The Easy Peasy Mini Tote - Free pattern

When I released the Easy Peasy Christmas Sampler I mentioned that I was going to make a Santa sack from one of the blocks. Well, amazingly, I have actually finished it! It's approximately 10 1/2" x 13 1/2", so a decent size for little gifts and for little ones to fill with their favourite possessions when they want to tote them around. I have visions of dinosaurs and Lego being carried around in this one when Christmas is over.

This fantastic dotty print from Gardenvale by Jen Kingwell was the perfect snowy background for the nutcracker block. I wanted to make sure the bag was going to be up to the task of toting toys for a decent amount of time so lining was essential. I used another print from Gardenvale to pull everything together.

This mini tote took less than an hour to make so it's a perfect last minute make. As making this made me feel festive I thought it might be fun to share how I made it so you can make your own!
You can download the PDF pattern free here. I'd love to see you version if you make one so please feel free to email a picture to reene@nelliesniceties.com or use the hashtags #easypeasyminitote #nelliesniceties on social media. Catch you soon x

Wow...

...how has it been almost a month since I last blogged here? I'd like to say I've been so busy sewing that I haven't had time to blog but the truth is I've been exhausted so not a lot of anything has been going on. Fortunately I was busy earlier this year so I've still got things that I can share here until my energy levels rise again. Issue 14 of Quilt Now heralds the start of the new mystery BOM designed by yours truly. This time around I'm using Kona solids from the Emily Cier bundle for the magazine quilt. There is only one block to make each month so I'm hoping that it will be easier for some of you to quilt along with me, The first block is a simple Quarter log-cabin. Here's the solids version...

...and a mini-quilt using some prints from Gardenvale by Jen Kingwell.

I'm going to quilt along too this time so I'll have a different version of the finished quilt for myself at the end of it. Each of the blocks would look equally fabulous in multiples so I'll share a couple of ideas with you each month.

    

If you decide to join in I'd love you to use the hashtag #quiltnowbom on Instagram or Twitter so that Quilt Now and I can find your blocks. There are a few blocks on there already which makes me a happy bunny :) 

Hoping all is good in your corner of blogland. Catch you soon x

Mixed up and muddled up

Some time last year I bought myself a copy of EQ7 in the hope that it would help me to design quilts in a bit more detail than I managed to achieve with TouchDraw. It sat untended for a very long time because I just couldn't wrap my head around all the learning that was needed to get to grips with it. Last week I pulled up my big girl pants and started reading the manual. I have only just scratched the surface of what can be achieved with the programme so far but I'm really enjoying the creative freedom that it delivers! You know how much I love a tessellating design, well I've come up with a really versatile one this time. I'd like to introduce - Mixed up and muddled up.

This foundation pieced block contains 26 pieces which fit together in 7 sections. I had some happy mail from Pink Castle Fabrics this week in the shape of the new Cotton and Steel range and I wasted no time in chopping into it to try out this block. I've used fabrics from Tokyo Train Ride, Playful, Cookie Book, Mesa and Mochi along with a print from one of last year's collections, Mustang.

It looks pretty as it is but when you put multiples of four blocks together,well, that's when the real magic happens! I've made four blocks so far and I can't decide which layout I want to stick with. The beauty of EQ7 is that I was able to scan the finished block and tessellate it so that I can see the potential layouts in advance :) Here are just a few of the options:

option 1

 I just love all the secondary patterns that spring out!

option 2

option 3

option 4

It is my intention to make a full-sized quilt with this design when Jen Kingwell's first fabric collection, Gardenvale, hits the stores in April (I think). I'd really appreciate some help deciding which layout to opt for!

I've uploaded the templates and a colouring sheet to Payhip in case any of you are interested in trying out your own version.

I'll look forward to seeing your thoughts on which layout option I should go for. Catch you soon x