Sailing Away: Portofino pillow tutorial

Sail away with us! 

We've used Ro Gregg's rich and colorful Portofino collection 

to sew the Sailing Away Pillow. 

Follow the tutorial below to make your own. 

Pillow measures 20" square

The Portofino prints we used:

You'll Need:
1 fat quarter Painter's Palette White Solid (#120-000)
1 fat quarter each:
    boat print  (#120-99041)
    orange tonal (#120-99052)
    gray tonal (#120-99063)
    blue/black tonal (#120-99051)
    green tonal (#120-99062)
    sailboats at sunset (#120-99011)
1/2 yard scenic print (#120-99001) for pillow back
22" square of batting
Fusible web
20" square pillow form

Cutting:
From the White Solid:
(1) 12-1/2" square
4) 1-1/2" squares

From the orange tonal: 
(4) 1-1/2" x 12-1/2" pieces

From the boat print: 
(2) 3" x 20-1/2" pieces
(2) 3" x 15-1/2" pieces

From the scenic print:
(2) 15" x 20-1/2" pieces 

Print the template pages here. 

Make the Pillow:
Step 1. Trace each template onto the paper side of fusible web. Cut out each shape 1/4" beyond the lines and fuse onto the wrong side of the indicated fabric. 
Sail #1: sailboats at sunset
Sail #2: orange tonal
Boat: green tonal
Pennant: green tonal
Mast: gray tonal
Wave: blue/black tonal

Step 2. Referring to the photo, position the applique pieces on the 12-1/2" white square and fuse into place.

Step 3: Sew 1-1/2" x 12-1/2" orange tonal pieces to opposite sides of the sailboat square. Sew 1-1/2" white squares to opposite ends of the remaining (2) 1-1/2" x 12-1/2" orange tonal pieces. Sew to the top and bottom of the sailboat square. 

Step 4: Sew 3" x 15-1/2" boat pieces to opposite sides of the center. Sew 3" x 20-1/2" boat pieces to the top and bottom to complete the pieced pillow top. 

Step 5: Layer the pillow top on the 22" square of batting. Machine quilt as desired and trim to measure 20-1/2" square.

Step 6: Press (1) long edge of a 15" x 20-1/2" scenic print piece over 1/4" and then 1/4" again. Topstitch to create a finished edge. Repeat on the second scenic print piece, noting orientation. 

Step 7: Layer the quilted pillow top right side up. Position the (2) backing pieces on top, matching raw edges on all sides and overlapping the finished edge in the center. Sew around all (4) sides and turn the pillow right side out. Insert the pillow form. 

Sail away! 

More Portofino Love! 

Download the FREE Portofino quilt pattern designed by Pine Tree Country Quilts here. 

See two commercial prints featuring Portofino here. 

Read an interview with Ro here. 

See the entire Portofino collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

3 Portofino Quilts for You

Bring the beauty of Ro Gregg's Portofino into your home! 

We have three color-packed quilt patterns for you:

 1. Portofino designed by Barb Sackel

Highlight Portofino's a large piece of the gorgeous scenic focal print with pieced borders
and sailboats. Quilt measures 38" x 43". 

Pattern available through QuiltWoman.com.
Call or email to order.

2. Harbor View designed by Barb Sackel

Portofino prints go modern with strips and squares. Frame different sized pieces of the scenic print in dramatic black and add interest with pops of colorful coordinates.
Quilt measures 52" x 68".

Pattern available through QuiltWoman.com.
Call or email to order.

3. Portofino designed by Pine Tree Country Quilts

These prints pop on a fresh white background. You'll be surprised at how this easily quilt is assembled--no on-point rows! Quilt measures 58" x 71".

Download the free quilt pattern here.

See Portofino fabric close-ups and read an interview with fabric designer Ro Gregg here.
See the entire Portofino collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

Take a trip...

Ready for a virtual vacation?
Head with us to Portofino, a quaint, colorful fishing village on the Italian Riveria.

Inspired by a trip to this charming harbor, Ro Gregg created her vibrant watercolor-style fabric collection, Portofino. We asked Ro to introduce us to her new fabrics.

Q. Why Portofino?

Ro: When you go to a place like this, it stays in your mind. It's so beautiful. Portofino was originally just a fishing village that is now a beautiful resort destination--a gorgeous harbor surrounded by mountains.

Painterly details in the focal print

Q. The palette for these fabrics is so appealing.

Ro: It’s bold and saturated. Sun-kissed orange and yellow, emerald green, regal reds, and of course the cobalt blues from the sea. The colors of the rainbow, really.

  

Q. Tell us about the boats.

Ro: You still see many of the charming wooden fishing boats among the yachts. It’s part of the culture—even the variety of colors. The fishermen have them tied up to the docks.

Q. What is your favorite memory that made it into the fabric?

Ro: The sunset particularly stayed with me. You can take a cruise around the harbor while the sun is setting, and the colors are so vibrant. You just indulge yourself in the colors. This shows up in the fabric with the silhouetted sailboats—my favorite.

Q. And the houses?

Ro: The area is also famous for the colorful houses on the hills. When you get into the harbor, you see them all around.

See the entire collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop.

What would you make with Portofino? Come back later this week and we'll share some ideas (including a free quilt pattern).

Silent Night Sampler

Last December we featured the Silent Night Sampler quilt on the blog--a 12 day quilt featuring Ro Gregg's Silent Night collection. 

If you didn't have time to make the quilt last year, great news! 

While you can always find the posts with instructions for making each block on the blog (Day 1 is here), Quilted Memories of Overland Park, KS, has set up the quilt as a free Block Program. Click here to have each day's instructions emailed to you. Emails begin December 6th, so sign up today (If you sign up later, they'll catch you up!).

The shop also has kits available so you can use the Silent Night fabrics for your version. 

Order the kit for the Silent Night Sampler here.

Happy sewing!

(And if you're a fan of solids, we also have shown the quilt in Painter's Palette Solids, complete with a conversion chart between the Silent Night prints and the solids.)

Find the solids quilt (and conversion chart) here.

Giving Thanks with Pillowcases

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we're sharing the newest pillowcase patterns from American Patchwork & Quilting's 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge.

Pillowcase 68: String-Pieced Band featuring Lost World

Photo credit: AllPeopleQuilt.com; find the pattern here.

 Pillowcase 69: Wonky Heart Band featuring Natural Beauty by Ro Gregg

Photo credit: AllPeopleQuilt.com; find the pattern here.

If you're looking for a way to give back this holiday season, consider making a few pillowcases and donating them to a local charity. Then don't forget to add them to the count to help AP&Q in their quest to provide 1 million pillowcases to those in need!

Learn more about the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge here.

Fall in Love: Pretty Foxy

Continuing our fall fabric theme for the week, meet the Pretty Foxy collection. 

Ro Gregg's newest fabric line features a gorgeously realistic fox panel. You won't believe the detail on it! Eight coordinating prints round out the line in sage, mellow golds, rusts, and warm reds. Ro says, "Foxes are quite clever and remarkably resourceful. They have always been dear to my heart and are quite popular and spiritual in nature. The Native Americans recognized them as messengers from beyond." 

Let's take a closer look. Here's the entire panel, which includes a patchwork square border. 

So much detail and shading in the fox's fur!

A grass print, available in three different colors:

A houndstooth print, available in two colors (it also shows up as the inner border in the panel):

A cool circle print, available in three colors: 

Wait until you see this! Pine Tree Country Quilts designed this quilt using the panel. The complicated looking design around the panel is actually quite simple--ladder blocks made in different color combinations. The quilt measures 56" x 66".

Find the free quilt pattern here. 

See the entire collection here and ask for it at your local quilt shop. 

Find the free quilt pattern here.

Pillowcase Fun!

We're proud to be a continuing sponsor of American Patchwork & Quilting's One Million Pillowcase Challenge in 2017, and we'll be sharing the Challenge's new designs with you quarterly. 

The goal of the Pillowcase Challenge is for one million pillowcases to be donated to local charities. You can make a pillowcase, donate it in your community, and then enter your donation quantity online. 

Here are the two newest designs from AllPeopleQuilt.com, 

featuring our newest fabric collections.

Pattern 64: Plaid Band

Featuring the Flights of Fancy collection by Ro Gregg

Photo credit: American Patchwork & Quilting; find the pattern here

Pattern 65: Reversible Quilted Pillowcase

Featuring the C'est La Vie collection

Photo credit: American Patchwork & Quilting; find the pattern here

Find more information about the Pillowcase Challenge here.