Happy Thursday! I have another finished quilt to share today, this plus quilt is made from my vintage sheet collection using my Arithmetic Quilt Pattern!


This quilt came together really quickly over the last few weeks. I've wanted to make a low contrast plus quilt for a long time. I had never thought about what kind of fabrics I'd use, until last month when I realized vintage sheets would be perfect! I decided to not only go with low contrast fabric choices, but to also use really subtle low volume prints. I would typically use prints like these as background fabrics in a quilt. I dug through my stash and pulled out sheets that were primarily white or cream, with varying amounts of color in the print design.

To see the many projects I've made with vintage sheets, check out this post: Projects Made with Vintage Sheets


I had so much fun pulling the fabrics for this quilt. I used some of my favorites, and a few designs that I thrifted back when I first started collecting sheets. When I make quilts from vintage sheets, it always feels kind of like a memory quilt to me. It just makes me think about all the great thrifting adventures I've been on, and who I've enjoyed those adventures with! Sometimes I even remember finding particular patterns.


I really wasn't sure how this quilt would turn out, but I'm absolutely thrilled with it. I love how soft it is. The low contrast between the fabrics means you can only just see the plus design in some places. It's there, but it's not in your face. The sheets themselves have such sweet and soft designs, but are also literally soft too. To be honest, the more quilts I make with alternative fabrics, the less I want to make quilts with quilting cotton! I just love how silky and soft vintage sheet quilts are.

This is the baby size from the pattern, using 4.5" squares. It finishes at 36"x48".


I used one of my very favorite sheets for the back. It's also featured on the quilt top.


I had some leftover binding made from this pink stripe, so I cut a few more strips to make enough binding for this quilt. Felt good to use up the leftovers too!


I used one of my custom woven labels to finish it off.


The quilting is super simple, just lines 1/4" on either side of each seam.


This was such a fun experiment for me. It left me full of ideas for more soft and subtle quilts! I actually already started my next one. It also made me look at my sheet stash differently. I have collected many sheets in this category, primarily with the intention of creating quilt kits or using them as background fabrics. I see so many possibilities beyond that now, which is exciting. I can't wait to see hoq the next quilt comes together!

Soft and Subtle Vintage Sheet Plus Quilt Pattern: Arithmetic Quilt Pattern (Baby size 4.5" squares)
Fabrics: Vintage Reclaimed Bedsheets

Happy Quilting!

How to Quilt Wavy Lines with a Walking Foot (video!)

Happy Thursday! Today I have a video tutorial to share with you! After I shared my finished scrappy bear paw baby quilt, a reader reached out about my go-to wavy quilting technique. I had two baby quilts basted and waiting to be quilted, so I decided to film a little video tutorial on how I do that style quilting.

This is one of my favorite ways to quilt with my walking foot. It's especially good (in my opinion!) for small quilts or pillows. I've actually been quilting things in this way for almost 13 years! I went back through my archives and the oldest project I could find was a mug rug I made in March 2011! Since then I've quilted many mini quilts, pillows and small quilts using this technique. I love it for lots of reasons. First and foremost, it's fun and relaxing to quilt this design. I find it very forgiving, and it really allows you to embrace imperfection. No need to stress about keeping your lines straight, they're meant to be wonky! I also like that the gentle curves soften the straight lines of the patchwork.

Without futher ado, onto the video tutorial! You'll need to equip your machine with a walking foot, and get yourself a fresh needle. I like to use a 3.00 stitch length when quilting in this way.

Here are a few recent small quilts that I've quilted with wavy lines:


Triplicate Baby Quilt


Scrappy Bear Paw Baby Quilt


Vintage Bear Paw Baby Quilt


Simple Two-Color Baby Quilt

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I have lots of other tutorials for everything from quilts, pillows, bags, and holiday items to informational series and techniques. Find all my tutorials here: Tutorials. My online shop is filled with patterns for quilts and bags. Find my patterns here: Jeni Baker Patterns

If you make something using one of my tutorials or patterns, I hope you'll tag me @jenib320 and use my hashtag #jenibaker on instagram!

Don't forget to pin this post to your Pinterest for future reference! :)

Happy Quilting!

Finished Knit: Fuchsia Colorwork Mittens

Happy Thursday! I have a finished knit to share today, my colorwork mittens!


I started these mittens in December 2021, so they've been a long time coming! I really don't know why it took me so long to get them done. They're unlined, and I love knitting colorwork! The pattern is Emma's Ice Flower Mittens.


I knit most of the second mitten in January of this year. I started knitting just a couple rows every morning after I finished eating my breakfast, and before I knew it, they were done! Such a good reminder for myself that small incremental progress can add up. That's the only kind of making I can manage at the moment, with my crafty time being so fragmented.


Despite how long it took me to get these done, I really like them. I love how long the cuff is, and the colorwork was very pleasant. I did struggle a bit on the first mitten when it came to picking up the thumb stitches, but I was really over thinking it. The second thumb was way easier.


This fuchsia yarn by Duck Duck Wool was a dream to knit with. It's so soft and smooth. I'm glad I finally used it in a project, the color is so fun! The cream is an undyed skein of worsted.


I carried this project around in one of my favorite drawstring project bags that I've ever made! This was made with scraps from my Fantastic Leftovers Quilt. I really should make some more scrappy bags, I always love how they turned out! This is the project size from my Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern.


If you're interested, you can find this project on my Ravelry here.

Happy Knitting!

Scrappy Bear Paw Baby Quilt

Happy Tuesday! Today I have a little quilt finish to share!


This quilt ended up being a few years in the making, on accident! At the time I started it, I was working on building up my stash of baby quilts for gifting. I pulled fabrics around the adorable animal print from Lore by Leah Duncan*, which is one of my favorites of hers. I don't use a lot of this royal blue color, so that was a fun challenge.


I used my Scrappy Bear Paw Baby Quilt Tutorial for this quilt. It had been a while since I made one, and I liked the idea of using the paws as a place to showcase a special print.


I picked fabrics and pieced the quilt top back in Spring 2022, but then in just sat folded up in the sewing room. Fast forward to late this last Summer (2023) and I decided it was time to finish it! Baby P was here and I realized just how handy it was to have lots of little quilts. I kept the quilting super simple with my signature wavy quilting.


For the backing I used one of my prints from Geometric Bliss*! I always thought this print made good backings. And it's a relatively good match for the front of the quilt.


The binding is another print from Geometric Bliss*. Probably my most used print from that collection to be honest! I love a yellowy green!


This quilt has gotten so much use the last few months! It's the perfect size to cover a play mat we use upstairs. Keeps me from having to wash the cover for that every day. It's been a relief to see how well my quilts have held up to really frequent washings. Makes me feel like they're going to last a long time, which is good. Anyways, this was a fun one to make and nice to use up a bunch of stash and a long kept print!


Pattern: Scrappy Bear Paw Quilt Tutorial
Fabric: Main print from Lore by Leah Duncan*, backing and binding from Geometric Bliss*, the rest from scraps and stash.

Happy Quilting!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.