Christmas All Year Block of the Month - Block Three - Star Quartet

Time for the next block of the Christmas all year Block of the Month!

This month's block is Star Quartet.  This block is actually made from four smaller blocks!  So cute - and you can almost count this as a mini...

Two of the blocks are made with Dark green for the star, and two are made with the background as the star.  Be warned, it can be tricky to sew the background as the star, it was very confusing to my brain at times!

Download the complete pattern, including this blocks:

Christmas All Year Quilt Pattern

For this block you will need to make two sets of eight flying geese units.  Since they are smaller, I used the sew and flip method of making them.  You could sew eight together and have a mini version of last month's block!

But instead, we'll use these to make four 6 1/2 inch star blocks.  Each flying goose will be 3 1/2 x 2 inches before we sew it into the block.

Lay out the blocks like so:

Sew into rows and press seams toward the green or toward the red.  This will make final assembly of the block easier.

Then sew the rows together.

But watch out for those red ones!  I told you they were tricky!

Finished mini blocks:

Sew together with alternate blocks touching each other.  The seams will lay in the opposite direction so they will be easier to sew.

This makes three blocks done now!  I just had to get a picture of all of them on my design wall:

Quilted Body Pillow Cover

I'm a bit behind (so, what's new about that?), but I finally have my pictures to complete my tutorial on how to make a quilted cover for your body pillow!  Thanks for all the lovely comments on my Island Batik project!  In order to tell you how to create your own I decided to make a second version using some of my orphan blocks in order to show you how I did it.

The first thing I did was to choose three blocks that looked nice together.  You could make three matching blocks, of course.  Your blocks need to be 12 1/2 inches (unfinished size)

I ended up rotating the middle block so the white sections went across instead of up and down.  The next step is to choose a background fabric. You will need about 5/8 of a yard of a non directional print.  I auditioned several.  I had a pretty rose print, but the color was too dull for these blocks.  I also tried yellow -

I thought that it was too similar to the yellow in the center block, so looked at a blue print next:

Much better!  You will need to cut one 18 1/2 inch square and two 9 1/2 inch squares.  If you don't have a ruler to measure a large square, you can combine two rulers to get the finished size.  I used my 12 1/2 inch square ruler and my 6 x 12 ruler to do the cutting - just go slow and make sure you place your hand on the ruler next to the cut and you will do fine!

This large square needs to be cut in half diagonally both ways.  Your 24 inch ruler will be too short to go all the way across, so what I do is to use the 45 degree line to make sure my ruler is at the right position to start, cut about 6 inches, then move the ruler to the far corner and line up with the cut I began at the bottom.  You could also press the square in half both ways and cut along your pressed lines.  Cutting accurate pieces really makes your project go together better!





The two 9 1/2 inch squares will both need to be cut in half in only one direction.  These will be the small triangles on the two ends.
Sew these to the two outside squares, finger press to the find the center of the side of your block and the long side of the triangles.  match these up and sew together.

After sewing this, add the long triangles in the same way, but sewing the short side of the triangle to the upper right side of the end block.

 Add a large triangle to the upper right and bottom left of the center block, and the last one to the bottom left of the last block.

Now you will only have to sew two long seams, matching the block corners.

Time for some quilting!  Layer your backing fabric (this can be something you don't like at all because it won't show in the finished pillow), batting and pillow top.  Quilt as desired.  I did swirls on mine.

Trim the edges so they are even.  My pillow top finished at about 17 1/2 inches by 52 inches.  The body pillow measured about 18 by 52, so the top was a good size for it.  I usually like my pillow covers to fit a bit on the tight side so that they are well filled.

For the backing you will need about 3/4 yard of fabric.  I cut two pieces 17 1/2 inches by the length of the fabric.  The easy way to do this is to cut the two selvages off, then cut 17 1/2 from the selvage.  Square up the two ends of each piece, then hem one edge of each piece.  I fold down 2 inches, then press the end to the fold to make a 1 inch doubled hem.

Lay your quilted section right side down, and pin one of the backing pieces right side up on top.

Add the other backing piece on the other side overlapping the first one:

Cut 4 strips of binding your preferred width and prepare it for sewing.  Add the binding in your usual method.  I like to sew mine to the back side, then turn it over and machine stitch it to the front.

Now all you need to do is insert your pillow!  It's a bit of a battle, but be patient and gentle and you can get it all in where it needs to go.

And there you go!  You could do the same thing and add two regular pillows for a bolster.  They would be easier to insert as well ;)

In summary – to make this pillow you will need:

Three pieced or appliqued quilt blocks, 12 ½ inches unfinished

5/8 yard fabric for the setting triangles

¾ yard fabric for the backing

1/3 yard for the binding

One 18 x 52 inch body pillow or

Two 20 x 26 inch regular pillows

Fabric for lining the quilted top and batting.

Thanks for encouraging me to create this tutorial!  Enjoy!

Easy Flying Geese Tutorial

My "Big House" quilt features a border of 6 inch star blocks.  I have seen these blocks called Variable Star blocks or Sawtooth Star blocks.  In their simplest form the center is simply a plain block, but for this quilt I felt like I wanted to add a little pizzazz so I pieced all the centers (except for one).  It was fun coming up with 19 different variations of piecing.  I love miniatures so this was a fun way to combine that with regular piecing to come up with a lovely design.

I wanted to share how I did the points on the stars.  For this block you can make half square triangle units to make your points or you can make the points by making flying geese units and not have the extra seam between the triangles to deal with.  I think the flying geese are easier, particularly if you have to make quite a few of them like I did!

There are several ways to make flying geese.  You can cut the pieces to the exact size needed and piece them in a traditional manner.  Eleanor Burns has a neat method (and ruler) for making them.  See her instructions and video here.  You can paper piece them for pure perfection.  Or you can use the sew and flip method that I will show you.  I like this method because it requires very little math, the cutting is easy and the results are always great.  If your units are small there is very little waste and if you are making larger geese you can save the bonus triangles for another project....not sure if this is a plus or a minus, but I hate to throw away good fabric!  Here is a post I wrote on how you can use those, if that helps!

For sew and flip you start off with a rectangle the size of your flying goose plus seam allowances.  For example my 6 inch star blocks require a flying goose unit that is 1 1/2 inch tall and 3 inches wide.  When I add 1/4 inch all around for seam allowances I see that I need a starting size of 2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  Since my triangles will be the dark fabric, I will cut the rectangles for the geese out of my background.  For the triangles you will cut squares equal to the height of your goose rectangle...2 inches.  You will need two squares for each goose.   (Ok, that word is starting to sound really weird...goose, goose, goose)

You will need to mark a diagonal line on the back of all your squares.  You can use a pencil and draw a line or you can fold them in half and gently finger press a diagonal line.  You could even be like me and live dangerously and eyeball it (my personal rule of thumb is that this only works for squares under 2 1/2 inches). If you have one of these nifty Angler 2 tools you could use that as well! I have one, but don't know where I put it at the moment.

Pace one square on one end of your rectangle right sided together and edges matching.  Sew on your diagonal line.

 Fold your square back to make sure everything lines up, then trim away the extra fabric on the back 1/4 inch from your sewing line.  Press toward triangle.

Repeat using another square on the other end of your rectangle, making sure that your stitching crosses over at the middle of your rectangle.  (If you sew it the wrong way you end up with a funny chevron type of unit that will not work!)

Sew -

Trim -

 Press -

And there you have a perfect Flying Goose block!

I saved four of the cut off corners for this size block and sewed them together.  They ended up being enough to make a 1/2 inch finished block half square triangle block (1 inch before sewing).  I used them in one of my mini blocks in the center of the stars and decided they were small enough to throw away guilt free.  I have decided that I can't save everything and if it's smaller than 2 inches square it can go away without remorse :)

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial - however you decided to make your flying geese, enjoy the process!

Sensational Selvage Slip Cover for Sewing Chair!

Yes, I do have to say it - the slipcover I made for my sewing chair really is sensational!

Thanks to my friend Candy I took a day and just did some sewing for me!  (Though I think she was encouraging me to work on my Dear Jane quilt - oh, well!)  I walked into my sewing room and said to myself  "What would I like to work on today?"  My eyes landed right on my sad looking, torn rolling chair and I knew it was time to make that slipcover for it.

I upended a container of selvages looking for enough long ones and pulled out a nice selection of strips.  Then I had to dig through my closet to find the heavy weight muslin I had left from another project.  Once I found that I measured the seat and cut out a square of fabric that was about 10 inches longer and wider than the top of the seat and started covering it with selvages.  When I was finished I decided that it would be easiest to complete if I lined it with another fabric.  I had some nice white denim in my tote bag bin, so decided to use that.  First I rounded the corners of the pieced selvage section.  Then I laid this right sides together with the denim and cut it out to match.  

I sewed them together with a 1/3 inch seam allowance, leaving a gap for turning.  I turned it right side out, then sewed a seam 1/2 inch from the edge to make a casing for the elastic.  For my elastic I used a nice round elastic that I had removed from the bottom hem of one of my husbands coats (he dislikes those and I get to cut it out and use it for my creations!!)  After feeding the elastic through the casing, I used one of the cordlocks from the coat to hold the ends so I can adjust it - double bonus!  I also stitched up most of the opening from turning it, just leaving a small area for the elastic to come out and go through the cordlock.  I added a scrap of fabric to fasten the ends of the elastic together so they can't accidentally get pulled back through the casing.  I should have rounded the front corners just a bit more, they are a little bulky, but it's not a big enough problem that I'm worried about it.

I did the top section the same way, but made a pattern to cut out the cover instead of just eyeballing it.  I traced around the top cushion, then added 4 inches all the way around.  After cutting out my top and backing I put it together the same way I put the bottom together, and it fits perfectly!  I'm really glad I took the extra care and time to make a pattern for this and make it look nice - especially because the back of the seat is visible.  I'm so pleased with this project!

Hope your Saturday was good and you took a little time to do something to please yourself!

Joan's Vintage Butterfly Tutorial

Hello!  I'm glad you came over to see how to make my Joan's Vintage Butterfly block!  My name is Pamela and I found this unique block in a quilt that was brought to me for repair.  I shared it on my Facebook Page and the quilters there requested a pattern.  I shared it in my pattern store on Craftsy and that is most likely why you are here!  Before we get to the tutorial, I'll just share a bit more about myself (since you are a captive audience....)  I have been sewing since I can remember, and caught the quilting bug in 1986 before I had my fourth daughter.  Being a mom of 4 children under the age of 5, quilting really became a sanity saver for me - it really seemed like the only thing I did that would stay done!  I am pretty much a self-taught quilter, so if you don't have access to local teachers and classes, just go to your local library!  (Or the internet - lots of great info there!)

I started working at a local quilt shop about 10 years ago and my wonderful boss encouraged me to start writing patterns.  I love it!  I am a bit on the shy side, so this really works well for me.

I would love it if you would take a minute and follow my blog.  You can follow through google, or on bloglovin, or feedspot.  I also have a newsletter, and most months you will find a free block pattern through there.

I've been thinking of adding a step by step tutorial for this butterfly pattern I have on Craftsy for a while, and since they promoted it on the Free Friday feature this week, I think the time is right!

 There were a few comments about my color choices, so this time I'm going with batiks!  I always say that you can't do an ugly quilt with batiks, so I think I'm pretty safe in saying that this version should be more appreciated than the original.  (Though I like it as well - Amy Butler is a good choice, IMHO!)

The first thing I did was to choose my fabrics.

 I picked a soft blue for the background, a dark purple for the body and a gorgeous purple with a fun design for the wings.  I thought about choosing a third purple for the accent, but ended up going with a bright orange!  I think it will really pop those purples and make them glow.

Next I cut out my printed pattern pieces.  Sorry, but templates is the only way to get this block made.  I like to add an arrow to indicate the grain line so my block will be nice and straight without bias edges.

G and K are the wing sections.   Fold your fabric right sides together and you can cut two of each at the same time.  The wing accent is I, cut it the same way.  For the body, cut 1 of piece H.  For the background, fold your fabric right sides together and cut BCDJ and E.  Then from one layer of fabric cut one more E and F.

There are a few ways you can cut out the pattern pieces.

  You will definitely want to use scissors for the curved pieces, but for the straight edge pieces you can use a rotary cutter.  You will need a small ruler, and pins generally don't help because they get in the way of letting your ruler sit flat on the fabric.  The biggest problem with this method is that your pattern piece will try to slide around.  A little piece of double stick tape will solve this issue.  Just line your quarter inch mark on the seam line and cut all around each piece.

You can also just pin your pieces on and use scissors to cut around the templates.  You do have to be careful, but the pieces are small so it isn't too hard to get nice straight lines.

The third way is to trace around your templates, then cut the fabric using the lines as your guide.  If you follow this method, be sure to cut to the inside of the drawn line so you don't make your seam allowance too fat.

 If you plan to use this method, print your templates on card stock to make nice sturdy pieces that are easier to draw around. If you want to make enough blocks for a whole quilt, you will want to trace your pieces onto template plastic for the most durable pieces.

Now we are ready for sewing the block!  When I'm piecing I like to use Aurifil thread and a number 12 needle.  Time to tackle the trickiest part - that curved seam.We will get that out of the way first.

 (You may want to cut a couple practice pieces to try this out on before you work on your "real" block!)  

 I like to start with a pin in both corners 1/4 inch from the edge.

 I prefer to sew with the the wing section on the top.  Because it is an s curve there is really no better way of doing it.  Select a small stitch length and take your time.  Use one hand to bring the bottom layer where you need it and one hand to guide the top layer.  Try not to pull too hard or you will end up stretching your fabric.

 If you get to the end and one part doesn't look right, just take out your stitches and resew it with the other side on the top, it can really help. I had to resew one side, and in the end it was still a bit off, but I don't think it's going to be too bad, so am just going to keep it.

You can try clipping your seam allowances by about 1/8 inch every 1/2 inch and that can help too.  Press the seam as you please, it doesn't seem to matter in the finished block so whatever you like best on this one.

Next, add piece B to the top of the wings.  Press this seam away from the wing.

Next add peice C to the top and D to the bottom of the wing. Press both seams away from the wing.

 Add one of the E pieces to the top of one wing section (make sure you have it the right way, the three sides are not perfectly equal!)

Right way to sew the lower wing unit!

This is the wrong way:

Wrong way to sew lower wing unit!  The top should be a straight line!

Sew an I piece to the top of each G piece, making sure you sew the correct ones together!

 Then add an E piece to the bottom outside edge of each one.  Press seams away from G.  Sew one of these to each side of piece H, stopping 1/4 from the bottom end and backstitching (this is a variation of  a Y seam with 4 seams intersecting).

See the gap?  This needs to be restitched!

Your two seams should meet (or pretty close to!)

Here is how it should look on the outside.

Now add piece F to fill in that empty spot.  Stitch from the outside edge right to the end of the seam - it's easier to do if you keep the wing section on the top.

Then flip it over and stitch to the other wing section with F on the top.

Make sure the other layers are lining up like they should so you don't catch a pleat of fabric in the seam.

Stitch from the outside edge and stop at the end of the stitched seam at the corner.

It lines up nicely on the back...

And look at that nice point on the front!

Press seams toward background and wings.

 Now to sew the three pieces together!  Just add the wing section without the extra E piece first, there are two seams to match.

Peek at your seams to see if they match!

 You can pin them, or do as I do and just fold back the top and go for it!

Then the final wing section to complete the block - three seams to match on this one, but it's not hard to line them up.  Press seams, admire!

  Repeat if desired or save it for a butterfly sampler - I'll be adding some new patterns soon.  I hope this helps you sew your Joan's Vintage Butterfly Block.  If you sew one up, add it to your projects on Craftsy and link it to my pattern - I'd love to see how yours comes out!

Here are some instructions for those that are having difficulty with downloading the templates from Craftsy - From the pattern page, click the link to add to your cart. (Don't worry - this is a free pattern and you won't have to pay anything, but you do have to add it to your cart to go through the process of getting it into your library!) Once it is in your cart you have to click the link to add it to your library - you'll see this button under your total, which should be 0.00. Once you have done that you click the link to go to your pattern library -it is a small link in a sentence that says: You can download all of your purchased Patterns immediately from your My Patterns page. Click on the red words (on your craftsy page, not here!) When you get there you will see the pictures of the patterns you have and if you hover over the picture of the pattern you will see that you can click to download the pattern. I think a lot of people are getting confused with the process because you don't see the download button until your cursor hovers over the picture! Hope this helps! Also, some people seem to get a message that it is a malicious website. This may be a browser or virus protection issue. I know that I spend a lot of time all over craftsy and have never encountered any problems.


If you make a block using this pattern, please send me a picture of your project! I would love to share some of these on my blog. You can e-mail them to me at:  pamelaquilts@gmail.com.