How to Make a Pinwheel Lap Quilt Fast!

I wanted to learn quilt short-cuts. I previously made a cheese pinwheel quilt blanket for my Mom by hand. It took me almost 2 years to finish it. While scrolling through Pinterest I found some recommendations on quilt short-cuts. As a beginner quilter my mind was blown and I immediately started planning the project.

I have been eyeing a blender quilt fabric at Spotlight for awhile. I thought it would be perfect for the project. I also wanted to make gifts so instead of making a full blanket I made 4 lap quilts. I worked on this learning project on and off for two months and was surprised how easy and fast it is to make a pinwheel quilt blanket. Here's the video of how I put together the pinwheel lap quilt -

*Watch previous videos too: Make 8 half squares at a time & Easy Pinwheel Quilt

I've also been practicing using my sewing machine more. I hand quilted two of the four blankets and I used the sewing machine for the other two. If you look closely the binding isn't perfect because I used the sewing machine. That's something I need more practice on. Well, I'm writing a nice note for my friends to give them a heads up it's not a perfect quilt! Haha. 

How to Finish Your Quilt: Sandwiching and Binding

When I started quilting again a few years ago I realized I didn't really know how to finish my projects. I realized my Mom took care of finishing my projects when I was younger. 

When I restarted the hobby a few years ago, I made a small pouch. It was a messy affair, but I eventually got the hang of sandwiching and adding the binding. I originally manually made the binding. This took a lot of time. I tried buying ready-made binding, but it's so expensive. I eventually discovered the bias tape maker tool and that helped immensely. You can watch how to make binding here. 

So how does one go about finishing a quilt? Here's a video tutorial I made -

If you have any questions or comments, please write them down below. Happy Stitching!

How My Mom Taught Me How to Quilt

Back when I was a child we didn't have access to quilting materials and accessories. Quilters nowadays enjoy a wide array of tools and equipment they can use for quilting. I live in Southeast Asia and luckily there's a Spotlight store in Singapore where I can get materials. I enjoyed visiting Australia and Japan for work because I had the chance to visit other stores like Lincraft and Tomato. 

I have friends who have been curious about how to quilt so I thought I'd make a video. I went back to the time when my Mom taught me how to quilt using basic sewing materials. One of her cousins had a garment export business and she'd give Mom the scraps. That's what we used when we started quilting. 

Anyway, I'm rambling, here's a short video of how to quilt :)

I stopped quilting for more than 2 decades. I picked it up again a few years ago. I did exactly the same and started with basic sewing materials. Eventually I began to buy more stuff and learned to use new tools available for quilters. It's a fun learning journey :)

Happy quilting!

P.S. I made that pincushion when I was 12 and used to sell it at our parish fiesta market for Php5 haha :)

Purchased My First Designer Fabric: Mister Domestic

I'm honestly clueless about designer fabric. I just got wind of it from quilting groups when they mention the name of fabric collections they use. Honestly, I'm still clueless haha. Probably because in my side of the world (in Southeast Asia), quilting isn't really a thing. Most of the quilting news I read about are Western. I've started following some influencers on IG and discovered Mister Domestic a few months ago. 

I super love Matthew's energy. I also just discovered his YouTube channel where he shares some project tutorials. From his posts I came across his fabric designs. I wanted to get some. I couldn't get it from Spotlight or other local online stores. I finally found some via Amazon. It was the "Catch & Release" bundle. Here's my "unboxing video" --

I plan to use this for my summer quilt project next year. I'm planning to make a set of sea-related quilts to pay homage to the beach family trips we used to do when I was growing up. It's gonna be fun!

Easy Pinwheel Quilt

I have a pinwheel quilt I started a few years ago. It's not yet finished! Haha. I lost steam while making it and now I'm trying to figure out how to finish it. Before diving back into it I decided to research on an easier way to make pinwheel quilts. 

To force me to learn the technique I decided to make a lap quilt. I originally designed it to be half-squares in four colors, but decided last minute to make pinwheels. The first step was to make a gazillion half-squares. I worked on it for a few days (how to here). And this week I started sewing them up to become pinwheels. 

Here's how I've been making them quickly -

I made a gazillion half-squares. I'll probably be able to make four lap quilts out of this project. I'll post soon how I'll put the whole project together!

My New Sewing Table

I was starting to have pain in my arms and back from using a makeshift table for my sewing machine. The table was too high so I would sew at an odd angle. I've been using my sewing machine lately since I realized it allows me to finish my quilt projects faster. 

I've been eyeing the Semco Sewing Table at Spotlight for a couple of months now. I was not sure if my Brother sewing machine would fit. It took awhile for Spotlight to respond to my inquiry so I decided to research on my own. It looked like my sewing machine would fit so I ordered one. I got lucky also because Spotlight had a huge sale! 

Here's my unboxing video -

I've been using it now for over a week. I told myself I should have gotten it sooner. Getting a proper table made me enjoy using my sewing machine more. I noticed also I've improved a lot in making straighter stitches (true!). I'm so glad I got a proper sewing table now. I also like the fact that it's easy to fold and store when I'm not using it. 

One thing I'm trying to figure out is whether I should have an acrylic cover made to cover the hole around the sewing machine. I could have one customized, but it's expensive. I'm thinking I'll just use a chipboard for now. So far the hole doesn't bother me while I'm sewing. 

I hope the table will last! 

How to Make 8 Half Squares at a Time (8aat)

I have just recently discovered the terms 4aat and 8aat after going through a quilt terms article. I got curious and researched more about 4aat and 8aat since I'm working on making multiple lap quilt blankets. 

So aat means at a time. 4aat means making four half squares at a time, while 8aat means making eight half squares at a time. It wasn't easy to find tutorials via Pinterest so I put myself to work to try the trick. I decided to make a video so I don't forget how to make it. 

Here's how to make 8 half-squares at a time -

I just made this based on using 12.5" x 12.5" square fabric. It makes approximately a 6" x 6" square which is what I have set for the lap quilt blanket I'm making. I'll share soon how I complete the project. For now I hope the tutorial helps you with your project. 

Harry Potter Quilt Blanket

I started this project two years ago as a wedding gift for friends. I got my inspiration when I saw the Harry Potter fabric at Spotlight. I felt it would look nice as a blanket. I made several designs before I settled on a simple one since it's meant as a wedding gift. I just added mustard and maroon highlights as a salute to Gryffindor colors.

It took me two years to finish the project. I made the highlights by hand in-flight. This means parts of the quilt traveled across Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Australia and the US. Some aunties fawned over me when they saw me sewing in-flight. Haha. I finally completed the project during lockdown. Now I need to figure out how to send this to Canada.

Here's how I made the Harry Potter Quilt blanket:

Materials

Harry Potter fabric

beige fabric

maroon fabric

mustard yellow fabric

quilting thread

sewing thread

batting

backing fabric

a gazillion pins for sandwiching

Free template available here. 

Shophouse Quilt (A Sampler)

I saw a book on shophouses and was inspired by the colorful stores to create a quilt project. That's one of the reasons why I got pre-cut fabric from Lazada (short review here). I looked up templates on Pinterest, but none looked like a shophouse. The frontage of shophouses here in Singapore are intricate. I had to figure out how to simplify it. After several tries I ended up with a simplified version of the shophouse.

I like to play around with colors. I used my love for rainbows to select the colors for this project. I love that the pre-cut fabric I ordered gave a lot of options. That allowed me to experiment with the project. I will be using this as a sampler for future shophouse quilt projects I'll be making for our home.

Here's a short video on how I made it:

Materials:

Charm and layer cake pre-cut fabric (9 colors)

batting

backing fabric

fabric for the back of the pillow

quilting thread (9 colors)

sewing thread

Free template is available here.

Lazada and Shopee Fabric Finds Review

I normally buy fabric from stores (usually Spotlight). I spend so much time going around, comparing colors, designs to match the project I have in mind. Going to the fabric store is also a guilty pleasure for me. Unfortunately we've had to stay home to stay safe so I took the plunge and tried ordering fabric from Lazada and Shopee. 

Here's a short review of some of the bundles I bought -

Here are the links where I ordered the fabric -

Layer cake bundle: https://s.lazada.sg/s.Z7Ihq 

Charm bundle: https://s.lazada.sg/s.Z7pAZ 

Solid color fabric bundle: https://shopee.sg/product/284377017/6642452729?smtt=0.251221532-1625217986.9

*I couldn't find the link for the vintage fabric, maybe they got bad reviews and disappeared.

Will I order again? Yes! But I'll make sure to mark which stores provide good quality items.

Easy DIY Quilted CD Case

I have a gazillion CDs from tests. My doctors kept putting them in an envelope and it eventually looked unsightly. Decided to make a case for it to keep it tidy.

This project just took me a day to make. I love how you can just customize things for your own use. Here's how I made it -

Size: 6" x 2" x 6"

Materials:

white fabric with design

black fabric

backing fabric (I used red fabric with hearts)

black fabric for binding

gold embroidery thread 

quilting thread

batting

 

How to Make Bias Binding Tape

There are many different ways to bind your quilt. I started with making them manually. This process did the job, but it takes so long to make. Another way is to use a special foot for your sewing machine. This is something I want to learn eventually. Others just cut the fabric and sew directly on the quilt. 

I discovered an inexpensive bias tape maker online a few years ago. I got a set and researched how to use it. I love that I can easily make bias tapes for my projects. Buying ready made from the store can be expensive and there's not that many options. Learning how to make my own binding changed the way I do my projects. 

I made a tutorial video on how to use the bias tape maker - 

Hope this helps you make your project easier to make! 

Check out my YouTube channel for other tutorials.

Quilted Tote Bag for Sewing Enthusiasts

I have made several quilt bags, but they were always hand-sewn. I challenged myself this month to use the sewing machine to make the bag sturdier. To make the challenge interesting I combined quilting and embroidery in the project. 

I found this amazing design on Pinterest and decided to try it out. Here's the sketch:

Bag size: 12" x 10" x 3"

Materials:

8 fabric scrap (white, black and red)

fabric for bag body 

felt fabric (red and black) [or use patches]

sewing thread

embroidery thread (white, black, red and grey)

buttons 

Here's how to make it:

How to Make a Quilt Cover for Your Food Processor

Finally made a quilt cover for my Philips food processor. I wanted it in happy rainbow colors, but thought it would be interesting to use triangles. Here's how it turned out -

Here's a video on how I made the quilt cover -

Materials:

Rainbow colored fabric

Black fabric

Backing fabric 

Quilt thread

Sewing machine thread

Batting

Shopping Online for Fabric and Sewing Materials

Quilting has been my best friend in the past year. It kept me busy from thinking about what's happening to the world. Because of the situation I have discovered a great way to shop for materials - online. I miss traveling though and visiting my favorite shops in Japan, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and Manila.

Here are the online shops I've shopped from in the past year:

(1) Spotlight Singapore Online

I get a lot of my supplies from Spotlight Singapore so I'm familiar with the items they're selling. They also make it easy for quilters to get the right fabric. You also get your items in just a few days. The only problem I've encountered is I never get all my items. Usually about 20-25% of my orders become unavailable. Of course, they refund the items that are unavailable. 

Tip: They update their sale items often, don't get frustrated though if it becomes unavailable while waiting for delivery.

(2) Sing Mui Heng

I just recently discovered that Sing Mui Heng, my favorite store in Chinatown now sells some of their items in Lazada! This was a joyful discovery since a lot of their items are much cheaper than Spotlight. They also have some of their fabric collection available online. I just made my first order the other day. Let's see how it goes. 

Tip: I think the shop is fairly new on the online platform. They haven't categorized their items so you may need to spend more time looking for what you're looking for. 

(3) Lazada

I've bought a lot of odd sewing accessories on Lazada. Basic items like thread, garter, buttons etc. are much cheaper. Most of the items come from China. One really good deal I got was binding tape maker (or bias tape maker) from a shop in Hong Kong. I was so happy with it I also got a set for my Mom. Another item was a set of rulers. They are usually expensive when you but them from physical shops. That was a really good deal. Buying fabric though is a hit and miss thing. I still prefer to buy fabric in person. 

Tip: If an item you're searching for doesn't show up when you use the app, search via Google. It happened to me while looking for a Brother sewing machine extender. 

(4) Shopee

If I need anything fast I try to get them from Shopee. Most of the shops are based in Singapore and deliver in just a few days. They also have hard to find items. I try to mix other materials in my quilts and got good quality iron-ons from Shopee. One thing I'm looking at now are customizable fabric stamps. 

Tip: Same as Lazada tip :)

(5) Amazon

If you prefer to buy more Western-made items, you'll find it on Amazon. I found very good priced wadding (batting) on Amazon. I've been looking at fabric and I'm still deciding whether I should try buying it online. If you're the type who likes documenting your quilts, there's a lot of cute notebooks on Amazon. Of course, there are also a lot of books available. 

Tip: You get free delivery if you're signed up for Amazon Prime (as long as you meet the minimum amount). They also have a lot of super cute sewing-related fashion accessories.

(6) Big Bad Wolf

Big Bad Wolf only happens once a year (I think). They had a lot of craft books available during their last event. I got a couple for inspiration and now have a full list of projects I want to do! Watch out for your local Big Bad Wolf event!

Tip: Search for the books you want early in the event!

Make a Heart Strips Quilted Mat Bag

I made a quilted bag for my cutting mat and wool ironing pad. I thought it would be cute to try out the heart strips quilt. I worked out the measurements based on the size of the cutting mat. Here's how it turned out -

For the back part I used a butterfly fabric and added a pocket. I'll use it for smaller rulers. I also added a pocket inside for the tiny cutting mat I got from Daiso. I'm still deciding whether I'll put a handle and buttons.

Here's a short video on how I made the mat -

If you're interested to try the heart strips quilt, here's the base template.

Materials:

Rainbow colored fabric

Black fabric

Fabric for other side

Fabric for pockets (optional)

Backing fabric

Thread

How to Make a KitchenAid Quilt Cover

I finally got myself a KitchenAid stand mixer on my birthday. It did not come with a cover. It was the perfect opportunity for me to create a quilt cover for it. I was in a hurry to get it covered so I made this easy rainbow KitchenAid quilt cover.

Design sketch

Size

16" x 12" x 16" 

Materials

Rainbow fabric (or use jelly rolls), quilting thread, sewing machine thread, wadding, backing fabric, binding fabric, paper to make side template

How-to Video

Ideas

Christmas cover

Add pockets

Add applique flowers/cats/sun

How to Make a Quilted Mug Rug

Every year I have a Christmas project. I create something that I give to several of my friends. Since everybody's been just home I thought it would be nice to make mug rugs for my friends. I made about 30 sets of mug rugs and made it really colorful. Here's a video on how I made it -

Materials:

7 fabric (pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet)

fabric for binding

embroidery thread

quilting thread

sewing machine or you can opt to do everything by hand

card board to make cupcake or butterfly template

Here's the step by step process:

(1) Cut fabric and wadding -

1.5" wide x 7 fabric colors to make a rainbow

6.5" x 6.5" square fabric 

12" x 6.5" backing fabric

12" x 6.5" wadding

(2) Combine fabric

(3) Sandwich fabric with wadding

(3) Quilt! 

(4) Create cupcake or butterfly template

(5) Embroider cupcake or butterfly. Add a cute iron on heart too if you want. 

(6) Create binding

(7) Bind your quilt!