Thursday, April 28, 2022

10 Spring Project Ideas!

10 PROJECTS TO MAKE THIS SPRING!

Looking for new sewing projects to make as the weather gets warmer? Here are 10 ideas to decorate your own home with or gift to a loved one! Whether you love a pop of color or go for more decorative prints, we have something for everyone! 


1. The Bloomin’ quilt by Tamara Kate featuring Cotton Couture! 

This classic fat quarter friendly geometric design highlights beautiful shades of pink, burgundy and green with the white background adding contrast. The quilt is easy to make with squares and half square triangles and does not require large pieces of fabrics.

Size: 54” x 65”

Skill Level: Beginner 

Free Pattern Available HERE

View full Collection HERE


2. The Fruit Stand Quilt by Everyday Stitches featuring the Breakfast in Bed collection by Alicia Dujets and Cotton Couture!

A fun and quirky way to display your fruits this spring while always being reminded to get your fruit intake of the day! The pattern is a beautiful way to expand your quilting skills! Use the 6” and 8” clamshell templates to quickly cut and curve piece the top. Simple applique and paper pieced accents create the fruit that makes this quilt unique. 

Size: 64″ x 64″

Skill Level: Intermediate

Pattern is Available  HERE 

View Full Collection HERE


3. The Tropical Enchantment Quilt by Marsha Evans Moore featuring the Exotica collection!

This tropical quilt highlights the stunning, bright color story of the nature inspired Exotica collection with parrots and florals! Escape the normal routine and step into paradise for a vacation feel in your own home. The beautiful stripes make the perfect border. 


Size: 72” x 72”

Skill Level: Intermediate

Free Pattern Available HERE

View Full Collection HERE


4. Scalloped Tote Bag by Poorhouse Quilt Designs Featuring the Exotica Collection. 

This Scalloped Bag is so beautiful and tropical. It requires no binding to make it! The project spotlights the toucans and palm leaves in Exotica and the tropical toile offers a lovely contrast against the black prints. The bag pattern can be used to make both the tote and a small clutch bag!


Size: 16" x 11½" x 3" deep

Skill Level: Intermediate

Pattern is Available HERE

View Collection HERE


5. Fleur Ups A Daisy quilt by On Williams Street featuring the Ups-A-Daisy collection!

This abstract geometric floral design is perfect to bring that summery shine to a room.  "It utilizes traditional piecing and large design elements to create a stunning quilt."  The black and white daisy prints combine perfectly to create a flower within a flower effect. 

Size: 64"x78" 

Skill Level: Beginner

Pattern is Available HERE

      View Collection HERE


6. Beautiful Blooms Quilt by Cabin in the Woods featuring the Petite Garden collection!

This stunning floral quilt pattern can easily be resized and customized to use with scraps, fat quarters and rolls by reducing the petal sizes. The delicate florals, butterflies, stripes and plaid prints are incorporated beautifully in this traditional quilt. From crib to King size, make it for yourself or your loved one with the nested petal template and Petal Pal Keychain template easy to machine applique! 


Size: 63” x 63” 

Skill Level: Intermediate 

Pattern Available HERE

View Collection HERE


7. Life’s a Blessing Lemon Fresh Quilt by Brenda Plaster featuring the Lemon Fresh Collection by Monkey Mind Design!

This stunning quilt design evokes the image of a bulletin board and highlights the charming 24” lemon panel from the collection. Lemon Fresh was inspired by the bright yellow lemons’ groves in the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Lemons have been growing in abundance in southern Italy for centuries. The stunning pattern includes instructions for two quilt sizes and it is quick and easy to make as well! 


Size: 43-1/2” x 43 ½”

Skill Level: Easy

Pattern is Available HERE

View Collection HEREl

  

8. In The Mic Bag from "By Annie" Featuring the Black and White Collection. 

The Pink Cotton Couture adds a pop of color to this beautiful and sturdy quilted mixer cover! The stunning design is user friendly and convenient for keeping your mixer clean and the kitchen pretty! The pockets on all sides hold manuals, accessories, recipes, and more. There is also a handle at the top that makes it easy to remove the cover for your baking needs. 


Sizes:

SMALL- 12¾"H x 9"W x 13½"D

MEDIUM- 14¼"H x 9"W x 14"D

LARGE- 16½"H x 12"W x 14½"D

Pattern Available HERE

View Collection HERE


9. Flower Market Quilt by Charisma’s Corner featuring the Gingham Play Basics collection!

Charisma Horton was inspired by her grandmother to make this stunning modern floral quilt.  The design also has a vintage look to it with the variety of colors. The curved piecing gives motion to the design and the quilt is a great way to use scraps in your stash! 

Size: 72” x 98”

Skill Level: Intermediate 

Pattern Available HERE

View Collection HERE


10. Courtyard Quilt by Everyday Stitches featuring the Colorforms collection and Coco Basics!

This boho style quilt offers the perfect combination of bright colors and geometrics featuring elephants, butterflies and beautiful marble swirls in the collection. The pairing of coco for the borders really complements the quilt and adds awesome borders to surround the intricate shapes. 


Size: 64” x 85”
Skill level: Intermediate
Pattern Available HERE
View Collection HERE


We'd love to see what you're creating at home! Share what you sew with us and you may even be featured on our blog or social media.

You can share what you create by tagging us on social media @michaelmillerfabrics or e-mailing pictures to marketing@michaelmillerfabrics.com

To place a wholesale order, please contact your sales rep or visit us at www.michaelmillerfabrics.com

HAPPY SPRING SEWING!

Monday, April 18, 2022

Nursery Blog Hop Day 5- “Stairway to the Stars” Quilt by Natalie Crabtree

    


We’re so excited to have our final guest Blogger, Natalie Crabtree, show you her amazing projects using “A Bushel and a Peck” collection by Alicia Dujets. 
——

Hi! I am Natalie Crabtree, owner of Crabtree Arts Collective! I’m so thrilled to take over the Michael Miller Blog for this fun Nursery Blog Hop. Thank you to the team at MMF for allowing me to take part in this fun project, spread the word about the fun kid-friendly prints at MMF and share a bit about my quilt pattern – Stairway to the Stars. Let’s get started! 


I had the absolute pleasure of working with the A Bushel And A Peck collection https://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/shop/collections/a-bushel-and-a-peck.html and the luxurious and soft Beary Soft Minky collection

 

 

I have always had a fondness for kid-friendly prints, and Michael Miller Fabrics has a wonderful selection of bright, happy prints that engage and entice children, but are also fun and enjoyable for parents too. Although my baby, Gwendolyn, isn’t a baby anymore (She’s 4!), she loves taking part in designing and creating quilts. Her love of fabric and color runs deep, and she was immediately drawn to this collection. 

We were able to fussy cut the small ‘postage stamp’ like fruit panels into 3 ½” squares for my pattern “Stairway to the Stars”. The small fruit panels were the perfect fussy cut addition to the easy Sawtooth Stars used in this quiltImages and details to follow. 


The colorful fruits featured in the “A Bushel And A Peck” collection were a treat, featuring sweet faces for a bit more personality! The color palette was bright, but soft and easy on the eyes. Not only is this collection adorable, but it can be a source of learning and growth for babies and toddlers. Babies and toddlers are like sponges aren’t they? Cuddling up or playing with a quilt created with this collection, they are bound to learn about colors, fruits and shapes. 



Gwen and I especially loved the tiny green grapes, and the watermelon medallions. How adorable! The prints were perfect for mixing and matching for vertical rows featured in “Stairway to the Stars”. I cannot resist a plaid print, and especially love a collection that uses multiple colorways of a great plaid print. We used the multicolored and red plaids! 

 




My “Stairway to the Stars pattern makes for a quick and easy baby quilt that will allow you to display larger prints in 6” finished squares. This was perfect for the “A Bushel And A Peck” collection because I didn’t want to cut up the prints too small. They were too sweet!“Stairway to the Stars” is easily a weekend project! Although the original quilt measures at 54” x 66”, this baby quilt is a smaller modified version of the original measuring 36” x 44”. Perfect for baby!

 


I simply excluded the outer border on the original pattern and reduced the number of squares and stars in each vertical row. This pattern is easily adjusted to be larger, or in this case smaller, to fit your needs. You could opt to create the larger version of “Stairway to the Stars” to ensure it will eventually transition to a toddler bed! 

Here are the yardages required to make the smaller version of “Stairway to the Stars” Click HERE for pattern.  The “A Bushel And A Peck” collection skus used in this quilt can be viewed HERE  


• Background (Cotton Couture Bright White for Star Background, Sashing, Border)1 yard 
• Plaid Print for Stars and Binding (Red Plaid, DC10054 Picnic Basket Red)¾ yard
• Fussy Cut Star Centers (DDC10048 Fruit Stand Friends Multi)3/8 yard
• 4 Coordinating Prints for Plain Squares (DC10050 Melonberry Pink, DC10054 Picnic Basket Multi, DC10054 Through the Grapevine Green, DC10050 MelonberryYellow)3/8 yard each 
• Backing (Beary Soft Minky BS11000-LIME-D, Minky is 58/60” wide)1 ¼ yards https://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/shop/basics/beary-soft.html




Finishing up this project was fun! Gwendolyn loved the soft and cuddly lime colored minky on the back of this quilt! The texture is beautiful, and the color is vibrant. 




Thank you for reading my Nursery Blog Hop post, and for following along with all designers as we present fun and easy project ideas to gift to the babies and kiddos in our lives! 

If you would like to see more by myself and Crabtree Arts Collective, be sure to follow along on Instagram at @njcrabtree and on Etsy at CrabtreeArtsQuilts | Etsy . 

MICHEAL MILLER BLOG HOP FOLLOWERS CAN RECEIVE 20% OFF THE STAIRWAY TO THE STARS PATTERN AND OTHERS USING THE CODE “MMFBLOG20” FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL. 

 



This concludes the Nursery Blog Hop! A special thank you to all the participants and readers who followed along. We hope to have inspired you to make your own projects for your homes and loved ones! Leave in the comments which project you enjoyed the most from the blog hop for a chance to win a Cotton Couture FQ bundle! 


Make sure to follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for more inspiration content and free patterns!  Share with us the Nursery projects you create by tagging us @michaelmillerfabrics


HAPPY SEWING! 

 


Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Nursery Blog Hop Day 5- Baby Set by Suze Vinton of Beralus Vinton Design

 



Welcome to our our Nursery Blog Hop! Today's post is a guest blogger, Suze Vinton. Make sure to follow along for  to see all the beautiful inspiration from talented makers. Links will be posted HERE

    Baby Set using To the Moon And Back Fabric: 

         Suze Vinton of Beralus Vinton Design 


I am Suze Vinton, owner of Beralus Vinton Design and I am here taking over on the Michael Miller blog for the Nursery Blog Hop to share with you this amazing To the Moon and Back cotton & minky collection! 


This collection is so beautiful. I could have made a million projects if I have the time. After long hours of trying to figure out what I wanted to make, I narrowed it down to these three baby items! I was inspired by the stunning neutral colors in the collection to make my projects perfect for any parent look to make items for their precious little ones. 

 

  1.   A dress:

I used the Marlowe’s Vintage dress pattern available on my website. I love that I can make two dresses in one. It also comes with a cute little bloomer. 

This pattern is a classic with lots of variations to meet your needs from short to long sleeves options to ruffles or non-ruffles and it is beginner friendly! The pattern is suitable for newborn sizes to 14 kids. 



Recreate these dresses with the pattern here: https://ckcpatterns.com/marlowes-girls.html


I love the print. They are beautifully designed, and Michael Miller never disappoints!


  1. A quilt:




I do not own a pattern for this project. However, I just made it up as I went. The Love You 24” Panel is my favorite print and I had to make it the star print of this quilt by cutting the borders and adjusting until I was happy with the size. I also used minky for the backing which made the quilt super soft and comfy!  My 8-year-old daughter loved it so much she wanted to keep it in her room. 


 I especially loved working with minky because it did not shed and felt like fur without all the shedding and mess.  To bind the back, I used a lot of glue spray and kept it as flat as possible so it wouldn’t shift around. My suggestion is to take one section at the time when quilting it together while flattening it out.

 

  1. A diaper bag. 


 

No baby set is complete without a super cute diaper bag! This was my 1st time making one and I think it turned out adorable.  The Bag pattern is called Belle Baby Bag from Swoon Patterns. 


Get the pattern on their website here:  https://swoonpatterns.com/belle-baby-bag-5.html


This collection was an absolute pleasure to work with and has excellent baby neutral colors! 


Please visit my pages below for more Inspirational projects: 


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beralusvintondesign/


Blog: https://ckcpatterns.com/blog/


Missed any of the projects during this Nursery blog hop? Catch up with the links available here: https://blog.michaelmillerfabrics.com/2022/04/nursery-blog-hop.html


Happy sewing! 


Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Nursery Blog Hop Day 1- Minky Floor Pillow Tutorial By Lindsay Chieco of Linzentart

 

Welcome to our first blog post from our Nursery Blog Hop! Today's post is a guest blogger Lindsay Chieco. Make sure to follow along for the next 3 weeks to see all the beautiful inspiration from talented makers. Links will be posted HERE

Minky Floor Pillow Tutorial By: 
Lindsay Chieco of Linzentart 


Looking for something to sew for adventure lovers? Below I have provided free instructions to an awesome minky floor pillow suitable for babies, kids and adults! I was inspired to make the floor pillows with this collection because when my kids were younger, they loved lying on their floor pillows, whether it was to read a book or watch a movie. I debated making a blanket with the fabric line, but I thought of how much use we got out of our floor pillows when the kids were young. My favorite print from the collection is the blue mountains! I backed both pillows with that print. I love the blues and greens and the mountains always make me think of adventure. I love how this collection makes me want to get the kids outdoors and explore. 

My youngest kid is 8 and he still loves using the floor pillows as well as our animals. See more pictures below.  



Materials:



Cutting Requirements:

  • Cut (2) 40 inch squares for the top and bottom of the floor pillow
  • Cut (4) 5x41” strips for the sides of the pillow
  • Take one of the 5x41” strips and cut in half longways, this will be where you insert the zipper
  • Cut a 1.5x10.5” of the side fabric to add on to the ends of the zipper


Directions:

  • Sew the 1.5x10.5 inch side fabric pieces to either end of your zipper tape. The zipper tape I used was about 1.5” wide, but if you are using a thinner zipper adjust the measurements of the fabric to match your zipper width.  To start, place one of the fabric pieces right side down on top of the zipper, lining up the ends.  Sew together using a ½” seam allowance.  Pull the fabric piece back and top stitch.  Repeat for the other end of the zipper. Now sew each of the 2.5x41” side pieces to each long side of the zipper.  Pin in place to avoid shifting.  When finished, measure the piece to make sure it measures the same as the other side pieces (5x41”). Trim where needed to get to the right measurement.
  • Take each of the side 5x41” fabric pieces and sew together end to end using a ½" seam allowance.  Make sure you leave a ½" space at the top and bottom of each seam unsewn.  This will be important when sewing them to the top and bottom squares of the pillow.  Finish sewing the side pieces by joining the first and last piece so they form a square.
  • Take your 40” top square piece and lay it right side up. Place one of the side pieces right side down on top of the square.  Fold down the ½" seam you left unsewn and pin or clip the whole side piece to the top square.  Minky can be a little finicky to sew with.  It is important to keep it in place as much as possible so it doesn’t shift.  As you get to each corner, fold down the ½" seam you left unsewn.  It should form a nice little square in the corner that will help make a nice square corner when turned right side out.
  • Repeat this process with the bottom 40” square.  Make sure you leave the zipper at least halfway open so you can turn it out later.
  • Once everything is sewn together, turn right side out and push out the corners.  I used shredded foam to fill the pillow, but you can also use stuffing.  I find the foam a little more cost effective since it will take a lot of stuffing to fill.


*I also made a floor pillow using a patchwork top instead of one solid square.  If you are going for this look, cut out (25) 9” squares.  Sew them together using a ½" seam allowance until you have a 40” square.




We hope you enjoy this tutorial with minky! A special thank you to Lindsay Chieco for participating in the Nursery Blog Hop! 


Follow Lindsay on social media and see more creative patterns on my website:

Instagram: @linzentart 

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/linzentart


This is the start to our Nursery Blog Hop! Follow along the next 3 weeks for more project inspiration! Schedule below. 


Links will be posted HERE

SHOW US WHAT YOU CREATE BY TAGGING US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @MICHAELMILLERFABRICS 
OR E-MAILING MARKETING@MICHAELMILLERFABRICS.COM

HAPPY SEWING! AND REMEMBER TO KEEP #MAKINGITFUN