Christmas in July: Throw Pillow

Welcome to Benartex's Christmas in July Blog Hop here at Sew in Love with Fabric! We'll be sharing holiday-themed tutorials this week and beyond, so be sure to stop by each day to see a new tutorial and have a chance to win some fabric to get your own holiday sewing started!

Today Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation is here with an easy throw pillow design using Allison Hayward's Ornamental Splendor collection. Check out Kelly's tutorial and then head over to her blog to find out how you can win a fat quarter bundle of Ornamental Splendor.

Hey there, friends!  I'm Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation, and I'm delighted to be a part of the Christmas in July blog hop!  Holiday sewing is much less daunting to me when the season is far away.  With no deadlines looming, I really get to take time to enjoy my Christmas projects.

This 18 inch pillow is made with the beautiful Ornamental Splendor line, and I love that the design gives the impression of a big Christmas gift, without looking exactly like it.  The larger pieces in this pillow really let the fabrics shine, and of course it also makes this a super quick project (and who doesn't love those when gift-giving season is upon us)!

For this project, you will need-

*four contrasting prints, one fat quarter each (three prints for the block, and one print to bind the pillow)

*background fabric, 1 fat quarter or quarter yard (I used Kona White)

*1/2 yard backing fabric

*1/2 yard muslin (for pillow lining)

*18 inch pillow form

Cutting Instructions-

*from background fabric, cut two 7 inch squares

*from print 1 (red "gift box"), cut (1) 7 inch square plus (8) 4.5 inch squares

*from print 2 (green "bow"), cut (1) 2.5 inch square plus (1) 7 inch square

*from print 3 (white print "ribbon"), cut (4) 2.5 x 8.5 inch strips

Begin by making your half square triangles for the pillow.  Align one 7 inch print square with one 7 inch white square, and sew with a quarter inch seam all the way around.  Then cut diagonally as shown.

Open them up and give them a quick press, and voila!  All eight of your HST's are ready to go!

Next, piece the corner units for the block.  Each corner unit will require one green HST, one red HST, and two red squares.  You'll need to make four corner units.  Lay out and piece your corner units like this.

Once you have the corner units all pieced together, it's time to add the "ribbon" and "bow" to your gift box.  Just use the sashing strips to join the block together.

Once your block is done, you can turn it into a pillow in a number of different ways.  I like to back my block with muslin, which becomes the pillow liner, and essentially treat it like a mini quilt.  I also add binding to my pillows to give them a little extra flair.  You can check out my detailed pillow construction method HERE, complete with tons of photos.

I'm so excited to be able to give away a bundle of the Ornamental Splendor fabrics I used in this quilt!  Hop over to my blog home, My Quilt Infatuation to find out how to win this gorgeous fabric!  Happy Christmas in July!

And be sure to stop back each day of our blog hop for a different Christmas in July tutorial featuring our holiday fabrics!

Here's our schedule:

Monday: Santa Sack by Chris from Made by Chrissie D using Happy Holidays Snowmen

Tuesday: Tree Skirt by Debby from Debby Kratovil Quilts using Homespun Holiday

Wednesday: Throw Pillow by Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation using Ornamental Splendor

Thursday: Wonky Star Placemats by Kristen from KD Quilts using Santa's Here

Friday: Christmas Card Organizer by Melissa from My Fabric Relish using Frosty Forest

Monday: Table Runner and Napkins by Nikki from The Girl Who Quilts using Frosty Forest

Tuesday: Wintry Wall Banner by Wendy from Ivory Spring using Shades of Winter

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Fox Fun!

It seems like every animal gets its moment to shine in pop culture...geckos, turtles, owls, birds, squirrels...but the Internet sensation "What does the fox say?" really put foxes center stage! 

We'd like you to meet our own fox, sweet little Rusty. His collection, Rusty and Friends by Mitzi Powers, features a panel to make an easy fox pillow (it's also great for appliqueing on quilts as you'll see further down in this post!). 

The coordinates are so much fun--teal, yellow, rust and green--a few all-over fox prints (we love the mushrooms and flowers scattered in there as well!), along with a great tonal woodgrain print, a cool stripe also featuring the woodgrain look, and a few knit-look prints. Cozy, cool, modern. 

We have two free patterns to share using this fun line, and both star Rusty himself.

First, Naptime for Rusty by Stitched Together Studios:

And then Rusty's Sleeping Hollow by Wendy Sheppard:

Click here to see the entire Rusty and Friends collection.

Click here to download the free quilt patterns.

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Novelty Prints Blog Hop: Day 1

Welcome! We're so glad you're here! This blog hop is all about novelty prints from Kanvas--fun designs that make you smile--and our talented designing friends are offering up great ideas for using them! Be sure to stop back each day for a new tutorial.

First up is Lisa from Stubbornly Crafty. She chose prints from not one, not two, but three different collections, and they go together so well! She uses a reverse applique method to assemble her patchwork pillow front. Enjoy Lisa's tutorial, and then head over to her blog for a chance to win some of these fun prints for yourself.

I am so glad to be back and playing with super adorable fabrics from Benartex. I chose a few fabrics from different lines (Smudgy Cat, Mouse in the House, and Love is all Around) that I thought worked fabulously together.
Here are my picks:

• Confetti Hearts Red
• Mousing Around White
• The Big Cheese Yellow
• Smudgy Paw Red
• Tossed Smudgy White

To make the pillow top, you'll also need a 12 inch square piece of cardstock and a 14.5 inch square of felt.

Let's get started. Cut your fabrics into 2.5-inch squares (you may want to fussy cut the cats). You'll need 49 squares in all.

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew your squares together in rows of seven.

When you are finished sewing rows you should have a total of seven. Arrange the rows to your liking.

Next we'll be sewing the rows together. To get all the corners to align on your squares, iron the seams of your rows in opposite directions.

You can then butt up the seams to each other to get a nice crisp fit. Pin and sew each row and then iron the seam open before moving onto the next row.

This is what it should look like when you are finished. Seven by seven measuring 14.5" square.

Next, grab your felt piece and a 12x12 piece of cardstock. Draw a heart on the paper and cut it out.

Center your heart cutout on your felt. You can do so by measuring 1 1/4 inches in on each side. Pin it in place.

Trace the heart onto the backside of your felt and cut out the heart shape, making sure not to cut the outside edges.

Place your felt (right side up) on top of your pieced top and pin.

Top stitch around the inside of the heart and around all four corners of the outside of your pillow top to tack the felt in place.

And that's it for the pillow top. Now finish off as desired. You can do an envelope style, add a zipper, sew a pillow form inside, binding, etc. I used more of the Smudgy Cat print to make a zippered back and then bound the pillow using the paw print fabric.

Thanks for sewing along with me!

Thanks Lisa! Head over to Lisa's blog to find out how you can enter to win a fat quarter bundle of the prints she used here.

Don't miss our other novelty print tutorials!

Day 1: Reverse applique pillow by Lisa from Stubbornly Crafty

Day 2: Boxy make-up bags by Jennie from Clover & Violet

Day 3: Drawstring camera bag by the Benartex blog design team

Day 4: Pillow organizer by Wendy Sheppard from Ivory Spring
Day 5: Children's vests by Debby from Debby Kratovil Quilts

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Blenders Blog Hop Day 3: Blush Pillows

Welcome to Day 3 of our Blenders Blog Hop! Today we're featuring tutorials for two pillows made by the Benartex Blog Design Team using the gorgeous Blush collection. These almost solids have a rich depth from subtle shading, giving them a little extra sparkle than a basic solid fabric. Don't miss the information for entering the giveaway to win a bundle of Blush at the end of this post!

Here's the palette we chose to use (though Blush comes in 55 different colors, so there are plenty to choose from!):

And our finished pillows, one with a scrappy pieced look and one highlighting the simplicity of a monochromatic pillow, enhanced with three-dimensional texture:

To Make the Strippy Pillow

Materials:

1/4 yard each of 8 Blush fabrics

1/2 yard backing fabric

20" square batting

18" square pillow insert

Cutting:

From each 1/4 yard, cut two 1-1/2" x 42" strips

From the backing fabric, cut two 13" x 18-1/2" pieces

Step 1: Cut the 1-1/2" strips into 7" lengths. (You'll need at least 60.)

Step 2: Sew the 1-1/2" x 7" strips together lengthwise into pairs. 

Step 3: Sew pairs together to create three units of 20 strips each. Note: You can sew colored strips together randomly or plan out color placement in advance--your choice! Trim units to measure 6-1/2" wide. Lay out the units together until you like how they look. The units are longer than needed so you can shift as desired and as you see below. We chose to have the units line up randomly rather than matching seams--again, your choice.

Step 4: Use pins to mark the placement of the three units in relation to each other. Layer the middle unit centered on the 20" batting square. Layer a side unit on top, matching the pins for alignment. Pin the raw edges you'll be sewing together to each other and the batting to create a quilt as you go pillow top. Sew using a 1/4" seam allowance and press open.

Step 5: Sew the remaining side unit on in the same manner. 

Step 6: Trim and square up the pillow top and batting to measure 18-1/2" square. 

Step 7: Fold and press one long edge of each 13" x 18-1/2" backing piece over 1/4" and 1/4" again to create a nice finished hemmed edge. Topstitch. 

Step 8: Layer the pillow top right side up and layer the two backing pieces on top right side down, matching raw edges. The long hemmed edges will overlap in the middle of the pillow. Pin layers together and sew around the outer edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Step 9: Turn right side out and stuff with the pillow insert.


To Make the Pleated Pillow

Materials:

3/4 yard teal fabric (includes backing)

14" square pillow insert

Fabric marking pen or pencil

Cutting:

From the teal fabric, cut one 15" x 24" piece and two 10" x 14-1/2" pieces

Step 1: Starting 1-1/2" from a short end of the 15" x 24" teal piece, begin marking lines. Mark a second line 1" from the first line. Mark a third line 2" from the second line. Continue marking lines, alternating between 1" and 2" apart as you see in the photo. Mark 7 pairs of lines. 

Step 2: Mark a line centered between each pair of lines that were previously marked 1" apart. To create each pleat, fold the fabric wrong sides together so the 1" lines meet up and the fold line is on the newly drawn centered line. This will create 1/2" pleats.

Step 3: Sew along the 1" chalk lines to create each pleat.

Step 4: Sew all the pleats.

Step 5: Trim pleated piece to measure 14-1/2" square. Draw a chalk line down the center of the pleated square, perpendicular to the pleats. 

Step 6: Stitch along the marked line with all pleats folded in the same direction. Measure and draw lines 3" out from the center line and stitch, making sure pleats are folded in the opposite direction from the center line. 

Step 7: Repeat on each side, 3" out from the second set of lines, folding the pleats in the same direction as for the center line. 

Step 8: Create two hemmed back pieces just like for the Strippy Pillow using the two 10" x 14-1/2" teal pieces. Assemble the pillow in the same manner. 

Voila! Two new pillows to freshen up your couch!

Would you like to win a fat quarter bundle of the Blush line? It’s easy! Simply sign up to follow our blog and leave a comment on this post letting us know that you did.  For a second chance to win, follow Benartex’s Sew Interesting page on Facebook and leave another comment here letting us know you did.  The giveaway is open through Monday, September 1 at 11:59 pm EST and the winner’s name will be randomly selected and announced here next week!

Be sure to check out the other tutorials we'll be featuring all week long!

Blenders Blog Hop:Tuesday 8/26: Christina from Sometimes Crafter featuring Burlap
Wednesday 8/27: Caila from Caila Made featuring Burlap
Thursday 8/28: Benartex Blog Design Team featuring Blush
Friday 8/29: Nikki from The Girl Who Quilts featuring Fleurish

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Holiday Gift Blog Hop: Day 4

Welcome! It's Day 4 of our Holiday Gift Blog Hop, where some of our talented blogging quilter friends are sharing tutorials that we think you'll love--either for last-minute gift ideas or to file away to try after the holidays. Today we have a quilt and matching pillow combo from Melissa of My Fabric Relish, made using the Daisy Mae collection. You may prefer to save this cute quilt pattern for after the holidays, but we bet you can't resist trying out the pillow sooner! Enjoy Melissa's tutorial, and then make sure to head over to her blog to find out how you can win some fabric (and scroll to the bottom of the tutorial to see our other tutorials from this hop!) 

Hi Y'all! It's Melissa over from My Fabric Relish and I am here to share my not so much Christmassy quilt tutorial with you today. Now, I am so super excited about this fun bright quilt and I hope you print, pin, share, or like (or whatever your "must make" list method is) my free quilt pattern. Go on, I'll wait....

   

A little about me and my blog. I am a stay at home mom to two little girls, teach sewing at my local library and sewing lounge, and share all my fabric happenings at my fabric relish. I love to sew just about anything, but my heart belongs to quilting. So of course, when I was asked to create a tutorial for Benartex it had to be quilty. 
 
At first, I thought I would be conservative and just do a quick little pillow and call it a day. But what was the fun in that? Why not do a quilt AND a pillow? Before I designed anything, I went onto Benartex's website to check out all the fabric goodies. Oh. My. Word. How can I pick? So many choices! I thought I had finally picked out a collection, then another collection's name caught my eye. Daisy Mae. So I clicked on it and what I saw was a page full of colorful and happy daisy prints and polka dots. Sold! Anything with the name Mae just makes my heart smile. That's my big relish's middle name, but it's also a special family name and both my husband and mine's initials. Once I had the fabric, the idea for the pattern was simple. I just busted out my newly acquired EQ7 quilting software and got to work. 

 

I have created an easy little printable for you to print out or your can follow along below to create your own Mae's Daisy Quilt. Remember, you can make your quilt to be any size, just adjust the amount of blocks you use. I have provided instructions to make the lap quilt and pillow/mini size. I left the border off my quilt because I actually forgot about it and cut the backing fabric before I realized my mistake. These instructions have the border included for the lap size. Also, the pillow fits a Euro pillow insert perfectly. I get mine at Ikea but I am sure you can grab one anywhere like Walmart or Target. 
 
Fabric Requirements:  
*less than 1/8 needed 
**assuming fabric is 43 inches wide 
***2-1/2 inch wide 

Cutting Instructions: Crib/Lap Quilt:

• You will make 16 flower blocks that measure 10 inches each once finished (10 1/2 inches unfinished). For this pattern, I picked 16 different prints from the Daisy Mae collection, but you can do multiple fabrics for the flowers.
• Cut (4) 5 1/2 inch squares per block/fabric. Set aside.
• For the leaves (green), cut (192) 2 inch squares. Mark a line on the back of each square across the diagonal. Sorry!  You can also place a piece of masking tape on your machine to line up with the corners to avoid having to mark all your diagonals. See picture below.
• For the flower center, cut (64) 2 1/2 inch squares. Mark down the center as well. So sorry again!
• For the sashing, cut (20) 2 x 10.5 inch strips & (5) 2 x 50.5 inch strips.
• Border consist of (36) 5-3/4 x 3 1/2 inch blocks (9 on each side) & (4) 3 1/2 inch squares for each of the corners.

 
Mini/Pillow:

• You will make 4 flower blocks that measure 10 inches each once finished (10 1/2 inches unfinished). Cut (4) 5 1/2 inch squares per block/fabric. Set aside.
• For the leaves (green), cut (48) 2 inch squares. Mark a line on the back of each square across the diagonal. Sorry!
• For the flower center, cut (16) inch 2 1/2 inch squares. Mark down the center as well. So sorry again!
• For the sashing, cut (6) 2 x 10.5 inch strips & (2) 2 x 26.5 inch strips.

 
Piecing the petals:

• To make one of the petals, take one 5 1/2 inch square, three of the green squares and one of the center squares. Place one of the green squares on the corner right sides together and stitch ON the line. Do this with the other two green squares and then the center square. Trim off the corners and press seams open.

 
 Construct flowers and add sashing:

• Take the four completed petal squares and piece together as shown above.
• Add a sashing border to one side of all 16 flower blocks. Then, select the 4 flower blocks that will make the first column on the left and add a sash to the opposite side of the side that has the sashing. Press sashing towards flower blocks.
• Make a row of four flowers with the sashing in-between.
• Add the long piece of sashing to the top of each row and one row will also have sashing on the bottom.
• Piece all the rows together and set aside.

Piecing the border:

• Take 9 of the 5 3/4 x 3 1/2 inch blocks and piece short sides together. Do this for all four borders. Add the 2 1/2 inch squares to the ends of only two of the borders. Press. Add the short sides first, then the long sides. Press.

 
For the envelope pillow back, cut (2) 25 x 16 inches. Hem on the long sides by folding over 1 inch once and press then fold again 1 inch and press. Stich along the hems. Sandwich the pillow with wrong sides of fabric to the back side of mini quilt top with the hemmed edges overlapped. Pin liberally to avoid shifting when binding. Bind as you would your quilt.  
Baste and quilt as desired.  
And there you have it! I so hope you make one of these fun quilts. Now be sure to head back over to my blog, my fabric relish, to enter to win a fat quarter bundle of Benartex fabrics. 
Happy Holidays! Melissa

See the other Holiday Gift Blog Hop tutorials here:
Day 1: Fabric Gift Bags from the Benartex blog team
Day 2: Toddler Purse and Doll Blanket by Jennie from Clover & Violet
Day 3: Beer Coozies and Coasters from the Benartex blog team
Day 5: Honey Bee Quilt by Erin from Why Not Sew? 

Looking for more holiday gift ideas? Check out the projects from our Holiday Headstart blog hop back in October:

Day 1: Take Me to Class Tote by Tessa from The Sewing Chick

Day 2: Window Zip Pouch by Emily from Mommy's Nap Time

Day 3: Squared Stripe Pincushion from the Benartex blog design team

Day 4: Bold Braid Quilt by Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation

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