I Spy Quilts are the perfect interactive quilt for toddlers. With this free pattern sew up a cute I Spy quilt using a panel from Robert Kaufman Fabric.
Twin I-Spy Lattice Quilt Finished Size: 66x83" Fabric Requirements: 180 3"x6.5" I-Spy Squares 60 2"xWOF (width of fabric) sashing strips backing slightly larger than 67x84" batting slightly larger than 67x84" To begin, sew each I-spy fabric to the sashing strip with 1/4" SA (seam allowance). When the fabrics are all sewn onto sashing on one side, cut them apart and sew the other side with 1/4"SA. Once all 180 I-Spy fabrics have sashing on both sides, press them all with seams to the inside Next, trim all squares to 6"x6" Now it's time to lay out the quilt. To do this, separate the squares into 3 piles. One is for squares that must be laid out vertically, the next is for horizontal squares, and the third is for squares that can go either way. First, lay out the horizontal and vertical squares. You will have 12 squares across and 15 down. The layout is all according to preference - just make sure there are no areas that are all dark or light, or bright colors all in the same spot. Here's how I laid mine out. Now, pin squares together and sew strips. Press the seams to the solid color, and then sew strips together to complete your quilt top. Press the seams to alternating sides (left on one row, right on the next) Now that you have completed the quilt top, baste it to the batting and backing. I use spray baste, but you can pin if you would like. Quilt as desired. For this quilt, I meandered on the white. Bind and wash. Congratulations! If you're looking for all the I-Spy fabrics and binding fabric, please visit my Etsy shop. I'd be happy to help you create your very own I-Spy quilt top!
Quilter's Piece Preview I, DIY Quilting Sewing, Cottage Tolls Great for "I Spy" Quilts DIY 11x8-1/2 inch marking and viewing template. The Piece Preview I Template system is used for piece selection and template drawing on any fabric. It makes fabric selection quick and easy! Dashed lines indicate a 1/4" seam allowance to help you quilt accurately. Then, mark, cut, and sew! The Piece Preview I template includes 6 popular piece shapes. Shapes Include: 2", 2 1/2" and 3" triangles; 2" and 3" squares; and 1 1/2" hexagon – perfect for I Spy Quilts. 6 shapes Thank you for shopping with us!
I am working on a project for a new nephew right now and am fussy cutting lots of cute little animals and objets for the quilt. If you are looking to build up a stash of fabrics that ideal for making an I-spy quilt, here are some great ones: Roller Skates Bananas Fish Dancers Strawberries Tigers Tiny Bucks Animal Alpha
See a beautiful English Paper Pieced Hexagon quilt made from hand stitched hexies. Modern fabric scrap I Spy quilt with unique borders!
I'm so happy to share this free, simple pattern today for a I Spy quilt with low volume fabrics. This is one of my favorite quilts ever! I wanted to make a low volume quilt, but with a little more zing than just simple squares. Don't get me wrong, I love simple squares, and they work great for this I spy quilt pattern. But for this I wanted an element that brought a bit of order to the craziness of 304 different prints. (I actually do have a few repeats, but you get the point.) I love the touch of the little solid triangles on each corner, and I tried to match them to their low volume squares individually. (By the way, if you're wondering what "low volume" means, there's a definition in this post.) (This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Free Printable Version of "I Spy Quilt with Low Volume Fabrics" pattern Fabric requirements: (304) 5" low volume squares (304) 1.75" solid squares 5/8 yd binding fabric 5 yds backing fabric Start by sewing corner triangles. Mark a diagonal line across a solid 1.75" square and place it in the top right corner of a LV 5" square. Sew along the line, trim away 1/4" from the sewn line, and press out. Do this 304 times! I love this kind of repetitive, therapeutic sewing, especially when each square is something fun and new to look at! Sew the squares into rows of 16 blocks (19 rows total). Press row seams alternately, sew rows together, and press. Baste, quilt, and bind as you like! This makes a 72" x 85" finished quilt, a really excellent snuggle size for several people, which is my plan :) If you're on the hunt for good low volumes, I found a few places to shop: Low volume custom charm pack (already cut out!) Maker Valley has quilt kits that come with 5" strips, perfect to subcut for this project. Holly is the queen of funky, spunky fabrics! These are sweet and simple low volumes. I really like these colorful ones, they've got come cute birdies and boats. Not all of these are low volume, but there are some fantastic "I Spy" fabrics in there, already cut! When I say "I Spy", I just mean anything fun little thing that's fun for kids to spot. Anything from critters and creatures, to foods and places, to cartoon and literary characters. This is a favorite section of mine, with the little Paris scene, the tea party, precious neighborhood, and Peter Pan characters. For my quilt, I started with a pack from Maker Valley, added lots of my own fabrics that I've collected over the years, and then my sweet friend @sewsabrina offered to send some when she saw what I was up to. So kind! She said she wanted to help the quilt reach it's full potential, and boy did she ever do that! I died over the fun prints she sent. I sent her some of mine in return, but they weren't nearly as cool to be honest. I do have lots of squares in mine that aren't necessarily "I Spy", they're just a calm low volume print meant to cool down the crazy! Here's a dog pile of little boys who have loved looking at this quilt since I first started putting blocks on the wall. There are so many fun little details to find! It's a fun kind of memory quilt for me too, as it uses almost every low volume I've ever put in other quilts. I had mine quilted by @emileehathaway in this cheerful bubbly design. I don't know the name of it, but I know she got it through intelligentquilting.com. I love the little soft puffy pillows that each circle creates. I knew this would be a heavily used kid quilt, so I had her put minky on the back since they love that. I bound it in Kona Bonsai from my local quilt shop, but they ship too! And they have every Kona, which is awesome. "Especially for you" is especially for my boys. It's hard to describe the delight of this quilt in photos and words. It's just so squishy, and interesting to look at up close, and colorful! We all love it so much. If you're wondering about QUILT LABELS, I got my personalized woven labels here. The one pictured here is a Tasha Noel label (and looks like those are on sale!), and I also have some of these cute labels. All kept in my Caboodle, which I love so much! I also have this bigger Caboodle, which I keep buttons and other knick knacks in. For this post, it was my first time using my new updated version of Electric Quilt 8 to make the mockups. I love it so much! I've used 7 for years, but it wasn't the best when I switched to a Mac. This new version runs like a dream, has amazing color options, and is really easy to use. It makes quilt ideas a reality in such a snap. I'm so happy to have it! Not sponsored in any way. Since I had version 7 before, it only cost $100 to upgrade, and I found the code HELLO2021 which should work for you too. Love this program!
An I Spy quilt is perfect for fussy cutting your favorite prints!
I Spy with my little eye...... A chicken, a cow, a goldfish. Cakes. Mmmmm. A dog, a bone, paw prints. A cat, a penguin, a bird house. A boy. Almost there with the quilting. Just the borders to do now. All these things came from my stash. Surprising what is in there when you dig deep. I have had great fun finding fabrics to use and Maisie has tested it out by finding her own things. She spotted a owl and a bike and a baa. She identifies animals mostly by the noise they make although a cow is a dow. It amuses me listening to her testing words out. Holding her hand up and say "a hand " and then holding the other one up and repeating it as though she is surprised to find another one. Anyone interested in a kitchen update? Yes? Oh yes! It has been worth all the mess and upheaval and it is fabulous. A very glamorous kitchen No, it is not a tv but a rather good extractor fan. For those who like details. Walls painted in Slaked Lime, units painted in Slaked Lime Mid and the dresser is in Slaked Lime Deep all by Little Greene paint. The worktop is Ivory Fantasy granite. Just waiting for the window blind now. Order is being restored throughout the house. Phew! I love it. Back to the stitching. Happy Stitching. Shirley.
See a beautiful English Paper Pieced Hexagon quilt made from hand stitched hexies. Modern fabric scrap I Spy quilt with unique borders!
Finished this I Spy quilt last night. I just did a simple stitch in the ditch with a fun squiggle down the sashing. I have 2 bolt...
Learn how to sew up an I spy quilt block with this tutorial and video. You'll need only 2 pieces of fabric per block. No waste method!
I am so excited to share another finished quilt with you today - the Scrappy I Spy Quilt! I made this scrappy little quilt as an I Spy b...
step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own I Spy Quilt! you can do this! tips and tricks. It makes for the perfect picnic blanket.
Ah, I Spy quilts, what a wonderful idea! If you’re looking for a fun and creative quilting project, then an I Spy quilt is definitely worth considering. The idea behind these quilts is simple…
MAZED was my first official self-published quilt pattern, and even nine years later, it is still one of my most popular. Seeing that a lot ...
I tried to keep my favorites towards the center, the Sei Shonagon, kittens, and bears are aces!
In the not-so-distant past when I was still on Instagram, I spied a special little roll of fabrics that Polka Dot Tea Fabrics were selling ...
Twin I-Spy Lattice Quilt Finished Size: 66x83" Fabric Requirements: 180 3"x6.5" I-Spy Squares 60 2"xWOF (width of fabric) sashing strips backing slightly larger than 67x84" batting slightly larger than 67x84" To begin, sew each I-spy fabric to the sashing strip with 1/4" SA (seam allowance). When the fabrics are all sewn onto sashing on one side, cut them apart and sew the other side with 1/4"SA. Once all 180 I-Spy fabrics have sashing on both sides, press them all with seams to the inside Next, trim all squares to 6"x6" Now it's time to lay out the quilt. To do this, separate the squares into 3 piles. One is for squares that must be laid out vertically, the next is for horizontal squares, and the third is for squares that can go either way. First, lay out the horizontal and vertical squares. You will have 12 squares across and 15 down. The layout is all according to preference - just make sure there are no areas that are all dark or light, or bright colors all in the same spot. Here's how I laid mine out. Now, pin squares together and sew strips. Press the seams to the solid color, and then sew strips together to complete your quilt top. Press the seams to alternating sides (left on one row, right on the next) Now that you have completed the quilt top, baste it to the batting and backing. I use spray baste, but you can pin if you would like. Quilt as desired. For this quilt, I meandered on the white. Bind and wash. Congratulations! If you're looking for all the I-Spy fabrics and binding fabric, please visit my Etsy shop. I'd be happy to help you create your very own I-Spy quilt top!
Fall has me reaching for my plaid flannel shirts for a cozy layer. The Plaid-ish Free Quilt Pattern translates the plaid print of my favorite shirts into quilt form. Nothing says fall quite like a good plaid. With every style of plaid from checkered to Tartan, incorporating this timeless pattern into quilts is a must. […]
Here's a baby I spy quilt I made for my stepdaughter's first child. I made this I spy baby quilt for my step daughter's first child, a baby boy named Jack. I…
I'm at it again! I've been sorting through my I-Spy scraps to dig out little pieces for this Ticker Tape quilt (inspired by this one). This isn't the first time! My other (boy-themed) one can be found here. Yes, it's true, I save the most miniscule bits and pieces of my I-Spy fabrics if there is a visible object on it -- and this is the perfect project to use them in. I don't have an official tally, but when all is said and done there will be hundreds of scraps of I-Spies on this quilt -- each one from a different fabric! I start by creating the quilt "sandwich" -- backing, batting, and white Kona on the front -- and pin-basting it together. Then I attach the scraps directly on top, which quilts it as I go. Looooooove!! I can't wait to get this one finished up so I can give it to... well, it was going to be a secret, but if it's here I guess it's not. It's for my new sweet niece, born just a few weeks ago! I admit, it's heavy on the kitties. Hope little K-doll doesn't mind! :o)
A blog about quilting and a newbie quilter's journey.
Let's begin the new year on the front foot, with a post about a finish. From the moment I set eyes on Jen Kingwell's My Small ...
One of my favorite ways to keep my toddler busy when we are out is to have him look for things. When he starts to get a little restless I will say things like "can you find something blue?" or "look for some flowers" and he will quietly look around until he finds what I asked for. This game works great in places with lots of stuff like a restaurant or grocery store, but not so great in other places. I mean, how many times can your two year old find the coffee pot while you wait on your oil change before he decides mom's game is not so fun? So I came up with this little game. It is just a tiny little quilt made with some fabric scraps, but it can roll up and fit in the diaper bag and provide hours of entertainment! For little toddlers, like mine, you ask them things like "can you find an apple?" or "point to a dinosaur?". When they are a bit bigger, you can work on color recognition with questions like "can you find something red?" If you use fabric with numbers or letters on it you can even work on letter or number recognition. If your kids are spelling, you could try things like "where is something that starts with the letter L" or "find something that rhymes with rug". Even older kids could have fun with this playing the traditional "I spy" game. To make the game, you need: 44 rectangles of fabric that are 3" wide x 4" tall with different objects on them (22 for the front and 22 for the back) a rectangle of batting 28" x 8 " a little over 2 yards of bias tape or binding one rectangle of fabric 2" wide x 10" long a snap or velcro Sew your rectangles into 4 rows of 11. Two row are for the front and two are for the back. Press the seams of the two rows in opposite directions. Sew the two front rows together. Repeat with the two rows for the back. Sandwich the batting between the rows and quilt some rows about 1" apart across the whole thing. Fold the 10" by 2" strip in half and sew the long end and one short end. Turn the strip right side out and press it. Baste the raw edge to one of the short ends of the game. Bind the raw edges or sew on bias tape. Click HERE for help with binding. Add one end of the snap or velcro to the end of the strap you sewed on. Roll up the game and wrap the strap around it. Mark the position the other end of the snap or velcro should go then add it to the strap. Roll up your game and throw it in your diaper bag. You will be happy to have it next time your toddler gets bored!
Polaroid blocks are quite the rage these days – swaps are flourishing and the products coming from them are so inspiring! I recently participated in a swap host by Kristy from Quiet Play and received a happy little bunch of polaroid blocks the other day. I’ve been collecting a few ideas for what I could […]
A blog about quilts, quilting, fabric postcards, and other crafty adventures.
I-spy quilts are made using novelty prints - perfect for playing a game of I-spy. They make a perfect baby gift.
Hi everyone! I sewed this I Spy quilt last month and wanted to share the tutorial on how to machine sew the apple core block. First, if you are new to quilting, I Spy fabric is novelty fabric that has cute little things on it that kids love to look for or spy for…"I spy a kitty", "I spy a raspberry". The apple core block is an old pattern (I think from the 1930's) that was traced, cut out by hand, then hand sewn! However, with the invention of rotary cutting and the plastic templates or the Accuquilt Die Cutter, it is very easy to cut them out and machine sew them together! The apple core is a one-patch quilt, meaning one shape used throughout the whole quilt. A charm quilt is a one patch quilt, but sewn with many different fabrics without using the same fabric twice. Here is the baby or children's nap time quilt I started…it's just a quilt top right now, because I will add to it as I buy more fabrics. Easy to put together and makes a great baby gift… I love collecting novelty or I Spy fabrics. Just buy 1/4 or 1/2 yard pieces and that will really start your stash! You can find an apple core pattern on line and cut it out of cardboard, trace it onto your fabric, then cut it out. You can also use a plastic template like this one and use a rotary cutter to cut it out. One tip with the curve of a small template…use the smallest rotary cutter blade to cut into the curves. The thicker plastic templates have a thickness to guide the rotary blade up against. Here's my favorite...the apple core die cutter from Accuquilt. Fast, easy and accurate! The best part about this die is the points that are cut with the pattern, so you can match the centers of each piece. This die is large too (7" x 5.5"), so you can make a good size quilt quickly. Cut fabric into rectangles just to cover the apple core. You can stack 6-8 pieces at one time. The Accuquilt machine is very simple to use. Just place the die with the fabric on it. Cover with the cutting mat. Roll it through with the hand roller. Quick and easy!! Now, arrange the pieces according to color, so same colors are not too close together. To piece the apple cores together, one will be horizontal and one will be vertical. Lay one on top of the other, right sides together. First match the center point and pin. The add a pin at the end and then ease in the fabric between the center and then end. Do the same for the other side. Sew with 1/4 inch seam allowance. The best tip is to have the fabric that is somewhat gathered, up on top, so you can adjust and watch for fabric pinches. I know this is a "sewing sin" to go over the pins, but I moved slowly to keep the fabric in place. You can remove the pins before you go over them. Ease your way around. Back stitch at the end to secure. Done. It eases in so well, you don't have to snip the seams. Just iron open. Definitely iron the seams consistently throughout. I ironed all the seams towards the vertical apple core. Here are 2 rows upside down to show the seams towards the vertical core. One seam will be to the left and one seam will be to the right when you match then and are sewing the rows together. Now we will sew the rows together. Place rows right sides together. This is what it looks like, but you have to pin at critical points before pinning the rest. First, pin the end to match, then pin the seams, then pin the center triangle point.. Then ease in all the fabric in between. Pin the whole row and sew with a 1/4 inch seam. Iron open and continuing add each row. If you pin the seams, they will match perfectly at the intersections. Because the apple cores alternate when sewing the rows, the gathered parts are not always on the top, as I mentioned before. This might happen to you…a pinched seam or pleat. Underneath, your fabric might get caught into the seam and it won't lay flat. Seam ripper to the rescue. Release the pleat and re-sew that one little section. Iron flat. This quilt comes together quickly and you can always make it larger by adding rows as you collect your different fabrics. The quilt makes a great baby floor quilt, but when they are toddlers, it makes a great game quilt. It helps them to recognizes all the fun items on each apple core. Children can not only identify the soccer balls or the birds, it's also a learning quilt for their colors and letters. Hope you like it...Happy sewing!! ~Karen~
An easy no math method teaching how to make polaroid quilt blocks. A quick and easy quilting tutorial for polaroid quilt blocks.
My Polaroid top is done!! This one has been in the works a long time, and worth every minute! I started seeing some Polaroid swaps happening on the blogs a couple of years ago and was instantly smitten. Many of my childhood photos are Polaroids, so I thought this would be a great way to make an adorable I-spy quilt and be nostalgic at the same time. I immediately started to collect and put aside some little bits of novelty fabric and tiny white scraps to make the borders. Every once in a while I would take some time to trim the white scraps and sew them on the pieces I'd collected. Here is what I had when I took it out last month: I had just over 100 little pieces cut out. It sounds like a lot, but then I started to draw out a plan... I decided to make them into blocks of 9 patches with a layout of 5x5 blocks. That would be about 225 little pictures!! But, it was time for this backburner project to come to fruition. I picked this amazing blue peppered cotton as my background. I wish you could feel it, it is so soft and gorgeous. I went through my ENTIRE stash and cut and cut and cut. Around the same time, there was this fantastic movement on Instagram called #getyourquiltywishesgranted, where you could send out a wish/request for something you were searching for. I put out my wish for 3 inch novelty prints for my quilt and received about 8 envelopes from some amazingly generous quilters!! Once I got a rhythm going, these blocks went together very quickly. Outline in white, outline in blue, trim wonky, build 9-patch, repeat. As I was making my blocks, I kept thinking of a paper-pieced Polaroid camera I had seen on craftsy. It was amazing. I really wanted to incorporate it somehow, but wasn't sure if I had the skills or patience for it. There are many tiny pieces. I finally decided that I could not stop thinking about it, so I HAD to make it. Look at those tiny pieces. I survived. And it wasn't really that intimidating after all. Paper-piecing produces such amazing results!! Here is the camera. I LOVE it! And here it is incorporated into the last block. I am so glad I decided to make the plunge. This quilt just wouldn't be the same without it! If you'd like to make one, you can find the pattern here on Craftsy. And here is the final result. So much fun to look at! The top finished up at about 90x90. Now I just have to figure out how in the world to quilt it! Any ideas? If you are interested in making similar blocks, here are the measurements that I used: For each "photo" 1. Cut a 3inch square novelty print. 2. From white fabric cut (2) 1x3 inch pieces , (1) 1x4 inch and (1) 1.5x4 inch. 3. Sew the (2) 1x3 inch pieces to either side of your novelty print. Sew the 1x4 inch on the TOP of your picture and the 1.5x4 inch piece on the BOTTOM of your picture. 4. From your background fabric (Mine is the blue.), cut (2) 2x4 and (2) 2x7 5. Sew the shorter pieces to the sides and the the longer pieces to the top and bottom. 6. Trim your block to 6 1/2 inches using a square ruler. Place your ruler on the block tilting to one side so that your blocks seem to be scattered all over the quilt. **Note: I wanted a few of my pictures to be really wonky so occasionally I cut some background pieces 2.5x4 and 2.5x8 to give me more room for tilting my ruler. 7. Arrange 9 blocks into a 9 patch design and sew together. One block down! Thanks for stopping by! Tracy
Quilter’s Name: Katherine Kohler from Western New York Type of Quilt: Bed Quilt Name of Pattern: Original Design Featured Date: 5-17-23 My name is Katherine Kohler and I lived most of my life in New England. Many of my quilts reflect that colonial design and color. Then I met Heidi, who grew up in a missionary...
A blog about two modern cousins who quilt, sew, knit, stitch and craft everyday.
Hi, all! Seems like every time I open up Instagram these days, I see more and more gorgeous scrappy quilts! I'm busy working on another commission t-shirt quilt right now.... ...so I haven't had any time to indulge in scrappy sewing - boo hoo! You can see the start I made on the quilt today - just cutting out blocks and putting them on the design wall for storage. It does give me a good idea of the color spread, though. Once I have all the blocks cut out I'll lay it all out on the floor to check the layout, then start sewing it together. So instead of sharing my own (non-existent) scrappy sewing, I'm going to show you what has been tempting me on Instagram this week! My friend Maria has been making beautiful scrap quilts for Hands2Help! This one is a pattern I've been eyeing for a while now. Do y'all miss Amanda Jean's blog as much as I do? Seeing an IG post from her is always a highpoint for me - and I do love this quilt, which looks like it uses up tiny bits of triangle scraps and neutral backgrounds. Zenia Rene created this massive scrappy trips, and I am so jealous! This has been on my bucket list for a while. Hers is lovely! Isn't this a lovely heart quilt? Anja did a fabulous job with it, and now I want to go dig through my blue scraps.... Tracy and I really need to get together and play with scraps! (We met at an LQS trunk show with Jen Kingwell.) Her June Bugs quilts is as cute as a bug, isn't it? Jayne always has beautiful things in her feed, but I really love this play with skinny strips and curves! Isn't Sharon's hexie pillow adorable? I don't have much patience for hand sewing, but I think I could do it for long enough to make a pillow cover like this. And it's a great way to use up pretty scraps! *&*&*&*&*&*&* So please tell me I'm not alone in having so many quilts I want to make, but never enough time! Hugs! Sarah
I was part of the Third Block Swap on Reddit recently, and just finished one of two polaroid quilts! This one is for my granddaughter. Participants in the swap were organized in groups of 12, and we each made 48 basic Polaroid blocks, fussy cutting novelty prints into the subjects of the photos and then framing them with white. We […]
A blog about fabric, quilting, patchwork, sewing, embroidery, quilt shows
I Spy Quilt 5" Charm Packs are NOW AVAILABLE in our fabric shop!!! These quilts are SO much fun to make, and the special little in your lif...
