Make a Wall Hanging! Add a Wonky Churn Dash Frame to Your Favorite Quilt Block

May 31, 2018
Bright quilt wall hanging with cute cat applique, colorful quilt blocks, and fun wonky churn dash frame.

If you’re like most quilters – you have a LOT of patterns. 🙂

It’s always great to come up with another use for one of your favorites – especially if you can make an accessory to go WITH one of your best quilts.

You can turn a single block into a wall hanging and hang it just as it is. But it’s extra fun to give that block a special frame to really set it off and make it into a piece of art. 🙂

And it’s even more fun if that frame uses a wonky version of a traditional quilt pattern.

For this wall hanging I used one of my favorite blocks from the Cuddly Cats quilt pattern – no resizing. So it’s a 10 inch block in the center, with a wonky churn dash frame around it. The entire wall hanging is 16 inches square.

Here’s what you need. . .

  • 18 inch square piece of batting (I use Warm & Natural cotton batting.)
  • 10 1/2 inch square background block
  • scraps (less than 1/4 yard of each color) for the cat applique, the churn dash frame, and the second background around the frame
  • fat quarter for back of wall hanging

Here’s how to make it using Quilt As You Go. . .

Step 1 – Quilt Your Background Square

Press your batting square. Center your background block in the center of the batting.

Blue woven fabric cross-stitch sampler on white Aida cloth for sewing projects.

Quilt the square to the batting.

I used double wavy stripes on mine. You can find a tutorial for that here.

Step 2 – Applique the Face

Applique the design to the block – being sure to line the lower edge of the applique up with the lower edge of the background block.

Cute fabric cat applique on blue background for sewing or quilting projects.

Add a backing to your wall hanging (I used spray adhesive to baste it to the batting) and outline your applique. Here’s a closer look at the placement and the outlining.

Cute fabric cat applique on blue background for quilting and sewing projects.

You can find a complete video showing how I applique with fusible adhesive here.

Set that block aside while you make the pieces for the churn dash frame.

(That adorable fabric I used for the cat is Hash Dot in Lime from Michael Miller Fabrics, available here.)

Step 3 – Sew Churn Dash Corner Triangles

Cut four background corner pieces each 5 inches square. I used dark grey for mine.

Cut four right triangles with the legs (not the hypotenuse) anywhere between 4 and 5 inches long. The triangles should all be a little different.

Lay one triangle face down over the corner of one square, so that the points of the triangle (at each end of the hypotenuse) just hang over the edges of the square, as shown.

Cutting quilt block with black and striped fabric, ready for sewing.

Sew the triangle to the square. Your seam allowance doesn’t need to be exactly 1/4 inch.

Step 4 – Open and Press Triangles

Trim away the excess fabric from the corner.

Folded fabric corner with striped pattern and contrasting black border, suitable for quilting or sewing projects.

Fold the triangle out and press.

Diagonal black and yellow striped quilting fabric with a dark solid gray fabric for quilting projects.

Step 5 – Trim Churn Dash Triangles

Trim the triangle down to a 3 inch square. (There’s a tutorial here showing how to use a square ruler for easy trimming.)

Must be more than ¼ inch fabric seam allowance for quilting projects.

Make sure there is more than 1/4 inch between the points of the triangle and the edge of the background fabric square. That will make it impossible to accidentally chop off the points when you assemble the whole frame. 🙂 Yay for foolproof tricks!

Repeat for the other three squares, so you have the four corners of your churn dash block. The sizes and angles of the triangles should all be a little different.

Set them aside.

Step 6 – Preparing Background Rectangles

Cut four background strips 12 inches x 3 inches.

Cut four frame strips 12 inches x 2 1/2 inches.

Sew the frame strips to the background strips and then trim those rectangles down to 10 1/2 inches x 3 inches. Make the seam between the two strips go at a slight angle – and make all the angles a little different to make your finished block more interesting.

You can see my finished rectangles in the next step. See how some are wider than others? And they all slant a bit?

Step 7 – Laying Out the Churn Dash Block

Lay out all the churn dash components as shown.

Bright quilt with a cute cat applique, featuring yellow, navy blue, and striped fabric accents, perfect for children's décor or sewing projects.

Play around with the placement of the frame pieces until you’re happy with how things look.

Step 8 – Sew the Side Rectangles

Sew the side pieces of the frame to the sides of the block, sewing through the batting and backing too. For this and the rest of the project it’s important to use an accurate 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Colorful fabric cat applique on textured paper, perfect for kids' quilt or wall art.

Press the side pieces open.

Step 9 – Sew the Top and Bottom Strips

Sew together the corners and strips for the top and bottom rows of the frame.

Cheerful fabric cat quilt block with yellow striped accents and navy blue background, perfect for sewing projects.

Press your seams in toward the strips – away from the corner triangles.

Step 10 – Finich Sewing the Churn Dash Block

Sew the top and bottom rows to the center of the block, being careful to line up the seams.

Applique cat with a wonky churn dash frame - all finished except the final trimming and binding

Press the whole block flat.

Step 11 – Quilt, Trim, and Bind

Quilt the frame if you want to. (It doesn’t need it structurally, so just do it for looks if you like.) I stitched in the ditch around the outside edge of the frame and that’s it.

Trim away the excess batting around the edges and bind your mini quilt.

Make a Wall Hanging - How to Add a Wonky Churn Dash Frame to Your Favorite Quilt Block - tutorial from Shiny Happy World

This video shows my favorite binding method.

If you like, there’s a tutorial here showing how to add a hanging sleeve to the back.

Finished!

Hang it on the wall and enjoy!

You can use the same method to make a fancy framed pillow cover. 🙂

Want to see more ideas for things you can do with a quilt pattern? Check out this round-up.

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Here are several free patterns that work with my basic 10-inch applique squares – no resizing needed!

Here are several free patterns that work with just some simple resizing. This post about making coasters has info about resizing an applique pattern that can be applied to any of these projects.

Return to the main Let’s Make a Quilt Table of Contents.

Happy stitching!

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

The Big Bag – a free large tote bag pattern

May 28, 2018
Colorful dinosaur-themed fabric tote bag with a playful pattern, perfect for sewing projects or gift wrapping.

Here’s a free pattern for my favorite large tote bag.

I LOVE this roomy bag!

This one hangs in my studio to hold packages ready to ship, but I also have a few that I take grocery shopping and to the farmer’s market.

I’m a big fan of reusable bags for grocery shopping, but a lot of them are on the small side. I need something that will hold more than one bag of chips! Or one of those big bags of grapefruit! This large tote bag fits the bill exactly – and you can’t beat a free pattern!

Materials

  • two fat quarters of the main fabric
  • two fat quarters of the lining fabric
  • 1/3 yard fabric for straps
  • scraps of fabric for pocket and pocket binding

Cut Out All the Pieces

These straight edges are great to cut with a rotary cutter. If you’ve never used these tools before, here’s a video showing how.

  • Main bag – cut two pieces, each 21 inches wide x 18 inches tall
  • Lining ­- cut two pieces, each 21 inches wide x 18 inches tall
  • Straps -­ cut two strips 6 inches wide x 28 inches long
  • Pocket ­- cut one piece 11 inches wide x 6 1/2 inches tall
  • Pocket binding ­- cut one piece 1 1/2 inches wide x 40 inches long

Ready? Let’s sew!

Step 1

We’ll start by prepping the straps. These are essentially double­fold strips -­ you can watch a video showing how to make them here.

Colorful Christmas Christmas tree and star embroidery fabric.

Fold one of the fabric strips in half the long way, right sides facing out. Press. Open the strip back up and fold each long edge in toward the center fold. Press. Fold in half again along the center fold so that you have one long strip, four layers of fabric thick. This makes a nice, sturdy strap. Press.

Topstitch along both long edges, about 1/8 inch from the edge.

Repeat for the second strap. Set them aside for now.

Step 2

Now to prep the pocket. Fold and press your pocket binding fabric into double­fold tape – just like the straps, but don’t topstitch the edges. Here’s that video again.

Alligator fabric with playful crocodile and bird design, perfect for kids' sewing projects.

Now we’re going to fold the bias tape around the raw edge of the pocket. Start in the bottom corner of the pocket.

Step 3

Stitch down the binding right up to the edge of where the pocket fabric ends. Don’t keep stitching! If you need to stop a stitch or two before the edge that’s ok, but don’t stitch farther.

Colorful printed fabric strips on a vibrant blue background.

Stop. Backstitch a bit. Take it out of the machine.

Step 4

Open up the binding and fold it into a neat miter, wrapping it right around the corner of the fabric. Slide it back under the presser foot, backstitch a bit, then stitch down to the next corner.

Colorful fabric edge with detailed stitching on a textured surface.

This video shows how to miter those corners.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you’re back where you started.

Step 5

Trim off the excess binding, leaving about 1/4 inch extra to finish the raw edge.

Colorful fabric with woodland creatures border, featuring animals and nature-themed design elements.

Stop stitching a few inches before the end so you have room to open up a bit of the binding at the end.

Step 6

Open up the last bit of the binding and fold that extra raw edge under.

Tiny blue and white fabric piece with intricate pattern, used for quilting or sewing projects.

Make it so it’s even with the edge of the pocket.

Step 7

Wrap the folded end back around the edge of the pocket piece and stitch it in place.

Colorful embroidered animal scene on fabric, featuring a bird and a frog, with decorative blue border.

The pocket should be bound on all four sides and ready to attach to the bag.

Colorful crocodile fabric with playful alligators and birds, ideal for children’s crafts and sewing projects.

The binding is especially nice to have at the top edge of the pocket to help reinforce it and keep it from stretching over time.

You’re almost done!

Want to add a cute applique face to that pocket? You can use any of my single block patterns here. Just print the pattern at 60% of the normal size and it will be a perfect fit.

Step 8

Fold the top edge of one bag piece in half and mark the halfway point with a pin. Do the same thing with the pocket.

Colorful fabric with alligator print and decorative borders, perfect for quilting or children's projects.

Use a clear ruler to position the pocket 5 1/2 inches from the top raw edge of the bag. Line the 5 1/2 inch mark along the top of the bag, and make one of the vertical marks line up with the center pin on the bag. Line the center mark on the pocket up on the same line and your pocket will be perfectly centered -­ with no measuring or math. :-­)

Detail

Here’s a closer look showing how to use the pin markers to center the pocket.

Colorful fabric with crocodile and dinosaur pattern on a yellow and green background.

See how both the pins are lined up at the 13 inch mark?

Step 9

Stitch the pocket in place down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side. Make sure you backstitch a couple of times at the stop and start of your stitching to give extra reinforcement to the stress points at the top corners of your pocket.

Colorful alligator fabric featuring playful crocodiles with varied expressions on a dark background.

Done! You’re ready to put the bag together!

Step 10

Let’s start with the outside of the bag. Pin the two main fabric squares right sides together. Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch around both sides and the bottom of the bag. Repeat with the two lining pieces.

Now we’re going to box the corners of the main and lining bags­ so that your bag will have depth. A free pattern for a large tote bag is much more useful when the base of the bag is wide enough to hold those bulky items you need to carry.

 Watch a video demonstrating how to box corners here.

Step 11

Open out one bottom corner of the bag so that the side seam and center bottom seam line up, and the corner of the bag makes a point.

Measure down 2 1/2 inches from the tip of the stitching (NOT the tip of the fabric triangle -­ ignore that flap of seam allowance) and draw a line perpendicular to the side seam.

Soft cotton fabric with blue and white alphabet print, folded into a triangle.

Step 12

Stitch right on the line you drew. Trim away the excess fabric.

Blue and white fabric with a geometric pattern, partially sewn, on a blue background.

Repeat for the other corner, and for both corners of the lining.

Step 13

Turn the main bag right side out. Leave the lining inside out.

Pin the edge of one strap to the top edge of the bag, 4 1/2 inches in from the side seam.

Colorful fabric with dinosaur and nature pattern, used for quilting or crafting projects.

Repeat for the other end of the strap.

Repeat with the second strap on the other side of the bag.

Step 14

Put the main bag inside the lining, with the straps sandwiched between the two layers. Since the lining is inside out and the main bag is right side out, you should end up with the right sides together. Line up the side seams and pin the layers together around the top edge of the bag.

Step 15

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch almost all the way around the top edge of the bag. Leave the space between the two ends of one handle unstitched, so you can pull the bag through the opening. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching. There will be some pressure on the edges as you pull the bag through.

Step 16

Reach into the opening and pull the main bag through. Pull through the handles, then pull the lining right side out and tuck it down into the bag. Press around the top edge, being especially careful to press the open edges evenly.

Step 17

Topstitch around the bag, about 1/8 inch from the top edge. Be sure that the folded edges of the opening you used for turning are lined up and that you catch both layers in the topstitching to hold them together. No hand stitching!

I wanted the topstitching thread to match the fabric of the main bag AND the lining, so I used green thread as my main thread and blue thread as my bobbin thread. The stitching is green on top and blue on the bottom. Neato!

Finished! One large tote bag made with a free pattern.

The Big Bag - a free large tote bag pattern from Shiny Happy World

The handles are the perfect length for throwing over your shoulder and the bag is roomy enough to hold three big bags of chips, or a bunch of veggies from the farmers market – including lots of healthy but bulky green leafies!

Maybe you don’t want such a large tote bag? I’ve got two more free patterns!

The Trick or Treat Tote Bag is great for trick or treating – but also for carrying library books, lunch, and more.

Bright purple monster Halloween trick or treat bag with green striped horns and black background, perfect for children.

The Mini Tote Bag is quite a bit smaller. It’s great for small toys and snacks. When my daughter was very little we kept a few of these packed with “special” toys that we only played with on outings – like at a restaurant. One had a few trucks and cars, another had crayons and a cute notepad, another had a handful of action figures. They were great grab and go bags. 🙂

Mini Tote Bag pattern - free from Shiny Happy World
Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Here are several free patterns that work with my basic 10-inch applique squares – no resizing needed!

Here are several free patterns that work with just some simple resizing. This post about making coasters has info about resizing an applique pattern that can be applied to any of these projects.

Return to the main Let’s Make a Quilt Table of Contents.

Happy stitching!

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Turn Any Quilt Block Patterns into Cute Coasters – an easy tutorial

May 11, 2018
Turn any Quilt Block Patterns into Cute Coasters - tutorial from Shiny Happy World

I love getting all the mileage I can out of my quilt patterns – using them for lots of other projects besides quilts.

One of my favorite things to make is felt coasters. I’ve got them scattered all over my house, in lots of different designs. The cats you see above are some of my favorites!

It’s super easy.

Choose the design you want to use and print that pattern page out at 40% size. Any square block from any of my patterns.

Your print window may look slightly different than this (it’s different for every computer, printer, and operating system) but it should be similar.

Harold the hand puppet pattern for DIY craft projects and sewing tutorials.

Look for something like that “scale” entry. It will probably default to 100%, but you can change it to anything you like. Change it to 40%.

From this point on, follow the instructions you’ll find at this post showing how to make some cute bear coasters. (And if you want to try out the technique – those bear patterns are free.) You can use those instructions to make cute coasters from any of my square quilt block patterns. Just reduce the pattern size to 40%. 🙂

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Here are several free patterns that work with my basic 10-inch applique squares – no resizing needed!

Here are several free patterns that work with just some simple resizing. This post about making coasters has info about resizing an applique pattern that can be applied to any of these projects.

Return to the main Let’s Make a Quilt Table of Contents.

Happy stitching!

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Penelope Panda – a free applique pattern

April 30, 2018
Panda applique quilt design, children's fabric art, cute animal patchwork for kids' quilts and sewing projects, Penelope Panda pattern from Shiny Happy World.

The Bunches of Bears quilt pattern has thirteen different bears in it.

But you can never have enough bears! And it didn’t have a panda so I decided to make one more block – and make it free. 🙂

Here’s how to make it.

This video shows all the steps for working with fusible adhesive – if you’ve never done it before you’ll find it helpful.

Below you’ll find two video tutorials, followed by the downloadable pattern templates and complete written instructions with step-by-step photos.

This long video shows in complete detail how to assemble the panda block.

This short video just has a quick overview of how to layer the pieces together, with no additional explanation.

Step 1

Download the template pieces. If you’re using paper-backed fusible adhesive and cutting by hand, use this link to download the PDF. If you’re using an electric cutting machine, use this link to download the SVG.

If you’e using an electric cutting machine like a Cricut. . .

  • Upload the file to your machine.
  • Resize if needed. (To fit a block that finishes at 10 inches square, the image should be 7.5 inches wide.)
  • Ungroup the pieces and assign colors
    • Cut the belly and the face from the lightest color fabric
    • Cut the shoulders, ears, and eye patches from the darkest color fabric
    • Cut the eyes and nose from solid black
  • Cut.

Step 2

Cute panda template for kids craft projects and sewing activities.

Trace or print the pattern onto the paper side of the fusible adhesive.

I use printable Heat & Bond Lite fusible adhesive so I just printed out the page. No tracing!

The image has already been reversed, so just trace or print. If you’re tracing, be sure to trace the facial features and placement guidelines too. You’ll need those for Step 5.

Step 3

Cutting pattern pieces for panda-themed fabric craft project. Step-by-step sewing for adorable plush toy.

Rough cut around each shape and fuse it to the back of your fabric.

Note – if you’re making your panda in realistic colors, use the large eye template pieces to make light-colored eye backings do the dark eyes show up on the dark eye patches. Use the small eye templates for your solid black eyes.

If you’re making a panda in fantasy colors, use the large eye templates for your solid black eyes, and discard the small eye templates.

There’s a video here with more information about helping make sure dark eyes show up well on a dark background.

Step 4

Cut around each piece neatly. Cut directly on the solid lines.

Penelope Panda - a free applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

Step 5

Remember back in Step 2 when I told you to make sure you traced the facial features? Now you’re going to do that. Hold the face up to a window so the light shines through it. You’ll be able to see all the dotted placement lines, and the adhesive will stabilize the fabric so you can trace on it without it crinkling up.

Trace the lines to show where all the applique pieces are placed – the eye patches, eyes, nose and mouth are especially important. The belly piece is one you can probably place well without a guide.

Blue panda fabric applique, patchwork craft, sewing project for kids, blue animal patch.

Optional – trace the lines to show where pieces overlap, to help you position the ears on the head and the head on the shoulders. These placement lines are less important – you can play around a lot with the placement of these parts.

Step 6

If you’re doing Quilt As You Go (I did) then you can quilt your block before adding the applique. So easy!

Cut your background fabric and a piece of 100% cotton batting 11 inches square.

Layer the block with a piece of 100% cotton batting. Quilt any pattern you like!

Find all the Quilt As You Go tutorials here.

If you’ll do the quilting later, simply skip this step.

Step 7

Peel off the paper backing and arrange the pieces on a background block. Tuck the ears and the shoulders behind the head.

Remember -­ those dotted lines indicate where pieces tuck behind other pieces.

Bright yellow fabric with a cute blue panda appliqué for kids' sewing projects.

Fuse the pieces in place.

Step 8

Outline all the pieces with black thread and a simple straight stitch – or choose your favorite decorative stitch.

This video has some tips for outlining those tight curves.

I like going around all the pieces three times for a sketchy, scribbly look. This post has some tips for that.

This post has tips for using decorative stitching.

This post has some information about outlining using thicker thread.

free panda applique pattern

Done!

If you’re making a one-block project, go ahead and finish it up!

If you’re making a bunch of panda blocks to join into a quilt -­ have fun!

This video shows how to trim your finished quilt blocks.

This video shows how to sew your blocks together using the QAYG method I use.

This post has tips for quilting on a cuddle fleece back.

And this video shows how to bind your quilt.

What can you do with just one block pattern? Tons of things!

Check out this page I’ve been slowly building – 100 Things to Do with an Applique Pattern. 🙂

Have fun! And share a photo of what you make! You can share it in the Shiny Happy People group or tag it with #shinyhappyworld on Instagram.

If you like this free pattern, sign up for the Shiny Happy News! Subscribers get a weekly newsletter full of sewing tips and tricks, free patterns, special discounts, and other things to make you smile. 🙂

Happy sewing!

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Adorable Easter Eggs – a free crochet pattern

March 28, 2018
Bowl of colorful crocheted Easter eggs made with a free pattern from Shiny Happy World.

Stitch up some easy crocheted Easter eggs with this free pattern.

These little eggs are super fun to stitch up – and a great way to use up your smallest yarn scraps.

The pattern includes instructions for a plain egg, a striped egg, and a spotted egg.

Row of three colorful crocheted Easter eggs - one solid, one striped, and one polkadot

Are you new to crochet and you don’t think you have the skills? Not to worry! These crocheted Easter eggs are a really easy pattern – just increasing and decreasing – nothing to attach. Plus – the links within the pattern go to tutorials showing how to do each step.

If you’re just getting started, start with the plain egg. It’s a great way to learn the basic stitches – single crochet, increase, and decrease.

After you have one under your belt you can try some simple color changes.

Have fun!

You can use any size yarn for this pattern – but if you’re doing stripes or spots, make sure both yarns are as close to the same thickness as possible. Use the hook size recommended on the yarn band – or one size smaller if needed to get a nice tight stitch.

Plain Crocheted Egg

Start out with a sloppy slip knot.

Ch 2. This video shows how to chain stitch.

Round 1 Sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6) This video shows how to single crochet, and this video will help you find the second chain from the hook.

Round 2 Sc twice in each stitch (12) This video will help you with that increase round, if you need it.

Round 3 Sc in each st (12)

Round 4 [Sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18) If you’re confused by those brackets and parentheses, take a look at this post about How to Read a Crochet Pattern.

Round 5-6 Sc in each st (18)

Round 7 [Sc twice in next st, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (24)

Rounds 8-10 Sc in each st (24)

Round 11 [Sc2tog, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (18) This video will help you with this first decrease round.

Stuff the egg.

Round 12 [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)

Round 13 [Sc2tog] 6 times (6)

Round 14 Use the drawstring method to close up those last six stitches, leaving a perfectly smooth top. This video shows the drawstring method of closing up amigurumi.

Fasten off, pulling the knot towards the center. This video shows how to fasten off.

Done!

Striped Crocheted Easter Egg

For the striped egg you’ll be changing yarn colors. This video shows the basics of how to change colors when you’re doing single crochet, and this video has some tips for making those colors changes a little smoother.

MC is your main color. SC is your second color.

Start out with a sloppy slip knot.

With MC, ch 2.

Round 1 Sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2 Sc twice in each stitch (12)

Round 3 Sc in each st (12)

Round 4 [Sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18)

Round 5-6 With SC, sc in each st (18)

Round 7 [Sc twice in next st, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (24)

Rounds 8-10 With MC, sc in each st (24)

Round 11 With SC, [sc2tog, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (18)

Stuff the egg.

Round 12 [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)

Round 13 [Sc2tog] 6 times (6)

Round 14 Use the drawstring method to close up those last six stitches.

Fasten off, pulling the knot towards the center.

Done!

Polkadot Crocheted Easter Egg

For the spotted egg you’ll be changing colors for just a few stitches at a time. You do that just like the color change in the striped egg, EXCEPT you don’t need to cut and knot your yarn between those changes. Just drop one color and pick up the new color without cutting the yarn. The color you’re not using will just carry on the back of the work. This is called “stranding” and there’s a video showing how to do it here.

MC is your main color. SC is your second color.

Start out with a sloppy slip knot.

With MC, ch 2.

Round 1 Sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2 Sc twice in each stitch (12)

Round 3 Sc in each st (12)

Round 4 [Sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18)

Round 5-6 [With MC, sc in next 4 sts. With SC, sc in next 2 sts] 3 times (18)

Round 7 With MC [sc twice in next st, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (24)

Rounds 8-10 [With SC, sc in next 3 sts. With MC, sc in next 3 sts] 4 times (24)

Round 11 [Sc2tog, sc in each of next 2 sts] 6 times (18)

Stuff the egg.

Round 12 [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)

Round 13 [Sc2tog] 6 times (6)

Round 14 Use the drawstring method to close up those last six stitches.

Fasten off, pulling the knot towards the center.

Done!

And here’s a sweet little lavender version of Blair Bunny. She’s traded her Halloween ghost costume for a pile of cute crocheted Easter eggs!

Lavender crocheted bunny with a pile of colorful crocheted Easter eggs made with a free pattern from Shiny Happy World.

Happy stitching!

Howie the Penguin – free crochet amigurumi pattern

February 21, 2018

Soft black and yellow crocheted penguin amigurumi pattern, adorable and easy to make. Howie is a great pattern for those just getting started, because he uses only a few of the most basic skills. You’ll find links to those skills sprinkled throughout the pattern wherever you need them – that way you can learn as you go! Just click on the link to hop to the tutorial.

There are loads of free video lessons here that take you through everything you need to know to get started with amigurumi. You can work your way through those lessons using this free pattern if you like. 🙂

The skills you’ll need for just about any amigurumi are. . .

Additional skills for this pattern. . .

You can go through all those posts now, or just hop to them as you get to those points in the pattern – whatever works best for you!

Yarn

This pattern can be used with any weight yarn! Just use the hook recommended on the ball band, and adjust as needed (see ‘gauge notes’ below). For a bigger, super-cuddly animal, try a bulky weight yarn! Just keep in mind that you’ll use more yardage than recommended. The sample is crocheted in worsted weight yarn, and all yardage/ hook recommendations are calculated based on the sample.

Less than 220 yards (1 skein) is required of each color. For the yarn, Stacey used 100% wool worsted weight (Ella Rae Classic the brand used in the sample). However, any worsted weight yarn can be substituted.

  • MC- Black (Plymouth Galway Worsted color # 154)
  • SC- White (Ella Rae Classic color #01)
  • AC1- Yellow (Ella Rae Classic color #44)
  • AC2- Blue (Ella Rae Classic color #83)

Other Tools and Supplies

Gauge Notes

This pattern doesn’t specify a gauge. It’s a stuffed animal, and you don’t need to be too picky about exact sizing. The most important thing is that you use a hook size that creates a nice looking fabric for your yarn. If you use the recommended hook size, and your fabric looks very loose (so that stuffing would show through), then you will want to use a smaller hook. Other than that, no measuring required!

In case you’re curious about getting the exact gauge Stacey does, it’s 5 rounds=2 inches. Note that you will need to have this gauge for the yardage suggestions to provide an accurate estimation.

Stitch into the Back

All stitches in this pattern (that are worked in the round) are worked through the back loop only, unless otherwise directed. Look at this picture.

Bright pink crochet project with stitch marker and crochet hook for kids’ handmade craft.

See how one loop is highlighted in black? This is the back loop, and it’s what you’ll stitch into. Stitching into the back loop creates ridges on the right side of the piece.

Want to see crocheting through the back loop in action? Check out this blog post. It talks all about why Stacey crochets through the back loop and even has a handy dandy video showing how to find that loop. 🙂

Abbreviations

  • ch: chain
  • sc: single crochet
  • sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together
  • st(s): stitch(es)

Ready? Let’s jump in!

The Pattern

Eye Circles

Make 2.
With AC2, ch 2 (I like to start with a sloppy slip knot. This video shows how. And this video shows how to chain.)
Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6) This post will help you find that second chain from the hook.
Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) This video will help you if you find it tricky to start the second round.
Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18) (Whoa! What’s with the brackets? It’s just telling you that set is going to repeat. So do everything in the brackets, and then repeat that same series for a total of six times. No big deal. And the 18 in parentheses is telling you that this round is a total of 18 stitches. It’s a good way to check your work.)
Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (24)

Fasten off with long tail.

Feet

Make 2.
With AC1, ch 2
Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6)
Round 2 sc twice in each st (12)
Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18)
Rounds 4-5 sc in each st (18, 2 rounds)

Fasten off with long tail.

Wings

Make 2.
With MC, ch 2
Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6)
Round 2 sc twice in each st (12)
Rounds 3-4 sc in each st (12, 2 rounds)
Round 5 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18)
Rounds 6-9 sc in each st (18, 4 rounds)
Round 10 [sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)

Fasten off with long tail.

Beak

With AC1, ch 2
Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6)
Round 2 sc twice in each st (12)
Rounds 3-5 sc in each st (12, 3 rounds)

Fasten off with long tail.

Tummy Circle

With SC, ch 2
Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6)
Round 2 sc twice in each st (12)
Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18)
Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (24)
Round 5 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 6 times (30)
Round 6 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 4 sts] 6 times (36)
Round 7 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 5 sts] 6 times (42)
Round 8 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 6 sts] 6 times (48)

Fasten off with long tail.

Body

With MC, ch 2
Round 1 sc 6 times in 2nd ch from hook (6)
Round 2 sc twice in each st (12)
Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st] 6 times (18)
Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (24)
Round 5 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 6 times (30)
Round 6 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 4 sts] 6 times (36)
Round 7 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 5 sts] 6 times (42)
Round 8 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 6 sts] 6 times (48)
Round 9 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 7 sts] 6 times (54)
Round 10 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 8 sts] 6 times (60)
Rounds 11-21 sc in each st (60, 11 rounds)
Round 22 [sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts] 6 times (54)
Round 23 sc in each st (54)
Round 24 [sc2tog, sc in next 7 sts] 6 times (48)
Round 25 sc in each st (48)
Round 26 [sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts] 6 times (42)
Round 27 sc in each st (42)
Round 28 [sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts] 6 times (36)
Round 29 sc in each st (36)
Round 30 [sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts] 6 times (30)
Round 31 sc in each st (30)

Remove hook, but do not fasten off!

Flatten feet, and attach to round 7 of body. This post shows to how flatten and attach amigurumi pieces.

Crochet penguin toy, handmade plush animal with black and yellow yarn, cute crocheted bird, soft stuffed animal for kids.

Flatten wings, and attach to each side of body, at approximately round 22.

Soft black penguin plush toy with yellow feet, handmade with yarn.

Attach eye circles to body. The bottom of the eye circles should be attached to round 21, and the top of the eye circles will reach round 27. Be sure that the two eye circles touch in the center. This post shows how to use running stitch to attach flat pieces (like spots) to amigurumi.

Soft stuffed penguin crochet toy with yellow feet and large white eyes, perfect for kids' decor or cuddles.

Attach tummy circle to body. The bottom should be attached at round 9 (two rounds above the feet), and slightly overlap the bottom of the eye circles at the top.

Soft crochet sheep plush toy, handmade with colorful yarn and adorable design.

Fasten eyes onto the head. To do so, just insert the post where you want the eye to go (for Howie it’s in the center of his eye circles) and press the washer onto the back post to secure. Make sure the washer is pushed on all the way.

Stuff beak slightly, and attach over the point where the eye circles and tummy circle meet. This post shows how to do that kind of attachment.

Soft crocheted penguin toy with black, white, blue, and yellow yarn details.

Stuff the penguin body and continue crocheting.

This post has tips for stuffing amigurumi (it’s a little different from sewn softies), and this video has some terrific help for closing up those last few rounds.

Round 32 [sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts] 6 times (24)
Round 33 [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (18)
Round 34 [sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)
Round 35 [sc2tog] 6 times (6)

Slipstitch across the top and fasten off. Here’s a video showing how to slipstitch, and here’s one showing how to fasten off.

Ta da! You made a penguin!

Adorable crocheted penguin plush toy with blue eyes and yellow beak.

Aren’t you proud? You should be!

Click here to download a handy dandy printable PDF of the free Howie the penguin amigurumi pattern.

Snap a photo and share it with us over in the Shiny Happy People group! If you share it on social media, tag with with #shinyhappyworld so I can see it. 🙂

I hope you want to make something else now. You can shop for more crochet patterns here.

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Free Crochet Heart Pattern

January 24, 2018
Bright colorful crocheted hearts for kids and craft projects, easy crochet pattern ideas, beginner-friendly crochet heart designs, Shiny Happy World.

Brightly colored quilt with playful patterns on a cozy bed.

Want to learn how to make adorable crocheted stuffed animals with an easy online workshop – totally free?

Sign up for Let’s Make Amigurumi here. You’ll learn how to get started, the tools and supplies you’ll need, and how to make an easy amigurumi from start to finish using simple crochet stitches.

It’s a fun, inexpensive, and totally portable craft. You can do it!

Brightly colored quilt with playful patterns on a cozy bed.

Crochet these fun hearts!

What’s better than hearts for Valentine’s Day? This pattern contains instructions for 3 sizes of stuffed hearts! The small measures 2.5 inches tall, the medium is 5 inches tall, and the large is a whopping 7 inches tall!!

These hearts are adorable plush decorations on their own… but the medium size is specially designed to turn any FreshStitches amigurumi into a Valentine’s Day amigurumi!

Here you can see the same Owen the Monkey with the three different size hearts. 🙂

  • Soft crochet monkey plush toy with pink heart on head, perfect for baby gifts and nursery decor.
  • Soft crocheted monkey holding a pink heart plush toy, perfect for children's toys and handmade crochet gifts.
  • Soft crocheted monkey holding a pink heart plush toy, perfect for children’s toys and nursery decor.

Download the free pattern here!

Happy stitching!

Free Receiving Blanket Pattern

January 18, 2018
Cute fox applique quilt block, woodland animal fabric, forest themed quilting project.

Make an easy baby gift with this free receiving blanket pattern.

A receiving blanket is seriously the easiest baby gift you can make. Choose fabulous fabric and no embellishment and you can make one in 15 minutes. Even if you add an applique (like the fox shown) you can still make it in less than an hour.

Here’s how. . .

Step 1

Cut two squares of fabric about 36 inches square.

Any kind of fabric is fine. I’m using quilting cotton here (from the GORGEOUS Into the Woods collection from Michael Miller Fabrics) but I’ve also used flannel, terry cloth, baby corduroy, and more. Just about anything goes.

I like to use one fabric for the front and a different fabric for the back, but you don’t have to.

And when I say “about” 36 inches I really mean it. I bought one yard cuts of fabric, but by the time I washed them and squared off the cut ends they were more like 34 inches. So I cut two 34 inch squares. No problem.

Step 2

Put the two squares of fabric right sides together and pin all the way around the edge.

Take a little care here and make sure you get everything laid out and pinned neatly. If your squares aren’t really lined up, it will show in the finished blanket – and make the pressing in Step 5 hard.

Step 3

Sew almost all the way around the edge, leaving an opening big enough to fit your hand for turning right side out. I usually leave 4-5 inches. Use a quarter inch seam allowance – or something close. I use the edge of my favorite presser foot as a guide which makes a seam more like 3/8 inch and that’s just fine. 🙂

Step 4

Clip the corners right up close to the stitching.

Vibrant quilt patch with floral and animal motifs on green background.

This will eliminate bulk in those corners when you turn it right side out.

Step 5

Turn the blanket right side out – taking care to poke out the corners and smooth all the edges. Press the edges flat.

Step 6

Now you have a choice. You can leave the edges as they are and hand sew the opening. I like to use ladder stitch (that links to a video tutorial) for invisible stitching.

Or (if you want a no-hand-work project) you can topstitch your blanket all the way around the edge. That will make your seams extra secure and sew up that opening at the same time.

Bright colorful fabric with fox, leaves, and floral patterns for kids sewing projects.

Here’s how close to the edge I typically stitch.

Finished!

But that’s not all. This receiving blanket pattern is basically a blank slate for you to play with.

Sure – you can use fabulous fabrics and make it just this simple. How beautiful is this?

Colorful woodland foxes and vibrant foliage fabric pattern, perfect for quilting and sewing projects.

Honestly – no further embellishment needed at all.

But if you want to add something fancy, you can.

You can add some embroidery. Maybe stitch baby’s name and date of birth in the corner? There’s a free alphabet pattern for hand embroidery here.

You can add some applique. On this sample I added the Fergal Fox applique pattern in the lower right corner of the blanket.

Colorful woodland animal fabric featuring foxes, trees, and vibrant nature-inspired patterns.

No resizing needed – and it’s a great way to get extra mileage out of patterns you already own. If you do this, make sure you place the bottom edge of the neck right up against the raw bottom edge of the blanket.

Bright fox appliqué with floral background, colorful fabric art for kids room decor.

That way the raw edge will get sewn up in the stitching that sews the front and back of the blanket together and it will look like the fox is peeking into the frame rather than like a decapitated head floating in the corner. 🙂

There are lots more single block applique patterns available here – perfect for adding to this pattern. And there are a few free applique patterns here. Add a free applique pattern to the free receiving blanket pattern for a perfect low-cost gift!

Have fun with this pattern! Be sure to tag any photos of your finished work with #shinyhappyworld – or share it in the Shiny Happy People group on Facebook.

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Here are several free patterns that work with my basic 10-inch applique squares – no resizing needed!

Here are several free patterns that work with just some simple resizing. This post about making coasters has info about resizing an applique pattern that can be applied to any of these projects.

Return to the main Let’s Make a Quilt Table of Contents.

Happy stitching!

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Free Santa’s Village Signs to Make a North Pole Quilt

December 18, 2017

applique buildings from the North Pole/Santa's WorkshopI’ve been working on a super fun North Pole quilt by adding a bunch of cute Santa’s Village signs to houses and buildings made with the Shiny Happy Houses quilt pattern.

Colorful candy shop embroidery design for kids’ clothing or decor.

It’s been so much fun!

Colorful fabric applique of Santa’s house with trees on a light blue quilt background.

Now you can do the same thing!

Bright colorful quilt depicting elf dorms and landscape with playful embroidered details.

Get the Shiny Happy Houses quilt pattern here.

Click here to get the free pattern for all the signs  – there are 26 – plus a page of blank signs so you can come up with your own fun names. 🙂

The pattern for the signs includes instructions for how I do the lettering. It’s easy!

Colorful embroidered cheerful house and Christmas tree on quilted fabric background.

I wanted everything in my quilt to look like it was made of candy so it’s a lot of bright colors on spun-sugar pastel backgrounds. 🙂 Free Santa's Village signs to make a North Pole quilt - from Shiny Happy World

Happy quilting!

Best,
Wendi
Bright, cheerful woman smiling at a colorful fabric craft display at Shiny Happy World.

Make Easy Felt Gift Tags

December 8, 2017

Handmade felt gift tag with blue letter J attached to red fabric gift bag, perfect for custom gift wrapping.

Four years ago I posted a tutorial showing how I make reusable fabric gift bags. We don’t use any gift wrap anymore at the holidays – just these bags.

This was a really popular tutorial and people loved the bags – but I had a lot of people ask how we stuck tags to them.

I’m finally getting around to that post!

For a while we just used paper tags tucked into the ribbon – but that didn’t always stay in place, so a couple of years ago I made a bunch of felt tags and they’ve been AWESOME.

First – a note. Mine is a small family – just three of us – and we all have different initials. So for us it worked really well to just have tags with a first initial. You may need to adapt the idea a bit to work for YOUR family, but the basic technique can be used a lot of ways. 🙂

First cut a 3 inch square of felt.

Why 3 inches? It’s a number that allows me to get 12 squares out of a single sheet of felt with no waste. 🙂

Cut out the felt letter you need. I used this free alphabet pattern.

It’s easy to cut shapes like those letters if you use freezer paper.

  1. Trace the letter onto the paper side of the freezer paper
  2. Fuse the shiny side of the paper to the felt.
  3. Cut out the letter – cutting through the felt and the paper at the same time for super accuracy
  4. Peel off the paper and use it again.

Stick the letter to the felt square with a dab of glue stick. Sew around the letter using a simple straight stitch on your sewing machine. You could also hand sew the letter in place using fancier stitches, but I wanted to make a big stack of these in an afternoon. (Keep reading for a no-sew option.)

Cut a slit in the felt on each side of the letter.

Colorful felt alphabet letter 'a' applique sewn onto a green square background, ideal for kids' educational crafts.

I don’t measure these or worry too much about precision – most of the slits are about an inch tall, and roughly half an inch from the edge of the felt.

Done!

Now – here’s how I use them.

I make two kinds of bags. The main kind – the ones I use most often – have the ribbon sewn to the top edge of the bag. They’re designed for the ribbon to wrap all the way around the gift, like this. . .

Colorful patterned gift wrapped with green ribbon, suitable for gift giving or craft projects.

For those I just slide the tag onto the ribbon anywhere on the front of the package. It looks like this. . .

Felt square with embroidered letter J on purple ribbon, decorative craft accessory.

This is a gift for Jo. 🙂

The other kind of bag I make has the ribbon sewn into a side seam near the top of the bag. Those bags are meant to gather up at the top like a classic Santa sack, with the ribbon tied around the neck of the bag – not the gift itself.

For those I thread the tag onto one of the loops before I finish tying the bow. Here’s what it looks like.

Red holiday fabric gift bag with white snowflake and character print, tied with white ribbon.

Another gift for Jo! 🙂

Both ways are super easy, and post-gift-opening cleanup is a breeze. The ribbons are attached to the bags, so I just fold up the bags, and make a little stack of the tags. The bags and the tags all fit in one small plastic tub – maybe the size of two shoe-boxes. 🙂

Here are links to everything you need. . .

I like the way the stitching looks, but you could make a completely no-sew version using Heat & Bond Ultrahold fusible adhesive. Remember – this is the heaviest weight they make and you should NOT sew through it. (It will gunk up your needle.) If you use this option, you’ll need to fuse a little hotter/longer than the package directions say in order for the heat to fully penetrate the thick felt and melt the adhesive. Everyone’s iron is a little different, so just experiment with temperature and time until you get a solid fuse.

Happy crafting!

Best,
Wendi
Bright, cheerful woman smiling at a colorful fabric craft display at Shiny Happy World.