Thursday, July 23, 2020

All the Buttons Quilt Tutorial


It's been ages, friends, I know...


Back in the middle of June I shared on Instagram that I was taking a break from social media for the summer, and it has been the BEST THING EVER. Don't get me wrong -- I love chatting with so many lovely people on Instagram and getting to see all the beautiful projects they're working on. But I've been trying to focus my attention on what's right in front of me these days, the family and friends I love who need me the most right now. After running through my days at breakneck speed for so long, becoming numb to everything except the demands of my to-do list, I almost thought it wasn't possible to live life any other way.


I'm so happy to tell you that I was wrong about that. Life has become a hundred times simpler, slower, quieter, and more peaceful than it's been for years. Suddenly I have time again to read, to talk with my husband, to sew with my girls, to play, to think, to dream. It's been a balm to my soul and a treasure that I can't imagine giving up lightly. So for now, I'm continuing my break from social media, though I did want to drop by this space to say hello, catch up with a little news, and share a quilt tutorial that I promised myself I would give you before the summer was over.


Little Joe the kitten by Heidi Staples at Fabric Mutt
Little Joe at 2 weeks

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll remember Little Joe, the tiny tabby kitten I found abandoned in the middle of the parking lot at my local Target. He was about two weeks old, lame in his back paw, and very near death when I rescued him that day and took him home.


Little Joe the kitten by Heidi Staples at Fabric Mutt
Teeny tiny Joey


At the time, I had no clue how much care and commitment is involved with raising young orphaned kittens. It's truly like taking in a newborn baby. I spent weeks bottle feeding him through the days and nights, keeping him warm, massaging his back legs, relying heavily on videos by The Kitten Lady and on help from my vet to face each new challenge.


Little Joe the kitten by Heidi Staples at Fabric Mutt
Joey at 3 months


I promised Joey's many fans that I would give an update on his progress during the summer so that you could see how much he's grown. He's now 3 months old, and not only are his legs perfectly healed, but thankfully we've also been able to set up a room for him inside our house despite my parents' and husband's cat allergies. A special air filter in the room and weekly baths have kept the dander at bay. My husband loves to have coffee with Joe every morning while he feeds him his breakfast, and Dad pops in to cuddle with Joey every afternoon. Watching my men together with this cat just melts my heart. I'll always be his mama, but I think he saves his loudest purrs for the guys.


Little Joe the kitten by Heidi Staples at Fabric Mutt

Joey is still a rambunctious little goofball who loves to climb and play with his toys and my girls every day. But my favorite moments are when he climbs up into my lap and touches his wee nose to mine just to say "I love you." We are so incredibly grateful to have him in our family, and seeing him happy and playful in his special room just brings me all kinds of joy.


Double-Zip Clutch Travel Sewing Kit from Sew Organized for the Busy Girl by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

I also wanted to share with you these sewing kits I made for my girls, who all wanted to practice sewing hexagons this summer. I let them each choose their main fabric from my stash, and then I picked coordinating prints to go along with that.


Double-Zip Clutch Travel Sewing Kit from Sew Organized for the Busy Girl by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

The pattern is the Double-Zip Clutch from my first book Sew Organized for the Busy Girl which I shrank down to about half size. It makes an absolutely perfect travel sewing kit. I made one for myself years ago which I've taken on plane trips for easy-to-pack sewing on the go. I love that it has a spot for all the supplies and every tool I need to bring along. Right now the girls are sewing Laundromat Coin Pouches from my book Patchwork USA, and they're having so much fun.


And now on to the pattern! This quilt was originally going to be published in my abandoned Carnival of Patchwork book. I had dreamed for ages of making a quilt with a ton of little button blocks on it, and it was so much fun to see that dream become reality in this project. It took me three long months to sew this one together, but I'm absolutely crazy about it. My friend Jennifer at Farm Fresh Stitches did the gorgeous quilting in a classic baptist fans motif. This block would look darling on so many other projects too: a tote bag, a zipper pouch, a pillow. Even if you don't feel like making a whole quilt, try it out on something small and have fun with it!


All the Buttons Quilt Tutorial

Finished Size: 53’’ x 60’’

Finished Block Size: 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"


Materials


From 97 5’’ squares of various colored prints, cut from each:

- (2) rectangles, 1’’ x 2’’ for button blocks (A)

- (2) rectangles, 1 1/2’’ x 2’’ for button blocks (B)

- (2) rectangles, 4’’ x 1 1/2’’ for button blocks (C)


From 2 yards of white solid, cut:

- (2) rectangles, 1’’ x 2’’ for button blocks (D)

- (4) squares, 1 1/2’’ x 1 1/2’’ for button blocks (E)

- (98) squares, 4’’ x 4’’ for alternating squares (F)

- (4) rectangles, 4’’ x 53’’ for borders (G)


From 2 yards of wide batting, cut:

- (1) square, 70’’ x 70’’ for interfacing (H)


From 2 yards of 108’’ wideback fabric, cut:

- (1) square, 70’’ x 70’’ for quilt backing (I)


From 1/2 yard of pale blue floral fabric, cut:

- (6) rectangles, WOF x 2 1/2’’ for quilt binding (J)


Make the Blocks


1. Sort the pieces for each button block into 100 stacks. Each stack should include 2 A rectangles, 2 B rectangles, and 2 C rectangles from a single Colored Print. It should also include 2 D rectangles and 4 E squares from the White Solid

All the Buttons Quilt Free Tutorial by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

2. Sew a D rectangle to either long edge of an A rectangle. Cut the resulting piece in half through all 3 rectangles as shown in the illustration above.


3. Sew the pieces from step 2 to the upper and lower edges of the remaining A rectangle. Sew the B rectangles to the right and left edges of the block.


4. Sew the C rectangles to the upper and lower edges of the block. Use the E squares to snowball the 4 corners of the block, to yield a finished block as shown above.


5. Repeat steps 2-4 with the pieces for the remaining blocks, giving you a total of 97 blocks. 

All the Buttons Quilt Free Tutorial by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

Make the Quilt


1. Arrange the button blocks and F squares as shown above, organizing the colors in whatever order you like best. Sew the blocks and alternating squares together in rows. Then sew the rows together.


2. Sew a G rectangle to the right and left edges of the quilt top. Then sew a G rectangle to the upper and lower edges.


3. Quilt and bind as desired.


All the Buttons Quilt Free Tutorial by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt
All warm and crinkly after coming out of the wash...


If you make anything with this tutorial, please share your photos! You can use the tags #fabricmutt and #allthebuttonsquilt. I'll be back on Instagram sometime in the fall to check in, so be sure to tag me @fabricmutt so I can see it then.



I hope you're all having a beautiful summer and doing the things you enjoy best. Most of all, I hope you're getting time with the people you love. Enjoy every minute of it!

34 comments:

  1. Heidi, I've never had a blog but I can imagine how time consuming it can be. So glad you're taking the time for what matters most to you.
    That kitten is absolutely precious! He is so lucky to be in your care. This story made my day! :)

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  2. Oh my goodness, that is such a cute quilt! Who doesn't love buttons!? And Joey - he's grown and he's still as cute as ever! I've been wondering how he (and you) are doing. Those nose touches are the best, aren't they?

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  3. I love this quilt, Thank You So Much for sharing it! Can't wait to make it!!
    I adore Joey!! Such a beautiful thing you did picking him up and nursing him to health! I also nursed 4 tiny kittens someone brought to the animal hospital I worked at and I brought them home and kept them all. I lost the last one Emma Sue last year at 20 years old! They were one of the highlights of my life!! I have since adopted 2 feral kitty sisters who are now a year old and bring me joy every day! Please keep us posted on Joey!

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  4. Really cute button quilt! thanks for the tutorial!

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  5. Heide, it was so nice to see and hear from you, along with your rescued, 4 legged child. He is so sweet and couldn't have chosen a better home in which to thrive and have so many people who will always love him. I believe you made the best decision to take a vacation from Social Media, in order to spend quality time with your family, especially during a time, when our country is in such a turmoil, along with a pandemic that threw us all a curve ball. You will find that, all too quickly, your children will be grown, with lives of their own, so spend as much time with them as you can, because the time with mom and dad, seems to pass way too fast. The upside to that is grandkids!!!!! Stay safe and enjoy this summer with your family.

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  6. I love your quilt. It is easier than it looks. Thanks for the tutorial.
    Love little Joe too.

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  7. Lovely quilt. Enjoy your time with the family. Time flies by.

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  8. Thank you for the beautiful quilt pattern. I love the Baptists Fan quilting, it shows up so much in the white background. I'm glad to hear that you are feeling so much better now.

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  9. So good to "see" you, Heidi. Glad you're having a nice summer with your family. Joe is adorable as always. Take care and see you in the fall.

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  10. This does look kinda like buttons! And cheerful. Thanks for the share.

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  11. I love reading your blog and your work is beautiful! I am so glad you have stepped back from such a busy life and are doing well! And thank you for rescuing Joe!! I have many cats that I have rescued and it is truly a joy! Animals bring such joy to our lives!

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  12. What a beautiful post! Joey is cute (I’m impressed that you are able to manage the dander) and I bet your girls enjoyed choosing fabric from your stash for their sewing kit. You look happy and relaxed (it is very generous of your to share your gorgeous quilt pattern. Love it!!).

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  13. Awwww.... Little Joey is a sweetheart! So glad you were at Target (at just the right time) to save this little guy! Social media can be a bit life consuming... taking a break is the best thing you could have done for yourself and your family! Though.... I did enjoy this blog post so VERY much!!!! :-) Thank you for the pattern....it will be a great way to use up some of the miscellaneous fabrics I have in stash. Enjoy the remaining Summer....and hopefully visit back in the Autumn!

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  14. I love the button quilt, but more than that I love Little Joey. It breaks my heart to see animals that are thrown away like garbage. There are plenty of shelters around. It makes me mad. Thank God for people like you and me. I have a black lab, and 2 cats. They all came from our SPCA and Ten Lives

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  15. Love the kitty pictures and story. Love your quilt also. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

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  16. So cute. I have many orphan 5" blocks. I think I need to button this one down. Thank you for sharing.

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  17. Absolutely LOVE the button quilt. Thanks for sharing. ☺️

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  18. Darling quilt. Thank you so much for the pattern.
    Joey is a beautiful cat, and I’m a dog person ;)

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  19. I love this post Heidi. It’s so nice to read about your happenings 😊 I’m so glad that your time away has been wonderful. You are missed dearly though. This quilt is darling! Thank you for sharing the tutorial with us. Enjoy the rest of your Summer with your beautiful family and look forward to hearing from you again 💕

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  20. This is such a beautiful quilt! Your fabric choices are so bright and cheerful.

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  21. As a former Family and Consumer Science(Home Ec.) teacher, I IDENTIFY WITH BUTTONS! I love this and definitely will make some small projects!

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  22. Such a good idea for using fabric scraps! I love the button block and hope to give it a try.

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  23. Firstly, I have to say that Little Joey is the cutest, sweetest little bundle of love I've ever seen and your story with him touches my heart. And your quilt is beautiful too. Not sure what I love more - kitties or quilts but maybe it's a toss-up. :-)

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  24. loving the update on your fur baby...he is gorgeous!! going to put that adorable button tutorial on my to do list ,thank you for sharing

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  25. I love this pattern. The quilt is so cute. I think this would be perfect for my small Liberty pieces I have been collecting. :-) I have been waiting for just the right inspiration. Thank you.

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  26. Precious Kitty and darling quilt! Thank you for sharing the pattern/instructions!

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  27. Such a cute kitten--so fortunate you were able to rescue him!! Thanks for the button pattern--may try a small version of it--would be great to use some of my scraps!

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  28. Thank you for the beautiful quilt pattern. It's a real scrap buster and I have scraps that need busting! Joey is so cute! My daughter recently found a stray kitten in her garage. She thought it was a possum at first. He was weaned but no mother was ever found so they have another cat (plus an old dog). Enjoy your day!

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  29. Joey looks so healthy and happy, and loved the descriptions of how he spends time with each one in your family. So glad you are doing well in your break from social media. Loved seeing this button quilt when you posted it on Instagram. Thank you SO much for sharing the tutorial. This is a wonderful block and gorgeous quilt. Hope to make one soon! Enjoy the rest of your summer!!

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  30. Joey is adorable. I’m so glad you rescued him and that you family is enjoying him! Thank you for the free Button Quilt Tutorial. This will be a fun quilt to make!

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  31. So happy that you are loving your time this summer, that your girls are getting to sew with you and that Joey is doing so well, even conquering the hearts of the men😂😊❤️

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  32. Thank you for the All the Buttons tutorial. It's super cute and, speaking of super cute, Little Joe is too! Love how this worked out so well for EVERYONE! Thank goodness you & Joe found each other.

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  33. I love the look of this quilt but was wondering if you could use 10 inch squares instead of 5 inch?

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  34. Thank you so much.... I started making buttons this year using the tutorial you gave in 2020... It's lovely to have it on a page I can print. I agree it is good to have a proper break from some things from time to time....
    Hugz

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Aren't you the sweetest for leaving a comment! Due to all the ads that bombard this section, I have to moderate everything first, but look for your comment to post in a day or two. Thanks so much for writing!

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