Welcome! We’re so excited for you to join us on this 2025 quilting adventure. Our theme is “Home is Pieced One stitch at a Time“.
What to Expect
Each month, on or close to the 15th, receive an email that the monthly free pattern download is ready. That link will bring you to this page.
The pattern link will be at the end of the monthly post until it expires.
The free pattern download will be available on this page from the 15th until the end of the month. After the end of the month, the new pattern will be available as PDF pattern from our Etsy Store for 50% off for a limited time or purchase the paper pattern from our online store at materialgirlfriendsshop.com Get it while it’s free!
- Download a full-color pattern with step-by-step instructions and colorful diagrams.
- See double-up options for making it bigger.
- View scrappy versions and various color-ways of the monthly pattern.
- Enjoy a few Youtube tutorials for techniques and tools (varies per month/pattern).
- Enjoy the Material Girlfriends Quilting Gang Facebook group page. Share your progress and encourage others https://www.facebook.com/groups/552341818942394
- Material Girlfriends Quilting Gang group page is a political post free-zone. All posts not quilt related will be deleted. Spam adverts are banned. Report violators to administrators, please.
What patterns will be included in the 2025 Sew Along ?
We have rolled up our sleeves and created a new, fun line-up of quilt projects for your home. These are not in cement, mind you, and may trade positions depending on our busy calendar. We’ll have six new 3YD quilt patterns, three new runner patterns, one new place mat pattern, one new mini (Bite Size) pattern, and one scrappy throw. We mixed them all up and sprinkled throughout the year.
- January – My Little Cottage Quilt Pattern. Bonus! This pattern will be FREE to download all year.
- February – Scrappy Throw size quilt pattern
- March – Mini appliqué quilt pattern
- April – Runner quilt pattern
- May – 3YD quilt pattern
- June – 3YD quilt pattern
- July – Runner quilt pattern
- August – 3YD quilt pattern
- September – 3YD quilt pattern
- October – Runner quilt pattern
- November – 3YD quilt pattern
- December – 3YD quilt pattern
Community Quilt Opportunity
The community quilt part is optional. I intend to make a couple 3YD quilts as donation quilts. You can make these 3YD quilts for your grandkids, neighbor kids, aging parents, or a cozy tv throw for yourself! Plus the other projects make great gifts.
How many monthly quilt projects will you make? All twelve, six out of twelve, every other, three out of twelve? Make a personal goal. I plan on making all twelve with at least four of those donated as community quilts. We’ll see if I can keep up! I want to work through my stash so my projects may be scrappier than the fabric requirements. If you run out of fabric, (wink wink), we’ll have project kits available at the quilt shows we’re vending or visit MaterialGirlfriendsShop.com
Where are you feeling led to give a warm blanketed hug? Babies? Children? Seniors? Victims? Teens? Orphans? Foster care? Veterans? Teen Challenge? The list seems endless. We’d love to know where you will send your quilts. If you don’t know where to send them, just visit the Facebook link above and ask the group. You’ll get plenty of options.
Invite Your Quilting Buddies
Invite your quilting friends because these are awesome pattern downloads and they’ll not want to miss out! Create your own Community Quilting Crew. Make the monthly quilt projects together. Sewing is sew much fun when done in a small group.
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April 15
Pattern link is at the end of the April 15 post.
Our April free download is a new runner pattern by Material Girlfriends, Weathervane Flowers Runner. The Weathervane block was first published in the Kansas City Star in 1929 by Ruby McKim. Though this block is almost 100 years old, it is still a popular design, admired by traditional and modern quilters today. Each Weathervane block finishes at 12″.
I like long runners. I know, not everyone needs a 6′ runner for their dining table or buffet. If you don’t need a 6′ runner, just eliminate a block or three. If you want a 5′ runner, eliminate one Weathervane block. For a 4′ runner, eliminate two Weathervane blocks.
Picking Your Fabrics
This pretty runner is a 3YD pattern. Sort of. I made it from one of our 3YD kits we sell online. However, we always include 1/2 yard of binding in our kits. Technically, it is a 3.5 yard pattern. The half yard in this runner is the green print. For the Binding I used the half yard from the petal red fabric. This is what you need for the 20″ x 72″ runner.
- 1 yard of Light (I used a cream tone-on-tone print)
- 1 yard of Medium for the flower center and border (I used a floral print)
- 1 yard of Dark for the flower petals and binding (I used a darker red)
- 1/2 yard of Green for the ‘leaves’ of the flowers and flange
This is the kit I used. I loved the Riley Blake floral print, plus it went really well with three prints from one of the Material Girlfriends lines we designed for Marcus Fabrics. The line was called Scarecrow’s Song. The panel has been sold out and no longer in print but I still had some of the supporting prints. I do my best not to hoard save my favorites. Just take a deep breath, cut, and use them! I tend to save and pet them for a while first though. Did that come off as creepy? Nah, you totally understand.
Click this link 3YD Kit #14 is $35.99
What floral print do you have in your stash? You need a yard. Sunflowers, daisies, roses – look through to see if you’ve been hoarding a print just for this project. Hoarding? Excuse me, saving for just this perfect project.
Color Options
A little Electronic Quilt magic (EQ8), enables us to previous what this runner would look like in some other prints and colors.
We can’t wait to see what you choose! The Weathervane Flower runner will make a very nice gift. Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Share a photo of your runner with our Facebook Group.
Let’s Get Sewing
The download link is at the bottom of this April 15 post. Feel free to jump ahead if you want to print out your copy to follow along.
First you’ll need to cut your fabrics. There is plenty of border print so you can fussy cut your flower centers. Next draw a diagonal line on a million Light squares. This takes a long time so let’s take a short cut!
I’m working with my featherweight on this project. You’ll notice I use blue painters tape as a guide to align my fabric. My right eye has vision issues and the blue tape helps me to stay on the straight and narrow. If you have wobbly seams, give it a try. The blue tape edge should be 1/4″ from the needle.
Since drawing a diagonal line on the Light squares is tedious, I really appreciate the 1/4″ Diagonal Seam Tape. It save me so much time. No drawing lines! This light masking tape has 1/4″ lines printed on each side of a red center line. It costs around $5 and one roll will last a long time.
Align the red center line with your needle. Ready, set, sew. I keep my eye on the corner closest to me and keep it trailing along that red line. Sew slow, but it goes very fast when you don’t have to draw the lines! You can watch the 13 sec video above.
The pattern actually begins by making the green Half Square Triangle. However, I started with the red petals. Oh, well. Skip to the petals in your pattern or skip ahead to the green Half Square triangles. I’ve always had trouble following a pattern, even my own.
You’re going to position a Light square in the corner of the Dark petal square. Sew on the drawn line or use the Diagonal Seam Tape and sew on the diagonal. Trim 1/4″ from the drawn line to reduce the bulk. I always eyeball the 1/4″. I’m sure my trimmings are on the generous side and closer to 3/8″. You’re just trimming away the extra bulk. You don’t need to get out the ruler and rotary cutter for this.
Press it with the seam toward the Light fabric. Now you can add the second square to the other corner. Trim the extra fabric away with your nice fabric shears. Press the seam toward the Light fabric.
If using the Diagonal Seam Tape for making the Half Square Triangles, just align the corner with the 1/4″ black line instead of the red center line. You’ll want a 1/4″ seam on each side of the center diagonal. We also have a YouTube video on a few other ways of making Half Square Triangles.
Alignment
When you align your Half Square Triangle with the square, you need to ask yourself, “What’s the Point?” Your point is at each end of that diagonal seam. Align your Half Square Triangle on top of your Light square, right sides together. Align perfectly at the point. If it is slightly longer or shorter at the other end, it doesn’t matter. Don’t split the difference or align at the other end. If you can ease that little difference then super. Your accuracy is at the alignment of the point to the square. Sew with the Half Square Triangle on top. You should get a very nice 1/4″ from the edge to your point.
Ugh, I sewed three with the wrong side together. Time for the seam ripper.
Once all my units where ready, I made my piles and then sewed my blocks together. Add the sashing strips and then you’re ready for the green Flange.
Start by pressing the green Flange strip in half with the right side out. I used a little Best Press spray starch to make the fold good and flat. Trim the Flange to the width and length of your runner. Align the raw edges and pin in place.
Instead of the 1/4″ seam, you’ll want to sew a scan 1/4″ seam, 3/16″ of an inch if you can. Don’t worry too much about it being straight and accurate. You just need it less than 1/4″. Its just holding the Flange in place.
After the Flange is sewn on, add your floral border strips.
Despite trying to keep my 1/4″ seam scant, I still had a few stitches from the Flange stitching that I had to pick out. How did you do?
Download Your Weathervane Flower Runner Pattern
Click below to download your copy of the Weathervane Flower Runner pattern. Send your friends to collect their free download too. This free download expires, May 5, 2025. I’ll be on a quilting cruise so you get a few extra days this time! Let me know if you have trouble downloading the file. WordPress can be cranky and doesn’t seem to work with all systems. I’m happy to email it to you, Lisa@MaterialGirlfriends.com
https://materialgirlfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Weathervaneflowers.DigitalDownload.pdf
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March 15
Spring is almost here!! Just 5 more days and it will officially be springtime. The weather might not reflect spring’s arrival. You know what they say about March; in like a lion and out like a lamb. Our weather is currently roaring with wind and rain. Nonetheless, spring is on the way.
Our March free download is a new mini-quilt design by Material Girlfriends, Spring Rabbit. This petite quilt is just 12″ square and makes a darling spring decoration for your home.
Picking Your Fabrics
Understandably, when polled, quilters said choosing fabrics is one of the hardest parts of making a quilt. Here are our tips on choosing fabrics for this cute bunny. First, it was to represent spring so our greens and pink were going to be bright and crisp. We wanted a background that light enough to have enough contrast with the greens, pinks, and bunny fabrics. By layering our choices on top of the background we could see if we had enough contrast or if we needed to lighten or darken any of our choices.
You’ll notice that we chose three brown fabrics for the rabbit. All three are very close in value – just slightly darker or lighter. We used the middle value for the chest, lightest for the head and darkest for the body. It is slight but helps give the body depth. We don’t recommend using the same brown fabric for all three pieces (or white, gray, or black) for the rabbit. It will flatten him out.
When we were happy with the selection, I added small sample squares to our swatch sheet. Download your free swatch sheet page here. Just scroll almost to the end and it will be there. The swatch sheet helps me in recording what we used in the original and what fabrics to use when making kits. We do have kits in our online store – Spring Rabbit Kit.
Fusible Appliqué
Choose how you’d like to appliqué your mini-quilt. If you choose a different method than fusible appliqué be sure to add the seam allowance you need around each piece.
My favorite way to appliqué is to use the fusible web product that can go through my inkjet printer. I use HeatnBond EZ-Print Lite (Don’t use FeatherLite – not enough adhesive). It is about $8 or so for 10 sheets. Check your local quilt or craft shop. If they don’t carry it, you can surely find it online. It is NOT for laser jet machines. Those machines use heat and it will be a gummy mess (ask Lora!). You can also trace the already reversed images onto the fusible product with a fine-tip marker.
Make copies using the HeatnBond EZ Print Lite or trace them if not using an inkjet printer. I do one page at a time. The pages tend to miss-feed if I have more than one in the tray. Roughly cut out each piece leaving about 1/4″ on the outside of the line. Then trim about 1/4″ on the inside of the line. This method keeps the fusible appliqué from becoming stiff by removing the inside portion and leaving enough to seal the edges.
Once we have trimmed them, position each on top of the pattern pages. This way I can see if I missed cutting one out and can retrieve it from the trash before its too late!
Place your pieces on the appropriate color, on the WRONG side of the fabric. The nice thing about Hoffman batiks, you can’t tell what is the right or the wrong side. Both sides are lovely. I make less fusing mistakes this way! It takes just a tap with a hot iron. If you over fuse (pressed too long with the iron), it may not fuse to your background. (If that happens use fabric glue to hold it in place.) Next, trim each piece just on the outside of the line.
Use a Pressing Sheet
Also known as a Teflon sheet, a Pressing Sheet is a thin, non-stick thin plastic mat. It’s the same Teflon sheets used for baking. We like a white sheet because they are translucent. We can see the positioning paper below the Teflon/Pressing sheet.
We put the positioning paper on top of a light tablet. Then the Teflon/Pressing sheet on top of the positioning paper. Peel off the remaining fusible paper and position the pieces in numerical order on the Teflon/Pressing sheet. When we completed the rabbit, Lora tapped with the iron to fuse the pieces together. She moved the Teflon/Pressing sheet over and did the same thing with the tulips. We then had two units pre-fused together. Peel both units carefully off the Teflon/Pressing sheet after they have cooled.
Position the tulip unit and the rabbit unit on the over-sized background square. Fuse in place with a hot iron. I then chose a blanket stitch and in coordinating threads, I stitched along the edges. I have a Babylock but many Brother machines have the same Q appliqué stitch. Use whatever blanket or zigzag stitch you prefer. Don’t forget to switch to an open-toe foot so you can see what you’re sewing. Go slow, count your stitches. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, over and over. It allows me to anticipate the bite stitch so I can stop, start, or pivot when it isn’t going to bite into the appliqué piece.
There is an appliqué piece for that sparkle in the eye. No way could I really appliqué that tiny circle. I added a French knot with some white floss. You can also add a little dab of fabric paint if you prefer.
At this point it is done and ready to quilt. You can choose to trim it to 12 1/2″ now or after you’re done quilting. Too cute, right? Lora quilted the darling little quilt with her long arm. Yes. She. Did.
Youtube
Lora and I have several fusible appliqué tutorials on our Youtube channel. Click on the blow link and type fusible applique in the search window. A half a dozen or more appliqué tutorials will pop up.
https://www.youtube.com/@materialgirlfriendspattern4612
Download Your Spring Rabbit Pattern
Click below to download your copy of the Spring Rabbit Mini-Quilt pattern. Send your friends to collect their free download too. This free download expired, March 31, 2025. Sorry, you missed it. You can purchase a digital download on our Etsy store or a paper pattern on our web store.
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February 15
Annually in January, Lora and I go through our sewing rooms cleaning, purging, organizing, and vowing not to buy more fabric until we’ve used some of our stash. Are you with us?! Our second pattern for this year is a scrappy Double Irish Chain.
We actually have two Double Irish Chain patterns. The February free download Double Irish Chain is our scrappy version made from 2 1/2″ squares from your stash. It is a 54″ square throw size quilt. The other Double Irish Leaves is not scrappy but made from fabrics cut into strips. Two different piecing techniques, yet both are beautiful Double Irish Chain quilts. The scrappy Double Irish Chain is our free download for February.
Double Irish Variations
The Double Irish Chain samples in the February Free Download pattern
The Double Irish Chain block has been a quilter’s favorite for centuries. Published in the Ladies Art Company in 1897, this historic quilt design may be an oldie, but is loved by both modern and traditional quilters today. The design is made from two blocks. You’ll want to make twelve Four Corners Blocks and thirteen Double Irish Chain Blocks to create this 54″ square throw quilt.
Squirrel. Oh, how time evaporates when I’m on Pinterest. However, if you can manage your minutes, you can find double the inspiration and design ideas. Check out our Pinterest board for Double Irish Chain color and placement ideas.
I hope I didn’t loose you for long. Aren’t the options amazing?! Do you see why we had to have two versions of the Double Irish Chain pattern, scrappy and not-scrappy? I knew you’d understand.
Choosing Your Fabrics
How do you choose fabrics for a scrappy quilt? Just throw everything in? Well, no. For a successful scrappy quilt, I offer this one simple guideline.
Coordinate your colors. The prints themselves don’t bother me as much as the color. I’ll blend all types of print genres – batiks, novelty, country, modern, civil war, 30s, etc., as long as the color palette plays well with each other. Many times you can find your color palette from choosing a multi-color print and then pulling all the colors to match that one print.
Lora falls in love the the backing fabric first, then pulls colors from the multi-color backing to choose the colors for the front. Or if not the backing, she’ll choose her border fabric with multiple colors and then pull the scrappy fabrics to match her border. The one multi-color fabric coordinates the entire scrappy palette. She is brilliant when it comes to coordinating colors and seemingly pulls colors from the air to make a lovely palette.
For the color palette below, I was just in a mood. I was choosing colors based on my emotional needs (see February 2025 blog post). It has been a dark, cold winter and I was ready for spring. I pulled together creamy lights (my favorite words-on-fabric), neutral dark grays to enhance my medium value happy-spring-greens, and peaceful-carefree-aquas. I like working with Light, Medium, Dark values. Contrast create beautiful designs in quilts. If you looked at the Pinterest board, did you notice the placement of the color values?
Miss Maggie Kelly
My dear sweet Irish niece will be marrying her true love in April. I’ve been working on a Double Irish Chain quilt for her. I’m getting close to having the quilt top done. I added more blocks to make it queen-size. She is an artisan baker for a local coffee/bakery shop. I had this recipe card fabric in my stash that was perfect to feature in the Corner Square blocks. I added music fabrics too. I didn’t stray too far from my original color palettes. (Am I in a rut?!) I chose a dark bitter browns, then medium greens and a medium aquas. I did strip piece since I used yardage instead of 2 1/2″ squares. I was too low on my aqua and green scraps to make it super scrappy. All the same, I’m really happy with the results. Now to sew the rows together and add the borders. A lot of the fabrics I used were from Material Girlfriends lines, designed by her aunties, so I think that will make it special too.
Download Your Double Irish Chain Pattern
Click below to download your copy of the Double Irish Chain pattern. Send your friends to collect their free download too. This free download will expire, February 28, 2025. Sorry! You missed the free download. You can purchase a digital download on our Etsy store.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/963165734/digital-download-double-irish-chain?crt=1&sts=1
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January 15
Pattern link is at the end of the January 15 post.
Let it begin! Introducing My little Cottage Quilt. This cute pattern has instructions for a place mat size quilt. It would be cute as a center-piece quilt for your table too. I love these little houses. I tell you the truth, scouts-honor, I’ve already made 96 of these little houses and I want to make more. I see you scrolling through the web, looking up “Quilters Looney Bin” to have me committed. Well, its an unlisted number. Oh, wait! I just looked it up and there is a Looney Bin Quilting in Florida. I have found my tribe. Ha!
Is this a paper-pieced or a regular pieced pattern?
Both. You can choose your preferred method. Personally, I love paper-piecing. I have a video tutorial if you’re new to paper-piecing, a bit rusty, or would like company as you sew.
At first, I found paper-piecing crazy confusing. After failed attempts at learning the technique. I went to the University of YouTube. I watched several different paper-piecing videos (aka foundation piecing) and combined a few of the techniques and create my own method. My method doesn’t waste a lot of fabric, has easier fabric placement, fast, and accurate. However, if you have a method that works for you, don’t let me slow you down or mess with your mojo. There are so many roads that lead to paper-piecing Rome.
If you want to try paper-piecing, cut fabric for one house. The fabric sizes are in the pattern download. Give it a go. There are lots of video tutorials out there. If my method doesn’t work well with your brain, watch a few different methods! I’m sure there is a method that will work for you too.
Regular Pieced Houses
Not too tough, but they are tiny. The house block will measure 4 1/2″ after sewing it together. It will be 4″ Finished Size (in the quilt without the seam allowance measured). You’ll make Flying Geese for the roofs. When constructing the house, be sure to have an accurate 1/4″ seam. Go slow, and have fun! Regular-pieced houses and paper-pieced houses are the same size.
What Colors will You Choose?
The fabric requirements for this mini quilt are simple. You’ll need four fat quarters or 1/4 yards. It is a petite 20″ x 16″. Even the border can be cut from a fat quarter (Fat quarters generally measure 18″ x 22″. Just double check that your fat quarter is at least 20 1/2″). You’ll need 1/4 yard for binding and 2/3 yard for backing. All the scrap batting you’ve been saving can now be used! You’ll need about 28″ x 24″ batting size. Lora embellished My Little Cottage quilt with adorable heart shaped buttons and I love the red accent flange.
Think about using holiday or seasonal fabrics. Lora did make kits. The kit is the same fabric in the pattern cover image and makes one My Little Cottage quilt and includes the red heart-shaped buttons.
Scrappy Version
Every January, Lora and I take a deep breath and dive into our sewing rooms. We deep clean, sort bins, tidy fabrics, organized projects, make our lists, and swear we aren’t buying more fabric until we make a dent in our current stock. My Little Cottage Quilt is perfect for scraps. How many bins of little scraps do you have. None? Seriously? Oh… well… Looney Bin, again.
Super-size Me
Let’s make more than 10 houses. Let’s make a village, a town, or maybe a city of little houses! This is EQ8 sample is 121 little houses. I added 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ sashing and 2 1/2″ posts in alternating colors. Border and flange are the same width as the placemat size. After all that sewing, the quilt will be a modest 60″ square. Whew. Lots of work and it isn’t even bed size!
Here is another candidate for the Looney Bin. 618 little houses! I thought my houses were small at 4 1/2″ but Kathy Beeson’s houses were just 3″!! Very cool and quite the inspiration.
Let’s Get Sewing!
Click below to download your copy of the My Little House Quilt Pattern. Send your friends to collect their free downloads too. This free download will expire, December 31, 2025. Yes, this one is special. It will be a free download all year.
Lora had a fun idea. How about making this a block swap with your quilting friends? Wrangle 10 friends, each make 10 houses, then swap the houses with your quilting friends. It would make a very special mini-quilt.
If you have trouble with the download, email Lisa@materialgirlfriends.com
