Tag Archives: “Lori Miller Designs”

Quilting Roundup – Summer 2016

Posted in Charity, Finished Projects, Home Accessories by

It has been a while since I posted the projects I have been working on, so it was time to do a little round up to at least catch us up to the beginning of the summer.  My only son graduated from high school and the day after his graduation party, I decided to get appendicitis and it had to come out.  Mix in some recovery time, summer vacation, weekends at our cottage up north, and well, you get the idea.  The picture above is of my new grey couch(what a great setting for any color quilt, I can mix it up whenever I like.)  I finished my pow wow quilt (Pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew) and two pillows from all of the scraps.

I did some wiggly quilting in the sashing and just wavy, organic lines over the arrow shapes.  It was a quick way to quilt and it washed up great.

Next up, I had some lovely organic cotton prints with kitties on them.  I used the Ballerina quilt pattern by Jaybird Quilts.  It is a great way to use a special fat quarter bundle where you want to see the prints.  My good friend, Laura, had celebrated a big birthday, so this throw quilt was her gift.  I even did kitty themed allover quilting with curly que lines and yarn balls.

Here is a good view of the quilt and my yarn ball quilting.

I think the grey, aqua and yellow look so great together and she loved it.

baby quilt
I had picked up another cute bundle of fat quarters from Pink Castle fabrics in Ann Arbor, Mi.  I thought they would make a great baby quilt.  I thought this was a very cute pattern but I forgot about the one way prints, so that made piecing a little more challenging.  I just straight line quilted around the larger squares.  Then I hand drew a starburst design in the blocks.

I stitched the star burst with free motion quilting on my little bernina and on the outside big white corners, I did a some close lines for extra texture.


Here it is all finished.  I had just enough yellow for the border to make it pop.  Thanks to my son who is holding it up for me.

This little mini quilt was a kit that I bought in Grand Rapids at the AQS show.  The pattern is Puddle Jumping Mini by Thimble Blossoms.

All those tiny pieces.  I think it takes as long as a big quilt to piece these babies.

Even though it was only about 12 inches across, I still pinbasted it like crazy before quilting.

Here is my finished quilt.  I just stitched some diagonal straight line quilting.  It was some work, but it is so cute all finished up.

Finally, this red, white and blue beautry.  I belong to the Stitching Sisters Quilt of Valor group and I finished up this large block quilt.qov-001

I was given the opportunity to award my quilt to Jerry.  You can see Katy to the right, she did the longarm quilting on it.  She simply does beautiful work and donates her time for many QOV quilts.

qov2-001

And of course, every service member gets a quilty hug to welcome them home.  After serving 10 years in the National Guard myself, I have a special soft spot for all of the men and women who have served our country.  It is a joy to honor them in this way.

I hope these projects inspire you to quilt up something special for yourself, a friend or even a service person.  Happy Stitching!

Published – Mini Mitten Coasters

Posted in Finished Projects, Published by

Mini Mitten Coasters by lori Miller Designs

I am pleased to share my latest published work, mini mitten coasters!  They are super cute, easy to stitch up and you can use some cute coordinating holiday prints or make them super scrappy with some leftover holiday fabric.

They are featured on page 34 of Modern Patchwork Gifts 2016.  This is the third year I have been published in the holiday issue and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Mini Mitten

Even though this was basically a one block design, I still used Electric Quilt 7 to design it.  This tool is really versatile and it really helps you to visualize your project before you stitch it up.

1-IMG_4043

I worked on this little pattern back in March.  I had a really cute snowman print that I started with.  But sometimes the white of the snowman blended with the white of the background and I was worried that they would not photograph well.  I headed off to a local quilt shop, Cristina’s in Rochester, Mi to try to find holiday fabric in March.

And I wanted some fabric that looked modern but still holiday.  She had these lovely prints tucked in a back corner.  They are Winter Wonderland by Free Spirit Fabrics.  And when I saw that candy cane print, all I could think of was the perfect ribbing for a mitten.  These little guys are totally pieced and stitch up really fast.  You could make them in an afternoon.

I decided to do some straight line quilting and make it easy.  I think it adds some nice texture.  Then I put on that tiny binding.  It was not as hard as I thought.  My usual method for joining worked just fine.

Isn’t this little mitten just adorable?  You can make them with some fat eighths and a fat quarter for the backing and binding or use up your holiday scraps.

These are the perfect hostess, coworker or teacher gifts.  Add a mug and some tea or cocoa and you are all set.  Happy Stitching!

Published – Infinity Quilt

Posted in Finished Projects, Published by

Infinity Quilt by Lori Miller Designs

I am so pleased to share my Infinity Quilt that is published in the Spring 2016 issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited.

modern quilts unlimited spring 2016

There are so many lovely quilts in this issue, but my beauty starts on Page 24.

IMG_7859

Photo Courtesy of Rebekah Craft

This quilt is also well traveled.  The wonderful people at Free Spirit fabrics provided the lovely designer solids that I used to stitch up this design.  They asked to show the quilt in their booth at Quiltcon West 2016, an offer that I could not refuse.  MQU graciously let me loan it to them for the show.  I was inspired to design this quilt after coming across a traditional Belt Buckle Block.  I really like taking a traditional block and making it something special with  bright colors, an alternate grid, and free motion quilting.

SONY DSC

Here you can see the blocks are made up of very simple shapes, but the design looks complex.

 

SONY DSC

Here is my fancy design wall, not!  I just use my bed to arrange and lay out the blocks for my quilt.  You can see my picture that I printed out of Electric Quilt 7 on the corner of the bed.  It is a very handy reference when you are assembling the quilt too.

Infinity Rainbow

This is right out of EQ7.  I really like the software to design my quilts and it is so handy to have the image when I am submitting for magazine publication.  I found when I used the alternate grid, i could arrange the blocks to form an infinity circle.  I loved the idea.

SONY DSC

I wanted to quilt it myself, so i did some straight line quilting and some free motion quilting that looks like lines.  Then in the large grey spaces, I added some modern feathers and pearls.  I ended up just drawing a squiggley line down the center and eyeballing the feathers.

SONY DSC

Here you can see those lines and feathers.  Such lovely texture after it was washed.SONY DSC

Oreo Cat did his inspection and approved.  Thanks for letting me share my Infinity Quilt and a little bit of my design process with you.

 

Swoon Mini for EQ 25 and Moda Challenge

Posted in Finished Projects by

The Electric Quilt Company is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in business this year and is hosting monthly contests.  They joined with sponsor Moda for the March challenge.  You needed to make a mini quilt with Moda Fabrics.  Luckily, I had a Mini Swoon Quilt Kit by Thimble Blossoms that I had picked up when I was at the AQS Grand Rapids show last year.  I hadn’t had a chance to make it yet, so this was the perfect opportunity to stitch it up.

The kit had really pretty fabrics by V and Co. Color Me Happy.  They have some smaller prints that work well for this mini.

This pattern has a lot of intricate pieces and I think it almost takes as long as piecing a larger quilt.  I tried very hard to get all of the pieces to align and match carefully.  There are a few artistic licenses but overall, I was pretty pleased with my effort.

I decided to quilt a feathered medallion motif inside each of the blocks.  I had a feathered wreath stencil shape that was just the right size and I marked it with washout markers.

Natalia Bonner book

I was looking for designs and saw the feathered medallion in Natalia Bonner’s latest book, Next Steps in Machine Quilting.  So all I had to add was a crosshatch section in the center of the wreath to add some pizzazz.

I added a little flower in each of the cornerstones and free motion quilted rolling parallel lines in the rest of the sashing.

Here is a closer look at the crosshatching.  The wreath template was for traditional quilting, but I just used it as a guideline for continuous line free motion quilting.  The small size made the free motion quilting so much easier.  All that quilting really added some interesting texture.

I didn’t win the challenge for the month, but I certainly stitched up a treasure.  I need to get all of these mini’s up on the wall in my studio so I can admire them!

 

 

Quilting Roundup

Posted in Charity, Finished Projects, Modern Quilt Guild, Work in Progress by

quilt roundup collage lori miller designs

Dear friends, I have been neglecting you.  This year my only son, Colin, graduates from high school.  We went on a much needed vacation to warmer climes in February and then all the busyness caught up to me.  Let’s catch up with a quilting roundup from January – yes January.  That just means I will have a few more roundups to share to get us caught up to April.  January, it was cold outside so a good time to stitch away.  I worked on some old UFO’s, some newer things and some I even got finished.  I thought you might like a peek into the studio to see what I have been working on .

lori miller designs birch tree red bird

I saw this pattern for birch trees and red birds and I thought it would be perfect for a January wall hanging in my dining room.  The birch trees are pieced in black and white prints and then I quilted them with wavy natural lines.

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The little cardinals are just machine appliqued onto a few of the trees.

Here it is finished.  Don’t the cardinals make it such a cheery winter scene?

go cutouts qov

I belong to the Stitching Sisters Quilts of Valor Group in Clawson, Michigan.  We have an Accuquilt GO cutter machine and it was my month to try it out.  I made this awesome eagle medallion and the scrappy log cabins using the cutting die.

log cabin qov

Here is the center medallion being pieced in the center of the scrappy log cabins.  I added white fabric to make the medallion really stand out.  I did not think I would ever do a log cabin but the fabric die cutting machine made it so easy and really easy to cut up those left over fabric scraps.

Here it is all finished. I used up a lot of scraps and Katy S longarm quilted it with feathers.  It is beautiful.

paper dolls lori miller designs

These are the blocks from my Sit and Stitch group.  We have a group of seven gals who get together each month.  We each have a box with our quilt project inside and we pass the boxes around to each other each month.  This month I had Tina’s box of paper doll blocks.  She wanted each row a different color and I chose green for my row of dolls.

charity bee

My Detroit Area Modern Quilt Guild does charity bee blocks each month.  Then someone volunteers to make a quilt from all of the ones that each member made for the month.  Rebekah, our president, sends out a block design and a color pallette and we stitch away.  They always turn out great.

charity bee block

Here is the latest block that we did for January.

charity blocks at guild meeting

And here are the blocks on the table at my Detroit Area Modern Quilt Guild Meeting.

I also worked on some messenger bags and totes, but I will save that for another post.  Happy Stitching!

My NY Beauty Mini for the EQ25 and MMF Challenge

Posted in Finished Projects by

If you had not heard, The Electric Quilt Company is celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year.  They are having contests and giveaways all year long.  For January, they issued a challenge to create a mini quilt with Michael Miller Fabrics.  I happened to have a Charm pack of 5″ squares of Michael Miller Modern Basics.  I grabbed some white polkadot fabric at my local quilt shop and started planning.   I decided I wanted to try a New York Beauty block because I had never made one of those and this fun little quilt is the result.

I started this adventure by going to my Electric Quilt 7 software and searching for New York Beauty quilt block.  I found a fancier block which I edited to simplify it a bit. Then I sized the block down to a 4 1/2″ finished block so I could use my 5″ square charm pack.  My EQ7 software made it so easy to size it perfectly and I could print out template pieces and the paper piecing foundation pattern as well.

Here are 3 charms I started with.

I used the templates to cut out the pieces and as a guide to overcut the paper pieced components.

Here are all the pieces after I have finished the paperpieced center and getting ready to tackle those little curves.  I just pinned the middle and sewed out from the center a few stitches at a time.  I stopped to adjust about every 3 – 4 stitches.

Here is the little block all together before I trimmed.

I made a total of nine blocks.  They were really pretty fun and one you got going they went pretty fast.  I really like this pattern.

Last step, I used free motion quilting to add some contrast to the squares.  I just love the little zig zag in the center white curved piece.

My little cutie did not win any prizes, but I did learn alot about editing a quilt block in Electric Quilt 7 and how to sew curved seams.  I think that is the best happy circumstance from participating in a quilt challenge, you get to learn something new!

New Pattern – Pinwheel Pincushions

Posted in Finished Projects, Patterns for Sale, Sewing Accessories by

I am pleased to offer my own pattern for this adorable pinwheel pincushion.  It was featured in Quick to Stitch Precuts Magazine in 2015 and I have had a wonderful response for this useful and cute pincushion.  It is really very easy to stitch up in pairs using mini 2 1/2″ square charms.

I made these delightful versions using Color Theory charms by V & Co.  They coordinated beautifully so it was easy to make the pinwheel shapes.

I used vintage buttons and stacked buttons in the centers of the pincushions for some extra pizazz.

For these pincushions, I used tiny newsprint for the neutral background.  I think it makes them very modern and bright.

These pincushions measure 4 3/4″ x 4 3/4″ x 1″ finished.  I hope you enjoy the pattern.

You can purchase my Pinwheel Pincushions pattern as a PDF download by going to MY PATTERNS tab and following the link to My Etsy Shop

Thanks for letting me share!  Tag me on Instagram at lorimillerdesigns, I would love to see your version!

Hexie Pincushion Tutorial

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Sewing Accessories by

I love pincushions, all kinds and I have a bunch all around my sewing studio.  I first saw a version of these pincushions at Quiltcon 2015.  I was in Carolyn Friedlander’s class and behind me on a table sat a cute hexie pincushion.  I found out later it belonged to Nicole Daksiewicz from Modern Handcraft.  (She has some amazing hexagon quilt projects, check them out on her blog!) I discovered that she had a Hexie Pincushion tutorial and I wanted to make one for myself.  She used a die cutting machine to cut out all those cute 1/2 inch hexies.  I bought a bunch of wool felt and decided I would cut them out by hand.  Fast forward to December 2015 and my hubbie gifted me a Die cutting machine and that little 1/2 inch hexie die. I decided to make some of those pincushions inspired by Nicole but I added my own twist.  Here is how I made it.

I had several colors of wool felt and I ran them through the die cutting machine.  I used a muffin tin to organize all of the colors of hexies.

I cut a 6 inch strip of a linen blend.

I folded the fabric in half with the fold at the bottom.  Then I used a 60 degree triangle and positioned it so that the  top and sides measured 3 1/2 “.  This is an old Kay Wood ruler that I had.  I am thinking I really need to update some of my rulers, but this one still worked.

When you open up the fabric, you have a nice large hexie shape.  I fold it to mark the center and then iron out the fold lines.

Then, using some fabric glue stick, I arrange the hexies in a sort of circle shape.

Once the shapes are all arranged, I get a piece of scrap batting and start to quilt.

First you stitch through the center of each little hexie starting at the edge of the big hexie.  I like to use a large stitch and a walking foot to quilt this part.

Then you just keep quilting across the little hexies from point to point.

This shows the final quilting of the last corners of the little hexagons.

Here is a picture of one trimmed after the quilting.  Now you are ready to stitch on the bottom of the pincushion.

Trim the excess batting from the top of the pincushion.  Using the same method as the linen hexagon top, cut a coordinating bottom for the pincushion.

Stitch a 1/4″ seam all around the hexie leaving an opening for turning on one side.  Trim the corners and turn right side out.

Tuck in the open sides and press.

I stuffed my pincushion with a bunch of batting scraps I had.  You can stuff it with your favorite pincushion filling.  Then just whip stitch the opening closed.

These would make great gifts or be a good project for a sewing group to stitch up together.  Happy Sewing!

My new Fabric Die Cutter Storage bag

Posted in Finished Projects, Sewing Accessories by

I had a lovely christmas with my family.  One of my favorite gifts was a new Die Cutter machine.  It is a little machine to cut out accurate quilt blocks and appliques from fabric!  These machines have been popular with scrapbookers but now they have a lot of options for fabric.  You can really cut out intricate pieces fast with this little machine.  I needed something to carry the machine and dies in and searched all over for a case or tote.  I found an older design that did not seem to be in stock anywhere.  So what does a pattern designer do but design a cute storage bag?  Here is a little journey through my process.

I rough sketched a sort of retro bag design and drew up some pattern pieces.  Yes, when the inspiration strikes, things just seem to work out.  I had it in my head to do some kind of quilt as you go design.  I wanted some structure to my bag, so I used headliner to quilt on with a bottom fabric of natural canvas.  Some people use Soft and Stable brand but I had headliner on hand so that is what I used.  I also had two colors of headliner, so you will see that in the pictures.

I had a lot of black and white scraps left over from another quilt project and I used scraps of bright blue for some contrast. I even did some fancy quilting on a few of the accent blue boxes.  I started the quilting in three places so there would be lots of different fabrics.

Of course, my usual quilt helper, Cookie cat, showed up.  How he knows I am in my studio quilting is amazing and he always sits right on top of whatever I am trying to work on.  I just stop and give him some loving and then get back to work.  It is a nice break. Smile.

Here you can see how I just kept working my way around each of the three sections of quilting and I am getting ready to join two sections.

In this picture, you can see how I pull together the different places where I started the quilt as you go.  The middle strip on the left pulled those two sections of quilting together.  I just pieced it with two fabrics, but it is really one sewn piece.

Here is that section sewn into one side of the bag.  I left this side plain just attaching the handles.

This is one of the ends on the sides of the bag.  I made two of these.

I quilted some black canvas for the center sides in just a diamond shape.  I added a double zipper that I upcycled from an old backpack.  This design allows me to open up the bag wide enough to drop the Fabric die Cutter in easily.  It fits right down inside.  I have room on the inside to add the rest of my die cutters.  The bag is tall enough for the medium size dies as well so there is room to grow.

 

On this side, I added a pocket.  Can you see the little clear cutting pads tucked into the left side, they fit perfectly.  The pocket could hold a smaller die as well.  I sewed the seams on the outside and just bound them like I would have added binding to a quilt.

I fussy cut little black kitties all over this bag.  Look through the pictures to see if you can find them.

My other cat, Oreo, had to check out the bag too!  I am thinking of writing up the pattern.  Let me know if that is something that might interest you.  I think I might make some small totes to go inside to fit the individual dies so I can keep them all together.  I love how this turned out.

Happy Stitching!

 

 

 

Holiday Yo-Yo Ornament (free tutorial)

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas by

yo yo ornament by Lori Miller Designs

Create fun holiday yo-yo ornaments for a homemade gift for a teacher, music instructor or bus driver.  A nice sewing craft for older children to learn some basic sewing skills, even how to sew a button.  You can make it even faster with some hot glue at the finish.  Plan an afternoon to put these together for holiday gifts or your own homemade decorations.

Materials needed:

  • 1 giant yo-yo (6 inch circle)
  • 1 large yo-yo (4 1/2 inch circle)
  • 1 button
  • 12 inches of ribbon
  • Thread
  • Needed
  • (hot glue optional)

Directions:
P1050138 001

  1. First make your yo-yos.  Take the 6 inch circle of holiday fabric.P1050139 001
  2. Carefully fold over the raw edge (wrong sides together) about 1/4″ and baste all around.  You can use pretty large basting stitches – yo-yos are pretty forgiving.P1050140 001P1050142 001
  3. Once you have basted the whole circle, pull the thread to gather the yo-yo tight.P1050143 001
  4. Tie a sturdy knot and bury the end of the thread in one of the folds of the yo-yo.
  5. Make the 4 1/2″ smaller yo-yo in the same way.P1050146 001
  6. Assemble the ornament together.  Loop the ribbon to form a hanger and tack it in place with thread at the center of the giant yo-yo.P1050147 001
  7. Layer the large yo-yo on top of the giant yo-yo and tack or sew it to the center of the giant yo-yo.P1050148 002
  8. Finish the ornament by sewing a button to the center of the large yo-yo.

Tip:  You could have ready made yo-yo’s and just hot glue the ribbon, yo-yos and button together to make them up in a jiffy.  

CAUTION:  Hot glue is HOT!  Protect your fingers and have an adult help and supervise children.

 

 

Upcycled Christmas Card Bookmarks

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Paper Crafts by

upcycled bookmarks by lori Miller Designs

I received one of these upcycled Christmas card bookmarks as a little gift and it is just too clever not to share.  This bookmark is an ingeniously folded old christmas card.  I took it apart to figure out the pattern and I am gladly spilling its simple but intricate secrets.  Make a bunch for stocking stuffers, for an afternoon craft with the kids or to mail to friends far away for the holiday.

Materials Needed:

  • Fronts of old christmas cards (thin ones work the best)
  • Yarn or Thread Tassel (optional)

Directions:

cards

  1. Grab your assortment of pretty christmas cards. (Any cards will really do)P1090143
  2. Measure and cut the card down to 4 x 7 inches.P1090145-001
  3. Try to capture the bulk of the picture or design.
    P1090147-001
  4. Fold the card in half the long way, right sides together.
    P1090149-001
    P1090151-001
  5. Now, fold the card in half again.  I like to fold each side separately so it is a crisper fold before putting it together to fold in half.P1090156-001
  6. Measure 1/4 inch down the single fold side of the bookmark.  mark this so that you do not cut past it later.P1090157-001
  7. Now, on the double folded edge, measure up 1/2 inch from the bottom and mark at 1/2 inch intervals until you have 11 marks.P1090158
  8. On the other side on your 1/2 inch line, measure up from the bottom of the card 1 1/2 inches. Mark at 1/2 inch intervals until you have 11 marks.bookmark
  9. These marks should be offset at an angle.  It will look something like this above.P1090163
  10. You will now cut the angles every half inch being careful to stop 1/4 inch from the edge.  Make sure you are cutting from the double folded edge.  You will make 11 cuts.P1090166
  11. Now open the card back up carefully.P1090167
  12. Fold it in half again with the right sides facing out.  Make sure that the angle cuts from a V shape as you look at them.P1090172
    P1090177
  13. Begin folding up every other V shape starting from the bottom.  As you fold them up, tuck them under the next  V shape.  Move up the bookmark folding and tucking.  Tuck the last V shape under the top V.  They should hold in place.P1090178
  14. You can leave the bookmark as is or punch a hole in the top and string a yarn tassel through it.P1090140-001

A beautiful bookmark from a card you might have thrown away!

Hint:  If you have a smaller card, just make fewer cuts.  You will just need an ODD number of cuts for the folds to work.

 

Grandma Town BOM #11 – Apron Quilt Block

Posted in BOM, Finished Projects, Home Accessories, Patterns for Sale by

Can you believe it?  This is the last block for the Grandma Town Row by Row.  It is the green gingham apron my Grandmother wore.  She always cooked wearing an apron and I have a lovely green calico apron that I made her for a gift that was given back to me as a keepsake.  It is a cherished item.  This large apron block finishes at 12″ x 12″.  You will only need one apron block for this quilt and it is centered between the pies and canning jars.

grandma town Apron

 

Grandma Mabel’s favorite color was green.  I always thought that was strange as most girls said they loved pink.  I actually am more in tune with Grandma now and love the freshness of a bright apple green color.   I can still see Grandma rolling out some pies or working on Sunday dinner wearing her faithful aprons to keep her dress clean.  I have a collection of vintage aprons and they make me think of my special Grandma.

Are you sewing along?  If you are, post it on Instagram and tag me @lorimillerdesigns and #GrandmaTownBOM so I can see what lovely things you are stitching up.  A comprehensive pattern and directions for the Apron block along with the whole BOM is currently in development.

Enjoy!
grandma Town Quilt A

Grandma Town Block of the Month

If you are new to the Grandma Town BOM, this row by row quilt was a labor of love to celebrate my Iowa roots.  I spent my childhood visiting my Grandparents on their farm just west of Des Moines in Earlham, Iowa.  It is especially a tribute to my dear Grandma.

When my sisters, brother and I were little and my parents would drive us to my grandparents farm, my brother would yell, “We are going to Grandma Town!”.  It was a loving tribute that stuck.  This little quilt is full of those reminders of the farm and of Grandma, who loved to garden and loved to cook.  Each block is a sweet memory of my youth growing up on that country farm.

I hope you will find some shared love for your family, a cherished farm  or your own grandma in my quilt.  You can make all of these sweet blocks or pick and choose the blocks you like the most to make something special for yourself or a dear loved one.

 

Released Blocks – 2015

FEB  Block 1 – Forget Me Not Flower

MAR  Block 2 – Sewing Machine

APR Block 3 – Nine Patch and Color Block Rows

MAY Block 4 – Ear of Corn

JUN Block 5 – Sweet Hearts

JUL  Block 6 – Canning Jar

AUG Block 7 – Barnyard Double Block

SEP Block 8 – Pie Quilt Block

OCT Block 9 – Home Sweet Home Double Block

NOV Block 10 – Chicken and Egg Block

Easy Holiday Fleece Pillows (free tutorial)

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Uncategorized by

Here are a couple of ideas for some last minute holiday gifts to stitch.  You probably have a stash of fleece somewhere in your sewing room from a sale at JoAnns Fabrics 3 years ago, if not, find yourself a couple of remnants and get sewing.  These are some clever and creative pillows for big and little kids to enjoy. They stitch up in a snap so they are quick and easy for a beginner to make.

Fleece Dog Bone Neck Pillow (For the BIG Kids)

I really wish I had thought up this pattern. My girlfriend Wanda said it was the best little neck pillow ever, great for napping on an airplane, in the car or just drifting off in the lazy chair. I found this pattern at sew4home.com.  It is a free pdf pattern.

You just cut out the pattern and tape it together. Then cut out three of these shapes.

You are going to stitch around 1/2 of two shapes.

Then add the third piece and sew all around leaving only a small opening for turning.

Turn it right side out and stuff it with some polyester stuffing. Then just whip stitch the opening closed.  All done!
Sew4home has the full pattern with instructions. You can whip one up in about 30 minutes. It will use up about 1/2 a yard of 45″ wide  fleece.

Fleece Friendly  Holiday Tree Pillow (For the LITTLE Kids)

This pattern is from me.  I thought it would be a cute accent for the chair or a great little gift for the little ones to get as an early gift before the holiday.

Here is my Free Tree Pattern for the cute little tree pillow.

Finished Size: 10″ x 12″

Materials Needed:

  • 1/3 yard of green fleece
  • Assorted scraps of fleece for the ornaments, eyes, note and mouth.
  • Polyester stuffing
  • Embroidery floss for the mouth
  • Coordinating threads

Directions:

Note: Use a 1/4 ” seam allowance.

  1. Print out the pattern and use it to cut out two pieces of  green fleece placing the center of the tree on the fold.
  2. Embellish the front of the tree.  I cut out little circles for eyes, mouth and ornaments.
  3. Then I pinned them where I wanted them and then used a narrow zig zag stitch in matching thread to sew them all on. It goes pretty fast once you get started, the longest part is changing the thread color. I just used little circles for ornaments, but you can get fancy, add shapes, add rick rack, decorate your tree how you like it!
  4. Embroider the mouth with a large stem or running stitch.
  5. With wrong sides together, stitch ¼ inch from the edge of the fleece leaving an opening at the bottom for stuffing.
  6. Clip the points and turn right side out.
  7. Stuff the tree with polyester stuffing and whip stitch the opening at the bottom closed.

Now you have a cute, washable, and huggable holiday tree!  Enjoy!

Heirloom Thanksgiving Bread Cloth (free tutorial)

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas by

It is not Thanksgiving at my house without some fresh homemade rolls.   If my son does not eat them all, they are pretty tasty for little turkey-cranberry sandwiches. I have a very pretty bread cloth that my mother in law gave me many years ago.  It makes me think of her when I use it and we lost her last year.  Everyone needs a little bread cloth to make Thanksgiving special and perhaps it will become an family tradition.  Here is how to make an heirloom Thanksgiving bread cloth for your hot, buttered rolls (homemade or not!). Use the fancy stitches on your sewing machine to sew the heirloom inspired hem. Then embroider one of my designs in fall colors for to match your Thanksgiving decor.  This would be a great gift too!

Materials needed:

  • 18″ x 18″ square of heavy cotton fabric (1/2 yd of linen or a heavy white kona works well)
  • Size 100/16 Wing needle (for those fancy heirloom stitches on your sewing machine)
  • White thread
  • Embroidery floss in Fall Colors
  • Free breadcloth pattern below

Directions:

  1. First make the bread cloth.
  2. Cut out the Thanksgiving bread cloth using my FREE Pattern. It also has my free embroidery designs too!
  3. Iron and starch the cloth really well.  You may want to put down something on your ironing board for the overspray as it gets pretty crunchy with a lot of layers.bread cloth
  4.  Fold over 1/2″ all the way around the cloth and iron.bread cloth
  5. You will need to snip the inner corners to get the fabric to fold.bread cloth
  6. For the pointy corners, fold in the corner.bread cloth
  7. Then fold each side to form a miter.bread cloth lori miller designs
  8. After you have ironed,I like to hand sew the inner corners so that there are no raw edges. The rest of the sides get caught by the fancy heirloom stitching. Just fold each edge under and take some tiny whip stitches to hold them down. At the point in the corner, I just make about 3 or 4 satin stitches and it looks just fine.

Stitch the fancy hem

  1. Put your wing needle in your sewing machine.  I just used regular white all purpose thread.P1090318
  2. Choose an heirloom fancy stitch. Here are couple to try.  The ones I used were 701 and 711 on my Bernina 630. Just find a stitch on your machine that looks like one of these.P1090322
  3. Stitch about 1/2″ away from the edge so that the fancy stitch catches the raw edge of the hem underneath. Hint: If the fabric is puckering, add a little stitch and tear stabilizer underneath it.
  4. Stitch all the way around. This will take some time so be patient, but you will be so happy because it looks awesome. Now your bread cloth is ready for embroidery.
  5. I have included two FREE embroidery designs to try on the pattern, a little pumpkin and a fall tree.

     

  6. Here is the pumpkin.P1090326
  7. Using three strands of embroidery floss, embroider the pumkin and leaves with a stem stitch.stem-stitch-clean-and-sized-600x276
  8. Here is a diagram of a stem stitch.
  9. For the little tree, I made the trunk with a chain stitch (just a bunch of lazy daisies strung together) and the leaves are just lazy daisy stitch.lazy-daisy-stitch-clean-and-sized-600x276
  10. Now your bread cloth is all ready to place in your basket and fill with rolls or bread for Thanksgiving.  These would also be great with a holly design for christmas gifts.  Happy Stitching and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Modern Swallow Trail Tiny Quilt goes to Road to California 2016

Posted in Finished Projects, Home Accessories, Published by

My mini quilt, Modern Swallow Trail, has been selected to be part of a special exhibit of 40 mini quilts at the Road to California  Quilt Conference in January 2016.  With lots of bright colors and straight line quilting, this cute little quilt was so much fun to make.  I did make the mistake of trying to piece this quilt.  I should have paper-pieced it for some sharper edges, but I had a really good reason why I didn’t. Really.  Read on to find out how I tackled this project.

american-made-brand-cotton-solids

American Made Brand Cotton Solid Fabric is sourced and and manufactured entirely in the United States.  American Made Brand  issued a challenge.

AMB Tiny quilt challenge

It was called the tiny quilt challenge and you needed to make an original mini quilt from their American Made Cotton Solids in any style you wished.  I saw the notice but I did not pay much attention.  Then they sent a reminder.  I thought about it, but I did not have any material, or so I thought.  Then another reminder came and now it was the end of August.   I had an idea in my head but I did not have time to make this thing.  Well creativity is a weird thing, I could not stop thinking about it.  Then I ran across something, a rainbow mini charm pack of AMB solids from Quiltcon 2015.  That sealed it and I was off and designing.

I needed background fabric.  I called every quilt shop within a 40 mile radius of metro Detroit.  A small quilt shop 30 miles away said they had some fabric so off I went.  They had 3 bolts and one happened to be a kind of khaki grey color  called Taupe which I thought was a perfect neutral for the bright mini charms.  I saw a large round swallow tail pattern but this had to be mini.  I drafted my swirling trail pattern on some graph paper and cut out templates.  I only had a couple mini charms of each fabric and I needed to cut out two diamonds from each plus a binding.  There was simply no extra fabric for paper piecing, so I cut and pieced the bright colors.

I took the colors in the mini charm pack and picked the ones I liked and then tried to arrange them in a rainbow pattern.  I varied the flow a little from the top to bottom and the colors really blended well together.  I had just enough fabric to add my signature colored border snippets.  I just straight line quilted it how my heart desired.  I love the texture of the matchstick quilting.

Although my quilt was not one of the main winners in the challenge, I was thrilled that AMB asked if I would provide my mini quilt for the Road to California exhibit in January 2016.  Road to California is the premiere Quilters’ Conference & Showcase west of the Rocky Mountains!