Pink Simplicity

Happy Friday lovely ladies! How was your week? Ours was much less stressful (thank goodness) though still busy, so not much time for sewing. Our son graduates from college tomorrow, so I've been busy getting ready for his graduation party. And, next week, Kate and Matt are heading out of town for a friend's wedding, so Tate gets to come and stay with us for five days ;)! But, I still have a fun pattern for you this week! I haven't mentioned it, but I had a blog called Charming Chatter for several years before I took a break, and then started this one. And, I've been meaning to transfer the Free Patterns from the old blog over here so they'd all be in one place – so perfect timing ;). While I'm working on new patterns, I can share these with all of you ;).  We'll start with this one, which was a favorite over at Charming Chatter! It's called Pretty Little Trivets and Hot Pads!

As a side note, the two smaller trivets also make darling Candle Mats or Scentsy Warmer Mats ;). So, here it is – a blast from the past ;) – first posted June 28, 2013 ;)! Enjoy!

Alright, let's talk kitchen goodies, girls!

I just love Dresden blocks, don't you? And right now, I'm especially in love with these

what I call "Chunky" Dresdens. There are only 12 fat little petals/blades in each block, and a nice big, round circle.

My hot pads were in really bad shape, and I needed trivets, too. So, I thought I'd put my love of Chunky Dresdens to practical use – and thought it would be fun to share a tutorial with you sweet girls. The hot pads are 7 ½" finished, and the trivets are 6", 9", 12", and 15" finished. This way, we have some for our little and big pots and pans.

Here are the pattern templates for each trivet in PDF Format for you to Download:

6" Dresden Plate

9" Petal Dresden 

12" Dresden Plate

15" Petal Dresden

These blocks would also make adorable quilts, so if you don't need trivets, I thought maybe you might enjoy them for quilting purposes!

Here are the supplies you will need:

6" Trivet

12 – 2 ½" Squares for Blades

1 – 4 ½" Square for Center

1 – 8" Square for Backing

1 – 8" Square Batting (or Insul-Bright)

9" Trivet

12 – 3 ¼" Squares for Petals

1 – 6" Square for Center

1 – 11" Square for Backing

1 – 11" Square Batting

12" Trivet

12 – 4" Squares for Petals

1 – 7" Square for Center

1 – 14" Square for Backing

1 – 14" Square Batting

15" Trivet

12 – 5" Squares for Petals

1 – 9" Square for Center

1 – 17" Square for Backing

1 – 17" Square Batting

Hot Pads (for Two)

50 – 2" Squares

2 – 9 ½" Squares for Backing

2 – 9 ½" Squares Insul-Bright

8 – 8 ½" Strips ½" Lace (Optional)

2 – 2" x 44" Strips for Binding

Optional: 10 – 2" White Squares for Stamping or Fussy Cut, and 40 – 2" Multi-Colored Squares, 2 Buttons for Hanging Loops, and 4 – 3 ½" squares for stamped blocks on back

Making Templates for Trivets

I printed the pattern templates out twice (to cut one with and one without the seam allowance). To make file folder templates (my templates to store and use repeatedly), glue the printed template paper (I use a glue stick) to a file folder. I only cut one center circle and one petal/blade for each block from file folders.

To make your freezer paper templates, trace the template without the seam allowance on the non-shiny side of your freezer paper. Iron the shiny side of that paper to the dull side another sheet of freezer paper, and cut out on the line. You will need one center circle and 12 petals/blade templates for each trivet you make. Note: You can reuse your freezer paper templates two or three times.

REMEMBER: You are using the template with no seam allowance.

Making the Trivets

1.    Iron the freezer paper template to the wrong side of the fabric for your center and your 12 petals/blades. I used several different fabrics for mine, but I think they'd be cute with the same color petals, too.

2.    Carefully cut around the outside of the template, leaving a ¼" seam allowance on all sides. Note: For the circles, I like to leave a bit larger seam allowance (about 3/8^th's inches). For the petals/blades, I used a rotary cutter on all of the straight sides (placing my ¼" line on the template line). For the rounded edges, I used my file folder template with seam allowance to trim the petals/blades more accurately.

3.    Leaving your templates on your pieces, give them a quick press. Note: You can remove the templates if you'd like, I left them in because it was easier to see, and made the stitching easier for me (especially the curves around the petals).

4.    Lay out your twelve petals in the order you would like them to be stitched.

5.    Place two petals right sides together, and stitch along the side. Add another petal and stitch, until you've stitched all twelve together. Then, fold the block in half, and stitch your first and last petal together.

6.    Leaving the templates in, press the seams open.

7.    With your file folder template (without the seam allowance) carefully mark your pivot points with a dot with your pencil (just at the corner where the template changes directions).

8.    Make your quilt sandwich. Batting on the bottom, then backing fabric (be sure it is face up), and then your Dresden (face down) – so that your backing and top are faced right sides together, as we will be turning them inside out.

9.    Using the templates as a guide, stitch all the way around your Dresden plate, pivoting at your pivot markings.

10.    Trim off the excess batting and backing at the ¼" seam allowance.

Clip your inner points, and around the curve of your petals. I'm pretty brutal with my trimming – there is quite a bit of bulk so I trim the entire edge down to closer to 1/8".

11.    Turn right side out, and press.

12.    Align your circle in the middle and hand applique it to the center.

To make the center circle, I use the corn-starch method. You can spray some starch in a bowl or make your own (1 heaping ¼ tsp. corn starch and ¼ cup warm water – mix well). Then, using a paint brush, paint the corn starch on in two inch section.

Pull the fabric over gently with your fingers and press, working your way around the entire circle.

Leave the freezer paper template in until you are ready to applique your circle.

When you are ready, give the circle a quick press, and carefully pull away the seam allowance from the template. Press again, and you're ready to stitch.

13.    Quilt as desired. I quilted a cross-hatch in the center, and then quilted about ¼" around each petal. I used masking tape instead of marking lines in the center

Voila – one very pretty little trivet to brighten up your kitchen.

Hot Pads

These are so simple, I'll be quick here.

1.    Lay out your 2" squares in 5 rows of 5 squares each.

2.    Stitch the squares together to make your rows.

3.    Stitch your five rows together.

4.    Make your quilt sandwich backing (facing out), batting, and hot pad top (facing up) – standard quilt sandwich as there will be no turning here.

5.    Quilt as desired.

6.    Pin your lace to each side of your hot pad and stitch using 1/8" seam.

7.    Lay your binding over the lace, and bind! Easy Peasy!

But, they make really pretty little hot pads, no?

Optional: You can use a piece of your left over binding to make a hanging loop. Trim your binding to one inch wide (1/2" when folded). Press the raw edges in ¼" on each side to make a 3 ¾" x ¼" piece.

Run a stitch just inside the edge to close up the strip.

Attach both ends to the top corner edge of the hot pad, and cover with a pretty button!

Such fun little hot pads :0)!!

I almost like the back better than the front (it happens to me sometimes :0)!

My daughter Kate wants a set, so I'll be making more – which is fine with me because these were really fun to sew

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and that you have fun stitching up some pretty little trivets and hot pads of your own. These would also make great little gifts – for house warmings or Christmas don't ya think? If you do stitch some up, I hope you'll send me a picture – I'd love to see them!

Have a wonderful weekend girls!

TTFN,

Kelly

You guys, my heart is happy – and I'm on cuteness overload here! It all started with a comment I got from Sandy in Illinois about printing my patterns. I emailed her back, and she e-mailed . . . and then these darling pictures of the blocks she was making for her Farm Girl quilt started coming :)!! Of course, I asked her if she'd mind if I posted them here – so you all could see her cute blocks, too – and she was kind enough to say yes.

So, here you go ladies – will ya take a look at these ADORABLE BLOCKS:

here's her cupcake,

her pie and rolling pin,

her watering can and spade,

her vintage apron,

her sewing machine,

and her camper :0)!!!

Aren't they all just super cute? I absolutely love the fabrics she used – so sweet (and her sewing is perfection ;).

But wait – there's more! Do you want to know where Sandy sews all of this cuteness? Sandy's a mom and a grandma, and when she and her husband retired, he helped her fix up this darling building on their farm into a sewing space for Sandy and her friends and family to sew!

They call it the Hen House ;)!

See that fun sign "Chicks Only ;)!" This is Sandy's daughter, Kelly (the one with the long hair) and her friend at the Hen House

-working on some really pretty pillows ;)! And here's their cutting counter

What an amazing sewing studio – right? It's so warm and inviting – it just makes me want to go there and spend the day sewing with Sandy and company ;).

I really can't wait to see her whole Vintage Farm Girl quilt :)! It's going to be amazing. Really, thank you Sandy for sharing your blocks and the Hen House with me :0)! You so made my day! No – ya know what – you made my whole dang week :0)! XOXOXOXO!

The free PDF patterns for each of these blocks are available here on my blog. Just click the Free Patterns and Tutorials link in the sidebar to find them!

TTFN,

Kelly

It really is the little things in life that bring so much joy. And, today, I'm almost giddy over these cute little Dish Draining Mats I made for washing dishes! I'm a firm believer in using your best china and finest silverware (and even cloth napkins) every day, but I can't bring myself to put them in the dishwasher.

So, needless to say, with all the cooking we do around here, I spend a lot of time washing dishes, and these darling little Flower Sugar Maison mats – well, they just made doing dishes a lot sweeter ;)!

Here is a quick tutorial for you, if you'd like to make some! They're Super Cute and Super Simple!

Fabric

1 – 18" x 24" Rectangle Cotton Canvas

1 – 22" x 28" Rectangle Piece Batting (or 2 for more water absorption)

1 – 22" x 28" Rectangles Muslin

2 – 2 ¼" x WOF for Binding

Basting Spray

Sewing

1. Layer one piece of muslin on top of the other. Fold the top piece back half way, spray with basting spray and smooth out. Then, fold the bottom of the top piece up half way, spray and smooth out. Repeat this step with your batting, and finally your cotton canvas layer.

2. Quilt as desired. I did a simple cross-hatch, and I used painter's tape to mark my lines so I wouldn't have to draw on the fabric.

3. Trim and bind.

4. Marvel at the darling dish drying mats you made (that are so much cuter than the ones you can buy), when you are washing your dishes ;)!

I even made one for our camper!

Of course we don't have nice dishes in there (though we do have cloth napkins ;) – but, we also don't have a dishwasher, so . . . . ;). This goes perfectly with the Flower Sugar décor I did the camper in last year! I fussy cut some of those darling dishes – might make some fun little tea towels and hot pads for the camper with them ;)!

I just tried one out for the first time with this morning's dishes! They aren't quite as absorbent as the one I got at Bed, Bath, and Beyond – but, plenty absorbent for us and seriously you guys, they win on the Happiness, Cuteness, So Make Me Smile Factor

hands down ;)!

TTFN,

Kelly

And last, but certainly not least, here is the Patchwork Heart block, for those of you who want to add just a little more love to your quilts ;).

This one is super simple to sew, and will likely grace the most coveted block spot in my quilt – the center J!

You can use the templates if you like, or you can rotary cut these like I did. Here are the rotary cutting instructions:

From Background Fabric

5 – 1 7/8" squares cut in half diagonally once to make Half Square Triangles

6 – 1 ½" squares

From Multi-Colored Fabric

5 – 1 7/8" squares cut in half diagonally once to make Half Square Triangles

20 – 1 ½" squares!

You can download the PDF block diagram and templates for the Patchwork Heart Block HERE!

Shwew, it feels so good to have these all available for you! Had I known you'd like these blocks and want to make them, I'd have written patterns when I cut and sewed the originals. But, you know what they say, hindsight is always 20/20. Thank you all so much for your patience in waiting on these patterns.

And, thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all of the love and positive feedback on these fun little blocks! I'm so grateful for your encouragement, and that you'd want to include these blocks in your quilts!

TTFN,

Kelly

This one is for all of you who wanted to share add some "cupcake-y" goodness to your quilts! Oh, how I do love these fun little cupcakes!

You might notice these are a bit different than the ones I originally posted – and a lot cuter, I think. I have no idea how this happened, but somehow I did not save the original pattern in EQ7! So, here is a new and improved cupcake ;)!

I want to be honest with you girls – these are difficult to sew. There are a lot of "wonky" angles, and you have to match up the seams on those angles, too. On top of that, pressing in opposite directions to match up those seams, seems to shrink the seams pressed inward toward the cupcake, while the seams pressed out remain the correct length (so I spent quite a bit of time with my seam ripper and "adjusting" to line things up). And, my cupcakes are 4 ½" each (for our 9" finished blocks)!

So, for those who love a challenge (and all things mini ;), you can download the 3" finished "Patchwork Cupcake" block diagram and templates HERE!

For this size, make 4 cupcakes and stitch them together as shown above.

For those of you who don't want to work with such small pieces, but still want to add some "cupcake-y" goodness to your quilts, you can download the 6" finished "Patchwork Cupcake" block HERE!

And, your block will be one, larger sized cupcake ;)!

I think either way would be darling!

I hope you all enjoy making these fun little cupcakes, and if you do, I hope you'll e-mail me a picture or tag me on Instagram so I can see your yummy blocks!

TTFN,

Kelly

P.S. Here are a few tips to make sewing these blocks a little easier:

1.     The dark black lines on the templates are your sewing lines, so do not cut your templates or fabric on these. The lighter, outside gray lines are the cutting lines.

2.    Take your time in neatly cutting out your templates and fabric (it will make all of the difference). I like to use freezer paper templates for accuracy – see my "Vintage Apron Pattern" for details.

3.    Study the diagram and break the block down into sections to sew.

4.    Many of these patterns have "wonky" angles and they were originally designed for a larger sized block for Kate's and my Farm Girl quilts, making them much more challenging in these smaller versions. So, just have fun with these and don't worry about perfection (I promise they'll still be super cute ;).

Here it is - the "Happy Campers" block for all of you girls who love camping like we do ;)!

This is a really fun block to make – I loved picking out fabrics for the grass and flowers (and curtains. too). In case you're wondering, my husband vetoed the pink polka dot curtains for our real camper – they're just not cricket for when he takes the camper with the guys J! But, at least I got to use them here, and I did make some really pretty curtains for our camper with Flower Sugar fabric!

You can download the PDF block diagram and templates for "Happy Camper" HERE!

I hope you enjoy this pattern girls! And, if you make it, I hope you'll send me a picture or tag me on Instagram so I can see your fun little campers!

TTFN,

Kelly

P.S. Here are a few tips to make sewing these blocks a little easier:

1.     The dark black lines on the templates are your sewing lines, so do not cut your templates or fabric on these. The lighter, outside gray lines are the cutting lines.

2.    Take your time in neatly cutting out your templates and fabric (it will make all of the difference). I like to use freezer paper templates for accuracy – see my "Vintage Apron Pattern" for details.

3.    Study the diagram and break the block down into sections to sew.

4.    Many of these patterns have "wonky" angles and they were originally designed for a larger sized block for Kate's and my Farm Girl quilts, making them much more challenging in these smaller versions. So, just have fun with these and don't worry about perfection (I promise they'll still be super cute ;).

Yay! It's here :) - the Garden Thyme block that was the most requested (second to the apron pattern) by you lovely ladies.

First, I want to thank you all for liking and requesting these patterns. It makes my heart smile that you would want to include something I've drawn and sewn in your very own quilts. Really, thank you.

And, second, let me say that I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get these patterns to you all – like many of you, I'm a busy wife, mom, grandma and homemaker, and my sewing time is limited. And, I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, but a big thank you to the "Happy Flowers" quilt book for giving me the idea to simply share the templates and block diagrams.

Otherwise, it might be another year or two before I had the chance to cut, sew, take step by step photos, and write all of these patterns.

Without further ado, you can download the PDF pattern templates and block diagram for "Garden Thyme" HERE!

I hope you enjoy this pattern – and if you make it, I hope you'll e-mail me a picture or tag me on Instagram so that I can see your darling blocks!

TTFN,

Kelly

P.S. Here are a few tips to make sewing these blocks a little easier:

1.    The dark black lines on the templates are your sewing lines, so do not cut your templates or fabric on these. The lighter, outside gray lines are the cutting lines.

2.    Take your time in neatly cutting out your templates and fabric (it will make all of the difference). I like to use freezer paper templates for accuracy – see my "Vintage Apron Pattern" for details.

3.    Study the diagram and break the block down into sections to sew.

4.    Many of these patterns have "wonky" angles and they were originally designed for a larger sized block for Kate's and my Farm Girl quilts, making them much more challenging in these smaller versions. So, just have fun with these and don't worry about perfection (I promise they'll still be super cute ;).

Finally, it's here! And, I'm super excited to get to share this pattern with you girls. This is the Vintage Apron pattern I originally designed for Kate's and my Vintage Farm Girl quilts, but in six inch size :)

There were so many templates in this one that, for simplicity sake, I decided to use all templates for the pattern. There are a couple of Y-seams in this pattern, too – but, it's totally worth it!

I decided to use Apple Farm Fabric, by Eea Lutz for Riley Blake for the pattern samples, and it was the perfect, cutesy, vintage-y fabric for these fun little aprons ;)!

You can download your Vintage Apron Pattern HERE!

I hope you all enjoy it! This pattern is truly one of my all-time favorites ;)!

TTFN,

Kelly

I have a fun new pattern for you girls, today!

It's the Cutie Pie Pincushion, with a handy-dandy Needle Keeper Cherry On Top!

Aren't they just as cute as can be? And an added bonus – they're super simple to make!

So from my Cloth Bakery (sewing room) to yours

--Enjoy!

Download your Cutie Pie Pincushion PDF Pattern HERE!

TTFN,

Kelly

I am super excited to share my latest pattern

"You Sew Girl" with you all! It's a fun little pillow for your sewing space. The pillow cover fits a 12" pillow form, and the center sewing machine block is 6" finished for those of you who wanted to make it for your Farm Girl Quilts!

You can download the PDF Pattern HERE!

I made one in blue for Katie

and one in pink for my sewing room.

I used a combo of "Bloom and Bliss" and "Backyard Roses" by Ellis and Higgs for Riley Blake! What can I say – this fabric is so, so pretty, and was really fun to sew with!

I love it so much, that I wrapped some of my antique spools in the scraps, and filled my berry container with them to set them out in my sewing room ;)!

It goes perfect with my little pillow ;)

Hope you enjoy making this sweet little sewing machine block and pillow.

TTFN,

Kelly