Sew your first quilt!

Sew, it has been a long time. With Christmas sewing, school, and life I somehow missed December and January. Currently I am preparing to teach a parent/child quilt class at Sew Memphis. Of course, the teacher in me is going over and over the best way to work with young children and quilting. Rotary cutting? No, I have seen adults injure themselves! Complicated blocks? Only if I want to scare them into thinking quilting is torture. So after much thought, here is the pattern and instructions on the easy peasy little baby/lap quilt I am going to do. I am sharing this in case there is anyone out there that is currently looking to make a first quilt, or teaching a young one to quilt! This is only for the top assembly.

Materials Needed

sewing machine
paper template found here QUILT CUTS
double check you are printing actual size, and make a quick measure to make sure the large square is 6 1/2 by 6 1/2, the small square is 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 and the strip is  2 1/2 by 6 1/2 
about 6 or more fat quarters or a bag of scraps
scissors
pins
quarter inch foot


A quick note about fabric. Cotton. Quilters cotton. 100% cotton. There are other 100% cotton fabrics, so make sure it is lighter weight like calico and not home decor weight. Most of the fabric in stores is quilters cotton. Blended fabrics are evil. Unless you are making clothes. Well, at least as you start your quilters journey. 

Quilts are blocks of fabric sewn together. How fancy the block is is up to the quilter, but for now lets start with the basics. We use a quarter inch seam, this makes our math easier. Yes, quilters use math. Lots and lots of math. I suggest before we begin, if you do not have a quarter inch seam foot, that you take a ruler tool of some sort and measure from the needle to 1/4 inch. if there is no mark on your machine, you might want to grab some painters tape and mark it. This is what I did for Evie, even with a quarter inch foot it was hard for her to keep a straight seam when she first started.

This is what my quarter inch foot looks like. I follow the edge of the foot for a quarter inch seam. Trying to keep a straight even stitch is important, it keeps your blocks measuring the same. Practice a quarter inch seam a few times before starting.

Now, here is a photo of the Templates

The large one is 6 1/2 inches. If you take away the seams, that means your finished block will be a six inch square. So for this quilt, that is the size of our finshed blocks. The small square is for a four patch, so that template is 3 1/2  inches. The strip is for a rail fence, or 3 stripes. That is 6 1/2 by 2 1/2. These are the blocks you are making.

 Cut out the templates, carefully pin to your fabric and cut  few out from each fabric. Make sure you have pressed your fabric well.You want more small squares and strips than large squares.

So, are you ready? Confident you can do and keep a quarter inch seam? First, make sure you have a tight stitch. Each machine has a different numbering system for stitches that are closer together or farther apart. Take it a little closer together. Next, find a little scrap. This is called a starter. you put it in and start your stitch on that, then you can piece one after the other. It is also an ender, instead of just stopping you go put this at end. You can see the starter in some of the pictures.

We will do the 4 patch block first. Take your 3 1/2 inch squares. Place your starter piece in the machine, go over the end of it a few stitches. Line up edges of 2 small squares with right sides facing each other, place under your foot, you will not lift your foot, just place the squares under and sew. Keep going! Go over the end of that one, then take 2 more squares and keep going until you have used all the small squares.

Now, take your sewn squares to the ironing board to press. Pressing is as important as sewing, you want a crisp press. Place square on the board with seam facing away from you. Press over the seam, then gently fold the top piece of fabric back, pressing. I do pull a little to make sure the seam is flat, but don't pull too much!

here is a side view of the pressed seam.

back view. See how nice, even and flat?

When you get all your squares pressed, go back to your machine. You need to put 2 sets together to make a square. When doing this, you want the seams to go in the opposite direction to create a lock.

See how they nuzzle into each other? That keeps the seams on the front of the block lined up. Place a pin there to keep it in place when you start sewing. Now sew that side.

Watch your seams, try to keep them flat and the direction you pressed them!

easy enough? Now you have your four patches done! Take those over to your board and press the seams.

Ta-da!!!

Now for the 3 strips. Make 3 even piles of fabric. Sew 2 strips together down the long side first, then press that seam. Next, take a third strip and sew along one of the long sides. Press that seam. You should now have a stack that looks like this

easy enough?

Now you have 3 stacks of blocks to use for your scrappy quilt. This is where your creativity can fly. You are now going to take 4 of the blocks to create a 12 1/2 inch block (12 inch finshed) I have more solid squares, so I decided to do 2 solids, 1 4 patch and 1 rail fence in each big square like this.

You will need 9 finished larger blocks. To do each of these, I fold over from left to right and place a pin in the side I want to sew together. Just like the four patch, sew 2 together first, press, the sew the sets together to make a block.

For these larger blocks, I press to the solid 6 inch block, so that my seams create the lock we need.

Regardless, if you lay it out differently, you need to watch where you press to create a locking seam.

When you have the 9 big blocks done, you are ready to layout and sew your top! Lay all the blocks out. Your finished quilt will be 36 inch square. This is a great size because you can use a yard and a quarter of flannel to back it instead of making it larger and having to piece backing.

Now that it is laid out, I like to piece the top row, middle row, then bottom row. To create a lock, you need to press the top and bottom seams to the left and the center to the right. When the strips are done, piece them just like you did the rail fence block. Pin at all of your seams before you assemble! It keeps it from shifting.

Ta-da!



OK, now you need a backing. Grab a yard and a quarter of flannel or quilters cotton and some the same size as batting. These are larger than the quilt top, so after you lay it out and pin it down, you will need to trim.



Take your backing piece and lay it out nice and flat with the right side facing up. next, lay your quilt top face down, making it nice and flat.

If you are using flannel and don't want batting, you can pin now. If not, add your batting. This is so when you are done sewing and ready to turn, the batting is on the inside.

Now pin around the sides. Here is where you want to trim your batting and backing. Sew around the sides leaving about a 3 inch gap in one side to turn right sides out. Clip your corners before turning, turn right side out. press. Make sure to pin your turning hole, then topstitch around the edge. I stitch between some of the squares to finish it up.

All Done! I hope this helped a bit! If you can, join me for classes at Sew Memphis! It's always more fun to sew in a group.

So Proud of my Evie!

My 8 year old has been sewing for a while, and has made plenty stuffies and pillows and little things. We started working on her quilt about a year ago, taking 6 by 6 squares from my scrap stash and piecing them together. It was hard for her at first to keep a straight 1/4 inch seam, so a few of the blocks are wonky, but after working on it for a while she got the hang of it!

She finished the piecing a few weeks ago, and we took it to Teresa Pino at Quilts to a T studio. Teresa quilted Evie's quilt for 2 weeks allowance! It was so sweet. We also owe Teresa gratitude for giving Evie a sewing machine last year for Christmas! It has been the machine she sewed her quilt top with.

Evie was so serious picking out her quilting design and thread, deciding on big loopy heart shaped leaves and lime green thread!

She signed her work order and then waited... sometimes not so patiently...

Then ta-da! It came out beautifully! It did take us a while to bind the quilt, but now she has it in her room! She brings it out to watch TV with. We are so proud of her and she is so proud of her accomplishment! Go Evie!

Happy Sewing! 

Happy Fall!

I few years ago  my mother in law found a pack of fat quarters in fall colors and bought it for me to make her a table runner with. A few weeks back I finally decided on a pattern to use with them!

I took it to my longarm quilter, QuiltstoaT here here in Hernando, and she quilted it with this cute pumpkin and leaves pattern!

Love it! The quilting is just as important as the piecing! 

Sewing for the Spectrum

I know many of you have loved ones or know someone "on the spectrum". Someone diagnosed with Autism, Asperger's, ADHD, or any sensory issue really. These projects are for them, or for teachers and therapists who work with them. I hope you like our projects!

These started when Evie and I were trying to think of ideas to help younger ones with sensory issues sit still for carpet time at school. The school itself has vibrating pillows, but not all children like them. One therapist suggested bean bags, but the teacher said they were too large, and the children who needed them would be at the back of the group, and they really need to be closer to the teacher. So being Evie, she asked if there were bean bag pillows that would work. We searched for any that were for sale, that were big enough for a child to sit on, and the answer was no. They are either bag types or small neck rolls. That was the birth of this little seat, or as Evie likes to call it, Miss Muffet's Tuffet...

It's a 16 inch round pillow stuffed with bean bag beans. We found the bean bag beans from Walmart, a HUGE bag is about $10, and we found them in furniture by their bean bags.

We were able to make 8 pillows with the beans and our scrap fabric. The pattern is a free pattern from CluckCluckSew, The Sprocket Pillow. The only thing I changed was instead of a center button, I made a yo-yo and sewed it on the center to cover the seam.

When you stuff, leave enough room for movement. Our first tester loved the pillow, and instead of trying to get up during our test story, they rocked around on the pillow.

Evie was so happy with the results, she has decided that this is her science project this year! We are working to come up with a way to quantify if the pillow helps children on the spectrum sit on the floor for longer periods of time. We are waiting on approval and figuring out how to set up the experiment.

The next project we did was therapy balls. They are stress balls filled with different materials that the children can keep in their desks and feel when then need that sensory stimulation. For this we went to Walmart and bought a few different things to fill them with.

We chose rice, split peas, and navy beans. I can say our tester liked the feel of navy beans best, and that is the one kept as their desk. Again, these are made from scraps and a free pattern for Fabric Balls from Grand Revival Designs. We filled them less than halfway, so the beans and rice had a lot of movement. you can also buy polyethelene pellets online to fill them with.

I hope these projects are usesful! Let me know if you make any of them. These would be perfect little gifts for someone who works with kids with sensory issues!

Happy Sewing!



The Three Year Quilt

I bought the Bonnie Blue Belle Meade pattern before we moved from Nashville. I also bought about 85% of the fabric around the same time, picking up scraps and fat quarters from The Quilting Squares. It was a hard move for me, because we really loved that area, and I loved bitch and stitch nights at the squares. I learned more there than any class I have ever taken. Belle Meade is a pattern modeled after the Belle Meade plantation in Nashville, which is why I chose to do it. That was over 3 years ago.

Fast forward to 2 years ago, when my baby girl was going through a rough patch in preschool. That is when I started cutting the fabric out. I just couldn't work on it before that. Everytime I looked at the pattern and fabric I missed my Nashville peeps. It wasn't until I joined the Quilt Guild here and settled into life in Mississippi that I could start it. I'll never forget it, I was frustrated with everything my little girl was going through, newly pregnant with little man, and had just bought the Carolina Chocolate Drops CD. After it was cut and the spinning squares and the big half square triangles were done, I put it away again.

So this summer I was able to see The Carolina Chocolate Drops live at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Arts fest. Live, they totally blew me away. I ended up buying their new CD and as soon as I popped it in, I had to start back on the quilt. In about 2 weeks (I only get to sew during little man's naptime) I finished piecing it. I took it to QuiltstoaT here in town, and just finished putting the binding on! I am so in love with this quilt. Unofficially it is my Carolina Chocolate Drops Quilt, because everytime I look at it I have their music in my head!

Fall purses!

A few weeks ago, I finished a black and yellow Cross Body bag for the fall. You can find the pattern in my etsy store. I love this bag, the zippered front pocket is where I stash my things, and the roomy inside fits snacks, diapers, a few toys, and anything else I need for a day out with my toodler! The side pocket is great for a sippy cup or phone.

I feel in love with the fabrics because I am a Pittsburgh Girl, and these are Steel town colors! I bought a bunch of fabric, so I also made myself another smaller bag for days I only run to the store and such. I chose to do a Lazy Girl Designs Margo. It's one of my favorites!

The bag just fits everything I need, wallet, diaper and wipes, chapstick and phone and a few other things.

Last week at piano lessons, Mrs. Donna my daughters piano teacher commented how much she liked the Margo. A few years ago I made her a music themed Lazy Girl Designs Claire for Christmas. After talking for a while, we came up with the idea of maybe putting a Claire and Margo together. When I got home I noticed the bags were the same size... which meant NO MATH to create a Margo-Claire MashUp!!

She wanted Season themed bags, and found these great fabrics at Joann. It was so easy. I just cut 1 piece for the Claire, so the upper part of the middle is the same as the side fabric. The lining I did as a Margo so it would zip.

fall bag... and

winter bag!

I am a huge fan of Lazy Girl Design bags, love how they sew up! I hope Mrs. Donna likes them!

Adjustable Strap bag pattern

I feel as if I am neglecting blogging :( School has started, my little man is now 19 months and into EVERYTHING, and I spend my free time in the sewing room.

This is my new bag... a cross body adjustable strap bag big enough for a day out with little man.

I made the front pocket a zippered pocket.

I put an elastic pocket on the side

Plus the strap is adjustable!

I wrote out the pattern for this bag and it is now for sale on etsy as the Cross Body Bag.

I found the fabric for this bag at a cool local sew shop, Sew Memphis.  They have a great selection of fabrics, and wonderful classes. Speaking of classes, I will be teaching there! Check out my classes coming up:

Fat Quarter Frenzy! a beginners class

Disguise Yourself Workshop -Halloween accessories for kids!

Childrens Quilting

at heart I am a teacher, and love sharing my passion for sewing with others! I hope you can join me!

-p-