Happy Handmade Holidays! There is still time to make some fun holiday projects. These cute mini patchwork stockings are quick and a nice way to use up scraps. I used non-holiday fabrics for mine, but they’d be sweet in something a bit more festive too. This would also be a good project to use those 2.5” mini charm packs. Bonus points for using up interfacing scraps!

This was originally published as a guest tutorial on Skip to my Lou. 


These would be great as an eco-friendly gift wrap for some candy, a gift card, nail polish or other little gifts. They’re not too big, and could double as ornaments too. If you’re really ambitious they would be super fun for a DIY advent calendar!


Sewing Level: Beginner
Finished Size: 5" wide x 6.5" tall

Mini Patchwork Stocking Materials:
- Variety of scraps*
- Fat Eighth of backing fabric
- Fat Eighth of lining fabric
- 1/4 yard of medium-weight interfacing (I used Pellon SF101.)
- 4.25” piece of 1/2" twill tape
- Mini Stocking Template
- Coordinating thread
- Marking pen

*If patchwork isn’t your thing, skip the squares (and steps 1-3). Cut a 6”x7.5” piece for the stocking front.

Cutting:
From scraps:
- Cut (10) 2.25” squares

From backing fabric:
- Cut (1) 6”x7.5” rectangle

From lining fabric:
- Cut (1) 12”x7.5” rectangle

From medium-weight interfacing:
- Cut (2) 6”x7.5” rectangles

Mini Patchwork Stocking Instructions:

*Use 1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted.*

1. Arrange squares in four rows, as shown in the above photograph.


2. Sew squares together in each row, press seams open.

3. Sew rows together, press seams open. Press well from the right side.


4. Trim a piece of interfacing to the size of the patchwork piece. Fuse to the wrong side according to manufacturer’s instructions. Fuse remaining interfacing rectangle to the wrong side of the stocking backing piece.

5. Trace around the stocking template on the right side of the patchwork piece, and cut out along the traced line. Repeat with the stocking backing piece, tracing on the right side and being sure to flip the template horizontally before tracing.


6. Fold the lining piece in half with right sides together so that it measures 6”x7.5”. Trace around the stocking template on the wrong side of the folded piece. Cut along traced line through both layers.


7. Place patchwork piece and stocking backing right sides together. Pin around sides and bottom, leaving the top edge open. Repeat with two lining pieces, marking a 2” opening on the long side with double pins.


8. Sew around the pinned sides of the patchwork piece, leaving the top unsewn. Sew around the pinned sides of the lining pieces, leaving the 2” opening and top unsewn.


9. Clip the seam allowance of the inner curve, and notch the seam allowance of the outer curves (toe and heel), for both the patchwork piece and the lining piece.


10. Turn the patchwork piece right sides out. Press well, this is the exterior of the stocking.


11. Fold the twill tape in half, matching the cut ends. Line up the ends with the outer seam on the exterior stocking, on the right side. Pin and baste the tape in place.


12. Press seam of the lining opening. This makes it easier to close after turning.


13. Insert stocking exterior into the lining piece, so that right sides are together. Line up the top edges and side seams, pin in place.


14. Sew around the top edge.


15. Turn stocking right sides out. Pin the lining opening. Hand stitch or topstitch opening closed. Stuff lining into stocking exterior. Press well.


Enjoy your cute mini stocking!


Share your project photos using the #jenibaker hashtag on social media or add it to the In Color Order Flickr Group.

Happy Sewing!

Black Friday Sale

Happy Friday! It's been a few years since I've had a Black Friday sale, but thought it would be fun to do one this year.

Take 25% off everything in my online shop with the code SEW25 from now until Monday at midnight. Plus all orders for a physical product (paper patterns, my book, thread, etc) will include an extra goody!

Shop here!

Sale runs from 11/25-11/28. Code works in both my main online shop and Payhip shop. Sale applies to in stock items only. Some products are available in limited quantities. Code cannot be applied to previous purchases. Thank you!

Patchwork Essentials: Waypoint Quilt

Happy Wednesday! Today I want to share one of the quilts from my book, Patchwork Essentials: The Half-Square Triangle. The quilt I'm sharing today is the Waypoint quilt (far left), which is in the Relative Scale chapter of the book.

For more information on my book and what it's all about, see here.


This quilt design began with a challenge. I wanted to use three different sized half-square triangle blocks in one quilt. I quickly settled on a medallion style design, with the blocks getting larger as the quilt is built outward. The resulting quilt has arrows similar to a compass. A waypoint is a landmark or reference used for navigation purposes, hence the name.


For the colors, I used this print as a starting point. It's from an old Moda line, Sugar Pop by Liz Scott. I really love purple and orange together, so this print makes me really happy. To go with it, I chose blenders in each of the colors represented in this quilt.

Learn how to build color schemes with my Art of Choosing series of posts, which includes a post on building a color scheme around a single fabric.


© 2015 Lauren Hunt for Lucky Spool Media.

Waypoint is one of the smaller quilts in the book, it would be a great small lap or large baby quilt. Since this quilt takes advantage of many large half-square triangle blocks, it's pretty quick to stitch up.


© 2015 Lauren Hunt for Lucky Spool Media.

For the quilting, I wanted to keep it simple since the color scheme is pretty bold. I used a light purple thread to match. The quilting is organic lines done with a walking foot.


© 2015 Lauren Hunt for Lucky Spool Media.

For each quilt in the book there is a block or entire quilt top sewn in a different color variation. The variation for Waypoint features another bold color scheme! I need to get this one quilted up and finished.


I used up the last bit of some Ikea yardage for the back of this quilt. It's bound up in one of my all-time favorite prints, from Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt. It's a perfect match for the other prints in this quilt. I love how it ties it all together.

This post and all other posts relating to Patchwork Essentials, can be found at the top of every page under my book in the navigation bar. Pick up a copy of the book here.

Happy Quilting!

Handmade Gifts: Sew Together Bags

Happy Monday! Today I have two more Sew Together bags to share. One I made way back in the beginning of the year, but forgot to share it. Both of these bags were gifts. I've made quite a few over the years, see them here: Dreamin' Vintage Sew Together Bags, Nordika Sew Together Bag, Geometric Bliss Sew Together Bag.

Sew Together Bag pattern by Sew Demented can be found here.


This first bag I made for my friend Deedrie. I started by pulling this older Paris map fabric from Etchings for the exterior. She loves this print, and neutral colors so I was happy to cut into this fabric for her bag.


For the inside I used more gray, a fun Hope Valley print I've had in my stash for years. Plus some gray zippers.


For the binding, this basketweave print from Hope Valley was a great match for both the interior and exterior, perfect!


The aqua scissors inside the pockets are the surprise. Deedrie is working on an amazing long term EPP project, and I thought this might be a good travel bag for that. The scissors were a nod to all that hand stitching ahead.


The second bag I made for my friend Brianne. She loves Carolyn Friedlander's fabric, so that was my starting point for this bag. I wanted to try using one of her Euclid prints for the exterior, since it's printed on Essex Linen. This gave the bag a little extra structure.


From there I chose a variety of Carolyn's fabrics from my stash for a bit of a primary colored theme


Thankfully I had just the right color zippers for this one.


This time I used three different pocket linings, for a little something extra!

You can find the pattern to make these bags here: Sew Together Bag Pattern by Sew Demented

Happy Sewing!

Favorites

1. Quarter Hours Quilt by Heather Black, 2. Finished Lucky Stars BOM by Hipster Quilter, 3. Baby Quilt for Erin by Maredith Adsit, 4. Warm Doors Open quilt by Tell Tale Threads, 5. Low Volume Piccadilly Circle by Shayla Wolf, 6. April's Emerge Do Good Stitches finished quilt by Kelly Lautenbach, 7. My new queen size quilt by Beth Bastian, 8. Scrappy drunkards path block by The Lilac Cat, 9. Plus Side With A Twist by Bonjour Quilts.

Periodically, I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend!

Scrappy Bear Paw Baby Quilt Tutorial

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a fun baby quilt tutorial to share with you. I made this baby quilt last month, and it was a fun one to put together. Jacey's sister had a baby boy this Fall, and I knew I wanted to make a baby quilt for him.


This quilt comes together quickly, and takes advantage of scraps for the background. I'm also including yardage/cutting if you'd like to use a single fabric for the background. I used scraps from my all blue woven quilt, plus a few red fat quarters. I happened to have a great backing/binding combo to match which is always nice!


To gift this baby quilt, I also stitched up a Lined Drawstring Bag. For baby quilts the Artist size is perfect. When I gift a throw size or larger I make the Laundry size.

How to Make a Scrappy Bear Paw Baby Quilt

Sewing Level: Confident Beginner
Finished size: 39"x39"

Materials:
- 2 fat quarters of print fabric (red)
- 1 fat quarter of print fabric (white)
- 1 1/4 yards of background fabric (navy)
- 2 5/8 yards of backing fabric*
- 47"x47" piece of batting
- 1/3 yard of binding fabric
- Coordinating thread

*Optional pieced backing: 1 3/8 yards main + 3/8 yard accent

Notes:
Width of Fabric (WOF) = 42" assumed
Fat Quarter =  18"x21"

If cutting from yardage:
From each red fat quarter:
- Cut (1) 9.5"x21" strip
- Subcut each strip into (2) 9.5" squares

From white fabric:
- Cut (3) 4"x21" strips
- Subcut two strips into (5) 4" squares each
- Subcut remaining strip into (2) 4" squares and (1) 3.5" square

From background fabric:
- Cut (3) 4"xWOF strips
- Subcut one strip into (4) 4" squares
- Subcut remaining strips into (8) 4" squares and (4) 12.5"x3.5" rectangles

- Cut (4) 6.5"xWOF strips
- Trim two strips down to 27" in length
- Trim remaining two strips to 39" in length

If cutting from scraps:
From red fabrics:
- Cut (4) 9.5" squares

From white fabrics:
- Cut (12) 4" squares
- Cut (1) 3.5" square

From background fabrics:
- Cut (4) 12.5"x3.5" rectangles
- Cut (12) 4" squares
- Cut 6.5" wide strips in a variety of lengths, approximately 150" worth. Sew 6.5" strips together along the 6.5" sides. Sew together enough strips to be able to cut (2) 6.5"x27" pieces and (2) 6.5"x39" pieces from it.

Instructions:
*Use a 1/4" seam allowance unless otherwise noted.*


1. Using a marking pen, draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of the 4” white squares. Place one 4” white square and one 4” background square right sides together. Stitch 1/4" on both sides of the marked line. Press and cut apart on the marked line to create two half-square triangles. Press seams open. Repeat with remaining 4” squares. Trim half-square triangles to 3.5” square.


2. Arrange six half-square triangles created in step one, plus a 9.5" square and one 3.5" background square as shown in the block diagram above. Sew elements together in each row, press seams open. Sew two rows together to complete block. Press seams open.



3. Arrange blocks, 12.5"x3.5" background strips and 3.5" white square as shown in the above diagram. Sew elements together in each row, press seams open. Sew two rows together to complete block. Press seams open.

4. Sew a 6.5"x27" piece to each side of the bear paw block. Press seams open.

5. Sew a 6.5"x39" piece to the top and bottom of the bear paw block to finish the quilt top. Press seams open.

6. Prepare Backing: It’s good practice to cut your backing and batting at least 4” larger than your top on all four sides. I’ve included this overage in the backing yardage requirements. Cut your backing yardage in half. Press. Trim off the selvedges and sew your pieces together lengthwise. Press seam open.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Optional pieced backing
This is an easy pieced backing that doesn't require lots of yardage.

Cutting:
 From accent fabric:
- Cut (2) 6.5"xWOF strips

From main fabric:
- Cut (2) 47"x21" rectangles

Instructions:
 
*Use a 1/4" seam allowance unless otherwise noted.*

1. Sew two 6.6" strips together, press seam open. Trim strip to 47" long.

2. Sew a main rectangle to the top and bottom of the pieced unit from step 1. Press seams open.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Basting: Using masking or painter’s tape, tape the backing to a clean, hard surface, right side down. Spread out your batting on top of the backing. Smooth out any wrinkles. Carefully spread out your quilt top on top of the batting, right side up. Pin your top, I like to use curved safety pins, spacing the pins a few inches apart. Make sure that your pins are going through all three layers.


8. Quilting: Quilt as desired, by machine or by hand. Trim away excess batting and backing fabric.


9. Binding: Cut yardage listed for binding into 2.5” strips. Trim off selvedges and sew your strips together to form one long strip, press seams open. Fold in half lengthwise, pressing with your iron as you fold. Attach binding using your preferred method. For a detailed tutorial on attaching your binding to both sides by machine: Machine Quilt Binding Tutorial.


Share your project photos using the #jenibaker hashtag on social media or add it to the In Color Order Flickr Group!

 
Happy Quilting!