A Hip Holiday Patchwork Pillow { Tutorial & GIVEAWAY } : :

Good morning! Today I'm sharing my most recent patchwork pillow makings, this time for a Quilted Patchwork Pillow project I designed for ThermoWeb using HeatnBond Fusible Fleece and Josephine Kimberling's holiday collection, Hip Holiday for Blend Fabrics!



These fabrics are so cute!! This "Tree Shopping" print is my most favorite!



A few weeks ago when I had shared my Chicopee Patchwork pillows, many of you especially over on my Facebook page, had asked for a tutorial. Remeber these?







So.. I teamed up with ThermoWeb and Blend Fabrics to put together a tutorial to share as quickly as I could, along with a Giveaway right here for a sample of the HeatnBond High Loft Fusible Fleece I used to make these cozy, quilted pillows!



I hope you like this super quick & easy pillow project! It takes only eight 6" charm squares to make the pillow front, plus the backing and binding fabrics, and when you finish you'll have a snazzy, new pillow!







You can find the FREE pattern available on the ThermoWeb blog tomorrow, I'll add the link for you here once it's posted!



Today, you can enter to win a one yard sample package of the HeatnBond Fusible Fleece by leaving me a comment! I'd love to read what you're working on these days? I'm working on a Marvel Comic quilt that I need to finish up before Christmas, yikes!  

Anyone else scrambling to finish up handmade gifts???  ♥  Maureen  

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Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway!!

From 204 entries, Mr. Random says the lucky winner is... 

Comment #12 --   * Vickie *
   

Congratulations! I will be in touch shortly! 

A Herringbone Quilt Tutorial : :

This project tutorial is a Quilt-As-You-Go style quilt, made with long panels rather than traditional "blocks". We'll be using cotton batting as our foundation for easy string quilt piecing, making this the perfect project to use up those fabric strip scraps. I think you'll be very surprised with just how simple and quickly this quilt comes together. This is definitely one of my new, most favorite styles of quilting!

Fabric and Materials Required : :

• a variety of fabrics cut into 2.5" x  14.5" ( I used all Anna Maria Horner fabrics from several of her collections. Using around 210 strips for all of my panels + extra for my scrappy binding)
• 8 -- panels of 100% cotton batting measuring 8" x 64"
• thread & sewing pins
• fabrics for the quilt backing and binding
• rotary cutter/large cutting mat/ruler set
• pencil or pen for marking

* Notes * 

• Synthetic batting is NOT suggested, I only use a 100% cotton natural batting. It is important to be able to press the batting with a hot iron and steam. For those of you in countries other than the U.S, please make sure you use a 100% cotton needle punched batting (a reader in India pointed this out to me).
• Use a Low-loft batting. The #1 question I receive about QAYG is folks wanting to know if the seams are bulky. My answer is NO, not to a noticeable degree. I absolutely wouldn't spend my sewing time making a quilt that was poorly constructed or that wasn't comfortable!
• Quilt panels can be made in any size! The measurements I'm sharing for this tutorial makes a 62" square finished quilt. Please feel free to adjust that to your own desired length and width. I plan to make my next one much bigger!!
• This method does not include the quilt backing fabric. I like to add my quilt backing at the end, to avoid hand-sewing, which is really hard on my hands. 

Now, let's get started!! 

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Making the Batting Panels  : :

1. To make the batting panels for the foundation string piecing, cut 8 - batting strips measuring 8" x 64".



2. Place one batting panel on the cutting mat at a time, matching one of the long edges to the diagonal grid on the mat, with the fuzzier side up. (the batting I use, Nature's Touch, has a noticeable softer side. This is the side I consider the front side)



3. Keeping the batting at a diagonal, use the ruler and square grid on the mat to mark lines every two inches or so going across the batting panel. I did this for the first 10" - 14" to help keep the proper angel when adding my first several fabric strings. Once those first fabrics are added, you'll keep that angel naturally as you piece



4. Repeat this step making sure you mark FOUR batting panels with lines running one way, and FOUR with lines marked in the opposite direction. This will create the herringbone pattern once the fabric strings are added and the panels are sewn together



Adding the Fabric Strings : :

5.  Prepare the fabric strings by cutting fabrics into 2.5" strips. For this quilt I used approximately 210 strips measuring 2.5" x 14.5" with a few measuring a little less in length for the beginning and end of my panels where that much length isn't necessary

 
6. Using that first mark as your guide, begin by sewing that first fabric right side down onto the batting, using a 1/4" seam allowance along the raw edge. Since you're sewing the fabrics to the batting as your foundation, you'll be permanently setting the fabric strings in place.



7. Fold over the fabric strip and either press with iron or you can simply smooth it down flat with your hand. The fabrics stick nicely to the batting, so I was comfortable carefully folding over the fabric strings, smoothing them as I went. Continue adding fabric strings, placing each new fabric string on top of the other, with right sides facing, matching up the raw edges. Attach with 1/4" seam, fold over, and continue to press or smooth each new fabric added





8. When finished with a panel, press both sides well. Use a mat, ruler, and rotary cutter to trim away the overhang of fabric from each side of the panels and square up if needed. Repeat until all 8 panels are finished.





Sewing Panels Together : :

9. Take two panels with strings pieced in opposite directions and place them right sides together. Use sewing pins to secure their place and sew along one side keeping a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat this with the remaining panels to create FOUR herringbone fabric panels



10. Press the seams on the back open and the front side of each panel well

Add Quilting Stitches : :

11. Now that your FOUR herringbone panels are finished, use a thread of your choice to add quilting stitches every few strings, pivoting at the center of each herringbone panel to form a "V" shaped stitch line. Continue this down the length of each panel





Sewing the Herringbone Panels Together : :

12. Using a 1/4" seam, sew all FOUR herringbone panels together



13. Press all seams open and the quilt top front, as well. If needed, square up the quilted quilt top. After squaring, my quilt top measured approximately a 62" square




Quilt Backing, Basting, & Binding : :

14. Piece together fabrics for the quilt back to measure at least 2" bigger than the quilt top on all sides and baste it to the quilted quilt front.  I use Therm O Web's SpraynBond basting spray for this, however pin basting works



15. Working your way down from the top of the quilt to the bottom, with a quilt stitch length set at a 2.5 or more if you prefer, simply sew about 1/4" from the seam lines (when adding this stitching it IS recommended that you do use a Walking Foot). Continue this on both sides of each seam running from the top of the quilt to the bottom.





Below shows a close up look of what these stitches will look like from both the front and the back side of the quilt





16. Bind the quilt using your preferred method, any leftover 2.5" strips makes for some fabulous scrappy binding!



Voila! Your Herringbone Quilt is finished!!









Thank you so much for stopping by today and for all the love you've already shown this quilt here, on Instagram, on Facebook, and on Flickr! I really hope you enjoy this tutorial!

Do you think you'll give it a try? 

If you do, please be sure to share on my Facebook page or in my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Flickr group!   

♥   Maureen

A Quilted Chevron Tote Bag Tutorial : :

Today I'm sharing my tutorial for a Quilted Chevron Tote bag, originally created for the Riley Blake Design Team, using very simple instructions, and Riley Blake's Chevron fabric collection. This step by step tutorial is for making a casual and useful tote bag, however you can take this method of tote bag making and go crazy with your own ideas, just by adding a few steps. You can see a fun example of that at the end of this post. If you have any questions please leave a comment or feel free to email me at maureencracknell@hotmail.com. Now let's get started!!  

What you'll need : :

• 2 - pieces of chevron fabric measuring 16" x 18" for the outer bag sides
• 2 - pieces of chevron fabric measuring 16" x 18" for the inner bag lining
• 2 - pieces of solid fabric measuring 4" x 18" for the bottom of the outer bag sides
• 2 - pieces of solid fabric measuring 4" x 18" for the bottom of the inner bag lining
• 2 - pieces of solid fabric measuring 9" x 36" for the bag handles
• 1 - piece of batting measuring at least 20" x 22"
• coordinating thread
• Sewing pins and basting pins
• Sharp scissors and/or a rotary cutter/mat set  

Sewing and quilting the outer tote bag piece : :

1. With right sides facing, place the solid fabric on the chevron print 2. Pin in place 3. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew fabrics together 4. Press with iron so seams are facing down 5. Lay the pieced bag front on to the piece of batting 6. Get the basting pins ready

7. Pin together fabric and batting, carefully so the pins are in the colored chevron stripe, leaving room for quilting on the white 8. With a straight, even stitch, sew in the center of the white chevron stripe to create your quilting 9. Use a straight edge and rotary cutter to trim away excess batting

The first finished quilted chevron tote bag piece should look like this. Repeat the steps above to create the second side of the tote bag.

10. Place both pieces of the quilted chevron tote bag right sides together 11. Pin in place 12. Using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew around the three outside edges of the tote bag pieces, leaving the top side open 13. Zig zag stitch again around the outside edges of those three sides

14. To form the tote bag sides and bottom, square off the corners of the pieced tote bag front. First, form a triangle at the corner edge 15. Mark a sewing line 3.5" from the corner point 16. Sew on that line, first with your straight stitch and then with a zig zag stitch 17. Trim away the corner just to the outer edge of that seam

The finished outer quilted tote bag piece should look like this, after corners are squared off. Turn right side out.

Sewing together the lining : :

18. Sew together the Chevron lining fabric and solid lining fabric pieces 19. Sew the sides and bottom of the lining fabric pieces together first using a straight seam and then a zig zag stitch, (just as we did for the outer tote bag pieces) 20. Repeat steps to square off corners, to create the lining sides and bottom

21. Place the outer quilted tote bag piece inside of the lining piece 22. Match up the tote bag opening edges

Sewing the tote bag straps : :

23. Fold in one edge of the strap piece of fabric a 1/2", press with iron 24. Fold 1/2" again, press 25. Turn strap piece and fold in 2.5", press 26. Fold again matching up the edges, press well, and pin in place 27. Sew along both edges of the strap, removing pins as you go

The finished tote bag straps should like these.

Sewing in the straps and finishing : :

28. Mark for the straps, 3.5" in from each side 29. Place the straps in between the outer tote bag piece and the lining piece at each mark 30. Pin in place 31. Mark a line a few inches long for an opening to leave to turn out the bag 32. Sew around the edge, attaching the straps, leaving an opening for turning the tote bag out

33. Turn out the tote bag 34. Turn in the edges of the opening and pin closed 35. Sew opening closed and continue around the entire outer edge of the tote bag

Voila! Your Simple Quilted Chevron Tote Bag is finished!!

You can see here that I used more of those great Riley Blake Chevron fabrics to create a quilt block for the front of a second Quilted Chevron Tote Bag. I like the soft and easy bag this created, perfect for shopping, the beach, and for washing after much use! You can get very creative using this method of tote bag making. You can swap out the batting for interfacing, to create a sturdier bag, add pockets, appliques, magnetic closures for a fancier version.

If you do give this tutorial a go at anytime, be sure to share on my Facebook page or in my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Flickr group!

Happy Monday, everyone!!
♥,  Maureen 

p.s. Don't forget to enter my weekend Giveaway with Stash Fabrics right here, if you haven't already! The winner will be announced tomorrow!