Tag: Fat Quarter Shop

Jolly Braid Tote Bag

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UPDATE, October 2025: The updated pattern has been released and is now available to download from Fat Quarter Shop’s website here. It is no longer a free pattern.

UPDATE, March 2024:  I have been informed that the pattern is currently being updated and will be re-released sometime in the future.  When that re-release happens, I will make sure to inform you, dear readers.  🙂  If you would like a personal heads-up from me when the re-release comes out, please leave a comment on *this* post, and I’ll go through and message every comment when the re-release happens.

UPDATE, August 2023: The link to the free pattern does not work at the moment.  I have emailed Fat Quarter Shop and am awaiting their reply on how to fix it for you!  Thank you for pointing it out!

I’ve been posting teasers on Instagram all week about a project I’ve been making for Fat Quarter Shop, and it’s finally time to show you the finished product!

Friends, meet the Jolly Braid Tote Bag, a super easy, very beginner-friendly bag made from Jolly Bar precuts.  I’d actually never made a structured bag before this, and I have no idea why I waited so long to get on the wagon!  SUPER easy, and totally satisfying to sew.

The pattern is available from Fat Quarter Shop.  You’ll need a Jolly Bar package, yardage of two other fabrics, some Annie’s Soft & Stable, one-inch polypro strapping for the handles, and a roll of “Fat Jelly Braid” Triangles on a Roll paper (seriously, I want to buy every available size of Triangles on a Roll because I love it so much).

I chose to make my bag from American Jane’s newest collection, “Merry Go Round,” and I’m really pleased with how cheerful it turned out.  When I first saw the dimensions of the pattern (12 x 11 x 5″), I thought it would make a great library book bag for my daughter, so I went with sunny prints to match her personality.

For my two prints, I went with Merry Go Round “Yellow Large Floral” (SKU# 21720-14) for my accent print, and “Red Mono Floral” (SKU# 21723-11) for my lining.

And, because I intended for the bag to hold heavy books, I added two inches to each end of the nylon strapping for the handles and tacked them down inside the construction of the bag so I wouldn’t run into ripped handles in the future. (I have ripped A LOT of handles out of A LOT of book bags…we nerdy girls always carry too many books in our bags!)

DSC03594-2My little Miss Junebug wanted to help with the photoshoot so much, so I let her!  There’s nothing like spending a beautiful autumn afternoon following your kid around the neighborhood as she proudly shows off her “new bag” to everyone she meets on the street!  (Don’t you just love it when a finished project makes the recipient enthusiastically happy?!?!)

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Thank you so much, Fat Quarter Shop, for allowing me to sew along on this super cute bag!  It’s going to get a lot of use in our home!

Fat Quarter Shop also has a tutorial video to aid you in the construction of your own bag!

Disclaimer: In exchange for sewing up this project, Fat Quarter Shop provided me with the materials.
Link-ups:

AGF Stitched with Kimberly: “Blithe” quilt pattern

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Hello again!  It’s time for another round of AGF Stitched with Kimberly, featuring a new pattern and some lovely Art Gallery Fabrics!

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The new pattern this time is called “Blithe,” and the Fat Quarter Shop version used a new fabric collection called Chalk & Paint, which, when I first saw it during those gray, cold days of late January, just filled me with so much excitement over the eventual arrival of spring that I decided to make a spring-colored version myself.

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I went with a bunch of fabrics from the Paperie collection and the Playing Pop collection, with a few selections from the Millie Fleur collection as well, paired with the solid “Icy Mint” from the Pure Elements line.

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I really liked the look of this pattern, but I had the idea to scale it down and decided to go with it.  Instead of six-inch blocks, I scaled it down by 50% to make three-inch blocks, and made some cheerful throw pillows.  The pillows measure 18.5 inches square.

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Love it.  The pattern used Triangles on a Roll, which I’d always wanted to give a try, so there was some extra fun in doing that–I think if I need to mass-produce HSTs in the future that I’ll go this route again.

I’ve been obsessed with pebbling quilting for a few months now, so I decided to take the plunge and give it try as well.  I used Aurifil 50 in “Medium Mint” for pebbling on the mint sections, and Aurifil 50 in “Natural White” to outline quilt the prints.  Using the darker mint thread really brought out the green tones of the Icy Mint fabric, which was neat.

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To help you out with making your own Blithe quilt, the Fat Quarter Shop has assembled two kits using that fabulous Chalk & Paint fabric collection:

Blithe Quilt Kit

Backing Set for Blithe Quilt Kit

And, the pattern is free, and you can get your own copy by clicking here.

There’s also a video explaining the pattern more in-depth.  Enjoy!

In exchange for creating this project, Art Gallery Fabrics provided me with the fabric.  Thank you to both Art Gallery Fabrics, and to the Fat Quarter Shop for allowing me the opportunity to sew up another beautiful pattern with such great fabrics!

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Fat Quarter Shop’s Top 10 Videos: Star Cakes Quilt

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Top-10-VIdeosHello Lovelies!

Star Cakes is another fun quilt in the parade of the Fat Quarter Shop’s Top 10 Videos of 2015.  I chose to make a baby-friendly-sized version, because WOW, you can get FIVE baby quilts out of TWO layer cakes with this pattern, and WOW, I know FOUR women who are pregnant with girls at the moment.

Plus, the Star Cakes quilt pattern is free.  Oh, yes, I’m a very happy quilter indeed.

So, consider this as Cara’s Star Cakes Quilt #1, of many to follow:

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I used the lovely Gooseberry collection, and Bella Solids in Admiral Blue.  It will make a nice little playmat for my friend’s wee girl.

There are lots of other bloggers who are participating in today’s Top 10 quilt hop, and their work is lovely:

Shruti of 13 Woodhouse Road

Rachel of PS I Quilt

Melissa of Happy Quilting

Tina of Emily Ann’s Kloset

Cara of That Crafty Cara (you’re here!)

Kim of Persimmon Dreams

Pat Sloan

And there’s more fun:  Fat Quarter Shop wants to see YOUR versions of their Top 10’s, and they’re offering a $100 gift certificate to one lucky quilter who posts their photos on Instagram with the hashtag #starcakesquilt and #FQStop10.

Thanks for the opportunity to sew up this great pattern, Fat Quarter Shop!

Star Cakes quilt, a free pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop, made with Gooseberry Fabrics and Bella Solids in Admiral Blue.

Linking up:
Sew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart Quilts
Linky Tuesday @ Free Motion by the River
Let’s Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts
WOW Wednesday @ Esther A. Liu
Needles & Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

AGF Stitched with Kimberly: “Locket” Quilt Pattern

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Another new pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop and Art Gallery Fabrics!  It’s a clever little pattern, and I enjoyed sewing it up so much!  I love sewing half square and corner square triangles, and that’s what this pattern is all about.  And, even better, the Locket quilt pattern is available for FREE!

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When I first saw the pattern, I fell in love–it made me think of the light inside each person (yellow centers), and how they are surrounded by people who love them, and their experiences (multi-colored fabrics).  That people/experience “filter” helps us to choose from right and wrong, which always surround us (navy & ivory).

As always, there’s a cute little video explaining the pattern, featuring Kimberly from the Fat Quarter Shop:

Click here to order your own Locket quilt kit from the Fat Quarter Shop, featuring Amy Sinibaldi’s lovely “Paperie” fabric collection.  There’s also a separate backing set, which you can order by clicking here.

Thank you, Fat Quarter Shop and Art Gallery Fabrics, for letting me participate in another lovely blog tour!

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Quesnel loves this quilt, too.

This quilt was machine quilted by Brandy Mascher.  I love it!

Click here to see my Pinterest board for this project!

Feel free to go check out the other bloggers’ take on this pattern, too:

Angie of GnomeAngel

Cara of That Crafty Cara (that’s me!)

Caroline of Sew Caroline

Christina of Sometimes Crafter

Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting

Heather and Megan of Quilt Story

Jane of Quilt Jane

Jemima of Tied with a Ribbon

Melissa of Happy Quilting

Natalia of Piece N Quilt

Sinta of Pink Pincushion

UPDATE: If you check out the Fat Quarter Shop’s blog post about the Locket pattern, there’s a giveaway for an Art Gallery Fat Quarter Bundle of your very own!

Linking Up:
Sew Cute Tuesdays @ Blossom Heart Quilts
Linky Tuesday @ Free Motion by the River
Needles & Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation