Lori Miller Designs

OCT Block 9 – Home Sweet Home Double Block

AUG Block 7 – Barnyard Double Block

SEP Block 8 – Pie Quilt Block

20Oct2015

Crochet Halloween Skull Pins (free tutorial)

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas by lorimillerdesigns

Halloween is just around the corner. Get a head start and join in the fun with these crocheted scary, silly, skull pins. You can whip one up in just a few minutes. This is a great beginner crochet project as there are only a few stitches to learn. They are also a great stash buster since you only need a few scraps of yarn and some buttons to make one.

Materials Required:

Bits of Yarn (White, black, red, or any creepy color you want)
Buttons for eyes (Black, red, white, green)
Size H Crochet hook
Yarn needle
Thread needle
Pin Back (Optional)

Directions:

DC = Double Crochet

First create a magic circle to start your work. This is an alternative way to start your crocheted circle that achieves a very tight crochet (no hole). Instead of chaining and doing multiple crochets in the second chain from the hook, you create a kind of slip knot.

The magic circle is a deceptively simple way to start your crocheted circle that achieves a very tight crochet (to keep all that stuffing in). Instead of chaining and doing multiple crochets in the second chain from the hook, you create a kind of slip knot. The best way to explain this is to see it, so check out these two excellent examples from YouTube:

Round1 (R1): Chain 2, 11 DC in the magic circle.

Pull or work the yarn tail from the magic circle to tighten the loop of stitches so there is no center hole.

Slip Stitch in top of next DC to complete the circle.

R2: 2 DC in every stitch (24 stitches total), slip stitch to top of next DC to close circle.

R3: Chain 3, DC in next 4 stitches, chain 3 and slip stitch to next stitch to form the chin.
Then fasten off and weave the ends in the back. Viola! The main skull is done.

Now all you have to do is embellish them with some eyes and mouth.

Here are a few ideas:

You can use double buttons, an X, or even felt for the eyes. I just used big stitches for the teeth and mouth. Once you make a few, you can get creative. Make the skull more zombie like with weird leftover colors of yarn and mix up the sizes of the eyes. I even found neon yarn that stitched up very cute. You could add a ribbon bow and make it fancy.

Add a pin back , or just safety pin it. This would be cute to add to a headband or hair clip for Halloween style. Enjoy!

6Oct2015

Stitch up some Tailgate Napkins (free tutorial)

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Home Accessories by lorimillerdesigns

Are you ready for some tailgating? It is football season, and the crisp air and smell of the brats on the grill are here. A little party with friends and good food is in order before the game, so make it easy and fill these cute DIY napkin pockets with silverware, and set them out for your guests. The napkins are super easy to stitch up. Then you just fold ‘em, stuff ‘em and arrange ‘em in a pretty basket or container. Clean up is a snap — just toss them in the washing machine and they are ready to go for the next game. Below are directions on how to make the hem and how to fold the napkins to hold that silverware.

Materials required:

2 yds of a football themed cotton or a mix of your teams colors
Coordinating thread

Finished size: 16″ x 16″, 8″ x 8″ folded. Makes 8 napkins.

Directions:

Cut 8 – 17 1/2″ x 17 1/2″ squares.
Stitch a 1/4 inch double fold hem all around the fabric to form napkins. Here is how to make a double fold hem.
Fold the material over 1/4″ with wrong sides together. Fold it over 1/4″ again to encase the raw edge inside of the hem; pin in place.
Sew the hem about 1/8 inch from the folded edge of the fabric. Backstitch one or two stitches at each end to secure the threads. Pull out pins as you go, so you don’t sew over them.
Trim your threads.
Iron the hem flat to finish.

Here is another way that you can sew the corners on your napkins:

Fold the corner up 1/4 inch twice.

Then when you fold the sides, it will form a tiny miter that you can sew through.

Here is the finish of the corner.

I stitched the top side with red thread for a nice accent.

Here are directions on how to fold your napkins for the tailgate party.

Iron the napkin flat, wrong side up.

Fold the napkin in half, with the fold on the bottom.

Bringing the left edge to the right edge, fold the napkin in half again with a fold on the left.

The top right of the napkin will have all the corners.

Taking the top right layer, fold down in half and iron a crease.

Open back up and fold the corner to the crease.

Take the folded top edge and fold down to the crease again.

Fold the whole thing down again.

Now, take the next top right layer and fold down the corner about an inch or so.

Fold again two more times until it meets the first folded corner. Iron it all flat.

Flip over and fold over each side in thirds to form the pocket on the front side. Iron the napkin flat.

Flip it back over and you can see the little pocket on the bottom half your napkin.

Just tuck your silverware into the bottom pocket. Make sure you get them in the right place or the silverware will slip out. Pretty nifty, huh? You can stack them in a basket or bucket for the tailgating party so everyone can grab them as they go!

Happy Tailgating!

3Oct2015

Grandma Town BOM #9 – Home Sweet Home Double Quilt Block

Posted in BOM, Home Accessories, Patterns for Sale by lorimillerdesigns

This month’s Block of the Month is Grandma’s house and a couple of the large black walnut trees that lined the driveway. It was a modest little house but it certainly felt like home from the moment you entered it. This is a double block that finished at 15″ x 10″ and it is part of the center of the quilt in the same row as the Barnyard. There are only two more blocks after this one, we are on the home stretch!

Grandma’s house always smelled of delicious food. She was always cooking and baking. She loved to cook and would design her own recipes, especially cookie recipes. A local radio program would sponsor a contest and Grandma’s homemade cookies won every time. Do you remember Kitchen Klatter out of Shenandoah, Iowa? We would listen to the program together and try to write down all of the recipes.

The trees depicted in the picture are black walnut trees. My Grandpa would gather them up and pick nut meats all winter. Black walnuts have a unique flavor and they tasted wonderful in a cake or eaten straight out of the bag!
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 Home Sweet Home double block along with the whole BOM is currently in development.

Enjoy!

Grandma Town Block of the Month

Released Blocks – 2015

AUG Block 7 – Barnyard Double Block

SEP Block 8 – Pie Quilt Block

25Sep2015

Mod Apple Hotpad (free tutorial)

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Home Accessories by lorimillerdesigns

I am happy to share my Mod Apple Hotpad post that I presented as a guest blogger for the American Quilting Society’s (AQS) OnPoint Newsletter. I have been an AQS Member for many years. They sponsor wonderful quiltshows and classes. If you have not checked them out, start with their free newsletter which features free patterns, tips and other quilty information. You can sign up HERE. And check out their Blog too! Now, on to my post!

I spent a week at my cottage in northern Michigan and I was able to visit the local farmers market. I was thrilled to find my favorite early apple, Ginger Gold. They are a cross between an early apple and a yellow delicious: tender skin and tangy flavor. They were the only thing I could eat when I was pregnant many years ago with my son and I still love them. They are the inspiration for this fancy little apple hot pad. This one is a Pink Lady apple, but you could easily make a tasty Red Jonathan, yummy Yellow Delicious or Green Granny Smith. Make your favorite apple to celebrate the arrival of fall.

Materials:

1 – 3 ¼” x 40” strip for apple center
1 – 1 ½” x 40” strip for outer apple skin
1 – 1 ¼” x 40” strip for inner apple skin
1 – 3” x 6” rectangle for leaf
1 – 12” x 12” square for back of apple hotpad
1 – 12” x 12” square of Insul-Bright insulated batting (Note: This batting by The Warm Company reflects energy, hot or cold, back to itself. You can find it with the utility fabrics.)
60 degree ruler or my triangle template

Directions:

Cut:

Print out my FREE Mod Apple Hotpad Templates.
Using the hexagon template, cut out the back of the hotpad.
Using the same hexagon template, but out the insul-bright batting.

Sew:

Stitch the strips together, one at a time, ironing seams open. Make sure the narrow strip for the inner apple skin is in the center.
Using a 60 degree ruler, cut six equilateral triangles. If you have a 60 degree ruler, this goes pretty fast. I had an old Starmaker ® 6 ruler from a Kaye Wood class that I had attended. Several companies make them, but if you don’t have one, just use my template, a regular rotary cutter and straight rotary cutting ruler.
Position the ruler to start cutting with the outside apple skin on the bottom.
Cut out a triangle.
Flip the ruler and cut another triangle from the top, Lay these aside and save them for another project or make them into another hotpad.
Cut six triangles total. There should be enough fabric to cut six apple triangles and six other triangles. Stitch your triangles together. Be sure to line up the seams on each side so they match.
Piece them in groups of three and press seams open.
Stitch the two halves of the apple together, aligning the seams and iron flat
Fold the leaf fabric right sides together and mark the leaf.
Layer a small piece of batting underneath and stitch around the leaf leaving a place to turn. Snip curves and turn right side out. Whip stitch the opening closed.
Quilt the leaf.
Make a quilt sandwich. Lay the backing right side up, the pieced apple right side down and the Insul-bright batting on the top. Pin and stitch all around, leaving an opening to turn. Turn the apple right side out and whipstitch the opening closed.
Quilt the apple. I just used straight line quilting with my walking foot.
Here is a close up of my quilting from the back. I made the center of the apple with a couple of seeds.
Tack on the leaf. I just stitched a small triangle at the base.

That is it, a bright, cheery apple to decorate your table and a practical hot pad to boot. What is your favorite apple?

23Sep2015

New Pattern: Cedar Lake Tote Bag

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Patterns for Sale by lorimillerdesigns

Introducing my latest pattern, the Cedar Lake Tote Bag. Designed in two sizes, this cute and versatile tote bag will carry all of your goodies in style. It is the perfect design to highlight a favorite fabric for the main body of the bag, you can simply add coordinating fabrics to the paper pieced economy block topper to create a sophisticated look. This lined tote has one or two inside pockets and sturdy handles attached with D rings for the perfect accent. Cedar Lake has a special meaning because that is where we go to spend our summers in Michigan – up north!

Yes, the economy block is paper pieced, but with my directions and cutting hints, you can easily master this block. I give you generous pattern pieces to make the piecing so much easier. You can use scraps or have a coordinated look, but the result is simply stunning.

The design adds a little whimsy with one of the paper pieced blocks by reversing the dominant light and dark prints.

The inside of the large tote features two pockets that you can subdivide to hold pens, pencils or even a cell phone.

The small version of the bag is just as versatile in a more petite shape with only 3 paper-pieced blocks on each side. I had this great black cat graphic print and loads of black and white scraps for the economy block topper. I even fussy cat a little kitty for the center block on one side. Go bold with a lot of color or keep it in a two color simple look like this one.

The small Cedar Lake Tote features just one inside pocket. It is sized to hold regular size 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper or a notebook easily. Just toss in a few things and go.

You can purchase my quilted Cedar Lake Tote Bag 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!

15Sep2015

DIY Seed Packets – free tutorial

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Paper Crafts by lorimillerdesigns

Even though I am a quilter, I am also a lifelong gardener. Both fill me with joy and help me to relax. Now that it is September, the garden is winding down. I find myself looking for seeds to save for next year, especially flower seeds. I am gathering zinnia, marigold, four o’clocks and morning glory seeds right now.

It is time to organize all of the seed packets I have strewn all over the sunroom and find a way to save the seeds. Here is how I store my seeds and a free tutorial on how make your own seed packets for seeds you might be saving.

Storing your seeds

I use an airtight container like a glass jar or plastic container with a lid to store my seeds.

To keep out moisture, I add a few of those little packets of silica jel saved from pill containers to keep them dry. Then I put my seeds inside a paper or cloth grocery bag to eliminate any light and I leave them in my sunroom over the winter. It is not heated, so the seeds get freezing cold. This simulates being in the cold ground, so when spring comes, the seeds know it is time to be planted.

Can you keep seeds for more than one year?

I say YES, you don’t have to have new seeds each year if you have some left over. They are too expensive to just throw away! Many seeds keep for at least two years and often many more years if you store them in a dry, cool place. I tend to use my seeds for several years as long as they will still germinate. Some seeds are notorious for not keeping over the season for me, like lettuce and spinach, but almost everything else works.

Organizing your seeds

I like to organize mine by alphabetical order, but I am thinking I should switch it up and do it by the timing of when to plant them instead. I also like to separate vegetables, flowers and herbs into their own groups.

Saving Seeds

I like to save a few seeds for the next year, some things go to seed and it is easy to gather them. Some of my favorites that are easy to save are zinnia, morning glory, forget me not, and marigold seeds. I will also save seeds from melons, cucumbers and anything that gets too big before I pick it! Just remember that if you planted a hybrid seed, the seeds will not grow true. I like to pick heirloom seeds that you can easily save and get the same plant. I have some funky heirloom cherry tomato seeds right now that I can hardly wait to plant next year.

Make your own seed envelopes

I let the seeds dry and then I make these cute envelopes and labels to store and keep them. I have found the heavy weight scrapbook paper is perfect for this, but you could recycle junk mail or catalogs too. Here is the FREE DIY Seed Envelope Pattern in two sizes and a FREE DIY Seed Labels Template (The labels are in an MS Word file template using Return address labels sized 1″ x 2 5/8″).

Materials:

12″ x 12″ Scrapbook Papers
Heavy Cardstock for template
Glue Stick
Pencil
Scissors
Return address labels sized 1″ x 2 5/8″ for printer

Directions:

Print out the template and cut it out of heavy cardstock or cardboard to use to trace around.
Position it on your scrap book paper and use a pencil on the wrong side to trace around it.
You can fit 2 large and 2 small envelopes on a standard 12 x 12 scrapbook paper.
Cut out your envelopes.
First fold the large side flap.
Use a glue stick to glue the outside edge of the flap.
Fold the small flap over and crease in place.
Glue the bottom flap and fold it up into place.
Let the envelope and glue dry for a bit.
They are so easy, make a bunch of envelopes.
Print out your labels and attach one to each envelope.
Mark the label with the type of seed and date and then fill them up with your saved seeds. Fold the top flap down and secure with a sticky dot or a little glue and organize them in your container.

Gift idea! Make these for Mother’s day or for a garden party for favors. These would make nice gifts to slip inside a birthday card too.

What seeds do you like to save?

13Sep2015

New Pattern – Poinsettia Pop Throw Quilt

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Patterns for Sale by lorimillerdesigns

I am excited about my new holiday pattern now available in my shop. It is called Poinsettia Pop and it is a generous lap size to snuggle under when the weather turns cold. The bright and cheery poinsettia blocks dance across the quilt bringing cheer to whoever receives it.

This quilt is made using large 15 inch finished blocks that stitch up quickly. You only need to piece seven Poinsettia blocks so you can whip it up in time for last minute gifts. I even included some speedy techniques to save you some time. The bright hot pink fabrics, text print background, and alternate grid pattern give this block a very modern look.

The Poinsettia is actually a variation of the traditional Providence block. I am not sure if it is named after the city in Rhode Island or has a deeper meaning of the manifestation of divine care, but it is a lovely thought for a holiday gift.

The layout creates some additional designs and star patterns. You could use my design as a base and let your imagination run wild.

You can find my Poinsettia Pop Throw Quilt pattern for sale by following the link for My Patterns.

Thanks for checking it out! Tag me on Instagram, I would love to see your version!

3Sep2015

Grandma Town BOM #8 – Pie Quilt Block

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

Pie is a glorious thing. I choose it over cake or even chocolate. My Grandma was a master pie maker and she taught me the secret art of a light and flaky crust. This month’s Grandma Town Block of the Month is a PIE, of course. My favorite pie is Gooseberry. It is the green, tart cousin of the red currant. It is simply heaven.
Grandma always made two pies at a time and I have the recipe memorized. She taught me how to spin that rolling pin on a giant wooden board that pulled out of an old spice cabinet hutch. Her pies were the highlight of any meal, made with real lard and served with vanilla ice cream. I think of her every time I pick gooseberries and make a tasty, sour lip smacking pie. You can make any kind of pie you like, I made blueberry and cherry. 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 Pie block along with the whole BOM is currently in development.

Enjoy!

Grandma Town Block of the Month

Released Blocks – 2015

AUG Block 7 – Barnyard Double Block

2Sep2015

State Fair Winning Ribbon (free tutorial)

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas by lorimillerdesigns

With all of the delicious fruit available, all I can think of is making pies and jam. It reminds me of the Iowa State Fair of my youth. Everyone went to the state fair and my family always had a few entries. My Dad was a beekeeper and he always entered some honey or an observation hive of bees. He won many ribbons and this cute and quick ribbon gives me fond memories of those days. This ribbon would also be good to make for quilt shows, your own contests or to decorate for a party, wedding or shower. How about red, white and blue? They feature raw edges and just a little bit of sewing so you can make several very quickly.

Materials:

Scraps of coordinating cotton fabrics or use one color (1/4 yd is generous)
A 5 x 5 piece of wool felt
large button
coordinating thread

Directions:

Print out my FREE State Fair Winning Ribbon Pattern.

Cut

1 – Small circle pattern A from the wool felt for the base of the ribbon
2 – Side ribbons from pattern B (Be sure to flip the pattern so you have one going each way.)
1 – Middle ribbon from Pattern C
4 – Large circles with Pattern D
4 – Small circles with Pattern E

Assemble and Sew

Take one of the side ribbons B and take a small pleat or tuck to gather the top.
Using a pin, pin the tuck to one side of the middle ribbon C at a slight angle.
Take the other side ribbon B and make a tuck and pin to the other side of the middle ribbon C.
Make two tucks in the center of the middle ribbon. Start with one side and pin it and then tuck the other side.
Place your streamer ribbons over the bottom of the felt circle base. Stitch across all of the ribbon streamers and tucks, backstitching each side to hold it in place.
Fold the centers of the ribbon. Take a large circle D.
Fold it in half, wrong sides together. Next, you will need to make two pleats in the fabric but leave a point making it into a quarter pie shape. I will talk you through it.
Pleat and tuck one side.
Fold the tuck to the back like the picture above and pin.
Make another pleat and pin it too. Pleat and fold each circle into a quarter triangle shape. You don’t have to be too accurate but you will need the center point.
Places the circles together on the felt base.
Continue until you have all four pleated circles in place.
Starting about 1/2 inch from the center on one side of a triangle point, stitch across the end point of each folded circle.
You will stitch in a square, pivoting to stitch over each edge of the folded circles.
Fold the small circles for the center of the ribbon using the small circle E.
Fold the small circle in half, wrong sides together.
Make one pleat to create a triangle that is about 1/4 size of the full circle and pin it.
Begin laying the small pleated circles so that they cover the stitched seam from the large folded circles underneath.
Slightly overlap the points on this layer of folded circles.
Stitch a tiny triangle shape through the center of these points, catching all of them and stitching through the felt backing.
Using a button large enough to hide your stitching, sew it in place in the center of your ribbon. That completes the ribbon.

Make it scrappy style to create a multi-colored state fair style ribbon.

Make it modern in pink and grey. I think the freshly picked zinnias from my garden make it special.

I hope you use your ribbons to celebrate in style!

19Aug2015

Published – Fancy Cat Pillow

Posted in Finished Projects, Gift Ideas, Home Accessories, Published by lorimillerdesigns

I have the good fortune to again be published in the Quilting Arts Holiday issue. This time I am sharing my design for a little modern fancy cat pillow. Whether you want to make a nice pouf for your kitty or a fun pillow for a kitty lover, this pattern fits the bill. This fancy cat features cute coral bow ties, this coral color is so fun and I found some fabric with metallic accents. This would be also look pretty stitched up with red bow ties for the holidays too.

This issue is always filled with lot of inspiration and ideas for handmade gifts for the holiday season. I think the striped trees on the cover by Jennifer Heynen are just adorable.

Pillows are a great way to try out your quilting skills too. I used straight stitch walking foot quilting as seen here as well as free motion quilting. This pillow is an envelope style, so you can just cover a pillow form you already have if you want.

Even Cookie Cat approves of this fancy cat pillow. He is always helpful like that when I am trying to take pictures. 🙂

Check out this issue, it should be available now in US stores. Happy Stitching!

6Aug2015

Sunburst Strip Piecing

Posted in Finished Projects, Home Accessories by lorimillerdesigns

In July, the Detroit Area Modern Quilt Guild hosted Lynn Harris from The Little Red Hen for a class on strip piecing using techniques from her new book. She also gave a wonderful trunk show of all of her scrappy quilts which were just beautiful. I grabbed my box of orange scraps and a nice heathery grey fabric to work with.

Lynn’s book is called Every Last Piece and she showcases 12 wonderful quilts that will use up your scrap stash.

Here are the strip pieces that we made in class using Lynn’s technique. Make sure you have a lot of starch on hand! Mine are the obvious orange ones.

Here is our wonderful group of quilters. Lynn is second from the left in the back and I am second from the right in the back. The rest are all of my DAM girls.

I grabbed all of my orange strip pieced squares and decided to make half square triangles withe the heathery grey fabric.

I decided to make a runner for the Library Table I inherited from my Mother-in-Law. It needs some love and care on the finish, so until I can make that happen, a pretty little runner should cover those up nicely. I started to put them together in rows.

Using my trusty Bernina 630, I put on my BSR foot and started free motion quilting lines through the orange strips keeping them parallel to the seams and kind of even. You don’t have to be perfect with this stitch and it still looks good.

Here you can see all of the lines quilted in the orange strips, the texture is just amazing. Then I wanted to put something in the triangle. I wanted a design that was a bit more modern than feathers but was not having much luck finding what I wanted. Then I found inspiration from Lori Kennedy of The Inbox Jaunt. She had some sun and stars patterns that I adapted to the triangle. She has tons of wonderful quilt designs and tutorials on her blog and I really love her name :).

Here is the sun pattern up close. It is perfect to go with the orange rays in the strip piecing. I also liked that it was a continuous design, I just quilted from triangle to triangle in a row without stopping. Everyone is just a bit different, I did not even mark or plan too much, just quilted. I really like it.

Here is my finished runner, all quilted, washed and crinkly with texture. I think it makes my library table look fabulous too. I used a bunch of orange scraps but why does the box seem just as full when I was done as when I started?? HA HA Happy scrap quilting!

1Aug2015

Grandma Town BOM #7 – Barnyard double block

Posted in BOM, Patterns for Sale by lorimillerdesigns

The Summer is flying by and it is time for another Grandma Town Block of the Month. This month is a bonus double block called barnyard featuring a barn and grain silo. Even though this quilt is called Grandma Town, I would be remiss if I did not include some memories of my Grandpa. He was a short, tough guy who wore OshKosh Overalls and used a red bandanna as a hankerchief. I would get to help with the chores and followed Grandpa around as we fed the animals and took care of the farm.

We would get ground corn from the grainery and Grandpa would hand me a galvanized bucket to scoop out the feed and take it to the cows and pigs.

My brother and sisters and I often played in the barn. I would also help Grandpa milk the cows on a little wooden 3 legged stool. We even threw the hay bales down from the loft down to the wagon.

Both of these blocks combine to make a jumbo double block for the center of the quilt. You will only need one of these jumbo blocks.

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 Barnyard block along with the whole BOM is currently in development.

Enjoy!

Grandma Town Block of the Month

Released Blocks – 2015