Sunday Quilt Inspiration: Easy Squares

Way back in 2013, when I started this series, I wrote about making quilts from simple squares. You can find that very popular post here. But it's been a while and I've discovered many more quilts made of squares, so I thought it would be nice to revisit the idea. I won't go through the directions of how to make a quilt like this; you can easily go back and read that.

Instead, I thought I'd give you a few reasons for making a quilt using one square blocks. 

1. they are easy to sew together
2. you can use coordinating fabrics 
3. you can burn through a pile of scraps
4. no difficult circles to sew 
5. matching corners is relatively easy
6. any edge can be the top (so you can choose your favorite)
7. any size block will work (so big blocks make for a fast quilt)
8. using blocks of different colors, you can create a design (without difficult blocks)
9. it's easy to move up to other shapes (rectangles and triangles are easy next steps)
10. it's easy to move to two- and three-square blocks

How to Make Decorator Corners on Pillows Tutorial

Yesterday I promised to write a tutorial on how to create pillow corners so that the corners look square. They really aren't, but you'll see that in a moment. I'll assume that you've already sandwiched and quilted the front panel of your pillow cover and are ready to make the back and sew everything together.

Cutting the back panels
First determine the size you will need for the envelope backing.  Let's say you are making a 14" square pillow cover. Your back will need to be 14" in length. To determine the width, take that number (14") and divide by two (now you have 7") then add four inches (for a total of 11"). Cut two pieces of fabric 11" X 14". 

Let's do another one just for fun using 18" for the square pillow.
18 / 2 = 9 add the 4" overlap 9 + 4 = 13 so your backing panels will be 13" X 18".

Tip: You can use the same equation for any size pillow--just substitute the very first number (18 in this case).

Tip: I find that adding four inches works well, but you can make adjustments if you want more or less overlap. Keep in mind that more overlap makes getting the pillow form into the cover difficult. Less overlap will distort your pillow.

Hem the panels
Fold and press one long side to form a small ¼ inch hem, then fold and press again so the raw edge is completely enclosed. Sew your hem and repeat on the other 11" X 14" panel. In this next picture you can see how the panels are hemmed (blue arrow) and then placed on the pillow top.

Layer the pieces (RST)
You're ready to layer the pieces. Start with the quilted front of the pillow cover. Lay it down on your work surface, right side up. Place your back pieces so that the finished sides of seams are facing down and are in the center of the panel. In the picture above you can see how the sewn edges overlap each other in the center of the pillow cover. 

Mark the corners
Before you sew, you'll need to mark the pieces so that you can cut off a bit of each corner. A better way to explain this is to show you the outcome.

Notice how the purple and gold pillow has "bat ears" sticking out? The other pillow looks square. That's because I trimmed the corners to give it the illusion that it's square.


The way to achieve this look is actually quite easy. Begin at one corner of the pillow and measure ½ inch from the corner. Using a fabric pen, make a small dot. Now draw a line from the dot to about ¼ of the way toward the center edge like in the drawing. Draw lines on all four corners. Look at the photo below (yes, it's the same as above). You can see the drawn lines on each corner. Notice that I didn't draw lines all the way around the pillow. That's because I will use my normal seam allowance and don't really need lines. (Or maybe because I'm lazy.)

Sew
Sew all the way around the pillow cover, using the drawn lines as necessary in the corners. Just keep a ¼ inch allowance where you don't have lines.  Easy peasy! Tip: If you are using your home sewing machine, you should zigzag close to the straight seam to prevent raveling.

Trim
Once the seam is complete, trim the seam allowance to ¼ inch in the corners to make turning easier. Tip: Be careful that you don't cut the zigzag stitches.  

Turn and Press
All that's left is to turn the pillow cover right side out through the overlapped back. Be sure to push the corners out to get a nice, sharp point. A good steam pressing should do the trick to keep the seams nice and crisp.

Extra Tips!
When pressing the seams, try not to push down on the center of the pillow so the quilting will stay nice and puffy. 

This method also works for pincushions. Just be careful to adjust how much of the corner to trim down. Small corners mean less to cut off!

I sometimes sew and cut the corners just a hair more than ½ inch. It will bring the corners down and make them more square. Be careful, though, too much will give the corners a rounded look. This purple and gold one is a good example of that. 

Now it's your turn! Tell me about this tutorial. Is it detailed enough? Did you understand each part or is something about it confusing? Seriously, let me know if you would use it when making pillow covers. I've been thinking of writing a few more tutorials now that I have a little more time, so your feedback is important.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: The Power of THR3E

It's true, three has some pretty special powers that no other number has in quite the same way. There's the most obvious, the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Can't be a Christian without knowing the power of this particular Three.

But three is a cool number anyway. How about the three sides of a shape? That's what we'll deal with today. There's the triangle, which is the only (equilateral) real triangle. It's the only one I ever really remember because I finally made a neumonic for myself: equi means equal, and lateral means side. So equal sides is what makes a triangle. [Someone could have told me that 45 years ago!]  

But there are also right triangles. And acute triangles. Obtuse triangles. Isosceles. Scalene. I imagine that there are triangles for any way you can think of drawing a triangle. So, as long as there are only three sides, you've got something in the way of a triangle.

Since we're into quilt-making, let's consider how to make a quilt with triangles. They don't have to be equilateral to work, but for this SQI, we're looking at real triangles. By the way, half-square triangles or HSTs, are right triangles, not equilateral triangles. Try not to get confused here.

Equilateral triangles quilt

1.  Start with a set of equilateral triangle pieces of fabric that are the same size. (This is a great time to use that Accuquilt.) I like to sew in strip sets, one right after the next. To keep things easy, I'm showing white triangles separated by colored ones. That is so you can see that I'm keep all the white tris facing me with the point up. The colored tris match to the white ones (RST) with the point down. See #1 in the diagram.

2. Continue sewing pairs in this way until you have what may be enough for a row. 

Trimming the side to
square up the quilt

3. Sew the pairs to each other to create a row. Make several rows.  If you have a square quilt in mind (equal length and width) count the triangles in the first row and make that many rows. Let's say 12 triangles will make a 36" row. You'll need to make 12 rows to get a 36" x 36" quilt. 

But you're working with triangles, so the sides will not be straight until you cut off the protruding triangles. I recommend that you sew one extra pair to every row. Now you'll sew 14 triangles to make your 36" row because you'll be straightening the sides out later. 

Once you have enough rows to make your quilt, you'll want to put them on a design wall or some place where you can play. There are too many designs to show them all here, but you probably get the idea that this is the playing step.

Now that you've decided on a design, sew two rows together matching the points for that design. Keep going until all the rows are in place. Really, it's that simple. 

Like challenges? Here are a few that might tax your thinking...

How a Quilter Travels

I am almost ready to go camping. Or maybe vacationing. Or maybe just have a staycation in the camper!  lol  It doesn't matter to me where the camper spends the night. If I'm in it, I can get some quilting done.

First, I made several quilt kits.  I thought I needed to hurry, so I put these together quickly, but they'll make some nice quilts. Because I don't know when I'll get to any of the kits, I wrote some notes to remember my original plan.  I'm likely going to forget what my intentions were and mix things up. Now, that's okay, but the problem would be that I wouldn't end up with the quilts I need.  In some cases I even included a cone (or two) of thread. 

Here are the four quilt kits: two pink baby quilts (at the top) one in a tumbler design, which I cut on my Accuquilt Studio cutter; the second one is a simple rectangle block. I cut 5" squares (finished) and then cut those in half. My plan is to mix up the squares for a fun, easy baby quilt. The tumbler will be a bit different because I cut half of the squares in a solid light pink that I bought after Mother's Day. I plan to alternate the solids and prints. 

The peach quilt on the lower left uses a new design that I created last week. I want to write a pattern for it and need to sew up a second quilt to make sure I don't miss any steps. I think it uses scraps and a Kona off-white.

The last one is a Drunkard's Path quilt using Kona cream (maybe?) and scraps. Some of the fabrics will appear in all four quilts, but once they were out and pressed, I hated putting them away and starting over again. Besides, the pinks worked. I may be sorry later and get sick of those pinks!

I couldn't take the idea of leaving behind the Quilty 365 blocks. You never know when the iron is hot! I may have a minute and an idea. 

And if I'm going to bring the circles, I need to bring the plaids. 

And always, some solids. So now that all of this is in the camper, I just have two things left...the Bernina and the container of tools (scissors, pincushion of pins, needles, thread, snips, bobbins, etc.) I've been using those, so they will stay in the studio until I know the camper is pulling out. Luckily I have the best husband, who will stop at a quilt shop for a thimble. So I don't fret about forgetting anything, but it is easier to have the things than to find a shop. 

Happy Quilting,

Mosaic Runner Tutorial~~part 1

It would be too much to try to post everything I did or learned about creating my mosaic floor runner in one post, so this is part one: prep work.  

One thing I did realize is that if you have more floor to cover than leg muscles to move your body, you will feel the burn, pain, and cramps.  Do yourself a huge favor and choose your runner size carefully.

Secondly, you need lots of tile pieces.  I broke and cut pieces till I was tired and Richard said I had enough.  He was wrong.  That simply meant that while I was cutting, the mud on the floor was drying.  Meaning I was forced to hurry--NOT safe.  I have all my limbs and the rug is no worse for wear, but I do not recommend it.


Let's start with breaking tiles. You'll need an old heavy towel or sheet, a hammer, some tile pieces and a hard surface.  I also used an old aluminum bat because it was handily lying nearby.

If using a sheet, fold it in half and spread it on the hard surface.  You'll use it to keep pieces of tile from flying when you break it with the hammer.  To do this, spread the folded sheet on the hard surface, lay tile pieces on half, then drape the other half of the sheet over the tile pieces.  No tying necessary, but you surely can tie it if you want.  I used the aluminum bat more than the hammer because it worked really 
well--just hit the bat on the row of tiles.  Hit hard but use only one whack and keep the length of the bat flat for a neater, straighter line.  If using a hammer, hit each piece of tile once.  It's easy to "see" the tiles if you pat the sheet down first.

Uncover and remove the pieces that are small enough (I found 4x4 inches or smaller worked well), cover the larger pieces and break again. Continue in this way until you have enough broken pieces.  

Some of the pieces may end up in a triangular shape.  I was worried about the sharp points causing some problems when we walked on them barefooted.  

 To fix that, I held the point up and tapped against it with the hammer.  My idea was to break off the points, but mostly I dulled them only a little.  

About the time I got really tired, Richard decided that I could use the saw.  Now understand, I had a whole lesson on safety.  The blade is a diamond blade and can cut through bone.  It can cut glass.  It can cut porcelain. The blade is diamond and can cut your fingers and hand completely off.  It spins extra fast.  It can pull your hand into the saw and will not stop. It's a diamond blade. 

 Diamond.  Diamond! 

Eventually I had a box of cut pieces. And I was tired of the tough love.  Every time he walked outside, my sweet husband checked on me.  All parts intact?  How's it going?  That's a diamond blade.  It's dangerous.  Stand back away from the saw.  That diamond blade will cut through bone.

Those safe hands are Richard's.  I tell you: I got a thorough lesson.

And now, a couple of photos of the rug.  Later in the week I'll explain how I laid out the pieces.  

See you for Moasic Runner Tutorial~~Part 2.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: squared

Sure, squares are interesting and easy.  So, why not?  If you are considering making a quilt, any one of these would be a great way to begin.  

How, you ask?
1.  Start with a square of fabric and sew it to another square.  Keep adding squares to form a row until you are satisfied that the row is long enough.  Thirty inches is a good start, but you can certainly make it any length you want.

2. Make several rows.  If you have a square quilt in mind (equal length and width) count the squares in the first row and make that many rows.  

3.  Now you're ready to begin stitching the rows together.  Sew two rows together matching up the squares as you go. 

4. Keep going till all the rows are in place. Really, it's that simple.  

   
One of the great reasons to use simple squares is that you can use a different fabric for each square or just a few fabrics for the entire quilt.

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