Simple I-Spy Rainbow Border for Quilt Panels

Dress up a basic quilt panel with an easy patchwork border to make this easy quilt.  I'm teaming up with Fairfield World to bring you this bright and cheerful quilt.  The full tutorial for this Simple Patchwork Border is available on the Farifield site here.  However, I wanted to share more of the personal story behind it here on my blog.

My long-time readers will know that I LOVE I-Spy charm squares and am always looking for new ways to use them.  (I host I-Spy Square Swaps about once a year and also sell I-Spy charm sets in my Etsy Shop.)  You wouldn't necessarily need to use I-Spy squares.  Lots of quilt shops sell charm square packs where you can get a few squares from each fabric in a favorite fabric line.

Last year a dear family friend lost her battle with cancer.  While visiting her family, they let me choose some fabric from her stash.  She was an artist and LOVED color, so I chose this bright rainbow zebra to make a quilt for her grand-baby who was born a few months later.

I-Spy Swap #7 - Swap FULL.

I've been getting a lot of questions about doing another I-Spy Swap, so I thought I'd host another one before things get too crazy with the holidays.  Sign-Up are now OPEN NOW FULL.  Please read all rules before signing up and see link at the bottom of this post to sign up.

As always I learn a bit each time we do a swap, so there are a few minor changes this time around with how you sign up, so PLEASE read the entire post before signing up...even if you'd participated in one of my swaps before.

There will be three simultaneous swaps to make more spots available (60 total...20 in each swap.)

THE BASICS:
Mail 200 I-Spy squares to me by October 3.  
Get 200 I-Spy squares back, all different, by October 17. 
PLEASE be sure you can meet the deadlines BEFORE you sign up! 

THE DETAILS: 

• 1. By joining with 1 swap spot you are committing to buying and cutting 1/4 yard of 10 different I-Spy fabrics and mailing them to me within 2-weeks.  PLEASE don't sign up if you can't keep this commitment.
• 2. For each spot you sign up for, you will need to cut 20 4" squares out of each of 10 different novelty print 100% Cotton Quilt fabrics (NO flannel or textured fabric!). A 1/4-yard cut or fat quarter will get you 20 4" squares, so you will be purchasing a total of about 2 1/2 yards of fabric. This is NOTHING when you think about all the different squares you will be getting back!  If you sign up for two spots, you'll be put into two different swaps, but your fabrics must be DIFFERENT for each swap spot.
• 3. In order to avoid duplicates, everyone will need to search out unusual or obscure prints. Look for things that aren't available at chain stores. But, please, pick FUN ones! If you love it, the other swappers will love it too! In the past we have used the Pieces by Polly I-Spy Swap flickr group to share pictures, but I would like to move to using Instagram instead.  If you do not have an Instagram account, you can email me your pictures and I will post them for you.  Please tag all pictures as hashtag #ispyswap7 and tag me @piecesbypolly so everyone can find your pics and drool over your chocies. 
• 4. Remember that we are looking for fabric with objects on it, not printy-prints. (A fabric with FLOWERS on it is very different from a FLORAL PRINT.) 
• 5. NO "licensed" prints: No Disney, Dora, L.A. Lakers, etc. 
• 6. Please be sure you are purchasing HIGH QUALITY QUILTING COTTONS. Pretty much anything you purchase a quilt shop will be high quality. Chain stores (Joanns, Hobby Lobby, etc) have a mix of high quality fabrics mixed in with low quality fabrics, so you really need to make sure you're buying the good stuff (thick, soft, not see through, etc.) Please, Please, Please check out your local quilt shop first.  (And PLEASE steer clear of Wal-Mart...I know they have some cute fabrics, but the fabric itself is notoriously low quality.  We want our quilts to last!)
• 7. Remember seam allowances! Be sure you can tell what you are looking at within a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square. Nobody wants only half of an object in their square -- cut them well! (Depending on your fabric choice, you may need to buy more than 1/4 yard in order to get an object into each cut square.)
• 8. This is a double swap. You can sign up for a maximum of 2 regular swap spots if you want...but the fabrics for each swap need to be different. (If you have participated in previous swaps, it's okay if you use prints you've used before.)
• 9. If you end up one or two squares short of one of your fabrics, it's okay to trade in another fun fabric to replace them. Just make sure you're not putting in duplicates.
• 10.  PLEASE, PLEASE be sure to sort your squares into 20 stacks that have 1 of each of your 10 fabrics.  You can stack them all up together once they're sorted with a piece of scratch paper between them or even just turning them a bit, so it's clear where the new stack starts.  It's actually easier for me if you do NOT each little stack in baggies, but it can be helpful to put your whole large stack in a ziploc bag before mailing.
• 11. Cut your squares well.  There really is no substitute for using a rotary cutting mat, ruler, and blade.  If you don't have one, find someone you can borrow one from, so that all of your squares will be 4"
• 12. If an emergency comes up and you're not able to follow-through with your commitment, please let me know ASAP so someone on the waiting list has time to take your place. You will receive a full refund.
• 13. Once all the spots are full, I'll send you my mailing address for where you send your squares. 

PLEASE BE SERIOUS AND BE SURE YOU CAN MEET THE DEADLINES BEFORE signing up.  I want to make sure everyone gets their squares back in a timely manner.

To sign up, you'll purchase a spot through my Etsy shop.  This is NOT a money maker for me.  I'm just charging what it will cost me for postage, envelopes, and Etsy fees, and for most people it will end up being less expensive in the long run for you.  (Etsy listing fees get added into the mix, but postage is cheaper via Etsy, so it pretty much breaks even.)  I'm charging $1.00 cents to cover the Etsy Listing and money processing fees, plus your postage and the price of your return envelope is included in the cost.  The price I have listed covers First Class Shipping in a padded envelope for a single swap spot (total of $5.50) and Priority Shipping in a Flat Rate Padded envelope for a double spot (total of $7.25).  Since I get postage cheaper purchasing it online, overall this will cost you about the same and printing the shipping labels will be less of a headache for me (I hope!).  International swappers are also welcome, although you will need to get your fabrics in the mail as soon as possible so they will get here in time.  International postage varies...and unfortunately is pretty expensive since USPS raised international rates dramatically earlier this year.

To sign-up, please go to my Etsy Shop here to purchase your spot and sign-up.


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Scrappy Heart Pillows - Quilted Pillow with Cuddle Backing

My kids have gotten rather addicted to cuddle fabrics on our throw pillows, so I knew when I sewed these quilted I-Spy Hearts, I wanted to put Cuddle on the back of them, so one side would be super soft.  (Thanks to Fairfield World for providing me with the pillow inserts and compensating me for writing this post and to Shannon Fabrics for providing me with the cuddle fabric.  All opinions are 100% my own.

This tutorial will work to turn any quilted pillow front into a pillow with cuddle backing.

For instructions for sewing the Scrappy Heart Block together, you can see my tutorial here.

Time: 30 minutes to 1 Hour

Level: Beginner

Materials:

• Quilted Pillow Front
• 2/3 Yard of Cuddle 3 or Soft Cuddle from Shannon Fabrics in your chosen color.  (I used Soft Cuddle in Scarlet.)  This is enough for 2-3 pillows because it comes 60" wide.
• 1 - Home Elegance® Pillow (I used a 20" Home Elegance® Pillow with a pillow cover that was 19" finished because I like my pillows extra full.)
• Zipper 4-5" shorter than the width of your quilt block.  For mine, that was a 16" zipper.
• Rotary Cutter and Mat or scissors
• Quilting Ruler or Tape Measure
• Lots of Pins
• Coordinating Thread

Directions:

Scrappy Heart Block Tutorial - I-Spy Heart Block

I made a couple of I-Spy quilts featuring hearts a couple years ago. I promised a tutorial, and it kept getting put off.  I figured making some Valentine's pillows would be the perfect opportunity to take pictures for a step-by-step tutorial.  And a big thank you to Fairfield World for providing me with the motivation and compensation for writing this post and providing me with free batting and fusible fleece on an ongoing basis to fuel my creativity and share projects like this with you.  All ideas and opinions are 100% my own.

These blocks are great for making throw pillow, mini quilts, or incorporating into a larger scrappy quilt.

I'm rather addicted to I-Spy squares, but you could use any scrappy squares.  Many quilt shop offer "charm packs" pre-cuts and those would work great too.

This tutorial will teach you how to make the quilt block.  You can go to this post to learn to finish this pillow with cuddle backing and a zipper.

Finished Block Size: Using 4" Charm Squares = 21.5 inches (or 27.5 inches if you use 5" charm squares)

Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours

Materials: 

• 30 - 4" background charm squares.  
• 16 - 4" charm squares for heart
• 2/3 yard of Smooth Fusible Fleece or your other favorite Fairfield batting if you plan to make a quilted pillow or mini-quilt.  Fusible fleece is my favorite for quilted pillows.  

Directions:

B is for Beanbag - Preschool Uppercase and Lowercase Sorting Game

This year several other moms and I have decided to do a preschool coop.  We had "B" at our house last week, so I decided to make some B Beanbags to help kids sort out their upper and lower case B's and because bean bags are so fun.  We used them during both of our B days as a sorting activity and then each child got to choose 2 to take home.  (And thanks to Fairfield for providing me with the Poly Pellets® and Oly*Fun used in this fun game and for compensating me for writing this post.  All ideas and opinions are 100% my own.

If you've followed my blog for a while, you'll know that we're kind of addicted to I-Spy, and I still have thousands of I-Sky fabric squares just waiting to be sewn into something cool.

So I sorted through them and found as many different objects that started with B as I could.  If you don't have I-Spy squares available, you could go to the fabric store and just choose one or two fabrics with B objects on it, and make lots of identical beanbags.

Ways to Play:

• Have kids toss the beanbag at the matching target.
• Name the B object on the beanbag
• Yell "bah...bah...bah..." as they throw the beanbag
• Sort colors
• Count the beanbags.

Supplies
Here's what you'll need to make your own:

• Various 4" cotton fabric squares or 2 Fat-Quarters with B pictures on them.
• Fat quarter or scraps of black or other high contrast fabric
• Poly Pellets® Weighted Stuffing Beads – 6 Ounce Bag or larger
• Paper-backed Fusible Interfacing
• B and b Template
• Oly-Fun™ Craft Sheets in Sky Blue (or any color).  You could also use construction paper.
• Thread
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors
• Pins

Instructions:  (Picture shows the steps.)

I-Spy Pillows Kids Can Make

These I-Spy pillows are super fun because they're easy for kids to personalize either by the color of the fabrics you choose or by the pictures on the fabric.  These pillows are our new go-to-birthday gift at our house. (Disclaimer: I suppose it also helps that I work for Fairfield who gave the Poly*Fil and compensated me for this post.  All opinions and ideas are my own, and their products are so darn awesome, I'd use them anyway.)

The best part about these pillows is that my older kids can do most of the sewing themselves.

We live in a small town, and sometimes birthday invites come last minute.  These pillows have saved us several trips to the store, and they've gotten lots of compliments.

My kids love looking through all my I-Spy squares and choosing ones they think their friends will like.  The best way to get lots of I-Spy squares is through a swap.  Sometimes I have extra I-Spy Sets listed in my Etsy Shop.  You can also check with your local quilt shop for charm packs.

This last time, I got smart and took the photos for a tutorial.

Skill Level: Basic Sewing Skills - Great beginners project

Materials: 

• 16 - 4 inch I-spy Quilt Squares
• 15 in square of fabric for backing.  I used Cuddle 3 from Shannon Fabrics in Dark Lime.  You can also use regular quilting cotton.
• 20 ounce bag of Poly-Fil ® 
• Thread
• Pins
• Sewing Machine

Time Needed:  Less than 1 hour for an adult.  It might take longer for a child.

Note about Sewing with Kids:
You'll need to use your best judgement about when to have your child start sewing.  My three older kids (age 10, 8, and 6) are about equally good at sewing because my youngest has the longest attention span and most interest.  The oldest has a shorter attention span and has a harder time finishing a tedious project.  You really have to judge by your child's interest and attention span.  Also be prepared that a child might not have the attention span to complete

Directions:

I-Spy Swap 6 - NOW FULL!! - Please read whole post before signing up!

SWAP IS NOW FULL!

So SORRY folks!  I love when these fill up fast because everyone is so excited...and I hate it because there's never enough room for everyone.  No guarantees about when the next swap will be, but if you fill out this form, you'll automatically be put on the waiting list.

If you're really desperate for some I-Spy squares, I sometimes have a couple sets from previous swaps in my Etsy Shop here.  (I know it's not as fun as being in the swap yourself though!)  I really am sorry.



It's been quite a while since I've hosted an I-Spy Swap, and I'm running low on squares again...or at least I'm running low on the really GOOD squares again.

As always I learn a bit each time we do a swap, so there are a few minor changes this time around with how you sign up, so PLEASE read the entire post before signing up...even if you'd participated in one of my swaps before.

THE BASICS:
Mail 200 I-Spy squares to me by February 15th.  
Get 200 I-Spy squares back, all different, by Mar. 1. 
PLEASE be sure you can meet the deadlines BEFORE you sign up! 

THE DETAILS: 

I-Spy Quilt - Black and White Plus Version

If you've been around this blog a while, you know I love a good I-Spy Quilt. 

With the most recent I-Spy Swap in progress, I figured that I really needed to use up some of my I-Spy Squares.  (I've also listed some I-Spy charm sets in my shop if you're looking for squares or you can go here to get your name added to an email list for our next swap...no promises about when that will be though.)

When I'm doing color-blocked I-Spy quilts, there are some types of squares that just seem to have a hard time fitting it my quilts.  For instances, I lean toward the squares that are really saturated in color and don't use as many black or white squares.  I've also been wanting to try a plus quilt, so this was a good opportunity.

So I decided to go for a quilt that had nothing but black and white based squares.  These still have plenty of really fun pictures.  In fact, I've found that some of the wackiest objects end up on square with black backgrounds... sushi, computer keyboards, Russian dolls, Japanese shoes, fortune cookies, and M&M cookies just to name a few.

I-Spy Swap #5 - FULL - Fill out form to be put on waiting list

SWAP IS NOW FULL!

So SORRY folks!  I love when these fill up fast because everyone is so excited...and I hate it because there's never enough room for everyone.  No guarantees about when the next swap will be, but if you fill out this form, you'll automatically be put on the waiting list.

If you're really desperate for some I-Spy squares, I have a couple sets from previous swaps in my Etsy Shop here.  (I know it's not as fun as being in the swap yourself though!)  I really am sorry.


It's that time again!  Several people have been contacting me asking for another swap.

I am switching up a few things this time around with how you sign up, so PLEASE read the entire post before signing up...even if you'd participated in one of my swaps before.

 

THE BASICS:
Mail 200 I-Spy squares to me by June 25th. 
Get 200 I-Spy squares back, all different, by July 9th.
PLEASE be sure you can meet the deadlines BEFORE you sign up!

THE DETAILS:
1. Joining 1 swap spot is committing to buying and cutting 1/4 yard of 10 different I-Spy fabrics and mailing them to me within 2-weeks.  PLEASE don't sign up if you can't keep this commitment.
2. For each spot you sign up for, you will need to cut 20 4" squares out of each of 10 different novelty print 100% Cotton Quilt fabrics (NO flannel or textured fabric!). A 1/4-yard cut or fat quarter will get you 20 4" squares, so you will be purchasing a total of about 2 1/2 yards of fabric. This is NOTHING when you think about all the different squares you will be getting back!
3. In order to avoid duplicates, everyone will need to search out unusual or obscure prints. Look for things that aren't available at chain stores. But, please, pick FUN ones! If you love it, the other swappers will love it too! Please upload pictures of your fabric choices to the Pieces by Polly I-Spy Swap flickr group as soon as possible after ordering and check the flickr group before you place your order.  (If you order fabric online, many smaller shops will send you a picture.)  If you're not able to post to the flickr group for some reason, email me the picture and I will add it. 
4. Remember that we are looking for fabric with objects on it, not printy-prints. (A fabric with FLOWERS on it is very different from a FLORAL PRINT.)
5. NO "licensed" prints: No Disney, Dora, L.A. Lakers, etc.
6. Please be sure you are purchasing HIGH QUALITY QUILTING COTTONS. Pretty much anything you purchase a quilt shop will be high quality. Chain stores (Joanns, Hobby Lobby, etc) have a mix of high quality fabrics mixed in with low quality fabrics, so you really need to make sure you're buying the good stuff (thick, soft, not see through, etc.) Please, Please, Please check out your local quilt shop first.
7. Remember seam allowances! Be sure you can tell what you are looking at within a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square. Nobody wants only half of an object in their square -- cut them well! (Depending on your fabric choice, you may need to buy more than 1/4 yard in order to get an object into each cut square.)
8. This is a double swap. You can sign up for a maximum of 2 regular swap spots if you want...but the fabrics for each swap need to be different. (If you have participated in previous swaps, it's okay if you use prints you've used before.)
9. If you end up one or two squares short of one of your fabrics, it's okay to trade in another fun fabric to replace them. Just make sure you're not putting in duplicates.
10. If an emergency comes up and you're not able to follow-through with your commitment, please let me know ASAP so someone on the waiting list has time to take your place. You will receive a full refund.
11. Once you're signed up I'll send you my mailing address for where you send your squares.


PLEASE BE SERIOUS AND BE SURE YOU CAN MEET THE DEADLINES BEFORE signing up.  I want to make sure everyone gets their squares back in a timely manner.

Sign-ups will work a bit different this time.  One of the most time consuming things in the past has been getting all the packages addressed and postage paid for.  It's actually a real pain to take 40 packages to the post office and have the lady have to count stamps on the prepaid envelopes...PLUS lots of people ended up putting way more stamps on their envelopes than they needed.

SO...this time to sign up, you'll purchase a spot through my Etsy shop.  This is NOT a money maker for me.  I'm just charging what it will cost me for postage, envelopes, and Etsy fees, and for most people it will end up being less expensive in the long run for you.  (Etsy listing fees get added into the mix, but postage is cheaper via Etsy, so it pretty much breaks even.)  I'm charging 75 cents to cover the Etsy Listing fees plus your postage and the price of your return envelope is included in the cost.  The price I have listed covers First Class Shipping in a padded envelope for a single swap spot (total of 4.75) and Priority Shipping in a Flat Rate Padded envelope for a double spot (total of 6.50).  Since I get postage cheaper purchasing it online, overall this will cost you about the same and printing the shipping labels will be less of a headache for me (I hope!)

Sneek Peek at Works in Progress

I just thought I'd share a few works in progress, since I haven't gotten a "real" blog post up in a while. I've been gradually working on building inventory for my shop, so I'm ready for the Halloween and Christmas rush, but since things are a little slower now I've been able to work on several quilts this week.

I have an ongoing addiction to I-Spy fabrics and squares.  I've been itching to host another swap, but I have so many squares I really could justify it yet...so I decided to try out making a Plus quilt with I-Spy squares.  I typically have a hard time placing the black and white squares in my regular I-Spy quilts, so I opted for one that was only black and white.

I think next I need to try one like this in blue, green, and brown, since those seem to be the colors that come up the most in I-Spy fabrics...and therefore are the ones I always have extras of.

And to further get ready for a swap, and destash some of my current squares, I've also been sorting them out into a few I-Spy 4" charm sets I have available in my shop...204 squares in a set with 17 of each of 12 colors.  You can find those here, or stay tuned for the swap announcement in the next few days.


I've also been working on a fun red and gold quilt I've been wanting to do for a while.  Any guesses what the inspiration behind this one is?

And I'm nearly finished with this Children at Play Quilt that I started at that quilting retreat a couple months ago.  Now it just needs the binding...which might be done before I go to bed if I'm lucky.

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Kindergarten I-Spy Quilt meets the Berenstain Bears

We don't have a kindergartener this year, but I just can't pass up an excuse to make a quilt, especially if it involves getting kids excited about quilts too.

Our school has 6 kindergarten teachers.  One of them is new this year, so we offered to help her class make a quilt.  I figured she probably needed fun things for her classroom more since she's just starting out.

I talked to her ahead of time to find out what kind of quilt she and her kids would like the best.  We got to talking about some of the various children's book-themed fabrics out there.  She mentioned that she loves reading Berenstain Bears books to her class...

...and that one of her favorite authors is Jeff Foxworthy.  (He's got several funny kids' poetry books.  I blogged here about Dirt on My Shirt {affiliate link} a couple years ago.)  One of their favorites is Hide!  {affiliate link} She said her kids love finding all the hidden pictures in the book...things hidden in plain sight in the business of the pictures, which pretty well describes an I-Spy quilt.  If you're not familiar with I-Spy Quilts, each square has a different picture on them, and you generally get the squares as parts of I-Spy swaps.  I've hosted several swaps in the past, and will be doing one again soon.  If you'd like to be notified of the next one, you can go here and fill out the form at the bottom of the post.

So a quilt with I-Spy on one side and Berenstain Bears on the other side seemed like a perfect fit.  Plus the quilt can serve as a game when they have some extra time.

Pinkalicious Baby Quilt

There's nothing sweeter for a baby girl than lots of pink, and this quilt is definitely that.

Some of you might remember when I made Katie a new version of one of her favorite baby blankets that is in tatters.
(And I have to say that Katie preferred that I just call this quilt Pink #3...NOT Pinkalicious, but Pinkalicious is just too fun, and it fits in with our theme of our For the LOVE of BOOKS series going on this month.

My sister had saved the extra fabric from the project for all these years.  I still had some of the fabric left over, and since the fabric was so special, I figured it was perfect for making a baby quilt for her sister.