Guest Post - Great Granny Star Pillow - Free Tutorial

Hello, Friends!

I'm guest posting again over at

Bear Creek Quilting Company,

for a new 3-part series.

We're going to use some of the brand-new fabric

from V and Co for Moda...

Color Theory!

{I used a fat quarter bundle, but this project is layer-cake and charm-pack friendly.}

I've discovered a brand-new way to put zippers on a pillow,

and I'll show you how to do that, too, in the same post.

Best of all...I've designed a brand-new quilt block,

called the Granny Star!

The finished project is this brand-new pillow!

Oh, yeah, and it's reversible!

Yep - that's a BIG pillow...about 22" square!

I call it the "Great Granny Star Pillow".

If that's a bit too big for your taste, don't worry.

Soon I'll be sharing two more Granny Star projects,

with down-sized blocks.

I hope you'll join me over at
Bear Creek Quilting Company for this new series!

Zen Blossoms Purse

Q: What's black and white

and red all over???

A: My latest tote bag!

Do you remember seeing this little zip pouch here?

Well, recently someone asked me to make

a tote bag for her,

using the same black/white/red floral fabric.

It's from Michael Miller,

and it's called Zen Blossoms.

It's been a while since that fabric came out,

and I had used up my supply of it.

A quick search on Quiltshops.com

led me to a shop that still carries this print.

{I just typed in "zen blossoms" and...poof!}

In my stash I found some black-and-white fabrics

that blended nicely,

as well as a bright red polka dot.

I used my own Anita Vacation Tote Bag pattern.

I can't tell you how many times I've used this pattern.

This time, though, I chose to leave out the pleated accent band.

Instead, I quilted the bag, in a diamond design.

That's one thing that my customer liked about

that little zippered pouch,

in the first place.

I love talking about my purses and bags...

Notice the two-toned bag handles

that I almost always create

for my bags and purses.

The zippered pocket just called out

for me to choose a RED zipper.

Such an attention-grabber!

For the interior pocket strip,

I went big and bold, with a chevron fabric.

The little "eamylove" label

lets my customer know I made this tote bag

just for her!

I wish I could make a custom tote bag for everybody!

But...I can't.

That's okay, though, because you can make

them for yourself,

just the way you want them,

using my Anita Vacation Tote Bag pattern!

{Here's another one of my purse-onal favorites,

created with Joel Dewberry's Aviary fabrics.}

If you make any,

I would love to see them!

Be sure to share them on my Flickr page,

"Amy Made That!...and So Did I."