Friday Finish: Another Make It Do Maxi Quilt!

There is a binding thief at my house.

Seriously. I made a stack o' bindings (photographic evidence) and that brown one with the dots disappeared.

I'm pretty certain I know who the culprit is. A certain three-year-old in my house is obsessed with polka dots these days. I'm sure she swiped it and stashed it away somewhere and we'll find it when we eventually move. Because I cannot find it anywhere! Don't know how she  missed those pink ones.

I figure when I do find it, I'll use it for another project. In the meantime, I had to get this quilt finished:

Just another version of my Make It Do Maxi quilt. This one takes just a layer cake plus yardage for the background and border. I'm liking the layer cake quilt patterns these days. Works up so quick, and so great at showcasing the bigger prints in a line that get chopped up in a smaller block.

Finished at 72" square, and backed in baby pink Minky. And claimed, surprise surprise, by the binding thief herself.

No remorse, whatsoever. She's lucky she's cute.

Hey, and don't forget to link up all your fabulous Christmas gift finishes for my Santa's Sweatshop linky party. Some seriously fabulous prizes y'all! The elves deserve some rewards for working so hard this Christmas!

Maxi Quilt Revolution!

I promised a Maxi Quilt Revolution, and I delivered!

Mini quilts are fine and dandy when it's summer and you just want something cute on the wall, or a throw pillow on the couch.

But Maxi quilts, where we take a quilt block and maxi-fy it, are what's needed in the fall and winter. Maxi quilts are also fantastic at showcasing big prints that get chopped up in smaller quilt blocks.

When you're going to start a revolution, you should first occupy the capitol building. I read that somewhere.

#occupythecapitolwithquilts
(thanks, Kate, for the hashtag inspiration)

I've taken my first four patterns and maxi-fied them into quick, simple, easy-to-piece quilts. Let's get acquainted, shall we? I photographed these on my fence so you could see just how big these blocks and quilts are.

First, the Make It Do Maxi. The center churn dash block is 36" square. Yep. 3 feet. 1 yard. It's fabulous for big prints that don't get the proper showing in smaller blocks. The final quilt size is 72" square.

I really wanted to keep the shoo fly blocks in the corners, so I just made them a part of a border.

This quilt is layer cake friendly, with lovely scraps left over for a throw pillow or a doll quilt. This quilt seriously came together in just a couple of hours. Fast and fun!

Second, my Taffy Maxi. I liked the bright candy colors of my first one, but I thought this one would be awesome in Christmas prints. I used some Solstice FQs, but wouldn't it be fun in scrappy reds, like my Christmas stockings?

She's a FQ friendly quilt (just 15), and goes together so quickly. Four blocks! Four BIG blocks - they finish at 30" square. The final quilt size is 78" square, just like the original, but with 1/4 of the blocks. Kinda nice, huh? And that center block would be extra cute as a pinwheel.

Third, my Something New Maxi. This one would be fun for scraps, but a layer cake will also give you just what you need. I chose to use some Surrounded by Love. We need another Valentine's Day quilt around here!

The blocks finish at 24" square, so they work up fast, and would be great to feature some of your favorite prints. The final quilt is 76" square, perfect for a cuddle quilt!

And finally, my Five Spot Maxi. 

These blocks are also 30" square, which works beautifully with the larger prints in so many lines. I still had some Wee Wander FQs, so I worked it all out, and even fussy cut some prints. You'll need just 13 FQs for this girl!

She finishes at 75" square. Roasty toasty toes will thank you for a big quilt to cuddle up in. Back it in Minky and you will be everyone's favorite.

So, who wants to win some patterns? Start shopping for your fabrics, with all the sales going on this weekend! 

I've listed the specific fabric requirements in the Craftsy listing if you want to go ahead and get ready to make it. You'll have plenty of time to finish just four blocks (or even one!) for a last minute Christmas gift. 

To enter, just leave a comment here. Let me know your biggest pattern pet peeve. Mine is having a whole lot of fabric left over. For additional entries:

• Follow me, porchswingquits, on Instagram. Leave me a comment with your IG handle
• Follow this blog and let me know you do

One winner will receive a PDF copy of all four Maxi patterns, plus a layer cake from one of my favorite etsy shops, Red Chair Quilting. Gotta support my Idaho shops!

And you have two giveaways to enter. Kate, the genius behind all my pressing instructions, has the same deal going on over on her blog. So hurry!

If you don't want to wait, you can purchase a copy of each one in my Craftsy store for $6.50 each. That's not a sale price. That price sticks forever! And if you want all four, you can buy the bundle for $20.

Giveaway will end Sunday night, and I'll announce the winner Monday morning. Good luck, and happy shopping! And pretty please, make sure you're not a "no-reply" blogger. I've had a handful every time, and it makes me sad to think that you'll never get replies to your comments, or chances to win. Check out this post to fix it.

Oh, and our winner from last week was Melanie! Congrats to you! Enjoy your patterns and fabric!