Tutorial: Falling Maple

Hey y'all! How's it going? A few months back I showed the original incarnation of the Falling Maple quilt that I made for my friends' baby Vivian, and I got a few requests for a tutorial or pattern, so here it is! Falling Maple is an updated take on the traditional maple leaf block - I love taking traditional quilting blocks and making them into a one block quilt! It's a great way to show off larger prints or special fabrics.

This is the slightly scrappy version of Falling Maple, but it can also be done with only one print for the leaf (like Vivian's) or even scrappier. In the tutorial, I'll demonstrating how to make the scrappy version, but if you want to make a solid leaf version, simply replace the leaf fabrics with 3/4 yard of your preferred choice.

Materials:
1 yard solid for background
2 half yards for leaf (2 different prints)
fat eighth for stem
1 1/3 yard batting
1 1/3 yard backing fabric
1/3 yard binding fabric

*Finished quilt measures 40x40". All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise stated. Press in between steps.

Directions:

-From back ground fabric cut two 2.5x36.5" strips, two 2.5x40.5" strips, two 13" squares, one 12.5" squares, and one 10.75" square.
-From first half yard, cut two 12.5" squares and one 13" square.
-From second half yard, cut one 12.5" square and one 13" square.
-From stem fabric, cut one 3.5x18" rectangle (ignore the matching square in the picture above, I changed the layout of my fabrics after taking this).
-Pair each of the 13" print squares with one 13" solid square for your half square triangles (HSTs).

-On the wrong side of each 13" solid square, draw a line (using a pencil) diagonally from corner to corner.
-Place one 13" solid square and one 13" print square right sides together. Pin.

-Sew a seam 1/4" away on either side of the drawn line.

-Cut the block in two along the drawn line. Open up each piece and press. If necessary, trim the piece down to 12.5" square, making sure to trim off the little nubbins.

Look at that - half square triangles! Repeat the above steps with your remaining pair of 13" squares.

Now we're onto the stem block!

-Take the 10.75" square and draw a line (on the wrong side) diagonally from corner to corner. Draw another line 1/4" away on either side of the original line.

-Using the middle of the three lines as a guide, cut the block in half so that you're left with two triangles.

-Pair one triangle half and the stem piece, right sides together. Use a ruler to make sure that the triangle piece is centred on the stem piece. Pin and sew along the drawn line.

-Repeat with the other triangle piece, making sure that it is also centred. Trim the piece down to 12.5" square, making sure to centre the stem strip (you can see this square trimmed in the picture below).

-Lay out your blocks in a 3x3 grid following the layout shown in the above picture. Sew the block in each row together and then sew those rows together! Sew a 2.5x36.5" strip to both the top and bottom of the top. Sew a 2.5x40.5" strip to both the left and right sides of the top.

-Sandwich, baste, and quilt as preferred. Bind as usual!

If you're interested, the sample made for this tutorial is also available for sale in my Etsy shop!

If you make a quilt using it, please feel free to email me or to add pictures of your completed project to the Miss Print Flickr pool.

Valentine's Heart - a Free Little Cross Stitch Pattern!

Hey y'all! As a way of saying happy Valentine's day I've got a free little cross stitch pattern for you.

This little heart is pretty simple and fast to stitch up (not having any half stitches) but looks fun with it's alternating colour bands and varying stitch motifs. 

After stitching, I starched and ironed, trimmed the piece down leaving a 1/4" on each side of the heart and sewed it down onto a pre-made blank card. I'm giving it to my mumma when I see her on Monday!

I'm sure that there are loads of other ways you could use this little motif - maybe use some waste canvas and stitch it on to a scarf or cardigan, or integrate it into another craft project such as a mug rug or tote bag. Do you have any other ideas? I'd love to hear them!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this pattern is no longer available for free due to changes made on various platforms. It is now available for a minimal fee through my Etsy shop.

I've Got a Free Pattern for You: Norwegian Star Cross Stitch

Hey all! How's it going?! I am on day two of being unemployed and while I'm enjoying the little bit of free time, it does feel incredibly odd to be home during the week. I am trying to keep myself busy by applying to jobs, cleaning and organizing, getting myself sorted out to do some serious sewing, and writing up some new patterns - eeek! I have actually had a few items done for awhile that I wanted to write patterns for but just hadn't had the chance to do it, but now that I have the time I'm hoping to get everything hammered out soonlishly.

This is what I looked like yesterday on day one; I'm wearing my new Crywolf t-shirt and the big wooly socks I knit - this right here is basically my homebody uniform (and can I just say how nerve-wracking it was to make the decision to put my early morning, no-makeup face up here). Taking this picture reminded me of a little pattern I wrote up and hadn't posted here yet. Note the snazzy, cross stitched case on my iPhone...

When I first got my iPhone I knew immediately that it was going to need some sort of crafty case. I started seeing perforated cross stitch cases popping and knew that was the way to go for me! There are many different brands and types of these cases on the market, and as such they all have different stitch counts - my case is about 22 stitches (or little x's) wide by about 41 stitches high, minus the opening for the camera and the rounded edges.

This little star design is based on a traditional Norwegian weaving motif that can be found on tapestry's and blankets (edited a little though as the traditional motif has a few more elements thrown in). I had originally intended to continue around the star in alternating colour bands, varying the width as I went along, and filling the entire back, but I had to stop at this point one day and I actually kind of like how it looks with the contrasting black. I may continue with the bands though now - you can be the judge for yourself though.

The design above (which is included with the free pattern) shows all of the bands covering the back so that it can be stitched up just as I originally envisioned or one could simply stop at any point along the way with as many bands as they'd like. Since, as I mentioned above, the stitch counts change depending on which case you purchase, you may need to to lengthen or shorten some bands if using this pattern - really the idea is just to start at the middle and keep going around and around and around until you're satisfied. I think that this cross stitch pattern would also look stupendous on items other than an iPhone case too!

The free pattern includes the colour stitch image shown above, a symbol chart, and colour key in one PDF. Please note that although the chart and colour key will denote the use of black floss, this is not necessary. I simply used the black stitches to indicate the presence of the camera hole and rounded edges of the case. Just click on the link below and away you go (and remember to upload your finished products to the Flickr group)!

Download the Norwegian Star Cross Stitch Pattern Here!