Here we go. Season 5 of Sew Ready to Play starts today! And a big thank you to my quilty friend, Debbie, from A Quilter’s Table! Debbie and I met years ago at our Seattle Modern Quilt Guild meeting. And we’ve been friends ever since that first meeting. She’s one of the most creative and inspiring people I know. I can’t wait for you to see what she has for us today! Welcome Debbie!

It’s been a couple of years since I sewed along with Louise/I’m Feelin’ Crafty on her annual Sew Ready to Play blog hop. She’s celebrating 5 years this year, so how could I resist? I knew right off I wanted to make something based on the first board game we played with our children when they were small, and years later, the first we brought out for grandgirl – Candy Land! Couldn’t resist making a small quilted play mat reminiscent of the game board.

Supplies needed for quilt top (40″x38″):
2 yards background fabric
solid scraps

Directions:
Cut 2″ squares from your colored scraps. I chose the colors of every third or so square on my game board, but feel free to personalize by adding more or less. I used: 7 red, 7 orange, 1 pink, 5 green, 4 blue, 6 yellow, 4 purple – 34 total.

Trim squares on both sides to make them ‘tumbler’ shapes. I didn’t measure, as I wanted more of an improv look. I also stacked several squares before cutting, which made quick work of it.

Cut a few strips of background fabric, 1 1/2″ wide, then into 3″ and 4 1/2″ sections, cutting more strips as you need them. Sew 3″ pieces to each side of a tumbler and press. You could easily strip piece if you prefer.

Trim top and bottom even with tumbler.

Sew 4 1/2″ strips to top and bottom, and press. Repeat for remaining tumblers.

Trim each block to 2 1/2″, being sure to leave at least 1/4″ on all sides of the colored tumbler. I trimmed some ‘straight.’

And I angled some to match the curves on the game board.

Now cut 355 – 2 1/2″ squares from your background fabric.

Piece your blocks into rows, then your rows into a quilt top!

Now it’s time to baste and quilt as desired! I followed the path from the Candy Land board, then filled in around it, finishing my quilt mat off with a sweet candy cane-edged border.

Thanks, Louise, for inviting me to sew and play again! I’ve had fun reminiscing and grandgirl even enjoyed playing a round of Candy Land on the play mat! Tomorrow I’ll post about all the fabric and technique details over at A Quilter’s Table. Join me there then, or any time, if you enjoy quilting, other random sewing, and a bit of table talk. If you’re on Instagram, you can find me at #aquilterstable. Hope to see you around!

Thanks Debbie!!

Be sure to stop back by for more!

Sept 7th- Debbie from A Quilter’s Table

Sept 9th- Jennifer from Busy Being Jennifer

Sept 11th- Ari from Max California

Sept 16th- Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts

Sept 18th- Karly from Paisley Roots

Sept 21st- Louise from I’m Feelin’ Crafty

Sept 23rd- Narelle from Cook, Clean, Craft

Sept 25th- Al from Shaffer Sisters

Sept 28th- Rachel from Let’s Begin Sewing

Sept 30th- Marci from Marci Girl Designs

Remember that old shirt and pile of scraps from yesterday’s teaser? Well, say Bye Bye… Those are no longer just an old shirt and a pile of scraps! They have come back to life as this adorable reversible summer bucket hat for the kiddo!

This was supposed to be completed before we went to the beach.. But it didn’t quite happen. I had planned to have it done and write you a tutorial, but…. So then I got excited about the Celebrate the Boy Summer Edition and decided this was going to be my first project! Imagine my surprise when it was Rae’s first project of the week too! I promise I wasn’t copying, just a funny coincidence!

I’m really excited about it! I made the pattern and figured out the process all by myself. Not that it’s a hard project at all, but… It came together just right on the first try. And it fits! Too bad I can’t get the little guy to model it for ya. He just wasn’t in the mood for pictures this morning. But we both agree that we like the plaid side best!

It’s so very simple, just a bit time-consuming with the pinning. (Honestly, I’m not a fan of pinning. I try to avoid it at all costs. But the perfectionist in me knows that sometimes the extra time is worth it!)

And the tutorial…

Summer Bucket Hat Tutorial

Materials:

Pattern

Fabric

Thread

Scissors

Step 1: Print the pattern. The pattern fits my 2.5 year old with a large head! I measured another of his hats (I always get confused about exactly where to measure his head, so I just measured a hat!) and got a circumference of 20.5 inches. Download the pattern here. Cut the fabric. The pattern includes a 1/4″ seam allowance.