When I designed this years Spooky Season Sampler block, Hallowpop (it's a Halloween Lollipop...get it!?), I originally planned to use traditional piecing methods to make it. After a few attempts and some frustration at my less than perfect points, I finally admitted defeat. I was going to have to use Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) to get this block to work.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against FPP, but it is one of those skills that I don't use very often and I forget about it. Which is a shame because FPP gives you increased accuracy when working with smaller pieces. I made a few test blocks when writing Hallowpop and I had perfect, pretty points every time!
If you are new to FPP or just need a quick refresher before starting your next project, here is a my quick run down of how to make the Hallowpop block!
1. The very center of my Hallowpop block is a four-patch square. This part isn't FPP'd, so you'll need to traditionally piece it first. Press open!
2. To start the FPP part of the block, you first need to place the four-patch on the WRONG SIDE of the template. I use a pin in the very center of the four-patch to line it up perfectly with the very center of the template. Then I use two additional pins to keep it in place.
3. Following the number order on the template, place the next piece of fabric (in this case, A2) on top of the four patch RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. You want to make sure that you have at least 1/4" over the template line because that is your seam allowance. Holding the block up to the light can help confirm. When you are sure of the fabric placement, pin in place.
4. Flip the block over, and sew directly ON the solid black template line being sure to start and end a few stitches on either side of the line. Helpful tip: shorten your stitch length to 1.2 - 1.5mm. This makes it easier to rip the papers out at the end!
5. Fold fabric over and press seam!
6. Repeat the process following the number order on the template.
7. After sewing a seam, fold the template back at the line you just sewed. Line up the 1/4" mark on the ruler with the folded edge, and cut any off any excess fabric.
8. Continue following the numbered steps on the template until complete.
9. Trim block making sure to leave the 1/4" seam allowance on the outside edges. In this template (and most templates), the dashed line is the seam allowance.
That's it! Repeat the process with two make two lollipops, then follow the pattern to complete the block!
I recently cut a mountain of fabric scraps into usable sizes (if you haven't read it yet, take a look here) and I was itching to use them! I also wanted a quick project to jump start my sewing mojo after taking most of December off of quilting. Quilted coasters seemed like the perfect project!
1. Place your fabric square right side up on top of your batting. I aim for the middle - it's okay to eyeball it here.
2. Place your first fabric strip RST on the square and sew directly onto the batting.
3. Fold the strip back and press. I like using a seam roller here for quick pressing like this.
4. Place the next strip down RST and repeat. I like to snip off any excess fabric during these steps.
5. Keep adding fabric strips until the batting is completely covered.
6. Place your backing fabric RST on the top side of the coaster.
7. Sew a ¼” seam around the perimeter making sure to leave about a 2” hole.
8. Turn the coaster right sides out. You can use a stiletto or chopstick to push the corners out so they are pointy.
9. Top stitch an ⅛” from the edge making sure to fold the seam fabric in the hole under and sew into place.
10. Give it a good press and enjoy!
I hope you give these a try! It is a quick and fun way to use up your fabric scraps AND leftover batting! Win win! If you do try these out, share them on Instagram and tag @runningstitchquilts so I can see.
If you want to see some more glamour shots of these scrappy coasters, keep scrolling. :)
I've been wanting a new (long and skinny) pin cushion to keep next to my sewing machine. I had a few leftover HSTs from my Scrappy Hurrication quilt, so I made one really quick. I took some pictures of my process so you can make one too!
Because pin cushions are so small and can be made so quickly, these are a great way to use up small scraps!
1. Sew scraps together to make at a panel that is 7" x 9". Place the panel right side up on top of lining fabric. The lining fabric will be inside the pin cushion and wont get seen. So it doesn't have to be anything fancy.
2. Quilt as desired. I did straight lines approximately 5/8" apart.
3. Trim panel down to 6.5" x 8.5".
5. Fold in half wrong sides together and sew a 1/4" seam.
6. Now it will look like a tube. Press seam open, centering the seam in the middle of the tube.
7. Sew a 1/4" seam on ONE end of the pin cushion tube.
8. Turn pin cushion right side out. Use a stiletto or butter knife to help push out the corners.
9. On the open end, fold the edges under approximately 1/4", press, and clip in place. I like to do this before I add the filler because it is a little easier to work with at this stage.
10. Using the small funnel, add the filler. I massaged the bottom of the bag in between pours to help distribute the filler down evenly, and to make sure it got into the corners at the bottom.
11. When full, use clips to hold the edges together. Carefully sew edge closed backstitching at the beginning and end.
12. Fill with pins!!
For a newbie quilter (or even a seasoned one), the idea of bias edges can be scary. They stretch! They can distort! They can make your quilt top wavy! None of those things sound fun, especially when you are spending blood, sweat, and tears (and money) on making a quilt.
But don't worry, several of my patterns have bias edges so I'm going to share what works for me when I make those kinds of quilts.
First thing first. What is a bias edge?
Here is the simplest way I can explain it (if you want to get technical, here is a good blog post). Fabric has a lengthwise grain and a crosswise grain that goes perpendicular. This makes up the straight grain of the fabric. If you cut the fabric selvage to selvage, that is a straight grain cut. If you cut the fabric diagonally across the straight grain (like you would to make a triangle), that is the bias edge.
The bias edge has considerably more stretch than the straight grain. Which is great if you're making garments, bags, things with curves, etc. If you're making a quilt, it can be...fussy.
1. STARCH your fabric. My friend, starch is your best friend here. Whether you prewash your fabrics or not (I don't, for the record), starch them if you're going to be working with bias edges. Starch adds stiffness and structure to the fabric making it easier to work with.
My process: I lay down a shower curtain liner, place the fabric top and spray generously with starch. I use the the cheap stuff you can find in the grocery store, but there is quilting specific starch like Best Press that I have heard good things about.
Once the fabric has dried, iron with a hot iron over a pressing board (which gives me better results than an ironing board).
Sometimes, if I'm working with wovens (like Warp and Weft from Ruby Star Society) I'll repeat the process twice, but that is not usually necessary.
2. PRESS don't iron. This is an important one.
Whether you press your seams open or to the side, make sure you are pressing (setting the iron down on the seam and then lifting it up) instead of ironing (dragging the iron across the seams). The heat plus pressure from the iron can pull the fabric slightly out of shape.
3. Handle pieces GENTLY. The more we handle the bias cut pieces, the more distorted they can become, and it's not always obvious until trying to sew it to another piece.
If possible, I'll wait and cut the triangles (like for Deltille or Hurrication) until I've reached the step where I need to sew them. If I do cut everything at once (because I want to take a picture for Instagram), I'll leave them stacked on my cutting table until I'm ready to use them. I avoid playing with them and moving them around for pictures as much as I can.
When sewing, I am careful not to push or pull the fabric through the machine and just guide it while the feed dogs to the work. Honestly, this is true for any piecing, but a good reminder for working with bias edges.
4. PIN as needed. Full disclosure, I rarely use pins.
That being said, I will always use pins when sewing long seams with bias edges to keep things from shifting and pulling as the weight of the quilt increases. If you have the space, larger work surfaces to the left of your sewing machine and behind your sewing machine can help hold the weight of the quilt as it's going through the machine.
That's it! Bias edges really aren't as intimidating as they are made out to be. It just takes a little more care and a little practice, and you'll be just fine!
Planning the ombre/color shift in the Hurrication pattern took a little extra brain power due to the way the fabrics rotate within each block. But, let me tell you, the end result was 100% worth it. This might be my favorite quilt I've ever made.
I'm going to tell you exactly how I planned my quilt so that you can make something similar (you will need the pattern to actually make this quilt, you can get it here)!
First, I laid out the D squares (that will become the corners of the blocks) in sets of four to plan the color shift. Once all of the blocks were laid out, I moved and rearranged to ensure that each block had a different combination of fabrics while still maintaining the color shift. Last thing I did in this step was to label each set of squares that represented one block. Also, I left these blocks in place while I was making each block. One, to help ensure I was sewing the right pieces together, and two, to make sure I liked the color shift as I kept looking at it.
Then, I started sewing my blocks together following the block assembly on page 4. BEFORE I added the background fabric, I reevaluated the color shift. At this stage, it was still looking pretty good. I moved or rotated one or two blocks to keep the color shift smooth.
After adding the background fabric, I evaluated the color shift for the last time. Because of the way the fabric rotate after adding the background fabric, this step is when I made the most changes. I swapped one or two blocks, but I spent some time rotating (and then rotating them back) to find the most visually appealing layout.
During this step, I take a picture of every single layout. Even with the blocks up on my design wall, sometimes it is easier to see in a picture. I will also make the picture black and white to see if there are any glaring errors in the color shift.
The last step is to add the D square corners. In the pattern, I have the snowballed corner in the opposite corner of the same color B triangle in the block. However, in this ombre version, I put the D square in the SAME corner as the B triangle. This change helped keep the flow.
That's it! A little bit of planning up front, and working block by block instead of chain piecing was worth all the effort after seeing the result. I love this quilt so much!
I made this color key for my quilt for you to use as a starting point. Depending on your color flow and the fabrics you have, you will probably need to tweak things, but you can use this to get going!
You can get the Hurrication pattern in PDF or PAPER pattern in my shop!
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Want a cute Hurrication sticker? You can get yourself one here! |
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In my latest pattern, Evenflow, I am working with larger blocks so I thought it would be helpful to give a quick tutorial on how to trim these blocks when you don't have a giant ruler. Though, I use my 16.5" x 16.5" ruler ALL the time. If you are in the market for a ruler to add to your collection, I would definitely consider this one.
Anyway, here is a quick rundown of how you can use two smaller rulers to square a larger block. In my HST example, I am using a 6.5" x 24" ruler and a 9.5" x 9.5" square ruler (affiliate links).
Last thing before we get to the tutorial, if you want to see this in action, check out my video here!
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I want to square my HST to 14.5" x 14.5". It is currently about 15" x 15".
First, some math. I want to square my block to 14.5". My long ruler is 6.5" wide. So, since 14.5 - 6.5 = 8, I want to make sure I'm following the 8" marks on my square ruler.
Line up the diagonal mark on the ruler with the diagonal HST seam. Make sure there is room to trim to the left and bottom of the 8" ruler marks.
Once the square ruler is lined up, place the longer ruler next to it. Ensure everything is straight, and trim that first edge.
Rotate the block 180 degrees so that the previously trimmed edge is now on the left. Line up the 8" mark and the diagonal seam again and trim.
Rotate block so that trimmed edges are the top and bottom. Line up longer ruler along the bottom edge ensuring the corner of the diagonal seam lines up with the edge of the ruler. Trim that edge.
Rotate block one final time to trim the last side. Line up the 8" marks on the left and bottom edges.
Place long ruler next to the square ruler and ensure everything is straight before trimming that last edge. The corner of the diagonal seam should be lined up with the edge of the ruler.
Sit back and admire your accurately squared HST!
Quiltmas is over, but the fun continues! I whipped up these quick placemats to show off my two Quiltmas blocks.
Placemats are a great option if you don't want to make a full quilt and want to make a quick project instead. Didn't participate in Quiltmas? No worries, your favorite 12.5"x12.5" (unfinished) block will work instead!
Couple housekeeping things: I like bigger placemats so these finish at 16" x 20". The listed supplies make ONE placemat. I easily used my leftover scraps, but a couple coordinating FQs plus background fabric will work too!
For Placemat A, use the following diagram:
For Placemat B, use the following diagram:
These are super quick to make. I made both versions from start to finish in an afternoon. Have fun!
When I got the opportunity to sew something with these gorgeous Riley Blake Designs basics, I knew I had to make a Mountain Valley wall hanging. I modified the pattern slightly to get a flag effect, and I love the end result so much!
The Riley Blake Designs basic, Textured, is one of my favorites. It has subtle depth without being over the top about it. I'm using Navy, Barn Red, Denim, and Cream.
I knew I was going to want to hang this when I was done, so I went to my old mini quilt hanging method standby: corner tabs.
Using corner tabs is my favorite way to easily hang a mini quilt on the wall that will not be seen from the front. The tabs get sewn into the binding making it a permanent solution. Then all you need to do is pop in a small dowel rod and hang the rod on a couple of command strips. See, so easy!
Couple housekeeping things: this method is best for smaller quilts (think less than 24 inches or so). For a quilt wider than 24 inches, I would probably make a hanging sleeve. The quilt also needs to be unfinished. If the binding is already attached, an alternative method (like a hanging sleeve) is more appropriate.
- Quilted Wall Hanging - quilted, but no binding yet!
- (2) 5" squares of coordinating or matching fabric
- Binding
- Dowel Rod (I used a 1/4" dowel rod that I got from Home Depot. I've also seen them at Hobby Lobby)
- Command Hooks
1. Fold 5" square diagonally into a triangle and press.
2. On the back of the quilt, place one triangle in each corner on the top edge. Pin in place.
3. Bind quilt as usual. I attach my binding to the front, fold it over to the back, clip in place, and stitch the ditch from the front to sew it down.
4. The triangles are now corner pockets that will hold a dowel rod.
5. Attach command hooks to the wall.
6. You might need to cut your dowel rod down to size. I did! Hang the dowel rod on the command hooks and admire your new wall hanging!
Earlier this year, I put up a poll in my Instagram stories asking if people preferred to keep their fabric color cards intact or to cut them up into swatches. I assumed most people would choose 'swatches' as their preference. It was surprising that it was about a 50/50 split.
So, why cut up a perfectly good fabric color card?
Because the resulting fabric swatch cards are fun to play with, look nice attached to a magnetic board, and make choosing fabrics for your next pattern that much easier!
One of my favorite things do when starting a new pattern is to play with my fabric swatch chips. I don't consider choosing colors one of my biggest strengths so I find it really helpful to see the fabrics side by side when deciding on a fabric pull.
I recently started using Cotton Couture solids by Michael Miller, and they have quickly become my favorites! I got a color card from them at the beginning of the year as part of my Brand Ambassador welcome package. It has taken me a few months to get around to it, but I'm finally turning my color card into fabric swatch chips. I'm going to show you, step by step, how I did it. So you can do it too!
- Color Card - I'm using Michael Miller's Cotton Coutures for this post, but the process would be similar for most other popular brands (except Kona Cottons as they come already attached to card stock)
- Heavy Weight Card stock or Comic Book Boards
- Pen
- Iron
- Ruler/Cutting Mat/Rotary Cutter (use an old rotary cutter blade as you will be cutting through card stock)
- Adhesive Magnetic Sheets (optional)
1. Cut cardstock or comic book boards into 1.75" x 1.5" chips. There are currently 214 Cotton Couture colors so that is how many chips I cut out.
I cut my comic book board into 1.5" strips, then sub cut those into 1.5" x 1.75" chips.
2. Write fabric names on the bottom of the card.
Alternatively, you could use your rotary cutter and cut the names out of the swatch book. I like my handwriting though, so I chose to handwrite the names onto the cards.
I wrote ALL of the names on the individual cards before moving onto the next step. To stay organized, I wrote down one row at a time making sure to keep everything in the right order. I just made sure to keep all of my stacks in line.
3. GENTLY peel the fabric swatch from the book. The edges may curl up a bit so I liked to press it flat.
At this point, I worked down each row and did one fabric swatch at a time. Again, making sure to keep everything in the same order.
4. Add a thin layer of glue to the front of your color chip covering the most of the surface area above where the name is written.
Gently press the fabric swatch onto the glue. Fold the fabric swatch over the card and glue down the backside as well.
I personally did not have any issues with discoloration of the fabric. As long as you use a thin layer of glue with no clumps, there shouldn't be any issues. However, if this is a concern for you, double sided tape works here too! Just do a strip of tape on the front and back.
5. Give your new fabric swatch card and quick press (front and back) with a hot iron to help set the glue.
Optional Steps:
6. Add a magnet to the back.
7. Attach to magnetic board and admire!
I am currently in the process of making a new quilt for my oldest daughters bed. Since I am making her a new quilt, it only makes sense to make coordinating pillow shams too, right!?
For this project, I picked two pinks, two purples, and two teals from the new Michael Miller basics line, Coco. It was inspired by Coco Chanel and the subtle texture of the prints are beautiful! They still read as a solid, but if you get up close you can see the dimension in the print. I really enjoyed playing with these fabrics!
For the focal point of the pillow sham, I chose my Desert Charm pattern. It is a big block so it works well in the center. I also added flying geese to each edge to increase the size, but also because I liked the extra element versus just adding more background fabric.
Anyway, read on to see how I made these. :)
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1. Make your pillow sham quilt panel. A standard pillow sham is 20" x 26" so your quilt top should measure 20.5" x 26.5" unfinished.
2. Make a quilt sandwich with quilt top, batting, and backing. Spray or pin baste.
3. Quilt as desired. (I did 1/2" straight lines).
4. Set aside.
1. Cut (2) 17" x 20.5" pieces from the backing fabric.
2. On one 20.5" edge, fold over 1/4" and press, fold over 1/4" and press again. Then top stitch that edge.
3. Repeat with the other fabric piece.
1. Lay your quilted pillow front right side DOWN.
2. Place the raw edges of the pillow closure pieces right side DOWN on top of the pillow front (so these pieces are wrong sides together).
3. There will be about 5" of overlap.
4. Use pins or wonder clips to hold all the pieces together.
5. Sew around the edge with a scant 1/4" seam (so that this seam is hidden by the binding)
6. Bind as usual.
7. Stuff a pillow inside and enjoy your work!
Full disclosure here: I am TERRIBLE about labeling my quilt. As in...I don't do it. Yikes, I know.
In my defense though, I am usually just so excited to finish the quilt I forget to make a label. Then, I'm so excited to move on to the next project, that it goes out of my mind completely.
Basically, I get excited by quilting and I can't be bothered to make or attach a label. Oops.
The short answer: so people know who made it!
Whether you are making quilts for family and friends (or yourself!), or selling them as a business, labelling the quilt with your name or business logo tells the world who made it. A ton of time, effort, and money goes into making a quilt. Why wouldn't you want to give yourself credit? (Talking to myself here...)
There are several different options when it comes to labeling your quilts. You can print applicable information on the fabric through a printer (no, really!). You can use a fabric marker and just write directly on the quilt, or on a separate piece of fabric that gets attached to the quilt. Or you can have custom labels made.
I wanted something easy that I could just grab and go without the extra work to create a separate label for each quilt. So I had custom labels made.
Spoiler: I LOVE THEM!
I had a 1.5"x1.5" cotton label made with my logo.
I attach these to the back corner of my quilt using a visible big stitch. You could also use an invisible whip stitch to sew them onto your quilt if you wanted something less obvious.
This straight forward label is perfect if you are like me and tend to forget about labels until the quilt is done because it can be added after the quilt is bound.
1. Place label in desired location and pin in place.
2. Attach label to quilt using a visible running stitch or an invisible whip stitch. Take care not to sew through the front of the quilt.
I also had 0.75"x1.5" satin fold over labels made. These have a raw edge and get stitched into the binding of the quilt. I chose my logo on both sides, but you could also do quilt care instructions, a sweet saying, your name, etc!
Of the two labels, this is my favorite style. I just have to remember to add it before binding the quilt!
1. After quilt sandwich is trimmed and squared, place label in desired location.
2. Sew label onto quilt sandwich approx 1/8" from the edge. You want to make sure this seam will get covered up by the binding.
3. Bind the quilt as usual!
I purchased my labels from EverEmblem. The website was super user friendly and easy to navigate. They have several styles you can choose from or you can upload a logo. The quality is fantastic and I can't recommend them enough! (Full disclosure, I am a brand rep for them. I don't receive any compensation, but I did get a discount on my order.)
If you want to try out EverEmblem for yourself, they are kindly offering 10% off by using the code RUNNINGSTITCH.
If you try these labels, come back and let me know what you think!
