Coffee with James

As much as I can't wait to go on vacation when the holidays roll around, I'm just as content to get back to the school routine once they're over. I like the stability of a schedule, the sanity that it brings to the kids and to me. The only sad part is not having my husband here with us. There's not a doubt in my mind that the biggest perk of being married to a teacher is getting to have him home for weekends, holidays, and vacations. It's given us the chance to do so many things together as a family, and I never take it for granted.

We were driving home from lunch early last week in my minivan, music playing on the radio while the girls chattered together in the backseat, when James turned and asked if I would join him for coffee and sweets when we got home. It was the start of a beautiful new habit which we hope to continue on the weekends. Every afternoon for the rest of the week we sat down at the dining room table with mugs of coffee and something sweet -- usually chocolate -- and talked about what was on our minds: goals for the new year, lesson planning, my next book, the girls, our own struggles and how to beat them. It was like dating again only better: all the interest and attention of those early days when we were getting to know each other mixed with the comfort and familiarity of all these years of shared history together.

Now I'm sitting here at the table after lunch, and I miss my coffee with James. And I'm counting down the hours until Saturday afternoon...

Shortcake Panel Patio Placemat Tutorial

Since I first posted my original Patio Placemat Tutorial back in 2012, it's received almost 80,000 page views, making it the fourth most popular tutorial on my blog. (The Ellie Travel Case comes in first place, followed by the Malibu Satchel and then the Pixie Basket, for those of you who were wondering! See below for more details...*) When Riley Blake asked me to design a placemat panel to go with the Shortcake collection, I thought it would be fun to create one that could be used with that original tutorial.

The result is a fun panel, available in 2 colorways, that can be used in 3 ways:

1. Make 4 standard placemats with a simple front and back. The rectangles on the panel are your placemat fronts, and all you need are some batting and backing fabric to sew them up.

2. Make 2 pocket placemats. These include a pocket for the plate and silverware -- really handy for breezy days on the patio so that your paper and plastic tableware doesn't blow away! Pick 2 of the panel rectangles to be the pockets and 2 to be the placemat fronts. You'll add batting and backing fabric to finish them.

3. Use the panel as a pattern sampler. There are 5 extra prints on here along with 8 retro fruit crate label squares, just perfect for fussy cutting a sweet little project of your own design!

Directions are included on the panel for both types of placemats, but I thought I would do a post on here using the fabric so that you can have a step-by-step visual to help you along the way. Here's how you make one pocket version of the Patio Placemat:

1. Cut out the 2 rectangles of your choice -- 1 for the pocket and 1 for the placemat front. Seam allowance is included, but sometimes shapes can get a little wonky when they're printed. Don't worry if the rectangle is skewed slightly by 1/8" or so. You need a rectangle that measures 11" x 18". If there's a bit of white along the edges, that will get caught up in the seam allowance and won't show in the end, so don't worry about it!

2. Fold the pocket rectangle in half lengthwise with the wrong sides of the fabric together. Topstitch 1/8" below the fold.

3. Use adhesive basting spray to fuse the wrong side of your placemat front rectangle to an 11" x 18" batting rectangle. (Pins or binding clips will work too, but the spray is so quick and easy!)

4. Place the pocket piece on top of the placemat front along the lower edge. Baste in place along the right, lower, and left edges of the pocket to hold it in place.

5. Measure a line on the pocket 5" from the right edge and sew down that line, backstitching at the start and finish. This will divide your pocket into two sections -- one for the plate and one for the silverware.

6. Cut out a 11" x 18" rectangle from another piece of backing fabric and use pins or binding clips to hold it right sides together with your placemat front.

7. Stitch 1/4" from the edge all around the outside of the placemat, backstitching at the start and finish, but leave a 4" gap in the lower edge for turning. Trim the corners and any loose threads.

8. Turn the mat right side out through the gap int he lower edge, gently pushing out the corners and edges with a knitting needle.

9. Tuck the raw edges inside the gap in the lower edge, give the whole mat a good pressing, and then topstitch 1/8" from the edge all around the mat to finish.

That's it! To make a standard placemat, just follow the directions above but eliminate the pocket. The wonderful thing about this project is that it's so quick. You can easily make yourself a set of placemats in an hour or less, and these are just the thing for summer picnics and patio parties. If you sew with the panel or any of the other prints, be sure to share photos with me with the tag #shortcakefabric and @fabricmutt. I would love to see how you're sewing with Shortcake!

* For those of you who may have viewed this post before I edited the stats, I had my numbers mixed up the first time around -- sorry about that. The official count of page views for the top four posts on Fabric Mutt (as it stands at the writing of this post) is:

1. Ellie Travel Case Tutorial - 201,021
2. Malibu Satchel Tutorial - 121,505
3. The Pixie Basket Tutorial - 84,963
4. Patio Place Mat Tutorial - 79,891

Nothing makes me happier than knowing that you're all using and enjoying these tutorials that I write for you. It absolutely makes my day!

Shortcake Picnic Medallion Quilt Tutorial

Last June while our family was on our amazing road trip back east, I was in touch with Riley Blake about the quilt pattern that I needed to design to go along with my Shortcake collection. There's not a doubt in my mind that I was heavily influenced by the textiles and art we saw in Williamsburg and Mt. Vernon when I finally sat down late one night with a pad of graph paper and my colored pencils in our hotel room and sketched out the diagram that would become my Picnic Medallion Quilt. It seems fitting that the quilt I designed to feature Shortcake, which as I shared in a previous post is really an ode to the joys of summer, was designed while our family was taking our first summer road trip. Just looking at this quilt brings back so many wonderful memories...

I sewed up a mini version of this pattern for my Quilt Market Booth last fall, which you can see in all the photos for this post, so I decided to give you the cutting directions for both a mini and a lap size quilt, since I like for you to have options. The mini makes such a cute wall hanging and is a great chance for smaller fussy cutting. As for the larger version...well, I just couldn't think of anything more perfect for a summer picnic quilt than one featuring napkins, plates, and a sweet little picnic basket in the center.

If you make one of these in either size, please share your pictures on social media! Use the hashtag #picnicmedallionquilt and don't forget to tag me @fabricmutt.

Here we go!

Picnic Medallion Quilt Pattern

By Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

Finished Quilt: 33” square (mini size) or 66” square (lap size)

Materials for Lap Size Quilt (less needed for mini quilt size)

1 fat quarter bundle of Shortcake

1 3/4 yd. Riley Blake Red Swiss Dot Reversed

1/2 yd. Main in Royal Blue

3/4 yd. Grove in Red

10” square Riley White Solid

1/4 yd. Riley Red Solid

1/4 yd. Rose Solid

1/4 yd. Petunia Solid

1/4 yd. Riley Royal Blue Solid

1/4 yd. Blueberry Solid

1/4 yd. Boy Blue Solid

4 yd. Berries in White (backing)

1/2 yd. Ribbons in White (binding)

Cutting Directions

Print	Part of Quilt	Mini Quilt	Lap Quilt
Main in Red	Basket cross blocks Basket Napkin Plates	(12) 1” square (A) (4) 1 1/2” square (B) (1) 1 1/4” x 7 1/2”  (C) (1) 1 1/2” x 7 1/2” (D) (1) 1 1/2” x 3 1/4” (E) (1) 1 1/2” x 5 1/2” (F) (1) 2” square (G) (1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (2) 3” square (I)	(12) 1 1/2” square (A) (4) 2 1/2” square (B) (1) 2” x 14 1/2” (C) (1) 2 1/2” x 14 1/2” (D) (1) 2 1/2” x 6” (E) (1) 2 1/2” x 10 1/2” (F) (1) 3” square (G) (1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (2) 6” square (I)
Riley Royal Blue Solid	Basket lids Plate edging	(2) 1” x 3 1/2” (J) (20) 3/4” x 3” (K) (20) 1 3/4” square (L)	(2) 1 1/2” x 6 1/2” (J) (20) 1” x 6” (K) (20) 3” square (L)
Peachy in Blue	Borders Napkin Plate	(4) 1 1/2” x 9 1/2” (M) (1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(4) 2 1/2” x 18 1/2” (M) (1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Rose Solid	Cornerstones Plate Edging	(4) 1 1/2” square (N) (12) 3/4” x 3” (K) (12) 1 3/4” square (L)	(4) 3” square (N) (12) 1” x 6” (K) (12) 3” square (L)
Riley Red Solid	Chain blocks Plate edging	(16) 1 1/2” square (O) (20) 3/4” x 3” (K) (20) 1 3/4” square (L)	(16) 3” square (O) (20) 1” x 6” (K) (20) 3” square (L)
Main in Royal Blue	Napkin Borders Plates	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (4) 1 1/2” x 19 1/2” (P) (2) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (4) 2 1/2” x 38 1/2” (P) (2) 6” square (I)
Grove in Red	Napkin Plate Corner cross block Outer border	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I) (4) 1 1/2” square (Q) (2) 1 1/2” x 31 1/2” (R) (2) 1 1/2” x 33 1/2” (KK)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I) (4) 2 1/2” square (Q) (2) 2 1/2” x 62 1/2” (R) (2) 2 1/2” x 66 1/2” (KK)
Ribbons in Pink	Napkin Plate	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Jam in Royal Blue	Plate	(1) 3” square (I)	(1) 6” square (I)
Grove in Royal Blue	Napkin Plate	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Jam in Red	Napkin Plate	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Ribbons in Blue	Napkin Plate	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Peachy in Pink	Napkin Plate	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Berries in Royal Blue	Napkin Plate	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Berries in Blue	Napkin Plate Corner cross block	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I) (16) 2 1/2” square (S)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I) (16) 4 1/2” square (S)
Grove in Pink	Napkin Plate	(1) 2” x 3 1/2” (H) (1) 3” square (I)	(1) 3 1/2” x 6 1/2” (H) (1) 6” square (I)
Peachy in White	Plate	(1) 3” square (I)	(1) 6” square (I)
Main in White	Plate	(1) 3” square (I)	(1) 6” square (I)
Jam in White	Plate	(1) 3” square (I)	(1) 6” square (I)
Berries in White	Plate	(1) 3” square (I)	(1) 6” square (I)
Boy Blue Solid	Plate edging Cornerstones	(12) 3/4” x 3” (K) (12) 3/4” square (L) (4) 1 1/2” square (T)	(12) 1” x 6” (K) (12) 3” square (L) (4) 2 1/2” square (T)
Blueberry Solid	Plate edging	(8) 3/4” x 3” (K) (8) 1 3/4” square (L)	(8) 1” x 6” (K) (8) 3” square (L)
Petunia Solid	Corner cross blocks Plate edging	(4) 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” (U) (8) 3/4” x 3” (K) (8) 1 3/4” square (L)	(4) 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” (U) (8) 1” x 6” (K) (8) 3” square (L)
Riley White Solid	Basket cross blocks	(3) 7/8 x 1 7/8” (V) (6) 7/8 x 1” (W)	(3)1 1/4” x 3 1/2” (V) (6)1 1/4” x 1 3/4” (W)
Red Swiss Dot Reversed	Center background Chain blocks background Napkin background Middle background Plate background Outer background	(1) 2” square (X) (2) 2 3/4” x 3 1/2” (Y) (2) 1 1/2” x 7” (Z) (2) 1 3/4” x 9 1/2” (AA) (8) 1 1/2” square (BB) (8) 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” (CC) (8) 1 1/2” x 3 1/2” (DD) (24) 2” square (EE) (8) 1 1/2” x 2” (FF) (8) 1 3/4” x 11 1/2” (GG) (64) 1 1/2” square (HH) (24) 1 1/2” x 3 1/2” (II) (8) 1 1/2” x 21 1/2” (JJ)	(1) 3” square (X) (2) 5” x 6 1/2” (Y) (2) 2 1/2” x 13 1/2” (Z) (2) 3” x 18 1/2” (AA) (8) 2 1/2” square (BB) (8) 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” (CC) (8) 2 1/2” x 6 1/2” (DD) (24) 4” square (EE) (8) 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” (FF) (8) 3” x 22 1/2” (GG) (64) 3” square (HH) (24) 2 1/2” x 6 1/2” (II) (8) 2 1/2” x 42 1/2” (JJ)

Piecing Directions

Remember, all seam allowances are 1/4”, and always press seams open or toward the darker fabric!

Sew the Center Ring

1. Place 1 of the V pieces, 2 of the W pieces, and 4 of the A squares as shown in the

diagram above. Sew the smaller pieces together in rows and then sew the rows together.

2. Rotate the block so that the cross becomes an X and trim it to 1 1/2” square for the mini

version of  2 1/2” square for the lap size version, being careful to center the X as you trim it.

(You may have slightly trimmed corners but those will be hidden in the seam allowance, so

don’t worry about it!)

3. Repeat with the remaining pieces for the other 2 basket cross blocks.

4. Alternate the 3 cross blocks with the 4 B squares as shown above and sew together in a

row.

5. Sew the C strip to the lower edge of the block above and the D strip to the upper edge.

6. Sew each of the 2 J strips to the lower edges of each Y rectangle. Sew one of these units

to the left and right long edges of the E strip. Sew this unit to the upper edge of the unit from

step 5.

7. Use the G and X squares to make a pair of half square triangles following the diagram

above. Place the squares right sides together. Draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of

the X square and stitch 1/4” from each side of the line. Cut along the line, press both half

square triangles open, and trim to 1 1/2” square for the mini version or 2 1/2” square for the

lap size version.

8. Sew the half square triangle units on the short ends of the F strip as shown above and

then stitch this unit to the lower edge of the unit from step 6.

9. Sew the Z strips to the right and left edges of the center block. Sew the AA strips to the

upper and lower edges of the center block.

10. Sew an M strip to the right and left edges of the center block. Sew the N squares to the

short ends of the remaining 2 M strips and then sew those units to the upper and lower

edges of the center block to complete the center ring.

Sew the Middle Ring

1. Make the flying geese units using the H rectangles and EE squares following the diagram

above. Place an EE square on the right side of an H rectangle, right sides together. Draw a

diagonal line from the upper inside corner to the lower outside corner and stitch along that

line, trimming to a 1/4 seam allowance, and press open. Repeat with the other EE square

on the other side of the rectangle. Repeat with the remaining EE and H pieces until you

have 12 flying geese units.

2. Sew the flying geese units into rows, alternating each unit with an FF strip (pay attention

to the orientation of the flying geese units in the diagram above) and sewing a GG strip to

both long edges of each row.

3. Make the chain blocks using the O, BB, CC, and DD pieces. Arrange the pieces as

shown in the diagram above and sew together. Repeat until you have 4 blocks total.

4. Sew a flying geese row to the right and left edges of the quilt. Sew the chain blocks to the

short ends of the remaining two flying geese rows and then sew each row to the upper and

lower edges of the quilt. Pay careful attention to directionality of the blocks as you go!

5. Sew an P strip to the right and left edges of the quilt. Sew the T squares to the short ends

of the remaining 2 P strips and then sew those units to the upper and lower edges of the

center block to complete the middle ring.

Sew the Outer Ring

1. Make the plate blocks. Arrange your K, L, I, and HH pieces in groups, using the diagrams

in this pattern as a guide to which solid color borders go around which plate centers. Each

block group should have 4 K strips, 4 L squares, 1 I square and 4 HH squares.

2. Sew a K strip to the right and left edges of the I square and then to the upper and lower

edges of the square, centering them on those edges. (Note: the K strips will not go all the

way to the corners, and this is okay.) Place an L square in one corner of the block, right

sides together, sewing a diagonal line to cut across the corner. Trim the seam to 1/4” and

press open. Repeat with the other L squares. Now repeat this same process with the HH

squares in every corner to finish the block. Do the same with the remaining 19 plate blocks.

3. Sew a row of plate blocks. Alternate the blocks with II pieces, sewing them together as

shown above. Sew a JJ strip to either long side to finish.

4. Make the corner cross blocks. Arrange the U, S, and Q pieces as shown above for one

block. Sew the pieces together in 3 rows and then sew the rows together. Repeat to make 4

blocks total.

5. Sew a plate block row to the right and left sides of the quilt. Sew a corner cross block to

each of the short ends of the remaining plate block rows, and then sew them to the upper

and lower edges of the quilt. Sew an R strip to the right and left edges of the quilt, and then

sew a KK strip to the upper and lower edges of the quilt to finish the top.

6. Quilt and bind as desired.

I hope you have a wonderful time making this quilt. And don't forget to be on the lookout for

Shortcake fabric at your local quilt shop!