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Project Index The Polka Dot Chair blog was founded in 2008 and features thousands of free sewing, quilting, & crafting tutorials & projects. We invite you to take some time to explore all of the great content you can find here. Browse by Project Type Cricut Embroidery Gift Ideas Bag Sewing Patterns Disney Holidays Quilting…
Quilting, a time-honored craft that combines creativity and precision, relies heavily on accurate fabric cutting. This guide will walk you through the process of using a rotary cutter and ruler to cut fabric accurately for your quilting projects. Three must-have tools for all quilters are the rotary cutter, cutting mat, and quilt ruler. Precise fabric…
Are you in the mood for Love? If so, you may like this specially curated collection of 40 things to sew for Valentine’s Day! I’ve included all kinds of fun projects, from Valentine’s Heart Quilts to Valentine’s Day pillows! Enjoy! The weather here has been so horribly gray and cloudy this week that I’ve begun…
Who’s ready to get organized? (Raises hand!) I’m going to do my part to help you organize your sewing, quilting, and craft projects this year with these printable monthly project planners. Keep yourself on track throughout the year! Like many of you, I sat down at the beginning of the year to “get myself organized.”…
A look back at the most popular sewing & quilting projects from 2023 as chosen by our readers! One of my favorite blog posts to write each year is my “Year in Review” post. I’ve done it almost every year that I’ve been blogging. I hit “publish” on my first blog post in early 2009,…
Learn to make a festive, beginner-friendly Yarn Stitched Jingle Bell Cube Ornament using just plastic canvas and yarn! Each year, I make my kids a new ornament to add to our tree with the idea that when they eventually have homes of their own, they’ll have a handful of simple, handmade ornaments to bring color…
The right pressing tools are essential for achieving crisp, professional results in your patchwork quilting projects. Here are some of my favorite pressing tools used for quilting. Pressing is an important part of patchwork quilting, but the selection of tools we might need are often lower our “must buy” quilting notions list. Perhaps because they…
This tutorial will teach you how to make Jockey Silks pillows, a perfect way to add a bit of Kentucky Derby decor to your home! Included in the directions are options for sew and no-sew pillows. To make this project as easy as possible, we’ve even created a free jockey silks applique pattern for you….
It’s time for our March Mug Rug pattern; this month, we have a free pattern for an English Bloom Mug rug created using the English Paper Piecing (EPP) method. If you’ve ever wanted to try EPP but didn’t want to commit to an entire quilt, this is the perfect project for you! Each month this…
Have you ever started a sewing or quilt project only to get stuck when it comes to picking the colors and fabrics for your project? Does color theory overwhelm you a bit? I’m breaking down my best tips and tricks for picking and combining fabric colors for sewing and quilting projects. (fabrics above are from…
Add a little “sparkle” to your year by participating in the 2023 Polka Dot Chair Block of the Month program. Make a quilt one month at a time with our Starlight Sparkler quilt pattern. You’ll build your skills as the year progresses and have a lot of fun in the process! This year we’re making the…
Another year has come to a close, and with it, the opportunity to look back at the previous year. It’s always interesting to see what resounds with readers; if you’re curious about what everyone loved this year, here are the most popular sewing & quilting projects of 2022. Every year I love to look back…
Create a slightly spooky Halloween centerpiece with many items you have around your house! Learn how to make Halloween potion jars in this easy-to-follow tutorial. I love to go all out for Halloween. I decorate the front porch, the dining room, and every little nook and cranny around the house that I can find. A…
One of my favorite things about Fall is Halloween. And one of my favorite things about Halloween is all of the fun crafting and sewing that goes along with it. I’m always looking for Halloween Patterns for all of the cute Halloween Fabric that I love to hoard. I’ve spent a lot of time scouring…
Three cheers to the Red, White & Blue! Create patriotic Fourth of July t-shirts, pillows, tote bags, and home decor items with our free 4th of July SVG files designed for Cricut machines. If you’ve been a long-time reader, then you know that we periodically like to offer a set of free SVG files to…
The May Pillow of the Month pattern is designed for a celebration! It’s a patchwork pillow designed to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Our amazing contributor Amy Ball is from the UK and I absolutely ADORE her take on the Union Jack in patchwork pillow form! As soon as I saw it I added this pillow…
Dream of warm summer days as you sew along with us to create the Summer Sugar Quilt. It’s a fresh summer quilt pattern that features pineapple, apple, strawberry & cherry quilt blocks. I am so excited to finally be announcing the start dates of our Summer Sugar Quilt Along! It was originally planned for last…
If you’ve ever wondered what you can create with old jeans, then you are going to love this tutorial! Learn how to repurpose old jeans into a scrappy “Be Kind” sweatshirt! I’m so excited to introduce you to our newest blog contributor today, Juila from Bayhill Studio! I’ve known Julia for years and am happy…
Add a little “sparkle” to your year by participating in the 2022 Polka Dot Chair Block of the Month program. Sew along with us as we create the Sparkle More Quilt! This is the 4th year that we’ve offered a Block of the Month quilt! This year’s theme is “Sparkle” because I think we all…
From Cricut Projects to Quilts to Disney DIY’s here are the projects that you loved the most on the Polka Dot Chair site in 2021! Every year I love to look back and see which projects you, our readers loved the most. Each year I’m a bit surprised; inevitably, some of my favorites don’t make…
Welcome to the Spooky Sampler Quilt Along! Each week during the quilt along, I thought I’d share a few quilting tips & tricks to help you more easily construct the blocks in the pattern. This week we are kicking things off with a quick tutorial teaching you how to fussy cut fabric. Some of you…
Create a Halloween quilt one week at a time when you join our Spooky Sampler Sew Along! I am so excited to be hosting a quilt along for my Spooky Sampler quilt pattern with Pat Sloan! If you don’t know Pat, you should! She’s an author, fabric designer, and well-known figure in the Quilt industry,…
Create a festive wreath perfect for the 4th of July with various red, white & blue wired ribbons. This DIY Ribbon Wreath was inspired by the 4th of July buntings that I use to decorate my porch! Recently my Mom came to visit. For years she has made the cutest ribbon wreaths for each holiday…
Looking for fun crafts for kids or teens to do? We’ve rounded up 30 of our favorite craft projects just for you! Each one of these projects provides a simple & creative way to spend a summer day. Many of these DIY kids’ crafts use supplies that you might already have on hand! My kids…
We recently had the opportunity to explore Jacksonville, Florida. The beautiful city and gorgeous beaches were a welcome respite for our family! To prep for our trip, I made myself a new beach bag. I have written up a free sewing pattern for the bag to share with you today! This post is created in…
A few years ago, it seemed like mermaids were popping up everywhere! It’s a trend that I can definitely get behind. If you’re looking for ideas for some DIY mermaid projects, we’ve got you covered! Enjoy these Mermaid patterns, sewing & quilting projects. Last month my newest fabric collection Ahoy! Mermaids was released. In honor…
Freshen up and organize your sewing, quilting or creative space with one of these DIY tutorials. From fabric basket sewing patterns to how to build a pegboard there’s bound to be something to help you get and stay organized this year! It seems the last few months that I’ve had one deadline to meet after…
From quilt blocks to spray painting projects, we’ve rounded up our top blog posts of 2020. Did your favorite make the list? Well, it’s been a year. I’ll just leave it at that. I have to say that as far as blog content goes my whole “plan” for the year went out the window mid-March…
Tired of tangled cords? Use your Cricut Maker to create a set of leather cord snaps. I have a zip bag that I use when I travel to hold all of my chargers and cords (and by “travel” lately, I mean a weekend in the RV *wink*). Recently I was trying to find an iPhone…
Today I’m excited to announce a project that I’ve been working on for a few months now! I’m going to be hosting a Quilt Along for my Santa’s Hat Shop Pattern. I know that you may be accustomed to Christmas quilt along starting much earlier (some as early as May), but this year I thought…
Stitch up this no so spooky Halloween pillow to add to your Halloween decorations with our free Jack O Lantern Pumpkin Pillow Sewing Pattern. Every year I try to sew a few things to add to my Halloween decorations collection. In the past, I’ve made quilts, ghastly pillows, table toppers & table runners. This year…
I am frequently asked what the best sewing projects for someone who is learning how to sew are. I’ve spent a lot of time going through my archives and visiting the websites of some of my favorite sewing friends and have rounded up more than 50 Free Beginner Sewing Projects and patterns for you. This list…
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The 4th of July is just around the corner, plenty of time to stitch up a few items to help you celebrate. If you’re looking for some fun things to sew this summer, I’ve rounded up 25 4th of July Sewing Projects for you to try. There’s something for everyone on this list, from…
I love Summer. The slower days, the warmer weather, and even the evening thunderstorms. I also love to sew during the summer. I’ve noticed that I tend to alter a bit what I work on during the summer months. I prefer simple, bright, and fun sewing projects. If you’re looking for a new sewing project…
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut for Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine. Recently Cricut added a new machine to their lineup. Let me tell you, it’s an adorable addition! The Cricut Joy is a smaller Cricut machine made to be portable. The machine can write and cut. It…
Sewing is a great skill for kids to learn. It teaches patience and is great for hand-eye coordination. If you have kids or teens and are looking for fun sewing project ideas for them, then you might like today’s article! We’ve rounded up more than 40 beginner sewing projects for kids and teens! I learned…
I love finding new ways to sew with things I already have. Vintage Sheets and Handkerchiefs are two of my favorite items to repurpose. I’m lucky enough to live in an area where you can find them pretty easily! If you love to sew with Vintage Linens too; I thought I’d share with you some…
Each year I enjoy looking back to see what projects and patterns our readers enjoyed the most. Most years there are quite a few surprises. Even after 11 years of blogging, you guys can be a bit of an enigma at times! Without further adieu, here are the top 24 reader favorite projects from 2019….
We’ve reached the end of our Just for Fun Quilt along! The Just for Fun quilt along is a year-long modern inspired quilt series designed to help you build your quilting skills. This block is the last quilt block in the series. I’ve named it the Road Trip quilt block. We’ve reached the end of…
Who’s ready to start making Christmas crafts? I have partnered with Cricut to bring you guys some fun gift ideas for Christmas that are both handmade and personalized. Today I’m going to be showing you how to make this DIY Wood Christmas Sign. I work as a Brand Ambassador for Cricut. This is sponsored content….
Welcome back to the Just for Fun Quilt Along! Today I’m sharing block 5 in the quilt along, which I have named the Bike Ride Quilt Block. Hi Friends! I know that you have been anxiously awaiting the next block in our Just For Fun Quilt Along! About the Just for Fun Quilt Along: Each…