Did you ever wonder how to sew a fancy cushion cover with piping?
You want a professional-looking pillowcase with piping on the edges?
Here is a super easy step step by step tutorial.

Since 'tis is the season' I will use my happy Santa Head quilt block for this tutorial.

 Materials needed: (for a pillowcase aprox. 15.5"x 15.5" finished)
- quilt block 12"x 12" plus 28 2 1/2 " squares around the quilt block
or a 16"x 16" quilt block
(or of course a 16"x 16" piece of fabric if you don't want to use a quilt block as pillowcase front)
- for the back 2 pieces of fabric 16"x 13"
- 70" piping - either store bought piping or you can make your own piping.
- square shaped cushion insert. Either you purchase a new insert or reuse one of your existing pillow inserts.
- Sewing machine, acrylic ruler, scissors, pins or clips.

Instructions:
1. Sew your quilt block , or cut your fabric for the pillowcase front accordingly.
2. Attach the 2 1/2" squares to your quilt block ( if you're making a pillowcase like the one
I am using here. You will find a full tutorial on a pillowcase with fussy cut squares like this one here and I also made a little quick video) 

 3: Preparing the back
Fold over one of the 16" edge on each of the fabric pieces for the back.
Fold over 1/2 " twice and clip in place.
​Then stitch along the edge with a small seam allowance.
If you have directional fabric, make sure the fabric pieces are both facing the same direction, and that you fold in the edges that face each other.

4. Stitch the hem in place with a small seam allowance.

5. Overlap the hemmed edges so that the back becomes the same hight as the front
( 16" in this case here) and clip the overlapping edges in place and stitch with 1/8" seam allowance to hold it in place.

Attaching the piping: 

6. Now you start pinning or clipping the piping in place, I definitely prefer clips.
I always hurt myself using pins. So clips it is.   
Take the front of your pillowcase and start clipping the piping to the edge. I like starting a couple of inches from the corner roughly at the center of one side.
The stitching of the piping should be in line with your seam allowance. 
​Since this will be the line that you will sew on.

In my case it's 1/4" seam allowance. The seam allowance of my piping is also 1/4" ( from the edge of the tape to the stitching) so align the raw edges of the pillowcase front and the piping.

7. Work the corners. In order to avoid wobbly crooked corners, carefully clip the edge of the binding to help it bend around the corner. Make sure you do not cut into the stitching line of the piping. You can see in the photo, that the inner piping wrinkles slightly, this will straighten once you turn your pillowcase inside out.

8. Clip the piping all the way around the pillowcase front until you get to where you started
 there you overlap the ends of the piping for about 2"-3" and leave it open.

9. Stitch the piping to the pillowcase front. Make sure you stitch on the same line as the stitch line of the piping. This ensures a perfect looking piping once you turn the pillowcase inside out. This way you won't see the stitches of the piping on the outside of your pillow.
So I can not stress enough:
ALWAYS STITCH ON THE SAME STITCH LINE!
Leave the ends of the piping loose, meaning you don't stitch these in place yet.

How to join the ends of the piping properly?
There are different ways to joining the ends, I personally like this one the best, and find it the easiest.

12. Cut the extra piece of cord on the right, that you exposed. Your goal is to lay the left end of the piping inside the bias tape on the right and wrap it inside the bias tape. 

16. To finish your piping, stitch the piping in place.
Again make sure you are stitching on the stitch line of the piping.
Perfect, now you stitched the piping in place.

All you need to do now, is attach the backing of the pillowcase and you're all done.

17. Clip the backing to the pillowcase front. I like the opening of the back to be the top overlapping the bottom, but some people want the left overlapping the right, or the other way around. You decide for yourself, it's a square so it doesn't matter which way you place the backing to the front of the pillowcase size wise.

18. Stitch the backing to the front, and again...don't laugh please, you will thank me later....
Stitch on the same stitching line again!
Then turn your pillowcase inside out... and YAYYY all finished!

What do you think? Doesn't this look fabulous? And it's super easy, right?
Just in case you are wondering, you will find the Santa Quilt block here.
​Happy sewing and Happy Holidays 

You know how to make your own bias tape, but you always wondered how to make your own piping? You're asking yourself how can I make my own corded piping?
What is piping for sewing? Or what kind of piping do I refer to here?
I am talking about a trim or edging around a pillowcase or bag, that typically consists of a thin strip of fabric, usually a bias tape with a cord inside. This narrow tube is attached to the edges of decorative items such as pillowcases, garments or bags to enhance the edges or give the items a more defined or professional look.

Materials needed:
- Bias tape
- cord
- clips or pins 
- sewing machine, zipper foot, needle and thread
The piping cords come in all different sizes and qualities and most importantly thicknesses. So depending on your project you can choose a very thin cord or a really thick one. I used a medium cord for this tutorial it's 1/4" (6mm) diameter.

You will be sewing very close to the cord, so a zipper foot is extremely helpful.

1. To start you will need diagonal ( 45° angle) fabric strips, also called bias tape.
The fabric will be wrapped around your cord so the bias tape has to have the width according to the circumference of your cord.
This means, you need to measure the circumference of your cord ( not diameter of your cord) then add the seam allowance twice and that gives you the width of your bias strips.

2. You need to measure the circumference of your cord, mine was 5/8" in circumference
(not to be confused with diameter!) 
Then you add your seam allowance (1/4" in my case) twice, and there you have your width of the bias tape:
FORMULA:
circumference of cord + 2 x seam allowance = width of bias tape
In my case:    5/8" + 2 x 1/4" = 9/8" or 1 1/8" 

3. Fold your bias tape in half, aligning the raw long edges. Place your cord in-between the folded bias tape. As you know, I prefer clips so here you can see, I clip this cord/ bias tape sandwich in place, but you can also use pins. If you're using pins you can either pin along the cord or you can place your pins vertically, depending on your personal preferance.

If you want to be very neat, you can now hand baste along the piping with large running stitches, before you machine stitch your piping.
I have to admit, when I first learned how to sew, from my Mum ( she was a home economics teacher) I had to hand baste everything. I wasn't very happy about that , as you can imagine, since it took so much time. 
But it helped immensely and my sewing was a lot straighter and neater than in would have been without the hand basting.

As you can see, these days I am not as neat and prefer a couple more clips.

4. Now stitch along the cord with a zipper foot. This allows you to get as close as possible to the cord. This tutorial is with a zipper foot, since most machines come with a zipper foot or most people have a zipper foot for their machines.
Side note here: I turned the zipper foot of my PFAFF sewing machine the other way around so I can see more of my stitches. I wish this foot would come in clear acrylic, that would be perfect.
(If you have a piping foot for your sewing machine, that's a different story. Then you place the cord under the round part of your piping foot and move your needle the side so you can stitch along the edge of the cord.)

5. And here it is, your very own individually hand made piping. This was easy peasy, right ? 
And here is a tutorial on how to use this piping in a project, and how to sew it into a pillowcase the super easy way.

Check out this quick video with the full instructions.... 
​Happy sewing 

Do you ever wonder where certain Christmas traditions come from?
Well if you do and want to know more about Christmas stockings here is the story:
The Christmas stocking tradition started in Europe, I have to add, a lot of Christmas traditions have, not sure why though, I have to get into that some other time.
Christmas stockings traditionally have the owners name written on them, makes sense, otherwise Santa wouldn't know where to put the presents, right?

                                 " The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
                                    in hopes that St.Nicholas soon would be there."
                                                       - a visit from St. Nicolas

The Christmas stocking tradition is said to have started with the good deeds of a king noble man named Nicholas, who was born 280 AD, in Patara a city on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. ( If you ever visit Turkey , you have to visit that coast, it's beyond beautiful).
Nicholas became a priest and used all his money to help the poor, the needy, sick or suffering. He was very religious and was made Bishop of Myra at a young age.
He never married or had children. But he loved children and gave gifts often, this is why he also became known as the gift giver of Myra.
He was a rich man and traveled all over the country and gave his gifts generously.
He didn't want his identity to be known, so he gave his presents late at night.
Children were told to sleep early, otherwise Nicholas wouldn't come.
He became known as Saint Nicholas the patron saint of children and sailors.

The most popular legend about why stockings are hung on Christmas is this:
A very poor widowed father of three girls was worried his daughters weren't able to get married because of their impoverished status.
St. Nicholas heard the story of the man and wanted to help, but he knew the father wouldn't accept any charity. So he slid down the chimney of the family's house and filled the girls' recently washed stockings, which were drying by the fire, with gold coins.
When the girls woke up in the morning, overjoyed with the generous gift, they were now eligible to marry and they all were happy ever after...

And there you have it, the Christmas stocking tradition was born.

Now lets make some great Christmas stockings ourselves:

Fabrics needed for a Hexie stocking:

- fabric scraps for about 42 - 1" hexies
- 2 pieces of fusible interfacicing 16"x 9"
- 2 pieces of fabric 16"x 9" for front and back lining
- 1 piece of fabric 16"x 9" for the back
- 1 strip of fabric 2"x 28" for binding
- optional: tassels, fabric hangtag

To make this process easier, you can download our Christmas stocking template.

Sewing the hexie Christmas stocking:

1. Print the stocking template and glue the two pages together and cut out the template.
Find the PDF to the template here .
2. Baste about 42 - 1" sized hexies and place them on your stocking template. Depending on how you place them, you'll only need half hexies on the sides.
This is a perfect way to use up all your adorable Christmas fabric scaps and do some
fussy cutting.

Even if you don't feel like using Christmas fabrics for your Christmas stockings, they look especially cute with all sorts of other fabrics too. I could not resist and had to make some with this uber adorable fabric line from Riley Blake Designs called 'Quilt Fair' by Tasha Noel.
Don't you agree, Christmas stockings in 'non-Christmas-fabrics' are equally cute?
But let's get on with our sewing.

3. Sew together your hexies.
Add the fusible interfacing to your 'hexie fabric' piece and add the lining as well, wrong sides together  and quilt as desired.
I quilted diamonds.
Repeat the same for the back of the stocking. Add the fusible interfacing to the back fabric, add the lining fabric wrong sides together and quilt as desired.

4. Now cut your quilted pieces into stocking shapes , use the stocking template.
5. Place front and back of your Christmas stocking right sides together and stitch along the outside edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.

6. Turn your stocking inside out.
Attach the binding strip to the top edge of your stocking right sides together and raw edges aligned. Add a little hanging tab to the back of your stocking made out of the same binding strip. Clip or pin in place and stitch along the top edge with a 1/4" seam allowance.
Fold over to the inside and stitch in place by hand.

7. optional:
Add pompoms and/or tassels.

8. Make a little name tag.
I used white fabric and embroidered the name on it. I added some fusible interfacing, to give it a little volume and topped it off with another piece of white fabric.
I stitched the 'sandwhich' in place with a small piece of fussy cut motif and cut the outer edge of the white fabric with zig zag shears.
Add a metal eyelet, or just use a hole punch and thread a little ribbon.
Attach your name tag to your stocking.

Et Voila .... all done!

Now let your phantasie go wild and create stockings with all sorts of different patchwork techniques and styles. Whether you're using clamshells, triangles, hexies or just simple squares, these Christmas stockings will definitely make a lasting impression.

If you are celebrating Christmas, What's your choice of Christmas stocking?
Are you making one yourself? let me know in the comments.

happy sewing

Are you always as short on Christmas gift ideas as I am?
I am trying to collect all sorts of ideas all year around, so when it gets close to Christmas
I have a few DIY projects lined up.
This is one of those projects, a DIY fabric matchbox cover.
It's a perfect Christmas gift for him or her .... a fabric matchbox cover is super decorative and who doesn't need matches? It's actually a very nice gift for all year around.
Best of all, these decorated matchbox covers are super easy and quick to make, and a perfect scrap buster.
​So lets get started...

Materials needed:
- an assortment of large matchboxes ( the ones I used are 2.5" wide, 4.3/8" long and 3/4" deep )
- fabric scraps for the Star quilt block and the side and the back of the matchbox 
 ( depending on the size you're making, of course) 
For the matchbox size that I used, it is
- 2 strips of 1.5"x 3" of fabric for the sides of the quilt block.
- I piece of fabric 5"x 4" for the back
​Sewing machine and thread.

Instructions:
​1.Open the side
Open the side of your matchbox where it's glued together. I used a sharp knife.
That way you can easily sew your fabric onto the cardboard matchbox.
Glueing it to the matchbox is an alternative, but I find that the glue shines through the fabric and stains it sometimes, especially when you're using solid fabrics.
So the decorative matchboxes look much nicer, when you sew the fabrics onto the matchbox.

2. Sew the star quilt block in size 2.5"x 2.5" 

3. Prepare your matchbox
In case you have printed matchboxes like the ones I am using, I suggest painting the matchbox with a light colored acrylic paint, just so the print of the matchbox won't shine through your fabric cover. 
The painting does not have to be perfect, do just one coat of paint so the print of the cardboard box is covered.
​And let it dry.

4. Cut your fabrics for your matchbox cover
As I mentioned above, I cut two strips of fabric 1.5"x 3" for the sides of the quilt block.
And I cut a piece of fabric 5"x 4" for the back of the matchbox. And this piece of fabric is 5" wide and 4" long, in case you have directional fabric , like I do.

5. Sew the fabric pieces together 
First add the two side strips to the quilt block to the left and to the right, then add the backing piece of fabric and press. I used spray starch to press the fabric. So it stays really nice and flat. 
Fold over the front edge 1/4" and press.
Fold in the side edges 1/4" as well, so the width of the fabric matches the width of your matchbox. This might be a tiny bit more than 1/4", you might want to adjust it a little bit  as you clip your cover to the matchbox.

6. Clip the cover to the matchbox
Clip the fabric cover onto the matchbox. Start at the front edge, at the strip for striking the matches, and work your way to the other end. Adjust the side edges if needed. Fold in the end edge under as well and clip in place.

7. Stitch the matchbox cover to the matchbox
Starting at the front edge, stitch the matchbox cover in place.
I sewed all the way around the outside edge first and then stiched straight lines to the back side.
Then I stitched all the way around the star as well.

9. Et voilà.... all done.
Fabrics used in this project Art Gallery Fabrics Cozy and Magical.

Isn't this DIY matchbox cover a super cute Christmas gift? Combine the matchbox with a set of candles or some essential oils and you have the perfect Christmas gift for him or her.
What do you think? 
​Which color of the star quilt block is your favorite?

Here are the cutest bear quilt block patterns that are super easy to make.....

I got to participate again in Riley Blake Designs blog tour for this new fabric series called 'Into the woods' by Lori Whitlock.
I totally saw myself in a wooden cottage with a fireplace. The cottage standing in the middle of the mountains, bears roaming through the forest, a Hot Cocoa in my hands while I read a book in front of the fire place. 
Doesn't this sound Devine for the autumn weather we're having right now?
As some of you know I used to live in Vancouver for quite some time and this fabric series brings back some of my best memories in Whistler or on Vancouver island.
But Aspen and Lake Tahoe come to mind as well, right?

This quilt block pattern series consists of 2 bear quilt blocks, a bear paw quilt block, a little cottage quilt block, a hot cocoa quilt block and I added my maple leaf quilt block just because it completes this series so perfectly. I designed it especially for this Riley Blake Designs fabric series and called it 'Bear cottage'.
All of these quilt blocks will be stunning by themselves, but will make up very nice 'cottage themed' projects as well, such as pillowcases, table runners, mini quilts, apron and much more.
Actually this would be a beautiful full on quilt as well, wouldn't it?

The little bear cottage:
This super simple but cute cottage quilt block pattern is perfect for fussy cutting. 
I placed the plaid pattern in the windows, so they look like window frames. But you could also place little faces in those windows and make a super sweet little cottage with this cottage quilt block pattern. 

The bear portrait:
A bear portrait quilt block is a a great quilt block for a pillowcase. I especially love it if you add some hand quilting to the outline of the bear quilt block.
I do have a whole series of animal portraits in my shop, and they would look adorable on a kids bed, don't you think?

Hot cup of cocoa quilt block:
A hot cup of cocoa is the epitome of coziness, right? And a red plaid cup with some sugar cane beats even that, isn't it so? Can't you just see yourself in some plaid onesie sitting in front of the fire place drinking your hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream?
This hot chocolate quilt block pattern will be perfect for all sorts of kitchen related sewing projects. Think apron for Christmas, tea towel, oven mitt and much more.
Let me know what other ideas you have for this cup cocoa quilt block pattern.

The bear:
I always wanted to design a bear quilt block, that wasn't as cute as my Barney the Bear quilt block. This fabric series was the perfect inspiration for that. 
I made this bear quilt block into a polar bear quilt block. Just because the colors matched so perfectly. But this bear quilt block is perfect as a brown or black bear as well.
​Now he needs a name as well, don't you think? 

The maple leaf:
​I just couldn't resist and add this maple leaf quilt block pattern to this 'Bear cottage' series.
The fabric series just asked for this maple leaf quilt block to be added.
Having lived in Canada for so long adds a little bit of home to this fabric series.

The bear paw quilt block pattern:
No 'Bear cottage' quilt block pattern series without the bear paw quilt block, right?
The bear paw quilt block is an absolute classic.
Usually the bear paw quilt block is made out of squares and half square triangles (HST). And sewing this bear paw quilt block in its classic way will make up a whole sewing tutorial by itself. It's a beginner friendly traditional piecing quilt block pattern. 
But you know me for being foundation paper piecing addicted, so I decided to make this classic pattern in to a paper pieced pattern.
This has some advantages.
You do not need to do complicated calculations for the squares and HST in order to figure out how to get a 8"x 8" or 10"x 10" quilt block. Just print the bear paw pattern, and you will get the perfect size.
This bear paw quilt block pattern is also beginner friendly in its foundation paper piecing version. It's actually a pattern that doesn't take much longer than half an hour to sew.
No pre cutting the fabric, just start sewing right away.
And precision is a given with foundation paper piecing.

​You will get the bear paw quilt block pattern for free with the purchase of the bear cottage quilt block pattern series.

Thank you Riley Blake Designs for the opportunity to design a quilt block pattern series  and for supplying the absolutely adorable fabric series designed by Lori Whitlock 'Into the woods' that I used in this quilt pattern series.

What do you think? Ready to cozy up in front of the fire place?
Let me know in the comments the projects you would love to sew with these quilt block patterns.
​Happy sewing

Rocking around the Christmas tree, is the name for my newest Christmas quilt pattern.

You think it's still a little early for Christmas sewing? Well that's what I thought
when I started this Christmas quilt 3 weeks ago. Little did I know, I just turn around and it's September....
So I guess it's the perfect time to start Christmas projects for the favorite season of the the year.
Christmas quilts are always special and remind us of cozy winter evenings with a hot cup of coco, right? Snow outside makes this picture even more perfect.
So let's get into the Christmas spirit a little early this year.

This Christmas quilt pattern includes some of my favorite quilt block patterns.
The best thing about this pattern is, that the quilt blocks that I used for this
Christmas quilt are super easy and quick to make.
This quilt pattern is a simple patchwork pattern for a stunning Christmas quilt.
And while I really love traditional Christmas quilts with simple shapes for cute fabric scraps, I really think this Christmas quilt pattern is simple enough,
but gives you  stunning results. And you can use fabric scraps as well as a whole Christmas fabric series.

Here I show you all the quilt blocks , that are needed for this Christmas quilt.
As you can see there are several different star quilt blocks, all of them super easy to make, and two rocking horses. The rocking horses are 16"x 16" in size and therefore also not difficult at all, since no small pieces are involved.

These are the three star quilt block patterns, that make up for most of this Christmas quilt pattern.
I made one of the stars quilt blocks after another.
I started with sewing all the sections of each star quilt block first, then I assembled the sections for each star quilt block pattern.
​That way you get a little bit of a chain workflow.

The 5-point star quilt block is my favorite quilt block for fussy cutting.
The Christmas fabric series that I got to use for this quilt pattern by Art Gallery Fabrics  features an adorable nutcracker print. The print size is perfect for my 8"x 8" 5-point star quilt block. So I used the little nutcrackers in each one of these 5-point stars.

A light box is not necessary, but if you're fussy cutting a lot, like me, than it sure makes your life a lot easier.
You can place the fabric onto the light box, wrong side up, and just place the segment on top of the desired part of your print. I use a fabric glue pen from sew line, so the image stays perfectly in place. My Lightbox has a clear cutting mat, so I can cut right there on the light box, which makes my quilting even more simple.

As you can see, the sunny star quilt block is just as fun and simple to make. Make sure you remove the paper from the seam allowance and press often. This guarantees a perfect 8"x 8" size of your quilt block, and straight side seams and corners. 

This large star quilt block is 16"x 16" in size and you only need 4 for this Christmas quilt pattern. It is also a perfect pattern for Christmas pillowcases.
I called it blowing in the wind star, because it reminds me a little bit of small pinwheels.
This star quilt block pattern is brilliant for a quick Christmas gift.

And last but not least the cutest little rocking horse that inspired me to the name of this Christmas quilt.... ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE....

I finished this quilt with some hand quilting.
In this video I show you how to bury the know while hand quilting.
Tie a knot at the end of your thread. Enter your quilt with the needle at any random place inside the batting in the center of your quilt sandwich and come out where you want to start your quilting. Pull the thread slowly till the knot gets to the fabric. Now you give your thread a little tug that way it slips nicely inside of your quilt sandwich. 
In case it doesn't, you can spread the threads of your fabric a tiny bit, so the knot can get through, and use your nails to push them back together again.

Yes, if you're wondering, a vaccine card holder is a 'thing'.
Now that more and more people are getting vaccinated, things are definitely looking a lot better. Restrictions are being lifted everywhere, meaning we will be returning to some sort of 'normal' in the near future.
This depends strongly on as many people as possible receiving a vaccination.
And this in return means lots of vaccine cards and vaccine card holders.
The vaccine card might be an important item on our future trip/holiday packing list.

While it's currently not clear how and if we will need our vaccine cards, one thing is for sure: you will want to keep it safe and clean, and why not do that in style?
The international vaccine card isn't really a card. The little booklet was most probably,
​by the looks of it, not designed to be carried around.
The CDC vaccine card is only made out of paper as well.
So I decided vaccine cards, whether CDC cards or international vaccine cards need a
​pretty   cover.

​After I made my free passport holder pattern, a sweet customer suggested to use the same pattern for the vaccine card and of course I had to add a little foundation paper pieced design.
And here are actually two.
The vaccine and syringe pattern, and the band aid pattern.

Of course these patterns would be equally cute on a pouch, for example a pouch for your travel medical supplies. Or how about a fabric box for your medical supplies at home?
​A pillowcase or a cover for a coolpad and much, much more, I am sure you will come up with many more ideas, let me know in the comments.

This vaccine card holder pattern is essentially the same as for the passport holder pattern  and the international vaccine card is the same size as a passport. 

Materials needed: ( for both vaccine cards, international vaccine card and CDC vaccine card)
outer piece:
- 4"x 4" foundation pieced quilt block, vaccine and syringe or band aid 
​outer piece:
- 1 piece of fabric 4.5"x 4.5" (same as the background fabric of the quilt block )
- 2 strips of fabric 1 1/4" x 8.5" (same as the background fabric of the quilt block )

- 8 1/4" x 5 7/8" for the lining
- 2 x 4" x 5 7/8" for the pockets 
- For a CDC vaccine card you only need one pocket piece of fabric, and one piece of clear
   vinyl 3 1/2"x 5 7/8" plus a strip of fabric for the binding 1 1/4"x 6".

- 8 1/4" x 5 7/8"  very thin but stiff fusible interfacing (I used Vlieseseline S320)
In case your vaccine card is a different size, this overview shows you how to determine the right size for your outer piece and lining. 

Instructions: (for the international vaccine card)
1. Sew the quilt block of your choice, either the vaccine with the syringe or the band aid,
​in the 4"x 4" size.

2. Cut all your fabrics, lining and interfacing.
Stitch the fabric pieces for the outer piece together the way its shown here in the assembly photo.
Join the two squares first, then add the two strips of fabric at the top and bottom. 
This will be the outer piece of the vaccine card holder.​

3. Iron on fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the outer piece of the vaccine card holder.
Cut the outer piece to 8 1/4" x 5 7/8". ( check the size with your own vaccine card as shown above)
4. Fold the pocket fabric pieces in half aligning the longer raw edges and press. Then place these two on the outer piece aligning each with the left and right raw edge.

6.Place the pocket piece of fabric onto the left of the lining piece and the vinyl to the right aligning the raw edges to the left and to the right, as show in the photo below.

7. Place the outer piece on top of the lining piece, right sides together.
Clip or pin in place and stitch around the outer edge with a 1/4" seam allowance leaving a 3" opening for turning the vaccine card holder later. 
8. Cut the edges in a 45° angle  ( this gives you nice crisp edges) .
Turn inside out and close the opening with a small seam allowance.

Tadaaaa and Yippie all done ....

What do you think? Super cute and easy, right?
What other projects would you be making with the syringe and band aid pattern?
Let me know in the comments.
​Happy sewing

Are you all as hopeful as I am, that traveling season will start soon again?
This was something I really missed in the last 15 months. I bet all of you as well?
More and more people are getting vaccinated and this means for all of us, that we're slowly getting back to normal. 
I am sooo looking forward to this.
​After 15 months of lockdown, more or less strict and 15 months of homeschooling two teenage daughters, you know that I really miss getting away :-)

Therefore I decided our passports need some dressing up and I made this cute little passport holder pattern.
The Airplane pattern is a super quick and easy foundation paper piecing pattern and suits this passport wallet perfectly, don't you think.
I used the 4"x 4" size for the outer piece of the passport cover.

I decided on a new sewing project to enhance our passports... this fabric passport holder looks just so much cuter going through passport control, don't you agree?
So let's get to sewing this cute passport holder/ passport cover with the cutest paper pieced airplane quilt block.

Materials needed: ( this is the size for a European Passport )
Most passports are very similar in size, (as you maybe know, we have a few nationalities in our family)
the European passport is about 1/8" to 1/4" wider than the others.
To double check the right size for your passport cover, fold the passport open add 1/8" all the way around the passport and then add 1/4" seam allowance, that will be the size of your lining and outer piece.

outer piece:
- 1 airplane quilt block size 4"x 4" 
- 1 piece of fabric 4.5"x 4.5" (same as the background fabric of the airplane block )
- 2 strips of fabric 1 1/4" x 8.5" (same as the background fabric of the airplane block )

- 8 1/4" x 5 7/8" for the lining
- 2 x 4" x 5 7/8" for the pockets

- 8 1/4" x 5 7/8"  very thin fusible batting (optional but this gives a bit more stand I used Vlieseline H180)

Instructions:
1. Sew your airplane quilt block in 4"x 4" size.
Cut all your fabrics, lining and batting pieces.
Stitch the fabric pieces for the outer piece together the way its shown here in the assembly photo.
Join the two squares first, then add the two strips of fabric at the top and bottom. ​

2. Iron on fusible batting to the wrong side of the outer piece of the passport holder.
Cut the outer piece to 8 1/4" x 5 7/8". ( check the size with your own passport as shown above)
Fold the pocket pieces in half aligning the longer raw edges and press. Then place these two on the outer piece aligning the left and right raw edges.

3. Place the lining piece on top of the outer piece with the two pockets,
right sides together, pin or clip in place.

4. Stitch around the outer edge with 1/4" seam allowance leave a 3" opening at the bottom longer edge for turning your passport holder or passport wallet later.
Cut the corners at a 45° angle, that gives you nice crisp corners when turning the passport holder inside out.
Close the opening with a small seam allowance.

And YAY you're all done .

Happy and save travels everyone.... I'm off to stitch a few more in other colors.

Doesn't this happen to you all the time as well?
You have tons of the cutest fabric scraps left over? But of course you don't want to throw them out?
I like quick and easy projects with these fabrics, so I don't end up collecting tons and tons of fabric pieces, which I do anyways, haha.
​So here is another super pretty and easy pattern... this time for quilted oven mitts.

Materials needed: ( for one oven mitt)
size aprox. 7" wide x 11" high.
- 48 pieces of 2" fabric squares
( thank you Riley Blake Designs for this adorable fabric series
​ 'spooky hollow' by Polkadotchair )
- 1 piece of fabric for the back 9.5"x 12.5"
- 2 pieces of fusible batting ( or insul brite if you wanted to ) 9.5"x 12.5"
- 2 pieces of lining fabric 9.5"x 12.5"  
- 1 strip of fabric 2"x 5" for the hanging tab.
- 1 piece of bias cut binding strip 1.5" wide 17" long.
- printed oven mitt template 


Instructions:

1. Cut all your fabric pieces. Cut 48 2" fabric squares.
And cut out the oven mitt template which you will find here.

2. Sew all the squares together.
The easiest way, will be chain piecing the squares. Here's a quick video on how to do this.

3. Once you have all the squares sewn together, attach them to the fusible batting or insul brite. 

4. Place the patchwork top on top the lining piece of fabric, wrong sides together.
And quilt to your liking. I did quilt this with diagonal squares.

5. Iron the back piece of fabric on to the fusible batting and place on top of the lining piece wrong sides together. 
Then quilt to your liking. I quilted diagonal squares here as well. I drew them onto the fabric with a fabric marker ( Koh-I-Noor Fabric pen, that can easily be dusted off after sewing). 

6. Sewing the hanging tab:
Fold the piece of fabric for the hanging tab in half, aligning the long edges. 
Sew along the long edge with 1/4" seam allowance and turn inside out.

7. Place the oven mitt template on the patchwork piece and draw around it with a 3/8" seam allowance.
Turn the template around ( so the wrong side is now facing you) and place it on the back piece and draw around the template again with a 3/8" seam allowance.
Cut out the oven mitt shape with zigzag shears, then draw the oven mitt shape on the lining side ( again I used the fabric pen, that can easily be dusted off)

8. Place front and back pieces wrong sides together .
Place the hanging tab between the two layers at the bottom corner facing the inside of the oven mitt.  Sew along the drawn line, securing the hanging tab in the seam,
then cut back the seam allowance to 1/4 ".
​
9. Cut the seam allowance, between the hand and thumb part of the oven mitt,
​all the way to the seam.
​This makes sure you don't get weird pleats when turning the oven mitt inside out.

9. Turn oven mitt inside out and clip the binding strip to the outside and stitch with 1/4" seam allowance. 

10. Fold over the binding to the inside and hand stitch in place.

And here we go you're all done. 
So get your pots out and ... happy cooking.
​
What do you think? These adorable oven mitts are a great gift for any one, don't you agree?

Halloween comes early this year, because Riley Blake Designs just released this super adorable fabric series called 'spooky hollow' designed by Melissa Mortenson of
The Polka Dot Chair.

I decided to sew up all of my Halloween quilt blocks with this cute fabric series and I am over the moon with the results.
The fabric patterns are small enough to work great as background fabrics, but are equally fun for fussy cutting.
These quilt blocks will be perfect for these little trick-or-treat bags,
it's a free pattern and tutorial.

But let's see what all these Halloween symbols mean:
​
The witch:

Halloween as we know it today, was celebrated by Celtic cultures as a feast for
'summer's end' and to honor the fall harvest. It was called Samhain, pronounced sow-in.
It was celebrated on the evening of October 31. until sunrise on November 1. and is also known as the pagan New Year's Eve.
It was a celebration for the deceased as much as for the beginning of the pagan New Year. Celebrations included bonfires and feasts.
In the Middle Ages people who celebrated with bonfires were accused of being witches.
And their power was believed to be greatest during Halloween night.
So it's no surprise, that the witch, her hat or broomstick are still to this day, one of the most prominent symbols for Halloween.

The bat:

The original Celtic bonfires at Samhian would attract many bugs and flying insects.
Which then caused bats to emerge at these festivals to have a little feast of their own.
Therefore there's no Halloween without a bat.

Halloween black cat: 

The association of black cats with Halloween also comes form the Middle Ages.
The women accused of witchcraft often fed wild cats or had pet cats themselves.
Black cats were feared especially, since their dark black fur allowed them to roam through the dark undetected, leaving only their piercing eyes to be seen.
And who doesn't agree, this is a little bit scary, right?

The ghost:

Ghosts have always been a symbol for Halloween.
Samhain and the Christian holiday 'All Hallow's Eve' or 'All Saints Day' are both celebrations for the deceased. During the night of Samhain it was believed, that the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest and people are closest to the dead and their spirits.
Making the ghost the most fitting symbol for this 'ghosty' holiday.

The Jack-o-lantern:

The Celts would carve turnips on 'All Hallow's Eve' and would place and ember inside.
This was done to keep evil spirits away.
Funny enough pumpkins didn't exist in Ireland at that time that why turnips were used.
The Pumpkin only became popular when the Irish migrated to America and were more popular and easier to carve that turnips.

So what do you think? Are you in the mood to start Halloween sewing early this year ?

Thank you so much to Riley Blake Designs for supplying the absolutely adorable 
Spooky Hollow fabric series designed by Melissa Mortenson that I used
for these cute quilt blocks.