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    Easy to Follow Sewing & Quilting Patterns, Free Tutorials & Crafts

    • Sewing
    • Quilts
    • Crafts
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    Trending

    • DIY Floating Witch Hat Luminaries
    • two black lanterns with lettering in front of purple wallpaper
      31 Frightfully Fun Cricut Halloween Crafts to Make
    • Halloween quilt and vintage Land Rover with pumpkins outdoors
      The Spooky Shelfie Quilt Pattern & Quilt Along
    • collage image of four baby quilt patterns and text
      40+ Free Baby Quilt Patterns & Tutorials
    • woman holding red white and blue quilt outdoors
      50+ Easy Beginner Quilt Patterns & Free Tutorials
    • quilt, thread and clips on blue cutting mat
      How to Machine Bind a Quilt; A Step-by-Step Guide
    • 50+ Simple, Fun & Free Beginner Sewing Projects
    • light blue cricut maker 3 machine on white countertop
      Essential Guide to Common Cricut Terms

    Latest Posts

    We love to sew and quilt as much as you do! Look for new projects posted every week. Here’s what’s new.

    • colorful fabric and paper gift tags on white wood table
      Simple Scrappy Fabric Gift Tags
    • black, purple, pink and gray string halloween quilt
      Scrappy Triangles Free Quilt Pattern
    • 11 Frightfully Fun Halloween Quilt Patterns
    • pumpkin face mug rug on white table with coffee cups
      Pumpkin Face Quilted Coaster Set

    Welcome

    Melissa Mortenson, Designer

    It’s nice to meet you! I’m Melissa Mortenson, a blogger, published author & licensed fabric designer.

    I’m also a Mom and a Maker. I am like most of you, just trying to do my best every day. I find joy in creating, if you do too, then I hope that you find something here to bring a little “happy” to your life. Learn more about me →

    Search

    • woman holding ipad with shop image
      Shop Polka Dot Chair Sewing & Quilting Patterns
    • Join the Club! Sign up for our Newsletter
    • My Fabric Collections
    • Bag pattern on white table
      Pattern Updates

    Browse By Category

    • Cricut
    • Hand Embroidery Patterns
    • Gift Ideas
    • Bag Sewing Patterns
    • Disney
    • Holidays

    More Categories –>Food, Travel, Seasonal, Printables, Home Projects, Everything

    Halloween Crafts

    We are big fans of Halloween around here! From Halloween crafts to recipes and even quilt patterns, we think you’ll find the perfect spooky project here.

    • halloween quilt hanging outdoors.
      The Spooky Sampler Halloween Quilt Pattern
    • Black and white halloween pillow in front of window
      Witch’s Silhouette Halloween Pillow Pattern
    • How to make cute Halloween t shirts with iron ons and a review of the new Cricut EasyPress machine. Includes free cut files inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion themed t-shirts for Halloween
      Cricut EasyPress Review & DIY Halloween T-Shirts
    • 13+ Cricut DIY Halloween Costume Ideas
    See more Halloween →

    Recommended Beginner Sewing Projects

    We think the best way to learn how to sew is to jump right into a project! If you’re new to sewing and looking for a fun beginner sewing project, here are a few we recommend.

    • Apron Sewing Patterns
      19 Adorable Apron Sewing Patterns for Kids & Adults
    • road trip pillowcase
      Road Trip Pillowcase Pattern & Free Sewing Tutorial
    • Learn How to Sew a Zipper Pouch with a Flat Bottom
    • girl wrapped in blanket in athletic stadium
      Self-Binding Sweatshirt Blanket Tutorial; Turn your old shirts into a cozy blanket!
    See more Beginner Friendly Sewing Projects →

    Tutorials with Video Instructions

    While I always include detailed step-by-step directions and photos for every tutorial I publish, I know how helpful it can be to have someone there walking you through all the steps. These are a few of my favorite tutorials with video instructions. You can find even more on our YouTube Channel.

    • Blue duffle bag hanging on door handle
      The Saturday Bag, Duffle Bag Sewing Pattern
    • profile view of girl wearing headband outdoors
      How to Make a Braided Padded Headband
    • floral and ribbon print zip bags on marble table with office supplies
      How to Make a Simple Zipper Pouch
    • pink and mint flannel blankets on white table top with small toy cat
      How to Make a Flannel and Minky Baby Blanket
    • blue apron on white countertop with kitchen utensils
      Child’s Apron Pattern with Video Instructions
    • colorful scrappy baby bib on white marble tabletop with shoes
      Quilt as You Go Baby Bib Pattern
    • woman holding handmade sunglasses case
      “Sunnies” Sunglasses Case Sewing Pattern
    • man wearing vans shoes in hammock
      How to Hydro Dip Vans to Create Unique Custom Shoes

    Learn How to Quilt

    Just call this Quilting 101! In this section, you’ll find my best quilting tips, tool recommendations, and even directions to make a simple patchwork quilt.

    • blue quilt and sewing machine feet on cutting mat
      Sewing Machine Feet for Quilt Piecing
    • red white and blue striped quilt in front of white barn
      How to Make a Simple Strip Quilt
    • stack of precut fabrics on books
      Guide to PreCut Fabrics and How to Use Them
    • white chair with quilts stacked ontop in front of a colorful geometric quilt with text overlay
      Guide to Common Quilting Terms & Free Printable Quilters Cheat Sheet
    See more Learn to Quilt →

    Free Quilt Patterns & Tutorials

    Are you looking for a new project? This section features all of our favorite free quilted projects. Take some time to browse the hundreds of quilt patterns on our site. Most of them are free!

    • hand holding stack of fabric on cutting table
      12 Tried & True Layer Cake Quilt Patterns
    • heart mug rug and mug on table
      We Heart Mug Rugs Patchwork Heart Sewing Pattern
    • A free no math polaroid quilt block tutorial. Learn how to make polaroid quilt blocks in any size - with no math required!
      How to Make Polaroid Quilt Blocks the Easy Way!
    • Purple ivory and gray Halloween quilt in front of gray house
      Free Gathered Precuts Quilt Pattern
    See more Free Quilt Patterns →

    Free Sewing Patterns

    Welcome to my most expansive category! Here you will find sewing patterns for everything you want to sew! From bag patterns to pillows to accessories and more!

    • Sewing Machine Mat
      Stay Organized with this DIY Roll Up Sewing Machine Mat
    • triangle fabric flags on white table top
      How to Make a Fabric Bunting with Free Template
    • Pink & orange and blue and green zippered bags on white table top with desk accessories
      Color-Blocked Zip Pouch Sewing Pattern
    • More than 25 Cute things to make for Back to School - from backpacks to lunch boxes, notebooks and more!
      30+ Cute Things to Make for Back to School
    See more Free Sewing Patterns →

    Cricut Projects & Freebies

    Oh, how we love our Cricut machine! In this section, you’ll find our best Cricut tips, machine reviews, FAQ answers, and loads of free SVG files.

    • DIY Haunted Mansion Inspired Lanterns by Melissa Mortenson of polkadotchair.com
      DIY Halloween Lanterns & Free Haunted Mansion SVG Files
    • girl on boat looking out to lake wearing white t-shirt
      Free Lake SVG Files for Cricut Machines
    • black backpack with mickey mouse iron on sitting on table in front of white wall
      DIY Disney Backpack with the Cricut EasyPress 2
    • Decorated Graduation Caps on white table
      DIY Graduation Cap Decorating Ideas using Cricut Iron-On
    See more Cricut →

    Recently Updated

    We like to keep things up to date around here. Here are some of our most recently updated projects.

    • Pink, white and gray Christmas ornaments on wood tree
      Handmade Felt Stocking, Tree & Star Christmas Ornaments Pattern & Tutorial
    • black, orange and purple patchwork quilt outdoors
      Spooky Schoolhouse Great Granny Square Halloween Quilt
    • LED candles floating on front porch with black witch hats
      Floating Candle DIY Halloween Porch Decorating Idea
    • Free pattern for a Simple Sawtooth Star Baby Quilt - so fast to stitch up - great for a beginning quilter! #quilts #babyquilt #beginningquilter #quilttutorial
      Simple Sawtooth Star Baby Quilt

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    Welcome to the Polka Dot Chair! Here you’ll find easy, step-by-step, sewing, quilting, and crafting projects. We design projects for Makers of all skill levels. Beginners are welcome!

    DISCLAIMER:

    While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content on this website, the information is made available without warranty of any kind. The Polka Dot Chair accepts no responsibility or liability, whether direct or indirect, as to the currency or accuracy of the information, nor any consequence of its uses. This website is not intended to substitute the advice of a professional.

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