A Quilted House Pillow Tutorial : :

I first have to mention that from all those helpful comments you all left yesterday and my own stubbornness to try to fix things as quickly as possible when they're just not working, I believe I solved my Shelburne Falls dilemma! And, I now have a new quilt layout that I am very happy with. Thank you! I shared a quick shot on my Instagram so you can see the simple change I made that I think did the trick!

Today, in between lots tutorial writing & computer work, I plan to piece my staggering Shelburne Falls & Pure Element strips together with hopes for a quilt finish to share next week! Speaking of tutorials, I also thought today would be the perfect day to share my Quilted House Pillow Tutorial right here. I created this as part of the Riley Blake Design Team and had shared it on their blog on a pretty busy week. It's definitely my most favorite project that I have put together for RBD! With another busy year of tutorial projects beginning in the Fall, I like to make certain I share these project once more, right here, just in case you missed any of them. Here you go, enjoy!



Thanks for checking out my newest RBD Design Team Project! This time I'm sharing a quilted and very sweet house pillow, using prints from the Little Red Riding Hood Fabric collection and a couple RBD Basic Solids. This tutorial combines some basic quilting, simple & fun patchwork, raw-edge applique, with a few special embellishments that you can really have some fun with!



Now let's get started!!

What you'll need : :

• 1 - 3/4 yd cut of Little Red Riding Hood Little Main print in Red
• 4 - fat quarters prints from the Little Red Riding Hood Collection
• 1 - Fat Quarter cut of solid fabric for the house pillow front, I used the RBD Basic Gray
• 1 - Fat Quarter cut of white solid fabric for the windows
• 1 - piece of batting measuring at least a 15.5" square 
• 1 - piece of batting measuring at least 10"x16"
• iron-on fusible interfacing, such as HeatnBond lite
• sewing pins or basting spray
• rotary cutter/mat/ruler
• 1 - size 14" pillow insert
• house pillow embellishments -- buttons, ric rac, ribbon, embroidery floss, etc.

You can still find the Little Red Riding Hood collection available in these shop!

*  Cotton Blossom Farms  *  Stash Fabrics  *  Fabric Shoppe  *  Bloomerie Fabrics  *  Skye Reve Fabrics  *  Fat Quarter Shop  *  Fabric Fly  *

Cutting : :

1. Using a cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter, cut a piece from the fat quarter of fabric you choose for the main house pillow front measuring 12.5"x14.5"  2. from the Little Ride Hooding prints, cut 8 - measuring 3"x4". I fussy cut some of these to showoff the adorable design of the main print in this collection




Piecing the Pillow Front : : 

3. using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the side patchwork pieces together in the order chosen for both sides of the main house pillow solid fabric, press seams open  4. lay these patchwork panels, right sides down, along both long sides of the main house pillow solid fabric, pin in place, and sew to attach using a 1/4" seam allowance. Press these seams open, as well





Quilting the Pillow Front : : 

5.  Using either pins or basting spray, baste the pillow front to the piece of batting measuring at least a 15.5" square



6. begin to add the quilting stitches, first by sewing a 1/4" on both sides of the pillow front seams where the main house solid fabric and patchwork panels were sewn together



7. continue adding the quilting stitches through the center of the pillow front, keeping a space of about a 1/2" between each. I simply use my presser foot as my guide



8. use the rotary cutter/ruler/mat set to trim the quilted pillow front to be a 14.5" square



Adding the House Appliques : : 

9. for the house door cut a piece measuring 3"x7". For the windows cut 3 - measuring 2.5"x3" from the white fabric. For the shutters cut 4 - 3"x4". Have the embellishment supplies ready for adding. I chose ric rac, a button for the door knob, threads, and floss



10. follow interfacing directions and attach to door and window fabrics



11. to create the shutter, fold each piece in half with right sides facing and sew along both side edges using a scant 1'4" seam. Clip corners, turn out, and press well. Using a contrasting thread, top stitch around each shutter



12. layout the prepared applique pieces and embellishments onto the house pillow design. Press with hot iron to adhere the door and window pieces. If needed, use pins to set any other pieces in place



13. using either an applique or zig zag stitch on your sewing machine, stitch around each of the windows and door to attach them permanently




Adding the House Details : :  

14.  it's time to add those little details -- use black thread to add machine stitched details to the windows, hand sew on the button doorknob, add hand-stitching with floss, etc. This is the part where you can really have some fun and make this your own!!



Making the House Pillow Roof : :  

15. cut from one fat quarter a piece of fabric measuring 10"x16" and layer onto a batting piece that same size  16.  again add quilting stitches about 1/2" apart. For this I start in the very center and work my way out on both sides of that first stitched line, using my presser foot again as my guide



17. cut roof piece to size by first triming this quilted piece to measure a 9"x15" rectangle.  Mark a point at the very top center of this piece, using your rotary cutter/ruler/mat set, set ruler from this point traveling down to 2" up from the bottom and trim away corner. Repeat for the other side, as well

 

18.  cut a piece from the main Little Red Riding Hood fabric the same size as the quilted roof piece. With right sides together, sew 1/4" seam along the pointed sides of the roof and then again with a zig zag stitch



19. Trim away the top corner of the roof, turn right side out, and press well  20. Add a top stitch staying very close to the outside edge of this roof piece





Adding the House Pillow Roof : :  

21. place quilted roof piece right side facing, along the top of the house pillow front. Pin and sew using a 1/4" seam allowance   22. to prepare for adding the pillow back fabrics, use pins to make sure the roof sides are out of the way



Finishing the House Pillow : :  

23. from the main Little Red Riding Hood fabric, cut 2 -- 12 x 14.5" pieces for the pillow back fabric. Hem one long side of each piece by folding edge over 1/4", press, fold 1/4" again, press again, and sew along the inner and outer edge of that fold. Repeat for both pieces. Remember that these are directional printed fabrics, so make sure you hem the right side  24. place with rights sides facing onto the house pillow front and pin in place all the way around



25. keeping a 1/4" to a 1/2" seam, sew all the way around the pillow. Using a zig zag stitch, sew all the way around again, to reinforance the pillow sides



26. clip corner, turn pillow out, remove any pins used to pin the roof sides in, and press. Add two rows of top stitching to the very top of the house pillow, just below the roof, to give it a little bit of extra sturdiness



Fill with your pillow insert and Voila! Your Little Red Riding Hood Quilted House Pillow is finished!!!



I hope you enjoy this new tutorial!! If you do give this project a go, please feel free to share on the Riley Blake Facebook page, my Facebook page or in my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Flickr group, as well!

♥  Maureen

A Patchwork & Laminate Picnic Quilt Tutorial : :

With Summer fast approaching, today I thought I'd share my tutorial for a Hand-tied Patchwork & Laminate Picnic Quilt using a simple patchwork for the quilt top and a Yellow Chevron Laminate Fabric for the back. This tutorial was originally created for the RBD blog as part of the Design Team, using their adorable Seaside Collection, which is a little hard to come by now. You can substitute with any collection of quality cotton fabrics. 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 : :

• 24 - fabric squares measuring 11.5"
• 2 - fabric cuts measuring 4.5" x 44"
• 2 - yards of Laminate Fabric
• 1 - skein of matching floss or twine (source) for hand-tying
• white thread
• Sewing pins (use the smallest gauge pins you can find, to avoid holes in the laminate)
• Sharp scissors and/or a rotary cutter/mat set   

Sewing the Seaside Quilt Top : :

1. pin two 11.5" squares together with right sides facing, securing with a couple of pins on one side 2. repeat with all 24 squares until you have a stack of 12

3. sew squares together on one side, keeping a 1/4" seam allowance, removing pins as you go 4. snip connecting threads with scissors to separate, press the seams open

5. pin two of your panel of two squares together with right sides facing, securing with a couple of pins on one side 6. repeat with all 12 panels of two until you have 6 panels of 4 squares, press as you go

7. repeat by sewing your panels of 4 squares together to make 3 panels of 8 squares, then continue to sew the quilt top together until all 24 squares are sewn together (the finished quilt top will be 4 squares wide, 6 squares long)

8. press seams open 9. add one border strip of fabric measuring 4.5" x 44" to both ends

Sewing the Quilt Top to the Chevron Laminate : :

10. with right sides facing, pin the finished quilt top to the piece of laminate fabric staying close to the outer edges. Sew the top piece to the back with a 1/2-inch seam allowance around all four sides, removing pins as you go, and be sure to leave a 10-inch gap at the bottom edge. Back stitch at the beginning and end of this seam. This opening is for turning out the quilt

11. snip off the corners and turn the blanket right sides out making sure to poke the corners out. 12. Press the quilt well on the patchwork side to smooth out wrinkles and pin along all four edges, pinning the opening closed. Top stitch around the entire blanket a 1/4" from the outer edge, back stitching at the beginning and end of the seam

* NOTE * When you top stitch, have the laminate side facing up, to avoid sticking.

This finished quilt will measure 42" x 72", of course you can make it larger!

Hand Tying the Quilt : :

13. Use a length of twine or floss measuring 4", thread through a sharp needle (there is no need to knot the end). At each place on the quilt top where fabric are sewn together, push the needle through the quilt top, making sure it goes through both the quilt top and bottom laminate layer of the quilt, bring back up through the top leaving a little stitch. Tie each stitch tightly with a square knot (a square knot is a simple double knot), trim threads to be about an inch in length. Repeat throughout the quilt.

Voila! Your Patchwork & Laminate Picnic Quilt is finished!!

Now you're ready for those fun Summer picnics and trips to the beach!

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoy this tutorial! If you do give this project a go, 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!