In this post of the Pumpkin Harvest Table Runner, we're sewing the leaf blocks.
We will be making a total of 10 of them - five with each background print.
Begin by making the HST, stem and leaf body pieces as indicated in the pattern. Since these blocks finish at 3", I prefer to press the seams open for the different block units.
Join block components into rows and then join the rows to finish the block.
Once you have assembled the leaves, attach the background borders as indicated in the pattern. Note that some will be right-facing and some will be left-facing.
You'll need a total of 10 leaves for this project - 5 with each background print. Watch me make on in this video on our YouTube channel.
Our next post in the series is all about assembly & finishing. See you then!
]]>I like to start by sorting out the fabrics for each of the pumpkin blocks. Since this project is scrappy, I will mix up the prints to create a "variety" of pumpkins for my project.
Begin by drawing a diagonal line on the wrong side of each small square. And then follow the directions in the pattern to add them to each of the rectangle strips that will create the pumpkin.
I also want to point out that since the pattern calls for two different background prints, you'll want to pay attention during assembly that you are using the correct prints when adding background pieces.
Once you have assembled the pumpkin body, attach the stem unit to the top - matching the background prints.
You'll need a total of 5 pumpkins for this project. Watch me make on in this video on our YouTube channel.
Our next post in the series is all about the leaves. See you then!
]]>The first step is to cut everything you will need. For this version I am making, I dug through my stash and scrap bins to find oranges and fall colors for the leaves. I prefer to use small scale prints that read as one color for this project, but that is really a personal preference.
Note that this pattern uses two different background fabrics to create a subtle stripe effect on the runner. You can definitely use all one background, if you prefer.
I'll see you back here for the next post in the series - making the pumpkins.
]]>This year's patterns are ...
Verticals is a beginner friendly quilt! And even if you aren't a beginner, this will be a quick weekend project you can stitch up and feel great about finishing!
Next up is Half Step ... a fun square quilt that needs a Jelly Roll and a 7/8 yard of background ... things most of us definitely have in our stash!
Then there is Pocket Change ... a classic style quilt that is easier than it looks!
And finally, if a full quilt isn't your goal or you're just starting out quilting, check out these Four by Four Pillows!
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We took a poll over on our Instagram this past weekend and the Pumpkin Harvest Table Runner project took the lead for a sew along project.
Here's our schedule:
Get your pattern and kit and join the fun!
]]>This month, we're making the Candy Cutie Pouch. It's beginner friendly and a quick make - perfect when you want a satisfying finished project or need a quick handmade gift.
Candy Cutie Links:
]]>This collection has a precut we don't always see - the Dessert Roll. This is kind of like a Jelly Roll, but the strips are 5" wide instead. Look at all the lovely prints from one Dessert Roll of Greenstone Lollies ...
I cut 9 of 12 Lollies strips up already and am working on some scrappy stars. From each print (a 5" x 10" section printed on the fabric), I cut one 4.5" square and one 5" square. Add some background and these stars come together pretty quickly! I can't wait to show you more next week.
If you're looking for another easy pattern to sew up some Greenstone Lollies, check out this one ...
This Vintage Greenstone quilt is a free pattern at Moda's website. Check it out here.
Find our collection of Greenstone precuts, bundles & yardage here.
Happy Sewing!
]]>Every third Thursday we will share a post with tips & tricks for creating the featured pouch.
Here are the ones we will be sewing June - October ... stay tuned for the next group of patterns to be released soon!
In June, we will be sewing the Candy Cutie, which is a personal favorite of mine. And we hope you will join the fun.
Candy Cutie PDF Patterns and supplies can be found here.
Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on this series!
]]>We wanted to share a couple of free projects with you that we thought you might enjoy ...
First up, our Scrappy Cabins quilt pattern is really easy & beginner-friendly project that is GREAT for scraps.
You can download the pattern here.
Next, is the Moda Candy Spools Mini Quilt pattern. This one is a great project to showcase a favorite group of prints and all you need is a mini charm pack and a little yardage for the spool tops and then background. I think this would be a great opportunity to fussy cut some favorite, hoarded scraps as well!
I got started on this one with a few Starry Mini Charm squares and Hole Punch Dot for my spool tops. I am using Crossweave in Graphite for the background.
You can download this free pattern from Moda here and shop our kits here.
We hope you enjoy National Quilting Day!
Happy sewing!
]]>The name for this one comes from a fellow bloom-loving, quilting friend, whose last name happens to be Bloomberg!
For the original/cover girl version of the pattern, I used Mix It Up for the petals and some yellows from Sundance with a Crossweave background in Graphite.
I wanted to play around with it and see how it would look in different colors. I had a suggestion on Instagram for pink (a no brainer!) and a black eyed susan version.
So, I grabbed a bundle of Midnight in the Garden and played around a bit with both.
Which one is your favorite?
Here's a quick video I posted on Instagram showing how I free motion quilted the flowers.
I think a quilt version of this one is next ... now to decide if all the flowers should be the same color or a variety. Here's a quick mock up I made of it in quilt form.
What do you think?
Happy sewing!
]]>I put together a bundle of small scale florals in a rainbow of colors for the shop earlier this week.
Aren't they lovely? They also reminded me of a project I made several years ago and thought I would reshare it!
A sixteen patch is easy to sew with 2.5" strips and then a 2.5" wide sashing. A quilt like this is easy to scale to size for a baby shower gift or yourself! You can read more about this project in my original post here.
Happy sewing!
]]>This quilt is made up of 8" and 24" blocks and measures 72" x 88" when completed. As you can see there are lots of different blocks we will be making - all with rotary cutting and traditional piecing methods.
I have mocked up the quilt in several different color schemes to help show the versatility of this pattern - it really can suit any style or theme based on your fabric selections.
Here is a mock up of basics and small-scale prints from Ruby Star Society.
And another in red & green for Christmas.
And one more ... in a mix of red, white, and blue prints & colors.
Which one is your favorite?
Materials Needed:
You'll need approximately 12 yards of assorted prints to complete this quilt. (For reference, the red & green version would require approx 4 yards white, yards assorted red, and yards assorted green.)
In addition, you will need 5/8 yard binding and 5 yards backing (or 2.5 yd wide back).
BOM Schedule:
Ways to participate:
Get access to the pattern through our BOM Course. You can access content right away when logged into our site.
Get a scrappy curated kit subscription. This will include 4 shipments of 14 FQ every other month (March, May, July, September). You can choose Ruby Star Society Basics, Christmas Basics, or Patriotic Basics. Kits will include small-scale prints designed to play well together! Each kit shipment shipment is $54 (including shipping to US destinations) and can be added to other club shipments.
Learn more and sign up for the BOM pattern and your favorite scrappy color way here.
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And even better, there is a sew along! You can learn more about the sew along at the APQ website here.
I couldn't resist pulling some prints inspired by the cover quilt. This bundle of 20 prints would be a great starter bundle for the sew along. Or even just a rainbow of pretty prints to add to your stash.
The sew along is starting later this month and continues into March. And even if you don't sew it with the sew along schedule, this is definitely a stash busting pattern worth saving!
Lissa is known for her scrappy patterns and mixing prints and low volumes backgrounds in her quilts. The new Mix It Up collection from Moda just came in and it goes pretty nicely with our Scrappy Celebration bundle.
You can find Lissa's scrappy books, Scrap School and Sisterhood of Scraps, in our shop, if you're interested in more of her great patterns.
Happy Sewing!
]]>First, I drew this quilt several years ago and ... well, just got sidetracked! So actually bringing it to life was really fun.
Second, I went super scrappy with this quilt and I am so happy with how it turned out. :)
Have you ever made a sampler quilt? I have made a few of them in the past and here are a few reasons why I love them:
This sampler includes four different large star blocks measuring 18" - they could easily be converted to a pillow front! Several novelty blocks like a rainbow, house, and pineapple add a bit of whimsy and fun.
My quilt was expertly quilted by Katie's Quilting. I love how she trimmed it for me and then wrapped it up so pretty and even included some Color Catchers! A really nice touch. The Panto I requested is called "Soho" and it is one of my very favorites that looks good on everything.
If you've got scraps or want to make your own Sidetracked Sampler, the complete pattern is available! This was our 2022 featured Block-of-the-Month (BOM) and since it's 2023, all the pattern sheets and coloring pages are available immediately! Learn more and order the pattern and course access here.
I hope this post inspired you to play with prints and color!
Happy Sewing!
]]>I originally made a bird quilt a couple years ago as part of a group quilting project (see photo at the end of this post). And I fell in love with these quirky little birds. I have plans for a holiday bird quilt, but I thought it would be sweet for Valentine's Day, too.
You'll need to get the measurements for the block from the Block Lotto website here.
For this 12" x 24" rectangular pillow, you will need four birds. Two right-facing and two left-facing. Follow the directions for making the 6.5" x 9.5" bird blocks at the Block Lotto website.
I did take a few photos of my block parts as I was sewing up my pillow.
The bird body is pretty easy and there is a bit of improv so that makes them each slightly unique!
You'll add the 3.5" x 6.5" background rectangles to the top of the right-facing birds and the bottom of the left-facing birds so that they will be staggered a bit on the front of the pillow.
Add a 2" x 24.5" background to the top and bottom of the four joined blocks to make the pillow front. Quilt and finish with a zipper or envelope backing as desired.
If you're interested in a kit for this project, we have some available in the fabrics shown (from Country Rose by Lella Boutique). We used four pink F16, 1 brown F16, a half yard for background, and a half yard for the backing.
Download a free background cutting & finishing guide for this project.
Kits are available here while supplies last.
As promised, here is the bird quilt that started my obsession with these little feathered friends.
Hope you get a chance to make a few birds ... I bet you can't make just one!
Happy Sewing!
]]>These bags were EXTRA quick because I started with preprinted blocks from a panel by Corey Yoder in her Beautiful Day line. I used a few coordinates in matching colors from other designers but with a simple color scheme that worked out really well. (See materials list linked at the end of this post.)
The preprinted blocks were cut at 8.5" square and then I sewed a 8.5" x 14.5" rectangle to the bottom to create the exterior of the bag.
I also cut (2) 2" x 7.5" strips for the casing pieces.
I adhered the exterior to fusible fleece (regular batting also works well!) and added some wavy lines of quilting.
I folded the short ends of the casing pieces under about 1/2" and then tucked the raw edge into the fold and top stitched closed. Then pressed them in half lengthwise.
Attach the casing strips by basting them to the two short edges of the exterior - centering them. I cut a lining 8.5" x 22.5" and placed it RST with the exterior/casing and sewed them together on the short ends. This makes a big loop.
To finish the bag, adjust the loop so the top seams match and the lining is RST and the exterior is RST. Sew along both long edges, leaving a 3" hole in the lining on one side for turning.
Box the seams by cutting a 1" square out of each bottom corner.
Turn the bag right side out and close up the seam in the lining.
Run twill or string of your choice and tie them off. Gift & enjoy!
If you don't have a panel, a fun novelty print would be a great option or a large motif that has been fussy cut. You can also make these in various sizes and make a stash of reusable gift bags to wrap gifts in each year as well!
Supplies Used:
Other Resources:
]]>First up is the Quilty Trees quilt top. The pattern is from Quilty Love (available here) and I raided my bag of holiday-themed prints I had brought (and everyone else's fabrics too!) to cut enough green strips for the trees and assorted low volumes for the background.
Once all the strips and pieces were cut, this was a really easy quilt to piece. Very beginner friendly if you're new to quilting.
We put together a Holiday Forest bundle with a nice greens (and a brown for tree trunks) if you'd like a starter kit for a similar quilt.
After I finished the trees, I started on Happy Stripes, also from Quilty Love. This time, I went scrappy red & white (low volumes). I really love how this one turned out and was glad to have access to *just enough* black Essex linen for the accent to be able to get this one done while at the retreat.
We put together a "Peppermint Twist" bundle for a similar look, just in case you now have a need for a red & white holiday quilt. ;)
One of our friends who was sewing with us, made these gorgeous, reusable gift bags using the Cheer & Merriment panel and some coordinating yardage.
The Lined Drawstring Bag pattern by Jeni at In Color Order includes instructions for customizing the size - perfect for adjusting them to fit the panels. You can find kits for these bags here.
And Linda finished an advent calendar panel project from the Merrymaking collection, too!
As you can see, we put our machines to work this past weekend! We hope you're inspired to make a handmade holiday gift this season!
Happy sewing!
]]>We are in the final stretch of our Neighbors Pillow Sew Along with some tips and photos for finishing your pillow up!
First things first, let's get your pillow front and back basted to some batting. I like to spray baste instead of use pins. Then I don't have to stop and remove pins when I am quilting. But use whatever basting method you prefer.
Then, quilt your pillow front and backing as desired. You can see that I selected some prints for the back that have a natural grid in their design, which made it really easy to quilt a grid pattern with no marking!
For the Halloween front, I made a spiderweb with lines of stitching, which I think turned out really fun!
For the Christmas version, I did a lot of outline quilting with some fun free motion in the sky, roofs, and trees.
Once your panels are quilted, you will trim them to size.
Then prepare the zipper by adding tabs and securing to the bottom edge just as you would a zipper in a pouch.
I do like to topstitch to help keep the seam allowance from getting caught in the zipper.
Then you'll join the front and back to finish up your pillow.
My favorite 12" x 24" pillow form is this one from Amazon.
Thanks for visiting our blog and following along with this fun project.
If you are participating, we'd love to see your progress - use #neighborspillowsewalong on Instagram. Share a finished pillow with us using the hashtag and tagging us to be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to our shop. We will draw a random winner from the hashtag on 8/31/22.
Happy Sewing!
]]>We are getting really close to finishing up our Neighbors pillows! How is it going?
Today, I am going to share the steps for the trees and assembling the pillow front top so you can quilt it. Ready?
The trees use what I call a "stitch & flip" method to create the shape. You'll draw diagonal lines and sew just inside the line. Then press towards the corner and trim the seam allowance. I usually trim the completed rectangle to size after adding all the corner squares just so everything lines up nicer later.
You'll attach the "sky" strip above each house.
And then sew your houses together with the sky/trees on the left and right sides of the houses unit.
Finally, you'll add the sidewalk/street. Now you are all set!
We will see you tomorrow for the final post in the series and I will show you some quilting and zipper installation.
Happy sewing!
]]>We're back for Day 3 of the Neighbors Pillow Sew Along and we're building our Tall Houses today!
These go together in a similar fashion as the short houses, but have more windows. Let's get started by gathering all of our building materials.
Make the 2nd floor window section (glue basting these smaller pieces is a huge help!) and the window section by the front door.
Additionally, you will piece the roof like a flying geese block, but its not a geese block, so don't panic when the sky triangles don't touch - this is supposed to be this way! ;)
Next, being adding the horizontal house siding strips to the bottom of the roof and windows section.
Finally, stitch the three sections together to complete the house.
My two spooky houses ... notice I made them mirror images again like I did with the short houses yesterday.
And here are the Christmas houses that I made using our kit.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your blocks on Instagram, too! See you tomorrow when we will assemble the pillow front.
Happy Sewing!
]]>Today, we're making the "short houses." We got all of the "building materials" ready yesterday, so let's get sewing!
One tip I will share before we get into some step-by-step photos of assembling these little houses is that I like to glue baste my pieces. I use a glue tip from Pen + Paper Patterns and regular Elmer's Washable School glue. A little bit of glue along the edges of the fabric (within the seam allowance) is all you need to hold pieces together without pins. Add the glue, place the two fabrics RST and press with an iron to set the glue.
Ok ... so first things first ... lay out all your pieces.
Start by sewing the roof section, the door section, and the windows section.
Then add the side of the house to the windows section. And the top portion of the house to the door section.
Join the two sides of the house together.
And then sew on the roof! Easy peasy!
You'll notice that I made my houses mirror images of each other - the cutting is the same, I am just orienting the door on either the right or left side of the house to add some variety to the house blocks.
Hope these photos were helpful! We will see you back here tomorrow with the Tall Houses.
Happy Sewing!
]]>Welcome to the Neighbors Pillow Sew Along and thank you for your patience since we had to postpone this one week!
Today, we are cutting the pieces we need to build our houses. One thing I will share is that if you are cutting from a kit, you may want to layout your fabrics in stacks to help you plan - each of my stacks has a print for the roof, the siding, the windows, and the door.
Follow the directions in the pattern to cut the components you need from each fabric.
Once I cut all of my blocks, I like to clip the pieces for each house together to keep them organized for sewing. Here is a picture of the parts my Christmas version all clipped together for assembly.
If you are planning to fussy cut any windows or roof tops, this is the time! For the Santa on the rooftop in one of my blocks, I used a 2.5" square ruler to be sure that I had Santa lined up properly once I went to sew the flying geese block that makes up the roof.
Ok ... now, it's your turn to get cutting! I can't wait to see your neighborhoods come together! Tag us @sewlux with #neighborspillowsewalong on IG!
We will see you back here tomorrow to sew the Short Houses together.
Happy Sewing!
]]>We are excited to introduce our Neighbors Pillow Pattern with you - this was featured as our July club kit and it turned out so cute. We thought this would be a fun one to do a sew along with since the holidays are just around the corner.
This pillow measures 12" x 24" and the colors can easily be customized for a specific holiday (ex. Halloween, Christmas, 4th of July, etc) or using colors that complement your home decor.
Our Sew Along is pretty laid back, but here is the schedule if you would like to participate and sew along with us while we make some Halloween and Christmas versions.
Update 8/15 - The Sew Along will be delayed a week. We had a death in the family on 8/14 and will be spending time with family this week. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your patience! We plan to restart this on 8/22.
All posts for the sew along will be here on our blog with some tips for the blocks and assembly.
You will need the PDF pattern and either a kit or a bunch of scraps. Our Neighbors Pillow kits include 20 F16s, a 1/2 yard and zipper for the backing, 1/4 yard for the sky, and 1/6 yd for the sidewalk. This project is VERY scrap friendly.
If you are participating, we'd love to see your progress - use #neighborspillowsewalong on Instagram. Share a finished pillow with us using the hashtag and tagging us to be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to our shop.
]]>We are so excited to kick off a sew along for one of our favorite finishes - these scrappy cabin blocks! I made this quilt with all the original collections from Ruby Star Society and it was fun and easy.
We will be sharing the directions as part of a FREE course and we hope you will join the fun. This is beginner friendly project and certainly improv-friendly, too. We tend to be a little more Type A around here, so we'll be sharing specific measurements for three different blocks for this quilt. ;)
So grab your scrap basket and get ready! Layer cakes, jelly roll strips and F8s are also great for this too. You can stick with a favorite designer, a holiday theme, or go crazy - scrappy quilts always shine when you go with a "the more, the merrier" approach!
To celebrate this fun project, we'll also be tucking in a FREE scrap bundle with every order of $50 or more (before tax & shipping, after discounts) in July. One per customer per day.
More details and the course will be available on July 5th! We can't wait to sew with you.
Happy Sewing!
]]>I used to different Tilda FQ bundles - the chambray solids and the Daisyfield florals. I chose contrasting colors and used the chambrays for all the stars and points in the pattern. I used Bella 9900-200 for the background, which is a lovely white.
I did want to share some of my favorite tools for making blocks like this that have many different points and places to match up.
First, I cut all my HST squares at a full 4" so that I could trim them to their proper size. For me, starting with the 3-7/8 is hard for me to yield a perfect HST and then I'm not happy with my finished block. I always use a Bloc Loc to trim my HST blocks. Always!
I also glue basted all of my seams in this one. Again, since there are many places where points need to match, I find this helps me be very accurate and avoids the subtle shifting that can happen even with pins. These are my favorite glue tips that I add to regular Elmer's Washable Glue.
Additionally, this quilt is BIG! If you don't have room on a design wall to layout and check the color placement - you can do what I did and gently fold them in half and pin them up.
If you're interested in sewing along, grab any of Camille's Swoon patterns for $5 until the end of the month - you can visit her shop here. And I will look forward to following the #summerswoonalong on Instagram!
Happy Sewing!
]]>We've got a couple of kits if you want to join the fun! Kits do NOT include the pattern - BUT Camille has them on sale for $5 during the month of June. Check them out here.
Tilda Chambray & Daisyfield Kit
And we have a Swoon Sixteen in the new Nantucket Summer available as well!
Hope you'll join the fun!
Happy Sewing!
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If you missed the previous post on assembling the exterior of the bag, you can find it here. And the pdf guide for cutting the bag parts (updated 5/27).
First up, you'll need to baste the exterior to batting or fusible fleece. Then quilt it as desired. We are into wavy lines lately, so that is what we used here. I would recommend a walking foot if your machine doesn't have built-in dual feed. Big, gentle curves and you'll get a FMQ look without the FMQ!
Once quilted, trim to size. (10.5" x 25" large; 8.5" x 20" small).
You'll then baste the casing loops in place on both ends. Use a 1/8" seam allowance here.
Next, you'll secure the lining to the exterior - sewing only the top & bottom together - leaving the sides open. (Note: for the large bag, so the two 10.5" x 12.75" rectangles together to make a 10.5" x 25" rectangle prior to this step.)
Press toward the lining. Then arrange the bag so that the exterior is RST and the lining is RST - being sure the seams between the lining and exterior are matching up.
Pin/clip the sides closed. And sew both sides, leaving a 3" hole in the lining seam on one side.
Use a ruler to measure a 1" square in each corner (do not include seam allowance in the 1" square). Carefully cut out each square.
Pinch the opening so the side seam and bottom of the bag meet. Sew closed. Repeat in all four corners (two lining and two exterior).
Pull the bag right sides out through the opening you left in the side of the lining. Push out all corners gently. Close seam by hand or machine.
Press the top edge well and top stitch to secure.
Cut two lengths of twill about 1 yd in length. Secure a safety pin to an end of the twill to be able to pull it through the casing. Create two overlapping "U"s and tie ends together to secure.
Enjoy your new bag!
]]>Hey there and welcome back!
Today, we're talking about piecing the exterior for this cute bag. A quick update to our last post - I had the lining measurement wrong for the small bag - it should be cut at 8.5" x 20" NOT 8.5" x 2" - I have updated the file and link (also below).
LINK UPDATED 5/27. I've included a handy PDF for cutting the exterior, lining & casing for both the large and small bags. You can see in the photo above that the mini block (right) is about 60% size of the original (left).
First up, you'll need to make a berry block following the directions in the Strawberry Social or Strawberry Social Mini block by The Pattern Basket.
Once you have a berry block, you'll add pieces to the right & left sides (Small: 2.5" x 6"; Large: 2.5" x 8.75").
Then, sew the top strip to the top (Small: 2" x 8.5"; Large 2" x 10.5").
And the large bottom section to the bottom (Small: 8.5" x 13"; Large 10.5" x 15.5").
For the casing strips, fold each short end under about 1/2" and then fold the raw edge into the fold and press. Top stitch to secure in place.
Fold in half lengthwise with wrong sides together and baste in place with a 1/8" seam to make a tube. Make two tubes.
You're all set for quilting & assembly!
Make your berry block & share a picture and tag us on IG @sewlux with #strawberrysocialbag so we can check out your bag progress!
See you on Friday for our last post in the series, where we will quilt & assemble the bag.
Happy Sewing!
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