Joy Holiday Pillow Tutorial

 Hello and Good Tidings!

Today I want to share with you my 'Joy' pillow.  I'm making these for Christmas gifts and it is beyond easy and quick!

This pillow was my original, that I made last year.  It's a little different than the ones I'm doing this year, but here's an idea of what you could do too.  This version has a 'quilt as you go' border around it.  This years pillow doesn't have that.   The font for the JOY was  'Moderne Caps'  that I downloaded from Fonts.com for the above pillow.

So, onto the tutorial.  Now I didn't take a whole lot of pictures so sorry about that.  If you have any questions, let me know. :)

Supplies:

• I picked out 5 different fabrics.  I used 3 for the block borders, 1 for the letters and the last one for the back.  I got a 1/2 yard of each - except for the backing, I got 1 1/2 yards.  I've made 3 pillows so far and I have lots left over.
• White fabric - I have some one hand so I'm not sure how much, but I would say maybe a 1/2 yard, depending on how much you want to make.  Vague, I know. Sorry. :(
• Pillow form - 12" x 16".  I got mine from Joann's.
• Double sided interfacing

Pick which 3 holiday prints you want for your borders - or you can certainly use them all!
For the tutorial, it is based on 3 fabrics.

Cut 2 strips from each print, 2 1/2 inches wide, by the length of the fabric.
Sew together your 3 strips (1 per each print) - however you want them laid out.
(You will need about 1 1/2 strips from each print to make 1 pillow)
Press to one side.
Take back to your cutting table, and cut the strips again, 2 1/2 inches.  Cut as many as you can get from your strips to equal 2 1/2 inches wide.

Sew the 2 1/2" blocks together by chain piecing.  Sew together in sets of 6 blocks per set.   Press to one side.

From the white fabric, cut a piece about 12" by 8 1/2".  You may need to trim, depending on your blocks.

Now, take your sets and sew one strip to the top and bottom of the white piece.  Press away from the white.  You may want to alternate the strips so the ending piece isn't the same as the top piece.

So - see my picture above?  On the left hand bottom side, the green peppermint print starts the  bottom row, and the candy cane print on the top row.  This will help to alternate prints when you sew on the side pieces.

Once pressed, trim it up if needed.  Sew on your 2 side pieces, lining up your rows and making sure the prints don't repeat when they are joined.  Press away from the white.  Now, trim again and your ready to quilt it!

Get some scrap batting and use your method for basting.  I prefer 100% to spray baste.  Pinning makes me crazy.  So whichever way you want, baste your pillow top and use a spare piece of fabric for the back.  You can use muslin or in my case, I just used white fabric because I may or may not have a bolt of it lying around. ;)

Quilt as desired!  I mixed mine up and quilted them different ways, straight line quilting, cross hatch, matchstick - whatever you do, just have fun with it! 

Once you are done quilting, lets move on to the letters!

Pick a font you like.  For my new one, I'm not exactly sure what font I chose....I did a couple different ones...just pick one you like.  Bump the size up to about 400.  If the font seems big or small, adjust it to your liking.  Do a test print and make sure it will all fit in the white space.

Trace your font or print it via your fancy schmancy cutting machine.  I just got a Cameo and I'm still learning the ins and outs...and we aren't the best of friends yet, but we are getting there!

If you are tracing, make sure you are doing the font on the wrong side of your print, so it isn't backwards.  Apply some interfacing too.  I would personally iron on the interfacing first, then cut so you aren't cutting twice, cuz that's lame. ;)

Once you have your letters all cut, interfaced and pretty, lay them out how you like them placed, and iron into place.  Then applique them down!

K, now it's time to make the back piece.  I love the envelope style for my pillows.  It's super easy.
I also sewed a piece of spare lace trim I had to make it pretty.
There are lots of tutorials out there on making the envelope backings.

I cut a piece 16 1/2" x 18".  Cut in 2, at about 11 inches.  Fold down the long edges and iron at about 1/4" and then fold again.  Iron down and starch it.  Then sew it in place.  Then you can add any trims you want.  Again, I'm not going to go in depth for the envelope backing.

Pin in place, right sides together on your pillow front.  Sew a 1/4" seam around the entire border. Clip your corners and turn inside out.  Place in your pillow form and your done!

See?  Easy!

I'd love to see if you make one!  Find me at Instagram!  @robotmomsews

♥

Busy busy!

Hello friends!
I have been so busy, just doing lots of stuff here and there.  Like my new buntings!

Littlest Robot child has a boy's room....there are airplanes on the wall and a baseball ceiling fan. Egads!  It's no bueno for a girlie girl.  So, we are working on changing that.  I've made a few things for her room to help liven it up and make it girlie.

We started by making this triangle Brambleberry quilt.  See the airplane peeking out above it?  :( Booooo.  I'm hoping to paint her walls on Christmas break.  Apparently I also need to get that 'fold line' out of the quilt, and get some better lighting.

The matching bunting is uber fancy with lots of trims and colors.  I love how it turned out.  We are making oldest Robot Child's room one too - purples with some Heather Ross unicorns...yah, stay tuned for that!  ;)

I'm offering these in the shop now - custom made, OOAK!

Hope you all have a great week and for all you USA'ers - Happy Thanksgiving!

♥

Modern Plus Baby Quilt

I've currently got 2 projects going on, simultaneously.  In waiting for my fabric to be delivered so that I could commence working on them, I decided to use some of my stash, and make a modern plus quilt.  Using my stash makes Robot Husband very happy.  :)

I backed this in some pink Wee Wander.  Love.

I have quite a bit of pink solids, but I decided to use this Raspberry bold pink one to make the pluses. It stands out quite well with the Wee Wander print.

I also used the solid for the binding. I must say, this is my first time using a solid as binding!  I love it!

Robot Child #2 asked if this quilt was going to be hung up in the hospital. :)  She's so funny.  ♥

♥

On the Farm

Most recently I fell in absolute love with the On the Farm line by Riley Blake.  My youngest Robot Child is obsessed with piggies, so when we saw those cute little piggies I knew I had to make it.
This one isn't for her, but I will be making her a bigger version as demanded by Robot Child #2.

I love the colors in this line too.  I decided to go with a red candy apple minky for the back.  Ooooh, it's so delicious.  I can't keep my hands off it.  I chose a polka dot red to bind it with...I'm still not quite sure it pulls everything together, kind of wishing I would have gone with the green/pink plaid print for the binding, but oh well.  Too late now!

I cross-hatch quilted it, with red thread on the bottom, cream on top.  I am in love with how the quilting turned out on the back.  Altho I immensely hate despise the mess that minky makes, I have gotten over my fear of quilting with it.  It's really quite easy and I do love the end result.

I made myself a quilt a while ago (still need to show that) and I backed it with a grey minky.  This quilt lays on my bed and I sleep with it every night....I often find myself rubbing the minky like a 3 year old.  I just need my thumb in my mouth next. Haha. It's amazing.

Quilt Stats:
Simple patchwork
Fabric - On the Farm by Riley Blake
Measures approx: 36 x 42
Backed in Candy Apple Red Minky
Cross-hatch quilted
Inspiration:  Love of piggies ;)

Linking to:
Quilt Story
Blossom Heart Quilts
I have to say...

♥

Zombies, Spooks and Ghouls!

I finally got my Mr. Chillingsworth quilt finished!  It's crazy and a lot going on, but I LOVE him. ♥

I used the little houses pattern in Simplify to make the haunted houses.  This little girl facing the Zombie Apocalypse is my favorite. ;)

She's right above this dastardly pair...

And, for my love of Owls, here is the Owl House.  Complete with mini orange pom-poms.

This ghostly fabric was perfect for the back.  And it's so soft!  I love it too.

Well, heck, why not make some pillows too!?  I made the hexagon pillow from this tutorial.  It was fun and a great way to practice my triangle making skills (er, or lack thereof).  I echo quilted it in orange for the finishing touch.  The All Hallows' Eve black pillow was quilted too, in cross hatching.

I honestly think this years Halloween fabric selection has been the best so far!  I have loved every collection, as you can tell, I have combined a lot of them. ;)  These were so fun to make.
Halloween is my favorite holiday.  This is the first Halloween quilt (complete with throw pillows) that I've made to celebrate All Hallows' Eve!  About time!


*********Updated to add*********
I decided I didn't like Mr. Chillingsworth laying on the couch, waiting to become a potential victim of being sat upon.  So, a quick run to Target, picked up a curtain rod and voila!  I know have a Quilt wall display!  Yay!  Special thanks to Robot Husband for doing the dirty work of hanging it. ;)

♥

Oh Boy!

What's this?  Another post 2x in a week?  It's a miracle!  ;)
Yes, well, I have been busy making things...1 of which I am happy to have actually finished last night!  I made this sweet little baby boy quilt, which was very fun and easy to put together.

I purchased a FQ bundle from the Fabric Shoppe.  I used every bit of it!  I love that.  No waste. What's more, no scraps to go into my overflowing scrap buckets. ;)

I have a hard time picking out fabrics for boy quilts, and I was ashamed to realize I have 1 boy quilt offered in my shop.  ONE!  Being a mom to only girls, it is 100x easier for me to pick out girlie things.  Thankfully, there are bundles put together for me that I don't really have to think about it. ;)
I LOVE the little elephants and the cute little planes.  I mimicked the planes flight pattern in my quilting.

Quilt stats:
Oh Boy fabric from Riley Blake

Pattern adapted from this book:

Sweet & Simple Patchwork Gifts
I made my blocks bigger. :)

Size: 37.5 x 47

Linking up!  See linky tab for all link ups!

♥

Around the World Blog Hop

Hello!  I was tagged by the lovely Ingrid from the Sewing Lab to participate in the Around the World Blog hop!  Yay, so here goes...it's probably not very interesting, but bear with me. 

What am I working on? 

A lot.  I have bins of stuff I am working on.  Things get shifted to the next thing, then that gets shifted to something else! Not enough hours in the day!  But here is a somewhat organized, er- disorganized list:

Surprise quilt for a special someone - quilting stage

The Dollhouse for the Robot Children that will take years to finish

Pam Kitty Morning quilt - just need to bind!

All Boy quilt - Binding

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I think all of us are different from each other.  We can make the same quilt and pop out all different types of variations.  It's all in the fabric and the idea behind the placement.  I personally love color and prints. I love traditional as well.  I would say I am more a traditional quilter with a smidgen of modern, only due to the patterns/prints/colors I pick.  I haven't jumped full fledged into being SUPER modern. I only dabble my toes in that pond. :)


Why do I write/create what I do?
I started this blog mainly to track what I was doing, but I grew and connected with so many quilters. It is definitely a connecting point for me, a means of connecting and sharing my love of quilting with others who have the same passion.  

How does my writing/creative process work?
Trust me, there is NO method to this madness.  I am very scatterbrained, very un-organized (I'm working on it tho!) and I have really NO writing/creative process.  It starts like this: 

Ooooh!  That would be cute, brain - remember that.

Brain - what did I tell you to remember?  Dammit, I should have wrote it down on actual paper with an actual pen.

Ooooh that's cute...ok, I'm going to snap a picture of it, and save it to add to my Evernote board of inspiration.  Wait, why do I have this randomly weird picture of a floor?

;)


I have tagged two lovely and uber talented ladies to go next.  Be sure to check out Lisa from Hilltop House and Adrienne from Chezzetcook Modern Quilts.  And I tag you!  If you haven't been tagged by anyone, I invite you to join in! :)

♥

Progress

A most dear friend of mine, requested my Modern Foxy quilt.  She had been stalking watching it on Etsy and once she got her new home, she decided it was meant to be hers!  Of course I agreed!  Now, every Modern Foxy quilt needs a matching pillow. Right?  Especially a house warming pillow!

So, I pulled out my remnants of foxy fabric (sniff) and made this cute little pillow with some Essex linen...this stuff is SO dreamy.  Like sewing with butter, on a cloud, a cloud of butter floating on soft minky covered unicorns.  Sorry... but really, it's DELICIOUS.

I am now out of the foxy fabric...and I love it so much!  BUT, I am glad it went to a new home.  And my dear friend has sent me pictures of both the adopted quilt and pillow in their new home.  :)

Also, since I have talked about my quilt ladder, but never showed it, here it is!  We are mostly finally sort-of settled in our new home.  It's been QUITE a process and very exhausting.  We've moved twice in a year and I'm here to say, NEVER again!  ;) Moving sucks.

I stole took this ladder from my grandparents farm property.  After my grandma passed away, the family decided to sell all the property.  It was a very hard decision to make, I'm sure, and I tear up every time I think about it.  I made the unfortunate decision this past weekend to drive by.  Everything is torn down, bull dozed and everything is gone.  Century year old trees, memories, history. All gone, making way for a new subdivision.  So, when I look at this ladder, it makes me happy to know that besides my memories, I have a little piece of history.  My grandpa owned a lot of property, with a milking barn, cows, horses, chickens, lots of stuff.  My aunt thinks that perhaps either my great-grandpa or even my grandpa may have made this ladder.  I love it and I will never part with it.

So, I promise I am still here....the blog has been neglected, but I am alive!

I'm working on a few things at the moment:
A surprise quilt
A Suck-it Cancer quilt
Triangle Brambleberry quilt

I will be back!  :)

Linking up to:
Quilt Story
Blossom Heart Quilts
I Have to Say...

♥

The Grinchy Advent Calendar

Hey guys!
Are you sick of seeing the Grinch on my blog and IG yet?  If so, I totally don't blame you!  ;)

I've created a pattern to make your very own Grinchy Advent Calendar!  YAY!!  The Grinchy panel is
SO adorable.

This will be sure to delight all your little Whos!  I am not the biggest fan of Christmas, but when my LQS asked me to make something for the Christmas in July sale, after cringing first, I saw Mr. Grinch.  Angels were singing - I knew immediately what to make.  Phewsh!  I've always loved the Grinch, mostly because I can 100% relate to him. Hahaha.  ♥  Black heart and all.  ;)

For his introductory month, this pattern is on sale for $6 bucks!  Yay!  You can get him at my Etsy shop or .
on Craftsy, for you Craftsy lovers.

You'll need to pick up the Grinch panel, and any coordinating Christmas fabrics.  If your  LQS doesn't have the panel, there are a lot of Etsy shops that do.

And I promise, this is the last you'll see of him, well, until Christmas - Maybe.  ;)

♥

10 Quilty Secrets

I'm sitting in bed, going through and reading blog posts airing out their dirty laundry of quilty secrets and I'm loving them all!! It's so liberating! Like flinging off your bra and announcing it to everyone...I'm free!!!! So, I wanna join in the fun.  I wanna be bra less so to speak. ;) Check out the beginning at 13 Spools and grab something delicious and enjoy.

1.  I promise to not be a fabric snob.  However, I have a major pet peeve with fabric designers and how they are so trendy, taking me back in time to high school and forcing my mom to buy me that $95 pair of Lucky jeans because I have high acceptance needs!!!  The fabric world is NO different folks. And now that I'm older and wiser, I have found I LIKE to not follow the trends and I prefer to actually buy what I love, not buy it for who designed it, and/or their label....even tho their last 3 lines have all looked the exact same, same color way, patterns, etc.  Where is the originality in that?  Ok... Deep. Breath.  Oh are we only on #1?  Moving on.

2.  I must hand sew binding on. MUST.  It's very therapeutic to me. I've attempted machine stitching it down and it gives me major anxiety.  I despised binding when I started quilting, now it's my favorite part of quilting.  And stripe-y bindings are the bomb!!!

3.  I live in my flip flops. Sometimes even in winter. I love them. I can only sew barefoot tho. And I usually will sew with one flip flop on, and one off...for the pedal.  I need to feel 'at one' with my sewing machine. Hahaha. Something like that.

4. Nothing warms my heart more, than to see my quilts being used and loved.  However, my kids (and husband!) are not allowed to touch quilts in the house. Unless the quilt is theirs of course. ;)

5.  Best Press.  Love it.  I can't iron without it, and I've been known to shut down all production if I run out...but now I have at least 3 bottles on backup. ;)  hey some people stock up on food supply, I stock up on sewing supplies...not that any of it could save us in the Zombie Apocalypse but hey, a lot could be weapons, I'm sure some Best Press shot in the eye wouldn't be pleasant. Pleasant smelling, yes.... I digress...

6.  I can't sew clothes.  Don't ask me to hem your pants or make your daughter a skirt...trust me, the Robot Children will attest to this and as to why they have no clothes or cute trendy swirly skirts sewn by their mother, who um, sews.  Yah, I suck at it....that is all. :(

7. I can't follow patterns. They confuse me more and it's easier for me to just figure it out.  Do you think this is like a pianist who can't read sheet music but plays by ear?  By all means, not trying to be boastful or braggy, because I find it quite a hindrance and it's actually extremely frustrating...and probably explains #6 a LOT.

8. I don't understand Batiks.

9.  I tend to do blogland trends/sew alongs on my own time, like a year or two after they are over.  It's the rebel in me.

10.  I refuse, absolutely refuse, to pre-wash fabrics...ever.  I need crisp, clean fabrics right off the bolt to work with. and I've never had an issue with not prewashing.  I do swear by Shout color catchers...they are A-mazing.

Thanks for stopping by and reading all my nonsensical ramblings.  If anything, don't take it too seriously, I don't. :)

Xoxo

My summer vacation....

Ok.  It's been a whirlwind of a summer!  I promise I have lots of quilty goodness coming, but until then, here's what we've been up to.

We went on a lovely summer vacation in the mountains. Bliss.

♥

We came home, and moved the very next day!!  Uh, I know.  You don't need to say it, What are you thinking?  I don't recommend this.  A smart person would have scheduled a move before the vacation....

My sewing room sat like this for weeks....and there were lots of tears as I hadn't sewed since probably June.

Sorry for the crappy Instagram photos...but I'm SLOWLY getting it all back together!

Finally, opened up the boxes, and then my sewing room sat like this for a few more weeks. :(

Then it was finally back to school!  Hooray!!  The Robot Children were super excited.   I think mainly to get out of the house that is filled with boxes and unpacking. ;)

No matter how many times I said, "Today is a FUN-filled day of unpacking!", they just never seemed to get enthusiastic. ;)

I finally got some sewing in this weekend.  Sigh.  Felt so good!!

I used Oh Fransson's Barn Bat block tutorial.  Once you figure out those blasted 60 degree angles, it's pretty easy. :)  But, math and I do not get along.


Oh, and 1 more thing to leave you with....

Really?

Took the kids to the park, and whilst we try to contain ourselves, we couldn't resist putting Mimi in the baby swing.  As you can CLEARLY tell, she was NOT impressed with our shenanigans.  We think we are funny tho. She is a good patient pug who puts up with a lot.   ♥

Christmas in July!

What in the world...where have I been??  I'll tell you...summer is CRAY CRAY!  ;)

We are moving...again.  We are super-duper excited.  We are also going on vacation, the week before we move. So, we'll come back then load up the U-Haul and move the day after.  Seriously, who planned this crap?  I am going to need a vacation after moving!  Sigh...well, that's how it is just working out.  But, we are overwhelmed with excitement for both the vacation and moving.  So, that's where I've been...in crazy town.

Meanwhile, I was asked by my favoritest LQS to make an advent calendar for the shops Christmas in July special.  I was elated and honored to be asked.  I picked out the Grinch Christmas panel and fabric from Robert Kaufman and went to Seuss-town. ;)

My goal was to make it look like there were presents surrounding the Grinch, that he either stole or gave back at the end of his mad fury. ;)  Either way, that is what I envisioned.

The top was sort of plain, so I added little ornaments with ribbon trim.

The 24th block is extra fancy, since it's the end and the day before Christmas.

I know it's SUPER crazy and busy, but hey, it's the Grinch and it's supposed to be a little wacky. ;)

Stats:  Measures 34 x 53
Fabric: Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Robert Kaufman
Quilted by Kellie at The Quiltmakers - she did an amazing job, underlining the words in the Grinch panel, designing the ornaments and bows...it turned out awesome!

I am going to Quiltmakers tonight to cut up kits for this advent calendar.  If your are interested in getting a kit with the instructions, let me know and I'll hook you up!

I will be MIA again for a while, but stay tuned in August!  I'll be back with a new sponsor and a giveaway!

♥

Linking up to:
Quilt Story
Blossom Heart Quilts
I Have to Say

Winner!!!!!!

Winning is awesome.  The votes are in, the drawing has been completed thanks to RandomPicker.

The winner is..........

Shanners who said: 

ShannersJune 25, 2014 at 9:22 AM

So many FQ bundles! And all so pretty. But I think I would want the botanics bundle. Love all the fabrics, and I would probably make a quilt or maybe some pillows. Thanks for the chance to win.

Winner list

RandomPicker drew the following people.:

Winner ID	Prize
ShannersJune 25, 2014 at 9:22 AM	FQ Bundle

Congrats Shanners!
I'm sending you an email for your address so we can mail this delightful bundle of Halloween goodness your way!!

Thanks to everyone who played!

Next month we'll have another "What I made Wed." and a chance to win again!

♥

New Sponsor and a Giveaway!

Are you ready?

It's the first post of 'What I made with Wednesday'!!  Woohoo!

I have a new sponsor, Fresh Modern Fabric and I'm SO excited to have FMF on board.  The lovely and talented Alice is the brains behind FMF.  Her shop has been open since 2011 and I can honestly say, she's been my go to when I'm looking for something specific.  She curates delicious bundles and puts together awesome fabrics for your sewing pleasure.  Also, I am a little demanding sometimes, and want something different, or want a bundle made just for me.  I've convo'd Alice a few different times and her responses are always lightning fast.  That's a bonus for me, me being impatient AND demanding. Haha.

So, what have I made with fabric from FMF?  Let me show you!

I love the Sidewalks line and I found the perfect bundle to make this quilt here.

Then, I loved it so much, I had to make another one (with Chenille).  This time I asked Alice if she could throw in a pink print rather than the green one.  She did, and it turned out lovely I think.

So, here's what I made with fabric from FMF.  Now, on to the good stuff.

Alice is giving away a FQ bundle to one of you lucky readers.  That's right!!!  A FQ BUNDLE!

Oh my goodness.  Not only is it a FQ bundle, but it's the Witch Hazel line from Riley Blake, with 11 pieces of hauntingly delicious tricks and treats to make your Halloween delightful!  My favorite is the text print!  I love the green in there too...it makes it more modern and not so much traditional-orange-and-black-is-your--only-option-for-Halloween. ;)

So, to enter, please visit FMF and tell me what bundles you love and what you would make with them. Also, for an extra entry, if you follow me on Bloglovin or Instagram, let me know in a separate comment.  ♥  I'm a little obsessed with Instagram. ;)  Find me @robotmomsews.  For a 3rd entry, like FMF on FB and tell me you do. :)

The giveaway is open until 6/29.  Winner will be announced on Monday.  Sorry, US residents only.
Also - please make sure you are not a no-reply blogger.  If you are and you are chosen, we will draw again.

Ready?  Set.... GO!  :)
And thanks again Alice for being my first lovely sponsor!!!

♥