Gigi's Thimble

Sew Delightful

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:33:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today I have a new/old pattern I want to share with you!

It's the red pattern from my book, Quilt the Rainbow. That book is out of print now

so I am trying to release all of the patterns from it as stand-alone patterns.

(It was such a bummer that Martingale Publishing went out of business

right after they published Quilt the Rainbow due to ramifications from the Covid-19 Pandemic.)

I didn't get a chance to talk about the patterns in the book very much because

I didn't have anywhere to send people to get the patterns!

So I am very happy to share this with you today!

The pattern is called Sew Delightful, and the good news is -

I have added 2 more size options to the instructions!

So now you can make a baby, throw, or queen-size quilt!

[This photograph was courtesy of Martingale Publishing)

Sew Delightful is a fat quarter-friendly pattern and would be cute in any colorway!

It's a great way to showcase those favorite fat quarters you've been collecting!

I've made the baby version before in blues and greens. You can check that out HERE.

The blocks are big, finishing at about 20" square.

And I'd say the skill level is perfect for a confident beginner.

I love a large-scale print on the back of a quilt + a striped binding!

As you can see, I've been using labels from Ever Emblem for a few years

and really am a big fan! I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.

If you go to their site, you'll have to pick a cotton label

and customize it from there. I've loved the ease of these labels.

Now I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!

I'm so happy to have this pattern out in the world again.

It's a fun one; I love the big-block energy!

I know so many of you missed this pattern the first go-around.

So tell me, do you like big blocks? This one is really versatile and cute

for anyone, in any colorway!

If you'd like to grab this pattern, you can get the

paper pattern HERE or the

PDF pattern HERE.

I'd love to hear what you think of Sew Delightful!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lulu Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Today I want to share a quilt that is kind of special to me!

I made it at the end of 2025, but just barely finished the binding.

This is my Lulu quilt pattern, which is based on an antique quilt I once saw.

I designed it in 2016 and have made a few Lulu quilts since then.

It may just be one of the simplest patterns I've designed. It's perfect if you need a quick make!

It comes with 2 size options - lap and twin. This is the lap size.

It finishes at 48" x 64".

It's Jelly Roll (or 2-1/2" strip friendly).

The reason why this particular quilt is so special to me is that it's made with

fabrics that I designed! I had a lot of partial 2-1/2" strips and scraps

leftover from other projects so it felt good to put them to use.

99% of the fabrics are from my two collections with Riley Blake Designs,

Feels Like Home and Honey Locust. It's fun to see how well both of the collections

work together. I think there are also a few pieces in it that I designed for

one or two of the Hush Hush (low volume) collections for Riley Blake.

I backed the quilt in the main print from Honey Locust called Gigi's Garden in the color Blush.

The binding is from Feels Like Home. It's called Alpine Meadow in the color Rose.

Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah, quilted it for me. This time, I let her pick the panto

which was a fun surprise! I don't do that very often, haha. But I love Jen, and I trusted her

to pick something I would like. And she did not disappoint! This panto is called Chip by Leisha Farnsworth, and I like that it added some curve to this very square/rectangular quilt.

Of course, I added one of my favorite labels from Ever Emblem. They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts! I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.

If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their

basic cotton labels and customize it from there. I machine stitch my binding

down around it because it's hard to hand stitch through it).

I hand-bound the rest of the binding to the back of the quilt and that was nice to slow down for a bit.

Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy that process.

I love that this has a bit of a scrappy look to it. Please don't be afraid to mix fabric

collections and use what you have! It makes a quilt unique and oh, so charming, don't you think?!

This pattern is so versatile. It will be great for any age, occasion, gender, and colorway!

If you would like to make your own Lulu quilt,

you can grab the paper pattern HERE.

Or the PDF pattern HERE.

I'd love to hear what you think about this very simple quilt!

Thanks for stopping by!

Flora's Baskets (Scrappy Version) - Finished Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:05:00 +0000

In March of 2023, I shared details about a new quilt I was starting - a scrappy version of my

Flora's Basket quilt. Click HERE to check out that post where I share the inspiration behind the pattern + the cutting instructions for making your own Flora's Basket blocks. You really should check it out, not only for the cutting instructions but the antique quilt that inspired my pattern - is gorgeous!

Wow. Has it really been 3 years since I started this quilt? Some quilts just take time, I guess.

Well today I want to share the details of the finished quilt. I'm really happy

with the way it turned out. I like it a lot better than the original version as these colors

are more ME. And the low-volume background is just so fun.

I made blocks here and there over the last couple of years and then really made some headway

on the sashing units, laying it all out, and then sewing it all together this past summer.

It was a true labor of love as there were a lot of pieces in this queen-size quilt.

Plus, scrappy quilts just take longer to cut out, to assemble, etc.

The dusty rose sashing fabric just makes me happy!

And then I backed it in some of my fabric from my Feels Like Home

collection with Riley Blake Designs. I thought it matched really well and always

feels good to use up something in your stash.

Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah, quilted it with the Double Orange Peel pantograph by the Quilting Mill.

I love how it turned out! Jen always does a fantastic job!

I bought plenty of the pink sashing fabric to bind the quilt with too!

I thought bringing that color out to the edge would tie everything together nicely!

The original Flora's Baskets pattern requires some yardage + 10" squares for the top of the baskets.

Doing a scrappy low-volume background on this version was a great way to use up scraps!

I think I only had to buy a few browns (for the baskets), the low-volume border fabric, and the pink sashing/binding fabric for this quilt. Everything else was from my stash!

The pattern comes with instructions for 3 different quilt sizes - lap, twin, and queen.

I have been making a lot of queen-size quilts these last few years as I feel like they're

so useful and fun to display on my kid's beds (which are sometimes used for guests).

A little sneak peek of the hand-binding on the back of the quilt...

I love to hand-stitch my binding down when time permits.

I feel like I've finally gotten good at machine binding, though,

so that wins out sometimes when I have a lot going on.

I'm not sure what inspired this color palette, but I love the sweet, springy vibe.

Yellows, pinks, and aquas (with a little bit of navy and brown, so it's not too sticky-sweet, haha).

So many pictures, it's hard to not post them all!

I love low-volume fabrics that are subtle. There's a range, like with most things.

Some are "quiet", and some are "loud". I tend to gravitate to the quiet ones,

as not to distract from the main subject.

Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this quilt. Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you'd like to grab the Flora's Baskets paper pattern, click HERE.

If you'd like to grab the Flora's Baskets PDF pattern, click HERE.

And as a reminder, you can click HERE for the cutting instructions for the scrappy block.

And you can check out my original Flora's Basket quilt HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Vintage Valentine in Confetti Cotton Solids

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 01:47:00 +0000

I really meant to post about my original Vintage Valentine quilt before Valentine's Day! Such a bummer that I totally spaced that!!! Is anyone still working on heart quilts? I'm about to start a winter/Christmas quilt...so maybe!?!

I designed this new pattern for a few reasons...

1.) I wanted a timeless (somewhat easy) heart pattern for myself and others. I've designed a few heart quilts over the years and seem to always be chasing the "perfect" heart quilt pattern. Mine are all so different, though, so I guess it just depends on what speaks to you. I'll link to all of them at the end of this post.

2.) I wanted a heart pattern that was easy to kit up for shop owners (it's fat eighth/fat quarter friendly). The great thing about this pattern, though, is that you can also use 10" squares or your stash for the hearts.

3.) I wanted to push myself to use solids since I don't use them very often! This keeps the costs down for all of us - shop owners and quilters alike!

Riley Blake Designs donated the fabrics for this quilt - THANK YOU, Riley Blake Designs!

Can I tell you how much I love the feel and selection of their Confetti Cotton Solids?

They now have over 300 colors to choose from!

Here are the colors I used for my throw-size quilt:

Pink Dogwood (pink background)

Pewter (tan sashing and binding)

Riley Burgandy, Riley Fuchsia, Riley Hot Pink, Boysenberry, and Hibiscus (hearts)

Note: For the full-size cover quilt mockup, I used the addition of Magenta and Rose.

The skill level on this pattern is "confident beginner".

I think the hardest part (or the part that takes the longest is making and squaring up the sashing units).

But it's not too bad if you chain piece everything!

Jen Ostler in Highland, UT. quilted it for me. You know she is my fave! She trims my quilts, ties them up with a bow, and attaches a little chocolate to the receipt. On top of being an AMAZING long arm quilter! She really is the best!

I had Jen use the Knit 1 Purl 2 pantograph by Natalie Gorman on this quilt to add some sweet, curvy texture to this (otherwise angular) quilt. I like the thread color to match my background color, so she went with a light pink thread color that matched perfectly!

Here is the little heart she added to the quilting (her signature move!)

Makes for a fun game of hide-and-seek!

Per usual, I added one of the simple labels I get from Ever Emblem. They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts! I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels. If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels and customize it from there. I machine stitch my binding down around it because it's hard to hand stitch through it (but then I usually hand stitch the rest of my binding down to the back of my quilt).

This time, I machine-bound my quilt, though. One of my biggest tips when machine binding a quilt is to match the color of the top thread and bobbin thread to the side of the quilt where they will appear. It hides a lot of potential flaws!

I had some of the Pink Dogwood background fabric leftover so I decided to use it on the back of the quilt as well. Note to self, use more Riley Blake Confetti Cotton Solids as quilt backs! It's cheaper than buying printed fabric and it shows the quilting so well!

So what do you think? Are you team "solids" or team "prints"?

I am usually team "prints" but I like how the hearts and quilting really pop on the solids!

Vintage Valentine includes instructions for 4 quilt sizes - crib, throw, full, and queen.

Like I said before, this is the throw-size quilt.

If you'd like to see a queen-size version in prints, click HERE.

I'd love to hear what you think about this quilt! I really enjoyed making

this version with Riley Blake Designs Confetti Cotton Solids!

If you'd like to grab the Vintage Valentine paper pattern, click HERE.

If you'd like the Vintage Valentine PDF pattern, click HERE.

My other heart quilt patterns:

Always & Forever (1" finished squares)

Cherish (scalloped border)

With Love (hearts & plaid)

They're all available as both paper and PDF patterns.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hanging Fabric Hearts Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 03:54:00 +0000

Looking for a way to use the scraps of batting you've been saving from past quilt projects? Or the little pieces of ribbon you've collected over the years because they were just too pretty to throw away? Do you LOVE fabric and have a bunch of scraps lying around? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I have a tutorial for you!

Hanging Fabric Hearts! They're festive, easy, quick, and fun to make!

Plus, they're a great way to put your scraps to good use!

I (along with several employees of the quilt shop I work at - Maker's & Co. in American Fork, Utah) made a bunch of hanging hearts to warm up the store for January and February!

We also wanted to show our appreciation to our awesome customers for

supporting us in the first few months we've been open!

I'll be sharing a simple photo tutorial below or you can go to the end of this post for a printable PDF.

NOTES:

Use two different pink or two different red fabrics for each heart. For a pink heart, use

pink thread. For a red heart, use red thread. You can get about 8-10 hearts from two

¼ yard cuts of fabric (less with certain directional fabrics).

To make these Hanging Fabric Hearts, you will need:

- HEART TEMPLATES

- Red and pink fabric scraps (1” bigger than the heart templates)

- Thin batting scraps (1” bigger than the heart templates)

- Coordinating ribbon or lace (optional)

- Red and pink thread + invisible thread or fishing line for hanging

- Frixion pen, straight pins or 505 Temporary Adhesive Spray for Fabric, sewing machine, iron, scalloped pinking shears, needle, and heavy spray starch

- Clear packing tape, push pins, or removable poster mounting putty for hanging

1. Cut out the paper HEART TEMPLATES.

2. Use a Frixion pen to trace a heart onto the right side of a pink or red piece of fabric.

NOTE: The Frixion pen's ink disappears with heat.

3. Lay a coordinating piece of pink or red fabric on your work surface, right side down.

Then lay a piece of thin batting on top of it.

Then lay the fabric with the traced heart on top of the batting, right side up.

4. Follow the directions on the 505 Temporary Adhesive Spray

or use straight pins to baste the 3 layers together. I tried it both ways.

I thought pinning worked just fine, but if you find your fabric is puckering or shifting,

you could try pinning more, using the spray, or using a walking foot.

The spray is a little bit messy, so use a plastic bag or cardboard to cover your

workspace if you try it. It definitely bastes everything together, well!

5. Stitch on the drawn lines around the heart with a simple straight stitch. (If you’re adding ribbon or lace, center the top edge of the ribbon/lace at the base of the “valley” of the heart. Start and end your stitches at the bottom edge of the ribbon/lace to secure it in place. I use a piece that is 3-4 inches wider than my heart.) Avoid the ribbon/lace when sewing around the heart.

6. Remove the straight pins, if used.

7. Starch both sides of the heart with spray starch and set with a hot iron.

This will stiffen up the heart so it stays flat while hanging and will remove the traced lines.

8. If using ribbon/lace, tie the two ends into a knot. Trim as desired.

9. Use scalloped pinking shears to cut out the heart 1/8” away from the stitches.

Be careful to avoid the ribbon/lace.

10. Thread a long piece of invisible thread or fishing line through the heart at the base of the “valley” (through the stitches, right above the ribbon/lace). Attach the two ends of the thread/fishing line to the ceiling with tape, putty, or stick a push pin into the ceiling and tie a knot around that (that's what we did!)

You could also hang these as a garland on one long piece of ribbon or twine.

I think they would be super cute on a mantle or staircase banister!

We even hung some on the porch outside the shop!

I hope you found some inspiration here today! Please let me know

if you decide to use this tutorial.

Click HERE for the printable PDF tutorial.

Click HERE for the Heart templates.

Vintage Valentine Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 12:31:00 +0000

I have a new pattern to share with you guys today!

I've been working on it for a couple of months now and it's finally ready to share!

And oh, I hope you love it as much as I do! Let me introduce...Vintage Valentine!

Vintage Valentine is a timeless heart pattern that is fat eighth/fat quarter friendly

and comes with instructions for 4 different quilt sizes! I have actually been working on

two different versions (the lighter, cover quilt version in Riley Blake Designs Confetti Cotton

Solids which you can see HERE) and a darker version that I'll be sharing today.

I fell in love with these prints while working at my new job

(a cute little fabric shop that just opened in American Fork, Utah!

It's called Maker's & Co. It's such a fun store; you should come visit!)

I thought the dark magenta fabric would really make the heart fabrics pop!

It's got a subtle print on it so it's got some interest, but doesn't take away from the hearts.

I made 56 hearts for a queen-size quilt!

And then...this is where the magic happens...the sashing!

High contrast for a big impact!

And once I got the quilt top made, it was off to my longarm quilter for some beautiful quilting.

Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah quilted it with the Almost Plaid panto by

The Quilting Mill. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I was being pretty

indecisive about which panto to use, but I kept coming back to this one because

I thought it worked so well with the design of the sashing.

I usually like my thread color to blend with my background fabric as much as possible

so I knew this quilt would be tricky because there is so much contrast between the

dark and light fabrics. After some debate about different thread color options,

I decided to just use the magenta color. There's so much of it that I knew it would blend

on most of the quilt and that I was going to have to be okay with it popping

on the cream fabric. I think it turned out great though. Thanks Jen!

As many of you know, Jen always hides a little object in the quilting

for a fun game of hide and seek. This time, she quilted a little heart into the design,

which was perfect! I found it when I was sewing the binding on.

Once I got the binding sewn to the front, I sewed one of the personalized quilt labels that I get from Ever Emblem onto the back. They're so easy to attach, I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts! I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels. If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels and customize it from there. I always machine stitch my binding down around the labels because it's hard to hand stitch through them. But this time, I continued with the machine binding all the way around the quilt because I was in a hurry to get it done! It's going to be on display at Maker's & Co soon (where we'll be selling the pattern and kits!)

I love how this quilt has more of a "sophisticated" look,

which is perfect for my daughter's room (she's 20).

I just wish I had some big magenta euro shams to really complete the look.

Maybe with ruffles!?! How cute would that be? Maybe someday I'll get to that project!

As I said before, this pattern is fat eighth and fat quarter friendly.

But I think it would be awesome to make the hearts even scrappier.

You could use 10" squares or just fabrics from your stash

to make all of the hearts different.

One last photo...

Thank you to my boys for helping me get an outdoor shot!

It's not every day that I get two good-looking, tall men to help me with my job!

Well, that's it! My new pattern, Vintage Valentine!

I'd love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment below if you feel so inclined.

Vintage Valentine is available as a paper pattern HERE or a PDF pattern HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today!

A Not-So-Scrappy Scrap Jar Stars Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 18:55:00 +0000

Hi friends! I'm happy to share a recent quilt finish with you today!

I made this just for fun as I thought it would be beautiful in my own home.

Towards the end of August 2025, I got a wild hair to take one of my most popular patterns,

Scrap Jar Stars and make it not-so-scrappy! I love two-color quilts and thought it would

be fun to see a simplified, timeless version it!

It was love at first block! And it brings me so much joy every time I look this quilt because

all of the fabrics are fabrics I designed! The background fabric is called Sketchy Leaves

in the color Linen from my Feels Like Home collection with Riley Blake Designs.

The blue fabric is called Daisies in the color Sky from my collection Honey Locust

with RBD.

I got most of the quilt top put together at a quilt retreat that I went to in September.

(My friends and I did a photo shoot with all of our quilts on the last day of our retreat.)

I am not gonna lie, it's all I got done at the 5-day retreat (besides our daily walks,

chatting, floating a river, cooking and eating, shopping, a few naps, etc. It was a GREAT retreat!)

I brought a bunch of other projects but unfortunately, this took the majority of the time.

I added the border once I got back home.

This pattern comes with 4 quilt-size options - baby, lap, twin, and queen.

I added on one row to the twin size to make it a little wider.

My friend Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah quilted it with straight lines.

Those are always a win in my book!

The backing fabric is also from my collection, Honey Locust with Riley Blake Designs.

It's called Hydrangeas in the color Sky. I hand-bound it in the blue daisy fabric.

It had been a while since I've hand-bound a quilt and I thoroughly enjoyed doing it!

And per usual, I added one of the simple labels I get from Ever Emblem. They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts! I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels. If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels and customize it from there. I machine stitch my binding down around it because it's hard to hand stitch through it (but then I usually hand stitch the rest of my binding down to the back of my quilt).

I'm not sure where this quilt will "land". On the back of a sofa, a chair, or on a bed?

But I know I will not regret having this timeless blue and "white" quilt in my home!

This one is definitely a keeper!

I want to give you the fabric requirements in case you want to make a two-color

version of Scrap Jar Stars. First, you will need the pattern. You can get the

paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE.

All fabric requirements will stay the same, except that instead of using bright print fat quarters,

you will need:

Baby quilt = 1-1/2 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Lap quilt = 2-1/2 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Twin quilt = 2-7/8 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Queen quilt = 5-1/2 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Cutting will be a little different, so here are the number of 2" and 3-1/2" strips to cut for each quilt size:

Baby quilt = cut (8) 2" strips and (9) 3-1/2" strips

Lap quilt = cut (13) 2" strips and (15) 3-1/2" strips

Twin quilt = cut (16) 2" strips and (18) 3-1/2" strips

Queen quilt = cut (32) 2" strips and (36) 3-1/2" strips

Then cut the necessary squares for your chosen quilt size.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you decide to make a two-color version!

Or even a scrappy version! They're both so fun! Who doesn't love stars and patchwork!?!

Happy quilting!

The Flying Geese Project

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 01:53:00 +0000

The other day I got a wild hair to start a new project featuring Flying Geese.

I've made quilts before that have Flying Geese in them. But not a quilt of just Flying Geese.

I've made a couple of Welcome Wreath quilts...

And, of course, some star and basket blocks incorporate Flying Geese.

But I think it's high time I make an actual Flying Geese quilt. I would like to do this

in the same "block-a-day" manner that I've made a couple of other quilts, like my

2-Stars-A-Day quilt and an Hourglass quilt I posted about on Instagram a few years ago.

The block-a-day method is great because it forces you to get into your sewing room, have some creative time, and make a little bit of progress each and every day. I've found that with this method, you usually end up doing more than just one block. Sometimes getting to your sewing machine is the hardest part but once you get there you don't want to stop! But even if you make just one block a day, you can feel good about your progress! This is also great for someone like me (who is going through a bit of a sewing-slump and needs to get his or her "sew-jo" back!)

I've picked out some fabrics from my stash for this project... I have about 4-5 yards

of this beautiful cream with yellow flowers fabric that I'm going to use for my background.

I'm going to pair it with some pinks, browns, aqua's and greens that will really "pop"

against the background fabric. I think it will be really scrappy and fun!

PLUS, it will be a great scrap/stash buster project.

And you are welcome to join me!

I have a cutting chart and two Flying Geese tutorials for you, below.

You choose the size blocks you want to make and the layout/pattern you want to make with them!

It will be fun to see what everyone comes up with!

Note: Because there are so many different-sized blocks and quilts that you could make

(and different methods you could use), I will not be able to figure out how much fabric

you will need for your particular quilt. So sorry about that! But when in doubt,

either make it scrappy or buy a lot of fabric haha!

Here's the cutting chart. Click HERE for the printable PDF.

You can choose the method of Flying Geese-making that works best for you!

Minimal Waste 4-at-a-time or the Stitch 'N Flip 1-at-a-time method.

If you don't have very big pieces of fabric or very much time per day, I would recommend

the Stitch 'N Flip method. If you have bigger pieces of fabric and a bit more time,

I would recommend the 4-at-a-time method. It's up to you!

Note: There are so many ways to make Flying Geese. You can make them oversized,

the exact size, 4-at-a-time, 1-at-a-time, you can use trimming rulers, or you can paper piece them.

Find the method that works best for you, your fabric sizes, the gadgets you have or want to invest in, etc.! You may want to do some more research online if neither of my methods

seem like they'll work for you. I also suggest making some test blocks to see

what you think before you "lock in" to your method and size.

I might do a combination of both methods listed on my cutting chart, depending on my fabric.

I'll mostly do the 4-at-a-time method with my bigger pieces of fabric and then maybe

a few, using the Stitch 'N Flip method to use up some scraps.

Either way, I'll be making 3" x 6" finished blocks.

That works well for me as they're not too big or too small.

What size will you make?

For the 4-at-a-time method, you will need 1 large square of fabric for the Geese

and 4 smaller squares of fabric for the background. Mark a diagonal line from corner to corner

on the wrong side of each background square.

Place two small squares in opposite corners of the big square, right sides together (RST)

as shown below. (Notice the direction of the drawn lines.) The two squares (and lines)

will overlap a little bit. Pin in place, if desired. Use a scant 1/4" seam allowance

to stitch along both sides of the drawn lines. Then cut on the drawn lines to make 2 units.

Press the seam allowances as desired. Note: I don't plan to use sashing in my quilt.

I also think most of my Flying Geese will be going in the same direction. This means

that most of my seam allowances will be going in the same direction. So I am pressing my

seam allowances open so there won't be as much bulk. You are welcome to press yours

toward the background triangles if you prefer.

Next, place the 2 remaining small squares in the corners of the 2 units (RST) as shown below.

(Notice the direction of the drawn lines.) Pin in place, if desired.

Use a scant 1/4" seam allowance to stitch along both sides

of the drawn lines on both units. Then cut on the drawn lines to make 4 Flying Geese blocks.

Press the seam allowances as desired.

Square up the Flying Geese block to your chosen unfinished block size

(which is the finished block size + 1/2" added to both the width and height.

For example, the unfinished size for a 3" x 6" finished block is 3-1/2" x 6-1/2".)

Some people hate pressing seams open. I don't mind doing it.

It makes for a flat block with less bulk.

If you follow my instructions (using a scant 1/4" seam allowance and the cutting chart above),

you will only trim off a tiny bit when it comes time to square up your blocks.

If you want more wiggle room, I recommend making one size bigger on the chart

(ie, instead of cutting for a 3" x 6" finished block, you could cut for a 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" finished block

and then square it up to 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" unfinished). It will waste a little more fabric, though.

That's what I did here, with this chartruse gingham fabric. I'm going to stick with the original way

but it's up to you!

Note: Several people on Instagram recommended the Studio 180 Design

Wing Clipper Ruler for trimming Flying Geese. I got it and am really happy with it!

Click HERE to check it out on Amazon. There is also a video tutorial on how to use the ruler

on that Amazon listing.

For the 1-at-a-time method, you will need 1 rectangle of fabric for the Geese

and 2 small squares of fabric for the background. Mark a diagonal line from

corner to corner on the wrong side of each square.

Note: This method is exact and you won't need to square anything up if you follow my

cutting chart for your desired finished block size. Feel free to make them bigger though,

if you want room to square them up.

Place one small square on one end of the rectangle, right sides together (RST)

as shown below. Pin in place, if desired. Stitch on the drawn line and then trim 1/4" away

from the stitches. Press the seam allowances as desired.

Repeat those steps with the remaining square on the opposite end of the rectangle.

Note: You will have some waste with this method.

The triangles you trim off could be used for a bonus project.

I hope you have found all of this information helpful! Like I said, there are so many options for

how to make Flying Geese. You can do your own thing but I hope you'll join me in this

fun, block-a-day project! Please send me pictures of your finished quilt, if you do!

P.S. I don't really know how many Flying Geese blocks I'll be making.

I'll see how far my background fabric takes me. If I run out of background fabric,

I'll either buy more of the same one or start using multiple background fabrics.

I'm not afraid to mix it up/make it extra scrappy.

Leave a comment below if you're going to join me and if you

have any questions or comments. I'd love to hear details of what you plan to do!

Happy quilting!

Color Play Finished Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 18:32:00 +0000

A couple of years ago, my dear friend lost a child. I wanted to do something to let her know of

my love and to brighten her day just a little, so I gave her my original Color Play quilt (below).

It was made out of Riley Blake Confetti Cotton Solids and was very bright and happy.

I thought it suited my friend perfectly.

Fast forward to January of this year, I decided to make a new Color Play quilt for my home

in earthy, fall colors. I found these two prints (below) at the Quilter's Lodge in Draper, Utah.

They're Morris and Co. fabrics and inspired my whole fabric pull.

I thought they were so pretty and would go nicely in my home.

I then chose a Tilda solid fabric in the color ginger for the main fabric that runs through

each block and added in a bunch of other coordinating prints from my stash.

I used different shades of peach, greens, yellows, browns and blues.

I made sure there was plenty of contrast between my prints and the solid.

Color Play is a beginner-friendly pattern that encourages you to

play around with different color combinations! It's easy and fun!

It's 2-1/2" strip friendly (but as you know, I mostly used my stash for this one). It's a very versatile pattern. You can even rotate the blocks in different ways to truly make this pattern your own!

Color Play includes instructions for 4 different quilt sizes. I made the queen-size quilt.

My friend Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah, quilted it for me with the Vinery panto by Karlee Porter.

I thought it suited the feel of the fabrics and the diagonal layout of the blocks quite well!

I machine-bound it and then threw it in the washer and dryer for some extra crinkle.

You can really see the quilting from the back side.

Per usual, I added one of the labels I get from Ever Emblem. They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts! I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.

If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels

and customize it from there.

Sometimes I get asked how the labels hold up. This is after one wash.

I think they do really well; however, I don't wash my quilts all that often, so keep that in mind.

I'm glad this quilt is finally finished (it took me forever to bind it and take photographs!)

But it's the perfect timing to add some nice fall vibes to my son's bedroom.

It's my favorite time of year. I love the cooler temps and cozy vibes

that blankets, sweaters, and socks bring! Warm soups and baked breads!

Snuggling up with your people at the end of a long day. It's just the best.

This pattern would be cute in any color way.

If you want to grab the pattern,

you can get the paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'd love to know what you think about this quilt,

your favorite season, thing about fall, or favorite fall recipe!

Happy quilting!

Every Which Way - Updated Pattern!

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 03:27:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today I'm excited to share a sweet little baby quilt that I made recently.

I made this quilt for one of my nieces who just had the most darling baby boy!

Her mom told me she likes "earthy" colors so I picked out this color palette of

blues, greens, blacks, browns, and oranges. The prints are masculine and

geometric. There are even some wovens and a chambray to add a little texture.

All of the fabrics came from my stash! I love when I can do that!

I used my Every Which Way pattern, which was one of the very first patterns I ever designed!

It needed an update though, so I rewrote the instructions, fixed the diagrams and added

a second size option! Feels so good to offer a higher quality pattern

(I hate to have anything less than the best for you guys!)

This is a beginner-friendly pattern.

I used my stash for this one but the instructions are fat-eighth and fat-quarter friendly.

I've made a few Every Which Way quilts over the years.

It's one of my favorite boy patterns but could be cute for a girl too!

One of my favorite things about this quilt is that the tan and white woven

plaid fabric on the back was my grandmother's fabric. So that means the baby will

be snuggled in fabric from his great, great-grandmother! Isn't that sweet!?!

It was quilted by my girl, Jen Ostler of Dry Creek Quilting.

She used the Domestic Squared Panto by Leisha Farnsworth.

I love the modern feel of it and liked that it went along with the angle of the arrowheads.

Jen always includes a hidden object in the quilting, which I think is such

a fun, personal touch. This time it was a little star. Can you see it below?

I always like to attach one of the simple labels I get from Ever Emblem.

They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!

I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels. If you want to get some for yourself,

you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels and customize it from there.

This was a really fun make and I hope my niece loves it!

I hope to make another one soon because

I've given all of my Every Which Way quilts away!

If you'd like to grab the paper version of the updated Every Which Way pattern

click HERE. Or you can click HERE for the updated pdf version.

That's it for now. I'd love to hear what you think of this simple baby quilt.

What do you think of these colors for a baby boy?

Thank you for stopping by today!

Red, White, and Blue Checkered Spools Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 22:38:00 +0000

If you've been around here much, you know

I am a sucker for red, white, and blue quilts!

I was making my Honey Locust Checkered Spools quilt in June and

I just kept envisioning it in red, white, and blue! So I just had to scratch that itch!

I had the white background fabric in my stash. I actually designed that print for

the Riley Blake Designs Hush Hush 4 collection. It was originally a creamy background

with tan stars and they reprinted it in white for their Lights On 2 collection.

The print is called Seeing Stars. I was able to use fabrics from my stash for most of the spools

(although I did treat myself to a few new ones just for fun).

Checkered Spools is a 2-1/2" x 42" strip-friendly pattern but since

I just used random cuts of fabric from my stash, it's scrappier

than the original version. I love it!

I even made a scrappy back for it!

It always feels good to use up random remnants

from my stash. There's no right or wrong way to make

a scrappy back. It just depends on what size pieces of fabric you have!

And since I was in a "scrappy" mood, I thought, why not do a scrappy binding too?!?

The best part was that I only used leftover pieces of binding from

other projects! I didn't have to cut any strips for this particular project! I've made several

red, white, and blue quilts over the years so I had plenty to choose from!

Jen Ostler quilted it for me with a new-to-me quilting panto called

Starry Twist by Melissa Kelley of Sew Shabby Quilting.

This was such a fun project to work on in July!

Checkered Spools would be cute in any color way and is the

perfect pattern for a cherished bundle of 2-1/2" strips.

Checkered Spools comes with instructions for 2 quilt sizes.

This is the smaller, throw size which finishes at 64 1/2" x 80 1/2".

Quick sidenote: I am teaching this class at The Garden of Quilts in Lehi, Utah

on September 12th from 2-5 pm. I'd love for you to join me! Click HERE for details.

If you'd like to make this pattern too, you can get the

paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE,

Click HERE to see the original version of Checkered Spools.

I'm curious if you have a favorite?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Honey Locust Checkered Spools Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 21:01:00 +0000

I recently finished a new quilt called Checkered Spools.

I designed this pattern to go along with my new fabric collection

with Riley Blake Designs called Honey Locust, which is in stores now.

All you need for the quilt top is a Rolie Polie (a bundle of forty-two 2-1/2" x 42" strips),

background fabric and some yardage for the tops and bottoms of the spools.

I used this sky daisy print for the background.

I used the brown and blue hydrangea print for the binding.

And the other two browns (posies and patchwork) were used

for the top and bottom of the spools.

It was fun mixing and matching different prints for the checkerboard units.

I really wanted Honey Locust to have a curated, scrappy feel so it has

a total of 24 different sku's. There are 9 unique prints and 8 colors.

Leftover checkerboard segments are used in the fun, patchwork border.

Since I was planning on using the brown and blue hydrangea print for the binding,

I debated about these 3 prints for the backing fabric. I thought each of them

would compliment the front of the quilt and binding.

I ended up using the navy floral print called Gigi's Garden. I love using

large-scale prints for quilt backs, so it was perfect.

I think the brown and blue hydrangea print for the binding tied it all together!

I usually hand-stitch my binding but was in a hurry this time so I machine bound it.

It takes some practice but I think I've finally got my method down. In this particular case,

I used two different color threads - blue on the front and brown on the back.

Jen Ostler quilted it for me with the Interlocking Orange Peel panto by Karlee Porter.

It's one of my go-to pantos; I've used it many times over the years! Some other

pantos I considered were the Baptist Fan and Crosshatching. I guess I wanted something

classic and timeless with a little bit of a vintage feel. I landed on the Interlocking

Orange Peel and am really happy with it!

Checkered Spools comes with instructions for 2 different quilt sizes.

This is the bigger version, the full version that finishes at 80 1/2" x 96 1/2".

I turned it sideways and it fits perfectly on this queen-size bed!

This was such a fun project! And I'm not gonna lie, after I made this,

I started dreaming of having a quilting retreat center

with all the beds adorned in Checkered Spools quilts!

If you'd like to make this pattern too you can get the

paper pattern HERE,

the PDF pattern HERE,

or I have 1 kit available HERE.

I also have some of the sky daisy fabric listed in my shop as well.

You can get that HERE.

I also thought this would be adorable in red, white, and blue!

Check out that version HERE!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Delma's Dresden Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 18:29:00 +0000

I remember my grandma making a Dresden Plate quilt many years ago, and I thought,
I will NEVER make one of those! I think she worked on those Dresden Plates for years,

and it just seemed so hard and so tedious! But then I discovered the EZ Dresden Ruler by

Darlene Zimmerman, and it took out all of the guesswork! I fell in love with Dresdens

and have made several Dresden Plate quilts since then!

So today, I have a little tutorial for you that features one big Dresden Plate. This is the

perfect project to showcase some of your favorite fabrics and let you try your hand at a

Dresden Plate, if you haven't made one before.

I'm calling this one Delma's Dresden - in honor of my late grandmother. It's more modern
than the classic ones she used to make, but I've been wanting to make this kind of Dresden Plate

for a long time. It doesn't have a center circle appliquéd over the smaller edges of the wedges.

I think it's pretty fun with points on the outside and inside of each wedge.

Supplies Needed:

- 20 bright rectangles, 4" x 6" each

- Cream background fabric: 28" x 28"

- Batting: 28" x 28"

- Backing fabric: 28" x 28"

- Binding fabric: 1/3 yard or a 26" x 26" frame

- EZ Dresen Ruler By Darlene Zimmerman

- Wood Point Turner

- Spray Starch

- Appli-Glue by Jilily Studio

- Basting pins or spray, walking foot, water soluble pen,

and seam guides if machine quilting it yourself

- Other quiltmaking supplies such as a sewing machine, iron and board,

rotary cutter, ruler and mat, coordinating thread and applique needle, etc.

Step 1. Line up the 2" mark of the EZ Dresden Ruler on the bottom edge of a bright

4" x 6" rectangle and the top edge of the ruler on the top edge of the rectangle.

Trim off the sides to create a fabric wedge. Cut 20 wedges.

Step 2: Fold the wedges in half, right sides together. Sew across the top and bottom edges using a

1/4" seam allowance (I did this in a chain, which is why they're in an arc, below left).

Trim the corners near the folded edges to reduce bulk. Be careful not to clip the stitches.

Step 3: Press the folded edges with a hot iron to mark the center of the wedges.

Turn the wedges right-side-out and use a wood point turner to carefully push out

the top and bottom points so they are nice and sharp. Align the seam allowances (on the back side)

with the center crease to make sure the points are centered. Press the "blades" with a hot iron

(use spray starch to get nice crisp edges). Make 20.

Step 4: Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the blades together along the long edges,

right sides together. Make sure the bigger points are aligned at the top and the smaller points

are aligned at the bottom. Sew the edges of the first and last blades together to create a

Dresden Plate. Press the seam allowances in one direction.

Step 5: Press the background fabric in half with a hot iron, in both directions, to mark the

center of the square. Center your Dresden Plate on the background fabric over the creases.

Use small dots of Appli-Glue underneath the points of the wedges to adhere the Dresden Plate

in place. I like to work in quarter sections of the Dresden Plate, just lifting up points of the

wedges and putting a few dots of glue on the back side of each. Once everything

is glued in place, I like to "set it" with a hot iron.

Note: My Dresden Plate was off-center here, and I didn't notice until I had already glued

it in place. Thankfully, the background fabric was cut a little oversized, so I had room to

center it later when I squared everything up and cut it down to size.

Step 6. Applique the Dresden Plate to the background fabric. I hand-appliqued mine using

taupe colored thread. If you don't like to hand-stich, you could machine appliqué it

with a simple top-stitch or decorative stitch. Carefully press

the quilt top with a hot iron.

Step 7: Lay down your backing fabric (wrong side up) on a smooth surface.

Then layer with a piece of batting and your quilt top (right side up). Use basting pins to

secure the 3 layers together, placing pins 3-4 inches apart.

Step 8: Quilt as desired. I used my walking foot and seam guides to quilt

diagonal lines (both directions) 1" apart. I like to increase my stitch length a little when I'm

machine quilting so the stitches aren't too tiny and once in a while I had to use a water soluble pen

and a ruler to mark a few of the lines. I used matching cream thread and avoided the

Dresden Plate as I stitched the diagonal lines. My machine has a button to create a knot so I used that whenever I had to stop or start a new line. Once I was done with that part, I went back and

stitched in the ditch around the entire Dresden Plate and each blade. There was lots of starting and stopping as I tried to reduce the amount of overlapped stitching.

Step 9. Square up the quilt to your desired size. Then bind or frame it.

If binding it, use 3 strips, 2-1/2" x 40" each.

I trimmed off as little as possible and then my husband built a 26" x 26" frame for it.

I got 1/4" plywood for the back (Home Depot sells 26" x 26" boards)

and 1" x 2" wood boards for the sides (I believe we used alder). My husband assembled

the frame and notched out space with a router for the plywood and quilt. I stained it

and then he attached some simple hardware to the back so we could hang it.

He assembled everything and then he trimmed off any excess quilt that was poking out

behind the plywood with a sharp Exacto knife.

I love how it turned out and am so thankful to my husband for building the frame!

This would be super cute bound like a normal wallhanging or turned into a pillow

if you don't have the means to build a frame.

Let me know if you decide to make this project! Even better, you can send me photos at gigisthimble@hotmail.com or tag me on Instagram at @gigis_thimble. I'd love to see it!

This is a fun way to showcase your favorite fabrics or try your hand at a Dresden Plate,

applique, or machine quilting. I used strike-off (sample) fabrics from my latest fabric collection

with Riley Blake Designs called Honey Locust.

Thanks for stopping by today and please let me know if you have any questions!

Vinyl Project Pouches in Honey Locust

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 04:29:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today I'm popping in to share a quick project idea

that any crafter, sewist, or quilter will love - a Vinyl Project Pouch!

I had never made one before. But I had received one as a gift and loved it! They're so cute and handy! So I knew I wanted to make some with my new fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs called Honey Locust. They're kind of addicting to make, and I can definitely see myself making more in the future.

I started with the cheater print from Honey Locust. I quilted it on my domestic machine

with diagonal lines that were the same distance apart as the small triangles on the cheater print.

I used a walking foot and seam guides so I didn't have to mark anything.

It was actually really easy and fun to quilt the panels!

I know, putting in zippers can be intimidating, but I promise it's really not that hard, especially on a project like this. It's actually really satisfying! And if I can do it, anyone can!

I got the zippers from a local quilt shop and the vinyl from Walmart.

Each pouch uses about 4 different fabrics so it's fun playing around with different fabric combinations.

And you can make these for any occasion, so the possibilities are endless!

I got these fun zipper pulls from an online fabric store years ago.

(Unfortunately, I can't remember which one - sorry!)

The tutorial I used for these pouches is by Ann from The Bobbin Jar blog. It was really well done and she offered several size options! I highly recommend it! Click HERE to check out Ann's tutorial.

I definitely want to make more Vinyl Project Pouches. They would make great gifts for all my quilty friends!

Honey Locust Ironing Board Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 15:33:00 +0000

Now that my new fabric collection, Honey Locust, has shipped to stores, I am busy making all the things! The first project I made was a quick one using the Echelons Cheater Print.

I whipped up a new ironing board cover (I know, I know, I just made one with my last cheater print), but I couldn't help myself! It's such a quick project, and I thought these softer colors would go beautifully in my sewing room.

THIS is the tutorial I use to make ironing board covers. I've shared it many times before.
It just takes an hour or so to make, and I often have all the supplies on hand.

It's such a sweet, happy print and oh so quilty, don't you think!!??

This little ironing board cover is bringing me a lot of joy right now.

I also really love my Oliso iron. I love the color, the weight, the heat, the long automatic shutoff feature, and the extra-long cord! This is my second Oliso iron. I had my first one for 7-10 years and knew I would be getting another one when the first one broke en route to a quilting retreat!

Anyways, if you're interested in making one of these covers too, I've got just the amount of this cheater fabric you need to make one just like it, listed in my Etsy shop HERE.

I would also love to make a quilt coat and a tote bag with this cheater print.

What would you make with it?

Honey Locust - My New Fabric Collection!

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 03:16:00 +0000

About a year and a half ago, I began working on my newest fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs. It's called Honey Locust, and I am happy to announce that it has finally shipped to stores!

Honey Locust is an homage to my grandparents, who lived in a cute little house on Locust Avenue in Pleasant Grove, Utah, for many years. Before that, they lived in Laie, Hawaii for 25 years. My grandpa was a cowboy and a history professor. My grandma was a quilter and a homemaker. Their home in Pleasant Grove was on the historic registry, and it was full of learning and love (as well as lots of quilts and antiques!) I have many memories of riding horses, learning skills such as quilting and canning, working alongside family while painting their picket fence, and singing songs while my grandpa played the guitar and taught us about our heritage. We worked together and played together at that sweet little house on Locust Avenue, and I miss my grandparents dearly.

In this collection, you'll find cozy colors such as grove green, sky blue, berry pink, honeycomb yellow, lead navy blue, petal pink, saddle brown, and linen. The names remind me of Pleasant Grove, picking cherries and grapes on my grandparents' property, Utah (the beehive state), my grandpa - the teacher and cowboy, and fresh linen sheets hanging on a clothesline.

The large floral print (bottom fabric below) is called Gigi's Garden.

The grandkids called my grandma Gigi (she is the namesake of my company!)

There are 9 different prints plus one "cheater" print.

I'm kind of obsessed with the cheater print and want to make "all the things" with it!

The cheater print was inspired by a quilt I made several years ago (and that was inspired by several antique quilts I had seen around). I kept meaning to write a pattern for the quilt, but it just never happened! When it came time to design a cheater print for this collection, I knew I wanted to recreate the quilt on fabric! I love that design, and I love that the blocks are even smaller than the ones in my quilt. Everything is cuter when it's tiny, right!?

Honey Locust Rolie Polies, 5" Stackers, 10" Stackers, and Fat Quarter Bundles are available.

I hope you're seeing just how scrappy this collection is!

So many prints and colors! It's been a blast to work with!

I've designed 3 new patterns to go along with Honey Locust. First up is one of the first patterns I ever designed - with a major update! I omitted some outdated appliqué and included one more size option. It's called Square Root and it's 2-1/2" strip-friendly.

Next up is a row-style quilt called The Locust House Row Quilt. Again, it was inspired by my grandparents' house. My grandma also had a few row-style quilts that I admired greatly so I knew I wanted to design one for this collection. It finishes at 62" x 81" and would make a great block of the month program for any shop! Or a great scrap buster project if you want to make it on your own!

And finally, Checkered Spools. In honor of my grandma, who taught me how to quilt! It comes with instructions for two size options and is 2-1/2" strip-friendly!

I can't wait to share more with you soon! I am busy making all the samples for these quilts (and more!) so stay tuned! For the most up-to-date info, follow me on Instagram (@gigis_thimble) or check-out my Etsy shop for new patterns and fabric by clicking HERE.

I'd love to hear what you think of Honey Locust and the patterns I've designed to go along with it!

And if you really want to do me a favor, please tell your local fabric store about this collection! I would appreciate that so much! Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for stopping by today!

Teaching at the 2025 Garden of Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Thu, 01 May 2025 00:02:00 +0000

I'm so excited to announce that I will be teaching at the Garden of Quilts again this year!

This will be my fourth year teaching and I couldn't be more thrilled!

If you haven't been before, it's 4 full days of classes, quilts swaying in the breeze throughout 50-acres in the incredible Ashton Gardens, lectures, trunk shows, demos, and a quilty vendor marketplace -

all located at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah.

The dates are September 10th - 13th.

They even have some special events such as afternoon tea, a "meet the maker" social and shopping event, special dinners, and (what is sure to be) an inspirational show by Lori Holt! It's going to be so much fun, so be sure to grab some friends/loved ones (or even come by yourself!) and join us for a week full of inspiration and one heck of a good time!

I'll be teaching 4 classes...

Wednesday afternoon, I'll be teaching Pineapple Block Paper Piecing. It's such a great technique to add to your quilting repertoire! My "grab and go" method is great for all skill levels!

Friday afternoon, I'll be teaching one of my upcoming patterns, Checkered Spools

(which will be available in a few weeks!). It's a 2 1/2" strip-friendly pattern with 2 size options.

Saturday morning, I'll be teaching Big Baby - a great class for beginner quiltmakers! We'll focus on using an accurate 1/4" seam allowance, "nesting" seams, the time-saving "web-piecing" technique, and making Flying-Geese. A baby quilt is a great place to start in the world of quilting!

And finally, on Saturday afternoon, I'll be teaching a new(ish) pattern of mine called Feels Like Home. We'll make 3 different blocks while we do a little bit of paper-piecing (for the roofs), learn a time-saving triangle piecing hack (for the hearts), and focus on using an accurate 1/4" seam allowance.

It's sure to be a good time so I hope you'll join me! Please let me know (below) if you have any questions! There are so many fun classes; I'm hoping I might have time to take one or two, myself!

Winding Ways Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 03:35:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today I want to share a quilt I finished earlier this year called Winding Ways. I started this quilt in July of 2023. Around that time, I had mentioned to some friends that I wanted to get better at curved piecing. One of them happened to have an Accuquilt Die Cut machine + dies for the Winding Ways pattern. She offered to let us all use it, and well, here we are!

This was my color palette. I got all of my fabrics (including my backing and binding fabrics) at Harmony in Provo, Utah. It's one of my favorite shops (and lucky for you, they have an online shop!) They have tons of fun gift items, yarn, and apparel fabrics. Their quilting cotton selection is a bit on the small side, but every fabric is beautiful and unique!

In a moment of insanity, I decided to "go big". Why? Why did I decide to go big? I hadn't even made a test block. I just dove right in. And to be completely honest, I regretted that decision every step of the way...until it was finished, haha. Every step was tedious. I didn't enjoy it. But I persevered and now I'm really glad I did!

There isn't a pattern per se, just the dye cuts. So, unfortunately, I don't have any information about fabric requirements. But I do know, I did a 10 x 12 block layout. So 120 blocks with 12 curved pieces on each one. I chained pieced everything, so every step took a long time!

The blocks finished at 8" x 8" each. So the finished quilt size is 80" x 96".

Perfect for a queen-size bed!

When it came to the quilting, I knew I wanted something circular to complement the quilt pattern design. I found some inspiration pictures, but they all seemed to be custom quilted using curved rulers. I didn't want to pay custom quilting prices, so I took it to my awesome long arm quilter, Jen Ostler. We found an edge to edge pantograph called Hippie Dippie that was really similar to my inspiration pictures. Jen tweaked the pattern a bit to make the design overlap a little and it came out perfect!

As many of you know, Jen always quilts a little object into the quilting for a fun game of hide 'n seek. This time it was a cute little butterfly which you can see above.

I bound it in this striped woven fabric. And I'm a little obsessed with this beautiful floral fabric I used for the back. It tied everything together perfectly, don't you think?!?

The label is from Ever Emblem. I've been getting labels from them for years! I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels. If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels and customize it from there. I machine stitch my binding down around it because it's hard to hand stitch through it (but then I usually hand stitch the rest of my binding down to the back of my quilt).

I'm really happy with the way this quilt turned out! I love the colors and the quilting. But I kind of wish I had picked colors that went better in my house. I don't know where I'm going to put this quilt!

I'm so thankful to my friend for letting me use her die-cut machine to cut all the pieces for this quilt! So generous of her! The dies cut out every piece accurately with little notches to show you where to line things up! I can't imagine doing this project without the die-cutter!

I hope you enjoyed seeing this fun project using the Accuquilt Winding Ways Dies! I'm glad I was able to get some serious practice with curved piecing. Tell me, what's one quilting technique that you want to work on?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Half-Square Triangle Baby Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 04:02:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today, I have two more really simple baby quilts that I want to share with you! Last week I shared a simple patchwork quilt. And this week, I have two Half-Square Triangle quilts that I recently gifted to two new mommas in my neighborhood. Both had baby girls! It's such a joy to spread the {quilty} love!

(Sidenote: I finished all 3 of these quilts a few months ago and I'm just now getting around to blogging about them. Just wanted you to know that I didn't whip all of them up this past week or two. :))

First up is this super simple gingham quilt. I had some leftover HST's from another project that I didn't end up using, and decided to put them to good use and make a baby quilt with them! Since it was so simple on the front, I decided to jazz things up a bit with a fun floral on the back. This quilt was wider than your standard 40" - 42" wide fabric, so I tried to find a wide-back fabric that matched. Do you know it's really hard to find a cute wide-back!?! I finally landed on this teal and taupe floral by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs. It was perfect for the look I was going for!

My blocks finished at 6" and I did an 8 x 9 layout, so it finished at about 48" x 54".

Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah, quilted it with the Cartwheel panto,

which I think added some nice movement to this quilt.

I added one of my usual labels from Ever Emblem that has my name, city, and year on it, plus a fun floral tag that I got from Sarah Hearts. It looks like she's out of that particular label, but she has so many other cute options, including this one that's pretty similar. They're all so cute and I think they add a little whimsy to every quilt!

This pattern would be perfect for anyone who loves a simple, cottagey aesthetic!

Or, if you did it in solid fabrics, it would give it a simple, modern aesthetic!

[ I love wrapping gifts with beautiful ribbons that match!]

The second HST quilt I made was this one, which is a bit more colorful!

Again, I used some cutoffs from another project to make these HST's. They have a more earthy color palette but there's plenty of florals in there to make it somewhat girly.

Do you think the days of girly = pink are gone? I think moms these days are going

a little more modern and thinking outside the box. Anything goes!

These blocks finish at 3" and I did a 12 x 15 layout.

Then I added a 3" finished border so it finishes at about 42" x 51".

Jen Ostler quilted this one too (she pretty much does all my quilting unless I need custom quilting).

The panto she used is called Golden Curls and I love it!

I think it has a modern, organic vibe, just like my fabrics.

Again, I used a label from Ever Emblem. They're so handy!

I finished this quilt at the end of last year but didn't get pictures of it until today.

I can't remember what the backing fabric is called but it has a little texture, which I think is fun.

I washed this one before I gifted it. I don't usually prewash my fabrics but this was a high-contrast quilt so I wanted to make sure the colors didn't bleed. I threw about 4 Shout Color Catchers

into the wash and had no bleeding! Yay!

I dropped it off at my neighbor's today. The mom couldn't talk long (new baby she had to attend to). But as I was walking back to my house, she called to me from her porch - so shocked that it was a quilt inside the bag. She thought it was just diapers or something! I love surprising people with handmade quilts! Don't you?!?

I hope you found a little inspiration here today! Use what you have and keep it simple if you want!

Quilts don't have to be intricate. Cute fabrics and a simple pattern is all you need! Oh, and be sure to check out my tutorial on how to square up HST's if you're new to quilting! This will give you perfect points every time!

Happy quilting!

Simple Blue and White Patchwork Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 02:15:00 +0000

Who said a quilt has to be intricate or time-consuming to make!?

Not me! I love simple patchwork!

I had some blues leftover from a few projects recently

so I decided to cut them into 3 1/2" squares for a simple lap-size quilt.

I did a 17 x 21 block layout, so this quilt finished at 51" x 63".
I think it would be perfect for a little boy.

Jen Ostler in Highland, UT. quilted it for me with this panto called Ripple. I've used that panto before and think it adds some nice movement to a very "square" quilt. I like that it's a play off the blues/water, too! Do you see the little star (below) that Jen quilted into it? Such a fun, signature move that she does on all of her quilts. Makes for a fun game of hide and seek.

I had a partial bolt of this cream and navy plaid fabric in my stash. It felt good to use some of it in the patchwork and for the back of the quilt. I don't think I've used a plaid for an alternate/background fabric before, but I thought it was kind of fun in this particular project. Since everything is going the same direction (as in, there aren't any triangles that would cause the plaid to be on-point in some places) it was definitely a good project for that! I had someone ask me if it was hard to get all of the lines straight and I honestly didn't even pay attention to that. I just cut it like I normally would. It's generally pretty straight but I think a little imperfection adds some charm! Would it bug you if the plaid wasn't perfectly straight?

I hope this inspires you to go simple and not worry about perfection!

Happy quilting friends!

Homemade Ironing Board Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:49:00 +0000

Hi there! Today, I want to share a quick project that I think every quilter and sewist will find useful!

When your ironing board cover becomes worn and scorched you can replace it with a fresh, homemade cover with stuff you just might have on hand! And it won't take long to make!

My friend Eva Garlick (who I used to work with at a quilt shop many moons ago) wrote

THIS TUTORIAL on how to make your own ironing board cover. I have used it many times over the years and wanted to share it again. It doesn't take long to make and I love that you can make it in any fabric - to match your space.

I happened to have all the supplies on hand for this cover so it didn't cost me anything (is that "girl math" LOL?) The best part was using some leftover binding I had (from previous projects) for the elastic casing, so it came together really fast!

I knew I wanted to use the cheater print from my last fabric collection (Feels Like Home) with Riley Blake Designs for this project. It features 6" pineapple blocks and matches the sewing machine mat/organizer I posted about a couple of weeks ago. You can check out that project HERE.

For those of you that don't know, a cheater print is a fabric that has a quilt block or entire quilt printed on it. So you can get the look of a patchwork quilt without all of the work! This cheater print is so happy and would be perfect in any sewing/craft room but of course, you can make your ironing board cover in whatever fabric you'd like! It doesn't have to be a cheater print.

It took just an hour or so to make my cover. I love a quick, instant satisfaction project like this!

Have you ever made your own ironing board cover?

I hope this post inspires you to make one!

If you would like to make one just like mine, I have a few listings in my Etsy shop for just the fabric you would need (a 21" x 72" piece of the cheater print). Click HERE to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sewing Machine Mat and Organizer Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:46:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today I want to share a fun project I made for the Riley Blake Designs YouTube channel! It's for a sewing machine mat that will keep your notions close by and organized during any sewing session, whether you're at home or away.

You've probably seen tutorials for these mats before but this one uses my Pineapple Block Cheater Print which is part of my Feels Like Home fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs. Any cheater print would be cute for this project but you know I love Pineapple Blocks! This print features little 6" Pineapple Blocks so it has a big "wow" factor and would be cute in any sewing space.

Mine just so happens to match an ironing board cover that I made a few months ago.

You can check that project out HERE! It includes a link to the tutorial I use.

The sewing mat has a large pocket on one side that is meant to hang off your sewing table. You can customize the size of each compartment to hold all of your favorite notions. I especially love taking my mat to quilt retreats so that all of my notions stay in my own sewing space. There's usually a lot going on at retreats and it's easy for things to get misplaced.

It also has ric rac on the side so you can roll it up for easy transport.

You could use some beautiful ribbon instead if you prefer.

Check out the YouTube video HERE for all the details.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy quilting!

United Quilt in Solids

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 02:22:00 +0000

Hi there! I'm popping on really quick to share a quilt I said I would share.
This is my United quilt pattern and I finished this particular version in 2021.

I have two other versions that you can see HERE and HERE.

I decided to make this bright and happy version because I had a lot of solids in my stash that I wanted to use up. I also think it's fun to try out different color palettes to see how different a pattern can look. I had fun putting together different color combinations for the flags and I especially loved making the heart block! Each star is a different blue or green color.

I had my long-arm quilter do wavy lines

(which is one of my favorite pantos to do on a flag or patriotic quilt).

It adds some movement to an otherwise "angular" quilt.

I love a fun quilt back and fell in love with this old Juice Carton fabric the minute I saw it.

It had a lot of my flag colors in it so I thought it tied everything together with a bit of whimsy.

The United pattern is pretty big (it finishes at 78" x 87").

So I decided to leave off the 2 borders on this one to make it a little smaller.

I just wanted to document this version of United.

I can't believe I never posted about it before! Better late than never!

If you'd like to snag a copy of my United pattern you can get the paper pattern HERE

and the PDF pattern HERE. It's a beginner-friendly pattern.

Thank you for stopping by today and happy quilting!

Finished Uneven 9-Patch Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:45:00 +0000

Hello friends! On November 30th, I shared a free pattern (on my blog) for an Uneven 9-patch quilt and today, I want to share my finished quilt! (Click HERE for my original post about starting this project.)

I wanted to make a 2-color quilt for my king-size bed using these two fabrics I designed. The cream fabric is called Seeing Stars for the Hush Hush 4 low-volume collection for Riley Blake Designs. And the green fabric is called Sketchy Leaves for my Feels Like Home collection with RBD.

I worked on the quilt top throughout December 2024 and finished it right after Christmas. It was fun working on something kind of festive in December but I love that the fabrics aren't Christmasy so they'll be great in my bedroom all year round!

It's a big quilt! It finishes at 112" x 102".

I found this beautiful fabric for the back. It's so classy and matched the green well.

My cute mom stopped by my house one day and helped me line up the backing pieces so the print matched up. So glad we took the time to do that! She is a really good seamstress so she showed me some good tricks!

Pretty darn good, right?!? Thanks mom!!!

I had my quilter, Jen Ostler (in Highland, UT.) quilt it with a 1" grid pattern. Grid quilting is always a favorite of mine; it's so timeless! Jen did her signature move and quilted an extra little object into the quilting (in this case - a quilty star) which makes for a fun game of I-Spy! Do you see the star below?

After I bound the quilt in the same green Sketchy Leaves fabric, I found some coordinating pillows to tie everything together. I already had the artwork above my bed so I just pulled light green, natural, and gold colors from those prints to use as my pillow colors! I got all of the pillows that you see here from a wonderful local shop called Layers Bedding. It's at Gardner Village in West Jordan, Utah. They add the perfect finishing touch and make my bed feel so cozy and inviting!

I love how the different sizes, colors, textures, shapes, and prints of the pillow fabrics add a lot of warmth to the room. It took a lot of time to find the perfect combination but it was fun. The process was similar to doing a fabric pull for a quilt and I love that part of quilt-making!

If you want to make a quilt like this, you can download the free pattern HERE.

It includes instructions for 5 quilt-size options and would be cute in any colorway!

Have you ever made a 2-color quilt? They're so classic; I just love them.

Tell me, what colors would you use if you made a quilt like this?

The Original United Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Gigi's Thimble) — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 19:56:00 +0000

Introducing...my United quilt! This is one of the most special quilts I own! Many hands went into making it. It was completed in 2020 so this blog post is long overdue! Keep reading to hear the story behind this quilt...

I am sure you would all agree that 2020 was a rough year for humanity. At the beginning of the year, people started to realize we had a terrifying worldwide Covid-19 pandemic on our hands. Then, a few months later George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis, MN. police officer. Riots ensued and cities across the country burned. All of this happened during a major U.S. presidential campaign. Things got ugly. It wasn't our best moment as Americans. My heart was in turmoil. So what does a quilter do when things get rough?

They create. They use the hum of a sewing machine to blur the chaos of the world.

So, I made a little flag block and then another. They were so fun and easy to make. I quickly realized what would make them even better though - if some of my Instagram friends joined me. So I put a request out there for anyone who desired - to please send me a flag block for my special project.

My request was for just one block in soft red, white, and blue fabrics. Of course, many quilters could not resist sending more than one because they are that simple to make! Just 2 seams! It takes more time to pick out the fabrics than it does to make the block! They're kind of addicting to make.

I received so many blocks! Most came with sweet notes, a few with extra fabric they thought I would enjoy. Everyone was so kind; it was so fun to open each package. After I received all of the flags, I started piecing together my quilt top which included 50 flags (to represent the 50 states), plus 5 stars and 1 heart. Thus, my United pattern was born! And there really wasn't a question about what I would call it, "United" was meant to be. It really was such a heartfelt project, from beginning to end.

I smile when I see the back of my quilt because it represents the generosity of my Instagram friends! I didn't know any of them personally, but I received so many blocks that I had to put some on the back! It's a reminder of how good, kind, and thoughtful people really are. Despite all of the different religious, political, economic, and cultural backgrounds we have (there was even a flag from Australia!), we are all humans, and I believe, children of God. And that is the greatest uniter. We have more in common than we think and sometimes we need to be reminded of that.

I enjoyed putting the quilt together and then I took it to my quilter, Jen Ostler, who quilted it using the Diagonal Plaid panto. It's a great general panto that looks good on everything!

I think the light blues and reds look great on the navy background. But I've also made two other United quilts! One with a low-volume background that you can check out HERE. It's extra scrappy. And one with just solid fabrics that you can check out HERE. I would love to hear which one is your favorite!

This quilt will always have a special place in my heart. I want to thank everyone who sent me a block. They mean so much! I even had several pattern testers for United so be sure to check out the #unitedquilt hashtag on Instagram to see lots more inspiration. They really knocked it out of the park. People have even hosted block swaps for United (which I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing!)

This quilt finishes at 78" x 87". So it's big! Someone told me the other day that they gave their United quilt to a friend in her "Military Mom Era". That made me so happy!

If you'd like to make a United quilt you can grab the

paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE.

Have a great day!