Patterns + Classes

A collection of free patterns from I See Stars Quilting and offers from other talented quilting artists.

What is a quilter’s “Flying Geese”?

When I first started sewing I quickly picked up on the fact that sewists have their own terminology and a catchy clever phrase for just about everything related to our craft…. like a secret club language if you will. As a newbie, this can be overwhelming and confusing… but nothing tops the day I heard about a quilter’s “flying geese”…

Excuse me… What the what?

Don’t worry… we’re not zoo-ologists now or anything. The flying geese is a sewing technique that gets your perfectly perfect “v” shapes in your designs very single time. And it is absolutely beautiful!

As for what I can discover about the origins of the term “Flying Geese”… there area few theories floating around. A lot of it is folklore going back to the civil war times. It is said that these quilts were displayed on front porches etc to convey secret messages along common paths that would point/guide fleeing slaves toward the northern free states. Geese fly north to Canada, hense the goose reference. Geese fly in a “V” formation… you can connect the dots 🙂

So let’s learn the simple steps how to create these beautiful “v” shapes with fabric, shall we?

Today I have 2 methods to show you on how you can make a flying geese block. You’ll be a pro in no time! I’ll even link to a few free patterns out there that use this block should you get really goose happy and want to create more!

Supplies:
- Rotary Cutter
- Cutting Mat
- Ruler
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Pins
- Sewing Machine
- 2 Fat Quarters -OR- 2 large scraps of fabric.
Traditional Method – Makes 1 Block

This block is finished out at 3” x 6”. For blocks of larger or smaller sizes, add ½” to the length and width when cutting to the desired size.
1. On the wrong side of 2 dark 3 ½” squares, draw a guideline from corner to corner.
2. Place 1 dark square right side down on a light 3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle. Sew along the guideline. Using a rotary cutter and ruler, trim ¼” from the seam. Press out.
3. Repeat step 2 with the other 3 ½” dark square.
No Waste Method – Makes 4 Blocks

You need one square, the size of the finished width you desire the Flying Geese to be + 1 ¼”.

You’ll also need four squares that are the height of the finished unit you want plus ⅞”. The instructions below will produce four – 3” x 6” finished blocks.
1. Place 2 dark 3 ⅞” squares on opposite corners of the 7 ¼” light square and on the wrong side of the dark 3 ⅞” squares, draw a guideline from corner to corner.
2. Sew a ¼” from the guideline on both sides. Cut apart.
3. Press seams out. Place 1 dark square right side down and sew a ¼” from the guideline on both sides. Cut apart and press seam out. Repeat with the remaining unit.
What quilts can you make with flying geese?

There are so many different quilt patterns out there that use flying geese blocks. So many of them are really quite stunning. Check out some of my favorite patterns below.

Note: while several of the images contain a much more traditional feel of fabric… keep an open mind and picture some really bold and modern fabric pairings! – the possibilities of modern quilting are endless!

FREE PATTERNS

Chasing Rainbows quilt, 74 x 74″, free pattern by Lynne Goldsworthy for Makower (PDF download)

Imperial Token table runner, 16 x 48”, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (PDF download)

Plenum quilt, 64 x 73″, free pattern at Art Gallery Fabrics (PDF download)

Remixed Geese quilt, 54 x 66”, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (PDF download)

Spring House quilt, 55 x 67”, free pattern at Moda Fabrics (PDF download)

Every Which Way quilt, 74 x 74”, free pattern at Riley Blake Designs (PDF download)

Funky Zen quilt, 60 x 80”, free pattern by Heidi Pridemore for Benartex (PDF download)

Fly Away Home quilt, 54 x 63”, free pattern at Benartex (PDF download)

Faded Geese quilt, ~65 x 91”, free pattern at Robert Kaufman (PDF download)

The Chipper quilt, 68 x 68”, free pattern by Tula Pink (PDF download)

FREE Easy Flying Geese Reference Guide

I’m going to make this easy for you, my quilter friends!

Pin the image below so you’ll have a quick guide to refer back to later when you’re creating your own little flock of flying geese on everything!

I hope you found this short article helpful. You can always feel free to contact me if you have any questions! I’m happy to help!
The Perfect (Easy!) Catch-the-MESS Fabric Bin

Are you up to your ankles in tiny things? Toys, Legos, and shopkins (why oh why?) from the kiddos, sewing supplies and thread from you, oh who knows what piles from the rest of the family!… Let me introduce you to…

The Perfect (Easy!) Catch-the-MESS Fabric Bin

I have a way to contain the mess and make it pretty! I do! And do you have to spend a fortune?… you do NOT! I bet you already have all the supplies in your house right now.

Do I have a fun little easy project for you today! I’ve been a bag making fool the last few weeks because, well, I honestly didn’t know how much I needed these in my life until recently. And I’m going to tell you that you totally need them too.

This tutorial is an easy one. And the perfect little project to make for everyone in your family. My kids love these bins, and it’s easy to make them custom too. Batman fabric? Rainbow kitty cats? Favorite sports team? Beachy? — Make it classy and cohesive with your home decor or use random weird themed fabric because your kid literally thinks he is THE Iron Man and needs everything to reflect this obsession. Whatever floats your boat.

What can a momma make in less than an hour and not want to pull her hair out?

I’ve been testing theories and patterns and deciding if zippers were worth the hassle. I love pockets and the more storage organization, the better… but I wanted to streamline this fabric storage bin idea!

I wanted it to be quick and fun to make and not leave you scratching your head in confusion. The end result is a project that can be accomplished in one nap time. Start to finish.

Yes, I’m serious. [Unless you have a kid that takes power naps. In that case, ugh… I’m so sorry.]

Dig through your scraps or go to that sacred stash of fabrics that you bought because you LOVE it but you’ve been holding back on using because you wanted to wait for the PERFECT project. Not just any project will do. uh-huh… you’re not alone. I have that stash too.

It’s time to use it and love it even more!

Here is what you will need:

(2) 12″x10″ Pieces of Fabric for the outside

(2) 12″x10″ Pieces of Fabric for the Interior

(2) 12″x10″ Pieces of quilt batting (told you I would make it easy, right?)

Rotary Cutter, Cutting Mat, fabric marker, Ruler, Pins

Here is how to make it:
1. Once you have all your supplies and your pieces cut to their proper size, line up one piece of the outer fabric on top of your quilt batting. *You will do the following steps for both outer fabric pieces* (right side of the fabric down, then batting on top.) If you are using a directional fabric, make a note which side you want the top to be.
2. Use a fabric marker (I used a sharpie because the lines were too faint to see on camera. You can do this also if neither one of your fabrics is light enough to see through)Starting in the lower corners, make a 45-degree line. Note: Your line will not go corner to corner (see below). Using a 45-degree mark ensures that your ‘quilting’ won’t be wonky on your bag and the points on your stitching will run parallel to the bottom of your bag.
  A helpful tool for the exact 45-degree line is to use your cutting mat. Mine has a few added lines to it and I’ve seen many others with this as well.
3. Continue making lines that run parallel to your original lines. You can make them as close together or as far as you like. I did mine at 1.5″ apart.
4. Being careful not to move or let your fabric slide (pin if you like), stitch along each line.We’re not about wasting time here. You don’t have to worry about sewing a knot or backstitching at each end. Just get as close to the edge as you can and all your ends will be inside the seams later.Modern Quilting tip: Use a fun coordinating thread! Modern quilting is the perfect venue to just go wild and have fun. I personally have lots of pretty thread colors that don’t get near enough use. This detail will add a touch of personality to your finished piece. Your outer pieces should look like this when you’re finished stitching. FYI – I used a 2.6 stitch length.
5. Do you have both outside pieces stitched up with their own layer of batting? Good! Place them together. Right sides facing each other.If things aren’t lining up juuuust right… don’t sweat it. Things are bound to shift just a bit. Use your rotary cutter and trim off the littlest sliver of fabric that you possibly can to get things nice and cleaned up square again.
6. Pin your pieces together to keep them from shifting and sew along three sides of your bag. Sew along two short sides and one long side using a 3/8″ seam allowance.Note: This is where you need to pay attention if you are using directional fabric! Do NOT sew along the top of your bag. duh.
7. Grab the two pieces of lining fabric and place right sides together. Sew them according to the picture below and make sure you leave about a 5-6″ gap along the bottom.
8. Next, we’re going to make the bottom of our fabric basket. (Keep everything wrong sides facing out for this part.)Start at a corner and pinch your fabric until you can make your side and bottom seams line up inside of your bag. You can feel this when you roll it between your fingers. It is a little tricky at first, but it’s easy to catch on.
  Put a pin in it. Do this for both corners on your outer fabric layer and your lining.
9. If you have a see-through ruler, this is going to be a cinch. You want to make a line that is 2.5″ from your corner that runs perpendicular to your seam line. Do this for all four corners that you’ve pinched.
10. Stitch across each corner line you just made. Make sure you knot or backstitch these lines to keep them secure.
11. Trim up up your sewn corners with a 1/4″ seam. Turn your outer fabric with the batting facing inside. Pretty side out!
12. This is the fun part! It’s starting to look like a cute little bin now!… Keep your lining fabric with the right side facing inward. Place the outer fabric inside the lining fabric. The right sides of both fabrics should be facing each other. (I added a picture below)It takes just a little bit of fussing with to get it to sit nicely inside but shouldn’t give you too much trouble. Line up the side seams first and use a clip (I LOVE these ones) or a pin to keep it in place. Then place a few more clips/pins around the circle to make sure the top of both pieces is aligned.
13. Stitch with a 3/8″ seam allowance all around the mouth of your bag.
14. Remember that weird 5-6″ gap we left at the bottom of the lining piece? It’s time for it to come into play now.Gently pull the bottom of your outer fabric through the lining fabric hole.It should look like this when you have it all pulled through. It is still without a lot of shape at this point and really soft. But, oh! that quilting! 😉
15. Closing off the gap in the lining fabric – You can do this by machine, or you can ladder stitch it by hand to hide your seam. Personally, the seam is so slim, the little ridge you get from a machine stitch doesn’t bother me.Use your fingers to get the seam just right where it feels like the fabric would be if it were already sewn.
  Then using your sewing machine, stitch as close to the edge as you can to close the gap. You can even do this in a coordinating thread to your lining if you want it to blend in a little more.
16. Tuck the lining into your outer fabric and use your fingers to push everything in its place inside. Corner to corner. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The lining will be loose in your bag.
  Use clips or pins to secure the top, just like we did before.
17. Stitch all the way around the mouth of your bag again at a 3/8″ seam allowance. This will keep the top of your bag looking nice and crisp and add a finishing touch.
  And you’re done! Fold down the top edge of your basket to expose the inner lining and give the corners a little pinch with your fingers to shape up your bin. It will be soft but should hold the shape just fine.
These fabric bins come together so quickly once you get the hang of it. Just after I made the one for this tutorial, I turned my back for 5 minutes to make lunches and came back to a disappearing bin!

Two minutes of searching lead to a very guilty little girl who said she couldn’t help it because it was just so pretty! – She likes to hoard all the pretty things… just like her momma 😉 I can’t blame her… but this one is MINE!

What do you think? How cute would these be to help catch all the tiny clutter “messes” in your house?

I tried really hard to cut out all the unnecessary or complicated steps so this is something you can make for your family, for yourself or to give away to a friend. Something from the heart that didn’t cost you weeks or months of time! win-win!

Did you have any questions along the way? You’re welcome to contact me. I’ll respond asap.

I’m curious how long it takes you to make this fabric bin. If you get a chance, comment with your time below. The race is on!

Also, please tag me on Instagram @iseestarsquilting or send me a picture of your finished bin! I’d love to see it!
Quilt Shopping List

This post contains affiliate links. I would never suggest a product that I didn’t completely love!

What do you need for shopping when you’re making a quilt? Some of us can’t just pop over to the quilt shop every single day ( I would be absolutely broke) or if you’re shopping online, you don’t want to forget anything and have to place a second order. Here is a quilt shopping list so you can make sure you buy everything you’ll need the first time.

If you’re looking for ways to save money on fabric, check out my previous post The Smart Way To Shop For Fabric.

Quilt Shopping List
- - Quilt pattern – You’re going to need a game plan!
  - Fabric – even if you’re using scraps from your stash, you’ll need to make sure you have coordinating binding & backing fabric. Your backing fabric needs to be at least 3-4 inches larger than your finished quilt size on all sides.
    Your binding fabric needs to be enough to go around all sides of your quilt plus an extra 8 inches for overlap.
  - Quilt batting – I liked to pick up a few of these packages when they were on sale or if I had a coupon for them. A friend and I went in together recently and bought one of the HUGE big rolls from Amazon. It has been one of the best decisions, ever.
- Thread for piecing and quilting
- All-purpose thread for piecing and assembly
- Fabric scissors – Good sharp scissors like these few options are best. I’ve owned every single pair of these scissors. The cheapie ones don’t last as long and lose their sharp-ness but will work for a period of time… and it’s fun to buy brand new scissors!
- - Rotary Cutter, Self Healing Mat and ruler (you can read more about the most essential rulers for quilting) These are my favorite ones to recommend that won’t break the bank.
- Walking Foot or specialty sewing foot if you are machine quilting (also see Do I really need a walking foot?)
  Pins. So many Pins! Any will do as long as they are sharp but I like the ones I mentioned in this post
- Seam ripper and needle threader, just in case. Always be prepared, right?
How much fabric?

I find the following chart to be helpful when purchasing fabric yardage. Measurements are based on the standard 44-or 45-inch fabric width.

There you have it! Short and sweet but your quilt shopping list is packed with a lot to do! Enjoy your time shopping and come back over to my blog when you’re ready to make something new!

FREE Windy Days Quilt Pattern!

Super fun & easy quilt pattern that looks amazing

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Quilting Cheat Sheets That Will Save You HOURS!

It is no secret that sewing language and jargon can be extremely confusing when you first start sewing. Hold onto your hats, girls because I’m about to lay down some super helpful cheat sheets for quilting that is going to de-mystify some of the confusing terms for beginners.

It is so hard to keep it all straight when you’re first starting out. There are different fabrics, different cuts, and patterns. You’ll find remnants and jelly rolls, layer cakes, and fat quarters etc. I’ll be honest in telling you that in my first year of self-learned quilting techniques I wasn’t sure if we were going to sew or eat!… It’s enough to make your head spin.

To maybe save someone else the intense amount of confusion that I suffered and make life a little easier, I have put together a few cheat sheets with my favorite and most used quilting information. I know you are going to love it!

As always, I welcome your comments at the end of this blog with any questions that you might have. I try to go back and answer each and every person.

Make sure you PIN these images and charts so you will have access to them when you need them, ok? Enjoy!

Color Chart

So many colors! How do you choose?

First impressions are everything. One of the most important decisions of your quilt is color. Color reflects the mood of your quilt and can invoke emotions, feelings, and even memories. what vibe do you want your quilt to have? Warm and cozy, cool and soothing, bright and happy?

If you haven’t gone back to the basics of color theory lately… or ever… You’ll find this chart super helpful. (The artist side of me wants to sit down and have a whole lesson on the wonders of the simple color wheel, but I’ll resist… for today) To choose complimentary colors, simply choose colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel and you have a really eye-popping quilt!

10 DifferentWays to Cut a Fat Quarter

For every day we’re just tired of what we’ve been doing and want to try something new… Just look at your fat quarters a little differently and see if it doesn’t spark a new idea.

Fabric Yardage Chart

I can’t even begin to count the times that I’ve been through a fabric store… and when it’s my turn at the cutting counter, I kind of freeze still… “um how much do I want? *panic panic panic* Just a yard, please.” — I swear, every single time. As an artist, math is not my strong suit… but quilting joins both art & math. So now I stick with this little chart and at least pretend like I know what I’m doing 🙂

When I’m not quilting, I am a designer and I love making pretty things! but I just can’t beat the information in this chart by ArtGallery… I love their fabrics, I love their designers… what can I say?

Art Gallery’s Guide to Pre-cuts

I plan on creating a few other charts to help with quilting as I think of them. I’ll add them to this post. I have a few planned for needles and maybe a few other printables too. Do you have anything you would like in a small pin-able form?

I hope you enjoy the graphics! Don’t forget to pin them so you’ll be able to come back to them when you’re at your machine!

–Happy Quilting!

If you want updates on when I release new projects, join my e-mail list. I would love to have you join our Stars party over here! And just as a thank you, I have a fun free quilt pattern that I will send you.

FREE Windy Days Quilt Pattern!

Super fun & easy quilt pattern that looks amazing

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5 Ideas for Mug Rug + FREE Patterns

First things first.

‘What is a mug rug’?

It is a small quilt essentially. An English person might call it a coaster. A typical American sized coaster is just enough room to hold your cup and nothing more. A mug rug is just a little more substantial with enough to keep a drink and a cake or cookies. It can vary in size from 4” x 7” to as large as 12” x 8” which is more like a small placemat.

I have fallen in love with these little quickie projects! A cup of Tea and room for snacks? I’m in!

But… As cute as they are, a person really only needs so many, right?

5 Ideas for using Mug Rugs

1) The most apparent plan for all your mug rugs is that everyone you have ever known is about to get one Christmas/birthday/neighbor gifts… you don’t even need a reason to gift these little beauties. Quilted mug rug patterns will not take you all day to complete. They come together so quickly that you won’t mind making up several at a time. – A super rewarding sewing project!

2) Scraps Scraps Scraps – Can’t bring yourself to throw away that last piece of pretty fabric from another project? (me either, honestly.) Bring out those beautiful scraps! It’s time for them to shine! Mug rugs are perfect scrap busters.

3) Looking to practice a few new sewing ideas? Try it out on a mug rug first. These are a great way to hone in on and improve your sewing skills.

4) Creativity is your ultimate superpower. There is no specific sizing rule or any mug rug police lurking around… Do what you want with it and adjust where you feel is necessary to really own your rug. If you want permission to go off the paved path and do your own thing… here you go. You have it… now seize it!

5) Lastly, a fun way to make your mug rugs stretch a little further is to save your practiced mug rug tops and turn them into something fabulous! Join them all together for a more substantial quilt top. Can you imagine the fun eclectic style of all your favorite fabric scraps joined together into one glorious quilt? Oh, the beauty!

I’m hoping that I’ve convinced you to give this little mug rug thing a try. I’ll admit that I’m a tad bit obsessed and I love to rope people into my obsessions so that you can relish in the excitement as well. I’m so lovely, aren’t I?

I have actually created my own mug rug pattern but it isn’t quite ready to share just yet. I want to make sure it’s perfect before I bring it to the blog. However, if you took notice in the images above, I did give you a sneak peek. Did you see the purple gemstone? Thats it! I will let you know as soon as I release the pattern… now… on to the FREE patterns!

I’ve given these patters a perfect look over and made sure they are easy to understand and super easy to sew for all levels of quilters. Enjoy!

FREE Patterns

This Ziggy Mug Rug over at Sew Mamma Sew is a super quick and easy one, but the toutorial is really explanitory with images. Everyone likes pictures!

I can’t say enough nice things about Jeni over at In Color Order! She has such a spunky happy spirit that just inspires me every single blog post. AND she makes such beautiful pieces. If you don’t already follow her, you’re missing out. You can get this pattern here from her website.

This beautiful ray of sunshine is the pick me up you need in the mornings! Isn’t it so cute? You can find the FREE Pattern here.

This one may not be for everyone, but I am loving all the projects people are making with the fabric selvege! And, if corners give you fits when working on the binding… yay! this one will make your little sewing heart happy! You can get this pattern here.

So… Are you ready to sew? 🙂

Favorites?

If you have a favorite pattern that I’ve missed here or if you’ve created one yourself, let me know in the comments. I would LOVE to feature you so we can all enjoy more tea and cookies.

Happy Sewing!
THE answer to every one of your ‘how?’s – A Craftsy Review

Hello, my sewing people! We’re going to get to some really great discussion on one of my favorite secrets today! Craftsy… have you heard of it? I have some really great deals to offer you today too! (yay deals!)

This weekend was a bit of a whirlwind around here! We had a garage sale because in the midst of all the normal momma to-do’s I also decided it was time to declutter everything we own last week and make an effort to downsize. Do you ever have those thoughts in the middle of the night? This was totally spontaneous. It was also not really well thought out, I’ll admit, and my husband went along with it with much less vigor than I did… but it was time. With 2 kids who manage to develop a sentimental feeling for every shred of paper, we’re lucky we have made it this far in life.

Are the kids to blame entirely for our current house state?… Maybe not. I cleaned out a whopping zilch from my sewing room for the garage sale, haha but I did make a tough effort to at least go through everything and organize though. I ended up running across several sketched out ideas for patterns and project ideas that I wanted to complete but they got pushed to the backburner and eventually forgotten. (shame shame on me for crushing those ideas!)

I’m newly inspired by these treasures and have an action plan to bring them to reality again!

I even semi-organized my fabric…

I’m still searching for the perfect system as this is nowhere near all of my fabric. I have drawers and bins stashed everywhere in my sewing room… This shelf just holds most of my favorite fabrics and what I’m totally crushing on for the moment, just waiting for the opportunity to put it to a beautiful use (creativity, in ‘yo face)!

One of my favorite sources of inspiration is Instagram. I absolutely love talking to and hearing from people on Instagram! Seeing your projects and meeting new people brings me lots of joy and keeps me inspired to try new techniques. I LOVE these people and their creativity!

You can view my Instagram if you aren’t following me there yet. Please do! There are lots of pretty things!

I’ve received some questions on Instagram lately from people wanting to know more about sewing and quilting – Looking for answers but unsure where to get the best advice from… Don’t we all wish we had an all-knowing magic, reliable source of information?

Ok, so don’t tell anyone, but I’m going to share with you one of my favorite secrets to really owning a new technique. Like really understanding it without huge in-depth research and hours upon hours of sifting through low-quality youtube videos from less than knowledgeable people you know nothing about.

My favorite Secret is…

(So maybe it’s not a secret… But it is totally my secret weapon.)

Have you heard of it? Maybe even seen an ad or two about it floating on Pinterest? Everything from crafty DIY projects to baking/cooking, jewelry, gardening… you name it! – Someone has a tutorial out there for you on Craftsy!

Y’all, I get so excited every time I get on this website.

You can learn absolutely anything!

Craftsy is full of high-quality teaching that will give you exactly what you need to start owning and rocking your newfound skill! (even if it is a super complicated one and you need to practice a little bit to get there)

It is like having a best friend that knows everything you want to know and you can call her up any time of the day or night!

I’m currently working on this class below and I’ve seen a lot of improvement in my own sewing skills!

Craftsy has 2 options. You can pay for each class a la carte or you can try their new membership option. The membership program is new for 2018. It gets you unlimited access to 3,000+ hours of expert video tutorials as well as special deals and membership prices on kits etc!

Personally, I always choose the a la carte option when I buy classes. I buy exactly what I want to learn, and what I have interest in. Then, I own the course so that I can go back to and watch whenever I please and brush up on my skills.

On our limited budget (hello, responsible adult life?), the membership feels like too much pressure to me. My kids like to keep me on my toes by being completely unpredictable and I never know what my ‘free’ time is going to look like. I like to get my money’s worth with what I buy and pace myself through the course before moving on.

Courses range anywhere from FREE to $69.99ish with some others being on the more expensive side. However, you know that what you’re getting is in-depth and super high-quality content from super knowledgeable artists and experts.

Honestly, none of the classes are a huge investment that breaks the bank… and every class I’ve purchased has been completely worth it! …Yes, back up for a second… You did read that right! There are free tutorials on Craftsy!

Thanks to craftsy… I have a few coupon codes and special links just for YOU!

Check out all the FREE classes that Craftsy offers. (yay free!)

You can also get a FREE 7 Day trial on their unlimited program (even if you don’t want to subscribe in the future, It would be silly not to take them up on this offer and play around on some classes you’ve been interested in but didn’t want to buy all at once.) Go on… take the 7 day free trial for a test drive! Open your mind, grab some coffee and a pen to take notes… have a good time 🙂

AND This link will take you to all their Quilting supplies that are on sale. You have to love a good deal, right?

So have you tried Craftsy? What are your thoughts on the website? Is there something that you have wanted to learn but have struggled with finding a good source or tutorial? Let me know about it in the comments! I would love to hear your thoughts!

Disclosure: I have used craftsy multiple times for many different lessons, so I have no problem recommending it to you (and using my affiliate link). If you have any questions, you can contact me or read my disclosure statement.