Milk Money Quilt Block Tutorial

The project I'm sharing with you today is the most fun I've had in ages. I could not stop making these cute little blocks. If you like fussy cutting, you're in for a treat today.

Do you remember bringing a quarter to the cafeteria every day to buy your pint of milk at lunchtime? I do. This quilt block brings together my love of retro packaging, fussy cutting, and downright nostalgia. It's also a great way to use up tiny scraps of special prints that I keep stashed in a drawer because I just can't bear to throw away even the littlest bits. 

I had so much fun working thematically on each block, picking a main color and theme for each pint of milk or fruit juice. I joined my six blocks together with pale pink sashing and strawberry squares, adding a thin border of red and white polka-dot print to give the illusion of piping around the edge. 

The backing is a pink retro floral dot. The finished cover is a little smaller than the 12 x 16" form that I was just barely able to cram inside, but it gives me a beautiful overstuffed pillow for my breakfast nook. I'm absolutely crazy about it, and I wanted to share the pattern with you so that you can make something fun for yourself. These little blocks would be adorable on a lunch bag, water bottle carrier, table runner, coaster, or even a baby quilt. Here's the tutorial!

Milk Money Quilt Block
Finished Block Size: 3.5 x 3.75”

Materials

From white solid cut:

• (2) 1 x 1” squares (A)

• (1) 1 x 1.5” rectangle (B)

• (2) 1 x 3.25” strips (C)

• (2) 4 x 1” strips (D)

From navy hexagon print cut:

• (2) 1 x 1” squares (E)

From navy stripe print cut:

• (1) 2 x 1” strip (F)

From navy gingham print cut:

• (1) 2.5 x 1” rectangle (G)

From floral print cut:

• (1) 1.5 x 2.25” rectangle (H)

From feature print cut:

• (1) 2 x 2.25” rectangle (I)

Instructions

1. Sew the right edge of the H piece to the left edge of the I piece. Sew an A square to the right short edge of the F strip.

2. Using the photo above as a guide (different colors because this was taken after I finished the navy block -- sorry!), position an E square on the lower edge of the B rectangle with right sides together (RST). Place the other E square on the left end of the G rectangle RST and the other A square on the right end of the G rectangle, also RST. Follow the drawn lines on the squares in the photo above to see which direction to sew in order to create half square triangle edges on the rectangles. After sewing the diagonal lines, measure 1/4" from the stitched line and trim off the rest, pressing the seam open.

When you're finished, the pieces should look like the photo above.

3. Sew the lower edge of the A/F strip to the upper edge of the E/G/A strip.

4. Sew the right edge of the E/B strip to the left edge of the piece you made in step 3. Then sew the lower

edge of that combined piece to the upper edge of the H/I piece.

5. Sew a C strip to the right and left edges of the block.

6. Sew a D strip to the upper and lower edges of the block.

And that's it! If you make one of these and share it on social media, please tag

it #milkmoneyquiltblock and tag me @fabricmutt. I would love to see your work.

Have fun!

Old Fashioned

Hello, dear friends! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be back in this space again after such a long time. I almost don't know where to begin, so I'm going to just list a few things on my mind this afternoon... 

1. I'm going to start blogging again. I've been missing the creative side of things for a while now -- writing, sewing, etc. -- but I wasn't exactly sure what to do about it. I have zero desire to jump back into marketing and social media which brought so much stress to my former life, but I've been feeling a real yearning for the old days over a decade ago when everyone was sewing and blogging for the fun of it. Spending a little time each day with my favorite blogs was like dropping in on a few friends for coffee and a long, friendly chat. Things have never been quite the same since everyone moved over to social media. So I've decided to be old fashioned and return to my blogging roots because that's what I really love. I'm looking forward to being on here more often in the days ahead.

2. I have a new puppy. Last fall we lost our two precious dogs, Fritz and Emma, to cancer over the space of only a few months. It was absolutely devastating, and I can't tell you what an empty hole it left in our hearts. Thankfully, we were able to bring a new puppy into our home at the start of the Christmas season to help all of us start to heal again. Sam's official name is actually Samwise Gamgee (my husband just finished reading all of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books to us in the evenings), and the name is a perfect fit for this guy. He's a 5 1/2 month old bundle of energy and a ton of work -- like having a baby in the house again, honestly -- but we just couldn't love him more. 

3. Little Joe is all grown up. My rescue kitten is a cat full of attitude nowadays. He especially loves the girls who stop by his room to play with him at all hours of the day. I don't know that he'll ever forgive me for all those baths I gave him when he was little and we were trying to keep the dander allergies at bay, but I love him just the same. He's perfectly content to spend his days perched on the ledge where he can survey the world outside the second floor windows. 

4. The girls are all teenagers now. Still trying to wrap my brain around this one. For all the challenges that come with helping your kids grow up, there's nothing so wonderful as raising kids that are a delight to be with each day. These girls and their daddy can make me laugh like no one else, and our family time in the evenings -- eating dinner, reading books aloud, watching old movies or shows, and ending with prayer -- is absolutely the best part of my day.

5. My sister's family moved to Texas. I can't even begin to tell you what a total game changer this has been for us. Having my sister, her husband, and her two girls living only 20 minutes away is AMAZING, and my parents are over the moon to have all of their children and grandchildren together again. Sunday dinners after church, the girls' new "cousin clubhouse" in my sister's backyard, using every holiday on the calendar as an excuse to throw another party at one of our houses -- it's been a year of joy having them close by, and I couldn't be more grateful.

6. Sewing is slow these days, but it still makes me so happy. I've been working on a stack of Greek Cross quilt blocks for the last few months from this book by Suzuko Koseki, hoping to finally make the king size quilt that's been on my bucket list all these years. I don't have nearly so much time in my sewing room as I used to, but I still enjoy every chance I get to play in there. Though I still love my small projects, I've been trying to spend more time on quilts this year, and I have a list of projects I hope to start in the months ahead.

Thanks for listening, friends. It's so good to be back.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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. 

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 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!

Cross Stitch Quilt Block & Pillow Tutorials

I have a million memories from my childhood of watching my mother with a piece of cross stitch in her hands. Her handmade pictures were all over our house, and I remember sitting at the breakfast table when I was a little girl, studying them thoughtfully while I ate my cereal in the mornings. Those same pictures are now hanging in our breakfast nook where my daughters start the day, such a wonderful way to carry on that legacy.

For a long time now, I've been wanting to do a cross stitch quilt block, and when I was working on my book proposal last year, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it. The quilt blocks in this pillow look like a row of patchwork cross stitches to me, and I love that they remind me of my mother every time I see them. 

Incidentally, I've decided that all the projects and information that I share with you here on the blog that would have gone into that next book are going to be tagged under the label "Carnival of Patchwork." Hopefully that will help you find it in the search box on the left if you're looking for anything from this series!

This little block is so much fun to sew, and I love that it looks great in every project where I've used it. My first pattern was the patchwork pillow at the top of this post which I hand quilted. I love this one so much that it sits in a place of honor on my bed where I can look at it every day.

My next attempt was a zipper pouch that I made in shades of pink, yellow, aqua, and white. It's interesting to me how the look of the block changes without the sashing strips in between. I honestly can't decide which style I like better at this point.

And just to show that I could make something using only one block, I turned this one into a little pincushion. I didn't actually plan for the H to land at the top, but I think it was meant to be!

Those numbers running along the lower edge are so much fun. I added 1" borders to the block and then finished it using the directions for my Tagalong Pincushion pattern in Patchwork USA. Feel free to do the same!

I wanted to share the tutorial with you so that you can play with this block in any number of projects that you can dream up. Here's how you make one...

Cross-Stitch Quilt Block

Finished size: 2" x 2"

From a 5" square of a colored print, cut:

(1) rectangle, 1 1/4" x 3 3/4" (A)

(2) rectangles, 1 1/4" x 1 3/4" (B)

From a 5" square of low volume print, cut:

(4) squares, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" (C)

1. Arrange the pieces for a single block as shown. Sew the C squares to either side of the B rectangles (the B rectangle will extend slightly beyond the C squares). Press seams open.

2. Center a B/C unit on one long side of the A rectangle and sew in place (the A rectangle will extend slightly beyond the B/C unit). Repeat on the other side of the A rectangle with the other B/C unit. Press seams open.

3. Using a ruler and rotary cutter, rotate the block so that it forms an X shape. Centering the block, carefully trim to a 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” square.

I know that some of you can take those directions and run with them all over the place, but if you're looking for set of directions for a finished project, here are the instructions for the Cross Stitch Patchwork Pillow.

Cross-Stitch Patchwork Pillow

Finished size: 12" x 16"

From (24) 5’’ squares of colored prints, cut from each print:

- (1) rectangle, 1 1/4” x 3 3/4’’ (A) 

- (2) rectangles, 1 1/4” x 1 3/4’’ (B)

From (24) 5’’ squares of low volume prints, cut from each print:

- (4) squares, 1 1/2’’ x 1 1/2’’ (C)

From 1/3 yard white solid, cut…

- (16) rectangles, 1’’ x 2 1/2’’ (D)

- (3) rectangles, 12 1/2’’ x 1’’ (E)

- (2) rectangles, 2 1/2’’ x 10’’ (F)

- (2) rectangles, 16 1/2’’ x 1 3/4’’ (G)

From 1/2 yard batting, cut:

- (1) rectangle, 18’’ x 15’’ (H)

From 1/2 yard muslin, cut:

- (1) rectangle, 18’’ x 15’’ (I)

From 1/2 yard red gingham, cut 2 rectangles, 13’’ x 12 1/2’’ (J)

Additional Supplies: matching thread, binding clips, chopstick/turning tool

1. Sort the pieces for each block into 24 stacks. Each stack should include 1 A rectangle and 2 B rectangles from a single colored print and 4 C squares from a single low volume print.

2. Arrange the pieces for a single block as shown in the quilt block diagram above. Sew the C squares to either side of the B rectangles (the B rectangle will extend slightly beyond the C squares). Press seams open.

3. Center a B/C unit on one long side of the A rectangle and sew in place (the A rectangle will extend slightly beyond the B/C unit). Repeat on the other side of the A rectangle with the other B/C unit. Press seams open.

4. Using a ruler and rotary cutter, rotate the block so that it forms an X shape. Centering the block, carefully trim to a 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” square.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 with the pieces for the remaining 23 blocks. 

6. Arrange the quilt blocks, D rectangles, and E rectangles as shown above. Sew the blocks and D pieces together in rows. Then sew the rows and E pieces together to form the pillow top.

7. Sew the F rectangles to the right and left edges of the pillow top. Sew the G rectangles to the upper and lower edges. 

8. Stack in this order from bottom to top: I rectangle, H rectangle, pillow top (right side up). Use adhesive basting spray to fuse them together and quilt as desired.

9. Fold a 12 1/2’’ end of an J piece under (toward the wrong side) approximately 3/8’’ twice. Topstitch 1/4’’ from the fold. Repeat with the other J piece.

10. Finish the pillow by placing the each of the backing pieces from step 9 right sides together with the pillow top. The hemmed edges should point toward the center, overlapping each other, and the opposite raw edges should line up with the shorter right and left sides of the pillow top. (See the directions for the Road Trip Pillow on page 44 in my book Patchwork USA if you need to see diagrams that explain this more thoroughly.) Hold them together with binding clips, and then sew all around the outside edge. Trim the corners, turn the pillow cover right side out, gently push out the corners with a chopstick, and press.

If you make one of these, be sure to tag it #fabricmuttcrossstitchblock or #crossstitchpatchworkpillow and tag me @fabricmutt. I'm hoping at some point to start on a quilt with this pattern -- maybe making the blocks twice as big so it won't take me quite as long to finish. We'll see...

Have fun!