FREE Download! Star of the Table Topper

We're swooning over this "Star of the Table" topper shown in our Freeform 2 prints!  

 Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. 

©2018 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. 

American Patchwork & Quilting pattern tester Sharon McConnell created this asymmetrical topper as a modern (and smaller) version of the "Star Attraction" quilt featured in the April 2018 issue.

Add this small quilt to your hand-piecing to-do list! You can download the free quilt pattern from AP&Q here.

Love the Freeform 2 prints? 

See them all here and ask for them at your local quilt shop.

See all of the quilts from American Patchwork & Quilting's special 25th Anniversary April 2018 issue here.

What else can you make using Freeform 2? 

Download a FREE lap-size quilt pattern here. 

Check out our pillow trio tutorials here.

Day 6: Home for the Holidays Blog Hop

Welcome to the sixth day of our Home for the Holidays blog hop! 

This week we'll be featuring a variety of small sewing projects to add holiday cheer to your house. These are fast and easy--you can still make them for this year, or bookmark the tutorial until after the holidays! We hope you enjoy these tutorials--and don't miss a chance to win a bundle of the fabrics featured each day!

Today Dawn from Spring Water Designs is here sharing a snowflake table topper made using Ro Gregg's Peace on Earth collection. We love the large off-center fused snowflakes showcased on the beautiful coordinates in Ro's collection.

Here's Dawn:

This week I got to play with these luscious fabrics from Ro Gregg's Peace on Earth fabric line to make something for the Inspired by Fabric's Blog Hop :)

I decided to make a Holiday Table Topper for my dining room table.

To make it, you'll need:

1/2 yard of the Large Holiday print for the borders, cut:
     (2) 4-1/2" x 30-1/2" strips
     (2) 4-1/2" x 18-1/2" strips

1/4 yard of the Green Diamond print, cut:
     (4) 6-1/2" squares

1/4 yard of the Pink Diamond print, cut:
     (4) 6-1/2" squares

1/4 yard of the Dark Green print, cut:
     (1) 6-1/2" square
     (4) 4-1/2" squares

1/2 yard Cream with round snowflakes for setting squares, cut:
     (6) 6-1/2" squares

3/8 yard Red print for binding, cut:
     (4) 2-1/2" WOF strips

1/2 yard of Cream Textured print for applique snowflakes

First to start, arrange your squares in rows in the configuration shown in the above photo. (Or switch out the green and pink diamonds if you prefer ~ it's your table topper!)

After applying fusible web to the back side of some of the light textured fabric, I cut 8 snowflake shapes using my AccuQuilt GO! and the Holiday Medley Die #55043.  If you don't have a GO! Cutter, you can use any snowflake shape that you want and scale it 4 - 5" in size.  You can click Here for a link to a blog post from Inspired by Fabrics Home for the Holidays series last week that has some snow flake shapes you can download.

I laid out the snowflakes on the pink and green squares ~ and to give it the look of snowflakes softly falling, I did not center them on the squares, but off-set them on each square.  Play here to find an arrangement that's pleasing to you...and if you like them centered on the squares, that's ok too ~ again, do what you like and have fun :)

Tip: You might want to pin the snowflakes in place once you choose the position of each one on the square, so they don't get shifted around when you are taking them to your pressing station.  Snapping a photo of your overall arrangement is helpful too in case you get things turned around between pressing and sewing.

 

Then using a pressing cloth underneath to protect your ironing surface, fuse the snowflake in the position that you chose on each square.  If you chose to off-set them, let them hang over the edges in some places like the one shown above.  

 Then once fused, trim off the extra snowflake parts that hang over the edge of the square.

I like the effect that occurs of the snowflakes "peeking" through the squares when they are placed on the edges like this.

Next I top stitched on the snowflake from tip to tip across each snowflake.  If you prefer, this step can be done at the quilting stage to stitch through all layers of the quilt on the snowflakes.  

Next sew the rows together, pressing each seam allowance toward the setting square.  This helps to nest the seams together in the next step when you sen the rows together.

After sewing the rows together, I pressed these seams open as I think that helps things to lay flatter, and I'm making a table runner so I want it as flat as possible.

Then, add the long border strips to the sides, pressing the seams towards the border strips.
Finally, after adding the 4-1/2" green corner stone squares to the ends of the shorter border strips (again press those seams towards the border strip), sew these units to the ends of your table runner. 

To complete your table topper, layer with batting, and backing fabric and quilt.  I did a quick allover, swirly free motion design going around the snowflakes.  Bind using the red strips you cut for binding.

 Finally, add a few Holiday decorations, and...

Merry Christmas!

Thanks Dawn! 

Head over to Dawn's blog to find out how you can win a bundle of the Peace on Earth fabrics.  This contest is now closed.

See the entire Peace on Earth collection by Ro Gregg here.

Check out each day of our Home for the Holidays Hop!

Day 1: The Ho Ho Ho Pillow

Day 2: The Present Pillow

Day 3: Snowflake Pillow

Day 4: O Christmas Tree Pillow

Day 5: Peace on Earth Table Runner
Day 7: Let It Snow Applique Quilt
Day 8: Cinnamon Scented Coasters

Vintage Shirting Scrap Lab - Day 2

Barbara J. Eikmeier's Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints 1880-1910 collection was recently used in the Scrap Lab feature of Quilts and More magazine. 

If you're not familiar with Scrap Lab, here's how it works: Three designers receive a specific set of materials (in this case, forty-two 5" squares of the Vintage Shirting & Dress Prints collection) and are challenged to make something using these fabrics. We'll be sharing all three projects here, as well as insight from the designers about what they created. Grab a copy of Quilts and More (winter 2015) issue to find directions for the projects. 

Next up, Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts! 
Monique used the 5" squares to create a round table topper.

"Images are used with permission of Meredith Corporation and Quilts and More magazine.

Copyright 2015."

Q. What appeals to you about the Vintage Shirting collection?

Monique: What appeals to me about these fabrics are the different colors, prints and scale of the prints.

Q. How did you decide what to make?

Monique: I wanted to make something simple but different. With the splashes of red and the surrounding white shirting, I thought that a round shape would add interest.

Q. Can you talk about how your design evolved?

Monique: I started my design with a stars and stripes feel but given the limited amount of fabric in the charm patches, I decided to go with more of a simple design with squares instead of elaborate piecing. 

Q. What do you like best about your project?

Monique: I love the round shape of the project.  I thought it would be perfect on a small round table or with a feather tree perched on top.

Q. Any tips for making this table topper?

Monique: My advice in piecing the project is to lay it out before you begin sewing so you can space out your fabrics and colors. 

See more Scrap Lab projects featuring the Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints collection!
Learn more about Barb Eikmeier's tote bag here.

See the entire Vintage Shirting and Dress Prints collection here.

Visit Monique's website here.

Find Quilts and More magazine here.

12 Days of Christmas: Day 11

Christmas is only 64 days away!

It's the second-last day of our 12 Days of Christmas feature, providing you with plenty of holiday inspiration through our fabric collections and free patterns, as well as tutorials by some of our favorite blogging designers! Today Rebecca from Our Busy Little Bunch is sharing a quick and easy table topper design using our Season's Greetings collection. Make sure to check out all 12 days of fun and watch for opportunities to win a fat quarter bundle of some of our Christmas fabrics!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, we have:

A hexagon table topper made by Rebecca from Our Busy Little Bunch using the Season's Greetings collection (Did you know you can turn a rectangle into a hexagon with only one cut? Rebecca will show you how!)

For this project you will need:

• 1/4 yard cut of three prints: center, border, binding/sashing
• 3/4 yard cut for backing (or make it reversible for a year-round table topper)

Cut:

center print - 14" x 12.5" rectangle

sashing - three strips 1" x 8" and three strips 1" x 9" (save extra fabric for binding)

border - three strips 6" x 9" and three strips 6" x 22"

Making the table topper:

Start by taking your center print, press it half, and then in half again so it is now in quarters. Place the 60 degree line on your ruler along the long folded edge of the fabric (you may have to flip your ruler like I did if your degree marks are not on both ends), with the short folded edge towards the bottom. Cut across this line. 

Open up your piece of fabric and press - it should now be a hexagon.

Take your three 8" pieces of sashing, center and stitch on every second edge. Press. Now take your ruler and trim the edges so that they extend the straight edge of the remaining three edges. 

Take your remaining three pieces of sashing, center and stitch on remaining edges. Press and trim with ruler.

Now repeat these steps to attach the borders. But when trimming off the excess, make sure to line up your ruler with the center hexagon to ensure straight edges.

And there you have it - your hexagon table topper just needs quilting and binding and it's done! The shape of this topper would look great on a round table, or a side coffee table. And if you'd like to see how I made mine reversible, and enter to win a fat quarter bundle of the Season's Greetings prints from Fabri-Quilt, just hop over to my blog Our Busy Little Bunch.

The 12 Days of Christmas:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12