BLOG: Quilt Patterns

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – a free applique pattern

November 11, 2016

Want to learn how to make a quilt with an easy online workshop – totally free?

Sign up for Let’s Make a Quilt here. You’ll learn how to get started, the tools and supplies you’ll need, and how to make a quilt from start to finish using Quilt As You Go and applique with fusible adhesive.

It’s the easiest, most fun way to make an applique quilt. You can do it!

I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but I wanted to share this free reindeer applique pattern early enough that you would have plenty of time to make it before Christmas. 🙂

It’s designed as a 10″ finished block, just like this free Santa applique pattern, this free Snowman applique pattern, and this free Mrs. Claus pattern. Use them all together to make a fun quilt or wall hanging!

Or you can use Rudolph combined with one of these free patterns. . .

You can find all the free Shiny Happy World patterns here.

Ready to make him? Here’s how. . .

You won’t need much fabric – less than a fat quarter of everything, so you can probably find what you need in your scraps. Here’s what I used – all from Timeless Treasures. . .

Pop in Poppy for the background block
Sketch in Latte for the head and shoulders
Sketch in Coffee for the antlers
Sketch in Linen for the face
Sketch in Ruby for his shiny nose 🙂

Want to give him a truly shiny nose? Use this tutorial to make the nose out of satin, or this one to make it out of shiny tissue lamé.

The instructions that follow are for Quilt As You Go and applique with fusible adhesive. You can, of course, use other applique methods. Find videos teaching other methods here.

Step 1

Cut a piece of background fabric and a piece of batting each 11″ square. You’ll trim it down to 10 1/2” square later, so it doesn’t have to be exact. If you’re using Quilt As You Go, quilt your block now. The quilting wouldn’t really show up on the busy fabric I chose, so I just quilted a simple grid and show it here from the back (batting) side.

Step 2

Download the templates here.

Trace or print the pattern onto the paper side of the fusible adhesive. I use this printable fusible adhesive so I just print out the page. No tracing! The image has already been reversed, so just trace or print.

Step 3

Rough cut around each shape. Leave a little bit extra all the way around – a little extra extra (at least 1/4 inch) where there’s a dotted line. That’s the allowance that will tuck under other bits or into the seam allowance for a nice clean finish. Follow the package instructions and fuse each piece to the wrong side of the fabric.

Step 4

Cut out each piece neatly. Cut directly on the solid lines. Leave a little seam allowance past the dotted lines (like at the base of the antlers and the top and bottom of the shoulders). Cutting after you fuse ensures that the adhesive goes right up to the very edge.

Step 5

Trace any features onto the face. If you hold the piece up to a window, the light will make the lines very visible – even on dark fabric. I mark directly on any lines to be sewn (like the mouth) and inside the bits marking the appliqué position (like the eyes and nose).

Here it is after tracing so you can see the eyes, nose and mouth marked. I just use a fine Sharpie, but you can use something erasable if you’re worried about being able to stitch right over that line for the mouth.

Step 6

Peel off the paper backing, arrange the pieces, and fuse in place according to the adhesive product instructions. Remember – dotted line edges tuck behind other bits. The bottom edge of the shoulders should be lined up with the bottom edge of the block.

If you’re using Quilt As You Go, press your already-quilted block before adding the appliqué.

Step 7

Stitch all the edges down. You can use any stitch you like, in matching or contrasting thread. I really love the cartoony look of a simple straight stitch with black thread.

I demonstrate sewing with different thread weights here.

This post will help you with the order in which to stitch.

Step 8

Trim your block down to 10 1/2″ square.

Finished!

I hope you have fun with this guy – and I can’t wait to see what you make! Share your photos in the Shiny Happy People group so we can all see. 🙂

Happy quilting!

Best,
Wendi

Controlled Chaos – a free scrap quilt pattern

August 30, 2016

It’s finished!

The Controlled Chaos Quilt is finished! And I love it soooooo much!

Before I get to the story – I want to give you all the link to the free scrap quilt pattern. It’s really much more than a pattern, because there are also lessons about working with color, and videos teaching all the skills I used – from cutting to sewing, quilting, and binding. It’s really a complete scrap quilting workshop. Get all the details here and make your own!

I started this quilt way back in May 2014. My scrap bins were overflowing and I particularly wanted to use up a lot of the smaller scraps. I thought about sewing them together randomly, creating a chaotic splash of colors – but I decided to control the chaos and create patterned blocks with those scraps. I’m so glad I did!

My plan was to make one block a week, so I would be done with the piecing in 20 weeks.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Fifteen months later I finally finished piecing all the blocks. 🙂

This was a project that I set aside repeatedly – every time work got busy. But I always came back to it and I loved seeing the pile of finished blocks stack up.

Block #16

It took me another three months to sew the blocks together and add sashing. It shouldn’t have taken that long, but it was the middle of the pre-holiday prep season and I had to set it aside again.

Once I got the top finished and basted, I decided to hand quilt it using Big Stitch Quilting.

That was the best decision ever!

Jo took one look at the quilting and announced that I was completely bonkers. In her words, “That’s going to take FOREVER!”

It actually took seven months.

Seven months of absolute bliss.

Seriously.

If I knew I was going to get some couch time with my quilt in the evening, I looked forward to it All Day Long. I’ll continue to machine quilt the quilts I want to finish quickly, but for the personal projects that are all about taking my time and enjoying the process – it’s Big Stitch Quilting forever for me. I don’t think I’ll ever do traditional hand quilting again.

Look at that texture!

The whole quilt took a little over two years from start to finish.

That’s a long time for a single project, but I enjoyed every minute of that time – especially the hand work. In fact, I think my next big project like this will be all hand work from start to finish.

If you look at my timeline, the place I really stalled was piecing the blocks. In a way that makes sense. I sew at the machine during the day – which makes it work time. I sew by hand at night – free time while I watch television. Since this was a personal project it got set aside during busy work times. If the next one is all hand work, I think my progress will be more steady.

Get the free scrap quilt pattern to make your own Controlled Chaos Quilt here.

Happy quilting!

Meet Stacey – a Judge in the Mix & Match Monsters Contest

August 8, 2016

Meet Stacey Trock – one of the judges in the Mix & Match Monster Contest.

Stacey is The Queen of Crocheted Cuteness!

I’ve known how to do basic crochet since I was a kid, but I was limited to afghans and scarves. Stacey taught me how to make things that are not flat!

I learned how to make hats in her Mix & Match Hats class on Craftsy – and now I can make crochet hats in lots of different shapes, customized to fit any head!

I went a step further and learned how to make adorable monsters in her Design Your Own Monster class on Craftsy.

See why she’s the perfect judge for Mix & Match Monsters? 🙂

Of course, Stacey doesn’t just have Craftsy classes! She sells digital crochet patterns in her shop, like this adorable slug.

And I think she might like rainbows as much as I do!

Stacey is pretty famous for her clubs, and she’s launching a brand new one this December.

You can learn more about the club here. I’m already sold based on the cuteness of that image. 🙂

You can find all of Stacey’s awesomeness at Fresh Stitches. (Update! FreshStitches is now a part of Shiny Happy World!)

And did I mention that she’s going to be a judge in the Mix & Match Monsters Contest?

Here’s the nutshell version. . .

Go to Sew Mama Sew to get the free Mix & Match Monsters pattern and instructions.
Make a fun monster.
Take a picture.
Post your monster here before noon (eastern time) on August 18.
Vote for your favorites!

Enter! I can’t wait to see what you make!

Cute monsters make me happy. 🙂

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

Cute Quilt-As-You-Go Applique Monsters – video class

July 16, 2016

A cute kiddo-approved project, quilt-as-you-go techniques for fusible appliqué, and me right there in front of you, showing you everything I know and answering all your questions. 🙂

Update – Please be aware that Craftsy (now Bluprint) has added a subscription plan to their offerings, which changes the way instructor support happens. If you buy the class for your Forever Library, you get instructor support – which means your questions go to a special instructor dashboard where I see them and I can respond to them. I answer questions every business day. If you watch the class as part of the streaming subscription, any questions you post go to the larger class community – not to me. I don’t even see them, so I can’t answer them.

All in one class, all on your schedule.

I’m so proud of this class!

If you just want the Mix & Match Monsters PDF pattern, you can get that here.

Happy quilting!

Best,
Wendi

What’s Going to Be in the New Craftsy Class?

June 15, 2016

Did you hear the news that I have a new Craftsy class coming next month? ~~You can enter here to win a free spot in the class AND all the materials you need to make the quilt hanging behind me in all the lessons.~~

Over on Facebook and Instagram I’ve been sharing little peeks and bits of info about what will be covered in the class. Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve shared so far. . .

The theme is Monsters.

Mix & Match Monsters. 🙂

The pattern included in the class includes pages and pages of monster parts and you can put them together any way you like. Don’t worry if that sounds intimidating – over the course of the class you’ll see dozens of sample blocks for ideas and inspiration. You can copy as many or as few as you like. Here’s a GIF I made showing just a few ways I used a simple triangle shape.

Of course, you’ll learn the basics of Quilt As You Go and applique with fusible adhesive. . .

. . . and we even have a lesson on making pieced QAYG background blocks from scraps.

We talk about choosing fabrics and I show two different no-fuss-no-measure techniques for making your blocks. I love this grumpy “Get off my lawn!” monster. 🙂

I use a few different types of fabrics in the class and show you my tips for getting good contrast and monsters that really POP. I especially love the magnificent mottled monsters I got with these batiks.

Aren’t they gorgeous? I also really love saying magnificent mottled monsters. 🙂

In case you’re wondering, those batiks are from the Tonga Java Blenders collection from Timeless Treasures.

We do a lot of different variations on eyes in the class. I think my favorite are these googly eyes.

Technically they’re faux trapunto eyes with needle sculpted pupils, but that makes them sound really hard and they’re actually super easy. You’ll see if you take the class. 🙂

I also like playing with eyelids. Look at just a few of the possibilities!

Grumpy eyes, sleepy eyes, surprised eyes – I love them all.

This class is going to be SO MUCH FUN!

Update – Please be aware that Craftsy (now Bluprint) has added a subscription plan to their offerings, which changes the way instructor support happens. If you buy the class for your Forever Library, you get instructor support – which means I’ll answer any questions you post. If you watch the class as part of the streaming subscription, any questions you post go to the larger class community – not to me.

Happy quilting!

Best,
Wendi

A BIG Embroidery Project – Cat Among the Flowers

June 8, 2016

Now that Quilt Market is over I can finally share details about some of those BIG embroidery projects I was working on back in April. 🙂

This post is all about how I made this cat surrounded by lots and lots of embroidered flowers. It’s in an 18-inch hoop!

I started out by enlarging my favorite cat (Maurice) from my Cats Quilt pattern and appliquéing it on a big square of fabric. I enlarged him just a bit (printed the pattern page as big as I could and still get it to fit on a single page) and used my normal fusible adhesive method.

I stitched down all the edges, but I did NOT stitch the whiskers yet. They’re just drawn in for now with a fine-tip Sharpie.

Then it was time to add the flowers. It doesn’t matter that the full piece is bigger than a single sheet of paper because the Continuous Stitching pattern is a seamless repeating pattern. See how you can overlap the edges for a continuous pattern? That means you can make BIG embroidery. As big as you want!

It took me several sheets of Sulky Stick & Stitch (the new – and much better – name for Sulky Sticky Fabri-solvy) to cover the whole hooped area.

I just stuck the sheets right over the cat. So many flowers!

I don’t normally have problems with the Sulky Stick & Stitch pulling loose, but I don’t usually stitch this large, so I started stitching in all the overlapping areas first, just to keep things secure.

I used one or two strands of Sulky Petites 12 wt. thread for all the stitching.

So many pretty colors!

Here are some details of the different kids of flowers. . .

One of the things I love about working with Sulky Stick & Stitch is that I can change my mind about things partway through stitching. All the markings will wash away, so I don’t really have to stick with my original drawing. Take these tulips. . .

Those little purple dashes were supposed to be dots, but when I got to them I changed them to dashes. No big deal.

All the stitching is finally finished! I just skipped right over that applique cat – it was easy to see him through the stabilizer.

Here it is having its soak.

Yep – that’s the messy back. Here are some more shots of the back of the piece.

I do NOT believe that that back of your work should be as pretty as the front. 🙂 I’m a thread-carrier and it would drive me batty to tie off my thread after each individual flower!

But – recognizing that I’m a thread carrier means I do something a little different with pieces like this. See how dark green that fabric is? That’s not the same lime green you see on the front of the piece! That’s because I backed the piece with a second layer of darker fabric behind the main fabric. It keeps my thread carries from showing through to the front! Tricky. 🙂

I soaked the piece for about an hour in cold water, sprayed off the bits of mushy stabilizer, gave it another quick swish in clean water, then ironed it dry. One more step before finishing. . .

Remember how I didn’t stitch those whiskers when I appliquéd the cat? Time to do it now. I waited because I wanted the black whisker lines to go over the embroidered flowers. This part was totally nerve-wracking, but it did just fine. 🙂

I hooped the finished piece in a quilting hoop using this method. No way was I letting glue anywhere near a piece that took this long to stitch!

Finished!

That is one BIG embroidery piece!

I’m super happy with this piece! Sulky had it hanging in their booth for Quilt Market and they’ll be exhibiting it at a few more shows, but Jo has already claimed it for her room when it comes home. 🙂

Here are the other BIG embroidery pieces I stitched for the same project.

Primavera – an Embroidered Springtime Girl

Embroidered Mandala Sun

April Showers

Happy stitching!

A Peek at My Shiny Happy Neighborhood-in-Progress

March 28, 2016

I’m putting the finishing touches on the new house block patterns going out this weekend and I thought I’d share a look at all my house blocks so far. Remember – I’m working on three different house quilts in three different styles and color palettes. Most people in the club are only making one. 🙂

Up top is my whimsical neighborhood – with houses in colors that most people don’t use in real life. I love them! There’s an extra house in this group because it’s what I used to make the video demo showing how to put everything together. 🙂

This is my more conventional neighborhood. The houses are still wonky and fun, but the colors are more like what you’d see driving down the streets of an actual neighborhood.

And this is my gingerbread quilt. 🙂 All the houses are gingerbread color with candy trim and lots of extras – like beading, extra stitching, buttons, and rickrack “snow” on the roof.

I’m having so much fun with these blocks! And it’s been absolutely fantastic to see the houses that members are making! Pop into the Shiny Happy People group on Facebook to see! Here’s just one fabulous example – this one from Terri.

Want to join the club? It’s never too late! If you sign up now you get instant access to all the pattern pieces and all the emails that have gone out so far. The next mailing goes out this Sunday 4/3.

Updated – The club has finished, so if you order the pattern now you get it all in one big download.

Get the Shiny Happy Houses pattern here.

Happy quilting!

Best,
Wendi

Learn to Applique! Student Reviews of My Craftsy Class

March 11, 2016

Did you know I have a class on Craftsy? (now called Bluprint) It’s called Fusible Applique Made Easy. You get the pattern for the Woodland Critters quilt you see behind me. That pattern on its own is a $14.99 value! But you also get videos showing . . .

How I choose fabric
How I true up my fabric and cut background blocks
How I quilt my blocks before adding applique
Fusible applique basics – my favorite products and how to use them
How I assemble every single block in the pattern
My tricks for marking faces and how to handle overlapping bits
Lots and lots of options for doing the eyes (the hardest bit)
How I outline stitch all the pieces
Fancy stitching options
How to appliqué on knits (you’ll see me appliqué a fox on an adorable baby onesie)
How to join those already-quilted blocks
How to back the quilt and finish quilting it
How to bind the quilt

It’s a terrific value!

Instead of showing you the quilts I made with the pattern, I thought I’d share some outstanding finished quilts and comments from students in the class. It has an average rating of 5 stars!

Suebee made this beauty. She writes. . .

Thank you so much for this class! I had a blast and am sure that I will using the techniques you have taught many more times! In fact, I have already started one of your flower quilts for my granddaughter!

Starbank64 made this lovely quilt. She writes. . .

So LOVED this class! I finished and learned a lot of nifty techniques. Thanks Wendi for sharing. I now have the knowledge and confidence to proceed with different appliqué quilts. ps thanks for the moose design will definitely go into the next woodland quilt, there will be another!

Look at the Woodland Critters quilt France Houde made! She even used the fox block as a starting point to create a skunk block! She writes. . .

This was so wonderful to have done this quilt. My first one in my life, and my daughter loves it very much. Thank you!!! When we went to the store to choose the backing & the binding, the person at the store asked us to participate to a quilting exposition, as they never saw a quilt like this before.

I love this quilt that gorillamama made. She added the moose, Buzz and the butterfly (three free applique patterns) and the mouse from the Noisy Farm quilt. I love it when people mix and match like that! She writes. . .

Best. Class. Ever! Learned so much, had tons of fun, and ended up with a project that I feel so happy to have made! Thank you so much, Wendi! You’re the bee’s knees!

You can read lots more reviews here. (Scroll down – they’re near the bottom of the page.)

If you want a tiny taste of what the class will be like and what kind of view you’ll have – watch this video.

Click here to read about why I love online craft classes – and the Craftsy platform in particular. In a nutshell – you can take the class any time you like and watch it as many times as you need to – and you always have a front row seat with a terrific view. 🙂

I’m especially proud of how many people made their very first quilt with this class!

Want to make a quilt? Get the class here!

Happy quilting!

Best,
Wendi

Easter Crafts You Can Make – Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery Patterns

February 29, 2016

Easter is early this year – March 27 – so it’s time to start thinking about your Easter Crafts. What do you want to make?

I could just link to the Easter section of my shop – but then you wouldn’t see all the fun free patterns that are available!

(And there are a lot of them.)

So I created this handy dandy round-up post with all the patterns for all my favorite Easter crafts. Just click on the image to go to that project!

Easter Stuffed Animals

Some are big and huggable. Some are small and pocketable. They’re all easy and fun to make.

Beatrice - a Dress Up Bunch bunny rag doll pattern from Shiny Happy World

Easter Felt Projects

Spend a lovely spring afternoon stitching one of these by hand.

Fancy Felt Easter Egg - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Easter Eggstras - Free Pattern for Easter accessories for toys from Shiny Happy World

Happy Eggs - an embroidered felt Easter mobile pattern from Shiny Happy World

Reginald Rabbit - a Party Animal from Shiny Happy World

Regina Rabbit - felt bunny softie pattern from Shiny Happy World

Easter Quilt Blocks

Make a kajillion bunnies with a fun mix & match pattern.

Mix & Match free bunny applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

Easter Embroidery patterns

Stitch them on tea towels, baby onesies and more.

Hello, Spring! - embroidery pattern from Shiny Happy World

Little Chick with Big Feet - a super easy and cute Easter embroidery pattern free from Shiny Happy World

Other Easter Sewing Patterns

Including Dress Up Bunch dolls and clothes!

Spring Fling - reversible doll dress with eggs and basket

Of course, there are lots of spring-themed patterns too – but I stuck to Easter crafts for this post. 🙂

So whether you like to sew, quilt or embroider – stitch by machine or by hand – I’ve got an Easter craft pattern for you. Have fun with them and be sure to share what you make in the Shiny Happy People group on Facebook!

Happy Easter! Happy spring! Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Baby Bib Pattern – Adorable and Free

January 29, 2016

Babies always need bibs.

That means the people who love babies need a go to, easy baby bib pattern.

This is it!

It’s a simple bib shape – very easy to make and customize with any appliqué (or other fancification) you like. This pattern includes that sweet bear. 🙂

Make it out of regular quilting cotton for a basic bib. Back it with laminated fabric for heavy droolers. Make the whole thing out of laminate for those learning to eat solid foods. (The fabrics I used are from Timeless Treasures. The crosshatch is my beloved Sketch collection and the swirly fizzy dots are from the appropriately-named Pop collection.)

Here’s how to make it!

Step 1

Download the baby bib pattern here.

Print it out at 100%.

Overlap the two bib pieces so that the hearts line up and tape them together into one bib piece. There’s a tutorial here showing how.

Cut two bib pieces (one front and one back) on the fold.

Step 2

Print or trace the bear appliqué pieces (the last page of the baby bib pattern PDF) onto fusible adhesive. This is the brand I use.

Roughly cut out each shape and fuse them to the back of the fabric, following the instructions for the brand you’re using.

Step 3

Cut out the pieces neatly.

Cut right on the solid lines. Leave a little extra seam allowance past the dotted lines. See the extra at the bottom of the ears? That bit will tuck behind the head.

Step 4

Hold the face up to the window so you can see the markings through the fabric and mark the position of the eyes.

I just use a fine tip Sharpie – nothing fancy.

Do the same thing with the muzzle, marking the position of the nose and the key points of the mouth.

You can also trace over the whole line of the mouth, if you prefer.

Step 5

Peel off the paper backings and layer the pieces together so that the ears tuck behind the head and the bottom of the bear body is lined up with the bottom of the bib.

Here you can see it a little closer.

Fuse the pieces down according to the instructions of whatever brand adhesive you’re using.

Step 6

Stitch around the edges of all the pieces.

I like to use black thread and a simple straight stitch. You can use a zigzag or other decorative stitch if you prefer. If you want a little help knowing where to start and in what order to stitch the pieces, this post should help you out. And this one will help you with managing those tight curves. 🙂

Step 7

Embroider the eyes and mouth.

I did it by hand using this stitch for the eyes, and following the instructions for the mouth in the free Warren the Charity Bear pattern. I used a single strand of this thread. That’s the equivalent of two strands of DMC floss, but I love using a single strand of thicker thread so I don’t have to worry about the strands separating on that long stitch connecting the nose to the mouth.

You can also sew the face by machine. That’s what I did for this cat bib. You can find info about how I did the eyes here. The mouth and whiskers are just a simple straight stitch, going over all the lines twice to make them a little thicker. (For those I traced the whole line of the mouth and whiskers in Step 4, not just the endpoints.)

Step 8

Cut a 1-inch square of hook & loop tape (or use snaps or a button).

Sew it to the bib as shown. Both bib pieces are shown right side up. I attached the loop side to the bib front and the hook side to the bib back, but it doesn’t really matter.

Step 9

Layer the bib front and the bib back right sides together.

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew all the way around the edge. Leave a few inches open for a turning hole in the straight part of one of the sides.

Step 10

Clip the seam allowance in the concave curve around the neck.

For more on the the how and why of clipping curves, watch this video.

Step 11

Turn the bib right side out. Smooth out all the curves and press it flat. Sew up the opening using ladder stitch. (There’s a video here showing how to ladder stitch.)

Finished!

But what about that cat?

That’s one of my favorite things about this pattern.

You can use just about any appliqué pattern to decorate it!

If you’re using my cats, dogs, monsters, birds, flowers, farm animals, safari animals, cars & trucks, or woodland critters, just print out the pattern page for the face you want at 75% and you’re ready to go. Anything else should be resized to a maximum of 6 inches wide or tall.

It would be fun to make a whole set of them with lots of different faces!

Have fun with this pattern! I’d love to see what you make – and I’d really love to see them on some adorable babies. 🙂 Post photos in the Shiny Happy People group so we can ooh and aah over them.

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.

Free Bib Pattern
Simple Christmas Stocking
Mini Bunny Tote Bag
Turn Any Quilt Block Patterns into Cute Coasters
Cozy Bear Coasters
The Big Bag (applique on the pocket)
Cloth Book for Babies

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

Happy sewing!

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Easter Stuffed Animals

Easter Felt Projects

Easter Quilt Blocks

Easter Embroidery patterns

Other Easter Sewing Patterns

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