Pinnie Pennant Tutorial

My dear friend Julie of The Intrepid Thread asked me to come up with another fun tutorial for this year's Quilt Non event (for all of us who can't make it to Quilt Con East), following in the footsteps of last year's Pixie Basket tutorial. So I wrote up a quick little patchwork pennant with a landing spot for pins and needles that I'm calling the Pinnie Pennant. This little project takes 30 minutes or less to sew, and it's tiny enough that you can even hang it on the hand wheel of your sewing machine. I think this would make a cute little extra for swaps too!

If you make one of these, please share it on Instagram and use the hashtag #pinniepennant (and #quiltnon2017 if you're making it for the weekend challenge!). Be sure to tag me too @fabricmutt!

Happy sewing, friends!

Pinnie Pennant Tutorial

by Heidi Staples

Finished size: 3 1/2 x 4 1/2”

Fabric	For	Cut
Charm square of linen	Main body	1 rectangle, 3 3/4 x 4”
7 print scraps, each at least 2” square	Patchwork border	1 rectangle, 1 x 2”, from each print
Mini charm square of gold stripe print	Needle landing spot backing	1 rectangle, 2 x 2 3/4”, edges cut with pinking shears
Mini charm square of cream felt	Needle landing spot	1 rectangle, 1 1/2 x 2 1/4”
Charm square of batting	Interfacing	1 square, 5 x 5”
String or baking twine	Hanging loop	1 piece, 7” long
Charm square of floral print	Pennant backing	1 square 5 x 5”

Additional Materials

Adhesive basting spray

Twill tape (optional) for decorative loop

Basting clips

Pins & needles

Notes

All seams 1/4” unless otherwise stated.

RST = right sides together

Press seams open wherever possible.

1. On the linen square, use a pencil to mark 1” up on the left and right edges (the 3 3/4” long sides) and mark the midpoint on the lower edge (a 4” side). Use your rotary cutter to trim a straight line from the midpoint to the left 1” marking. Do the same from the midpoint to the the right 1” marking. (See photo above.)

2. Sew the 1 x 2” patchwork border rectangles together in a row, sewing along the 2” edges.

3. Sew the patchwork row to the top straight 4” long edge of the linen piece. Use adhesive basting spray to fuse the wrong side of the pennant to the batting square. Quilt as desired and then trim off the excess batting. (I stitched on either side of each seam on the patchwork as well as on the seam joining the patchwork to the linen piece.)

4. Place the ends of your string on the top edge of the pennant, lined up with the first patchwork seam from each side with the loop pointing down. Stitch in place 1/8” from the top edge.

5. Use the front panel of the pennant as a guide to trace and cut out the pennant backing piece. Place the front and back pieces RST, secure them with pins or basting clips, and stitch all the way around the pennant, leaving a 2-3” gap on the right or left edge. Be sure to backstitch when you start and stop.

6. Trim the corners and then turn the pennant right side out through the gap, gently pushing out the corners with a chopstick or turning tool. Tuck the raw edges inside the gap, press the pennant, and then sew 1/8 - 1/16” from the edge all the way around the outside of the pennant.

7. Use adhesive basting spray to fuse the felt rectangle to the right side of the needle landing spot backing piece, making sure that it’s centered. If you like, tuck in a decorative twill tape loop centered at the bottom between the felt and the backing piece.Then use adhesive basting spray to fuse that piece to the center of the linen part of the pennant. Stitch around the felt piece, just inside the edge of the rectangle, to secure in place.

8. Tuck your pins and needles into the felt, hang up your pennant, and enjoy!

Goldilocks Table Set

The Goldilocks collection seems as if it belongs with my family's treasury of vintage children's picture books. I am such a fan of Jill Howarth's midcentury style of illustration, and she's created an adorable cast of characters for her designs. My daughters actually squealed when I showed them the prints.

I was sorting through all the possibilities of what to make with this fabric when my sister suggested the perfect idea while we were chatting by phone between Texas and California: a table set. "It's fitting, right?" she added, referring to the porridge incident in the Goldilocks storyline. I couldn't have agreed more.

I've been trying to add to our collection of place mats and table runners for the breakfast nook this year. It's fun to change things up with the seasons, and it's a sewing project that takes far less time than a quilt. I used simple rectangles for my daughters' place mats, and the small runner is a quilt-as-you-go herringbone pattern inspired by my friend Maureen's tutorial, which I've used before to make some of my favorite pillow covers. 

I tried to add some fun details like twill tape labels and crocheted lace to the set. There's also a "story" on each place mat for the girls to look at while eating their cereal in the morning. It's all very sweet and simple, but full of personality. I love having handmade items like this in our home, welcoming us as we come down to breakfast. It just seems like such a great way to start the day.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

Sweetie Pie Sew Along: Pear Block

When I signed up to be on the Sweetie Pie Sew Along tour a few months back, I decided to go with the pear block because a) it looked simple and b) my husband (who loves to work on his vegetable garden and small fruit orchard in his spare time) has been informed that our part of Texas is pear country. It just seemed like the way to go...

Lori has a such a genius for themes in her books and patterns. I love the way she took a traditional Dresden plate block and put her own spin on things: i.e. the Dresden circles are "pies" which we "fill" with the fruit applique...so clever. We were asked to use Riley Blake/Penny Rose fabrics for our block, and I had a ball picking out a rainbow of prints for mine. It was so hard to narrow it down to what you see here!

I never would have guessed that a Dresden would turn out to be one of my favorite quilt blocks. It always looked too complicated to me in the past, but I've been surprised by how forgiving it is. There's really no stress over matching up seams, and since I do all my embroidery and applique by machine, it comes together pretty quickly. Using a cream colored thread works so well on light colored fabrics because it easily blends into the print and reflects the background color, looking as though you took the time to match the color of your thread to each fabric. I stitched everything down onto a linen square -- patchwork and linen are ALWAYS a match made in heaven -- and it makes another fun pillow to add to my growing stash.

I couldn't resist adding a little apple tag to the right side of the pillow to keep the fruit theme going.

You can get the whole scoop on the Sweetie Pie Quilt at Lori's blog right here as well, along with a peek at the bazillion amazing projects she always seems to have in the works.

Happy sewing, friends!

Candygram Mini Quilt Tutorial

I'm doing a guest tutorial for my dear friend Caroline over at her amazing blog Sew Can She today! With Valentine's Day coming up, I've got candy on the brain -- mostly because my daughters have decided that Smarties are their new favorite treat. This fun block takes about fifteen minutes to sew and would be just as cute on a pouch or mug rug if you're needing a quick teacher gift for the holiday. Head over to her blog for the free tutorial!

Patchwork Doll Slippers

When I was a little girl, my grandmother collected dolls. She had them on stands all over her living room, and my sister and I were fascinated by them. She bought them from shops or by mail order from the catalogs that came to her home every month. Then one day she showed me a catalog from a new business called Pleasant Company, the forerunner of what's known today as American Girl. I remember poring over those pages for hours, studying the details and stories about each of the dolls they offered (only Kirsten, Samantha & Molly in those early days). I made lists of which items I wanted and how much each would cost, reworking those figures over and over again. Sadly back then, a doll just wasn't in our family budget. It was disappointing, but I managed to wring plenty of enjoyment out of the catalogs alone, so it wasn't the end of the world.

Over the past few years, my girls were each able to get their own American Girl doll from grandparents on both sides of our family for their birthdays. It's given me so much pleasure to see them enjoying a treat that I only dreamed of when I was young. We were surprised when a temporary AG shop came to San Antonio for the holidays last fall, and my daughters visited it any chance they could get before it closed at the end of January. On our very last trip to the store last Thursday, my husband insisted that I get a doll for myself as part of my Valentine present, so that I could finally have one of my own. I felt like a child again as I picked out Rebecca Rubin to take home with me. My mom purchased some clothes and even Rebecca's little kittens to go along with her. So here I am, feeling spoiled to pieces by my lovely family and having so much fun playing pretend with my daughters as they hold their weekly sister sleepovers and tea parties.

When my mom presented me yesterday with a sweet pair of pajamas that she bought for Rebecca on eBay, I suddenly thought how fun it would be to make her a pair of patchwork slippers to complete the outfit. I traced her shoes for a pattern and used a few of my smallest Liberty scraps along with some pale blue Essex linen. It was tricky working with such tiny pieces -- I've never bound anything so small! -- but I'm so thrilled with how they turned out.

It's true -- I love my new doll. But mostly I adore my precious family who surrounds me with love in such thoughtful, sentimental ways.

Happy Flower Quilts: Pin Cushions & a Giveaway

I love pincushions! Is there anything so quick and tiny and absolutely adorable as a sweet little pincushion? These versions from Happy Flower Quilts by the incredibly brilliant Atsuko Matsuyama just couldn't be more fun to sew.

I had originally planned to make all three of the pin cushion patterns in this book but had to limit myself to two so that I could stay up with all my other deadlines. The Log Cabin and Shoofly versions are simple and sweet, small enough that you can use your smallest treasured scraps. For the Shoofly version, I used quilting cotton fabrics paired with a favorite dotty print. The original pattern called for two pom-poms sewed to each corner, but I used only one. My daughters think it's the cutest thing ever.

If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be the Log Cabin version which I made using all Liberty lawn scraps (except for the retro lady in the center) and backed in linen. It's everything that I love in one tiny package.

I never cease to be fascinated by Japanese quilting books, and Happy Flower Quilts is no exception. This book is full of beautiful patchwork projects that I hope to make in the future. If you'd like a copy of your own from World Book Media, just leave a comment below. The giveaway is open worldwide, just be sure that your email address is in your comment or visible to me so that I can contact you! I'll choose a winner on Saturday.

If you'd like to see more, be sure to check out the other stops on the book tour listed below.

Happy sewing, friends!