Jessica Nichols Archives

Top 100 Free Quilt Patterns of 2012

December 18, 2012 by FaveQuilts

For those of you quilters who make it through the apocalypse predicted for this Friday, we’ve put together a whole list of the best quilt patterns to get working on in 2013. These awesome free quilt patterns were our readers’ favorite patterns from our Piecing It Together e-mail newsletter. You can be sure these are the best quilt patterns on FaveQuilts.com!

The top 100 free quilt patterns of 2012 included all kinds of different quilt patterns, but baby quilts were the most popular type of quilt. We all love baby quilts because they are quick and easy to make, and they don’t cost a fortune in fabric! Plus, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a little one snuggled up in a handmade quilt. Check out our top quilt patterns for baby for awesome projects like the Baby Steps Cuddle Quilt, the Fat Quarter Rainbow Quilt, and the Simply Squares Quilt. You won’t be disappointed with these colorful and cute baby quilts!

If you’re looking for simple projects, you can also check out our collection of the top easy quilt patterns. This list of no-fuss projects will keep you busy quilting without the stress of challenging or confusing patterns. You’ll never believe how fast you can whip up a bed quilt like the Easiest Ever Panel Quilt or the Piece O’ Cake Quilt.

Even an easy bed quilt can be daunting though, so check out a few of our favorite quilt block patterns as well. Spice up the the blocks in your next sampler quilt with a few unique designs, or use these blocks to practice your patchwork skills and make small projects like pillows and tote bags. Whether you like the precise piecing of the Easy Corner Tree Block or the creative flexible design of the Crazy Colors Scrap Quilt Block, you’ll find a quilt block that you’ll have fun playing with.

Of course, we’ve also picked a handful of the most popular types of quilts as well. You’ll find plenty of nine patch quilt patterns and jelly roll quilt patterns in this collection of our favorite quilts. Learn how a simple grid of nine fabric squares can be used to create all kinds of different patterns, like the Daisy Star Nine Patch Quilt or the Comfort and Charm Irish Chain Quilt. Or experiment with a simple jelly roll of fabric strips to create exciting quilts like the Jelly Roll Braid Quilt and the Rail Fence Picnic Quilt.

These are just a few of our favorite types of quilt patterns that are included in our 100 Best Quilt Patterns of 2012. We also have free applique patterns, scrap quilt patterns, flower quilt patterns, and more. You won’t find a better list of awesome quilt patterns. This collection will keep you creating through the new year and beyond!

International Quilt Market Trend Report

December 1, 2012 by FaveQuilts

As many of you quilters may know, last month brought thousands of quilting professionals to Houston for International Quilt Market. This exciting trade show gives fabric companies, pattern designers, and others in the industry to show off their best products for the new year. Quilt Market is a time to find out the hottest trends for the upcoming seasons. Since most of our FaveQuilts and AllFreeSewing readers aren’t able to attend Quilt Market themselves, I thought I’d share some of the trends we’re predicting for the next year!

Food Novelty Prints

We saw all kinds of tasty novelty prints at Quilt Market! Seafood, Italian food, tropical fruits, and coffee shop treats were all featured in fabrics for the coming season.

Crab Bake from the Cookin Outdoors line from Michael Miller

Coffee Time Collection from Newcastle Fabrics

Gerdie’s Grove collection by Debi Hubbs for Studio E Fabrics

Top Nosh collection from RJR Fabrics

Glamping (i.e. Glam Camping)

The glamping trend is running amok. The Real Housewives are doing it, TIME magazine featured it, and now it’s come to Quilt Market. Glamping provided the theme for an elaborate display in the Moda Fabrics booth, as well as designs for a few fabrics.

Glamping display in the Moda Fabrics booth

Cot quilt in the Moda Fabrics booth

Glamper in the Moda Fabrics booth

Camp Sur fabric collection from Birch Fabrics

Camper Rally from the Camp Sur collection from Birch Fabrics

Gothic

A few fabric companies already had their spookiest fabrics available. We noticed a decidedly macabre tone in some of the new lines for next year.

A sneak peek at the Halloween 2012 line from Cloud9 Fabrics

Urban Grit & Glam Collection from Michael Miller Fabrics

Nevermore collection by Gillian Fullard for Michael Miller Fabrics

Mourning Grays by Carrie Quinn for Newcastle Fabrics. This collection was designed with the mourning clothes of Victorian ladies in mind.

Mourning Grays by Carrie Quinn for Michael Miller Fabrics

Hexies and English Paper Piecing

English paper piecing has seen a huge comeback in recent years, and fabric designers are catching on. New fabrics feature hexagon cheater patterns and hexagon prints.

Hexies from the Textured Basics collection by Patty Young for Michael Miller Fabrics

Hexie cheater fabric from the Scamper collection from Birch Fabrics

Honeycomb Multi print from the Grove Cottons collection from Birch Fabrics

Yellow Hexagons print from the IHaus Collection from Cloud9 Fabrics

Robots

Robots are all the rage for boys’ fabrics this year. We also love fabrics with gears, tools, and other machine parts!

Mr. Roboto collection from Studio E Fabrics

Spacebots print from the Robotic collection by Rebekah Ginda for Birch Fabrics

Mermaids, Whales, and Sailboats, Oh My!

Nautical prints couldn’t be more popular for the coming year. Even the quilt artists featured in the quilt show jumped on board!

Belle Rose de la Mer quilt by Beverly Powell

Storyboek 2 collection from Birch Fabrics

The Siren’s Song quilt by Thoma Atleins

Out to Sea by Sarah Jane for Micheal Miller Fabrics

Set Sail from Birch Fabrics

Swim Free from the It’s A Boy Thing collection from Michael Miller

Set Sail from Birch Fabrics

Woodland

An oldie but a goodie, the woodland theme has been popular for a few years now, but it shows no signs of going out of style! Plenty of fabric companies have woodland collections planned for the next year. Those adorable mushrooms, deer, foxes, and owls are here to stay!

Scamper collection from Birch Fabrics

Mod Basics 2 collection from Birch Fabrics

Mod Basics 2 from Birch Fabrics

In the Forest from Cloud9 Fabrics

Les Amis by Patty Sloniger for Michael Miller Fabrics

Of course, these are just the trends we saw across several fabric companies. There are plenty of exciting new fabrics coming out that we think will be trendsetters for next year! Look for llamas from Monaluna, Vikings from Michael Miller, faux-Fair Isle prints from Studio E Fabrics, and peacocks from Newcastle Fabrics!

Cinema Saturdays: Rag Quilting Tutorial

October 20, 2012 by FaveQuilts

Even if you’ve never tried quilting before in your life, we promise this rag quilting tutorial will be easy enough for you to follow. All you have to do is cut out a pile of squares from your favorite fabrics. Use pastel colors for a baby quilt or novelty fabrics for a Christmas quilt. Then sandwich a square of batting between two pieces of fabric, stitch the sandwich together, and you’ve got a rag quilt block. To put the quilt together, you’ll just sew all of the sandwich blocks together in columns and rows. When the whole quilt is finished, snip the seams so they fray and ruffle and get all snuggly. You won’t be able to resist this adorable, easy quilt project!

Learn how to make a rag quilt and watch the whole process in this video tutorial from FaveQuilts video producer Christian Tamez. Christian will show you exactly how to sew each rag quilt block. He’ll also demonstrate how to sew the blocks together so that all the seams are on the right side of the quilt.

Rag Quilting Tutorial

Have you ever made a rag quilt? Tell us about it!

Trim Your Tree with Help from the New Homemade Christmas Ornaments eBook

October 2, 2012 by AllFreeHolidayCrafts

You’ll be singing “Joy to the World” when you see the new eBook from AllFreeHolidayCrafts.com. Homemade Christmas Ornaments: 9 Easy Ornament Tutorials is a collection of some of our favorite Christmas ornaments that you can make yourself. Between fabric ornaments, Santa ornaments, painted ornaments, and more, you’ll find the most adorable ornaments for your tree in this book of ideas and inspiration.

The projects in the Homemade Christmas Ornaments eBook are gathered from some of your favorite craft bloggers who have designed these ornaments with instructions and materials lists so you can make them just as cute as they look in the photos. Each ornament tutorial includes step-by-step directions with full-color photos, so there’s no guesswork involved in making these ornaments. You can print out the entire eBook, or just selected projects, to keep by your side while you are crafting.

While all of the projects in the Homemade Christmas Ornaments eBook are doable for any crafter, some of them are easy as pie. These are great ornaments to make if you don’t have a lot of time to spend on Christmas decorations. They are also good projects to do with your children. The kid’s Christmas ornament ideas in this eBook will get your children involved in crafting and decorating for the holidays. Making ornaments together is an especially lovely way to spend quality time with your kids during the Christmas season.

No matter your decorating style, you’ll find an idea in the Homemade Christmas Ornaments eBook to suit your tastes. We have instructions for making rustic Santa Claus ornaments and country bird ornaments made from scraps of old fabric. We’ve got glittery ornaments for those of us who love a little sparkle, and sewing projects for crafters who can’t tear themselves away from the sewing machine. Make one of each of these ornaments to give your tree trimming some variety, or make a whole bunch of the same ornament to give away as gifts.

Download Homemade Christmas Ornaments: 9 Easy Ornament Tutorials for free today, and start crafting for Christmas!

What kind of homemade Christmas ornaments get hung on your tree every year?

Keep the Kids Busy with 14 Easy Projects!

April 13, 2012 by FaveQuilts

I knew I’d draw you in with that headline! We all want to keep our kids busy and put an end to the constant refrain of “Mom, I’m bored.” Instead of sticking in a video, turn off the television and get them engaged in some projects that will teach them new skills and spark their creativity. We’ve put together a list of 14 Quilting Projects for Young Children to give you some ideas. Quilting may seem like the domain of old ladies and Amish maidens, but it can be fascinating to children who like to work with their hands or have an artistic bent.

The projects in this collection are aimed at introducing children to the art of quilting. The simple block patterns will impart the central concepts of quilting without confusing or overwhelming kids, and the fun designs will get them excited about patchwork and quilting. Any child who can handle basic sewing with a sewing machine or needle and thread can tackle these easy projects!

Kids who love coloring and other artistic pursuits will enjoy working with the applique patterns in our collection of 14 Quilting Projects for Young Children. They will delight in choosing fabrics and arranging the fun shapes on fabric. Children who tend towards the mathematical (in other words, your conscientious child who always colors inside the lines) may be more inclined towards piecework. The precision and attention to pattern necessary for piecework will keep their little minds busy, and they may even be interested in measuring and cutting the fabrics themselves. In fact, the piecework patterns in this collection are a great teaching tool for all children. Use them to give kids hands-on experience with geometry and arithmetic and to show kids how math can be applied in everyday situations.

14 Quilting Projects for Young Children are not only fun to make, but fun to use too! We have quite a few pillow patterns, so kids can make fun pillows for their bedrooms (our favorite is the Crazy Cowboy Tooth Fairy Pillow, perfect for kids who are losing their baby teeth!), and we also have several simple quilt patterns that kids can make for themselves or their dolls. Especially fun for little girls are the quilted accessories. Teach your kid to make a headband or a book bag with their new quilting skills, and they’ll be able to wear their handiwork proudly!

Of course, remember to always supervise children when they are working with quilting tools, and only introduce your kids to quilting if they seem interested and have mastered basic sewing skills. Once they have shown some interest, get started on one of these awesome projects!

Ready to quilt some things for you kids? These projects are sure to keep you busy while you child learns to quilt.

Back to School Patchwork Dress
Blocky Munki Quilt
Boys Art Smock Quilt Pattern
Elephant Applique Cushion
Favorite Drawing Pillow

What types of crafts have you taught your children?

Get Free Quilt Patterns in Your Inbox Twice a Week!

April 12, 2012 by FaveQuilts

If you want to build your quilting skills, get new ideas to inspire your quilting, and make beautiful projects, FaveQuilts.com is the place to start. There are thousands of quilting tutorials and patterns scattered all over the Internet, and even more traditional quilt patterns that have been around for hundreds of years. FaveQuilts.com brings all that knowledge together in one place, so you can find any quilt pattern you need on one website.

FaveQuilts.com also sends out two Piecing It Together eNewsletters each week, so you can get a collection of specially selected quilt patterns in your inbox every few days. We send collections of block patterns, scrap quilt patterns, and baby quilt patterns, in addition to quilt patterns for every holiday and season. You’ll get fresh ideas for new quilt projects every week. We also include news about our weekly quilting giveaways, popular quilt patterns on Pinterest, and the newest quilting videos posted on the FaveQuilts YouTube channel. Subscribe today so you won’t miss another issue of Piecing It Together!

Exclusive Sneak Peek

If you subscribe to Piecing It Together today, you’ll get the tutorial for this DIY T-Shirt Quilt in your inbox next week! Next week’s Piecing It Together issues will feature an armful of T-shirt quilt tutorials for eco-friendly quilters (or those of us who just want a creative way to clean out our closets!) and a slew of crazy quilt patterns that put a modern spin on the Victorian crazy quilting trend. You’ll get more than 30 ideas for new quilt projects just in these two newsletters and many more in the weeks to come! Get patterns for summer quilting projects, rag quilts, quilted bags, and more when you sign up for Piecing It Together for free!

You can also check the other newsletters from our family of crafting and cooking newsletters. Sign up for newsletters featuring free recipes, tutorials, and patterns for all of your crafting and cooking passions today!

Subscribe Today!

What kinds of quilt projects would you like to see in upcoming Piecing It Together newsletters?

Featured Quilt Designer: Shana Kreikemeier

April 10, 2012 by FaveQuilts

Today we want to spotlight one of the talented designers from our latest FaveQuilts eBook, Shana Kreikemeier!

Shana blogs at Needyl, where she writes about knitting, quilting, and various other DIY projects she takes on. She has also published an impressive collection of knitting patterns and baby quilt patterns that are available free on her blog. Shana especially loves designing patterns for babies; who can resist a snuggly crib quilt or a pair of knit baby booties?

We’re especially fond of Shana’s baby quilt patterns because of their clever quirkiness. Her Tetris Baby Quilt Pattern is a throwback to early computer games, and her Archipelago Baby Quilt is an inventive interpretation of geography in patchwork.

It’s Shana’s adorable, creative, and well-written patterns that led us to feature her in our latest free FaveQuilts eBook, 14 Easy Baby Quilt Patterns for Boys and Girls. Shana contributed four of her awesome patterns to this collection of simple baby quilt tutorials. We selected some of Shana’s easiest, cutest quilt patterns for this free eBook. You’ll find her Tetris Baby Quilt Pattern and Archipelago Baby Quilt included in our chapter of Baby Boy Quilt Patterns (although you can easily make these patterns for little girls, as well). Her playful quilts featured in our Animal Quilts section use fun prints of sea creatures in Gavin’s Marine Life Quilt and monkeys in the Simple Monkey Baby Quilt.

Shana’s featured baby quilt patterns use simple square patchwork designs to create adorable and unique patterns without any complex piecework. Even a beginning quilter can make Shana’s clever quilt patterns without too much trouble.

When Shana isn’t designing baby quilts and knitting patterns, she likes to cook, crochet, and tackle other diy projects. She also enjoys playing with her dachshund Pico when she can spare some time from her crafty endeavors!

To learn more about Shana and connect with her through Facebook, Twitter, or Ravelry, you can visit her designer profile on FaveQuilts.com or contact her at Needyl.

March into Spring with the Top 14 Quilts from Last Month

April 7, 2012 by FaveQuilts

Spring is finally here, and it’s time to start working on pretty quilts for warmer weather. We’ve been featuring spring quilt patterns and more in our Piecing It Together eNewsletter for the past month so you have plenty of ideas for new quilt projects. If you haven’t been receiving Piecing It Together, you can sign up for it at FaveQuilts.com to get free quilt patterns in your inbox every week! Don’t worry about the quilt patterns you’ve missed. We put together a list of our reader favorites from last month so you can see all the best quilt patterns we featured in March.

In addition to springtime quilts full of flowers and butterflies, we also highlighted some great new quilt block patterns and scrap quilt patterns. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the beautiful quilt patterns you’ll find in our list of 14 Winning Free Quilt Patterns from March 2012.

If you’ve got a heap of fabric scraps hiding in the recesses of your closets, this month’s collection of reader favorites is for you. With all the full-size scrap quilts in the mix, you’ll find a place for every last bit of leftover fabric. The Weed Whacker quilt is especially efficient at “weeding out” fabrics you can’t use in any other quilt. The Crayon Box Quilt is also a good way to use up bright, colorful scraps that don’t seem to go together at first.

For quilters who start a new quilt just as an excuse to go fabric shopping, we’ve got plenty of projects for new fabrics too. Try choosing four or five pretty fabrics and using them to make a variety of quilt block patterns from this list of 14 Winning Quilt Patterns from March 2012. Once you’re done, all of the blocks will coordinate with one another, and you’ll have the foundations of a full quilt! The Bright Hopes Star is one of my favorite quilt blocks from last month!

Don’t miss out on these and other spring quilt patterns from March! Check out the best quilt patterns from last month in 14 Winning Quilt Patterns from March 2012.

Block Party! 23 Fantastic Free Quilt Block Patterns

April 2, 2012 by FaveQuilts

Block patterns, the most basic units of a quilt, are quick and easy to make and their versatility lends them to all kinds of projects. You can make a block pattern in just an evening, but make one each night for a few weeks, and you’ll have an entire quilt top before you know it! They’re also a great way to give smaller projects a quilty feel. Make a set of potholders out of your favorite block pattern in fabrics that match your kitchen decor, or applique a finished quilt block onto a canvas tote bag to personalize it. Piece three or four quilt blocks together, and you’ve made a patchwork table runner, or back a quilt block in plain fabric to create a decorative cover for a pillow form. Learn how to make a variety of quilt block patterns, and the possibilities are endless! Start with our new collection of 23 Fantastic Free Quilt Block Patterns and then explore the other quilt block designs on FaveQuilts.com.

Our new collection of free quilt block patterns includes all your favorite types of quilt blocks. We’ve got tree block patterns for the nature lovers and half-square triangle patterns for the more geometric quilters. Modern quilters will love our list of wonky quilt blocks, while traditionalists are sure to delight in the selection of star block patterns. For quilters who cherish simplicity, we’ve put together a handful of nine patch patterns and disappearing nine patch patterns. Find all of these great quilt block tutorials in our list of 23 Fantastic Free Quilt Block Patterns.

Even if you’re a beginning quilter, we’ve got plenty of patterns in this list that will be easy enough for you to complete, but challenging enough to help you learn. Try our ever-popular Crazy Nine Patch pattern. A quilt block couldn’t get much easier than this! Our Magician’s Disappearing Nine Patch is also a good option for first quilt blocks. In fact, it was the very first quilt pattern I ever made! Any of the patterns in our Wonky Quilt Blocks section will be easy for inexperienced quilters too. Without worrying about matched corners and precise measurements, you can have fun just getting used to piecework.

Of course, we have plenty of patterns for more advanced quilters too; we wouldn’t want you to get bored! If you’re looking for a challenge, try our Curved Nine Patch block. The simple nine patch in the center is embellished (and somewhat complicated!) by curved cathedral-window-like borders. The Army Star Paper Pieced Block will present a different kind of challenge to quilters who are interested in creating more intricate patterns using foundation piecing. It’s also a festive block to make for Memorial Day, which will be here before you know it!

If you find yourself inspired by all this talk of different quilt block patterns, then be sure to check out our list of 23 Fantastic Free Quilt Block Patterns. You’ll find all the building blocks you need to make your next quilt!

Beginners Quilt-Along Week 3: Piecing the Top

April 2, 2012 by FaveQuilts

The Beginners Quilt-Along is in full swing this week! If you’ve been following along with us since the beginning of the quilt-along, you should have already gathered all of your supplies and cut your fabrics into the required strips, squares, and triangles. If you’re just joining us, you can catch up here.

This week, we’ll be piecing the top of our Pinwheel Table Runner! In this week’s tutorials, you’ll learn how to piece basic pinwheel quilt blocks and add borders and sashing to them. When you’re done, you’ll have the whole top of your table runner completed, and you’ll have the skills to make tons of other block patterns using half-square triangles!

What to Do This Week

1) Watch The Video Tutorial on Piecing the Top

Let quilt designer Christian Tamez guide you through making your very first pinwheel quilt blocks! A pinwheel block is one of the most basic quilt blocks, and it’s made from half square triangles, which are used in tons of quilt block patterns. After you’ve made the blocks, you’ll learn how to sew a border around each block to make the pinwheel patterns stand out against the darker green background. Then you’ll stitch the blocks together in a row with sashing. The basic piecework skills you’ll learn in this section of the quilt-along will help you gain the experience to make many other quilt tops.

Start by watching Christian demonstrate the process in this video tutorial. You’ll be able to visualize how all the pieces will fit together geometrically once you watch him put together the quilt top.

2) Piece The Top of Your Table Runner

Once you’ve watched the video, print out the piecing instructions as a reference. Then stitch up your own Pinwheel Table Runner quilt top!

3) Share Your Progress for A Chance to Win!

Once you have your quilt top pieced together, lay it out on your quilting table and take a picture! Share your work-in-progress with other quilters by posting your photos in the FaveQuilts Flickr group. Leave a comment in the Flickr group if you have questions or concerns or just want to share your excitement with the rest of the group.

Don’t forget to tag your photo with #beginnersquiltalong for a chance to win the quilt-along giveaway. At the end of the quilt-along, we’ll randomly choose one of our participants who has posted a photo on Flickr to win an awesome prize!

Quilt-Along Schedule

Week One, 3/19 – 3/25: Gathering Materials

Week Two, 3/26 – 4/1: Choosing and Cutting Fabrics

Week Three, 4/2 – 4/8: Piecing the Top

Week Four, 4/9 – 4/15: Quilting and Finishing

Week Five, 4/16: Winner Announced!

Stay tuned in to the FaveCrafts Blog every Monday for the next step in our quilt-along!