Bricks quilt Tutorial

My first post on here was for this quilt. 
This is my original design and now I am posting a little step by step on how to make it.

I call it "Bricks" :-)

Here is a finished one...

Dimensions: Lap size, 52x62" 

and here is the one I am working on now, using a Fiji Batiks layer cake.

This is super easy to put together and I hope you enjoy making your own version :)

What you need:

1 layer cake of the print (for this I am using Fiji Batik)
1 solid layer cake (I like to use white)
extra fabric for binding and back, 
If you want to add a border I recommend using the same solid color as the one in your layer cake.


Now, to make it:
Start by cutting your layer cake in half, so you have 2: 5"x10" strips, and then cut each of these into 5 1/2", 1 1/2" and 3" pieces.

Repeat for the solid layer cake.

Now put together the units:

Make the print units by sewing a 5 1/2" piece of print to a 1 1/2" of solid, and then a 3" piece of print.
And the solid units by sewing a 5 1/2" piece of solid to a 1 1/2" of print, and then a 3" piece of solid.

Finished size of each unit is 5" x 9"

Lay the units in rows as shown in the picture.

Alternate between a solid and a print unit, making sure to always position the units as shown, to get the effect of the white lines cutting through the quilt.

Sew the units in rows and then sew the rows together to form the quilt top.
Add borders as desired, sandwich and quilt. 
I like quilting this with unevenly spaced, straight lines that go across the quilt.

You get a total of 168 units by using two whole layer cakes. With the addiction of a small border all around this is enough for a queen size quilt!

Thank you for looking!

Let me know if you have any questions and follow me if you want to know next time I post a tutorial :)

Mini Tote Bags

This year for my daughter's 8th birthday, the girls will be making glitter fairy jars, necklaces and decorating picture frames as activities during the party. So instead of buying run of the mill "favor bags" I decided to make these little tote bags, so they can take everything they made home and have a new little bag to add to their (extensive, I am sure) collection. My daughter is excited :)

Of course, there are many tutorials online for making tote bags, this is just my way. As they are only favor bags, these are not lined, but after you trim your seams they will look nice inside. 
Once you have all your pieces cut you can do a little chain piecing and be done in no time. It took me just a few hours in one afternoon to make these 15 bags.

One sweet thing about them: I used scraps left over from the quilt I made my daughter for her first big girl bed 5 years ago as the contrasting material at the bottom of the bags.

Here is the final product...

What you need:

For one bag
Finished size is about 9" tall by 9 1/2" wide

- 2 10" x 8" pieces of your main fabric (I used a quilters white on white print because it's inexpensive and cute)

- 1 8" x 4 1/2" piece of contrasting fabric (here I used the left over fabric from the quilt) 

- 2 10" pieces of ribbon

Contrasting or coordinating thread (in addition to your usual thread)

Dimensional fabric paint and letter stencils for the finishing touch.


Start by sewing the two pieces of main fabric to the contrasting fabric over the 8" sides.

Press the seams to one side (I like pressing towards the main fabric because that's where my extra seams with contrasting thread will go, reinforcing that line.)

With right side out, sew a line on each side of the contrasting fabric with your contrasting thread. I used a wavy stitch.

Close the envelope by folding it in half and sewing the two long sides together. Make sure your seam lines match on the sides, for a neater look when finished.

Box the bottom of the bag so it will look like this.

(if you don't know how to do it, the page SoSewEasy has a really nice video tutorial that teaches you 3 methods of doing this.)

Turn the bag right side out. Fold the edge in by about half an inch all around and press. Position your handles like shown in the picture and secure with pins. I cut the raw edges of the ribbons with pinking sheers so that I could leave them on the outside, but you can make finished edges or hide the edge under the fold inside if you prefer it that way.  

Sew all around the opening with a decorative stitch in your contrasting thread. With this step you are fixing the handles and finishing the opening.

I finished it by stamping each girl's initial on the side of the bag and hanging a thank you tag with another piece of ribbon.

Tah-dah! Done. Nothing ground-breaking, I know, but a cute little alternative to the plastic or paper disposable bags we are used to.

Ah and here is that quilt I made my daughter 5 years ago. Notice some of the butterflies and flowers are made from the same fabric as the bottom of these bags :)

Thanks for looking. 

Please feel free to ask any questions and have a look at my Facebook page Quilts By Deda.

Beauty

"Be your own kind of beautiful."

Browsing the internet, I saw a quote the other day. I really liked it and decided to make a quilt. This is the result :)

I used scraps from a Moda Block Party by Sandy Gervais layer cake to create the peacock and piano keys, and embroidered the quote using my Bernina Artista 180.

Here are some pictures of the process...

I just love this line of fabric. It's so colorful! The pictures really don't do it justice.

First I embroidered the quote on a panel of white on white print. Then I drew all the pieces of the applique free handed on double sided press and peel paper.

And positioned everything around the quote, until I was happy with the result... 

Then the body of the peacock, the wing, and each feather was blanket stitched in place.

I decided on a black border all around the white panel and a "irregular piano key" on one side, to balance the feathers.

The main panel was quilted in swirls, the black border with a feather motif and the piano keys were outlined.
You can see the quilting better looking at the back of the quilt. For quilting the feathers I used two colors of thread on the bobbin.

And that is it :) I am very happy with the final result... 3 days of wonderful hard work.

Thank you for visiting :)

Puff Quilt Pet Bed Tutorial

Wew! I haven't posted anything here in a long time. 

A few weeks ago someone posted a super cute pet bed on Facebook (the idea is a basic puff quilt with sides, to make it more cozy) and I decided I wanted to make some.

This tutorial makes a bed 15" x 11 1/2", this size is recommended for pets up to 15lbs. You can easily adjust the size for your needs by adding more rows of puffs and then adjusting your measurements accordingly. Good luck!

Of course, if you don't have the time or inclination for this kind of project, please contact me and order one. I will personalize it with the name of your furry friend too :) 

This is my very first tutorial so please let me know how I can improve it... (and please be gentle)

(Update: There has been a lot of interest (Thank you!) So, until my Etsy store is up and running, I will leave this here... the price for a personalized small bed like the one in these pictures is $75 + shipping, a medium one, with internal measurements of 18"x15" will cost $90 + shipping; any bigger size I would need to calculate my material costs. I will make it to order in the colors you choose and embroider your pet's name on the back panel if you like. To place an order please send me a message or leave a comment and I will contact you.)

Puff Quilt Pet Bed

So, this is what your pet bed will look like at the end. I think it's so cute! And it looks very comfy too :)

What you need:

For the puff quilt

- 20 5" squares of your chosen fabric (I am using 5" squares because I wanted this to be charm pack friendly)
- 20 4" squares of any fabric (these will never be seen so you can use any fabric you want) 
- 1 16" x 12 1/2" piece of fabric for the back
Filling of your choice for the puffs





For the bed

- 4 12 1/2" x 6" pieces of your chosen fabric for the side cushions
- 4 16 " x 6" pieces of your chosen fabric for the front and back cushions
- 2 16 1/2" x 13" pieces of fabric for the bottom of the bed (you can use a sturdier fabric for the outside bottom, which will be in contact with the floor)
- 8 pieces of ribbon for the side ties
Filling of your choice for the cushions

You will also need all your basic sewing supplies: thread, scissors, measuring tape, pins, hand sewing needle, etc. 

Now for the making of it:

As I said, there are many ways of making a puff quilt (google it, you will see) but I love chain piecing and run away from hand sewing as much as I can, so I did it this way :)

Place one 5" square on top of a 4" square with wrong sides together.

Make a 'pleat' at the center of the 5" square so that it's sides match the 4" square. Pin. Repeat this step on 2 opposing sides of all your 20 squares.

Position one square on top of another, right sides facing, making sure they are aligned. (the pleats don't need to be perfectly centered or match. Once you fill the puffs you cant really tell)

Sew them together on one side (one of the sides that has pleats!) with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Repeat, attaching another square to the last one, 3 more times to form your first row. Sew the beginning and end of the row closed too.

It should look like this when you are done with this step. (for this quilt I am using four rows of five squares) 

Now pin a pleat in the middle of the other two sides of each puff. I then top stitched the rows closed individually to make it easier to sew them together, you can skip this step and just leave your pleats pinned in place, but it made life much easier.

Pin two rows together, right sides, facing...

...and sew. Repeat with the other rows.

It will look like this when you are done.

Front

Back

Place your bottom fabric on top of your quilt top, right sides together and sew with a 1/4" seam allowance all around, leaving a big-ish opening on one corner (you will be turning this right side out when the puffs are already filled, so you need some space)

Pinch the bottom fabric away from the top fabric of the puff and cut a small slit on the bottom fabric only.

Fill your puff. I wanted the quilt to be really puffy and with this method you don't have to worry about sewing the sides closed, so I filled my squares to a nice, squishy size.

Hand sew the little opening when you are done filling. Repeat on all squares.

It will look like this :

Turn it right side out, sew the opening closed and you have made a puff quilt! Yay you!

Now for the bed:

To make the 'opening' on the front cushion, cut out a piece 8" long by 2 1/2" high out of the top center of the two front cushion (16") panels, so they will look like this:

Pin and sew your side cushion panels to the corresponding sides of the two bottom panels. Centering them so that you have 1/4" seam allowance on every side.
Repeat for the front and back panels. making sure you do not catch the side panels on the seam.

Press it all open and it will look like this:

Pin the two pieces together, right sides facing, positioning the cuts of ribbon on each of the 8 corners.

Sew all around the perimeter. Remembering to leave openings on all four flaps (to insert the filling later). Turn right side out using one of the openings you left.

It will look like this:

Press it.

Making sure the front and back seams are aligned, sew a straight seam all the way across the bottom of each 'flap', just on the side of the cushion, to close them and keep the filling in.

Fill each of your 4 cushions and then sew the openings closed.

Tie your ribbons together to hold the sides up.

Insert your puff quilt and tuck it in. You are done. :)