There’s nothing more classic than a tomato pin cushion, is there?? Both of my grandmothers had one- I still have the one that belonged to my paternal grandmother, and I even left her needles and pins in it exactly as she left them the last time she used it. You could make so many cute projects with this Tomato Pin Cushion Free Embroidery pattern! How about a sewing tote? Or a mug rug for a quilt-y friend? A wall hanging for your sewing room?
Getting creative with a pattern is something I LOVE to do- I love seeing how many different ways I can use it. That’s why I started The Art of Home Club– every month, I not only give you lots of new super cute patterns, but I give you TONS of ideas for how to use them! Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see some photos of our adorable Club projects!
We only up enrollment to new members a few times per year- You can sign up in the box below to get on our waiting list and we’ll let you know more when we open our doors to new members!
Did you know that I have lots of embroidery videos to help you get started with hand embroidery? It’s a great hobby that anyone can do! If you are a complete beginner, I’ll show you everything you need to know, from supplies to basic stitches, to help you get started. And even if you have experience with embroidery, you may pick up a few new tips! Videos are right below!
It’s FINALLY here!PLEASE NOTE- I realize that there is A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THIS POST! PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THROUGH IT ALL- Answers to most of your questions will be found in this post. Thanks!!
**The first block for the Happy Little Things Block of the Month was sent out a short time ago. If you are signed up, please check your email for your pattern. (Please note- sometimes it can several hours for the email to reach your inbox. If you don’t have it yet, please be patient and check back a little later.)
**If you can’t find your email, please check your spam folder, and Gmail users please check your “Promotions” folder. If you still can’t find it, please email me comments@JacquelynneSteves.com As this is the first month, and there may be a few “kinks” to work out, it may take us a little while to get back to you, but we will do our best to answer as soon as possible.
**PLEASE do not comment here to tell us that you can’t find your email- your comment will be deleted! Please email for assistance. Thank you!!
**For technical questions, like how to download/save a PDF, etc. please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
**If you are NOT signed up yet, please fill in the box in the upper right side bar of THIS PAGE to get your FREE block patterns! NOTE- THE PATTERNS ARE NOT ON MY WEBSITE OR BLOG- YOU MUST SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THEM BY EMAIL.
**Just ONE MORE THING- Please download and save the files to your computer immediately, so that you can find them when you need them. Don’t rely on trying to find the email with the links later- As many have found, emails tend to get lost, even when you put them in a special folder :) As this event grows larger with more and more participants, it gets more difficult for me to reply to emails requesting that I re-send the patterns. THANKS SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!
So… HERE. WE. GO!!!
Read through to the end of this post to find out how you can win a really great prize :)
In addition to the first block pattern, this month you are also receiving the “Preliminary Cutting Instructions.” This will allow you to cut EVERYTHING for all of your blocks and borders NOW- that way, you can use the fabrics as efficiently as possible, and you get to just do the fun sewing part each month!
You have LOTS AND LOTS of possibilities for making the centers of your blocks. For our main sample, we used the Cottage colorway with machine appliqued flower, and we added some tiny little buttons and a darling little bee charm:
You could also choose the Desert colorway, and you could do hand embroidery (free pattern includes both Cottage and Desert colorways, plus patterns for applique and embroidery!!) . Or use one of our preprinted blocks, which come in two styles, the flowers or cute quotes. Preprinted blocks are sold over at our online shop here:
Hey! Did you know that the Happy Little Things BOM starts in less than 2 weeks!! Eeek! You are going to love our featured bloggers- they will give you lots of creative inspiration! Today I’m introducing them to you, and when we start the BOM you will also be hopping over to their blogs to enter the giveaways!
The Happy Little Things Free Block of the Month is rapidly approaching! Look for the first block pattern in your email on August 5, 2019!
If you’re not signed up yet, please click here. You will get all of the free patterns delivered right to your email inbox!! Woo hoo!!
One of our favorite parts of our annual free Block of the Month events is seeing what everyone is making! Please join our Sew Quilty Friends Facebook group so you can join in the fun, share photos of your progress and see what everyone else is up to…
So, speaking of favorite things…. we really need to talk about the giveaways that we do every single month during our Block of the Month event! Every month from August through December, we will be giving away 8 awesome prizes, and then in January 2020 we will do one HUMONGOUS Grand Prize Giveaway!
And let me tell you- these are incredible prizes! We’ve got thread, fabric, books, rotary cutters and mats, and more! Please take a look at our 2019 sponsors below, click over and see what they have to offer! And don’t forget to tell them THANKS for their generosity!
GUESS WHAT??? We are also having a giveaway TODAY to celebrate!! Keep reading!!
Just Another Button Company is new sponsor this year. They offer Handmade Buttons, Hand-Dyed Buttons and Buttonable Projects for You to Enjoy!
Italian company Aurifil makes gorgeous threads for all of your sewing needs and wants! They also have a blog with free block patterns, sewing humor, and more. They have been an AWESOME sponsor of our Block of the Month for all 5 years!
Sarah J. Maxwell designs the cutest fabrics and patterns! Don’t miss her blog and website! She will be donating her newest book as a prize this year!
Martingale publishes beautiful books, and you can find patterns, gift items, and notions on their site, too!
Annie’s Craft Store is a sponsor again for the second year in a row. Visit Annie’s for exclusive patterns, books, magazine, video classes, fabric, yarn and more! This is the place to go for all of your creative hobby needs! Get a FREE 15 Day Trial at Annie’s here.*
*(This is an affiliate link- if you choose to make a purchase, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Thermoweb is a manufacturer of fabulous products for the quilting, sewing and crafting industries, including Heat n Bond fusible web and DecoFoil. Visit their blog for tons of creative ideas and projects! I only use Heat n Bond fusible in my projects- it’s the best!
This year’s BOM is going to the best ever!!!!! I hope you will join us, and visit our sponsors to say hello!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!
To enter my giveaway, comment on THIS blog post (not on Facebook or a different blog post, you MUST comment on THIS post.) Here are the rules:
–Our Happy Little Things BOM is going to have options for applique, hand embroidery, or just piecing. In the comments, tell me which one is your favorite technique.
–Be sure that your email address is included in your profile or comment. If I choose your name, but cannot contact you immediately, I will choose another winner. (Also- be sure that you are checking your spam folder next week, just in case I’m trying to contact you. In the past I’ve had prizes go unclaimed because the winner did not respond to my emails. Don’t let that happen to you!!)
–Comment by 11:59 pm EDT (New York City time) on Monday July22, 2019.
–By entering this contest, you are confirming that you are at least 18 years of age. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Winner is responsible for any taxes or fees.
–Winner will be chosen at random from all comments on this post. Open to US and International entrants.
Well, today I’m doing my Happy Dance? Why? Because I always get super excited when we open up The Art of Home Club to new members!! It’s always such a fun time as we meet new people, and they meet us and our super cute, fun projects and creative techniques and tutorials.
Plus- I genuinely LOVE the projects that we create for our Club members. And it’s so fun to see what they make as well!
Keep reading to find out about our special first day bonus which is available when you sign up TODAY ONLY!!
I know that you will be sad if you miss it & you’ll really wish you had jumped in when you had the chance!!
Now, maybe you are wondering, “Just what exactly is The Art of Home Club?” Well, we are a creative & supportive community of varying skill levels and experience. The purpose of our Club isn’t to just give you a bunch of patterns (though, they are really, really cute!!) — we want to help you UNIQUELY express YOUR personality and creativity! That’s why all of our collections have lots of options and ideas for making the projects all your own!
You’ll never be “boxed in” to creating the projects as shown. You’ll always get extra designs to choose from, with options for applique, embroidery, fabric painting… Instructional videos and tutorials to learn new techniques… Ideas for different colorways and fabrics… So you get to choose your project, mix and match designs, and YOU get to be the designer!!
By the way- these patterns are Club Exclusive, meaning that you won’t find them on any other website or store.
We believe that everyone is creative… and we want to encourage you and help you along the way. We want to be your cheerleader!
As a member, you’ll also enjoy:
24/7 access to your patterns, videos and content. Log into your account anytime to download patterns and watch member exclusive videos.
Club exclusive tutorial videos.
Exclusive Member Discounts – save 10% on books, fabric, patterns and notions in our shop EVERY DAY.
A new project pattern every month. These are usually small, quick projects that you can get done quickly, like small quilts, table runners, mug rugs, tote bags, pillows, ornaments…. Sometimes, we will also have larger projects which can be completed over several months.
Community. Share your projects, tips and questions with other members in our Members Only Private Facebook Group.
Member of the Week. Each week, we profile a different Club Member- it’s a really fun way to get to know each other and make new friends!
“Grandmothered” Pricing. As long as you remain a member in good standing, your price will never go up! ****SEE SPECIAL NOTE BELOW****
Additional Collection Purchases. If you are interested in previously issued collections, you have the option of purchasing them “a-la-carte” as long as you are an active member. These collections are available ONLY to Club Members.
A new collection of adorable embroidery patterns every month.
Free Block of the Month Patterns included with membership- no need to sign up for the BOM each year.
OR, Choose our Annual Option for $99.50- that’s right, pay for 10 months, get 12 months of membership!!
IMPORTANT- This is the last time we will be offering the Club at the Founders’ Price of $9.95 per month!!
Next time we open the Club, the price will be higher- Join Today and get locked in at this super low price!
The Club is only open now through Tuesday July 16, then we will close our doors to new members until Fall (and the price will be higher.)
So I mentioned a bonus for today only…
Those who sign up TODAY ONLY, Thursday July 11, 2019 will get 2 extra bonuses!!
This is one of my favorite times of my “work” year! Next week, we will be opening up The Art of Home Club to new members! Yippee! It’s always so much fun to meet new people who have the same “quilt-y” interests as you, don’t you think? But this will only be for a short time… Because I want this to be a really great, value packed club, I’m limiting how quickly we grow the membership, so that members get only the best content and customer service.
YOU CAN JOIN THE CLUB FROM JULY 11 through JULY 16!!
AFTER THE 16TH, ENROLLMENT WILL BE CLOSED AGAIN UNTIL SOME TIME IN THE FALL.
Why did I start The Art of Home Club? Because of YOU! You all inspired me with all of your super-creative blocks for our annual Free Block of the Month, and I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to make projects all year that are as unique as their maker? Wouldn’t it be amazing to provide folks with easily adaptable patterns and lots of ideas for different ways to use them? And wouldn’t be wonderful to share our projects and ideas with some friends, new and old??
As a member of The Art of Home Club, you will receive:
*A new project pattern every month. These are usually small, quick projects that you can get done quickly, like table runners, mini quilts, tote bags, pillows, ornaments…. Sometimes, we will also have larger projects which can be completed over several months. Many patterns have a choice of embroidery and applique patterns.
*A new collection of adorable embroidery patterns every month.
*Helpful tips for mixing and matching your projects and patterns. For example, you could use Month #1 embroidery patterns with the Month #3 project- YOU get to be the designer!
*Tips and instructions for making the projects without embroidery, for when you need to make something really quick!
*Club Bonus Projects and Patterns that expand your creative possibilities even more! Plus, occasional bonuses like printable coloring pages, gift tags, note cards, etc.
*You have 24/7 access to your patterns, videos and content. Log into your account anytime to download patterns and watch member exclusive videos.
*Free Block of the Month Patterns included with membership- no need to sign up for the BOM each year.
*Community. Share your projects, tips and questions with other members in our Members Only Private Facebook Group.
*Exclusive Member Discounts – save 10% on books, fabric, patterns and notions in our shop EVERY DAY (that includes the Block of the Month fabric kit for 2019!!)
*Club exclusive tutorial videos.
*”Grandmothered” Pricing. As long as you remain a member in good standing, your price will never go up!
**Exclusive MEMBERS ONLY patterns for the Happy Little Things Block of the Month:
These are some new features which have recently been added: (more…)
Whew! I have to admit, things have been very hectic for me lately. We are preparing to open our doors for The Art of Home Club, and I’ve been doing quite a bit of “prep” work for that. I’ve been writing patterns for the Club, and working on getting the colors “just right” for some of our pre-printed panels for Happy Little Things Block of the Month.
And then there is the shipping – probably the least favorite part of my job, but is something that I haven’t been able to delegate to others quite yet. My husband and I will work for a few hours in the evening a couple times a week so that we can ship out what people have ordered from my shop – and this time of year is pretty busy with the kits, labels, and buttons for the Happy Little Things BOM.
Whew! I’m tired just typing all of that! I know that all of that work is important, but if it isn’t very creative it isn’t that fun for me. Do you have times where it seems that all you can do is “busy” work, and don’t have time for creativity? (more…)
Have you signed up for the Free Happy Little Things Block of the Month yet? No?? Just click here– it’s going to be so much fun!!
Yep, the BOM patterns and sew along are Free! Yippee!
Let’s talk about fabrics, OK? One of the things I love best about quilting is how many different looks you get from the same pattern, just by choosing different fabrics. It’s always a lot of fun during our BOM events to see what everyone is doing! Today, I thought I’d show you a ton of ideas for making this year’s quilt. For the center of the blocks, you can use white or cream fabric and make the applique or embroidery option (included in the free pattern) OR you can use a “focus” fabric like a pretty floral or a novelty print.
Don’t feel “boxed in” by the colors suggested in the pattern or sample quilt. Feel free to substitute navy, brown, or even dark green for the black. In place of the yellow, try gold, cheddar, chartreuse, orange or rust. Keep in mind the tones and values of your other fabrics- for example, if you are using reproduction fabrics, you might want to use gold, rust or cheddar instead of a bright yellow.
When choosing fabrics for this, or any other quilt project, think about the finished look you are trying to achieve. Do you love a clean, simple look? Do you really want the block and quilt design to take center stage? If so, then try using solids or almost solids, like this quilt:
Do you love a soothing, romantic, fluid look to your quilts? Try lots of dreamy florals in a variety of scales (small to large). Note that the values (lightness or darkness) of most of the fabrics are fairly similar, giving a soft look:
Do you have any special memories associated with Summer? One my favorite and most precious memories is the adorable sun dresses and accessories, like matching pocketbooks, that my Grandmother and Mother would sew for me. I can still remember sitting in my Grandmother’s sewing room, watching her cut and sew the patterns. You can reduce or enlarge this to any size you want for any project- it would be great on a tea towel, or so sweet as an embroidered embelleshment on a little girl’s dress or pocketbook. (Hand embroidery pattern only, this pattern not available for machine embroidery.) You could also use it for coloring and make note cards, etc.
Have you signed up for the FREE Happy Little Things Block of the Month yet?? Just click here.
This year, we are including instructions for TWO different colorways- we are going to “max out” your creativity on this one! There is the modern “Desert” color way, with green, navy, peach & coral, and the traditional “Cottage” color way, with pink, red, pale yellow, light blue and black.
You have several options for making these blocks. In months 1 through 4, we will be making the blocks. There are options for piecing only, machine/hand applique, or embroidering the blocks. You can:
–Machine or hand applique the motif in the center of the block (patterns provided.)
–Hand embroider the motif in the center of the block (patterns provided.)
–Use the white fabric in the center as shown, leave out the applique and embroidery altogether, and use that negative space to showcase some fabulous quilting.
–Use the floral fabric (the same as the border) or a novelty fabric as your block center, and leave out the applique and embroidery.
Finished quilt size approximately 43 1/2” x 53 1/2”.
These are fabric requirements for appliquéd version of the quilt. If you do the version with just piecing or embroidery, you will have a little fabric leftover.
Fabric Requirements- COTTAGE:
–White- 5/8 yard
–Black Dot- 1/4 yard
–Large Scale Black Floral- 1 yard (If you are doing the pieced version, with no applique or embroidery, and want to use Floral fabric in the block centers, add an extra 1/4 yard.)
–Pink Dot- 1/4 yard
–Pink Plaid- 1/4 yard
–Pale Yellow-2/3 yard
–Red- 3/4 yard
–Light Blue Dot- 1/3 yard
–Medium Scale Light Blue Floral- 2/3 yard
–Backing- 3 yards 42/44” wide
–Batting- 49” x 59”
Fabric Requirements- DESERT:
–White- 5/8 yard
–Small Scale Navy Print- 1/4 yard
–Large Scale Navy Floral- 1 yard (If you are doing the pieced version, with no applique or embroidery, and want to use Floral fabric in the block centers, add an extra 1/4 yard.)
–Medium Scale Peach Floral- 1/4 yard
–Peach Check- 1/4 yard
–Pale taupe- 2/3 yard
–Coral- 3/4 yard
–Small Light Blue Print- 1/3 yard
–Medium Scale Green Floral-2/3 yard
–Backing- 3 yards 42/44” wide
–Batting- 49” x 59”
Optional:
Applique version:
–Supplies for your preferred method of applique (thread, needles, freezer paper, fusible web, etc.)
Embroidered version:
–Embroidery supplies such as floss, needles and hoop, interfacing, etc.
Click HERE for a PDF copy of the fabric requirements for the Happy Little Things BOM.
I want to emphasize that purchase of products is NOT required for participation in the BOM. You can receive the patterns for free simply by signing up . However, we have a limited number of fabric kits left in stock. If you see something you want, order it NOW- because I when they are gone, they are gone- we cannot reorder the fabrics, as they are no longer available.
