Quilted wall organizer DIY tutorial

I knew my girls would die when they saw the new My Unicorn fabric by Riley Blake Designs, and boy, was I right! The silver sparkle, the unicorns, the castle- it's all a little girls dream! And for me, the rich colors, the navy, the florals- it's a gorgeous line! Perfect for sewing up a quilted wall organizer, and this tutorial will give you all the instructions you need to stitch one up for yourself!

I decided to create a wall organizer for my daughter's bathroom. Something she could use to hold her brushes and clips. This pattern could also easily be modified to hold art supplies, crafting tools or anything else you like to have handy and available. Plus, it allows you to show off a favorite print- or change it up and feature your favorite quilt block! Such a simple but versatile project!

Are you ready to sew up your own? Let's get making!
The supplies are pretty simple:

• fabric for main body and pocket- fat quarters are plenty
• fabric for binding 1/4 yard or fat quarter is more than enough
• batting 
• method of hanging- I am just using tacks to hang this one, but I recommend either using a dowel (create pockets on the back to hold it) or grommets and hooks.
• basting spray

Cutting:

• front fabric to 17" X 19"
• backing fabric and batting to 18" X 20" (to give some room for quilting)
• pocket fabric 12" X 16"
• trim for pocket 3" X 16" (optional)
• binding- 2 1/2" strips to equal 72" in length (minimum)

 Prepare Pocket:

• Press the pocket piece in half to create a 6" X 16" strip
• Press the pocket trim piece in half to create a 1 1/2" strip
• Open up the trim piece and bring the raw edges in to the fold, press
• Re-fold the initial crease to create a trim piece that is 3/4" X 16"

 Finish Pocket:

• Open up the trim piece and slide the pocket piece into it, line up the folded edge of the pocket piece with the center crease of the trim piece
• Fold the trim piece down over the pocket piece
• Stitch down the trim onto the pocket with an edge stitch on both sides of the trim piece.
• If eliminating the trim piece, simply sew two lines of top stitching down the folded edge of the pocket piece.

 Prepare organizer:

• baste the front and back fabric onto the batting piece
• quilt as desired
• trim quilted piece to a 16" X 18" rectangle
• line up the pocket with the bottom edge of the quilted piece. 
• Measure 5 1/4" in from each side and draw a line (or mark with pins to guide you)
• Sew down on these lines to create the pockets 

 Add binding to your wall organizer- as you do so, if you are using a dowel to hang your organizer, add pockets to the corners or sew on a sleeve for the dowel onto the back.
If you are using grommets- add them by following package instructions once the binding is finished.

All that is left is to hang and enjoy your new organizer! Be mindful of how much use and what items you intend to store in your organizer when deciding how hang it. Also, feel free to modify the measurements as desired to meet the needs of what you are organizing. This is a quick and fun project that can add a splash of color and organization to any area in your home!
What will you use yours for?
Happy sewing!
xoxo,
Amy

Springtime Showers Mini quilt in Prairie Sisters fabric

When I first opened this fabric bundle from Poppie Cotton and started going through the prints in this Prairie Sisters line, I was first drawn to the adorable chicken prints and the deep rich brown-black fabrics. But, then I started looking closer, and these wonderfully soft pastel hues just begged me to be turned into a mini quilt.  I decided to remake this Springtime Mini quilt from last year and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out! The first version of this quilt that I made is bright and scrappy and bold, but this year I am totally swooning over the softer pastel colors and this fabric did not disappoint!

I decided to simplify the arrangement of the fabrics as well, and kept the stars monochromatic and I totally love the feel of it. I decided to still do the umbrellas in wool blend felt, but you could also applique them out of fabrics if you wanted to. I can totally see a darling gingham umbrella, can't you?

The modified cutting instructions for this version are:

from each star color (total of 4 colors):

•  4- 3" squares (I did 2 of each of 2 different prints)
• 1- 4 1/2" square 

from the white background:

• 4- 5 1/4" squares
• 4- 2 1/2" squares
• 4- 2 1/2" X 4 1/2" rectangles

from the border fabric:

•  1- 4 1/2" square
• 2- 2 1/2"  X 16 1/2" strips
• 2- 2 1/2" X 20 1/2" strips

 

 The assembly instructions are all the same as the previous post here.

The embroidery detail on the umbrellas just makes me so happy!

And can you even stand the darling strawberries? SO cute!

This is a pretty, quick, darling project you could easily make in a weekend! 

Happy sewing my friends!

xoxo,

Amy

Celebration Table Runner

 

 In our family, when one of the children has a birthday we celebrate them in one way by allowing them to pick out a few of their favorite treats and snacks that we put on display and allow them to eat throughout their special day.(of course they are expected to share with their siblings too!) 

However, once the presents were opened, I felt like the jars of treats looked lonely on the table by themselves, so I decided to make a runner that would look festive all day long!

Here are the instructions to make your own Celebration Table Runner. 

Finished size: approx. 15" X 47"

This project first appeared over on the Riley Blake Designs blog.

Supplies:

4 fat quarters of the primary colors- Red, Orange, Green and Turquoise (Most of the fabrics are from the Riley Blake Basics lines, the Green, Turquoise, Yellow and Red are from the Bloom and Bliss line)

3 fat eighths- coral, navy and gray (could use scraps for these)

1/2 yard- Yellow (for blocks and binding)

1/4 yard white for blocks and sashing

1 yard backing fabric (you could use 1/2 yard and use left overs from the fat quarters to piece together the difference.)

batting

Cutting Instructions:

For Present Blocks (total of 5 blocks)

5- 7 1/2" X 8" rectangles for box (red, yellow, turquoise, green, orange)

10- 3" X 3" squares (2 of each color- gray, coral, turquoise and 4 navy)

5- 1 1/2" X 2 1/4" rectangles (one of each- gray, coral, turquoise and 2 navy)

10- 1 1/2" X 1 1/2" squares white fabric

5- 1 1/2" X 1 1/4" rectangles white fabric

10- 1 1/4" X 3" rectangles white fabric

Sashing

6- 1 1/2" X 10" white fabric

2- 1 1/2" X 44 1/2" white fabric (piece together)

Borders

28- 2" X 5" rectangles- various colors for pieced scrappy border

Piecing instructions:

*use a 1/4" seam allowance and press all seams toward colored fabric

 1. On the 1 1/2" squares draw a line connecting two opposite corners.

2. Place the white squares on the 3" colored squares as shown.  

3.  Sew along the drawn line.

4.  Trim off the corner at a scant 1/4" seam.  Press.

5. Sew together the 1 1/2" X 1 1/4" white rectangle to the 1 1/2" X 2 1/4" colored rectangle. Press

6. Rotate the 3" squares so the white corners are positioned as shown.  Sew to either side of the 1 1/2" X 3" pieced rectangle. Press.

7.  Sew the 1 1/4" X 3" white rectangles to either side of the bow.  Press.

8.  Sew the bow to the top of the corresponding box (the 7 1/2" X 8" colored rectangles)

9.  Repeat for the 4 remaining present blocks.

Assembly:

1. Arrange present blocks in desired arrangement, alternating direction of the present.

2. Sew 1 1/2" X 10" white sashing to the sides of the present blocks.

3. Sew 1 1/2" X 44 1/2" white sashing to top and bottom of runner. Press

4.  Piece together the 2" X 5" border squares to create 2 sets of 4 and 2 sets of 10, along the 2" sides. Press seams open.

5.  Sew the long borders to the top and bottom of the runner. Press. Trim off excess.

6.  Sew the short border pieces to the sides of the runner. Press. Trim off excess.

Finish:

All that's left is to quilt and bind your runner.

Oh, and of course, use it and Enjoy!!

For the Tutorial on how to make the Birthday banner click over here.

xoxo,

Amy

Pleated Ruffle Pouches in Hesketh House fabrics

The fabric for the post was provided by Riley Blake Designs, the project and opinions are all my own.

 Hesketh House is the new line of quality quilting cotton produced by Liberty and distributed exclusively in the US by Riley Blake Designs. These cotton fabrics have rich colors, classic designs and a lovely soft hand. Watch for Hesketh house to begin shipping to stores in March! I was able to get some fabric early and had some fun sewing up a few of my Pleated Ruffle Pouches in these fabulous fabrics.

I love how this pattern shows off the fun colors and contrasts of the prints. And, in case you were wondering what you might use these darling, but diminutive pouches for:

They can be used to hold a few essentials for a quick trip to a store.

 To hide treats, or keep them from getting lost in your purse.

Or to hold hair essentials, for those out and about hair emergencies. They are perfect for travel, organizing purses or just carrying around. They are so fun to sew and take just a bit of fabric so they also make perfect gifts. I like to tuck a gift card or a couple nice chocolates in one and give them to friends!
Hesketh house is perfect for these mini pouches and so many other fun projects. I can't wait to see what you sew up with yours!
xoxo,
Amy

Floral Crown Ornaments

The fabric for this post was provided by Riley Blake Designs/Penny Rose Fabrics. The project and opinions are my own.

Pinewood Acres is a beautiful woodland themed fabric line that immediately reminded me of the cabin my grandparents built and where I spent many weekends of my childhood. We would spend hours in the trees, looking for treasures, making up games and going on adventures. There were always lots of deer to be seen, and fortunately, never any bears!
I decided to take the animals and tree from the main print of this line, as well as a small set of antlers and make some ornaments for my grandmother, as a thank you for the many wonderful memories I have of the beautiful place they built.

The colors in the fabrics are rich and warm. They would make a wonderful cabin quilt!

I used 2 three inch hoops and 2 four inch hoops as well as one oval hoop to make the ornaments.

I used a combination of woven wheel flowers, french knots and lazy daisy stitches to create the flowers. I also added pine boughs to the flower crowns to give them more of a holiday feel.

 I love wrapping hoops in fabric to finish off the project. To keep the fraying in check on these, I pressed a 1 1/2" strip of fabric in half and then wrapped the hoop leaving the folded edge exposed and the raw edges hidden under the next layer.

I think the tree might be my favorite! I think it just looks so majestic with her lovely sprays of flowers!

I can't wait to give these to my grandma to thank her for the many sacrifices she and my grandpa made for so many years to give us a priceless opportunity!
What does Pinewood Acres make you think of?
Happy Holidays!
xoxo,
Amy

Teacher Appreciation Lunch Bags featuring Sunnyside Ave fabrics

*fabrics for this post were provided by Riley Blake Designs all opinions are my own.

When I first saw Amy Smart's new fabric line Sunnyside Ave there were two things I thought of- summer picnics with my best friend when I was in elementary school, and of course teachers- because of the darling apple prints. These darling lunch bags could easily be used for either. I imagine my girls with them swinging from their handlebars riding their bikes to the park for lunch. Or, I see them just like this, sitting eagerly on a teacher's desk, patiently waiting for that blessed time of day when they get to eat lunch and breathe for just a minute.

I made the lunch bags using this tutorial by Ayumi. They are simple to sew and really fun! I used fusible fleece on the outside and a medium/heavy weight interfacing on the lining. It just helps give the bag even more body.

I also have the pattern for these sweet mini zipper pouches! They are perfect for holding business cards, lunch money or organizing your purse! I think they make such a fun pair!
This line of fabric is delightful and bright- so very much like Amy is in real life. I had a blast sewing with it!
Have a wonderful week!
xoxo,
Amy

Toddler Backpack Free Pattern update

One of the best parts of what I do as a blogger is work with new fabric lines from Riley Blake designs. They send me the fabric and I get to make something with it. Hopefully, something you will want to make too- so it's a win-win-win situation. :)

The moment I saw this Derby Days fabric by Melissa Mortenson I knew exactly what I would make with it. A Toddler sized backpack for my "horsey" obsessed 2 year old.

I revisited a pattern I published almost 4 years ago, updated a few of the measurements and added a couple of new details to hopefully make it a better experience for you. You can find the tutorial here. If you would like a printable version- you can purchase one for $3 in my Etsy store: Toddler Backpack PDF.

I adjusted the flap so it is longer and has better coverage.

I removed the interior pocket since it never seems to get used by my girls anyway.

I adjusted the position of the straps on top and added a handle for hanging and carrying.

And I clarified the instructions for adding this lanyard to the inside of the backpack, which is very useful for keeping track of keys, or a darling mini pouch!

My daughter LOVES the horses and is having so much fun with her very own backpack. Now, she doesn't have to share with her older sisters!!

I hope you enjoy making these for the littles in your life as well!
xoxo,
Amy

Heart and Soul Fabric blog tour

*The fabric for these projects was provided to me by Riley Blake Designs. All opinions and projects are my own.

So, this was meant to be done in December, but the panels I wanted to use were delayed getting in, and then, Christmas and life took over and it has taken me until now to get my act together, but I'm so happy I didn't give up on getting these done, I LOVE how all of these projects turned out.

I just love the colors of this line, and the florals are so pretty. You can see the whole collection here. The panel would make a great quilt on its own, but I always love to embellish whenever I can, so I cut out one of my favorite scriptures and added some embroidery details to it.

I just sketched on the design with a water soluble pen and started stitching. Sometimes it's fun just to improvise.

When I was thinking about how I wanted to stage the pictures for this post, I thought it would be fun to have a scripture tote made out of one of the fabrics. I'm working on a pattern for this, that I hope will be released shortly!!

The final thing I made was a personal progress folder, after all the values print basically screams for one, don't you think? You can find the pattern for making these on my blog. They are so straightforward to sew, you can even do an activity teaching the girls to sew while making them! I've also had wards make them to give the new beehives as a welcome to the program. And if you're interested in learning about what Personal Progress even is, you can get more information here.

I'm so happy for the chance to share this darling fabric with you! Happy Sewing!
xoxo,
Amy