Tag: Free Pattern

A Framed Life

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I’ve been promising you a look at the quilt my daughter has been making, a photo quilt using pictures of important moments in her life. Some of you have been asking about this quilt in the Q&A section because you have heard me mention it at seminars recently – now, at last here it is, I hope you enjoy!

My daughter wanted to capture people and moments in her life that reflected her journey from birth to her senior graduation. This is the 5th quilt she has made like this, the other 4 were made as gifts for special friends and given to them as graduation presents. What a great way to capture those moments and what a special gift! When she decided that she wanted one of these quilts as well, she wanted to make it herself.

We came up with this pattern when she made her first photo quilt, because the blocks are fast to make and no seams have to match in the block – making it pretty ‘goof-proof’ to make the block.

Every photo album has a tub picture – and this quilt is no exception

First new car – independence day for a 16 year old.

Capture those moments from the getting off the bus on the first day of school to their graduation picture. Where did all those years go?
Thank you to photographer Carl Anderson of Images by Carl for the permission to be able to copy the senior picture in the quilt. If you ever need a professional photographer – check out his website ImagesbyCarl

What a great way to capture those special moments with family and friends – and preserve the memory for years to come.

And here is a picture of the full, completed quilt – not very clear, but you get the idea.

If you would like a free copy of this pattern, designed by me, check out the next post!
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

FREE Pattern – Pure Appeal Baby Blanket (Crochet)

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I am so excited – today I have been given permission by the Lion Brand Yarn company to post one of their current pattern downloads as a free pattern for my readers!

I choose the Pure Appeal Baby Blanket, a crochet pattern, not only due to it’s traditional look, but it is also a great pattern for those who are just beginning to crochet.

This project is made using the “Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton” yarns by Lion Brand. What makes these yarns organic? The yarn is grown and spun without the use of pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals. The dyes used on the yarn are certified organic.

In addition, Nature’s Choice is a very soft yarn, it’s considered easy to work with, and is a great choice for projects that you want to give that extra special touch that shows that you’ve taken extra care to use a natural product in making your gift.

You will need the following supplies:

  • Color A: 5 balls of Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton Yarn (color Strawberry was used in pattern)
  • Color B: 5 balls of Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton Yarn (color Macadamia was used in pattern)
  • Color C: 5 balls of Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton Yarn (color Walnut was used in pattern)
  • Lion Brand Crochet Hook – Size K-10.5
  • Large-Eye Blunt Needles (Set of 6)

And here are the Abbreviation definitions that Lion Brand uses in their patterns:

  • beg = begin, begins or beginning
  • ch-space = space previously made
  • rep = repeat, repeats, or repeating
  • sl st = slip stitch
  • ch(s) = chain(s)
  • dc = double crochet
  • rnd(s) = round(s)
  • sp(s) = space(s)

Gauge

One Square = 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (9 x 9 cm). BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE. When you match the gauge in a pattern, your project will be the size specified in the pattern and the materials specified in the pattern will be sufficient. If it takes you less stitches and rows to make a 4 in. [10 cm] square, try using a smaller size hook or needles; if more stitches and rows, try a larger size hook or needles.

SQUARE 1 (make 71)

  • With A, ch 4; join with sl st in first ch to form a ring.
  • Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as a dc here and throughout), 2 dc in ring, (ch 2, 3 dc in ring) 3 times, ch 2; join with sl st in top of beg ch – 12 dc. Fasten off.
  • Rnd 2: Join C in any ch-2 sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same sp, ch 1, *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1; rep from * 2 more times; join with sl st in top of beg ch – 24 dc. Fasten off.

SQUARE 2 (make 72)

  • With A, ch 4; join with sl st in first ch to form a ring.
  • Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as a dc here and throughout), 3 dc in ring, ch 1, 5 dc in ring, ch 1, 4 dc, ch 1, 5 dc, ch 1; join with sl st in top of beg ch – 18 dc. Fasten off.
  • Rnd 2: Join B in any ch-1 sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same sp, ch 1, *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-1 sp, ch 1; rep from * 2 more times; join with sl st in top of beg ch – 24 dc. Fasten off.

FINISHING

  • Strip 1 (make 5)
    • Beg and ending with Square 1 and alternating Squares 1 and 2, sew 13 Squares into a strip.
  • Strip 2 (make 6)
    • Beg and ending with Square 2 and alternating Squares 2 and 1, sew 13 Squares into a strip.
  • Sew strips together along long edges, alternating Strip 1 and Strip 2.
  • Edging
    • From right side, join C with sl st anywhere along edge of Afghan. Ch 3, dc evenly around, working 3 dc in each corner; join with sl st in top of beg ch. Fasten off.
    • Weave in ends.

Voila! You’re done! And isn’t it beautiful and soft?
But of course, not everyone is a baby blanket fan, or perhaps you have too many baby blankets around? In that case, you may want to check out some of the other free patterns that Lion Brand has! Below are some pictures and the names of a few of their current downloads, click on the pattern name to take you to the pattern. (Please note, if you haven’t registered for Lion Brand’s free patterns, you will be asked to, but don’t worry – they don’t email you a bunch of nonsense when you sign up!)
Crochet V Stitch Blanket, a crochet pattern that uses Babysoft Yarn
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Extra Easy, Fabulous Sweater, A knitting pattern that uses Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn
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Baby Kimono a knitting pattern that uses Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn
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Coming Home Poncho a crochet pattern that uses Homespun Yarn
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Easy Does It Blanket a crochet pattern using Jiffy Yarn
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Child’s Coming Home Poncho a crochet pattern that uses Cotton-Ease yarn
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Simple Earthy Squares Afghan a crochet pattern using Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn
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AMIGURUMI Chocolate Bunny a crochet pattern that uses Vanna’s Choice Yarn
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Little Lamb a crochet pattern that uses Homespun Wool-Ease yarn

Of course, if none of these pattern suites you, Lion Brand has hundreds of other free patterns on their website – check them out!
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila

FREE Pattern – Chenille Placemats

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For today’s chenille project, I used osnaburg.

What is osnaburg? Well, dictionaries define it as “a type of coarse, heavy cloth, originally of linen and now of cotton; used in making sacks, work clothes, etc.”
It can be found in the muslins of your local fabric store, it is a loosely woven cloth that works very nicely for making chenille. Many sewers consider it an inexpensive alternative to linen in home décor projects.

    1. I began with 6 layers of osnaburg, 45” x 28”, layered on top of one another.

 


Picture of osnaburg, after channels have been stitched.
    1. Next, I cut 8 blue stars and 8 red stars (there will be four stars on each placemat) out of a solid cotton fabric.
      • Note: Make sure to cut the stars from your fabric so that when you lay out your placemat the channels will run along the bias of the star pattern. If your channels don’t run along the bias of the appliqué – it will fall apart in the wash.
    2. I kept my fabric in one large piece (all four placemats will be made from this one piece), so before placing the stars I wanted to determine the size of the placemats. My small Olfa rotary cutter mat is 12” x 18”, with a ½” edge around the mat. I decided this 13” x 19” size would be perfect, so using a washable fabric pencil, I marked out my placemats with the mat as a template. (The lines do appear in this picture, but may be difficult to make out.)
    3. Determine the layout for your stars, and place them onto each of the placemats – don’t forget that the channels need to run on the bias of the stars as well as the osnaburg fabric.
    4. Pin your stars down onto the layers of osnaburg, do not use any type of wonder-under or quilt basting spray to hold the stars in place, that will only cause you to gum up your chenille cutter when cutting the channels.

The picture above shows the layout of the stars, please note that in this picture I have already stitched the channels and begun cutting them.

    1. You are now dealing with 7 layers of fabric, which can be a bit difficult for many machines.
      • To keep the fabric from shifting too much as you work, I suggest using a walking foot. The walking foot has a set of feed dogs just like you have on your sewing machine. This enables you to have a set of feed dogs under the fabric and a set over the fabric helping to feed the fabric more even. Hancock Fabrics carries these both a low shank and a high shank option.

walking foot
  1. Now that you have the walking foot on your machine (hopefully!), you can begin the channel stitching. As with all my other projects, I began by drawing one line that ran through the center of the fabric along the bias. I stitched along that line, and then used the edge of my walking foot to follow the line of that stitch and when placing the next line. This made my channels approximately ½” apart.
    • After all the channels are stitched, use your Olfa Chenille Cutter to cut through four layers of the osnaburg and the star appliqués.
    • Now it is time to cut your placemats apart and bind them.
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    • Wash – Dry – Enjoy!


Once again, a picture really doesn’t show how very soft this finished piece is

Note: if you want a more ‘full’ look for your appliqués, you will need to put three layers of the appliqué fabric down on top of the osnaburg (and yes, you would still use 6 layers of osnaburg – so you would be channel stitching through 9 total layers of fabric in places where your appliqué appeared).

What are some other ideas for this type of chenille? I’ve seen a beautiful jacket made from chenilled osnaburg, and just think of the look of a chenille quilt square in a quilt made with fabrics of different textures, and of course you could do all sorts of different appliqués and get a great look. Just imagine, chenille trees on placemats, chenille birthday presents on placemats, chenille flowers on placemats…
Sheila Reinke, Heart of Sewing
Sheila