I've been meaning to share these photos of this "plus" baby quilt I made for an old friend months ago. This couple has very clean, modern taste, so I was afraid to pick fabrics with any sort of pattern, fearing it would be too baby or too busy for them. Instead I went with all solids, mostly Kona cottons (all fabrics are from JoAnn Fabrics). The plus quilt is a perfect way to show off solids. And it makes a great baby boy quilt (my big boys even requested I make them one--they said it looks like Tetris!).

I quilted with gray thread to match the plain gray backing and binding. It didn't stand out too much on the colors--it's a nice neutral. I chose two shades of orange and three shades of blue, plus green, brown, white, and gray. Look for colors that will make the other colors pop when using all solids, like my white and turquoise do.

The plus quilt tutorial shows you how to make a "cot" or queen size quilt (the cot size was perfect for a crib size quilt). Once I figured out the pattern needed to make the plus signs, I didn't need to use her diagram to lay the whole thing out. But it was so nice to have to get started. And how awesome is it that she offers the pattern for free? Be sure to go give For the Love of George some love from me!

Now to make a quilt for this little guy. He's almost 18 months and still doesn't have a real quilt from his mama. Seriously tragic. But I finally painted his room last week, so now I have no excuses to get going on his bedding. If you follow me on Instagram, you already saw a sneak peak of the color (Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore). I'm so happy with the way it turned out! Watch for my nursery before and after pics soon. . .

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My little guy still does not have a quilt from me yet. Yet. I will get to it before he's one! And I love that this quilt, Beep! Beep! by Vanessa of Lella Boutique, might actually make it possible! It's a pretty simple design with super simple quilting (straight lines are my favorite).

Vanessa says that this is a quilt anyone of any sewing skill level can make. It utilizes simple applique technique; most of the work is tracing and cutting out the car and arrow shapes! The comprehensive pattern is available in her shop in PDF or paper format.

And because Vanessa is so sweet, she is giving away 5 copies of Beep! Beep! to our readers! To enter to win a paper OR digital copy of this quilt pattern, just leave us a comment and tell us what you would do with this pattern if you won. Would you make it for your own little guy, or a nephew, a friend's baby? Would you use that boy fabric stash you've been holding on to for years, waiting for the perfect quilt? Let us know by Thursday, July 19 2012 at 11:59pm PT--we'll post the winners on the 20th. Can't wait? Order the the pattern from Vanessa's shop now!

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Here's what Karen helped me choose. A darling design worked inside each block, with a similar design around the border. Love it!

Karen is also offering a 25% off coupon to our readers! To receive your 25% Off Coupon (no expiration date), simply email "25% OFF COUPON" to KarensQuiltMagic@gmail.com. Be sure to check out Karen's pricing and quilting instructions, too.

You should really give yourself a break this holiday season and let someone else do the hard work for you!

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I'm almost ready to move from my annual quilting mode to crochet mode (I've got a new patterns in the works for the shop!), so I'm finishing up a few last quilts that I've been working on this summer.

This Modified Bento Box quilting pattern is a little crazy--not necessarily the kind of fabrics I would normally pick. They are all Japanese prints, and they were picked especially for a very special couple. Last year a surgeon my husband was working with basically paid our way to Japan for a medical conference (after a LOT of hard work on my husband's part, but still). My husband served as a missionary there for two years and we have been talking about going back for the past 12 years. It really was a dream come true! I wanted to thank them with something special that really represented our trip. I hope they like it!

A regular bento box pattern would call for the finished blocks to be cut into four pieces, switched with other blocks, and sewn back together. (Here's a great pattern from Red Rooster Quilts.)

Since the fabrics I chose were already pretty busy, I felt like mixing up the blocks would really make things over-the-top crazy.

For the back I chose a really Japanese fabric and added a simple border.  I finished it off with stipple quilting (check out my video tutorial here).
Quilts still in-the-works: boys' bedspreads, pinwheel baby quilt, one of these two quilts from V and Co (eat.sleep.play.repeat or houndstooth) and a super simple circle quilt. All before crochet season begins. Yikes!

Speaking of Japan, don't forget about the 50+ Blogger cookbook to benefit the Red Cross! Today is the last day to order (Aug. 31, 2011) both in print and in digital copy, and they're only $10 each. Get 50+ great recipes from some of your favorite bloggers (like us!) and benefit a great cause!

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I was completely floored (and ecstatic!) when Riley Blake Designs asked me to be a course instructor for their online Cutting Corners College! Riley Blake produces some of the cutest quilting fabric in the industry, often taking scrapbooking lines and turning them into fabric. Um, yes, please!

Today my first quilting course was posted, featuring this sweet baby quilt using Riley Blake's Sew Cherry line. I love this fabric! Here's to hoping my little bun is a girl so I get to keep it! Check out the full tutorial with tons of pictures on Riley Blake's Cutting Corners College site, and don't forget to take a few minutes to drool over their other fabric lines. Just don't tell you husband I told you about them. . .

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I don't know what got into me, but last week I actually started and FINISHED two baby quilts! I know--I feel pretty accomplished. It could be that they were both super easy. But still! How awesome is that? Here's the first one, an argyle pattern on corduroy.


And the other was a simple strip quilt, made out of the leftovers from this quilt. It took me only a few minutes to sew the strips together, and less than an hour to quilt it in straight lines, which was done by sewing a line about 1/2" on either side of each seam. Easy! The binding was what took the longest!



So back to the argyle quilt. You're going to die when you hear how easy it was. I stole the idea from a friend who made one for my sister-in-law. I've known Laurie over 20 years (okay, that makes me feel old!), and I wouldn't exactly call her a craftster. But when she does decide to make something, watch out! She is freakin' amazing! Her quilt had 6 diamonds, but I was feeling lazy, so you get the three diamond version. Thanks for the inspiration, Larry! :)

Easy Argyle Baby Quilt Tutorial


Supplies:


*42" x 42" piece of fabric for top (Laurie and I used a light-weight corduroy)
*1/3 yard fabric for binding
*1/2 yard fabric for one diamond and border strips (I had leftover fabric)
*1/3 yard (or less) for two diamonds
*42" x 42" piece of quilt batting (I use Warm & Natural)
*44" x 44" fabric for backing (I used minky with a cute star pattern)
*1.5 yards iron-on adhesive (I like Heat n' Bond Sewable weight)
*Approx. 4.5 yards ric rac in coordinating colors (I used about 3 yards blue and 1.5 yard brown)
*Sewing machine and matching thread (I recommend a walking foot for the quilting if you have one)
*Cutting mat and rotary cutter

What makes this quilt so easy is that you use all raw edges. I call it quick and dirty quilting. Let's get started.

1. Wash all your fabrics. As I rule, I NEVER wash my fabrics before quilting because I like the crinkly effect that happens when the fabric shrinks the first time you wash the quilt. But since I was working with corduroy (a first for me), and I wasn't really going for a crinkly look, I decided I better wash it. I'm glad I did.

2. Cut your quilt top to 41" x 41" (mine shrunk to about that size, so I just trimmed the edges).

3. Time to cut your diamonds. I wanted mine to be 22" tall and 12" wide, but you can use this method to make any size diamonds.

Cut a piece of fabric 22" x 12".


Fold in half lengthwise.


Then fold it in half the other way.


Lay a quilting ruler on top, with the side going from one corner to the other along the raw edge.


Cut along this edge.


Unfold it and you have a perfect diamond in the exact height and width you need! Repeat for other two diamonds.

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My new nephew arrived yesterday and I am just dying to see, smell, and kiss him. I shipped off his quilt and other baby goodies (like this hat) today, but since his Mama is still recovering in the hospital, I think it's fairly safe to post pictures here without ruining the surprise. :)


This quilt is seriously quick and easy. I found the pattern over at my favorite quilting blog - Cluck, Cluck, Sew! She has taste, talent, and a fabric stash to die for. And I love every one of her patterns. I had some of the same fabrics she used on her version (called The Road Trip Quilt), and I needed quick and easy, so I decided to go for it.


I hate the cutting step in quilting--I'm not very good at it and it takes forever! But this quilt is super quick to cut. What I was most impressed with was how quickly I was able to lay it out. Usually I am moving fabrics around for at least an hour before getting it just right. This one came together without moving one block. Not one. Part of it may be that I had a good variety of fabrics (different size prints and colors), but really, I just think this is an incredibly easy pattern. Thank you Cluck, Cluck, Sew! (Be sure to stop by and tell Allison 'hi' from us!)

The fabric comes from two lines: Wheels and All Star by Riley Blake Designs. This is my new favorite quilting fabric company. They do a lot of My Mind's Eye designs (one of my favorite scrapbooking companies!). If you can't find any of these specific lines left anywhere, check out the new All Star 2 line--it is similar to All Star and completely cool. It is on my wish list for the next baby boy quilt I do.

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Before I started sewing, I had no idea that freezer paper was used for anything but wrapping up meat for the freezer. Now I use it all the time! Here are a few reasons we love freezer paper for crafting:

*Use it as a template for applique on quilts and other craft projects (see tutorial below). It makes cutting out your shapes a breeze, and you can use it over and over again!

*You can transfer your flimsy sewing patterns to it to use them over and over again. Also, you can iron the pattern shiny-side-down on your fabric and cut around it instead of pinning the pattern pieces on. This makes for much more accurate pattern cutting.

*It makes a great stencil for fabric painting. Draw or print your design on the dull side, cut the shape out, and iron the shiny side down on your fabric. Paint inside the stencil, then peel it off once the paint is dry. Cut shapes directly out of freezer paper with your die cutting machine. I've done it with both my Silhouette and Slice machines.

*Use it to cover your table to avoid paint or glue messes when crafting

*Use the shiny side as a paint palette

*Use it as a temporary stabilizing when printing on fabric. For example, to create personalized labels, iron your freezer paper shiny-side down to the wrong side of the fabric, trim it to 8.5x11", and send it through your printer. Voila. Printed fabric labels.

What else do you use freezer paper for? Here is one of my favorite freezer paper projects: birthday shirts. My kids wear these all year long, and get so excited to pick their fabric from my stash for the next year's shirt. They both had birthdays last week and we love the new shirts!

Freezer Paper Applique Tutorial for Birthday Shirts

Supplies:

*Freezer paper (you can find this at most grocery stores and some craft stores)

*Fabric

*Heat 'n Bond Lite iron-on adhesive (or similar product) - the "Lite" version allows you to sew over the piece after ironing it on

*Iron and ironing board

*T-shirt

*Number (or other shape) to be used on t-shirt

*Sewing machine and contrasting thread

1. Draw, trace, or print your number or shape on the dull side of the freezer paper. Cut it out. I cut my numbers with my Silhouette machine (using a carrier sheet) which eliminated the drawing and hand cutting steps.


2. Iron on some of your Heat 'n Bond iron-on adhesive to the back (wrong side) of your fabric, following the directions on the packaging.


3. Iron your freezer paper shape shiny-side-down on the front (right side) of the fabric. It doesn't take long to get it to adhere--just a quick pass over the top with the iron.


4. Cut around your template with scissors, then peel off the freezer paper. Save it for the next kid if you want--you can reuse your templates!


5. Iron your shape onto the t-shirt following the directions on the Heat 'n Bond Lite's packaging.


6. Using a zig-zag stitch, sew around the edges of the number. Check out our simple machine applique tutorial for more details.


That's it! Now celebrate in style! Bonus on this "5" shirt--the light blue thread I picked happened to be glow-in-the-dark thread! I didn't even know they made it, let alone that I had it in my thread stash. My son and I were so excited to discover a glowing 5 when playing hide-and-seek!


Here are a few other projects we've made using applique templates:

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