By Laura B

March 24, 2016

Rainbow Rays – Free Quilt Block Pattern

When I saw the zipper pouch swap on Instagram, I just had to join! My partner liked modern designs- so I went with a modern rainbow for the pouch. I used Quilt Assistant to create my own foundation paper piecing pattern for the top. Now, I am offering the pattern for the top of the pouch for free! You can download the pattern by clicking here! The pattern includes the foundation paper piecing pattern, some tips/tricks, and coloring sheets you can use to try out colors! Basic foundation paper piecing instructions are not included, but there is a great tutorial here!

I created the pattern to fit the top of the medium Open Wide Pouch Pattern, but you can enlarge/shrink if you need a different size! On its own, this block completes at 12in x 4.5in (unfinished) and 11.5in x 4in (finished). You can use the finished block as the top of an open wide pouch or make several to put together to make your own mini quilt!

Overall, I am super happy with how this pattern & pouch turned out! If you use the pattern, I’d love to see what you make! Tag me on social media or send me an email at kittensandthreads@gmail.com!

I hope you enjoy!

March 8, 2016

No Greater Love – Free Embroidery Pattern!

This pattern was inspired by Easter, though it could be displayed all year long! The inspiration for this piece came from looking at all the bright pretty Easter things at the store. I was struck by how few pretty decorations they sell that celebrate the real meaning of Easter- Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. Then, this idea popped into my head and I just had to make it! I decided to offer it as a free pattern as well! You can download it by clicking here. I hope you enjoy!

I tried out hand lettering for the first time with this pattern! I was originally going to use fonts, but decided to take a shot at lettering it myself. I was amazed it turned out since my everyday handwriting is terrible!

I chose back stitching for most of the pattern. I used split stitching for the “Love” to accentuate the cursive! I also chose to applique the hill with some big running stitches along the top! Overall, I am very happy with how it came out!

I hope you enjoy the pattern! If you use it, let me know! I’d love to see your work!

February 26, 2016

Fabric Fun Friday – Week 4!

Welcome to my weekly post- Fabric Fun Friday! Each week, I pick an image as inspiration for a fabric pull to practice pulling new fabric combinations! This week I was inspired by this pretty floral fabric I found at Joanns instead of a picture! I couldn’t help leaving with a small piece!

Here is my fabric pull! The fabric info is below:

Navy: Unknown
Green:Calico by Dear Stella
Yellow: Joanns
Pink: Unknown- I’d guess this was from Joanns as well.
Floral: Joanns

February 24, 2016

Pretty Paperie!

I loved the fabric line Paperie from the moment I saw it pop up on Instagram. However, the colors seemed a lot softer than I usually use. So I decided to get 1/8 yard cuts from Serendipity Woods on Etsy so I could get a variety of prints without breaking the bank! And it came packaged super cute with a personal note! (This isn’t a sponsored post- I was just super happy to find 1/8 yard cuts on Etsy and the customer service was awesome!)

My first project I made was this cute little tea wallet! I used elastic for a super simple closure!

Paperie Tea Wallet

Inside, it houses 2 tea bags! Perfect way to keep them safe in a purse or backpack!

Paperie Pixie Basket

Next, I decided to make a pixie basket using the tutorial from Fabric Mutt! It was super easy and so tiny & cute!

Paperie Scrappy Key Fob!

Finally, I used my scraps to make a scrappy key fob! These are one of my favorite quick easy projects!

I had so much fun using Paperie! Such a pretty fabric line! And I am giving these 3 away on Instagram! Click the Instagram link in the side bar to find my profile! To win, follow me & comment on the giveaway post with your favorite book! I’m drawing the winner on 2/26 at 9pm est!

Until Next Time!

February 3, 2016

Try Something New Every Month – Paper Making (+Mini Tutorial)!

This year, I am participating in the Try Something New Every Month challenge hosted by Stephanie & Rebecca! You can read the details at Swoodson Says or Hugs Are Fun. The theme for February is Tactile Craft- I decided to try handmade paper! I’m not 100% sure this is tactile craft, but its close enough to paper mache!

I looked up some tutorials- but I didn’t want to use a blender because the paper dulls the blades. Since I wasn’t sure if I’d do this more than once, I decided to do it inexpensively! The process was very simple, so I thought I’d do a mini-tutorial for how I did it! Here are the supplies needed (I bought them all from the dollar store!)

Red, pink, and white construction paper
White printer paper
A large jug with a tight cap (you will be shaking the watery mixture!)
A cookie sheet
A tea towel
A rolling pin (or Pam spray can!)

I started by cutting my paper into 1 in by 0.5 in strips. I then combined the strips in the jug and added enough water to cover. I let the mixture soak for 4-5 days, shaking the jug several times a day to help break up the paper.

Once the mixture was nice and pulpy, I moved on to the next step!

I took handfuls of paper and squeezed most of the water out. I then placed it in a cookie tray from the dollar store and flattened it out as best as I could by hand.

Next, I covered the cookie tray with a tea towel and soaked up more of the water. I used a Pam spray can as a rolling pin and flattened it out with the towel over top.

Once I was done, I just had to let it dry! Once it was dry, I drew heart shapes on the back of the paper. I then cut them out with regular scissors. Beware, the paper was a little weak- so be careful while you cut!

I then attached the hearts to the string approximately 2 inches apart. To be honest- I couldn’t find the glue so I just duct taped the string to the back! Haha!

I ended up having enough for 2 strings, so I made one longer and one shorter. I hung them on the wall with tape and covered the ends with little hearts from Target!

I had a lot of fun trying paper making this month! It turned out much better than I expected and it wasn’t hard at all! I hope this post helps you if you’d like to make your own! Now to plot what to try for March!!

Thanks for reading!

February 1, 2016

You’ve Gotta be Kitten Me! Two Mini Quilts!

Not only do I love lame puns- I am also a crazy cat lady… and proud of it! I have two adorable kitties, Chloe & Luna, who I love to pieces! So when I saw the Litter Blox pattern by Lillyella, I knew I just had to make one of my kitties!

For Luna, I adapted the pattern to include a second flying goose block for her black chin.

Chloe is a tortoiseshell, so she doesn’t have distinct markings- so I went with a brown fabric with black designs to represent her coloring and left out the white markings in the pattern. I decided to try some matchstick quilting on this one and I love the texture! I finished it off with some white polka dot binding done by machine. Overall, I loved this pattern! It was very well written and went together easily. I completely recommend it!

And because I couldn’t help myself, here is a bonus kitty picture!!!

The second mini was really my first try at “complicated” quilt piecing! I used the Machine Sewing Mini pattern by Sew Lux. It was very well written! I added some patchwork at the top and bottom and kept the quilting simple. I also embroidered around the sewing machine to help it pop a little more!

Until next time!

January 29, 2016

Fabric Fun Friday Week 3!

Welcome to my weekly post- Fabric Fun Friday! Each week, I pick an image as inspiration for a fabric pull to practice pulling new fabric combinations! This week, I was inspired by these beautiful zoanthid’s!

Photo Credit: Dusky’s Wonder Site (Photo found on Pinterest)

Here is my fabric pull! The fabric info is below:

Navy Stripe: Blueberry Park by Karen Lewis
Navy Floral: True Colors by Anna Maria Horner
Medium Blue: Blueberry Park by Karen Lewis
Turquoise: Horizon by Kate Spain
Aqua: Canyon by Kate Spain
Green: Canyon by Kate Spain
Light Pink: Cottage Garden by The Quilted Fish
Dark Pink: Canyon by Kate Spain

This week I chose to pull from charm packs because that was about the only navy fabrics I had! This was fun to pull, much darker than I usually choose, but I love the result!

Thanks for stopping by!

January 26, 2016

Quilted Pillow Swap!

I signed up for the Pillow Talk Swap on Instagram this year! My partner liked bright colors, high contrast, and radial patterns. So I designed a version of a Mariners Compass for her!

I drew up this design based on my partners inspiration mosaic. I then scanned my drawing into the computer and used Quilt Assistant to make it into a foundation paper piecing pattern! This is my first time designing my own paper piecing pattern, so this was a fun adventure!

I chose some topstitch quilting around the edges of each color. I wanted to keep the emphasis on the design. For the back, I pieced a simple design with a lapped zipper!

For the extras, I went with a blue & green theme (her favorite color combo and mine!). I started with a deluxe pincushion from the book Sew Organized for the Busy Girl. Instead of a 9 patch for the pocket, I made a mini Tallahassee block using the pattern from Quilter’s Cache.

For my next extra, I made a hexagon fabric tray using the tutorial from A Spoonful of Sugar. I appliqued on an English paper pieced star and did a little echo quilting on the inner!

For my last extra, I made a cute little patchwork key fob! Each stripe is only 0.5in wide! I used strip piecing to make this less fiddly

Overall, this swap pushed me to try a lot of new things! I made my own foundation paper piece pattern, played with much more contrast than I usually do, and came up with a design outside of my comfort zone! I absolutely loved this journey and I am glad my partner liked it! Until next time!

January 22, 2016

Fabric Fun Friday – Week 2!

Photo Credit: Be Primitive (Photo found on Pinterest but it doesn’t show up on their website anymore)

Here is my fabric pull! The fabric info is below:

Brown: Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt
Dark Yellow: Gramercy by Leah Duncan
Light Yellow: Crosshatch Sketch by Timeless Treasures
Pink: Unknown
Blue: Bias Gingham by Connecting Threads

This week was tough for me- I tend to work in cool color palettes so I had almost no warm colors! This was just about the only brown fabric I had! Overall it was a good challenge pulling a warmer color palette

Thanks for stopping by!

January 19, 2016

Double the Quilts, Double the Fun!

When I found out that my sister in law was having a baby girl, I knew I had to make the baby a quilt! I also decided to make her son a quilt as well! I even managed to finish in time for Christmas! These are my 3rd and 4th quilts ever, and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!

For the baby girl’s quilt, I decided to do some paper piecing! I used the awesome butterfly pattern from the Tartan Kiwi for the centerpiece of this quilt. This is the most detailed paper piecing I have done, and I love how it turned out! I added a pink border then a ring of pretty flowers! I didn’t use a pattern for these. I finished with white and purple borders!

For the border, I decided to do something a little fancier- but that I could still do with my walking foot. I used my Cricut to design and cut templates for these scallops & corners. I then traced these on with water soluble markers and quilted with my walking foot (and a lot of arm muscle! Now I know why people say they wrestle their quilts!).

I backed the quilt with the softest minky I have ever felt! I also loved how the minky showed the quilting on the back!

I also made a matching pillow! The butterfly pattern is also from the Tartan Kiwi.

I chose simple quilting 1/4 in from the seams. I also stitched in the ditch around the butterfly’s wings! I was happy to see that it matched the baby’s room perfectly!My nephew is 2.5 yrs old, so when I saw this awesome race car panel from Deborah Edwards I knew it would make a perfect play mat quilt for him! I bought 2 panels and cut off 1 side border from each. I then rotated one side by 180 degrees and sewed them together. That means this quilt had a whopping 1 seam! 😉