Quilt in a Weekend: Pinwheel Crib Quilt, or Wall Hanging

    As my siblings, cousins, and I all get a little older there has been a lull in the births in the family, so we were very excited to learn of a new little bundle of joy on the way. One of the things I just love to make is a baby quilt. It's a quick project and when else can you use those cutesy fabrics?

  Since cousin A. is expecting a little lad, I delved into my blues and greens and decided to put together a pinwheel quilt.

Pinwheel blocks are a good way to use up scraps, and they can be whimsical or even kind of posh. I've used this pattern to make a previous baby quilt, as well as a pillow and a couch throw.

   Here is the fabric pallet I chose:

1.) What makes this an easy block is a simple trick to making Half Square Triangles. So to start, cut your squares 7/8 of an inch larger than you want your finished square to be. I am cutting mine 4 7/8 inches, 12 squares each of 4 fabrics.

3.) Lay one square on top of the other (right sides together) and mark the center from corner to corner.

3.) Use this mark as a guideline to sew 1/4 inch away on either side.

By the way, this is a great time to use chain piecing.

4.) When all the pieces are sewn on both sides of the center line, cut on that center line, press open, and you will have two half Square Triangles.

5.) Arrange your pieces in the pinwheel pattern.

(Tun the pieces a little and you could also make the Broken Dishes pattern.)

6.) Sew your pieces together in sets (top, and bottom two) and press.

7.) Then sew these two sets together, press, and trim up the sides. As we learned with the Valentine's Heart Pillow: sloppy sides make for sloppy projects.

8.) Arrange in the order you desire.

9.) Cut the short sashing, 3 inches wide by the length of your blocks (3in.X8in. for mine), and sew to the bottom of the blocks **except for the bottom row**.

10.) Cut long sashing strips to go between the rows, 3in. wide by the length of the row. I like to cut the strips a couple of inches longer than the row just to make sure I have enough.

11.) Using the same method, cut and sew 3in.-wide strips to frame in the blocks:

First the top and bottom

Then the long sides

12.) Then layer with your batting and backing, and baste or pin together (more on the layers and basting).

13.) Quilt or Tie

14.) Then finish off with the binding.

View of the back

I can't tell you how much I love this one. I'm not bragging, I just get a kick out of seeing it all come together and imagining the joy and warmth it will bring.

Valentine's Day From-The-Heart Pillow

If you have wanted to pick up quilting, but would like to try a smaller project first, or maybe you are looking for a beginner's project... a pillow is a great place to start. It makes a quick and easy gift, and perfect for a young sewer, too!

You Will Need:

• Scraps of fabric
• Craft Stuffing or a Small Pillow Form

Cut:
2 Rectangles of the Heart Fabric: 3.5in x 6.5in
4 Squares of the Neutral (white) Fabric 2in x 2in
2 Squares of Neutral Fabric 3.5in x 3.5in
2 Strips of Neutral 2in x 6.5in
2 Strips of Neutral 2in. x 9in
2 Strips of the Accent (floral) Fabric 2in x 9in
2 Strips of Accent 2in x 13.5
1 Square of Accent 13.25in x 13.25in

1.) Using the Rectangle of Heart Fabric, and one 2 x 2 Neutral Square, sew the square in the corner on the diagonal.

Cut one quarter of an inch away from the stitching taking the corner off, and press open.

Repeat this step with the opposite corner. Do the same for the second Heart Rectangle.

2.) Sew the 3.5in Neutral Square onto the Lower-Right corner of one piece and the other onto the Lower-Left of the second piece. Sew as you did the smaller squares, cutting off the corner and pressing out.

3.) Matching the seams, sew the two halves together and press.

***IMPORTANT STEP: Use your rotary cutter to trim/even out these edges. As you will see in the next step I didn't do this, and it throws off the whole center.


4.) Sew the two short Accent strips to the top and the bottom of your block and press.

5.) Sew the long pieces to the sides. Press, and even the edges.

See that crooked center? Yep. That's what happens when I don't even the edges.

6.) Do the same with the neutral strips.

7.) Right-sides together, sew the block to the 13in x 13in square, leaving a section open for stuffing.

8.) Turn right-side out and stuff, then stitch the opening closed.

What a cute holiday accent and a great way to begin a love of sewing!

Quilted Valentine's Day Card

Everyone hunkering down for the blizzard? We've got plenty of snow so far in Michigan...my front steps are somewhere under the drifts. Bright side? Snowy Day = Perfect time for a quick craft!

When I wanted to do something special for my kids on Valentine's Day, I stumbled upon the idea for Quilted Postcards online. I thought this was one of those projects a little like coloring... quick, easy, and really let you relax in some creativity. (I was right.)

To make your own Quilted Valentines, you will need a few scraps of fabric and batting (you could use some stabilizer or extra fabric if you don't have batting).


1.) Cut 2 pieces of fabric and one piece of batting into 4in. x 6in. pieces, plus a heart. If you're making one for Grandma, why not print a picture of the Grandkids onto one of the fabric pieces?

2.) Now you must decide on your design.

*Option 1*If you want the back fabric (where you will write) without stitching, you will need to do your quilting and attach the heart with just the top fabric and batting together. This was how I did the Valentines in the first picture.

For this tutorial, I want the quilting to be an accent on the back. So I...

*Option 2* ...sandwiched the batting between the top and backing fabric, and sewed them together around the edge. If you have a serger this would be a great time to use it. Myself, I just zigzag. (This would be the last step if you're going with the first option.)

3.) Sew your quilting lines on the sewing machine.

4.) Attach your heart and stitch the edges down with a zigzag.

5.) Add your message.

I'd like to add a page just for pictures of your own versions of my tutorials. So please feel free to email those pics!