Milk Money Quilt Block Tutorial

The project I'm sharing with you today is the most fun I've had in ages. I could not stop making these cute little blocks. If you like fussy cutting, you're in for a treat today.

Do you remember bringing a quarter to the cafeteria every day to buy your pint of milk at lunchtime? I do. This quilt block brings together my love of retro packaging, fussy cutting, and downright nostalgia. It's also a great way to use up tiny scraps of special prints that I keep stashed in a drawer because I just can't bear to throw away even the littlest bits. 

I had so much fun working thematically on each block, picking a main color and theme for each pint of milk or fruit juice. I joined my six blocks together with pale pink sashing and strawberry squares, adding a thin border of red and white polka-dot print to give the illusion of piping around the edge. 

The backing is a pink retro floral dot. The finished cover is a little smaller than the 12 x 16" form that I was just barely able to cram inside, but it gives me a beautiful overstuffed pillow for my breakfast nook. I'm absolutely crazy about it, and I wanted to share the pattern with you so that you can make something fun for yourself. These little blocks would be adorable on a lunch bag, water bottle carrier, table runner, coaster, or even a baby quilt. Here's the tutorial!

Milk Money Quilt Block
Finished Block Size: 3.5 x 3.75”

Materials

From white solid cut:

• (2) 1 x 1” squares (A)

• (1) 1 x 1.5” rectangle (B)

• (2) 1 x 3.25” strips (C)

• (2) 4 x 1” strips (D)

From navy hexagon print cut:

• (2) 1 x 1” squares (E)

From navy stripe print cut:

• (1) 2 x 1” strip (F)

From navy gingham print cut:

• (1) 2.5 x 1” rectangle (G)

From floral print cut:

• (1) 1.5 x 2.25” rectangle (H)

From feature print cut:

• (1) 2 x 2.25” rectangle (I)

Instructions

1. Sew the right edge of the H piece to the left edge of the I piece. Sew an A square to the right short edge of the F strip.

2. Using the photo above as a guide (different colors because this was taken after I finished the navy block -- sorry!), position an E square on the lower edge of the B rectangle with right sides together (RST). Place the other E square on the left end of the G rectangle RST and the other A square on the right end of the G rectangle, also RST. Follow the drawn lines on the squares in the photo above to see which direction to sew in order to create half square triangle edges on the rectangles. After sewing the diagonal lines, measure 1/4" from the stitched line and trim off the rest, pressing the seam open.

When you're finished, the pieces should look like the photo above.

3. Sew the lower edge of the A/F strip to the upper edge of the E/G/A strip.

4. Sew the right edge of the E/B strip to the left edge of the piece you made in step 3. Then sew the lower

edge of that combined piece to the upper edge of the H/I piece.

5. Sew a C strip to the right and left edges of the block.

6. Sew a D strip to the upper and lower edges of the block.

And that's it! If you make one of these and share it on social media, please tag

it #milkmoneyquiltblock and tag me @fabricmutt. I would love to see your work.

Have fun!

Mostly Practical

Exactly one week ago I went to bed feeling a little off, not realizing that I had acquired an extremely nasty case of strep throat which is still raging as I type this evening. I'm on antibiotics, but it's going to be a slow recovery. Speaking and sleeping without coughing are a real challenge, and I've been utterly dependent on my husband who was off all this week on spring break. I'm both sad to have lost the week of activities we had planned and thankful that he was here to run the house and take care of me while I've spent the week in bed reading books and binge watching Remember WENN, an old favorite show that came out when I was in college. I like to think that I'm pretty good about going with the flow, but this week has definitely stretched my limits on that front.

I was thrilled to hear how many of you would like a tutorial for the little bag I shared in my last post! I have all the pieces cut out and waiting on my sewing table, and as soon as I'm well enough, I'll be putting it together and writing up the pattern for you. 

Since I don't have anything brand new to share, I thought I would show a few pictures of sewing projects I finished during my absence from the blog this past year or so. I'm afraid these photos aren't the best quality since they were originally just meant for family viewing. (I would retake the pictures, but at this point, these pieces are not quite in the same condition they were originally. Let's just call them "well loved.") The pillow at the top of the post was a quilt-as-you-go project I did for fun using some fabric I printed on Spoonflower using digital art I purchased from one of my favorite shops on Etsy after getting permission from the artist. Her retro designs are absolutely adorable, and I knew they would be perfect for fussy cutting. I had originally intended to keep this pillow upstairs in my bedroom, but it's become my husband's favorite back pillow when he's sitting in the family room at night.

The next pillow is made up of patchwork squares from my Heather Ross collection which I made for the girls. Every evening our family reads a chapter of a book together (right now we're doing Little Women) and then we watch a show or movie before bed. During our movie time, my youngest daughter Mouse loves to curl up in front of the fireplace on her Test Tubes Quilt using this pillow as a headrest. 

A few months back my sister came to me asking if I could make a cover for her Bible since the paperback cover was coming apart. She gave me total creative freedom, but I tried to insert little details that fit my sister well. This was another quilt-as-you-go piece, and I absolutely loved making it.

I've found that my sewing of the last few years has been mostly practical -- making things for which there is an actual need rather than just for fun -- but I love that the practical can also be beautiful. I have a few more useful sewing projects in mind for the months ahead. We'll see how many I can actually accomplish, but it's fun to think about them. The planning stage is still my favorite after all these years.

Hoping that you're all healthy and happy today, my friends.

Cross Stitch Quilt Block & Pillow Tutorials

I have a million memories from my childhood of watching my mother with a piece of cross stitch in her hands. Her handmade pictures were all over our house, and I remember sitting at the breakfast table when I was a little girl, studying them thoughtfully while I ate my cereal in the mornings. Those same pictures are now hanging in our breakfast nook where my daughters start the day, such a wonderful way to carry on that legacy.

For a long time now, I've been wanting to do a cross stitch quilt block, and when I was working on my book proposal last year, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it. The quilt blocks in this pillow look like a row of patchwork cross stitches to me, and I love that they remind me of my mother every time I see them. 

Incidentally, I've decided that all the projects and information that I share with you here on the blog that would have gone into that next book are going to be tagged under the label "Carnival of Patchwork." Hopefully that will help you find it in the search box on the left if you're looking for anything from this series!

This little block is so much fun to sew, and I love that it looks great in every project where I've used it. My first pattern was the patchwork pillow at the top of this post which I hand quilted. I love this one so much that it sits in a place of honor on my bed where I can look at it every day.

My next attempt was a zipper pouch that I made in shades of pink, yellow, aqua, and white. It's interesting to me how the look of the block changes without the sashing strips in between. I honestly can't decide which style I like better at this point.

And just to show that I could make something using only one block, I turned this one into a little pincushion. I didn't actually plan for the H to land at the top, but I think it was meant to be!

Those numbers running along the lower edge are so much fun. I added 1" borders to the block and then finished it using the directions for my Tagalong Pincushion pattern in Patchwork USA. Feel free to do the same!

I wanted to share the tutorial with you so that you can play with this block in any number of projects that you can dream up. Here's how you make one...

Cross-Stitch Quilt Block

Finished size: 2" x 2"

From a 5" square of a colored print, cut:

(1) rectangle, 1 1/4" x 3 3/4" (A)

(2) rectangles, 1 1/4" x 1 3/4" (B)

From a 5" square of low volume print, cut:

(4) squares, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" (C)

1. Arrange the pieces for a single block as shown. Sew the C squares to either side of the B rectangles (the B rectangle will extend slightly beyond the C squares). Press seams open.

2. Center a B/C unit on one long side of the A rectangle and sew in place (the A rectangle will extend slightly beyond the B/C unit). Repeat on the other side of the A rectangle with the other B/C unit. Press seams open.

3. Using a ruler and rotary cutter, rotate the block so that it forms an X shape. Centering the block, carefully trim to a 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” square.

I know that some of you can take those directions and run with them all over the place, but if you're looking for set of directions for a finished project, here are the instructions for the Cross Stitch Patchwork Pillow.

Cross-Stitch Patchwork Pillow

Finished size: 12" x 16"

From (24) 5’’ squares of colored prints, cut from each print:

- (1) rectangle, 1 1/4” x 3 3/4’’ (A) 

- (2) rectangles, 1 1/4” x 1 3/4’’ (B)

From (24) 5’’ squares of low volume prints, cut from each print:

- (4) squares, 1 1/2’’ x 1 1/2’’ (C)

From 1/3 yard white solid, cut…

- (16) rectangles, 1’’ x 2 1/2’’ (D)

- (3) rectangles, 12 1/2’’ x 1’’ (E)

- (2) rectangles, 2 1/2’’ x 10’’ (F)

- (2) rectangles, 16 1/2’’ x 1 3/4’’ (G)

From 1/2 yard batting, cut:

- (1) rectangle, 18’’ x 15’’ (H)

From 1/2 yard muslin, cut:

- (1) rectangle, 18’’ x 15’’ (I)

From 1/2 yard red gingham, cut 2 rectangles, 13’’ x 12 1/2’’ (J)

Additional Supplies: matching thread, binding clips, chopstick/turning tool

1. Sort the pieces for each block into 24 stacks. Each stack should include 1 A rectangle and 2 B rectangles from a single colored print and 4 C squares from a single low volume print.

2. Arrange the pieces for a single block as shown in the quilt block diagram above. Sew the C squares to either side of the B rectangles (the B rectangle will extend slightly beyond the C squares). Press seams open.

3. Center a B/C unit on one long side of the A rectangle and sew in place (the A rectangle will extend slightly beyond the B/C unit). Repeat on the other side of the A rectangle with the other B/C unit. Press seams open.

4. Using a ruler and rotary cutter, rotate the block so that it forms an X shape. Centering the block, carefully trim to a 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” square.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 with the pieces for the remaining 23 blocks. 

6. Arrange the quilt blocks, D rectangles, and E rectangles as shown above. Sew the blocks and D pieces together in rows. Then sew the rows and E pieces together to form the pillow top.

7. Sew the F rectangles to the right and left edges of the pillow top. Sew the G rectangles to the upper and lower edges. 

8. Stack in this order from bottom to top: I rectangle, H rectangle, pillow top (right side up). Use adhesive basting spray to fuse them together and quilt as desired.

9. Fold a 12 1/2’’ end of an J piece under (toward the wrong side) approximately 3/8’’ twice. Topstitch 1/4’’ from the fold. Repeat with the other J piece.

10. Finish the pillow by placing the each of the backing pieces from step 9 right sides together with the pillow top. The hemmed edges should point toward the center, overlapping each other, and the opposite raw edges should line up with the shorter right and left sides of the pillow top. (See the directions for the Road Trip Pillow on page 44 in my book Patchwork USA if you need to see diagrams that explain this more thoroughly.) Hold them together with binding clips, and then sew all around the outside edge. Trim the corners, turn the pillow cover right side out, gently push out the corners with a chopstick, and press.

If you make one of these, be sure to tag it #fabricmuttcrossstitchblock or #crossstitchpatchworkpillow and tag me @fabricmutt. I'm hoping at some point to start on a quilt with this pattern -- maybe making the blocks twice as big so it won't take me quite as long to finish. We'll see...

Have fun!

All the Little Things

In less than two weeks already, we'll be starting another school year. How we got here so quickly is beyond me as always. In any case, the textbooks have arrived, the school shopping has been done, and the girls -- and I, if I'm honest -- are all showing the signs of needing to be back on a routine again. In the middle of May with summer stretching out before me, I always make an ambitious to-do list for the months ahead, convinced that I'm going to get so much done. This is all completely hilarious to end-of-July me, who tossed that list aside back in June and is now wringing every last drop of relaxation out of each waking moment before lesson plans and homework take over my desk again. Really though, in spite of all the responsibilities on my plate during the school year, I do get more creative projects done during those busy months than during my vacation, probably because I work it all into my schedule on purpose. But that's for another day. Right now it's still summer for two golden weeks, and I'm happy to play while I can.

Part of that play time has been sewing, thankfully, and this month has been all about making gifts for some dear people in my life. Our vicar and his wife finished up their year-long internship at our church last week, and though they won't be with us when their baby is born in October, I wanted to send them home with a handmade gift. This long pillow is just the sort of thing I would have loved to have on hand when I was feeding my own babies years ago. I used a mix of favorite novelty prints, including the one with the expected birth month to make it more personal. I put October in the middle along with September and November, so I'm hoping that even if the baby comes early or late, we'll be covered!

This linen improv pouch was a gift for a sweet, talented young woman who spent the summer at our church working with our worship team. It was so much fun choosing the prints for this one, and I loved being able to reflect different parts of her personality in the fabrics. Many of these are by Melody Miller from her original Ruby Star lines. I absolutely love how this pouch turned out and was so thrilled that she loved it too.

This weekend I was able to work on a fun project using my Color Book pattern from my new book Patchwork USA. It features the Dorothy's Journey collection by Jill Howarth, which is a darling take on The Wizard of Oz. 

Jill's illustrations are always so full of heart and whimsy, and when I saw the collection, I immediately thought these prints would be such a perfect match for this project. I gifted the book to the young daughter of a friend. I'm hoping she'll enjoy turning these colorful pages as she grows up.

So it's been a month of making all the little things as a way of celebrating all the important things. And really, I can't think of a better way to finish out the summer than that. 

Finding the Fun Again

Yesterday was the first day of spring and, as it so happens, the last day of our spring break this year. We took a few extra days off after our annual week of vacation because my sister's family drove out from California to spend some time with us. Being together is always such a treat, especially for our daughters. I had all five of them in my minivan yesterday afternoon as we went on a special "cousins shopping trip," and it was so much fun. It's amazing to me to see how quickly they're all growing up into beautiful young women.

As I was driving my girls home last night, we were listening to the soundtrack for the Curious George movie which was such a big hit with them so many summers ago when they were little. Just hearing the music took me instantly back to a dozen vivid memories -- seeing them scamper around the vegetable garden with their Daddy, helping them swim in their little plastic pool on the patio in the afternoons, watching cartoons with them in the evening as the smell of warm grapes drifted in the back door from the arbor outside, tucking them and all their stuffed friends into their toddler beds at night.

I remember it all like it was yesterday.

Back then I would clean up after dinner and then get my machine out on the dining room table so that I could get in a little bit of sewing before bedtime. It was such a challenge back then to get any time to sew, and I treasured every chance I had to do it. So much of what I made was for the girls -- play quilts, floor pillows, book bags. All of it was well used and well loved. I was cleaning out our guest room the other day and found a whole stack of those little quilts in a wire basket, too small for my growing girls now but full of memories from when they were just the right size.

I can't escape the fact that, in many ways, I was having a lot more fun with my sewing back then. It was always exciting to look for the next project I had never tried. Fabric collections were fewer, and fabric designers were like rock stars. I remember counting the days until the release of Nursery Versery by Heather Ross (where the mouse print from her current Trixie line made it's debut), Hello Pilgrim by Lizzy House, and anything from Melody Miller's early Ruby Star years. Blogs were still newish, and there were so many sew alongs and swaps back then, all of them administered by chatty, happy Flickr groups. I remember large groups of us sewing through entire books like Zakka Style by Rashida Coleman-Hale and Patchwork, Please! by Ayumi Takahashi. (Does anybody even do that sort of thing anymore? Do any of us have the time to do it??) Working through these books in online communities wasn't just about doing what was popular, but it was also about learning new things with other people who enjoyed it as much as you did.

It wasn't that long ago, really, but those days seem so innocent and naive to me now. Somewhere along the line things changed...or maybe I changed. It's the tradeoff you make with turning your hobby into a business. You get so many opportunities to do amazing things, but that inevitably leads to more deadlines and less time to play. Trying to balance your creative work time with your creative play time, and then figuring out how to balance all of that with your family time -- it's a tightrope I walk every day. Even now as I write this post, I'm trying to alternate between typing and being a guest at my youngest daughter's imaginary diner, where she's serving cardboard blueberry pancakes and rubber chicken. Yes, I'm running short on time this afternoon. Yes, I'd like to get this up on the blog before I have to take the car to the dealer for maintenance. But how many more years will she be willing to put on an apron and serve me plastic food? Some things are too important to wait.

So one of my goals for 2019 is to find the fun again. When it comes to creativity, I want to be able to work hard and play hard. This month I'm looking to one of my most inspiring friends to help me get back on track with that. The unbelievably talented Mary of Sunny Day Supply is running a just-for-fun log cabin sew along on Instagram starting next week. It's not too fussy -- any kind of project featuring any kind of log cabin block will do -- and it will be a wonderful chance to get out my fabric and play. I decided to start early, making a little courthouse steps block that finished at 6" square. It's scrappy and playful and quilted entirely by hand. I added a bit of black and white gingham to the back and turned it into a tiny pillow. Not, of course, because I need another pillow, but because just looking at this little bit of handmade joy makes me so happy that I almost want to cry. I'll be putting it up on a shelf where I can see it every day, reminding myself to find my way back to where I began in this hobby that I love so much...

Spelling Bee Saturday: Typewriter Pillow

Everyone knows that I love a good typewriter project. I even designed the Typewriter Mini Quilt as a free pattern to go along with the release of Sew Organized for the Busy Girl several years back. This little block from Lori Holt's Spelling Bee book is a great way to play with the theme in a single quilt block.

It's always so fun to choose the fabrics for these blocks. The green dotty print makes a great frame for the scrappy keys -- and who wouldn't choose a polk-a-dot typewriter over a solid one any day! -- and I love pulling in a text print for the paper. The navy blue prints are a nice contrast and give this color scheme a slightly preppy look which I love. And that book print by my friend Jill Howarth from her Once Upon a Time collection for the typebar -- oh my goodness, I adore it!

I knew right away that I wanted to turn this block into a pillow, and I love seeing it on the couch in my bedroom. For the backing, I used striped gray and white linen which goes with everything and makes a sturdy case for the pillow form.

This pillow just makes me happy every time I look at it -- every . . . single . . . time.

Thanks again to the Fat Quarter Shop for setting up this fun sew along, and to Lori, of course, for writing such a fabulous book.

Happy sewing, friends!

Pillows & Pouches

One of my favorite presents to make for both new parents and little children is a small version of the giant Book Nook pillow from my book. I shrink the pattern down to fit a 12" or 14" pillow form and tuck a card in the pocket for a sweet gift.

As a new mom, I always liked having lots of pillows nearby to help me get into a comfortable position when I was feeding the baby, and that pocket is a great place to stash a book or snack pack or anything else I might want when I'm up by myself in the middle of the night. For a child's gift, you can still tuck little books or toys in the pocket, and it's perfect for travel. My girls and I will be making a mini Book Nook for each of them to take on our family road trip this summer.

I decided to pull out my Heather Ross stash for these pillows, carefully choosing my prints since one is for a girl and the other for a boy. It was so much fun to pick out the fabrics for these! I paired them both with different shades of linen on the pocket background fabric for a nice contrast.

I've started sewing up my own gift bags lately, riffing on the 5-Minute Party Pouch from Ruby Star Wrapping by Melody Miller & Allison Tannery. I just change up the size as needed. It's a great way to use fabric from my Five & Dime stash, and it makes the gift so much more personal. And frankly, considering how expensive gift bags are becoming, I think I'm at least breaking even on the cost!

I also had the chance to host a week of my friend Kim's sew along for her new Notions Pouch pattern. Kim is also known as Retro Mama, and she makes the most adorable things!

This is just the cutest little pouch you ever saw, and I had so much fun making one in each of the two sizes she offers. The sew along is just wrapping up on Instagram -- just check out the hashtag #notionspouchsal to see all the amazing makes.

Speaking of Instagram, I'm trying to keep up with the annual Instagram Quilt Fest hosted by Amy of Amy's Creative Side this month. There's a photo prompt for each day of March to share with the hashtag #igquiltfest, and it's given me the chance to go back and revisit some favorite makes as well as share a behind-the-scenes look at my own sewing studio. Check it out if you get the chance. These are the kind of events that really bring out the friendly spirit that I love most about the online quilting community.

Happy sewing, friends!