Lucky Clover- free quilt pattern

I thought to make a clover design to help you welcome spring.  And to send you some good luck! And because I love everything green!

Here is a free clover quilt pattern for you.

I included three sizes of the design.

• 6'' coaster
• 4'' x 6'' postcard 
• 14'' block that you could use for a mini quilt, or a pilow or a table runner.

Here are my coaster and postcard- detailed instructions for sewing these are included in the pattern.

I think choosing a polka dot fabric was a great choice. The interfacing is heavyweight Decovil.

I even have a variegated green thread in my toolbox!

It is a really quick project. And FUN too.

And this is the postcard. On the back there is a nice piece of cardstock for a sweet message!

I am linking to Finish it up Friday.

Quick Pillow Cover Tutorial

We all sew pillow covers, right? Maybe it's not as exciting as sewing a new quilt, but from time to time we have to sew ordinary things.

So I thought to share with you a very quick pillow cover tutorial.  
So let's make this experience an extraordinary one!

Pillow insert size: 16'' x 16''
Pillow cover size: approx 15'' x 15'' (I like to make the cover a little smaller than the insert).

Fabric needed
For one pillow cover you need half yard of fabric (44'' wide).

For my pillow I used flannel, but you could use any type of fabric.

Flannel frays a lot but with this technique, this is not an impediment at all.

Pre-wash fabric
Also, pre-wash your fabric. Flannel is notorious for shrinking when washed.

Let's start!

Cut from your fabric a 16 1/2'' x 40'' piece.

Hem the short edges

Turn the edge over .5'' and press; turn again other .5'' and press then sew.

Lay the fabric wrong side up.
Fold 10'' of fabric as shown below.

Fold the other end so that the piece measures 15''.
Keep all the raw edges aligned.

Note how the edges overlap for a few inches - this will be the envelope closure. 

Sew along the sides, 1/4'' away from the edge (see the red marking). Backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam.

Trim off the seam allowance close to the seam  (make sure you don't cut the seam).

Turn the piece wrong side out.

Sew again 3/8'' away from the edge so that the seam allowances on the right side are enclosed into the seam.

Turn the piece right side out and check that all the seam allowances are hidden into the second seam. In case some raw edges are still visible, redo the stitching on the wrong side, sewing 1/8'' away from the previous stitching.

This seam is called FRENCH seam! You could use it for clothing, home decor items or bags (here is how I use it to sew shopping bags).

OPTIONAL
If you want a more secure closure, you could sew a piece a Velcro as shown (I don't find it necessary).

10 minutes later you will have this beautiful pillow cover.
There is not any raw edge exposed and you could safely wash it again and again.

With such a huge variety of flannel available, you could sew a bunch in no time!

You can easily modify these measurements to make covers to fit inserts of any size.

Here is how:
Insert: height x length
Cut fabric: (height of insert+.5'') x (2 x length of insert+8'')
If you are short on fabric, that "8 inches" could be substituted with "6 inches''.

For me, this technique makes sewing pillow covers FUN! It's not a boring task anymore!
I hope you will give it a try!

Happy sewing,
Geta
I am linking to Finish it up Friday.

Free Heart Pattern for Quilts, Coasters, Placemats

Hello friends!

I noticed you love heart designs and patterns!
And I thought to make a new design for you - but for a smaller and faster project. You could use this design for quilts, pillows, placemats or coasters.

I made two coasters- this is such a SWEET project! 

The coasters measure 7''.

They require 8'' x 8'' pieces of fabric, fusible web (for the appliques) and heavyweight interfacing.

Have you noticed how useful a good, heavyweight interfacing is? Like Peltex, Fast2Fuse, even Decovil (this one is only one side fusible)?

Here is the applique process -  quick and easy!

And here is the finished coaster.

I thought this is a perfect project for Valentine's Day!

I hope you like this design; if you use it, please share a picture of your project with us!

Related:

Happy Heart Quilt Pattern
Love Letters Quilt Patterns

Card holder tutorial

If you need a "last-minute" gift, here is a fun, quick and easy little project - a card holder that everyone needs.

Here is what you need: 2 pieces of fabric and one piece of fusible web (Wonder Under, Vliesofix/Bondaweb, Heat and Bond, Steam a Seam).
All pieces must measure 4'' x 9 1/4''.

Place the fusible web, rough side down, on the wrong side of one of the fabrics.
Press according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Let it cool then remove the paper backing.

Then place the other fabric, wrong side down, on the sticky side of first fabric piece and press. Then adjust the size of the piece to 3 3/4'' x 9'' (if you have a pinking blade, use it!).

From the short edges cut out two semi-circles. (I used a large spool of thread to draw the semi-circle, you could use a coin as well). 

Zig zag the short edges (I lost my patience at this step, I think it's not the end of the world if you let the edges unfinished; but a finished edge makes the piece more durable).

Fold the piece in half to find the center; finger press the fold.

Then bring the short edges toward the center and fold as shown. Stitch close to the top and bottom edges, then zig zag those edges (this step is easier because there are 2 (actually - 4) layers of fabric).

If you used a pinking blade, the edges don't need zig zag finishing.

The last step: keep the piece folded and stitch through all layers, close to the fold.

 

Ready to be gifted!

This post is the last in the series
"5 Quick Gifts to sew for Christmas".
See all the posts here.

Happy sewing,
Geta

Flower Box Tutorial

With so many beautiful fabrics and heavyweight interfacing available, sewing pretty (and sturdy, long-lasting) boxes is so easy.  The technique is very easy and once you learn it,  it's easy to design your own boxes, in the desired shape and size.

Here is what you need for a square flower box.

• heavyweight interfacing -  single or double side fusible interfacing: Fast2Fuse, Peltex; my favorite interfacing for boxes is Vilene S520 (Pellon Deco Fuse is a similar product), it's one side fusible.
• scraps of fabric
• Jeans/Denim Needle #90/14
• glue stick

Download the pattern and prepare the templates; the base is a 5'' square, you don't need a template for it; if you want to fussy cut motifs for the sides and petals, then make transparent templates for them.

I used different fabrics for the inside and outside of the box.

Cut out the following pieces:
- for the base: 1 x interfacing; 2 x fabric
- for sides: 4 x interfacing; 4 x inside fabric; 4 x outside fabric (fussy cut)
- for petals: 4 x interfacing; 4 x front of petals (fussy cut); 4 x back of petals.

Following the manufacturer's instructions, fuse the fabric to both sides of all the interfacing pieces.
If your interfacing is not fusible on both sides, here is how to use it: first fuse the fabric to the fusible side. Then attach the fabric to the non-fusible side with glue (I used a glue stick and I added it along the sides).

Zig-zag each  piece along  all the edges; use a wide and tight stitch.
You could use matching or contrasting thread or variegated thread.

Now you have to attach the petals (with the fussy cut side up) to the sides (with the plain side up).

Place the two pieces next to each other under the presser foot. Do not overlap the edges.

Join the pieces with  a tight and widest zig zag stitch and be sure you catch both edges.

It's a little difficult to start stitching exactly from the corner so start 1/4'' ahead  corners, take 2 stitches then stitch back until you reach the corners; continue stitching; backstitch at the start and end of each seam.

Here is how the pieces should look like.

repeat and attach all the petals to sides.

In the same way attach the sides to the base.

This will be the exterior of the box

This will be the interior of the box

We will shape the box by stitching two adjacent edges together (see the picture above).

Keep the piece with the inside up (like in the photo above); fold the piece in half as shown, keeping all the edges aligned; stitch the 2 adjacent edges together (see the green arrow) using a zig zag stitch (the widest possible and 1mm long). Do not catch the petal in the stitching. Backstitch at the beginning  and end of the seam.

The first two sides joined; the stitching is done on the outside.

The stitching is almost invisible inside.

In the same way join the next two adjacent edges together.

And continue with the other edges.

Here is the finished box.

Finger-press the stitching done on the base, from the outside, to give the box a nice shape.

Also, finger press the stitching at the top of the box and guide the petals toward the exterior.

Do you want a closed box? Finger press and guide the petals toward the center!

Why should we limit to a square box?
The hexagonal box is stitched the same way.

It's really cute!

And here is an octagonal one.

The square and hexagonal boxes are the easiest to sew.

Happy sewing!
Geta

Related post:  Tips for quick and easy fussy cutting

This post is the third in the series
"5 Quick Gifts to sew for Christmas".
See all the posts here.

Happy sewing,
Geta

I am linking to "Made by You Monday".