Scales Cushion Tutorial Part 2

This is the second (and last!) part of the Scales Tutorial. The first part can be found here. Also, have a look at all my Black and White Cushions and the corresponding tutorials!

Still Sewing

Last time, we left off at this stage:

The blocks from Tutorial 1

You've measured them and made sure that they're all about the same size, ideally 11.5". Now divide that measurement by two (5.75") and cut the block into four equal squares. Make sure that the black middle square is about 1" big in all four pieces. Cut the other five blocks as well.


Block cut in 4

Now it's time to add the 1" black sashing strips. Put one of the strips under the pressing foot of your sewing machine, then add one of the small squares underneath this strip. Make sure that the black middle square is to the bottom right. Repeat this for 18 of the blocks, leaving 6 without a sashing strip. Then sew these blocks together, keeping them all in the same direction:

Sashing added between Blocks

You'll need two strips of 6 blocks, two of 4 and two of 2 blocks. Make sure the blocks without the sashing strip are at the end of the strip.

Finished strip sizes, two of each

Now you arrange them (counting the blocks in a strip) 2-4-6-6-4-2 on point. Add sashing between the different strips on the longer side of the two joining strips (blue arrows). On one of the middle strips with 6 blocks you'll have to add a sashing strip on both sides (green arrow).

Where to Add Sashing between the Strips

 

First, sew them together in pairs, then sew the different pairs to one whole piece. You can make sure that the sashing strips align perfectly by marking the connecting points and pinning the two sides together.

Press the seams towards the light, so that the sashing strip lies flat on the back.

Pieced Top Finished

Now all you have to do is cut the piece to size (20"x20"). I started off by cutting down the left side of the piece (blue line) and then the top (green). Then I measured 20" on the two remaining sides.

Measure at least twice before you cut and make sure you have nice 90° angles. If you misscut, you might have to start from the beginning again! (No pressure! *lol*)

Cutting Down to Size

And this is how the 20"x20" piece looks like:

Cushion Top Finished

Now you can add a batting of your choice and "quilt it as desired". I kept it simple and just SITD along both sides of the sashing to attach it to the batting.

For the back of the cushion cut two pieces the  20"x26". Press them in half (20"x13") and topstitch along the folded line about 1/4" in. Lie the two pieces on top of the quilted Scales piece, so that they overlap in the middle. Stitch along the the outside (also with a 1/4" seam allowance). You might want to go back over and secure the corners and especially the overlap of the two back pieces, as these are the stress points.

Adding the Back of the Case

Turn it inside out and put a cushion in it and voilà, here is your finished pillow:

Finished Scales Cushion

Have fun recreating the same or similar pillow cover! And make sure to share it with me!


All the best,
Cat.

Scales Cushion Tutorial Part 1

Hi there!

Today I'm showing you how I made the Scales cushion case. Here you'll find links to the other tutorials for the cushions.

Fabrics Needed

As with all the cushions in this series, the fabrics you need are black and white. Of course you can use other solids as well, even small prints might work for you.

Cutting...

Cut the following pieces (from top to bottom):

Fabrics needed for Scales Cushion

(6) 2.5" squares in black
(3) 1.25" strips in white
(4) 1" strips in black
(5) 2" strips in white
(6) 1.5" strips in black
(6) 1.25" strips in white
plus (8) 1" strips in black for sashing (not in the picture)

I calculated these measurements for normal 42"-44" wide fabrics, as I worked with wide fabrics when I made this cushion.

...and Sewing

First, take one of the white 1.25" strips and put it under your presser foot. Then take one of the black 2.5" squares and lay it right sides together on the bottom of the strip (as you are working with solids, there basically is no right side). Now you can sew the two pieces together and when you get to the end of the black square, just add the next one with a little gap between them, as is shown here:

"Chain"-piecing the squares

Once you've chain-pieced all six squares, cut them off the strip between the little gap, turn them around and add a white strip on the opposite side as well. Make sure you place them the right sides together underneath the strip! Again sew the strip to all six squares, then cut them loose. Press the strip with the seams outwards and cut back the white strips on the edge if necessary. It doesn't matter if you use scissors or a rotary cutter for that. However, I prefer to use a ruler and rotary cutter, especially if the strips are a bit wider.

This is how your "square" should look like by now:

Squares with two sides added

Now that you come this far, it's basically all boring, boring repetition!

Again, place a white 1.25" strip underneath your presser foot, put the "squares" underneath it and sew on one side of the as of yet black sides, cut them loose, repeat on the other side, then press both strips outwards. Your block should now look like this:

First Round Done

Now take a 1" strip in black and sew it on two sides of the block. Press the seams outwards:

Second Round Halfway Done

Now sew the 1" black strip to the other two sides, again press the seams outwards.

Second Round Done

Proceed by taking the 2" white strips and sew them to the block on two opposite sides, cut them off, press the seams outwards.

Third Round Halfway Done

Add the 2" strips on the other sides as well, pressing the seams outwards.

Third Round Done

Can you guess what you'll have to do next??

Right, take the 1.5" black strips and sew them to two opposite sides of the block, press the seams outwards.¨

Fourth Round Halfway Done

Now of course do the same to the other two sides.

Fourth Round Done

For the last time, take a 1.25" white strip and add it to two opposite sides and press the seams outwards.

Fifth Round Halfway Done

Repeat on the other two sides, cut them off and press the seams outwards.

Now you should have six blocks that look like this:

Finished (?!) Block

Now measure your blocks. They should be around 11.5". Mine were a bit smaller, because I use a 1/4" presser foot with guide and as I can't move my needle (yeah, it's a very basic model, I've been saving up for a new one for a while) my seams are a bit fat. However, as long as they are consistent and you're only sewing for yourself, that's not a problem!

In the next tutorial, you'll learn how to turn these blocks into this cushion:

Finished Scales Cushion

All the best,
Cat.

Cushion Tutorial: Black and White Rectangles

Hi there!

Today I'm sharing with you a little tutorial for a cushion cover with rectangles. You could of course also enlarge it for a whole quilt if you wanted.

What inspired me to make this was actually a wallpaper I saw somewhere.

Fabrics Needed

You'll need two different fabrics. I used black and white, but of course you can use whichever two solids you like - or even prints (best would be small prints, as the pieces are too small to see bigger designs).

Cutting and Sewing

Cut 3" strips from both fabrics, then cut them up into 3" squares. It depends on the size of the pillow you need to cover, mine was 50cm x 50cm (20" x 20"), so the instructions are for that size. But you can easily adapt them for your own pillow.

You'll need about 4 strips per colour, which yields at least 50 3" squares (or 100 total).

Lay at least one black and one white square on top of each other (I did it with 2 each, it gets too tough with more than 4 layers for me). Mark the white square both on the top left and the bottom right one inch from the corner (example on the left in picture). Then place your ruler on both those dots and cut the squares in half. If you're using one sided fabric then you need to cut 22 of each fabric as mirror image (example on the right). If you're using solids or any other fabric that looks the same on both side, you can just flip them whichever way you need them to be!

Now lay out your cut pieces by exchanging one side with the opposing colour. You'll need 55 blocks like the one on top and 44 of the one on the bottom.

 To sew them together, pick the two pieces up and overlap them slightly:

I actually eyeballed it, but you can also measure them. Of course, that'll take quiet some time, after all, you're making 99 blocks!

To help you with eyeballing it, here's my tipp: Your needle/seam should go into the angle where the two pieces meet (red line), which should be 1/4" from the straight edge of the two fabrics (blue line).

You can chain piece them all, but make sure you make two different piles for the two different blocks. This makes assembly far easier! Press all seams to the dark side.

Now take one block from each pile and sew them together. Make sure the colours are always opposing. They should nest nicely, so no pinning is needed!

After sewing them all into twos, you should have eleven left from one type of the blocks. Sew them to eleven sets of two.

(For the cushion, I actually sewed them together the other way around,
starting with them bottom ones, see below!)

It's best if you lay out all the columns so that you don't mix them up! Add two sets of twos to another, making sets of four, add them to another set of four, add to each one of the sets of three (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of that whole procedure).

Remember, you'll need 11 identical columns with 9 blocks each. All of them have to start with the type of block you made 11 more. For example, I always told myself "small black top left corner" as a reminder that I had to start all my columns (and therefore also all sets of two, etc.) with a block that looked like this:

Once you've finished your eleven strips of nine, take them to your ironing board. Press the seams in 5 of the strips towards the top, and the seams in the other 4 strips to the bottom. Make sure they don't bend and stay as straight as possible.

Take a strip each and sew them together. The seams should nest, as the seams go in opposite directions. Repeat 3 times. There's one strip left over. Now add the strip sets of two to another strip set, etc.

You'll end up with a rectangular shape. Cut back all sides symmetrically so that you end up with a square shape:

I added a cotton batting to the back and did some SITD, but, again, that was basically just to attach it, not to add structure. The backing was added as described in a previous post, with two pieces cut 20" x 26".

And that's how it looks like finished:



Front of the Rectangle Cushion



Back of the Rectangle Cushion

I hope the explanations are clear. If not, feel free to ask! :)


All the best,
Cat

Endless Stars finished!

 

It finally came together: The weather was nice today and I had time to get out and take some photos of my new(-lish)ly finished quilt! I've been waiting for a long time, but the weather just wasn't co-operating. It was strange the last couple of weeks, mostly rainy and cold, but sometimes with spurts of sun and quite humid.

Now, to the quilt:

Endless Stars - ready to shine!

I've already shown the top in my last update (which - admittedly - is already far too long ago!).

The Piecing

I came up with this design a while ago when I was experimenting with string piecing in an attempt to create easy diamonds. As you can see, that diamond design pretty much failed, but I discovered this star design (as the first one? Maybe...or have you seen this one before?).

Endless Stars: the piecing

The two solids are from the Moda Bella Solids line. Can't remember their exact name at the moment, but if you are interested I could look it up (the light blue is bluer and a bit darker in reality, though).

Once I'd decided on the overall design, the top came together rather quickly.

 

The Back

I love creative quilt backs! Nope, that's not strong enough! I really, really, really absolutely, totally and unequivocally adore creative quilt backs!

I always say: We spend so much time and effort on the front, why not spend a few hours more and create a similarly stunning back?

That being said, I kept the back of this quilt rather simple, I didn't want it to clash too much with the front. And that's the result:


Endless Stars Pieced Back

The print fabric is called "Star Burst"; it's black, green and purple. Unfortunately, the green is not the same as on the front (it's more forest green than teal), but, alas, that's the downside of online fabric shopping! I had to wait about 2 weeks for it to arrive; I think our postman thinks I'm a bit, uhm...how to say it nicely...wacky? I hate to admit that he's probably got me pegged quite accurately...

It wasn't actually the best print to work with, as it was not printed on the straight of grain (yeah, bummer), but I think I more or less managed to not make it noticeable.

Next to the length of "Star Burst", I added some leftover pieces from the front and finished off with some more black fabric.

Detailed view of the back

During the two weeks that I had to wait, the top was hanging on my living room wall and after looking at it again and again, I decided to cut it back. I felt that the dimensions were a bit off. It ended up being about 70"x52", a nice sized lap quilt (and I can absolutely attest to that, as I'm currently lying on my couch with my laptop, cuddled under - you already guessed - my Endless Stars quilt!).

The Quilting

I have to admit that the quilting was a pain in the tushy! I don't know (yet! :P) how to free motion quilt, so straight lines it was. I actually think I would have chosen that anyway, as I like the look of it, especially in modern quilts.

I wanted to draw all of the lines on the quilt, as I've realised that it is actually easier for me to achieve straight lines that way. Otherwise, my "straight line quilting" turns out to be, uhm..., really organic?

You can imagine that I spent quite a few hours crawling on the floor. Little tip: if you draw straight lines, make sure they are actually straight and get up and check from different angles from time to time. How do you think I know that?! After I drew on the lines on about half of the quilt, I got up and realised that they were getting more and more lopsided, I had to wipe it all off. Needless to say, I didn't quilt any more that evening!

All straight lines...

My main problem with it all, however, was not the drawing itself, but the white chalk pencil I used for it. I thought it would show beautifully on the black fabric (which it did), but basically every second line, the tip broke. And it broke again and again while I sharpened it. In a matter of minutes I ended up with a tiny stub I could hardly hold in my big man hand! I thought it might have been dropped and handled too many times during the shipping process, so I went out and got another one locally.

Same result. More than double the frustration.

I ended up sharpening normal chalks (you know, the ones you normally write on black boards with) and using them.

Upside a) they're really cheap,
and upside b) they show up on the fabric,
but downside a) they disappear rather quickly,
but upside c) they disappear easily!
And downside b) their points dull very quickly
plus downside c) they can make quite a mess when you sharpen them.
Apart from that, well, they're cheap! ;) And if you sharpen a bunch of them at a time, it really isn't too bad!

Does anybody have a great, affordable marking pen(cil) for dark fabrics that washes out easily? I'd be happy to get a few pointers...

 

The Binding

I decided to add a two-coloured binding. I think it was the right decision, it adds a little more colour and frames the quilt nicely.

I used Susie's Magic Binding Tutorial, and I have to say, it worked great! It's my first fully machine sewn binding, and of course, it could be more neat!

Fully machine sewn binding

The sewing line is a bit...drunk, the binding is not even everywhere and honestly? The corners are a bit of a mess. But I still consider it a success, as I've tried to sew on bindings by machine before and after about one side (if I was lucky I realised it sooner rather than later!) I always decided to rip the stitches out and do it by hand. I definitely need some more practise, I guess...

And here is the finished quilt one more time:

Endless Stars Quilt

I'd love to hear from you and I'm always open to questions! Don't be shy, leave a comment! :)

All the best,
Cat

Latest Projects and Pillow Tutorial

Hi there!

After being on an involuntary sabbatical (I had to bring my machine to the doctor; she's as good as new, thanks for asking!), I am back at my machine, sewing up a storm!

This weekend I finished this top:

It's my own design. I call it "Endless Stars". There might be a tutorial in the future if you ask nicely! :P

However, the fabric I want to use for the backing has not yet arrived (I simply looooove creative quilt backs!), so I had to keep myself busy with another project.

I decided to finally tackle the embarrassment that is in my living room:

 

See the pillows?

Yeah, not pretty (but pretty embarrassing), I know! And that's after fluffing them up...
Welcome to student living! *lol*

I recently bought some pillows at the Big Great Swede that I intend to cover with my own pillow cases. It's also a good possibility to try out some of my design ideas, as it is smaller so there is not that much waste if something goes horribly wrong. Another added bonus is of course that it is also much quicker to make! *lol*

Pillow (or Cushion?) Case Tutorial

For the small pillow (35cm x 35cm, or ca. 13.5" x 13.5") I used the four sample blocks from my DD4P tutorial. I just added a poly batting I had left over from another project and quilted it lightly. It's really more to attach than add a lot of structure:

For the back of the pillow, I cut a 13.5" strip of black fabric and cut two 17.5" pieces. Then I pressed them in half with my iron and topstitched down the folded line. When you overlap them and put them on the top right sides together, you only need to sew around and trough all the layers to get an easy envelope pillow. For a more detailed tutorial on how to make the back, see Crazy Mom Quilts' tutorial.

And this is how the cushion looks like:

Diagonal Disappearing Four Patch Cushion


I'll be making some more cushion covers in the near future. But I'm not sure yet if I'll make them all in black and white, or if I'll add a colour or two... What do you think?

All the best,
Cat


P.S: I'm really sorry for the bad pictures, but badly lit apartment + crappy camera = very bad pictures! :(

Disappearing 4 Patch Variation

Hi again!

Some time ago I saw Jenny Doan's tutorial on the Disappearing 4 Patch (D4P). If you're into using precuts, check out her other tutorials, but be aware that your to-do-list might easily double. Click at your own risk, don't blame me, I was nice enough to warn you!

Anyway, the finished D4P block looks like this:

This tutorial is a variation on that block, which I call DD4P (Diagonal Disappearing 4 Patch).

And here is how you make it:

Fabrics Needed

You need at least two different fabrics. But if you have a nice charm pack or even a layer cake at home, that'll look great combined with a matching solid.

Cutting and Sewing

If you're using yardage, cut 5" strips the width of the fabric and sew two strips together. Press the seam to the dark side. Then cut 5" pieces from these strips.

Take two of these pieces, flip one over, so that it forms a 4 patch. Sew them together and press to one side (it doesn't matter which one). I then squared them up (4.5" from the middle) just to make sure they're all the same size.

If you're using charm packs or layer cakes, you'll have to sew them together individually, but you can at least chain piece them.

Now to the trickiest part: Make four cuts (red lines) 1" away from the diagonal (blue lines). Check at least twice that your ruler is lined up properly before cutting, as you can't uncut it!

Take the four long corner pieces and exchange them:

Now sew the block back together. Be careful when handling these pieces, as you are working on the bias. So no excessive tugging!

 

First, sew the white longer strips to the small hourglass in the middle, then the two triangles to the black strips. Make sure that they line up on top. Don't worry about the bottom, we'll get to that in a bit!

 

Press the seams on the two triangles towards the black middle strip and the seams on the middle piece outwards. Now you can nestle the seams, when you sew the three pieces together. I pressed the final two seams open to reduce the bulk in the middle of the block.

 

 

Now for the final squaring up: Line up the middle seam at the 3.5" mark and also make sure that the vertical seam is perpendicular. Then cut off the fabric on the side. Rinse and repeat on all sides.

 

And here is your finished block. It's 7" unfinished and 6.5" finished.

 

 

Tipps and Tricks

 

There are just a few things that I'd like to add:

• Make sure you don't handle the pieces too much, as everything is on the bias.
• Press carefully, you don't want to distort the pieces.
• Don't cut too many blocks at once, it'll just cause chaos and you don't really want to waste time finding the matching pieces.
• Use pins when sewing together the three pieces of the block. The seams do nestle nicely, but the ends aren't straight, so you don't want them slipping around.
• You can basically adapt the size of the block to any measurement you like, be it 6" or 10" or even bigger. Just be aware that a 4 patch with 10" squares gets quite big and easily outgrows your cutting mat or ruler! Also, if you choose bigger squares, you might want to adjust the width of the diagonal cuts. I personally wouldn't go much smaller than 5" squares, as it might get quite fiddly and practically make the hourglass in the middle disappear.

 

Layout Ideas

There are two possible ways to lay out your block. This is the first one:

 

Here is a mock up with these colours for a bigger quilt:

 

Or maybe you prefer a more colourful option:

 



 

 

Or how about a more pastelly approach:

 

 

 

Here is the example for the second layout:

 

 

You just have to turn two of the blocks around so that the same colour meets up in the middle and forms a secondary design.

 

That's how it would look like on a bigger scale and with some more colour:

 

I couldn't resist and also made a mock up with borders:

 

 

 

As Jenny Doan would say: Isn't that a darling quilt?!

 

I hope you like it and try it. I'd love to see a quilt with this pattern!

 

 

All the best,

Cat