Canadian Flag Heart Quilt of Valour

I finished this Quilt of Valour on the weekend so I could gift it to a kind, courageous and brave Canadian soldier who has become a very dear friend of mine. I have learned so much about this man while working out with him every morning at 6:00 a.m. at the gym. I am positive, without a doubt, that he is more than deserving of the gift of a Quilt of Valour.

I will not write out his story here because it is not my story to tell but I will say it was as great an honour to make this quilt and surprise him with it as it is to know him.

This quilt is a heart shaped Canadian flag made with my Canadian Flag Pixelated Heart pattern. I would have like to have more contrast between the heart and the background but I needed to work with fabrics I had in the house.

Canadian Flag PIxelated Heart Quilt. Patchwork quilt gifted as a Quilt of Valour.

I used “True North” fabric by Kate and Birdie for this quilt because they are perfectly Canadian fabrics. This version of the quilt measures 80″ tall x 64″ wide.

I quilted the heart with stipple quilting and the background with a quilting design I call “balls on string.” This was to differentiate the heart from the background a bit more.

Appliqued maple leaf on a background of Canadian themed fabrics.

The maple leaf is appliqued onto the quilt top and stitched with machine blanket stitch around the edges.

Here is a closer look at some of the fun Canadian fabrics designed by Kate and Birdie. There are fabrics from both the first and second “True North” lines in the quilt.

Quilting on the background and borders of the quilt.

I added borders to the quilt to make it a nice twin size because the man receiving it is over 6 feet tall. I quilted the inner border with a half feather motif and put stippling in the outer border. The borders are Kona solids.

Canadian themed Quilt of Valour pixel heart quilt.

Making and giving this quilt gave me immeasurable joy and happiness and the quilt recipient was kind of speechless (but happy) when he received it. My friend, if you ever read this, you deserve this quilt and so much more.

Find the Pattern:

This pattern is available on our website and in our Etsy shop.

The Quilt Keeper Product Review and Demonstration

The Quilt Keeper is an over-the-door quilt display and storage solution. The friendly people at The Quilt Keeper contacted me to try their product. I agreed and they sent one to me to review.

This post is sponsored by The Quilt Keeper however my opinions are my own.

The Quilt Keeper quilt storage and display solution.

The Quilt Keeper is very easy to install over any door in your home using two hooks and a bar that hooks over them.

Two hooks and a bar fit into your door easily.

I think this is a great solution to the problem many quilters have of so many quilts and nowhere to put them. You could get one for every room in your home!

Place the hooks over the top of the door.
The bar hangs over the hooks to hold the quilt.
The hooks do not interfere with the door closing and can be adjusted with included foam adhesive strip.

My audience can enjoy a 10% discount at the quilt keeper.com by using my affiliate coupon code DAYD.

Canadian customers please email info@thequiltkeeper.com for a PayPal invoice with the correct shipping.

View a video demonstration on my YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/t-K7cAuesic

Cutting Up a Quilt to Reupholster Dining Chairs

I made a quilt several years ago and then I basically “ruined” it with poor quilting choices. The quilt has sat for years unfinished until this weekend when I decided to cut it up and reupholster my dining chairs.

One of my dining chairs before and after.

I made a six minute YouTube video where I tell you the whole story. Learn from my mistakes both on the quilt and on my first fabric choice for the chairs. Then learn how I reupholster the chairs for a happy ending.

The story of the quilt and how it became chair cushions on YouTube.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you learn something new today! 🙂

How to Sew a Coin Pouch with Cork Corners

Here’s a cute little project! Make a little coin zipper pouch and use up your scraps from making larger bags!

When making bags we often have small cuts of fabric left and off cuts from cutting out the corners to make the bottom gusset of the bag.

I have been saving all of those little pieces and had enough to sew quite a few little coin pouches.

Coin Pouches made by Daydreams of Quilts using Rifle Paper Co fabrics and Cork Scraps.

To make these pouches you will need:

  • 2 – 4.5” tall x 5.5” wide pieces of outer fabric
  • 2 – 4.5” tall x 5.5” wide lining fabric
  • 2 – 4.5” tall x 5.5” wide scraps of Shapeflex 101 or other medium cotton woven interfacing
  • 4 – 2.5” squares of cork for bottom corners
  • 1 nylon zipper about 7” long (which will be trimmed down in the process)
Coin pouches with zipper closures and cork accents on the corners.

I show you how to make these on my YouTube channel in this 13 minute tutorial video.

These pouches are available while they last on our website and in our Etsy shop.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! 🙂

How to Make Ribbon Key Fobs, Handmade Keychains

Handmade keychains, or key fobs as we call them in the sewing world, are fun to make and they are great to have in your vendor booth at craft shows. Since I have a few in-person shows coming up I thought I would make some more to add to my stock.

Ribbon Key Fobs made by Daydreams of Quilts.

To make a ribbon key fob you need the following:

  • 13″ cotton webbing
  • 13″ grosgrain ribbon
  • key fob hardware
  • E-6000 glue
  • a lighter to melt the ribbon ends
  • needle nose pliers
  • scrap of fabric to protect hardware

Note: melt the ribbon ends first and do not light the flame when using E-6000 glue or while the glue is drying

How to:

Melt the ribbon ends to prevent fraying by passing the ribbon ends through the blue part of the flame on a lighter.

Clip the ribbon to the webbing and topstitch down each side.

Spread some E-6000 glue inside the key fob hardware. Fold the webbing in half and put the ends into the glue.

Close the hardware with your fingers and then squeeze it tight with the pliers. Use the fabric scrap to protect the hardware from scratches. Let the glue set and dry and you’re done!

I made a six-minute YouTube video to show you how to make these.

These keychains make great little gifts, stocking stuffers or lower priced items in your craft show booth. Happy crafting!

How to Help Etsy Sellers in the Ukraine

All of us around the world are devastated by this week’s horrific events in Ukraine. We are wondering what we can do to help. This is one idea.

How to help Etsy sellers in Ukraine:

1. go to etsy-dot-com

2. type in search “digital file”

3. choose button “all filters”

4. scroll down and find “Shop Location” category

5. choose custom and type “Ukraine”

The result: in front of you are all the digital products of Ukrainian sellers. There are patterns, svg files and more. All of these products are automatically delivered to your e-mail, the seller does not have to post anything in real life, but she/he gets money to live on.

PLEASE buy something for yourself, for a friend as a gift or just for support. AND BE SURE TO SHARE!

Thank you!

I have also created a short YouTube video on this topic.

Pot of Gold Rainbow Quilt Block Free Pattern

Hello! Today I have another free block pattern for you! This one is for the month of March with a Pot of Gold Rainbow Quilt Block for St. Patrick’s Day.

Pot of Gold Rainbow Quilt Block by Daydreams of Quilts.

This block is a great scrap buster for your tiny scraps! There are cutting instructions for two sizes in the free pattern – a 12″ finished block and a 24″ finished block.

Download the free block pattern here:

I have also created a companion YouTube Video tutorial for this block as well. Click here or click the image below to get to it.

Companion YouTube Video Tutorial: https://youtu.be/GPjD6YOA6P0

I hope you enjoy making this quilt block for St. Patrick’s Day! Tag me on social media @daydreamsofquilts so I can see your finished blocks! 🙂

Free Snowflake Quilt Block Pattern

Enjoy this free snowflake quilt block pattern that I have designed for the Daydreams of Quilts Community! This block finishes at 12 inches square. You will need two fat quarters of fabric and a 2 1/2″ square fussy cut.

The two main fabrics in my sample block are by Canadian Fabric designer Libs Elliott for Andover Fabrics. I used a fussy cut from a batik fabric for the block centre.

Free Snowflake Quilt Block by Daydreams of Quilts.

Download the free pattern file to get started. I have created a YouTube tutorial for this quilt bock as well.

Free Snowflake Quilt Block Pattern by Daydreams of Quilts.

Enjoy this free pattern and thank you for being a part of the Daydreams of Quilts community! 🙂

Making the Pumpkin Hot Pad from Annie’s Kit Club Holiday Quilter’s Club

I released a new YouTube video today of how to make the Pumpkin Hot Pad from the (affiliate link) Holiday Quilter’s Club by Annie’s Kit Clubs.

This was a fun little project that only took an hour or two to make. You can find the video here. I will be giving my little hot pad to my Mom for a hostess gift at next weekend’s Thanksgiving dinner. 🙂

Video on the Daydreams of Quilts YouTube channel for making the pumpkin hot pad.

Sign up for Annie’s Kit Clubs here and use code: SHARE50 for 50% off your first month. (affiliate link)