Mini Quilt Madness

Have you caught mini quilt madness?  I hear that making mini quilts is addictive.  Can you believe I’ve never really made a mini?  I’ve made my share of small quilts, but it's not quite the same. 
A week or so ago I started a mini from this pattern -

Titch mini quilt pattern

It was a tough choice, but I chose to do Titch #2 which is the top right option on the pattern cover.

First things first – gather all of the 2.5” squares that I wanted to use.  Having them all pre-cut and in a scrap bin sure helped.  (You can read more about how I store these scraps in this blog post.)



It really is a different experience to make such tiny little blocks.  In the pattern she recommends making a tester four patch block.  That’s great advice since everyone’s 1/4” seam is just a bit different, and every thread width makes a difference when you’re working with such small blocks. 



Each of these little four patch blocks measures only 2”!  The pattern has plenty of tips and tricks to help reduce bulk at seam intersections, and how to trim everything to make it accurate. 



Have you made a mini quilt?  This month the Fat Quarter Shop is having a March Minis Challenge. 
All through the month of March, share your mini quilt creations on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and use the tag:  #fqsmarchminis.  For every mini you share, you will be automatically entered to win this fun giveaway of small things from the Fat Quarter Shop.  They’re going to randomly choose a winner on March 31st from all of the entries that use the #fqsmarchminis hashtag so be sure to tag your pics! 




You can watch my progress with my Titch mini over on Instagram and Facebook.  And be sure to check out the #fqsmarchminis hashtag on IG – it’s fun to browse through there and see all of the fun mini quilts!

The Fat Quarter Shop carries a ton of mini quilt patterns and mini charm packs (2.5" squares) - perfect for starting your own March Mini!

Sew Pretty for Little Girls Blog Hop

I recently had the chance to review Alice Caroline’s new book, Sew Pretty for Little Girls.  Just like her pretty shop, this book is filled with Liberty fabric loveliness!



The book is organized into three sections (Blissful Bedrooms, Twirly Girly Garments, Pretty Little Things) and has over 20 different projects.



Now wait- before you go asking what a mom like me (with my two boys) is doing with a book about sewing for girls, let me just tell you that there’s PLENTY of projects in this book that would be easy to boy-ify –- like a child-size quilt, throw pillows, a fun big floor cushion, duvet and pillow set, pencil cases, drawstring bags, and these fun fabric baskets (called the Isabel Basket)!



I think my oldest son could use one of these (without the handles) for all of his charging cables and plugs.  Those things are always a tangled mess on the floor.  I think I’ll use some of this ninja star fabric for the outside of the basket:




And one of these drawstring bags would be great for carrying soccer cleats and a jersey to and from games on Saturday. 



I wanted to give a friend a sweet treat the other day and needed a little something extra to go with it so I made one of the Isabel Baskets -



This is the smaller sized basket (instructions for a larger size are also given) and I left the handles off so she could use it in a drawer as an organizing bin if she chose. 

While I was taking these photos I realized that the larger basket with handles would make a really cute Easter basket!  



You can find Alice’s book here (a signed copy!), or here.  It’s also available as an ebook- no need to pay for shipping!

Here at this post at Stitch Craft Create, you can see the other stops along the blog hop – one every day for the month of March! 

Quick Curve Ruler tutorial

Have you heard of the Quick Curve Ruler?  It’s a pretty fun tool that makes cutting and sewing curves a breeze.  No really! 



I recently wrote a tutorial about the Quick Curve Ruler for the Fabric Mill’s Blog – you can find it here.

 
The tutorial gives you an idea of how the curves are cut (you can use a regular sized rotary cutter!) and pieced (no special presser foot needed!). 

I’ve heard from several people that they own the ruler but have been afraid to try it.  Well, my friends, it’s time!  My advice to you, is to just get the ruler out and make a couple of test blocks.  Don’t be afraid!
 


The pattern I made is called “Urban Runner” and it is included with the ruler.  The pattern is actually written on the back and inside of the ruler’s label.  Making a table runner is a great way to get the hang of the ruler – consider it a warm-up.  By the time I finished the runner I felt like I was confident enough to tackle any of the many other patterns that are written for the QCR (Quick Curve Ruler) and there’s so many!!  There are even some free ones available here. 



Go and check out the tutorial, and you can also find very helpful videos here.  Let me know if you have questions about the ruler, or the tutorial.  Now go and break out that ruler and give it a try!

Rainbow Dash Quilt Top + Fabric Stack Friday

Remember back in January when I talked about this rainbow project?  I'm sharing it again today for my Fabric Stack Friday post - but also because...



I finally have the quilt top done!  The pattern is called Dashing and it’s from the Vintage Vibe book by Amber Johnson (I first talked about the book and pattern here and you can buy your own copy of it here.)  Here is a photo of the top before I added the border-



I finished this top at a quilting retreat with friends in January.  You know the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child”?  Well, it took a whole room full of quilters to help me lay out this quilt top!  I was so grateful for the help, and I love the result. 

I’m not sure you can tell in this photo, but the appliqued little circles go from a light  gray on the top left of the quilt, and grow darker down to the black circles on the bottom right.  I love the effect. 



I used my favorite black and white swiss dot print for the border.  Now I just need to decide how to quilt it.  I have to admit, I’m kind of stumped.  Any suggestions? 

Division Quilt – baby size!

A few weeks ago I spotted these Pam Kitty Garden fabrics at a local shop and I fell in love with their pretty Spring colors.  I need some spring color right about now!



I bought a bit of each of them and started work on a baby sized Division quilt.  I like to get everything set up for chain piecing, turn on a good movie and then just sit and sew for awhile.  So relaxing!



With only 9 blocks, this quilt came together pretty quickly- 

Find the Division quilt pattern here

The tough part is usually deciding on the quilting, and then what to bind it with!



After debating for awhile, I choose to quilt it in some little loops with a few flowers scattered in as well.  And I bound it with the same dot print that I used in the quilt blocks.  Frames it up so nicely!



This quilt is visiting a quilt shop right now as a display along with her big brother – the throw size Division quilt.



You can find the Division pattern for sale as a PDF here, or here.  Paper versions of the pattern available here!

[wholesale patterns available as well - email me for details - abrightcorner (at) gmail (dot) com]

Favorite Pouch Tutorials

I’ve been having fun making a variety of zipper pouches lately and I thought I would share with you a few of my most favorite zipper pouch tutorials!



First of all, I have to talk about the one common element in all zipper pouch tutorials – the zipper!  In almost all tutorials I’ve used, it is okay to use a zipper that is longer than needed.  At some point in the tutorial the zipper is trimmed down anyway – so if the pattern calls for a 8” zipper and all you have is a 12” zipper then use it! 

I like to keep a variety of zippers on hand.  My favorite source for zippers is an etsy shop called Zipit*  They have such a fantastic variety, the prices are great and the shipping is fast.  It’s my go-to shop for zippers.  And with such pretty colors, it’s actually FUN to shop for zippers!  I must warn you though, it’s hard to choose just a few!

*this post contains affiliate links



The second thing I’d like to mention is what kind of interfacing I use.  In the past I’ve used a variety of interfacings and I really didn’t love any of them.  Well I now have a new favorite.  I now use Heat n Bond Craft Extra Firm fusible interfacing (or Pellon 809 is the equivalent).  I love that it gives so much structure, and helps the zipper pouch stand up on it’s own- even in the larger size pouches.  I have to thank Emily (Simple Girl Simple Life) and Marion (My Quilt Diet) for encouraging me to try a stiffer interfacing in my zipper bags – I’m converted!  

Alright – now to show you my favorite tutorials!

These two pouches were made using a tutorial from Jedi Craft Girl called the “Favorite Zipper Pouch.”  The tutorial is easy to follow with plenty of photos.  I made one of these pouches for a swap and I loved it so much I made a twin sister pouch to keep. 



Another favorite pouch tutorial is the Open Wide Zippered Pouch Tutorial (by Noodlehead).  She provides measurements for three different sizes of pouch – this one below is the small size.



I love the Open Wide Pouch just because it does exactly that – opens wide!  So even in the smaller size you can fit a lot in it because you can pull that zipper all the way open.  And it’s easier to see those smaller items that float to the bottom. 


And to show you the scale, here is the medium sized “Open Wide Pouch” next to the “Favorite Zipper Pouch” with a bottle of my favorite lotion (yum!)  You can see here that the medium sized pouch is a pretty generous “medium.” It would be perfect for your larger sewing notions (cones of thread, bottles of Flatter or Best Press, machine oil, rotary cutter, etc.)  Or a pound of M&Ms and a bag of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups.  Because you know, snacks. 



Another pouch that I’ve made and love are the little Dumpling Pouches.  I first blogged about them last February. 



These are all the larger size dumpling – which still is quite small.  I use one of my dumpling pouches to carry cotton balls, q-tips and make up sponges when we travel.  A dumpling pouch would also be a cute way to carry those Clover Wonder Clips that we all love. 

Don’t be afraid of the curves in this pouch.  They’re not bad!  If you read my first post, you can see how I used my Clover Wonder Clips to hold the zipper in place as I sewed it. 



So there you go – my three favorite zipper pouch tutorials! 
Open Wide Zippered Pouch (Noodlehead)
My Favorite Zipper Pouch (Jedi Craft Girl)
Dumpling Zip Pouch (Michelle Patterns)

I also just ordered a new batch of zippers so I see many, many more zipper pouches in my future!  Do you have a favorite pouch tutorial?  I know there are so many that I still haven’t tried!  What's your favorite??