch seam allowance in all sewing steps.)

2. Play around with your half-charm rectangles, pairing them up.  Chain piece them together into 32 4.5" x 5" units. Press seams to one side.

3.  Play around and pair up again, matching each new, double-rectangle 4.5" x 5" unit with another one, lining up along the shorter 4.5" sides.  Arrange so that the seams lay in opposite directions and can nestle together, and join to make 16 4.5" x 9.5" units. Press open, and your "windows" are done!

At this point, refer to the finished quilt for layout visuals.  I pieced this quilt in horizontal rows. To make the rows:

4. Pair up each "window" with a 4.5" x 9.5" white sashing unit and join along the long sides.

5. Arrange the resulting 8.5" x 9.5" window+sashing units into 4 rows of 4. For each row, join each window+sashing unit to the next, and add one additional white 4.5" x 9.5" unit to the end of the row. Press seams in one direction, ideally the same direction as the bottom half of the "window" unit.  

Rows done!

6. Lay out your (now complete) rows, and sew one of the remaining 4.5" sashing strips to the bottom of each of the first 3 rows.  Press seams towards the sashing and trim excess. 

7. Join the top two units (both composed of a window row+sashing strip). Press seams towards the sashing.

8. Join the bottom two units (window row+sashing strip and just window row).  Press seams towards sashing, creating two halves of the quilt top.

9.  Join the two halves together, press seam towards sashing, and your quilt top is complete! Square up your corners (using a 12.5"x12.5" ruler is my favorite way).

10.  Finish your quilt with the backing, batting, quilting, and binding of your choice!  I used an extra "window", some leftover sashing, and some fun orange butterfly yardage from the line to make a pieced backing.

For binding, I chose a fiery red pindot fabric, which echoed the bright red in some of the prints, and there's a tiny piece of white inserted, too.

I machine-quilted this one in simple straight lines along the windows to make a grid. I also added some nice red hand-stitched details.  

This little one has yet to find a good home! (quick, someone, have a kid...), so it's in the shop for now! (SOLD)

Why Hello, Lovely! Improv Chevrons Quilt!

After making about four improv chevron blocks, I'd had enough.  The blocks take a bit of time, and my attention span for working with strict colors is pretty short, even though these happen to be some of my favorites!

This sweet little quilt is what I made from them!  Sashed in snow, bordered in more Kona cerise (I can't get enough!), and bound in a nice medium gray, which I think makes a clear, precise frame.  I sort of wish I had made a little white flange along with the binding, that would have been wayyy over the top.

I arranged the four blocks so that the chevrons would sort of rotate, in terms of what direction the middle strip was "pointing." I think it makes an interesting, almost pinwheel, effect.  Wouldn't this be the craziest window to look out of? It measures about 40"x40".  Sadly, its too small for me to hog up.
  
I see a LOT of potential for these blocks.  Going monochromatic, using a much more limited palette, or  alternating colors between chevron strips, etc, could cause all kinds of amazing secondary patterns to emerge.

For example, if the middle chevron strip of each block was made up of dark, or very saturated, values, while the side chevrons were lighter fabrics, that middle strip would really stand out, and become a strong design element.

So.Many.Ideas.

To offset the crazy wonkiness of the blocks, I quilted this in simple, (fairly) precise 2-inch squares using the quilting guide bar on my walking foot.  No marking!  I just started with the vertical line of one of the white sashing strips and used that as a guideline.  

It's backed in my favorite print from Lotta Jansdowner's Echo line, with a strip of Kona Snow along the bottom.  I think it's really beautiful on its own, and it makes me want to make a whole cloth quilt from this fabric alone (yikes, ideas!). It looks SO PRETTY with the gray binding!

Hey there, what are you doing just sitting there in the corner? Looking pretty?  That's what I thought.

Diamond Stack Block - Tutorial

This quarter, for the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee, I decided to experiment with a new shape: the diamond, without templates or paper-piecing.  I wrote a little bit more about how the bee works here.  This time, I asked for scrappy, saturated, multi-color blocks. 

This was my test block!  I think it's much easier to make than it looks, but you do have to be consistent with your cutting and piecing.

Materials to make one 12.5-inch square block: 

9 1.75" x 3.5" pieces (these will become the little diamonds) in colors of your choice

6 1.5" x 3.25" pieces white (or other background fabric)

2 1.5" x 9" pieces white (or other background fabric)

4 1" x 8" pieces for the lattice between little diamonds, in coordinating colors

2  roughly 7-8"x 11-12" rectangles white (or other background fabric)*

*these could theoretically be much smaller, or maybe you can think of a better way to fill out the background, but this is what I used to make sure I had enough area covered.

Get going!

To start, cut up the nine 1.75" x 3.5" pieces into diamonds. 
 

Line up the 60-degree line of your ruler along the top of the fabric, so that the line your ruler intersects with the bottom right corner of the fabric. Cut!

Keeping your ruler's angle and the fabric as-is, with the 60-degree mark along the top, slide the ruler over 2 inches from the (new) top right corner of the fabric.  It helps to use the 30-degree angle line (pictured above, but it doesn't show the 30-degree label... it's the one that makes a right angle with the 60-degree line) on your ruler lined up with the vertical cutting mat lines.  

Cut!  You can stack your rectangles and do a few at once, or go one at a time, if you like. Here, I did three at a time.  You can also continue cutting diamonds at 2-inch intervals from one long strip of 1.75" fabric.

Arrange your diamonds in a 3x3 grid!

Pair up six of the diamonds with one 1.5" x 3.25" strip as pictured.

Position the white strips so that there is about a 1/4-inch overlap of white extending beyond the diamond's edge.

Sew, (using a 1/4-inch seam), press, and trim top and bottom, using the edge of the diamond piece as a guide.  For the entire block, I pressed my seams away from the diamonds, but you can do whatever you like best. 

You'll end up with 6 of these suckers!

Match them up with a lonely diamond, and sew together each line of three units so that you have three pieced diamond strips.  

As you piece together the diamonds, make sure you leave little tails (measuring a scant 1/4-inch) on both sides.  This will help the edges of the diamonds line up.  

Do the same thing if you're just adding on a diamond to a white piece, don't forget the tails!

You'll end up with three strips. Don't worry too much if they're not lining up perfectly, but they should look pretty decent.  

Trim off the little tails!

Attach the the two 1.5" x 9" white strips to the first two lines of pieced diamonds.  Make sure to leave an inch or so of white overhang on either side, so that there will be fabric in the right spot when you trim along the sides of the diamonds. 

Be gentle when you sew, since you're sewing along the bias-edge of the diamonds. Press open and trim, following the angles of the diamonds again.  

Connect the two strips that have a strip of white (pins really help at this point!) and press open.

And attach the final line of pieced diamonds.  Press open.  (See those little triangle tails sticking out?)

Trim 'em.

Now you have this. It would be pretty on it's own, or you can go ahead and insert lattice strips!

I think this is my favorite part!  Using your ruler, line up the 1/2 inch mark along the edge of one of the white strips, and cut, dividing it along the middle. This will create the effect of having stitched on tiny 1/4-inch white borders around each diamond, without having to work with a bunch of tiny pieces.  

Do it again on the parallel white strip, to create three pieced diamond strips again.

Now you can connect them with colorful lattice strips, just like you did with the white strips earlier.

Take two of your 1" x 8" lattice strips and sew them to the side that has white of two of the pieced diamond strips. I definitely use pins at this point, especially, because the lattice strips are so narrow. 

Sew both, press, and trim.

Attach the two pieced strips that have lattice strips sewn on.

And attach the final diamond strip.  

Slice again, in the other direction!

Sew the final two lattice strips on, press, and trim.  (err, not trimmed yet in the picture...)

Attach them all together, and you have your diamond!

Trim off all the tails, perhaps taking a little fabric off with them to straighten up your edges.  Just a bit, because sashing can make up for any slight unevenness.  

At this point, you can sash the blocks however you like to reach your desired finished size.  I think they'd look great as rectangles, but for this bee, I had to get them to 12.5 inches square. 

That's what took the most trial and error for me.  I had to figure out how to "block out" the diamond to make a square 12.5-inch block.  It's possible my fabric size suggestions might be too high for you, but I like to have a little wiggle room.  Nothing's worse than sewing something up and realizing it's just a quarter inch too small. Yikes.

Basically, I cut two rectangles diagonally, using the 60-degree line on my ruler, echoing the angle of the diamond, and sewed the 4 resulting triangles to the edges of the diamond to make a square.  I did this various ways, depending what fabric I had on hand. There's likely a better way, but here are a couple of diagrams of how I did it.

They're not to scale, and don't line up perfectly in real life. There was a lot of trimming involved after the pieces were attached to the big diamond.  

In this case, I cut a long skinny rectangle into two pieces that would fit in the top right and bottom left corners. 

Then I cut another rectangle, below, into two big, long triangles that would fill the other corners, overlapping with the other corner pieces. 

(In this case, you have to trim off the excess from the first two pieces before pressing open) You could also do four long skinny triangles like these, with not much more fabric waste.  Y-seams?  Sure, but that seemed more complicated to me.  Because I don't know how to do them.

I do know that it's all about the tails, right to the end.  

And a 12.5-inch ruler saves the day when squaring up, every time.  

Here are all my finished blocks, in the colors requested by my hive-mates.  See that gray one (bottom middle)?  I didn't have pieces of ash that were big enough for the huge triangles treatment, so I just used smaller ones and strips to fill the space. Another option!  

You can see all my blocks up close here, where I write a bit more about my color choices and placement.