Bold Bow - new pillow cover block quilt pattern

 Hello, everyone!

I'm so glad to launch a new quilt block pattern I just finished to write!

I named it Bold Bow. It's obvious why, I think. 

So, a few words about it.

Bold Bow - One Block Pillow Cover Quilt Pattern  is a flexible and practical quilt pattern for intermediate quilters.

Finished Size:

• Unfinished block before quilting: 17"
• Finished pillow cover: 16"

Overview of the Pattern

This quilt pattern offers an elegant and simple approach to creating a one-block pillow cover with mitred corners. While at first glance, it may appear similar to other patterns with a central square, this design introduces a unique and efficient method of piecing the central square without fragmenting special prints or pieced blocks. The result? A seamless, polished look with minimal effort.

The Bold Bow pattern provides a step-by-step guide, ensuring a smooth sewing experience with clear instructions (and more than 40 images) and valuable tips. Even quilters who have struggled with achieving perfect piecing before will find success with this design.

The main steps of the pattern are:

1. Preparing the materials
2. Preparing the block units
3. Assembling the block
4. Finishing the pillow cover front
5. Preparing the pillow cover back
6. Assembling the pillow cover
7. Finishing the pillow cover
8. Layout variation ideas (plus suggestion for making a quilt from 16 smaller blocks - quilt math included).

Why Choose This Pattern?

• Innovative Piecing Method: Unlike traditional designs that use QSTs or appliqué, this pattern offers a fresh approach that preserves the design continuity of feature prints or pieced blocks used in the central square.
• Intermediate-Friendly: Ideal for those with experience handling bias-cut pieces.
• Quick & Efficient: The block can be completed in under two hours, making it an excellent choice for quilters looking for a rewarding project without extensive time commitment.
• Fabric Versatility: Works well with a variety of fabrics, including:
• Quilting cotton
• Thin denim
• Cotton duck
• Lightweight home decor fabric
• Canvas

·   Fat quarter friendly

• Great for Solid and Print Fabrics: Whether you prefer vibrant prints or classic solids, this pattern enhances the beauty of any fabric combination.

Fabric Requirements

• Fabric 1: 12 ½" x 12 ½"
• Fabric 2: 12 ½" x 12 ½"
• Fabric 3 (stripe units fabrics): a piece of about 5" x 42" or 10" x 21"
• Fabric 4 (stripe units fabrics): a piece of about 5" x 42" or 10" x 21"

Perfect for Quilters Who Want:

 A simple yet stylish one-block design.
 A reliable step-by-step guide with clear instructions.
 A time-efficient project with striking results.
 A chance to highlight special prints or intricate pieced blocks.

With Bold Bow, your pillow cover will come together effortlessly, allowing you to enjoy the creative process without unnecessary complexity. Whether you're making a single pillow, a set with layout variations, or a bed quilt, this pattern is designed to be both enjoyable and practical for quilters of all styles.

The Bold Bow quilt pattern is available now. Don’t wait – start your pillow cover quilt today!

Thank you for joining me in celebrating the launch of this special pattern!

Buy Bold Bow pillow cover block quilt pattern. Just 

It takes you to my Etsy Shop.

Have only beautiful sewing days, my dears!

Tutorial -- Love Thoughts - Valentine's Quilt Pillow cover (revised pattern)

10 years ago, at this time, I posted on the blog a pattern dedicated to Valentine's Day. 

I revised it and I share the new version of it with you today.

Overview

To sew this block, we use the Sew & Flip method.

Materials

Fabric Options

Quilting cotton, thin denim.

- Solid colors and non-directional prints work best.

- Wash and press the fabric. Starching cotton quilting fabric and thin fabrics helps achieve accurate edge of the pillow cover.

Cutting

- fabric A (accent fabric) - (1) 6" x 9½" and (1) 6” x 15”

        - fabric B (background) - (6) 6"; (1) 9½" squares

                                               -  (2) 1½” x 15”; (2) 1½” x 17” (border). 

Assemble the block

Place the 6” x 15” piece of the accent fabric right side up. Align over its right edge one 6” square of the background fabric wrong side up. Draw a diagonal line onto the background 6” square from the up left corner to the down right corner (see the dashed line). Stitch on the diagonal marking.  Follow the marked line as accurately as you can, in order to get a neat finished piece. Trim the corner off 1/4” away from the stitched line.

Flip the triangle open and press seam allowance toward A fabric rectangle. Align over the triangle of B fabric, another 6” square wrong side up. Mark a diagonal line from the down left corner to the up right corner. 

Stitch on the diagonal marking. Trim the corner off ¼” away from the marked line. Flip the triangle open and press the seam allowance toward the corner triangle. 

Repeat for the second unit.

Sew together the 6” x 9½” unit and 9½” B fabric square with ¼” seam allowance. Place them like in the next images. Press the seam allowances toward the B fabric square.  

Sew together this unit with the first unit with ¼” seam allowance. Press the seams toward the latter. Press. The block should measure about 14¾” - 15”, depending on the accuracy of how you sewed. Add the border pieces. Now, the unfinished block should measure 17".  

Quilting

One of the most beautiful ways to finish a patchwork project is by quilting it. 

Layer:

- at the bottom - 19" x 19" backing fabric, right side down

- in the middle - the 19" x 19" piece of batting

- on top - the block, right side up.

Baste the layers together and enjoy quilting your preferred design. I used a temporary glue spray for basting.

Finishing

Wash the quilt with cold or lukewarm water and mild detergent. 

Lay the quilt flat to dry, smoothing it gently. After drying, press it on the back side, only if needed.

While it dries, prepare the pillow back.

Trim the quilt to 16½”. 

Sew the quilt (which is the front of the pillow)  with the back together.

You're done!

Your Valentine pillow cover is complete. 

As Valentine's Day is a holiday when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts, don’t stop. Sew this pattern in pairs of pillows.

I hope you'll enjoy making these cuties as much as I do.

If you need other patterns for quick and easy modern quilts or bags, 

It takes you to my Etsy Shop.

All orders made during February 2025 will receive as bonus the quilt pattern Love Thoughts in PDF format.

Have a beautiful sewing day, my friends!

Thank you for your support!

How to use old jeans for sewing a quilt. Some useful tips to make your work easier

 

I like denim. I’ve always liked to wear jeans, denim jackets, denim shirts or pinafore dresses. So, the desire to make a quilt from this kind of cloth came naturally. I asked my family and friends to give me jeans they no longer wore, and in time I managed to collect about 15-20 pairs.

In August 2023 I decided to use this pattern and started making the quilt using 10 pairs of jeans and two men's shirts. I finished it in January 2024 after taking about a three-month sewing break.

When it comes to sew quilts made of old jeans, the easiest design is the one of pieces measuring about 5" side and which allows the color shades to be randomly placed. The internet is full of incredible improvisational denim quilts that are a valuable source of inspiration. But in this post, I'll talk about the key aspects of my experience sewing a quilt with a structured pattern, which requires a certain sequence for color/shade variation and pieces with sides up to 10 inches.

In a nut shell, I made a quilt composed of 30 blocks, measuring around 85" x 102" (215 cm x 250 cm) with the block size of 17"(43.5 cm), using 2 sets of fabrics.

The fabric for the quilt must be carefully chosen: too much stretch in jeans fabric gives a wonky shape in the block pieces. To better maintain their shape, I opted for minimal to no stretch jeans.

I used light, medium, and dark colored jeans for the block background. I cut the pieces from each color so I could get a light-to-dark shade effect. I also used two men's shirts as focus fabrics, a piece from another shirt for the blocks' central squares, and store-bought cotton fabric for backing and facing (rather than binding).

I washed and lightly ironed/pressed each pair of jeans, shirts and backing fabric. 

From each leg of the jeans I cut strips with the width on the size of the pieces that I was going to get from them. Then I worked in different ways with them:

- from one tube-like strips I cut the seams and then I cut the unfolded strips into necessary pieces.

- on others, first I unstitched the seams to increase a little bit their length, I pressed, and then I cut them in pieces.

- from another ones I cut two pieces at a time keeping the tube strip lying flat.

For each block I joined the denim pieces with different degrees of discoloration aiming to achieve a certain design when assembling the blocks.

To get more use out of the fabric I even used pieces that included seams but I carefully adjusted them to avoid bulk.

 I kept the seam out of the corners though, because much bulk in the corners makes the pieces too thick to sew.

I pieced the quilt top using ¼" seams and I pressed them open. For thick denim I recommend ½" seams. Pressing is essential to obtain accurate seams and making your quilt lie flat.

On the stretch jeans areas I placed the iron on them and hold it still. To move it to a different part of the pieced block, I lifted it up and place it in a new spot.  Moving the iron around on the fabric can stretch it out.  Flat seams need a careful steam pressing.

 I used regular polyester thread for piecing, machine embroidery thread for quilting, jeans needle for both piecing and quilting, and free motion foot for quilting. I chose the quilting thread to match the gold colored double stitching of the jeans. I quilted with straight stitching.

Instead of binding I chose faced binding. It was the best choice for this denim quilt: the edges came out nice, thin, straight and flat. I wrote a separate blog post about how I finished this quilt using The facing method.

Because I only had a few pieces of each color shade, setting up them took a lot of attention in order to get repetitive sequences. Here is the result:

Have a beautiful sewing day, my dears!

Meeting with friends quilts. Pattern release

I am so glad that after long time, I finally have great news: I just released two quilt patterns!

In the late fall of 2021, while the rules imposed in the Pandemic kept us far from each other, I made some patterns for some mini quilts, good to use as coasters. For one of them I wrote the pattern because I realized that it is not only beginner friendly, but also you need only an hour or two to make it. I chose squares, rectangles and half square triangles to play with.

It's not by chance that I called it “Meeting with friends” as that was the idea I wanted to express:

The central unit symbolizes the table that gathers friends around it. Two triangles meeting at their points symbolizes the friends. The resulting  extension of their lines forms an X-cross, a very harmonious sign for meeting, and the ancient symbol for time (the hourglass).

This block combines in a simple and modern manner two of the most used patchwork layouts: Log Cabin and Half Square Triangle (HST).

Because Christmas was approaching, I used fabrics in the colors and prints specific to the winter holidays, but the block looks great using a wide variety of color combinations and prints (except large prints).

Meeting with friends mini quilt measures 8 ¾" x 8 ¾" (22.5 cm x 22.5 cm) before quilting and washing.

It can be used to be displayed on the wall, added to a bag, as well as on the table as a mug rug. For the wall, you should add a sleeve or hanging pockets to the back of the quilt before binding so that the binding covers the raw edges and gives a neat finish (these instructions are not included in this pattern).

Then, one of my friends who helped me testing the pattern, asked me to enlarge the block for making a pillow cover. So it came out a 17” (43.5 cm) square block and I got to the point where the natural question arose: what would a quilt from several such blocks look like? I designed layouts and layouts, searching “the one”, the versatility of this block giving endless set ups and quilt styles.

It was hard to choose which layout I will use for making a sample quilt, but in the end I chose this one:

Meeting with friends quilt is based on only one 17” quilt block. It is a user-friendly pattern and provides step by step color photo guide and instructions to cut and machine piecing, and gives also hints and tips which will help you to assemble this quilt faultless.

 The quilt measures 67" x 84" (170 cm x 210 cm) before washing and quilting.

Quilt sizes based on 17"/43.5 cm “Meeting with friends” block:

• - Baby/Crib - approx. 34" x 50½" (86.5 cm x 128 cm) 

• - Throw - approx. 50½" x 50½" (128 cm x 128 cm) 

•               - approx. 50½" x 67" (128 cm x 170 cm)

• - Twin - approx. 67" x 84" (170 cm x 210 cm)  (the quilt featured in this pattern).

• - Full/Queen - approx. 84" x 100" (210 cm x 254 cm).

 It's an easy quilt pattern even for the beginning quilters and it is perfect for anyone who wants to sew a simple, cheerful, quick and modern quilt.

Meeting with friends quilt is not difficult to make, but it does require a bit of precision.

 In this pattern you will find also suggestions and information for sewing quilts with different layouts, settings, dimensions and color combinations based only on this block.

This pattern is Fat Eighths, Fat Quarter and yardage friendly.

Look how beautiful turn out my One block-pillow covers! Using only one 17" Meeting with friends block and your scrap pile, you could cheer up your dining room, bedroom and/or porch.  

 

Both patterns are also budget-friendly because they give you the opportunity to use up your leftover fabrics for which you have been waiting for the quilts that will deserve them.

 If you don't want a busy quilt design and you are looking for a fast project for which you don't need any fancy tools, but only very basic quilting supplies, then these two quilts are for you!

You’ll end up with beautiful quilts that look like a pro made them!

Would you like to make at least one Meeting with friends mini quilt or quilt of your own? You can purchase this patterns by clicking here. You can get this patterns at a 25% OFF INTRODUCTORY PRICE now through Thursday, June 15 2023.

Thank you my friends!

Have a beautiful sewing day!