A little happy tutorial ~ Warm and Cozy Mini Quilt FREE PATTERN

I am really happy today, to share the FREE pattern for my Warm and Cozy Mini Quilt.  I had so much fun making this mini and I hope that you do too!  Mum and I also just wanted to say a thank you so much, to everyone who has purchased fabric kits from us!  

Before sharing the pattern, here are some notes that may assist you whilst making your mini quilt.  For the applique elements, I used the Freezer Paper method of applique, for which I shared all the details of in last weeks, ‘a little happy’ tutorial.....if you missed it you can read all about it HERE.  Feel free, to use your own preferred method, for example, interfacing method or raw edge applique.  Remember the Applique Templates are the finished size and do not include seam allowances unless otherwise specified.  For the English Paper Pieced Star, if you are new to this technique or would like a refresher, again take a peek at THIS 'a little happy tutorial'. 


BEFORE STARTING Always Remember to:
1. Read all instructions before you begin.
2. RST means right sides together.
3. All seam allowances are 1/4”.
4. FWOF means width of fabric.
5. If you need any help, please do get in touch!

You will also need to print THIS SHEET, which includes the embroidery and applique templates that are required.

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS

A from each of (5) fabrics cut (1) 3” square 

B from (1) fabric cut (1) 3 ½” x 12 ½” rectangle 

C from (1) fabric cut (1) 6 ½” square 

D from each of (3) fabrics prepare (2) EPP 1 ½” 6 Point diamonds 

E from (1) fabric cut (1) 3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle 

F from each of (3) fabrics prepare (1) toadstool head (2 small and 1 large) ready for applique

G from Off White solid prepare (3) toadstool stalks (2 small and 1 large) ready for applique

H from each of (4) fabrics cut (1) 1 ½” x 2” rectangle 

I from each of (3) fabrics cut (2) 2 ½” squares 

J from each of (6) fabrics cut (1) 2 ½” square 

K from (1) fabric cut (1) 2 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle 

L from (1) fabric cut (1) 4 ½” x 12 ½” rectangle 

M from each of (6) fabrics prepare (2) leaves ready for applique

N from (1) fabric cut (1) 5/8” x 9” rectangle 

O from (1) fabric cut (2) 2 ½” x FWOF 

in addition, you will also need:

For the Wadding/Batting 14 ½” x 17 ½”

For the Backing fabric 16 ½” x 19 ½” 

(2) buttons

a selection of threads for piecing and quilting

plus your usual patchwork and quilting tools and notions

PIECING INSTRUCTIONS....Let’s get stitching!

To start, we're going to piece the background of the mini quilt, starting with the fabric I and fabric J Half Square Triangle (HST) units.

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of all the fabric I squares.

With RST, lay a fabric I square on the top of a fabric J square as shown.  Stitch on the drawn line and trim ¼” away from the seam.  Press the stitches to 'set' them, then press the seams in the direction as indicated by the arrows.  This unit should measure 2 1/2" square.

Repeat for the remaining (5) pairs.  Note from the diagram below, that the seam is pressed in the opposite direction on the HST units on the top and bottom rows.  This will help reduce bulk at the seams when sewing them together.

With RST, sew the HST units together in to (2) rows. Press the stitches to 'set' them, then press the seams open.  Each row should measure 2 1/2" x 6 1/2".     

With RST, sew the rows together. Press the stitches to 'set' them, then press the seam open.  The completed HST unit should measure 4 1/2" x 6 1/2"

Moving on the fabric H rectangles.  With RST, sew the (4) fabric H rectangles together in to a row.  Press the stitches to 'set' them, then press the seams open.  This unit should measure 1 1/2" x 6 1/2". 

To piece the centre section, with RST sew the fabric C square and fabric K rectangle together.  Press the stitches to 'set' them, then press the seam open.  This unit should measure 8 1/2" x 6 1/2". 

Repeat with the fabric E rectangle, the fabric H unit and the HST unit.  

With RST, sew the the two centre sections together.  Press the stitches to 'set' them, then press the seam open.  The centre unit should measure 8 1/2" x 12 1/2".

To complete the background, with RST sew the fabric B rectangle to the top of the centre unit and the fabric L rectangle to the bottom.  Press the stitches to 'set' them, then press the seams open.  The completed mini quilt background should measure 15 1/2" x 12 1/2". 

Moving on to the decorative details....my favourite part!

We'll start with the 'Warm and Cozy' embroidery.......

I used 12 wt Aurifil #2360 a lovely warm brown for my embroidery and a Clover Gold Eye Embroidery Needle.  You can switch the 12wt for stranded embroidery cotton if you prefer, I would go for 3 strands.  I did not hoop up the mini quilt, I simply held the fabric and stitched.

If your new to embroidery, you may find these 'a little happy tutorials' useful:

For how to transfer the embroidery pattern, take a look HERE and for how to stitch Back Stitch, take a look HERE.

Now for the applique...... for the leaf garland, first make a 1/4" bias stem from the fabric N rectangle, then cut to 8" in length.  I used a Clover 1/4" bias maker, for which you can find a little happy tutorial HERE.  Please note for the warm and cozy mini quilt the stem is straight, therefore unlike those in the tutorial, it does not need to be cut on the bias.

Position the stem at the centre of the fabric L rectangle, taking in to account the seam allowance of 1/4" along the bottom edge, which will be taken when the binding is attached.

Applique* in place, turning under the raw edges a 1/4" seam allowance at each end.

*For all the applique elements, I used Aurifil 80wt and a Clover Black Gold Applique/Sharp needle.  Aurifil 50wt is a great alternative!   Remember for a neat finish, colour match your thread to the applique fabric rather than the background fabric.

Next, using the photo as a guide, applique the leaves....... (remember there is a detailed tutorial for the Freezer Paper method I used HERE)

...then add the toadstools, to the centre of the fabric E rectangle.  Applique the two smaller mushrooms first, then the centre one.  NOTE: the toadstool heads overlap the stalks by approx 1/4".

For the English Paper Pieced star, I used Aurifil 50wt thread.   The star is made up of (6) 1 1/2" 6 point diamonds, made using 3 different fabrics.

Baste the fabric to the papers in your preferred method.

Hand sew the diamonds together to form the star.  Again, I used a colour of thread to match the fabrics when sewing them together.  This helps the stitches blend and become almost invisible.

Give the star a press and then remove the papers.

Applique the star to the centre of the background fabric C square, remember to match your thread colour to the flower rather than the background fabric.

I knew from the outset that I wanted to incorporate Prairie Points into this mini quilt.  They are surprisingly very easy to make!

With RST fold the fabric A squares in half on the diagonal, as indicated by the blue dashed line, to make a triangle.

Then fold it in half again.

Then using the photo below as a guide, position and pin the Prairie Points with the raw long edge butted up against the top edge of the fabric A rectangle.  Position the triangles, with the fold to the left and the opening on the right.  The points will overlap, by approx 1/4" which you can sandwich in the gap.

Unlike applique, which is sewn around all the edges to the background, the Prairie Points are secured along the top edge only.  They will eventually be held in place by the binding, but it in the short term, run a line of basting stitches across the top, a scant 1/4" from the edge.  You want to ensure that once the binding is in place, the basting stitches are hidden.

To complete the mini quilt, sandwich the batting/wadding between the backing fabric and the quilt top.  Baste.  I use a spray glue baste but you can pin or tack the three layers together and then quilt.

I chose to hand quilt using a mix of colours in Aurifil 12wt (#2311, #2230, #2214 and #2847).  You could of course use just one colour or if you prefer machine quilt.  I shadow quilted around the shapes approx 1/8" away from the edge.   

Finally add the binding.  Again..... both layering and binding tutorials can be found HERE.

I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial and feel inspired to make your own version.  Just a polite notice, as with all my tutorials and patterns, please remember that this is for Personal Use only.

Mum and I love to see what you have made, so please do use the following hashtags, so that we can take a peek:

warmandcozyminiquilt and /or prettyfabricsandtrims

Finally, if you haven't already, please do make sure that you have added me to your Blog list so you do not miss out on my future posts!!  (You can sign up for automatic email notifications when I have by posted, by adding your email address to the little box in the right hand column)

Wishing you lots of happy stitches!