Truck & Tractor Quilt FREE Pattern!

Two of our favorite little boys (twins) just turned TWO and since their new bedroom is being decorated with Trucks their mom asked for Truck Quilts for their birthday. Yay!!! I LOVE having a reason to get my scissors into all of the cute "boy" fabrics in the shop!

The good news is that the center of these quilts are a Panel! The bad news is that these collections are already discontinued and our stock is very limited! If these fabrics are perfect for a special little in your life, place your fabric order soon!

The panel, skinny strips, and binding are from the Ruff 'N Tuff Collection.

The other strips are from the Trucks & Tractors Collection.

The finished quilts measure 42" x 64". All seams are 1/4", and the strips all measure as follows:

The Under Construction Panel: 23.5" x 44" (one panel)
3/4 Yard of Diamond Plate for the Skinny Strips: 1.25" x 44" (cut 9 total) AND BINDING: 2" x 44" (cut 5)
3/4 Yard of Trucks & Tractors for the Yellow or Blue Strips: 5" x 44" (cut 5 total)
1.5 Yards of Primary Trucks 1-2-3: 5" x 44" (cut 3) AND 44" x 5" (cut 2 - for this piece a 44" x 44" piece is needed due to the direction of the print, plus the other two 5" strips)
2 Yards of fabric for the Backing
Batting measuring 45" x 67" (I purchase 2 Yards of "Warm & Natural" Batting, then cut it down the fold using one piece for this project, and the other piece for my next kid's size quilt)

These were such fun quilts to make!!! There is something about starting with a panel that makes the project feel like it is sewing up faster than it does! Every quilt this size takes me about the same amount of time, but that feeling of it going quicker always makes me feel like I'm being more productive, love that! Can you relate!?! I used a clear thread for quilting the top and coordinating cotton thread for the bobbin. I took my time quilting around the big construction vehicles and outlining the individual boxes. When it comes to quilting there is no right or wrong - it is all right, so quilt as you like!

Happy Sewing!!!

P.S. In case you haven't entered yet, please take a moment to enter our joint Giveaway with www.ILikeBigButtons.com by clicking HERE. Good Luck!!!

Pirate Treasure Map Quilt - FREE Pattern!

The Brand New Pirate Treasure Map Collection from Riley Blake arrived on Friday afternoon and from the moment I ripped open those boxes I knew it was going to be a late night! I quickly made bundles, took pictures...then I couldn't decide which bundle to start with! One of my biggest challenges to new projects is getting started because too many choices makes me SO indecisive!

I finally decided on this super cute Gray Pirate Treasure Bundle!

Gray Pirate Treasure Bundle

I opened up the panel (love, Love, LOVE this panel!!!) and set the other fabrics around it to create this pattern. The finished size of this quilt is 40" x 63", a really perfect size for kids to actually use! My "Kid Size" quilts are smaller than Twin Size quilts, intentionally. If I were making a quilt for a bed I would definitely make a standard Twin Size, but I make most of my quilts for kids to drag around the house with them! While I could definitely make my Kid Size quilts shorter, I really like the 60" - 65" length so that it is easy for them to use, yet long enough to grow with them.

The finished quilt, washed & dried!

I LOVE the "puckered" look that comes from sewing the unwashed fabric, then washing & drying the finished quilt. If you prefer a more traditional and smooth quilt then pre-wash and dry your fabric, and after future washes dry the quilt for 10 minutes on low-medium heat (to create the softness without the puckering), then remove from the dryer and hang or lay flat to dry. To me, the "puckered" look is the 'je nais se quois' that makes hand-made quilts priceless.

This Pirate Treasure Map Panel was SO much fun to quilt!!! I used a light gray thread and quilted around all of the fun map clues. After I quilted the Pirate Map, I underlined all of the waves and that is when the quilting started to make the images pop.

I already have two more quilts cut out and waiting to be made up, but for certain I will be making another Pirate Treasure Map Quilt in another colorway in the very near future!!! SO much FUN!!! To make this exact quilt the pattern is as follows:

Pirate Treasure Map Quilt

1 - Pirate Treasure Map Panel (36" x 44")
4 - 1.5" Strips of Red Treasure Search Lines (to frame the panel)[Purchase 1/2 Yard for framing strips and binding]
5 - 2" Strips of Red Treasure Search Lines (for the binding)
2 - 3" Strips of Skulls on Gray [Purchase 1/4 Yard]
2 - 3" Strips of Pirate Ships on Navy (I needed 8" to cut two strips with the pattern centered)[Purchase 1/4 Yard]
2 - 2.25" Strips of Gray Waves [Purchase 1/4 Yard]
2 - 5.5" Strips of Gray Pirates Kids [I used the same fabric for these strips AND the backing, so Purchase 2.25 Yards]
1.75 - 2 Yards of Fabric for the Backing
1 Piece of Batting 44" x 68" (I like the Warm & Natural Brand)

I trimmed the 1 yard panel just a bit, but other than that all of the seams were 1/4" and created a finished quilt of 40" x 63". Feel free to use these measurements as a base and customize your quilt to YOUR "perfect" Kid Quilt Size! One of my "perfect" qualifications is always that the quilt is 44" wide or less so I only need one length of fabric! ;-) That is just me, though!

We also have this bundle in two alternate colorways: Blue and Teal!

Happy Sewing!!!