We’re on the final day of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along!

Today, there are three main tasks we’re completing:

1. Attaching the Strap and Handle,
2. Sewing on the three Vinyl Zipper Pockets then the Zipper Pouch, and
3. Attaching the Final Binding.

A few tips for the first main task of attaching the Strap and Handle:

• I like to use a white Clover chalk pen to mark the lines on the Main Quilted Panel. It works especially well on darker colored fabric and easily brushes off. I frequently use a Frixion erasable pen to make marks other places (the ink erases with heat from an iron), but the Frixion ink can reappear in really cold temperatures, so I try to stay away from using it in highly visible areas.
• Make sure you attach the Strap first (the longer piece with the strap slider) and then the Handle after the Strap.
• Before sewing the Strap and Handle, consider changing out your bobbin thread to match the Lining fabric on the Main Quilted Panel so the stitches on the Lining aren’t super visible.

Some tips for sewing on the Vinyl Pockets 1, 2, and 3, and the Zipper Pouch:

• Check the loose end of the Strap to make sure it is out of the way!! Before sewing each new unit onto the Main Quilted Panel, just do a quick double check to make sure you’re not sewing over the Strap (even though I check on the Strap location quite frequently, I actually sewed right through the corner of the end of the Strap on one of my Nightingale Cases–whoops!). 
• When sewing on the Vinyl Zipper Pockets, check to make sure your bobbin thread matches to the Main Quilted Panel fabric. There will be two seams going across the Strap, so choose a color of thread for the bobbin that works well with both the Main fabric and the Strap. I have been known to get a Sharpie marker and carefully color the thread to match the fabric underneath, so know that that is an option if the Main and Strap fabrics don’t both work well with one thread color.
• Remember to sew an extra seam across Vinyl Pocket 1 in between the two zipper pockets! For some reason, this little extra seam is easily skipped and forgotten about (until you realize that the two zipper pockets aren’t separated at all). 

And some notes on sewing the Final Binding:

• Sewing the Binding up and over the area where the Zipper Pouch is attached to the Main Quilted Panel can get pretty bulky. I like to slow down and use my handwheel to advance the needle so my machine is less likely to skip stitches.
• I have completed the second side of the Binding both by hand and by machine. On my Nightingale Zipper Cases, I always feel like the hand stitching looks nicer, but the machine stitching looks fine (just not as even as nice as the hand stitching). You might find that you prefer machine stitching the last Binding seam! If you’re machine sewing, just go slowly and try to get the width of the Binding folded over to the front side as even as possible. You also might want to use the handwheel on parts of that final seam, as (again) there are some pretty bulky areas.
• When sewing the Binding on, you’ll (again) want to check to make sure that the Strap is out of the way. If you sew the final seam by machine, make sure the zipper pulls are away from the edges, too. They can easily get turned under the binding area and if you sew over a zipper pull, your needle will likely break (as me how I know–haha!). 
• After I finish the entire case, I like to iron the Handle, as it often gets a little wonky or smooshed after adding the Binding on.

That’s it for Day 5!

Thank you so much for sewing along with me! I have absolutely LOVED seeing your own Nightingale Zipper Cases pop up on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you’ve learned a new tip or two and have been inspired to spend some time at your sewing machine.

 

Links tp products from today’s assignment:

Clover Chalk Pen 
Frixion Heat Erasable Pen
Clover Wonder Clips
Zipper by the yard
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Happy sewing!

-Kristina

Here we are at Day 4 of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along!

Today we are making our zipper pouches. It’s a little crazy to me that I’ve held entire sew alongs that were a week long just to make a zipper pouch–and here we are making one in just a day. Haha! Don’t worry if you can’t entirely complete the pouch today. This info and the videos on my Instagram and Facebook accounts will stay there when you’re ready to sew.

If you’ve made any of my zipper pouches (particularly the Good Luck Pouch!), parts of making this pouch will feel very familiar. A few notes about making the zipper pouch:

As with the other zippers in this pattern, the zipper for the pouch is cut slightly larger than necessary. Personally, I feel like having four or five extra inches on the zipper length really help with the installation. I’m able to get the zipper sewn on more easily and it looks better, too!

When adding the A3 Bindings on the ends of the zipper pouch (make sure you have the pouch turned inside out first), you don’t need to encase the zipper in the binding. I like to put the binding as close as possible, but not over the zipper teeth, as it makes for a really bulky seam. Since we’ll be cutting a boxy corner into the ends of the zipper, there’s no need to bind the zipper teeth in this step anyway. You can see in the photo below how the binding doesn’t cover the zipper teeth. The bulk of the two layers of zipper teeth stacked on top of each other plus the binding is pretty thick and, in this case, unnecessary to sew over.

After cutting the boxy corners, you’re instructed to leave the pouch turned inside out, then add the A4 Binding pieces onto the TOP boxy corners ONLY!! You want to leave the bottom edges raw and open. Then when you turn the pouch right side out, you can close up the bottom boxy corner openings with a 1/8″ seam, but still don’t add any bindings to those bottom two raw edges.

That’s it for today! Check out the Day 4 video on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE.

Links from today’s post

Clover Wonder Clips
OLFA rotary cutter (I have one for fabric and one for paper/zippers)
Zipper by the yard (looks metal, but has plastic teeth!)
Black Scissors -LDH Brand
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Thanks for sewing along!

–Kristina

It’s Day 3 of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along! 

Today, we are making Vinyl Pockets 2 and 3. The process is pretty similar to making Vinyl Pocket 1 yesterday, however Vinyl Pockets 2 and 3 will each be sewn to an Inside Pocket Quilted Panel. 

A couple notes about the Vinyl Pockets 2 and 3:

As with the Vinyl Pocket 1, the vinyl and zipper portions of Pockets 2 and 3 will be made a little larger than necessary. Trust me, the extra width and length is worth it to get nicer looking pockets and less frustrations. 😉 After sewing the vinyl + zipper unit to the Quilted Panel, trim off any ends that overhang the Quilted Panel. 

Vinyl Pocket 2 will have Bindings added to both the left and right sides (see photo above, Vinyl Pocket 2 is on the left), while Vinyl Pocket 3 only has binding added to the left side (as shown above, Vinyl Pocket 3 is on the right of the photo).

To round off today’s tips, I have a few more notes on working with vinyl:

• Vinyl has a tendency to cling to certain surfaces, including your presser foot and needle plate. If you’re sewing on vinyl that’s facing up, you’ll want to make accommodations so the vinyl doesn’t stick to the presser foot. I use either a non-stick presser foot, or small strips of thin paper in between the vinyl and presser foot. The paper will keep the vinyl from sticking to the presser foot-you can sew right through it then gently tear the paper away after finishing the seam. I used the paper strips method for years before finally purchasing a non-stick presser foot. In the photo below, you can see the strip of paper in between the presser foot and vinyl (the paper doesn’t need to be that wide–I literally pulled this strip out of my trash can and didn’t bother cutting it smaller first). Using paper is such an easy method and works great!

• If you’re sewing with the vinyl face down against the needle plate and machine bed, there are products that are made to make your machine bed more slippery so the vinyl doesn’t stick to the sewing machine. I haven’t used any of these products, so I can’t speak to their effectiveness, but did want to mention them in case anyone wants to check them out (I’ve heard of both a spray and a slippery mat that lays on top of the machine bed). Instead, I prefer to gently pull on the side of the vinyl that’s made it through the needle to help the piece travel under the needle without sticking too much to the needle plate. It might also help to check your presser foot pressure. If your presser foot is pushing down really hard against your vinyl/fabric, then the vinyl will be more likely to stick as it goes through the needle.
• In the photo below, I am attaching the Binding to the side of one of the vinyl pockets. The piece of vinyl is face down against the needle plate, and it was sticking slightly to the machine bed. You can see my left hand gently pulling the piece through the needle, helping out those feed dogs push the vinyl through. I’m also lifting the panel up a bit to try to keep the vinyl off of the machine bed as much as possible. Just make sure you aren’t pulling too hard, as you don’t want to bend your needle and cause it to break–the goal is to just gently help the vinyl so it doesn’t stick as much. You can also use the paper trick here, too! Put a piece of paper under as much of the vinyl as you want, and the vinyl won’t have a chance to stick to the bed.

 

That’s it for today! Check out the Day 3 video on Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE.

Links from today’s post

Clover Wonder Clips
OLFA frosted ruler
OLFA rotary cutter (I have one for fabric and one for paper/zippers)
Zipper by the yard (looks metal, but has plastic teeth!)
Vinyl (By Annie brand 16 gauge is my favorite)
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Thanks for sewing along!

-Kristina

It’s Day 2 of the Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along and today we are prepping the Binding, Handle, and Strap (all of the Accent fabric parts), along with making Vinyl Pocket 1.

The Binding is pretty self-explanatory, but I did want to mention a couple things.

First, feel free to use different fabric prints for the different binding pieces. This is a great place to use up scraps, and it will just add to the personality of your bag!

Second, since there are so many Binding pieces for this pattern, the instructions direct you to press first then cut to size. Personally, I find it easier to press the long, width of fabric strips first, then cut the right length, but of course you’re welcome to cut the strips prior to pressing if you like that order better. It’s all about what YOU prefer!

And third, one fun option for the webbing is to use a coordinating webbing–which means you don’t have to cover it with fabric! Yay! If you choose to use webbing without the fabric over it, you’ll just want to make sure you seal the raw end of the Strap opposite of the strap slider. For poly webbing like the photo below, you can use a flame to heat seal it by melting the end a little. For cotton webbing, you can sew a zigzag stitch along the end or use Fray Check to keep the end from fraying.

Today, we’re also making the Vinyl Pocket 1, which is the pocket with two zippers. If you’ve made my Atlas Zipper Case pattern, this pocket is almost identical to one of the pocket panels there, so it will feel very familiar.

For all of the Vinyl Pockets, I’ve purposefully made the Binding, vinyl, and zippers a little larger than necessary. Making it oversized uses only slightly more material, but results in a much nicer finished product. It’s hard to get all those bindings to line up perfectly with the zipper and vinyl without having any wiggle-room! So, starting off larger and then trimming to size is my preferred method when dealing with many different pieces. The increased size of the vinyl also helps account for variations in the width of zipper tape. We don’t want any Vinyl Pockets to end up too small!

If you’re new to working with vinyl, here are a few tips:

• When vinyl is sewn through, the sewing machine needle makes a hole in it. Unlike sewing through cotton fabric, the puncture made in vinyl is permanent and easily visible if the thread needs to be taken out of the seam. For this reason, I always sew extra slow when sewing with vinyl so as to minimize the chance of having to redo any seams. In most instances for the Nightingale Zipper Case, if you sew one of the bindings on the vinyl and make a mistake, you can likely seam rip the thread out, then cover the existing holes in the vinyl with the binding fabric.
• For holding vinyl pieces in place, I frequently use Wonder Clips, but never pins. As I’m sure you have guessed by now, the pins will put a permanent hole in the vinyl.
• I always use my regular Organ brand 90/14 needles when sewing vinyl. I would guess that sewing through vinyl would make the needle get dull faster, but Organ brand needles are really inexpensive (link HERE), so they are still economical if you’re changing them regularly.

One additional tip: After finishing the Vinyl Pocket 1, I like to quickly sew a few stitches across the open end of the zipper teeth. This helps keep the open end from flapping around and will be especially useful when attaching it to the quilted panel. In the photo below, I’m sewing a quick forward stitch and backstitch across the zipper teeth to close the open end (the zipper teeth look metal, but they are plastic, so I’m good to sew right across them).

 

That’s it for tips today! I have two videos for Day 2 of the sew along. You can find the videos on instagram (part 1 and part 2) or Facebook (part 1 and part 2).

I’ll be back tomorrow with a few more notes and photos about working with vinyl for assembling the other two Vinyl Pockets.

 

Links for products from today’s assignment:

Tube Turner (shown in my video for turning the Handle and Strap right side out)
Clover Wonder Clips
My favorite vinyl to use (ByAnnie brand 16 gauge vinyl)
Organ 90/14 needles
Zipper by the yard from these photos
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Thanks for sewing along!

Kristina

 

Welcome to Day 1 of the Nightingale Sew Along! I’m so happy you are here.

I originally posted these Sew Along tips and tricks in December 2025 in conjunction with a Nightingale Zipper Case Sew Along I hosted. I’m posting the daily assignments and bonus tips here to my blog for easy reference and for those who didn’t get a chance to join the Sew Along as it was happening. You can find the Nightingale Zipper Casepattern HERE and follow along with the Sew Along Blog posts to make your own!

Today we are basting and quilting our panels. I have a few tips below for you:

PREPARE FOR BASTING

Before I start basting, I try to make sure that all of my layers are pressed really well. This will help everything lay smoother and you’ll be less likely to get puckers in the fabric when you quilt.

I’d even recommend pressing the batting or Soft and Stable (or other foam stabilizer–unless it’s fusible!) before layering. Both batting and Soft and Stable press well and having the wrinkles pressed out will really help all the layers stay flat.

BASTING

Basting is a way to temporarily hold layers of fabric together. We don’t want the layers to move around while we’re quilting, so we baste them for the best results.

There are many different methods of basting (pins, adhesive spray, sewing long stitches, etc.). I’d recommend trying a few out so you can figure out which method you like best.

I prefer to spray baste smaller projects with Odif 505, but I frequently use safety pins for larger projects.

PREPARE FOR QUILTING

Once I have my layers basted, I choose a side of the panel that I can start most of my quilting lines from and stitch a line along one of the edges (just 1/8″ away from the raw edge) to stabilize the three layers.

Even though we’ve already basted, if you start your machine quilting from that stitched line as much as possible, it will further help keep the layers from shifting.

MARKING QUILTING LINES

When I’m quilting a design that needs guides to follow, I like to use a Hera Marker to mark my lines (it only leaves an impression-not an actual ink mark). The dull side of a butter knife also works great! The impressions on some fabrics and batting/Soft and Stable combinations show up better than others, so don’t get discouraged if the lines are a little hard to see. Sometimes I’ll mark and quilt from the lining side if the Hera Marker works better on that side than the main fabric side.

There are many other ways to make guide lines (air/water erasable pens, strips of tape, etc.) or forgo the lines altogether and choose an organic design that doesn’t need lines to follow. If you’d like to see some of these other method in action, check out the video I shared on my Instagram account HERE.

For my Nightingale Zipper Case here, I machine quilted cross-hatch lines using the 45 degree line on my quilting ruler. If you’re wanting some additional ideas for easy machine quilting designs, check out the Instagram video I posted HERE.

QUILTING

To keep things easy when I quilt, I use the same thread and needle that I use for all of my general sewing projects (my thread of choice is Aurifil 50 wt and I like to use Organ 90/14 needles).

For machine quilting, I do like to increase my stitch length a little. A standard stitch length on my machine is 2.5 and I like to increase it to about 3.5 for quilting. You can play around with your machine’s settings to see what you prefer.

When quilting on my Juki sewing machine, I use a slim presser foot to quilt smaller projects. The Juki comes with a walking foot, however I’ve found that it doesn’t work really well (one of the machine’s only downfalls) and I prefer to use a regular presser foot. If I’m quilting a larger project then I get out my second machine (a Bernina) and use it with a walking foot. The walking foot can really help feed the layers through at the same speed and avoid puckering. If you have a walking foot, I’d generally recommend using it to quilt, or at least trying it out to see if it works better for quilting.

TRIMMING

Whenever I’m quilting fabric for a bag, I almost always start off with a bigger size than necessary, then trim to size after quilting. The process of quilting often shrinks the panel (the denser the quilting, the greater the shrinkage), and sometimes the layers shift a little, too. The extra size is built into my patterns, so no need to start out even larger than the measurements given.

Those are the tips for today! Check out the Day 1 video on Instagram HERE or on Facebook HERE. 

Links from today’s tips:

Odif 505 basting spray 
Hera Marker 
Organ 90/14 needles
OLFA rotary cutter
OLFA 6″ x 24″ ruler
Wild Honey fabric by Lella Boutique for Moda

Thanks for sewing along!

-Kristina

Meet the Nightingale Zipper Case!

Thoughtfully constructed, this versatile quilted case features four clear vinyl zipper pockets, allowing you to easily see and access your items. Two slip pockets provide additional storage for quick-grab essentials, while a spacious interior zipper pouch keeps bulky supplies secure and neatly tucked away.

Whether you’re carrying sewing notions, jewelry, makeup, first-aid items, travel essentials, or anything that needs stylish organization, the Nightingale Zipper Case keeps everything in its place. Compact with plenty of storage spaces, this case is ideal for home, travel, or on-the-go creativity—beautifully combining practicality with a beautiful design.

You can find the Nightingale Zipper Case in my shop HERE. 

 

If you’re looking for a little extra guidance in making your own Nightingale Case, please join me for the Nightingale Sew Along! Whether you’d like some extra tips and videos to guide you, or are looking for some motivation to finish a quick project, please join in! The Sew Along itself is completely free to join, but you will need to purchase the Nightingale Zipper Case Pattern to make the bag.

If you’d like to participate in the sew along, make sure you’re signed up (click HERE for the link), have the pattern purchased from my shop , and have all of your supplies gathered and cut out by Monday, December 1st. Every morning (for West Hemisphere participants. It will be later in the day for those in earlier time zones), you’ll receive an email with the day’s assignment and any extra tips I have to add. Plus, I’ll be posting a daily video on Instagram and Facebook to help those of us that are visual learners! Yay!

Since we will have people joining from all over the world, there aren’t any live portions of the sew along. You can sew at your own convenience–including working ahead or catching up later in the week if needed. And if you can’t sew with us the week of December 1st, no worries! Still sign up so you can save the emails and refer to them when you’re ready to make the Nightingale Case.

 

I get asked all the time about where to find specific supplies, so I put together a list of items that I have personally purchased and used for sewing zipper pouches like the Nightingale Case. Many of the products are linked to Amazon, because that’s an easy source for me to link and for a lot of people to purchase items from. Please feel free to check out other options, too, as you can certainly find the products elsewhere.

Supply Recommendations

Fabric:

I have purchased fabric from SO many different shops (and have generally had very positive experiences). However, below are a few links to my absolute favorite online fabric shops that I shop at again and again. 

Monograms for Makers: The Monograms for Makers shop is one of my go-to fabric sources! Meg has so many fun prints (Ruby Star and Rifle Paper galore!), fast shipping, and the best customer service!
Crimson Confection: Jennifer puts together the sweetest bundles of fabric! If you like darling prints and perfectly curated bundles, check out Crimson Confection.
Stitch Supply: A large selection of fabric and other notions like zippers, bag hardware, webbing (for handles). Plus, order over $50 or $100 and get a free small or large project bag!

Zippers:

For the Nightingale Zipper Case, I recommend either a standard size #3 nylon zipper (like what you’d find at a big box store like Walmart or Hobby Lobby), or a larger size #5 zipper. Size #5 zippers have larger teeth, a bigger zipper pull, and wider zipper tape, which makes them a little easier to sew with. A nylon zipper is preferable over a metal zipper, as you can sew right over the nylon (plastic) zipper teeth without breaking a needle. I almost always purchase and use size #5 zippers by the yard. When you purchase a zipper by the yard, it comes in a long coil so you can cut the zipper to size then attach a zipper pull. This is a really efficient way to use zippers, as you cut off the exact amount you need for the project. I have some of my favorite zippers and sources linked below.

YKK Zippers from the Etsy shop ZipIt
Zippers by the yard from Amazon. I have purchased this brand on Amazon many, many times. They come in 10 yard lengths (!) and it’s a great price: Amazon link
By Annie Zippers by the yard. I have pretty much every color of By Annie Zippers by the yard. They are a great quality and come in fun colors. They are actually size #4.5, so slightly smaller than #5 zippers, which doesn’t make a noticeable difference except that the zipper pulls aren’t interchangeable with size #5 zippers: Amazon link

Hardware, Webbing, and Vinyl:

You can find the 1″ strap slider, webbing, and vinyl needed for the Nightingale Case at various places. Here are a few recommendations to get you going.

Stitch Supply Co has a lot of strap slider options, the coolest webbing, and my favorite By Annie Vinyl. Remember to check to make sure you are getting the correct 1″ width for the webbing and slider.
Bulk white webbing (to cover with fabric): If I’m not using a decorative webbing, I use white webbing and cover it with coordinating fabric. It’s very cost-effective to purchase the webbing in bulk (a 10 or 25 yard roll) and really nice to always have webbing on hand when you need it. Link to webbing on Amazon that I have purchased.
Vinyl: I prefer to purchase By Annie 16 gauge vinyl. You can find it at Stitch Supply Co, and various other shops on Etsy. You can also usually find vinyl at big box stores that sell fabric. It’s usually on a long roll by the upholstery fabric. I would recommend getting somewhere close to 16 gauge for the thickness (12 -20 gauge would all work well).

Quilting material:

I prefer using Soft and Stable in between my layers as I quilt. Soft and Stable is a foam stabilizer that gives more structure and protection than a regular batting. There are other foam stabilizers (like Pellon Flex Foam) that also work well–just make sure you are getting a big enough piece for your project. You can also use regular batting like Warm and Natural or Hobbs Heirloom batting.

Soft and Stable: Amazon
Pellon Flex Foam: Amazon. (Pellon Flex Foam comes in 20″ width, so make sure it’s big enough for your project! Also, Pellon Flex Foam has fusible options–I prefer the non-fusible versions, but many people use and prefer the fusible type–it’s just personal preference).

Other Sewing Supplies:

Hera Marker for marking straight quilting lines: Amazon
Wonder Binding Clips. (I use these ALL the time to hold things in place while I sew): Amazon
Odif 505 Basting Spray: my preferred method for basting small projects like zipper pouches. Amazon link HERE.
OLFA Rotary Cutter: my favorite rotary cutter out there! Amazon link
Clover chalk marker. I use this white chalk marker for marking on darker fabrics. It’s easy to brush the chalk marks off after. Amazon link

 

Please let me know if you have any other requests for supply recommendations. You can always look at my Amazon Favorites page HERE for items that I have purchased and use regularly. Again, feel free to shop at your local stores for supplies–Amazon is just a handy tool for me to link my favorites. 

Happy Sewing!

-Kristina

 

 

I originally posted these Halloween Quilt Block Tutorials in 2017 on my old blog. I am reposting them here for easy access.

I’m so excited to share the final block in my Spooky Parade today! For those of you just joining in, I am sharing a few Halloween themed 12″ x 12″ blocks in the weeks leading up to Halloween. They make great stand-alone mini quilts or pillow covers, or you can put the blocks together for a fun Halloween table runner. If you missed the first two Spooky Parade blocks you can click HERE for the Halloween Bats tutorial and HERE for the Jack-o-lantern block tutorial.

Today, I’ll be sharing a fun Ghost quilt block tutorial. I saved the ghost block for last because it has the most pieces and I didn’t want to scare you off with over 20 pieces to cut and sew for the first block. Haha! Even though the ghost has a lot of pieces, it’s a pretty straightforward block and he’s definitely worth the effort! 😉

The Ghost quilt block finishes at 12″ x 12″ (12.5″ x 12.5″ unfinished). Below you’ll find a quilt block diagram, cutting instructions, and a step-by-step photo tutorial. Happy Sewing!

Spooky Parade: Ghost

Ghost Quilt Block Diagram:

Cutting instructions for Ghost Quilt Block:

 

1. Gather the L. M, N, O, T, and U pieces and lay them out according to the photo below. The top row will make up the eyes and the bottom row will become the mouth.

2. Sew the eye row together. Press seams toward the eyes. Sew the O and T pieces together. Press toward the T piece.

3. Sew the mouth row together. Press the seams toward the outer pieces (the N pieces). Next, sew the eye row to the mouth row. Press the seam toward the mouth row.

4. Gather the K piece, (2) C pieces, (2) Q pieces, and (4) G pieces.  Draw a line corner-to-corner on the wrong side of the (2) C pieces and the (4) G pieces. Orient the (C)  piece on the K piece as shown and the (G) pieces on the Q pieces as shown. Sew a line directly on the drawn line.

5. Trim off the excess corner 1/4″ away from the sewn line. Press the seam open.

6. Sew the K piece (which is the top of the ghost’s head) to the top of the eyes/mouth unit. Press seam towards K piece. Sew the E and F pieces to the ghost’s hands. Press towards E and F pieces.

7. Gather (1) A piece along with the B and D pieces and lay them out with the ghost’s head according to the image below.

8. Sew the B and D pieces to the sides of the ghost head. Press the seams towards the B and D pieces (away from the ghost head).

9. Sew the A piece to the top of the ghost’s head. Press towards the A piece.

10. Gather the P, R, and (2) I pieces. Draw a line corner-to-corner on the wrong side of the I pieces and orient them on the P and R pieces as shown in the image below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

11. Trim off the excess corner 1/4″ away from the sewn line. Press the seam open.

12. Gather the D piece and the (2) S pieces. Draw a line corner to corner on both S pieces and orient them on the bottom of the D piece as shown in the image below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

13. Trim off the excess corner 1/4″ away from the sewn line and press the seam open.

14. Gather the remaining pieces, including the hands previously sewn together. Lay out all the pieces according to the image below.

15. Sew the D piece to the R piece to make the ghost’s tail. Press toward the R piece.

16. Sew the H piece to the side of the tail. Press toward the H piece.

17. Sew the hand units to the pieces directly below them. Press seams away from the hand units.

18. Sew the side units to the ghost body. Press towards the ghost body. Sew the A piece to the bottom of the ghost. Press toward the A piece.

19. Sew the ghost head to the ghost body. Press toward the ghost body.

20. Your ghost block is finished! It should measure 12.5″ x 12.5″

Isn’t he (she?) a cute little ghost?

Put all three of the new quilt block tutorials together and you’ve got a fun Spooky Parade (that’s in fact not spooky at all!).

For easy reference:

• HERE is the Halloween Bats quilt block tutorial.
• HERE is the Jack-o-lantern quilt block tutorial.

Thanks for following along with my Spooky Parade quilt block tutorials! 

Happy sewing!

Kristina

I originally posted these Halloween Quilt Block Tutorials in 2017 on my old blog. I am reposting them here for easy access.

I’m back today with part two of the Spooky Parade block tutorials! For those of you just joining in, I am sharing a few Halloween themed 12″ x 12″ blocks in the weeks leading up to Halloween. They make great stand-alone mini quilts or pillow covers, or you can put the blocks together for a fun Halloween table runner. If you missed the first Spooky Parade block you can click HERE to find the Halloween Bats quilt block tutorial.

This time we’ll be making a jolly Jack-o-lantern. I love Halloween–but not the creepy, scary stuff–just the cute and fun side of Halloween. So I just had to make this Jack-o-lantern with an adorable smile.

The Jack-o-lantern block finishes at 12″ x 12″ (12.5″ x 12.5″ unfinished). Below you’ll find a block diagram, cutting instructions, and a photo tutorial. Happy sewing!

Spooky Parade: Jack-o-lantern

Jack-o-lantern block diagram:

 

Cutting instructions:

1. We’ll be assemblying the smile first. Gather the K, L, and M pieces for the pumpkin body and (2) O pieces, P, Q, and R pieces for the mouth.

2. Draw a line corner-to-corner on the O and L squares and place according to the image below. Sew directly on the drawn lines.

3. Trim the excess corner 1/4″ away from sewn line. Press seams open.

4. Sew the M and Q pieces together to make the teeth.

5. Sew the entire bottom row together, pressing the seams away from the M/Q (teeth) pieces. Then sew that row to the top (K) piece. Press seam toward K piece.

6. Gather the H, I, J, and remaining (4) O pieces. Draw a line corner to corner on the O pieces and place according to image below. Sew directly on the drawn line. Also, sew the J pieces on the sides of the mouth and press toward the J pieces.

7. Trim the excess corners 1/4″ away from the seam and press seams open.

8. Sew the top row together to form the eyes. Press the seams open. Sew the eyes to the mouth. Press seam toward the mouth.

9. Sew the G piece to the top of pumpkin. Press the seam toward the G piece. Sew the N piece to the bottom of the pumpkin. Press toward the N piece.

10. Gather the D pieces. Draw a line corner-to-corner and place according to the image below. Sew directly on the drawn lines.

11. Trim the corners 1/4″ away from the sewn line and press the seams open.

12. Gather the remaining pieces. Sew B and F together to make the stem. Press the seam toward the stem. Sew the C pieces to the sides of the pumpkin. Press seams toward the C pieces.

13. Sew the top row together. Press seams away from the stem. Sew the top row to the pumpkin and press seams toward the top. Then sew the E piece to the bottom of the pumpkin. Press toward the E piece.

14. Your pumpkin is finished! It should measure 12.5″ x 12.5″.

Now you have a jolly Jack-o-lantern to add to your Spooky Parade! 🙂

Thanks for following along and stay tuned for the final Spooky Parade block tutorial–it will be coming soon! 

Update–for easy reference, here are the other two Spooky Parade Quilt Block Tutorials:

• Click HERE for the Bats quilt block tutorial
• Click HERE for the Ghost quilt block tutorial

Happy sewing!

Kristina

 

I originally posted these Halloween Quilt Block Tutorials in 2017 on my old blog. I am reposting them here for easy access.

 

 

Happy October! I’ve been in the mood to do a little Halloween sewing, so I designed three fun Halloween blocks and will be sharing the tutorials for each block on my blog in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Put all of the blocks together and they will make a not-too-terrifying Spooky Parade! First up in my Spooky Parade tutorials are the Halloween Bats.

The Halloween Bats quilt block finishes at 12″ x 12″ (12.5″ x 12.5″ unfinished). The diagram and instructions below show how to make one bat. To do the full 12″ x 12″ quilt block, just follow the instructions a second time and sew the two bats together. 🙂

Spooky Parade: Halloween Bats

Halloween Bat Quilt Block Diagram

Cutting Instructions for one bat:

1. Gather the (10) G units and the (4) D units (all 1.5″ x 1.5″ squares) and draw a line from corner to corner on the wrong side of each of the squares.

2. Place the (4) D units on the corners of the top of the two H units, right sides together, with drawn lines oriented as shown below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

3. Trim off the excess fabric 1/4″ from the sewn line and press the seam open.

4. Gather the (10) G units with lines drawn on the wrong side, plus the C unit and the (4) E units. Place one of the G units on each of the background pieces, lined up with the left edge and drawn lines as shown below. Sew directly on the drawn line.

5. Trim off the excess corner of the fabric, 1/4″ away from the sewn line and press the seams open.

6. Repeat with the remaining (5) G units for the right side of each C and E unit.

7. Pair up the flying geese E units and sew each pair together along the short edges. Press seams open.

8. Sew each E unit to the bottom of an H unit to form the bat wings. Press seams open.

9. Lay out the remaining pieces as shown in the diagram below.

10. Sew the B units to the top of the bat wings and the C unit (bat ears) to the top of the I unit (bat body). Press seams open.

11. Sew the wings to either side of the bat body. Press seams open.

12. Sew the A units to the top and bottom of the bat. Press the seams toward the A units.

13. Sew the F units to the left and right sides of the bat block. Press the seams toward the F units. Your bat block should now measure 12.5″ x 6.5″.

Now that you have one bat, you need to make him a friend! Sew two of these bats together and you’ll have a 12.5″ x 12.5″ block with two Halloween Bats ready to join a Spooky Parade!

Stay tuned for part two of the Spooky Parade! I’ll be sharing another 12″ x 12″ block to add to your cute Halloween bats really soon.

 

Update–for easy reference, here are the other two Spooky Parade Quilt Block Tutorials:

• Click HERE for the Jack-o-lantern quilt block tutorial
• Click HERE for the Ghost quilt block tutorial

 

Happy sewing!

Kristina

Welcome to Day 5 of the Good Luck Pouch Sew Along!

We made it to the end of the Sew Along! Today, I have a few last notes for finishing up our pouches.

Insert the Handle into the end where the zipper opens. It can get a little fiddly trying to get the zipper teeth ends to line up in the center with the Handle in between the layers, but using Wonder Clips can help keep everything in the right place.

Push the Side Binding to one side and sew the Boxy Corner openings closed with a 1/4″ seam. 

If you notice that the Binding is struggling to make it all the way around the raw edge (especially where the Side Seam and zipper meet up), you can take some sharp scissors and trim the Side Binding and/or zipper area in the seam allowance a little smaller. This will give the Boxy Corner Bindings some extra space to cover the entire seam. 

Sewing on the Boxy Corner Bindings will be the bulkiest seams of the pouch, and even more so if you have extra seams from half square triangles or patchwork squares to contend with. If your sewing machine is struggling with the thickness, here are a couple things to try:
* Try switching your needle to a jeans needle.
* Use the handwheel to manually move your needle up and down through the thickest parts. If the bulk is too much for your machine to handle, it can bend the needle and break it, so manually helping the needle go through the layers slowly sometimes works really well.
* Lessen the pressure on your presser foot (if your machine has that option).
* Before sewing on the binding, make a few more stitch lines through the boxy corner seam allowance areas to really flatten it out.

And remember, these Boxy Corner Bindings will likely never be looked at again, so it’s okay if they aren’t perfect! They are inside of the pouch and I have never once taken the time to look closely at any of my inside bindings after turning the pouch right side out. Haha.

Once all four Boxy Corners are finished up, you can turn your pouch right side out through the zipper holes. I’ve found that the process of adding the Boxy Corner Bindings can crease the pouch and handle a bit, so I will often press the pouch and handle to smooth out any wrinkles.

Those are my tips for today!

Check out the Day 5 sew along video on Instagram HERE. 

It’s been such a great time sewing along with you! I love to see all the cute Good Luck Pouches popping up on my Instagram feed. Thanks for joining me!

Links to items from today’s post:

Clover Wonder Clips
White and Gold zipper by the yard
Jeans Needles

Kristina