DIY Bookcase Quilt Free Sewing Patterns
Going to sleep under your average, run-of-the-mill, storebought duvet feels nothing like snuggling under an artistic quilt that you or your loved one made for you. With affection. With care in every stitch. With countless hours of skill and dedication.
Never make the mistake of forgetting these 4 important things to include when you gift a quilt! You'll be so glad that you did #4!!
Catalina loves Cats. That's why as soon as I saw this quilt pattern, I knew it was for her. It is titled Pins and Paws from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. There was some fun quilting on this quilt. I love pieced backs. It's also a good way to use up left over fabric.This backing idea is from Gyleen Fitzgerald. This is one of my favorite border quilting patterns. I love quilted straight lines. They add so much movement to a quilt. The whole quilt. Richard thought the quilting was odd, but I think it is very modern. As always, a label.
Knowing how to start a quilt, especially when it comes to quilting can be difficult. Get expert tips on how to start quilting your next quilt.
Happy March 1st! And because it is the first Wednesday in March, we are once again opening our monthly theme for the Modern Quilt Along series that we are doing in 2017. If you need a refresher of what this series is, go HERE to read the introduction post on the why’s and how’s. The theme […]
Overwhelming fabric scraps. I thought this was such a fun topic to discuss. so here I am. Do you love or hate working with fabric scraps? Do you sometimes get overwhelmed with your piles of fabric …
Weaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life: Experimenting with new Quilting shipping boxes, Following Joy Avery @ My BearPaw, Anticipating attending The Festival of Quilts this weekend!
Join the Sew Much Moore Quilt Block Club Swap and connect with quilters worldwide in a creative, community-driven exchange
For the more traditional types, country quilts are the best to bring that homey, rustic feel to a room or furniture.
Join the Sew Much Moore Quilt Block Club Swap and connect with quilters worldwide in a creative, community-driven exchange
Photos above © Marcia Hohn & © Missouri Star QuiltToday we are going to make this nice block (Pinwheel Quilt Block). I call it the mill because it reminds me of the mills I used to do in class with ch
Make Yours as Vivid or Subdued as You Like! We first saw this quilt a few months ago and shared it on our Facebook page. Not surprisingly, it was a big favorite, with many asking for the pattern. We’ve been looking off and on ever since for the pattern and had given up on it …
While we can't ignore our problems, hoping they might just go away, we do sometimes need a break from them.
The modern quilt craze has hit Japan ! Here are some spectacular results from Japanese quilt artists. When the Sunset Crowns Mt. Fuji in ...
Exploding Star Quilt Block. Free Sewing Tutorial and Pattern. Which uses no-waste flying geese, half square triangles, and has an economy block...
Crafting Magic Fabric Lookbook Crafting Magic by Maureen Cracknell. Constantly reinventing the boho style, Maureen Cracknell invites you on a magical journey through creative illustrations of majestic creatures, hand-drawn florals, and glistening colors.
Okay everyone! This long time anticipated crochet quilt tutorial is finally available! (happy jig!) My friend Tiffany of Fanny Lu Designs took the time to put together the most thorough and detaile…
Dumpster Diving 3.0 is FINISHED! 48" x 62" Quilted with vertical wavy lines using Glide thread in Bark. The back was not what I had planned to use - it's better. I did a favor for Jill S. in Illi
Le Simply Moderne n°26 comporte 13 projets de patchwork moderne (quilts, tablier, coussin), articles d'exposition, portrait de Sarah Hibbert...
While shopping at the antique mall, one of the things I’ve been noticing re-surge more and more are Victorian Crazy Quilts and all of their lovely styles and forms. Since I cannot begin to to…
After I had the third diamond quilt underway I came across what’s called the “Escher” Quilt. There are a lot of examples of this quilt online – I don’t know who develo…
Hi friends! Today I have a really special (long) post for you! Today I want to share a quilt that took me two years and about 85 hours to complete - my Postage Stamp quilt! I got so many questions on Instagram every time I posted pictures of this project so I will try to cover all the FAQ's here. First, let me start at the beginning... THE INSPIRATION My grandmother passed away in October 2019. She was the one who taught me how to quilt and who my pattern company is named after. After she passed, my mom and aunt asked if I would finish a couple of the quilts she had been working on so we could give them to family members. This red, yellow, and green 9-Patch quilt one was one of them. I don't know the name of the pattern but I know it came from a magazine. I remember her working on this quilt over the years and I know each individual square finished at 3/4". Can you believe that!?! The quilt top was finished many years ago so I just got it longarm quilted (with a Baptist Fan pattern) and then I bound it by hand. The back was white with colorful buttons and the binding is black with red and yellow flowers on it, as you can see here. The backing fabric was hanging with the quilt top in her closet and I believe I picked out the binding fabric from her stash. This quilt went to my aunt Janet and her husband Dave. The other quilt I finished at that time (I have 2 more I still need to finish!) was this little baby quilt. I think the squares finished at 1-1/4". My aunt and I chose the back and binding fabrics from my grandmother's fabric stash and then I had it longarm quilted with the Interlocking Orange Peel panto by Karlee Porter. This quilt went to one of my cousins. So after finishing both of those quilts made by my grandmother, I was inspired. I never thought I would make a Postage Stamp quilt; too intense for me! But I got the itch around that time to make something with tiny squares and a little while later I made my first blocks. CUTTING I cut 1-1/2" squares that would finish at 1" each. I did not do all my cutting at once. I found that I liked to cut batches of squares, both bright and white, whenever I was running low or got tired of the ones I had in my pile. It was a nice way to break up all of the sewing. When I was actively working on my Postage Stamp quilt I would keep piles of squares by my machine so I could easily grab and sew. I didn't put too much thought into what fabric went where. I just tried to space out colors to create balance. When I needed a break from that project I simply put the squares in a ziplock bag. They didn't get wrinkly so it was easy to pick up where I left off the next time I was ready to work on my quilt. FABRIC I used lots of different whites, creams and low volumes for my "whites". If you look closely at some of the following pictures you'll be able to tell. From far away, everything reads as white but the quilt still has a really scrappy feel to it. Plus it was a great way to use up scraps! As far as the brights go, I used alll the colors. My only requirement was there had to be enough contrast between the brights and whites. There are several fabrics of my grandmother's in this quilt. Including a few squares that have remnants of her embroidery! Those are my favorite! ASSEMBLY There are several ways to assemble a Postage Stamp quilt. You can strip-piece units together. But since I used scraps for all of my pieces I cut squares and sewed them together one-by-one. I didn't mind; in fact I preferred to do it that way so it would be extra scrappy! But of course, you could strip piece if you wanted. For the most part, I chain-pieced rows together to make regular, small 9-Patches (above). I made some that had brights in the corners and some that had whites in the corners. This was such mindless sewing and I quite enjoyed it! Immediate satisfaction! Then I sewed nine of those 9-Patches together to make big 9-Patches that had 81 squares in each block. I figured out it took me about 45 minutes to make a block (maybe about an hour with cutting). Towards the end of this project, I switched from making small 9-Patches to just chain piecing squares together to make a row for the big 9-Patches. I started by sewing tons of pairs of bright and white squares together. When I got bored I separated the pairs and then sewed them together to make units of 4 squares each. Once I had all those sewn together I sewed 2 of those units together plus one extra square to make a row of 9 squares. PRESSING After I made each block row, I pressed the seam allowances toward the dark/bright fabrics. After I sewed the rows together, I pressed the seams open. I pressed everything as I went. It may seem daunting but I honestly got faster the more I did it. It really wasn't too bad. I definitely recommend pressing as you go and pressing the seams open will help your quilt lay nice and flat. Quick side note here: I never pin when I piece. If you're really accurate in your cutting and piecing all of your seam allowances should be able to nest together nicely. I'm sure that saved me a lot of time while making this quilt. I have some tips saved in my Instagram highlight bubbles on precision piecing and cutting. Check it out @gigis_thimble. As I worked on this project, I found it helpful to set little goals for myself. I started by making two blocks and kept trying to double the number of blocks I had until I finished. One month I challenged myself to make 100 little 9-Patches and towards the end of this project, I challenged myself to make 1 big 9-Patch a day until I was done making all of my blocks. I always tell myself, "A little progress every day adds up to big results!" and that is definitely the case with a Postage Stamp quilt! Because there are a gazillion seams in this quilt, it is heavier than normal. The seams can start to stretch apart because of the weight and become harder to match up. So I would recommend that you make two halves of your quilt; press the row seams and then sew the 2 halves together to complete your quilt. Here I am at the halfway point: And here is the finished quilt top. An exciting moment! FINISHING I bound the quilt in this red and white gingham fabric that I had in my stash. I also had this rainbow fabric in my stash that I had bought recently for another project (that didn't turn out how I wanted so I gave it away). The fabric is 55218-20 from the fabric line Shine On by Bonnie and Camille for Moda. I used it for the back of my quilt and I love it. My friend Jen Ostler quilted it with the Scribble Hearts panto. She always hides an object in her quilting for her clients to find so this time she did a rainbow. It took me forever to find but I think it's darling. It's much easier to find from the backside of the quilt than the front! One of my Instagram followers sent me a picture of her Postage Stamp quilt that had been quilted with the Scribble Hearts panto and I thought it was sweet and fun so I decided to do the same on mine. I love the quilting community where we can all inspire and learn from each other! I've been buying custom quilt labels from Ever Emblem for the last couple of years. I get the 2" cotton fold-over, sew-in labels and I've been really happy with them. They're really inexpensive and a quick way to label your quilt. Well that's it! I think I addressed all of the FAQ's! Please let me know if I missed anything. Just to recap here is a quick breakdown of all of the details... DETAILS Finished size of individual squares: 1". Finished quilt size: 72" x 90" Total number of big 9-Patch blocks: 80 Layout: 8 x 10 blocks Total number of 1" squares: 6,480 Start date: December 27, 2019 Finish date: November 3, 2021 Longarm quilter: Jen Ostler in Highland, UT (@drycreekquilter on Intstagram) Quilt panto: Scribble Hearts Hidden object in the quilting: rainbow Backing: Rainbow 55218-20 by Bonnie + Camille for Moda Approximate time to make this quilt: 85 hours Batting: 100% cotton Machine pieced Hand-bound 1/4" seams I hope you enjoyed this post! Like I said, please let me know if you have any questions. I'd love to know what you think about this project and whether or not YOU might make a Postage Stamp quilt someday! Happy quilting!
📷 Holy cow, I like this one from Pinterest (Russian sewist). Do you save photos of quilts you'd like to try? This one would be great for reducing my scrap bin overflow. 95% of my scraps are 2.5" wide strips. Smaller strips I give to my friend Jerry, the rug guy. This Russian artist's quilt I like the variety of color and pattern, "fits me to a T". (Where did that expression come from, I'd like to know). The Light and dark cornerstones are deliberate--and that is something that peaks my interest. I especially like the skinny sashing, even though its medium to light value is almost LOST. 📷 Above, is one of my quilts. Simple, fun to make. Designing quilts on the fly . . . my design idea here was to join Four (10.5") scrappy strip blocks with a light color sashing and orange corner stone. I couldn't decided in the first place if I wanted orange corner stones or turquoise corner stones . . . . so I framed the quadrant block in a dark blue small paisley print accented with turquoise corner stones. Other Bits: A couple years ago I was waiting, waiting, waiting, for Anita Solomon Grossman to come out with her simple cuts technique for "her Wonky Star" block, but it never materialized online. I experimented on my own to build her wonky star block (trying to think it through like Anita would). That experiment resulted in 8 wonky star blocks sitting in my scrap bin, (4) red stars on a teal background and (4) teal stars on a red background. Having no better use for them, I threw them into this quilt for interest.
I played with the arrangement and the colour flow off and on yesterday – I’m stopping with this layout: I worked at changing the block placement from linear on the diagonal to a more pa…
Beautiful!
Happy New Year! Despite the long pause in postings, I did actually complete a few more sewing projects in 2014. January 2014 - Drawstring book bags for Allie and Cate's birthdays February 2014 - Robert Hughes baby quilt (I really need to consider taking a "how to photograph your quilts" workshop:) quilted with stars and spirals May 2014 - Amy Becker's HS graduation lap quilt Amy picked out fabrics at Fabric Depot during her Portland visit, Christmas 2013. I supplemented with a few fabrics I found at The Stitching Post and at Kapaia Stitchery during a trip to Kauai (always looking for an excuse to fabric shop). The blue batik with butterflies was the first fabric Amy chose. Other colors were built around that. quilted with vining flowers and leaves Now Amy has this nice warm lap quilt - perfect for her college years at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She assures me that it does get cold there, especially when the air conditioner is running. November 2014 - New curtains and duvet set for the Sisters house After 20 years, Stefanie and I decided it was time for a change in the upstairs bedroom in our Sisters house. We found some curtain fabric at IKEA (seen below in the medium-sized pillows). After a futile search for a coordinating duvet cover I decided we just needed to make our own. Not as cheap, but so much more fun! On the bed in Anna's old room at our house (tempted to keep it here, but...) Had to add a border piece as it was just a bit too small. Found a fun coordinating fabric at The Stitching' Post. Shams and throw pillows. The quilting in the shams mimics the print in the curtain fabric. All set up in its new home. On to 2015... January 2015 - Jeanne's lap quilt This quilt was made for my good friend and fellow swimmer, Jeanne. She will be out of the water for a bit, recuperating from surgery, so of course this called for a quilt! My daughter, Anna, suggested the colors - perfect for a swimmer. Another swimmer friend, Jenn, joined me for a shopping trip to Fabric Depot and also helped with part of the sewing. Sandi and Jeanne The design incorporates over 60 small blocks with names of some of Jeanne's friends. Next Up???? cityscape art quilt based on a photo of Roussillon, France art quilt based on our Croatia travels last September flower/plant themed art quilt for the Hardy Plant Society Hortlandia Plant Sale in April hopefully taking Hilde Morin's Bowl Art class
As a quilter, there’s nothing more frustrating than unfolding a quilt only to find it covered in creases and wrinkles. These creases can be difficult to remove, and they can even cause damage…
No More Stubby Thread Tail Whiskers! Topstitching adds a polished, professional look to many pieced and quilted projects. However, stubby clipped thread tails can mar an otherwise neat finish. The solution is simple – bury the thread ends. It’s quick, easy to do and creates a professional look. No more clipped thread whiskers on either …
52 of my favorite modern quilts from QuiltCon 2024.
In yesterday’s post, I described 3 different traditional crafts that share one common thread, the running stitch : Kantha, Boro and Sashiko. Kantha and Boro are traditional patchwork from Ind…
The end of the year is coming fast, so I have been evaluating my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts to determine which I want to finish and which I want to carry into next year. One of the RSC quilts I have been working on is the simple color block quilt made with 2.5" squares. For October, I made a couple brown blocks. I knew I needed some red blocks - so I went ahead and finished up three from squares that I had already cut and were in my stash. A couple of yellow blocks were needed too. At this point, I knew I was pretty close to having enough blocks to finish the quilt. When I moved the blocks from my quilting studio to my sewing room, I knew I needed more green blocks so I went ahead and made a few of them. So here is what I have so far. I still need to sew up two more blocks and adjust the layout a bit. I think I need another dark blue and maybe a pink. Hmmm.....What do you think? ********************************************* It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps. Here are the details for linking up: This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece. You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps. If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week! If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap. This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others. Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter Linking Up: Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making) Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward) So Scrappy for RSC19
Schools out and the sun is out. I’ve selected my seven favorite easy quilt patterns that you can sew up while enjoying the summer to its fullest too!
I'm always amazed at the patience of so many quilters who make those amazing quilts out of tiny bits of fabric. I don't think I will ever get to that stage but I sincerely admire those who have that ability to spend hours on their creations. Personally, I am a fan of quick quilts and I love trying to speed up the process of what I am creating hence why I love this method of creating a 4-patch quilt block. It is quick and easy to put together without having to cut up tiny blocks and piece them all together
This is an exquisite fall quilt, a labor of love that seamlessly combines craftsmanship and comfort. Handmade and meticulously machine quilted, this quilt measures a cozy 44” x 56”, perfect for adding warmth and style to your home. Crafted from premium quality cotton fabrics, this quilt showcases a breathtaking rainbow of colors gracefully cascading down the fabric, evoking the essence of a crisp fall day. This quilt is the ideal companion for those chilly evenings, back-to-school preparations, or the approach of Thanksgiving. This quilt is created using the enchanting Moda fabrics designed by Fancy That Design House from the exquisite Slow Stroll collection. The quilt's reverse side features the charming Tossed Acorn design in the delicate Petal shade. Crafted with 100% cotton fabric and filled with a comfortable cotton/poly blend batting, this quilt offers both durability and softness in one package. Care Instructions: To preserve the beauty and functionality of your homemade quilt, we recommend washing it with cold water on the delicate cycle. For the best results, dry with low heat or no heat at all. As is common with quilts, some slight shrinkage may occur after the initial wash. This only enhances the quilt's cozy texture, and over time, it will develop a delightful crinkled appearance with repeated use and washing. Every quilt created by The Uncommon Bobbin is lovingly made in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home. As each quilt is meticulously made, small imperfections may be present, showcasing its unique character and the care put into its creation. Please be aware that colors may appear slightly different in person compared to the photos provided. Elevate your living space with the enchanting fall quilt, a delightful fusion of artistry and comfort, proudly brought to you by The Uncommon Bobbin.
Preprinted panels are the perfect material for a first quilt, a quick quilt or a quilt that will get a lot of use, like a baby quilt. They are fast to construct and uncomplicated in design.
I'd hoped to finish two PIGS (Projects in Grocery Sacks) in May but it didn't happen. I had a project for Creative Machine Embroidery to make. See my blog here to see that pretty quilt.
