I might be a little late with my Snowflake pillow cover since we’re already into the beginning of February, but as it won’t be another month or two before spring arrives, I thought I would share this pretty pillow cover with you.

Back in January of 2020 I made the Snowflake Wall quilt in blue and white. I wanted to make a pillow cover of it too, but never got around to it until now. I used the same pattern, just on a smaller scale. I also turned the design so it was not set on point. (In case you’re wondering, “on point” means the block or blocks are positioned on the diagonal.)
 
The first two photos are from a year ago.

This is a fairly simple pattern consisting mostly of squares and a few half square triangles.  Since the squares are so small (2x2 inches), I had to be very precise in constructing it. The seam lines needed to match up, otherwise the end result would have looked crooked.
 
For the top of the cover I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona in White and Iron. I wanted the snowflake to stand out, thus the neutral, solid colors.

Once I was done with the top, I layered it just like with a regular quilt. Then I machine-quilted diagonal lines radiating from the center, using white thread.

I used Kona White for the back of the cover and gave it a simple envelope style opening. This way you can still take it off when in need of a wash.
 
Once I was done with the pillow cover’s backing, I added the binding. I used Riley Blake’s Something Borrowed - a navy and gray chevron stripe which complements the diagonal quilting lines.

I used a slightly bigger pillow insert (22x22 inches) for a plump look.

Pillow dimensions: 21 x 21 inches (53.5 x 53.5cm)

Last but not least, part 2 of How to make a quilt is now available under the tutorials page. I’ve shared some quilting tips I’ve learned over the years, as well as a tutorial on how to make a beginner-friendly doll quilt.

Do you make new year’s resolutions? Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to make a quilt. Well, this could be the year! This month and next I will share some quilting tips I’ve learned over the years, as well as a tutorial on how to make a beginner-friendly doll quilt.
 
I had a lot of fun making this little quilt since I live in an all male household. Take a look at how adorable this turned out.

Head over to the Tutorials page for step-by-step instructions or click here.

This month I had quite a few projects going. My favorite one was probably this Advent calendar.

The first time I heard of an Advent Calendar was back when I was in high school. I’ve read about the German tradition and thought it was a wonderful custom. Fast forward to today and almost every grocery store has some form of an Advent Calendar. It is a great way of helping little ones (and big ones, too) count down the days to Christmas.
 
My Advent Calendar consists of 25 little houses. Each house has a pocket for a small gift, a treat, a Bible verse or portion of the Nativity story.
 
For the top of the calendar I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton in White, Dill, Eucalyptus, Pimento, Spa Blue and Iron for the houses.

For the roofs of each house I made Flying Geese blocks, using the white and gray fabric.

I alternated Flying Geese blocks and square blocks to form rows of houses.

Once I had all the rows in place I quilted the roofs with a simple triangle design and stitched the blocks in place to form pockets. The backing is Robert Kaufman’s Kona Iron.

I had trouble finding fabric for the binding. You get so many different shades of white and gray, that it was hard finding a match. My mind was kind of set on a white and gray binding and finally found a white fabric with gray/silver dots at my local fabric store.
 
I made numbered tags from white cardstock and added number stickers. Wooden clothespins and red and green baker’s twine completed the tags and added charm to the calendar.

Dimensions: 31 x 20 inches (79 x 51cm)

Another project was these festive looking coasters.

I had this Christmas fabric left from a few years ago. Unfortunately I didn’t have the name of the fabric line or designer anymore.

I strip-pieced the fabric, cut out circles of about 4¾ inches in diameter and layered the coasters. I used a gray fabric from my stash for the backing.

I quilted straight lines diagonally across forming eight “pie wedges”.

For the binding I chose a pretty red fabric with white dots, also from my stash.

I made six of these coasters, just in time for a special holiday drink!

The last project for this month isn’t a quilting project, but a simple and easy way on how to embellish tea/kitchen towels. I got these flour sack tea towels off Amazon and decided to add some pretty detail to take them from boring to beautiful. I used strips of fabric and embellished it with pom-pom trim and ribbon. Once I got going I couldn’t stop myself!
 
For a tutorial on how to embellish your own tea towel, take a look here.

Also, I wanted to introduce my talented sister, Fransa from Colourcode Designs. She’s the designer behind this website and the one that makes everything look pretty every month. She recently opened her own shop on etsy.com! Take a look at her beautiful designs here or here.

Finally,

It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is right around the corner! I love making gifts for those special people in my life and since handmade gifts take time to make, it is never too early to start sewing (or crafting).
 
I decided on making mug rugs, since it is a handy gift but also a fairly quick sew. You may think, well, what is a mug rug? Good question!  A mug rug is a little mini quilt, smaller than a placemat, but bigger than a coaster. It is just the perfect size for a cup of coffee (or tea) to rest on as well as a cookie.
 
It can vary in size, but I like my mug rugs to be around 6” x 8” (15cm x 20cm). Since it is small in size, it is an easy project for beginners. You can practice your piecing and quilting without the daunting task of finishing a large quilt. It also is a great way to use up some of your scrap fabrics. And as all seamstresses know, scrap fabric is a recurring theme in our lives!
 
Mug rugs can be little art works - some people quilt it, others appliqué it or use a combination of both. The possibilities are endless!
 
For the mug rugs in this post, I chose simple block designs. For each little quilt I picked fabric from my scrap bin for the top, back and binding. I did use 100% cotton and batting for all rugs.
 
For the first two I used a variation of the Log Cabin block, called Courthouse Steps. In both these quilts I used a patterned fabric for the center and solid fabrics for the side strips. I quilted a maze design on both.

The next block is called Sister’s choice. I used a solid color for the background which makes the design stand out. I used a combination of outline quilting and straight line quilting. The gray, red and white colors might very well become my favorite Christmas colors.

This one features the Four X Variation block. First I pieced fabric strips together, alternating light and dark fabric. Then I cut the pieced strips into quarter square triangles which give the design basically an hour glass design. I think it might have looked better if the greens and reds were opposite one another. I quilted a spiral design onto the quilt.

The Mosaic No 3 quilt block is set on point. I fussy cut the gingerbread houses and other designs on the right hand side of the block. If you’re not familiar with fussy cutting, it is simply cutting out specific designs from fabric, instead of cutting yardage into random pieces. I used a combination of outline quilting and straight line quilting.

The next block is called an Eight-pointed star. You get so many different star blocks, but I picked this one because of the very pointy triangles. I used a patterned fabric for the background and a solid for the star. I quilted straight lines all over the quilt.

For the last quilt I picked a Christmas tree design. I pieced different fabric strips together which I used for the tree design. I quilted straight lines all over.

There you have it! I hope this will inspire you to try your hand at a mug rug. Or if that’s not your thing, how about making a pincushion? Check out this new tutorial.

A lot of people say that fall (or autumn) is their favorite season. And what’s not to love about fall? Cooler temperatures, leaves changing colors, wearing your favorite sweatshirt and decorating in warm fall colors.
 
Here in the midwest of the US most days are beautiful days with crisp mornings and lazy, warm afternoons just right for apple picking, a picnic, visiting a pumpkin patch or snuggling under a quilt with a good book.
 
Speaking of quilts, I’ve been eyeing gingham quilts for a while now and decided to use pretty fall colors for this popular plaid quilt design. This is an easy quilt to assemble and definitely beginner-friendly. The only thing you have to keep in mind (as always with quilting) is to be precise in your measurements. You want your seams to line up at all the corners of the squares.

For the top of the quilt I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton Mango (orange), Peach (light orange) and Snow (white). To assemble the quilt, I had two basic rows: row 1 alternated the Mango and Peach squares and Row 2 alternated Peach and Snow squares. I alternated rows 1 and 2 until I had the desired size for the quilt. 

I wanted a floral fabric for the backing and decided to use August Wren’s Moody Birds from the fabric collection Falling For You for Dear Stella. This pretty multi colored fabric combines flowers and birds in shades of red, orange, yellow, brown and even some pink.

I decided on a diagonal cross-hatch quilting motif for the quilt to keep it simple. Usually I’ll use quilting thread that matches the lightest color in the top fabric. This time however I used an orange thread that matched the Mango fabric.

For the binding I used a simple black and white striped fabric from Timeless Treasures. This gave the quilt a fresh, modern look.

Dimensions:  approximately 50 inches x 57inches (127cm x 145cm) - throw size

I don’t like wasting fabric. In fact I keep even the smallest piece of fabric. It goes into either one of two bins. One for larger size pieces for future quilt projects or one for pieces too small for quilting which one can use for instance as stuffing for a dog bed.
 
Anyway, as I was going through the former bin, I discovered fabrics from a collection called Chinoise by Studio K for Clothworks. I bought this a few years ago for a different quilt. Beautiful floral patterns with birds and Chinese lanterns in soft pinks, blues, yellows, greens, white and brown.
 
This is the quilt I made a few years ago.

I wasn’t planning on making the Pinwheel Baby Quilt this month, but when I found these pieces I started playing around. Soon I had quite a few small triangles cut out which led to making half square triangles (HST’s). (HST units are squares made up of two 90 degree triangles sewn together on the bias to form a square.)

I decided to pair the Chinoise triangles with light colored (mostly white) fabrics from the scrap bin.
 
In order to make a pinwheel block, you have to arrange four of these HST’s into a four patch so the light colored fabrics always sit next to the darker fabric. This arrangement gives the block a feeling of motion.

According to the National Parks Service’s Quilt Discovery Experience, the Pinwheel block goes back to the early 1800’s. It is no surprise that the pinwheel block represents the blades of water pumping windmills from back then.
 
Each Pinwheel block in this quilt’s finished size equals a small 2.5 inch (6cm) square. This can be the downside to using small scraps. It is not a quick process and it can become a little tedious at times sewing such small blocks. The upside to this is that once you finished the quilt, you know you’ve made good use of your little scraps and it did not end up in the trash.
 
For this quilt I made 36 pinwheels. I divided them into four groups of 12 pinwheels according to colors and fabric design. I alternated these with white blocks to form four rows. In between the pinwheel rows, I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton solid Pfd Bleach white.

I did not have enough fabric left for the back. Big was my surprise when I found some of this fabric online. It is called White Floral, as can be seen in the picture.

I quilted the whole quilt in vertical lines, 1.25 inches (3cm) apart.

Fortunately I did have enough fabric scraps left for the scrappy binding.

One mistake I made was starting this project without a pattern or plan. Usually I plan a quilt by sketching it out or drawing it using computer design software. With this quilt it has not been the case and that led to a lot of frustration. Fortunately, everything worked out in the end. The result:  a cute little baby quilt and my scrap bin a bit emptier than before.

Dimensions: approximately 29 inches x 39 inches (74cm x 99cm) - Baby size quilt

I have fond memories of stargazing with my dad as a child - from Halley’s comet to meteor showers to the Milky Way as well as the different constellations. Maybe that’s why the Stargazer Quilt reminds me so much of warm summer nights. Not humid and muggy summer nights like we get here in Missouri, but warm, breezy nights where you can sit outside and gaze up at the stars.
 
Or maybe it’s this beautiful fabric collection called Breeze, by Zen Chic for Moda fabrics that reminds me of a breezy summer’s day (or night). Different shades of blue, coral and white with small and medium scale geometrics, plus signs, alphabet letters as well as sashiko stitching motifs shine as stars in this quilt.

In the quilting world you get a variety of star patterns. For the stars in this quilt I chose the Sawtooth star which is one of the classic star blocks and one of my favorites to make. It consists of a large square in the middle, triangles made into flying geese blocks on all four sides and smaller squares at the corners. This placement forms a so-called eight-point star.

Once finished the size of one star measures 8 square inches (20.3 square cm). I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton solid Pfd bleached white for the background of the star and on two sides of the stars to finish the block. By rotating the blocks I got what I call a floating star effect.

After I finished the quilt top and layered the quilt, I decided to quilt horizontal wavy lines 2 inches apart all over. The wavy-line quilting added to the feeling of stars floating. I used the light blue with navy pluses fabric for the backing.

For the binding I used Fire Lines in cornflower from the Breeze collection which combines the blues and coral.

The end result is a delightful lap size quilt with an airy feel to it.
 
Dimensions: 47 x 59 inches (119.5 x 150 cm) -  lap size
 
*** This quilt is now available for purchase in my Etsy shop. You can find it by going to the Shop tab on this website or here.

The last month or so I’ve been playing around with smaller quilts. Since it’s summer and we’re more outdoors and I don’t always have time for a big quilt project, smaller quilts like wall hangings, table runners and mini quilts are the ideal size project to sew (and finish)!
 
The Crown quilt is a delightful wall hanging which would make every little girl feel like a princess when she sees this quilt on her bedroom wall.

For the crown design I made my own “fabric” by piecing a lot of pink fabric scraps together. A fun process where I mixed and matched cotton fabrics from my scrap bin. Doing that can be a little time consuming, but the end result is usually worth it and a wonderful surprise!!

After I finished piecing all the fabrics, I cut out the crown design to appliqué onto the background fabric.

For the background of the quilt, I used a supersized Drunkard’s Path quilt block. Certainly an interesting name for a quilt block. The most obvious explanation would be that when you use multiple of these curved blocks in a quilt, they resemble the stumbling walk of a drunkard. For more history on the block and it’s name take a look here.
 
I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton in Pfd Bleached White for the circle behind the crown and for the surrounding area Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton in Carnation. After I pieced the background together, I added the crown. I appliquéd it onto the white circle with a zigzag stitch, using a variegated pink thread.

Then I layered the quilt, using the crown top, 100% cotton batting and the same Carnation fabric for the back of the quilt. After that I quilted vertical straight lines an inch apart.

For the binding I continued the crown’s scrappy theme and made one long binding by piecing fabric scraps together. What an easy way to use up fabric scraps! 

I added a hanging sleeve to the back of the quilt for easy wall hanging.

This wall hanging will be the perfect addition to any little princess’ room.

Dimensions: 28x28 inches
 

Seeing a rainbow in the sky after a storm is such an amazing sight. The beauty and wonder of the colors and the size of it takes my breath away every time I see it.

This Rainbow Banner was a fun little mini quilt to sew which will be a great addition to any baby girl’s nursery. Soft colors appliquéd onto a background of white gives this little banner a modern feel.
 
For the background as well as the backing, I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton in Pfd White.
For the rainbow I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona Cotton solids in Rose, Mustard, Bluebell and Shell.

I appliquéd each arch onto the white banner using a small zigzag stitch in a matching thread color.

After layering the quilt, I continued the arch theme by echo quilting around the rainbow design. The area below the rainbow was quilted in straight horizontal lines.

I finished the quilt by binding it with a beautiful floral fabric by Poppy Cotton called Meadow in white. I used the same fabric to add a small sleeve to the back for hanging purposes.

Dimensions: 17¼ x 11½ inches

I love using traditional quilt blocks in a fresh, new way. It’s amazing the difference certain colors or patterns can make to a specific design. Supersizing a quilt block is another way of changing the traditional look. You may wonder what I mean with supersizing? It means literally supersizing or enlarging a quilt block of say 12x12 inches to the size of your quilt. That’s what I’ve done with the Picnic for Two Quilt.
 
The block itself is called “Trip around the World” and is a classic and popular design among quilters, using same-size squares in a pattern where each new color revolves around the previous one.
 
I started mine with Robert Kaufman’s Kona cotton solid in Cayenne, followed by Bluebell, Chocolate, Cadet, Bison and Shell - all Kona cotton fabrics. I repeated Bluebell and Chocolate and ended with Cayenne in the corners, which draws your eye back to the center unit. 

For the back of the quilt I used Sunday Drive Prints by Pat Sloan for Moda in the colors True Blue and Natural. It repeats the red and blues from the top of the quilt. For the binding I chose a pretty red chevron design called Gathering by Jill Shaulis for Windham in the color Lipstick.

I machine quilted straight lines an inch apart to keep it simple, yet modern.

Now that the weather is warming up, this would be the perfect picnic quilt for two. Or use it as a play mat for the little ones while you sit in the shade of a tree and enjoy the beauty around you.

Dimensions: approximately 53” x 53” (134cm x 134cm), throw size