The Footsie Block - a Mini-Tutorial

I love baby clothes, and doubly love a memory quilt made with them. 

Baby clothes quilts are my favourite to make, and my favourite blocks are the ones made from footsie pajamas. 

Cute little things, aren't they? And so easy to sew!  

This is how I make my footsie blocks (please be kind and try not to cringe over my crispy-crittered ironing board cover):

Cut off the footsies.

    

      Leave atleast 1-1/2" of leg/ankle on. 

Prep your block.

Get the base block ready. Square it up now because its impossible to do once the footsies are on.

Press the Footsie

Use steam and the cotton/linen setting. You're going for a really nice crease around the foot part. 

Cut Out the Bottom

(before)

(after)

Flip the footsie over. Cut away the bottom, leaving approximately 1/2 inch from the edge.

Shape it up

Give the footsie a nice shape by pulling the top corners of the bottom into the centre as shown. PRESS again on both sides.

Fold the Top

Fold down that big piece of ankle/leg that you left on. Where you fold is up to you, choose a length that looks best. 

PRESS again on both sides (do you see the pattern here?)




Trim the Top

Trim off the excess, again leaving around 1/2" from the edge. 

PRESS again. Make sure all raw edges are hidden.







Pin to Block

Pin the applique footsie to your base block. Take care not to distort either whilst pinning.








Sew it On

Sew the footsie using your choice of stitch. Aim for 1/4" from the edge of the applique piece. 

Back-stitch at the sharp corners. 

I prefer to use my zipper foot for this step.








Oogle Your Creation

Isn't it just adorable?

I sure would love to see YOUR footsie block!

Stashless

Its official - I do not have a fabric stash anymore.

Does that make me a bad quilter?

I have tubs on tubs of scraps, but only two pieces that measure more than 1/2 a yard. And let's face it, what am I going to make out of aqua and putty solids?

No stash isn't much of a problem for me. It's not like I have a ton of free sewing time right now, and what little I have is split between commissions and sewing a diaper stash for The Little. Who's birth story I have yet to finish writing.

No stash means no Special Little Quilts. Can't sew what you don't have.

I feel selfish sewing just for me. By this point in the year I've usually sewn three Special Little Quilts. I've done none. That's both a good thing (thank God no one I know needed one) and bad thing. Bad because I've been sitting on one of my only gifts - sewing for people in need.

My other gift is sitting in my closet collecting dust. Poor little viola. As soon as The Little can make it through a church service without needing Mama though, he's coming out of the closet again.

But back to Special Little Quilts. I want to step up my game. I don't just want to sew for friends. I want to support local families and let them know they are loved - that they and their child are not forgotten. 

So, I presented a request to the Family Ministry at church to start a quilt ministry. Tomorrow, they'll review it and let me know whether or not it'll move forward. I'm nervous. Not that I won't get the approval for the funds, but that there will only be lukewarm interest at church.

The sewing crowd are, shall we say, mature. Of an age where many of them think they've paid their dues and it's time for them to retire. There are a few whippersnappers like me who sew and could quilt but I want to have the mature AND young women involved. Something like this should span generations.

I've been praying my brains out; not that the ministry gets approved per say, but that God's will is done and we send so much glory to him that Heaven just shines. This church could and should be a beacon of light to the local community. Whether we're sewing quilts for the babyloss families or something else comes up, there's no one who should retire, no matter what age. 

Its ok, even required, to take a break and rest from time to time. To slow down and focus on you, but we should never stop doing for others. 

I suppose this turned into more of a complaint than a post, so to end on a positive note, have a gander at my fluffy-butted Little. 

Ain't she cute?