"Charming
Geese" Lap or Baby Quilt 40 ½” x 44 1/2”
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| Charming Geese Lap or Baby Quilt |
Charm Packs are fun to collect and fun to sew especially with so many
wonderful fabric collections to choose from. This pattern uses one charm pack and a little bit of fabric to create a
lovely little lap quilt.
Please read all instructions before beginning.
Basic Information
All strips are cut the width of the fabric (WOF).
All seam allowances are a scant or “quilters” quarter inch (see note).
Charm squares often have a pinked edge (almost like little teeth). This is done so that
the fabric won’t fray.
To make ½ square triangles we would normally cut our squares with a 7/8”
seam allowance.
For this quilt
we will simply work with the 5” squares the way they are.
Note:
This is a perfect pattern
for new quilters as it is made up entirely of identical units.
This means that as long as
you are consistent with your seam allowances everything will work out.
Fabric
1 Charm Pack Note: Charm packs usually contain 42 squares. You will only need 36, five inch squares.
3/4 yard (.8 meter) background fabric
3/4 yard (.8 meter) border and binding
1 ½ yards (1.4 meters) backing fabric (minimum 44 inches wide)
1 ½ yards (1.4 meters) quilt batting
Instructions
Straighten an edge on your background fabric and cut five strips 5” by
the width of the fabric. (WOF).
Sub-cut your strips into 5” squares. You should
get eight, 5” squares from each strip for a total of 40 squares (you will use 36).
Pair each background square with a
charm square, right sides together.
Cut in half once on the
diagonal.
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| Cut the layered squares in half once on the diagonal |
Sew the resulting triangle pairs back together on their long sides (where you cut the square in half) to create half square triangle units. You will have 72.
Press the seams towards the charm fabric
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| A half square triangle unit |
Each background / charm 5” square
combination will make one flying
geese unit.
Layer two identical half square triangle
unites, right sides together with the seam allowances angled the same
direction, one on top of the other.
The charm fabric should be right
sides together with the identical charm fabric.
The background
triangles should also be right sides together.
Sew the charm side of the squares together
Repeat for all pairs of half square
triangles.
Press the resulting seam open.
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| One complete Flying Geese unit |
Sew completed
units together on the short side to make nine horizontal rows of four units
each. Press the
seam allowances open.
Sew the
completed rows together to make your quilt.
From your border/binding fabric cut four strips 4 ½” x WOF (width of fabric) Sub-cut Two pieces 4 ½” x 36 ½” for the side borders. and
Two
pieces 4 ½” x 44 ½” for the top and bottom borders.
Note: Measure
the body of your quilt prior to cutting your borders to length. Cut
the borders to the required length if your measurements are different then
listed here.
Cut five strips 2 ½” x WOF for binding.
Sew the Side Borders to your quilt first.
Press the seam allowances towards the border.
Sew the Top and Bottom borders.
Press the seam allowance towards the border.
Layer and quilt your quilt.
This is a fun quilt to experiment with Free Motion Quilting,
Walking Foot Quilting or Ruler Quilting.
Bind using your favorite method and enjoy!
Please feel free to
share via Email, Facebook or Pinterest
You may use this pattern to make as many
quilts as you would like for gifts, donation or charity.
© Julie Plotniko 2021 For personal use only. May not be printed for commercial use.
"Believe" Fabric Postcard
This fabric postcard was featured in
Click on the link above to purchase a copy or subscribe to this wonderful publication!
It was originally created for the 2020 Canadian Quilters
Association Quilted Postcard Challenge and auctioned on Facebook to raise funds for the Glenrose Pediatric Brain Injury Unit
in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.
Fabric postcards are wonderful miniature
"works of art"!
They are fun to give, fun to receive, a great way to use up your scraps and though I usually put mine in envelopes they can be sent in
the mail if hand stamped at the post office .
Follow the instructions below to make your very own fabric postcard!
Supplies (For each postcard)
Sewing machine (Straight Stitch and Zig Zag required) with Free Motion Quilting foot and Decorative Stitch foot.
Rotary cutter, ruler and mat.
One 4½” x 6½” piece of fabric for the front of the postcard.
I used quilting cotton with a light blue sky print to help show off the flowers.
Green would be pretty too!
Two 4½” x 6½” pieces of iron on, medium weight interfacing
(Non-woven) to add body to the postcard.
One 4½” x 6½” piece of low loft quilt batting. Needled polyester or cotton both work well.
This is a great way to use up your scraps!
One 4½” x 6½” piece of plain fabric plus a fine line permanent fabric marker for the postcard back.
OR
One sheet Colorfast Printer Fabric (Iron or regular)
plus an Ink Jet Printer
Size 75/11 and 90/14 Quilting Needles.
If not available you could use a Jeans Denim or Topstitch needle in a size appropriate to your thread.
A variety of threads for the free motion quilted flowers.
I used several 40 weight Polyester and 40 weight Rayon threads including a pink and orange variegated, one yellow and one orange.
Lightweight bobbin thread. (optional)
One spool 50 weight cotton thread for the postcard edge.
I used a blue variegated for mine.
Yellow beads (or your preferred color) for the center of the flowers.
One small spool cotton thread in a color to match your beads.
One small spool cotton thread in a color to match your background to attach your sentiment.
Hand sewing needle. Be sure that it is small enough to go through your beads but sturdy enough to go through the interfacing.
Fabric glue stick. (The white washable ones used for school will work well.)
Fabric marker. (For postcards I like to use a marker that can be removed with heat)
Watercolor pencils, pencil crayons or regular crayons for coloring the flower petals. For this postcard I used regular Crayons.
To add your sentiment
I love to include words or sentiments on my postcards.
Since it was made the word on this one has taken on a whole new meaning.
The word Believe on this postcard is a metal connector intended for decoration on a leather bracelet purchased from the jewelry department at my local craft store.
You could also use alphabet beads, word tile beads or even cut out paper words.
Instructions
The finished size of your postcard will be 4" x 6".
All pieces have been cut ½” larger so that we can trim at the end to allow for distortion that can occur during construction.
Iron one piece of the medium weight non-woven interfacing to the wrong side of the 4½” x 6½” piece of fabric for the front of the postcard. We'll add the second piece after the front is complete.
Use the line drawing found at the bottom of these instructions to draw the outline of the flower designs with a fabric marker.
Save the image to your computer or other device and print if you would like a copy to trace.
Print to full size, 4" x 6" or approximately 10 x 15 cm.
Be sure not to place your flowers too close to the edge as we will need ¼” on all sides for trimming plus room to add the stitching around the outside edge.
Use the fabric glue stick to put a thin layer of glue on the back side (interfacing).
Place the batting on top of the interfacing and smooth into place.
You are now ready to quilt the flower design.
*Please Note
The examples shown in this series of photos were cut to exact size so the positioning of the flowers is slightly closer to the edge than yours will be.
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| The flowers are drawn and ready to stitch |
The flowers are created with a little bit of simple Free Motion Quilting.
Put a Darning Foot (Free Motion Quilting Foot) on your sewing machine and drop the Feed Teeth (also known as Feed Dogs).
Thread your machine with the thread of your choice and a new Quilting Needle.
Match the size of your needle to the thickness of your thread.
For instance, I used a variegated 40 weight trilobal polyester and a 90/14 needle.
You can using matching thread in the bobbin or a lightweight bobbin thread. This won't show as we'll be covering the back.
Start at the center of your first flower and stitch around each petal shape ending in the center each time.
Don't worry about being too accurate!
The lines between the petals are stitched multiple times so any little wobbles will just make the petals look more organic and realistic.
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| Stitch the inner petals |
Stitch around again, this time covering the outer portion of the petal shape.This gives the impression that the edges of the petals are curling inwards.
Finish with the needle in the center of the flower.
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| Double stitch as necessary to stitch the outer edge of the petals |
Starting with the same thread that was used to create the flower outlines use a forward and backward motion to add detail to the center of the flower.
Stitch towards the inside of each petal and back to the flower center.
Once again, don't try and be too neat.
Change threads and stitch again allowing some of the stitching to overlap the original and some to be separate.
Add a third colour if desired.
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Use a forward and backward motion to add the center details
Repeat the process for the second flower.
Remember that you don't have to be too concerned with the back of the piece as this will be covered.
What a great way to practice your Free Motion Quilting! |
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| The stitching is complete and we're ready to add colour |
Our flowers look wonderful the way they are but we are going to make them look even better by colouring the petals for a three dimensional effect.
There are many ways that you can safely and easily apply colour to fabric.
Watercolour pencils, pencil crayons, wax crayons and fabric felt pens and paint sticks are just a few that work very well for Fabric Postcards.
I used simple wax crayons for mine as they are readily available and come in so many wonderful colours.
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| As selection of crayons used to colour this fabric postcard |
Add as much colour as desired to your fabric postcard.
You can blend the colours together or add highlights with a white crayon.
To remove the wax simply place a clean paper towel on top and iron briefly.
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| Colour has been added for a three dimensional effect |
Oh my goodness, this is so much fun!
It's time for the finishing details.
Use a rotary cutter, quilting ruler and cutting mat to trim you piece to its finished size of 4" x 6".
Using matching thread hand sew some beads to the flower center.
Now sew your "sentiment" in place.
I used thread to match the background for this.
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| This Postcard is so pretty with the beads and sentiment added |
We're ready to create the postcard backing!
There are several ways to make a backing for your fabric postcard.
You could use a fabric marker and plain fabric to draw your own backing.
Another option is to lay some plain fabric on top of a purchased postcard and trace.
I like to use an Ink Jet Printer and Colourfast Printer Fabric to print mine.
Images for printing (some are free and others are available for purchase) can be downloaded from the internet.
You could scan and print a purchased postcard.
You may also use the image at the bottom of this post.
To do so click on the image and Save it to your computer or device.
Go to the file where you have the image saved and load it for printing.
Check your printer settings!
Paper - Letter
Quality - Best
Paper Type - Other Photo Paper (Photo Fabric if an option)
Copies - 1
Size - 10 x 15 cm or 4" x 6"
Per Page - 2 (to maximize the use of the printer fabric)
Fit Picture to Frame - leave blank as it would shrink the design
*Please Note
When printing to Printer Fabric it is important that you print on the fabric side.
Test your printer first to see if it prints on the top or bottom of the paper.
To do this I put a mark on the top side of the paper and print something simple.
My printer prints on the bottom of the paper so when I feed my printer fabric it has to be fabric side .
When satisfied with your printer settings print your fabric postcard backing.
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| Postcard backings printed on inkjet printer fabric |
The Finish Line
Iron the second piece of interfacing to the wrong side of your postcard backing.
Use a pressing sheet to avoid scorching the printer fabric.
Trim the backing to the finished size of 4" x 6".
Apply a liberal amount of fabric glue to the interfaced side of the postcard backing and layer wrong sides together with the stitched postcard front.
I leave the outermost edge of the postcard glue free so that I'm not stitching through it.
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| The back side of the postcard ready for edge stitching |
There are of course many ways that we could choose to finish the edges of our fabric postcard.
A simple straight stitch and pinked edges looks nice as does raw edges with a decorative stitch around the perimeter.
For this postcard I chose a Satin Stitch and variegated 50 weight cotton thread in both the top and bobbin with a size 90/14 Quilting Needle.
This stitch can be accomplished by even the simplest of sewing machines. All you need is the Zig Zag stitch.
Many computerized sewing machines have a built in Satin Stitch.
If yours does not then set your machine to a Zig Zag stitch.
For either of the above use a length of .4 and a width of 3.
Be sure to put the Decorative Stitch foot on your machine to allow the stitch to feed properly.
If using a mechanical machine set your Stitch Selection dial to a medium width Zig Zag and set the stitch length to Buttonhole.
Use a Decorative Stitch foot for proper feeding.
Stitch around the outside edge of the postcard.
The left swing of the stitch should go through all layers of the postcard while the right swing should just miss the fabric.
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The right swing of the Satin Stitch just clears the fabric
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For nice corners stitch all the way down the side and stop with the needle in the down position and off the edge of the fabric.Pivot to go down the next side with the corner held firmly against the needle and continue to stitch.
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Pivot at the corners
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When you get back to the beginning set your stitch width to 4 and go around a second time stitching on top of the previous stitching.
This gives our postcard a nice full, even edge.
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| The completed fabric postcard |
Congratulations!
You've finished your very own fabric postcard and are ready to spread this message of hope throughout the world
Use the basic instructions and let your imagination be your guide to create many more.
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| Line Drawing for tracing |
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| Postcard back for printing |
Simple Comfort Lap Quilt
Finished 44 ½” x 44 ½”
Please read
all instructions before beginning.
All seams
are ¼”.
Fat ¼’s are
assumed to be a minimum of 18” x 21”.
Strips cut
from fat ¼’s are cut the length of the fat ¼.
Strips cut
for the border and binding are cut the width of the fabric (WOF).
A small
amount of trim room has been allowed to make the best use of your fabric.
Fabric
Six fat ¼’s
for the body of the quilt
2/3 yards (.6
m) for border
½ yard (.4 m)
binding
Backing and
batting 50” square.
Cutting Instructions
From the
length of each fat ¼ cut:
One strip 6
½ “
Plus
Three strips
3 ½”
Sub-cut each
of the 6 ½” strips into three 6 ½” squares for a total of 18 squares. Set aside for now.
The 3 ½”
strips will be used to make four patch blocks.
Sew the 3 ½”
strips together in pairs.
Be sure that
the right sides of the fabric are against one another and sew on the long side.
Press seam
allowances to one side and cut the strip sets into 3 ½” segments.
Like magic,
you will have 45 segments consisting of two 3 ½” squares.
Sew the
segments together in pairs to make four patch blocks.
Be sure that
the center seams where the two squares are sewn together go in opposite
directions to reduce the bulk and make sewing easier.
Your four
patch blocks can be made with just two fabrics.
Or multiple fabrics for a more
scrappy look.
Completing the quilt
The quilt is
constructed with six rows of six squares.
Each row
contains three plain squares alternating with three four patch blocks.
Press all seam allowances towards the 6 ½” squares.
Follow the assembly diagram to lay out your quilt so that the colors are distributed in a pleasing fashion.
As there are
very few places where the seams need matching this quilt can be assembled very
quickly.
Border
strips are cut 4 ½” by the WOF.
You will
need four or five strips depending on the width of your fabric.
From two of your
strips sub –cut two pieces 4 ½” X 36 ½”.
Sew to the
sides of your quilt and press the seam allowances towards the border.
The top and
bottom borders are 4 ½” x 44 ½”.
If your
fabric is 45” wide or more you will be able cut these pieces from two WOF
strips.
If you’re a
little bit short you will need to sew three strips together on the short ends and
then cut the remaining borders to the correct length.
Sew the top and bottom borders in place to complete your quilt.
Once again press the seam allowances towards the border.
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| Quilt Layout |
Alternate border
Cut two more border strips 4 ½” X 36 ½”.
Trim the four
leftover four patch squares to measure 4 ½”.
Be sure to
trim all four sides evenly so that each individual square within the four patch
will be 2 ½” (including the seam allowance).
Sew a four
patch square to each short side of your remaining two border strips. Press seam
allowances away from the four patch squares.
The borders are
now the correct width to fit your quilt.
Sew the top
and bottom borders in place.
Press the
seam allowances towards the border.
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| Alternate pieced border |
Quilting your quilt
This quilt can be finished very
simply with a straight or diagonal grid of Walking Foot Quilting.
Of course it is also the perfect quilt for
practicing your Free Motion Quilting!
Binding
Cut five binding
strips 2 ½” by the WOF for cotton or 3”
for flannel.
Bind using
your favorite method.
I would love to see photos of your wonderful quilts.
Simply Email me or post in the comments💗
© Julie Plotniko 2020
For personal use only.
May not be printed for commercial use.
Please feel free to share via Email, Facebook or Pinterest
You may make as many quilts as you would like for gifts, donation or charity.
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