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The Fox Farm Fabric Collection is a new line of Fabric by Melissa Mortenson of the Polka Dot Chair for Riley Blake Designs. It features bright and vibrant prints inspired by the English Countryside! Hi there. Welcome! It’s me, Melissa Mortenson, and today I’m excited to be introducing you to my latest fabric collection with…
This simple bricks fat quarter free quilt pattern is super snuggly and makes the perfect gift! It’s easy to stitch up, making it the perfect project for someone learning how to quilt. This post has been updated from a previous version with additional directions and illustrations included. Many years ago, my kids were asking for…
You see terms like Rolie Polie, Jelly Roll, Charm Pack, Fat Quarter, and Fat Eight used a lot both on quilting patterns and in blogging tutorials, but do you know what they are? Today we are sharing all about precuts fabrics. Including yardage and quilt size pattern suggestions for each precut on the market! We’ve…
Learn how to make a simple and graphic baby quilt with our free Giant Bear Paw Baby Quilt Pattern. This quilt is precut-friendly and is constructed using 10″ pre-cut squares! This quilt pattern is beginner-friendly. I love finding “short cut” ways to create projects. One of the best ways to save a bit of time…
Welcome to “finish it Friday” a new blog series aimed at helping me (and you) empty out that WIP (work in progress) bin! We’re kicking things off this week with a finished Giant Star Baby Quilt! I recently made a list of all of the projects that I’ve made but still needed to share here…
I love the convenience of purchasing precut packages of fabric. If you’re looking for quilt patterns designed specifically to work with precut fabrics, then be sure to check out the Playful Precuts Book. It features 15 unique and clever precut friendly quilt patterns. My friend Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl recently released her first book…
Learn how to make baby burp cloths with this simple and easy sewing pattern. It’s beginner and precut friendly and a great way to use up some of your fabric scraps! Recently one of my daughter’s friends had a baby. We put together a care package to send to her and included a set of…
We are 6 months into the Choose Happiness Quilt along. Read all about this month’s block, Summer Sunsets, and find out how to join the Quilt Along below. A couple of weeks ago the June block for the Choose Happiness Quilt along was emailed to everyone that is participating. If you did not get the…
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…
I’m always on the hunt for new ideas for Easter Dresses, so I’ve rounded up 50 great Easter Dress Patterns for Girls. I’ve broken the list down into two categories, dresses made from purchased patterns and dresses with free dress sewing patterns. Enjoy! There’s a running joke in my house that if it’s the night…
Welcome back to our Summer Quilt Along! This is week 5 and we are working on row 4 which is also the center row of the quilt. Before we jump into this weeks blocks, a bit of housekeeping. You can see all of the blog posts as of this date for the Quilt Along here:…
Who’s ready to make some House Quilt Blocks? These little blocks might be my favorites from the Let’s Stay Home Quilt-along! There are so many fun ways to customize them. Welcome to week two of the Let’s Stay Home Quilt Along. If you’re new here you can see all of the posts in this series…
Who’s ready for a fun summer quilt along? Please join us as we make the Let’s Stay Home Quilt. I’m breaking down the process one row at a time for you and hope that you’ll join us! Welcome to the first week of our Let’s Stay Home Quilt Along. If you’re new here: Before we…
Today I’m so excited to announce something that I’ve been working on for months! I’m hosting a summer quilt along for the Let’s Stay Home Quilt pattern. I have partnered with Fat Quarter Shop to bring you a series of videos teaching you how to make the quilt! I know that video is something that…
We’ve been busy at work behind the scenes developing a new quilt and sewing patterns. A new shipment of quilt patterns just arrived and I can’t wait to share them with you. As much as I love the instant gratification of a digital PDF sewing pattern I know that not everyone likes them as much…
Learn how to make a quilt from start to finish. Including a lot of information on where to start if you’re a beginning quilter and resources for beginning quilters If you’ve wanted to learn how to quilt, but didn’t know where to start, I hope that today’s article helps you out! I’m breaking down how…
Learn how to make a Bless This Nest table runner with this Quilted Table Runner Tutorial by Sarah Ashford. Spring is upon us at long last and Easter is nearly here, which usually means it’s time to get the family together. And what better way to welcome everyone into your home than by sitting…
Introducing my newest quilt pattern, the Let’s Stay Home Quilt pattern. It’s a fun take on a traditional row quilt and features a combination of star and house quilt blocks. I’m so excited to finally be sharing with you a quilt pattern that I’ve been working on for over a year! After I designed and…
Hi everyone! I’ve been waiting to announce a fun new quilt along coming late Spring. I didn’t want to say anything until we had all of the details ironed out but word of mouth has spread a bit more than I was anticipating and I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the Let’s Stay…
Today I’m excited to be introducing to you a brand new sewing pattern, the Busy Day Tablet Case. It’s a padded tablet case pattern with a zippered pocket and comes in 3 different sizes. A few years ago I got an iPad Pro and it changed entirely the way that I design fabric. I was…
Have you ever wanted to make a gingham quilt? Then you might like my Gingham Daydream Quilt Pattern. It’s a fun, scrappy take on a simple gingham quilt. It has recently been updated to include more quilt sizes! A little while ago, I decided I needed to stop “reinventing” the wheel over and over again….
I always love diving into my site stats each January to see what projects you guys loved best during the previous year. Each year it surprises me which ones you loved the most. 2018 marked my 10th year blogging. I can hardly believe it’s been that long. I feel like an “old lady” when it…
Today I’m excited to reintroduce you to the June Bag Cross Body Bag Sewing Pattern. It’s one of the very first patterns that I designed, and one of my favorites. Way back in 2008 I was going on a trip and needed a lightweight cross-body bag to take with me. I just need to…
One of the biggest thrills of my professional career has been the opportunity to design fabric for the sewing and quilting markets. As of 2021, I have designed 13 fabric collections for Riley Blake Designs. A few of them are still “secrets,” so I have to keep them under wraps, but I do have many…
I’m Melissa Mortenson! Hello, I’m Melissa Mortenson, a “creative mama,” published Author, Content Creator, Licensed Fabric Designer, and the Polka Dot Chair blog founder. The Polka Dot Chair is a place for Creative Moms and Families to come to find simple and inspiring DIY projects for their home, sewing projects, Holiday crafts, and family recipes. Its…