Plus Quilt Along Schedule

Tuesday, April 16, 2024


The Plus Quilt Along is a week away! I wanted to share the schedule for the quilt along so that you know what posts you can expect from me starting Tuesday, April 23rd! Each week I'll be sharing a to do list and some tips/tricks that will help you make your quilt! I've made a dedicated page for the quilt along, which I'll update with each week's post so you can follow along at any time! Here is the schedule:

Week 1 - April 23rd
To do: Choosing fabric and a quilt size

Week 2 - April 30th
To do: Cutting

Week 3 - May 7th
To do: Layout quilt and sew quilt top

Week 4 - May 14th
To do: Quilting and finishing

How to Participate:
Similar to our annual Lined Drawstring Bag Sewing Along, this is going to be casual and no-stress. Participating is easy, we'll be using the #arithmeticquilt hashtag on Instagram to share our progress. Please tag me too @jenib320, I love seeing your projects. Not on Instagram? That's okay! Feel free to quilt along and share your quilts with me via email!

Pattern & Tutorial:
Sew from the tutorial or pattern! The free tutorial is for a throw size quilt using 4.5" squares, you can find it here: Modern Plus Quilt Tutorial. The pattern has six quilt size options including baby, throw, twin, double, queen, and king. There are also three square sizes: 2.5", 4.5" or 8". So 18 different options to choose from! Find the pattern here: Arithmetic Quilt Pattern.

https://www.jenibakerpatterns.com/product/simple-addition-quilt-pdf-pattern
Shop the Pattern:
The Arithmetic Quilt Pattern is 20% off through 4/26/24. Price is already marked down, no code needed.

Happy Quilting!

(More) Adventures in Thrifting

Tuesday, April 9, 2024


Happy Tuesday! Today I have the next installment of adventures in thrifting where I share my recent thrift store finds. I've found some real goodies lately!

I love collecting interesting art and was immediately drawn to this piece. I believe it is an original drawing, not a print. It's already hanging in our library!


I don't always check out the basket sections too closely, but I thought this one was really sweet. The handle hardware was missing on one side, but a quick repair and it's good as new! I've been keeping one of my crochet projects in it.


After seeing a few videos on instagram of paper making, I really wanted to try it myself. So I bought this fun blender specifically to use for crafting. I've made two batches of paper so far and I'm learning a lot! Hoping to make time to use it for something soon.


Another successful trip to our local craft thrift store, Ecoworks. Found some cute fabrics and some test tubes to use for an upcoming project!



This sweet embroidered piece was a rescue from the Goodwill Outlet! I have plans to finish it. It was a kit, there is the outline of another kitten in the upper right corner. I already finished the partially completed butterfly and have started the kitten. Not sure how I'll finish the quilt in the end, but it seemed worth saving!


I'm very excited about this little lap loop I found! I think it was only $5? I want to use it to make some decorating weavings.


Lately I've been making an effort to visit our local Goodwill Outlet more often. It's of course very hit or miss. Sometimes I find nothing, other times a bunch of goodies! Here are a few recent hauls.

Snatched up a few unbroken ball jars on this trip. The vintage holiday table runner cleaned up really nicely, looking forward to using it next Christmas!


This was one of the best days I've had at the outlet! Found all these sheets and pillowcases in one trip! And two of them are King size, which is a rare find.


Last but not least, this is what I found at the outlet this past weekend! There was a bunch of sewing supplies and fabrics in one of the linen bins, and I found some really cute stuff! Plus a sheet and two different sets of vintage cloth napkins!!


Cute set of pillowcases!

I didn't realize how crafty my finds have been recently! :)

Happy Thrifting!

Scrap Pouf in Progress

Thursday, April 4, 2024


Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to share a new long-term project that I started in January, a scrap pouf!


The idea of slowly filling a pillow or other object with small fabric scraps isn't new, but for some reason I never took to the idea. Fast forward to this past January, when I stumbled on this reel on instagram. The maker (Brynn!), shows a pouf that they made, that is intended to be filled with fabric scraps, old clothes, single socks, etc. Something about their description of it really sold me and I immediately decided to make a pouf of my own.

Note: Brynn is going to be releasing a pouf sewing pattern in May! I'll update this post with a link to their pattern when it's published. Looks like I'll be making another pouf then!


I thought about designing something myself, but honestly just didn't feel like it! I did a quick search on Pinterest and found this DIY Floor Pouf tutorial by Heather Handmade. I had one invisible zipper on hand and it just so happened to be the right size! Thankfully I have a good stash of larger canvas fabric cuts, and I went with this beautiful pear print that I've had for nearly 10 years.


I've been slowly stuffing my pouf over the last few months and it's been really satisfying. I genuinely get excited when my little pot of scraps is full and I get to add it to the pouf! So far it mostly has small fabric scraps and trimmings. There are also batting offcuts from quilts and a bunch of random scraps and elastic from processing vintage sheets.


I'm thrilled by how much this pouf has already decreased the amount of trash coming out of my sewing room. It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to fill it!

Happy Sewing!

Announcing the Plus Quilt Along (+ a sale)!

Tuesday, April 2, 2024


Hooray! We're going to make plus quilts together this Spring! I'll be hosting a plus quilt along starting Tuesday, April 23rd. I hope you'll join in, these quilts are so fun to make! Suitable for beginner and seasoned quilters alike! I've made so many of these quilts over the years, and I'm still not tired of them. I'll share a full schedule for the quilt along soon, but the first week will be all about picking out what size, fabrics, and colors to use for your quilt. These quilts make great stash busters!

When:
The Plus Quilt Along will officially kick off on Tuesday, April 23rd and will run for four weeks!

Where:
Each Tuesday of the sew along I'll publish a blog post with tasks for the week along with some helpful tips and tricks! I'll set up a dedicated quilt along page so that you can easily reference posts if you're working at a different pace.

How to Participate:
Similar to our annual Lined Drawstring Bag Sewing Along, this is going to be casual and no-stress. Participating is easy, we'll be using the #arithmeticquilt hashtag on Instagram to share our progress. Please tag me too @jenib320, I love seeing your projects. Not on Instagram? That's okay! Feel free to quilt along and share your quilts with me via email!

Pattern & Tutorial:
Sew from the tutorial or pattern! The free tutorial is for a throw size quilt using 4.5" squares, you can find it here: Modern Plus Quilt Tutorial. The pattern has six quilt size options including baby, throw, twin, double, queen, and king. There are also three square sizes: 2.5", 4.5" or 8". So 18 different options to choose from! Find the pattern here: Arithmetic Quilt Pattern.

https://www.jenibakerpatterns.com/product/simple-addition-quilt-pdf-pattern
Shop the Pattern:
The Arithmetic Quilt Pattern is 20% off today through 4/26/24. Price is already marked down, no code needed.

Happy Quilting!