Barcelona is a city that pulses with creativity—rich in history, architecture, and vivid colors. For this fabric collection, I tapped into that vibrant energy, blending inspiration from the sweeping curves of Art Nouveau, the shimmering mosaics of GaudÃ, and the bold hues of Spanish tile work.
source-internet
The designs feature flowing motifs, mosaic-like patterns, and jewel-toned palettes—think warm golds, deep teal, rosy blushes, and shimmering metallic accents. These elements mirror the city’s fusion of classical forms and modern creativity.
WELCOME to the third week of the Cabin Spark QUILT sew-ALONG!
If you have been following along through my Instagram account, then you know that there's still time to add your fabric pull to the Cabin Spark QAL pool in order to be qualified for the upcoming giveaway.
You can eventually subscribe to mynewsletterbut only if you wish to obtain some freebies, coupon codes and news (which can be pretty amazing too☺️).
And here's the video where you can watch me doing flippy corners and assembling the first log cabin block!
Log cabins are such a joy to sew! Once you’re organized — especially if you’re working with directional prints, like the centers in this design — the chances of mistakes are minimal, so it’s pure fun from start to finish.
Flippy corners are created usingstitch and flip techniquethat saves fabric and time, but it’s very important to align fabric pieces precisely and stitch the diagonal lines accurately, as there is no trimming involved. Pre-mark the stitching lines on the wrong side of the solid fabric squares and rectangles that will be used for the corners, paying close attention to their direction. Since these corners are mirrored, keep in mind that they mirror horizontally within the same strip, while logs 10 and 11 are also mirrored between them.
The same rule applies to logs 12 and 13, which use rectangles. You can follow this more easily by referring to the diagrams on page 4 of the pattern.
I strongly suggest to do all theprep work and markings on acutting mat with the 45degree angles marked to help you draw an accuratestitching linegoing from one corner to another. In order to align both corners of the rectangles precisely and to avoid eventual fabric shifting, I suggest toglue bastethem just at the cornerwith anytype ofwashableglue stick. As that corner will be trimmed off, you will however not have to deal with any unwanted residues. In case you don’t like using glue with your sewing supplies, you can still pin or clip these fabrics together.
I personally prefer to glue baste the rectangles first and then draw the diagonal line with the fabric units gathered already, as it’s much easier and precise to be guided like that. I am just taking care about positioning nicely the corners where the line will go through, against my cutting mat where the 45 degree line will serve as my guide. With the wrong side up, press or use a water-soluble marker or pencil to mark all your 2” squares and 2” × 3½” rectangles (in the corresponding corner fabrics) diagonally from corner to corner. This diagonal mark will serve as your sew line.
While the construction of the logs 10 and 11, and also 12 and 13 is absolutely the same (like shown on the diagram), you will need to simply rotate them within the block, so that they are mirrored between themselves once sewn in a block!
Make sure to create mirrored sets of logs with flippy corners for each block, taking care about desired log placement, if working with directional prints! LOGS 10 and 11: Pay close attention to the orientation of each corner square. Place, align and glue or pin 2” corner squares (right sides together) on the upper corners of the 2” × 12” rectangles keeping edges perfectly aligned. Sew along the central diagonal line — or just slightly inside the line (toward the inner side of the corner, just like doing for the scant seam) — for perfectly sharp points. Trim off the corners, leaving a ¼” seam allowance. Press the seam allowance open or toward the darker fabric. Pressing seams open reduces bulk and makes it easier to match points later.
LOGS 12 and 13: We will repeat that same process as for the logs 10 and 11 with only difference that now we are using the rectangles for the corners, so just make sure to position and mark your rectangles accurately, as shown on the diagram and sew, cut off the the triangle left over and press.
Repeat the same process for all your blocks.
Block construction:
1. Start with the Center
Your 6” square (whether a plain fabric, fussy-cut panel, or mini block) is the heart of the design.
2. Add Logs in Sequence
Log cabin blocks are built outward in rounds. Following the diagram on the page 5, begin by attaching the first log to one side of the center, press the seam. Continue adding logs in order, always pressing seams before moving to the next side. This method helps keep the block flat and consistent.
Pro tip: Chain-piecing multiple blocks at once will save time and keep the rhythm going.
3. Maintain Consistent Seams
Use a scant ¼” seam allowance throughout. Even a small shift in seam size can add up across 12 logs, so consistency is key for blocks that finish square.
4. Keep Checking Size
After completing each “round” of logs, give the block a quick measure. This helps catch any small inaccuracies early before they compound.
With 6” centers, each finished block should square up exactly to the size noted -15”.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, suggestions or comments either here or on Instagram.
Tote bags are such fun, quick projects that combine practicality with creativity. This time, with my Barcelona fabrics, I wanted to make a larger version (14" x 20"- 35 × 50 cm finished size) that’s perfect for everyday use, whether for errands, storing sewing supplies, or carrying books and fabrics.
I found a beautiful tutorial and pattern for the “DIY Tote Bag With Pockets” by Qrei Handmade, and I was using the same principles and construction, but adapted it to a slightly bigger size. It features two practical side pockets, a spacious interior, and a sturdy, structured look that still feels soft and handmade. I couldn’t resist adding front pockets — the space between the handles was just asking for them!
The video is great to watch and very detailed, so I will just add the measurements that I've adopted for my bag.
Here's a list of materials & Cutting
Piece
Cut from
Size (cm)
Notes
Outer bag front & back
Main fabric
13" × 17" (2 pieces)
Lining front & back
Lining fabric
13" × 17" (2 pieces)
Front Pocket panels
Main or contrast
10" × 16" (2 pieces)
Side pockets
Contrasting fabric
7" × 16" (folded on the longer side-2 pieces)
Interfacing / stabilizer
same as outer pieces
For added structure
(Optional) small pocket inside
Fabric
e.g. 13" × 14" (1 piece folded in half and divided in two compartments)
For internal storage
Zipper 16" long (1 piece)
Recessed ziper panels Fabric 2" x 14" (2 piece main + 2 pieces lining)
Handles Jute webbing 40" (2 pieces)
Gusset Main or contrast 4" x 40" (1 piece main + 1 piece lining)
Hook tabs Main or contrast 4" x 6" (1 piece to be cut in two)
Seam allowances:plan for 1 cm seam allowance all around (or whatever your machine standard is — adapt consistently).
If you’ve been wanting to sew a functional yet beautiful tote bag, this is a great project to try — easy to follow, beginner-friendly, and full of possibilities for mixing your favorite prints and textures.
Hi there and huge WELCOME to my cutting party within the Cabin Spark QUILT sew-ALONG!
If you have been following along through my Instagram account, then you know that there's still time to add your fabric pull to the Cabin Spark QAL pool in order to be qualified for the next week giveaway.
You can eventually subscribe to mynewsletterbut only if you wish to obtain some freebies, coupon codes and news (which can be pretty amazing too☺️).
And here's the video where you can watch me cutting my fabrics!
My favorite thing about this quilt is that it’s a one-block pattern — just a few beautiful log cabin blocks (no extra units needed!), and you’ll have a stunning quilt top in no time.✨
Log cabins are such a joy to sew! Once you’re organized — especially if you’re working with directional prints, like the centers in this design — the chances of mistakes are minimal, so it’s pure fun from start to finish.
Another great feature is that we’ll use a few handy shortcuts, like flippy corners, to avoid extra seams. This means you’ll get those gorgeous sawtooth stars without the extra fuss, giving your quilt that sparkling finish.
Here are some of my favorite tips to help you cut accurately and make your project shine:
1. Use High-Quality Fabric Start with good quilting cotton or fabric made for quilting. High-quality fabric not only feels better to work with but also gives your quilt a crisp, professional finish.
2. Wash (optional) and Press Your Fabric Press your fabrics before cutting to remove wrinkles and sizing. If you’re mixing different fabric types or manufacturers, prewash to avoid shrinkage. Personally, I skip prewashing since I use Art Gallery Fabrics exclusively — their quality is consistent and reliable.
3. Follow the Pattern Instructions Take a moment to read through the cutting guide carefully — it includes precise measurements and diagrams to help you cut confidently and efficiently.
4. Mind Your Seam Allowances All my patterns use a standard ¼-inch seam allowance, but I recommend a scant ¼-inch (just a hair under). This helps account for fabric and thread thickness, ensuring your blocks fit together perfectly.
5. Label and Organize Your Pieces On the last page of the pattern, you’ll find handy labels to cut and attach to your pieces. Staying organized makes the process smoother and much more enjoyable!
6. Cut Strips Before Small Pieces Start by cutting longer strips first — it helps reduce waste and keeps your pieces accurate. Use your ruler for measuring, not the cutting mat grid, for best precision.
7. Take Your Time Quilting is a labor of love. Don’t rush — precise cutting now means stress-free sewing later.
8. Practice New Techniques
If you’re new to quilting or testing a new method, try it first on scrap fabric before cutting into your main pieces. A quick test run can save you time and fabric.
And now let see why Fat quarters are great option for this project!
When it comes to log cabin quilts, fabric choice and cutting strategy can make all the difference. Fat quarters (FQs) are such a fantastic option for this project because they offer plenty of variety, yet are also easy to work with when it comes to cutting logs and organizing your blocks.
And speaking of stability and accuracy, we’re coming to one of the most important things about using fat quarters for log cabin blocks: Fabrics cut along the lengthwise grain (parallel to the selvages) provide greater stability and ensure consistency in size and shape, leading to more accurate and uniform log cabin blocks. This is what I suggest for cutting your “logs.”
Because the lengthwise grain (warp threads, parallel to the selvage) is more tightly tensioned in the weaving process, it offers greater stability and less stretch than the cross-grain (weft threads, perpendicular to the selvage) — meaning pieces cut along the lengthwise grain will keep their shape, size and crisp edges more reliably. In practice, that means when you cut your logs from fat quarters along the lengthwise grain, they’ll perform better — fewer distortions, straighter seams, more consistent blocks. Of course, if you use starch or any spray that stabilizes the fabric, there’s no need to worry about this detail. In that case, you can cut in whichever direction feels right for you.
In the block diagram, you’ll notice colored units — these are meant to help you visualize the logs and see where each one belongs within the block. From every fat quarter you select, you’ll need to cut all the required pieces for that specific fabric color. Later on, you can mix and swap these units across different blocks to add even more variety to your quilt.
Here’s a simple way to organize them:
Use the labels provided on the last page of the pattern.
Group the units into five sets, based on log size:
6”
7.5”
9”
10.5”
12”
Prepare complete sets for each block — this keeps everything tidy and ready for assembly.
Depending on your cutting mat and comfort level, you can cut each FQ individually or layer 3–4 at a time (my favorite method!). I cut all my fabrics into 2” strips across the width, leaving me with extra small strips for future projects.
You’ll find all this info on page 3 of the pattern.
I also cut my centers from the panel to 5” and I will be adding 1” white borders (page 4 of the pattern) to help balance the busier prints.If I had chosen the solid fabrics for logs, I would’t do that. I would have cut the centers to 6” in that case.
For my version of the quilt, I’ll be using the squares with scenes from my Welcome Home panel.
Finally the best part:– Mixing & Swapping Logs!
This is where creativity takes over. Mixing and swapping logs among different fabrics brings your quilt to life — creating a dynamic, scrappy look that’s full of personality.
Just keep in mind:
Double-check that you’ve cut the right number and size of logs for each block.
Each block needs 12 logs total.
If your corner stars are light, keep darker fabrics near the corners for contrast — and vice versa.If you’re using dark fabrics for the star corners, avoid choosing darker fabrics for the longer 12” logs. Remember the contrast we talked about in the first week of this sew along!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, suggestions or comments either here or on Instagram.
What I am truly excited about is that I will be recreating my Cabin Spark quilt pattern with my second Xmas fabric collection - Adventale.
Adventale is a cozy, Christmas-inspired collection that includes a few unique panels—perfect for creating handmade gifts. For this sew along, I’ll be working with the Welcome Home panel, which I designed especially with this quilt in mind.
Cabin Spark quilt-along schedule:
Week 1, October 24 -Kickoff + Fabric Pull
Week 2, October 31 -Cutting Party
Week 3, November 7 -Block Construction
Week 4, November 14 -Layout + Assembly
Week 5, November 21 -Quilting + Finish
As everything is going to be posted through my Instagram and this blog space, you don't need any other sign-ups. You can eventually subscribe to my newsletter but only if you wish to obtain some freebies, coupon codes and news (which can be pretty amazing too☺️).
So what will you need, alongside excitement of making something new in a good company?
You will need some fabrics and tools.
And you will need the quilt pattern, that can be purchased in my Etsy shop.
Here is the back cover of my Cabin Spark quilt pattern that has some great suggestions and basic information about tools, materials, techniques involved and quilt sizes.
I always suggest to read the pattern before starting to pick and cut the necessary fabrics.
While I have only PDF patterns available, there are some quilt shops that like to buy the printing license from me (available in my Etsy shop as well) and they print the patterns on paper to provide them for their customers that prefer to buy the paper pattern and the fabrics together.
Here are some quilt shops that have the fabric kits available:
Before finally posting the video for you to watch, I just want to THANK you so much for joining me in this quilt sew-along event and I hope that you will enjoy sewing with me and other makers!
Although most of you will watch the video only, I thought I should also include some captions from the video, maybe they can be helpful too, as I am sure that there are parts in the video where my English could sound confusing.
While choosing fabrics for a quilt can be the most exciting part of the process for some makers, for others it can feel a little intimidating—or even overwhelming. That’s why fabric kits and curated bundles are often such a helpful option. Another way to “test drive” your fabric ideas is by using the coloring page included in most patterns.
Before we dive deep into color theory, let’s touch on a few simple, practical principles for fabric selection.
The safest place to start is by looking at contrast. In quilts with lots of negative space, contrast helps define the line between the background and the foreground (the block or main design). Put simply, contrast means “difference,” and it ensures that your blocks stand out against the background. The most common types are light vs. dark and warm vs. cool contrasts.
In this particular pattern, though, the task is slightly different. Here, the blocks are unified, and the secondary design appears as classic sawtooth star shapes. To highlight those stars, I used a solid white fabric, which creates a crisp contrast with the surrounding prints. So my suggestion is: for the star corners, choose fabrics that are either very light, very dark, or clearly contrasting with the rest of your palette. This way, the star design will shine through the patchwork.
As AGF offers Fat Quarter Fabric Wonders bundles—usually consisting of 16 assorted prints from each collection—like in the case of the Adventale collection, you can easily use just one bundle! Simply add one coordinating solid fabric for the star corners and another option for block centers, and you’ll have everything you need to make a beautiful baby-{squared throw} size quilt with 16 blocks.
For my throw-size version, as stated in the requirements table, I used a mix of 20 different fabrics for the logs, 1 fabric for the stars, and 1 fabric-panel for the block centers.
For this quilt, my fabric selection is based on my Adventale collection. If the collection had a wider range of prints, I would likely avoid the lightest fabrics, as they don’t provide enough contrast with the white sawtooth stars. That’s why I plan to use the lighter fabrics mainly for the smaller logs closer to the center of the block, where they won’t “touch” the stars. And I will do something that would be described as "scrappy" style, almost random piecing (…except for making sure the darker fabrics touch the corner stars, while the lighter ones flow toward the center).
When choosing fabrics, the safest and most effective approach—like I mentioned before—is to select logs that will clearly stand out against the fabric used for the star corners. Within the group of logs themselves, the fabrics should feel harmonious, meaning there shouldn’t be too much contrast and difference in value. You can choose any colors you like—even a rainbow palette—as long as they contrast well with the star corners.
One of the most common and effective ways to use contrast within a log cabin block is to select one distinct group or palette of colors or prints for one diagonal half of the block, and then use a contrasting set for the other half. This creates a striking effect, especially when you start playing with quilt layouts. However, if you’re working with directional prints for the centers, you’ll want to plan carefully so the final image comes together the way you intend.
The centers, on the other hand, offer a great opportunity to get creative. You can play with value, color, or even small block design. For example, in this last example, I’ve used small heart-shaped blocks for the centers, which also makes it perfect for a Valentine’s-themed version.
For my version of the quilt, I’ll be using the squares with scenes from my Welcome Home panel. They measure about 6.5”, so I can either trim them down with a 6” square ruler or, if I want them to stand out a bit more, cut them to 5” and add a 1” strip frame—just as shown above. I think I’ll go with that option.
On the other hand, if I were using the alphabet letters from the Jingle All the Letters panel, I’d cut them true to size at 6” right away. Since the background fabric there is dark, the letters already stand out beautifully against any of the log prints I’d be pairing them with.
The possibilities are truly endless! I can not wait to see the fabrics you'll choose!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, suggestions or comments either here or on Instagram.
Hi! I'm proud mama of 3 gorgeous kids that are true inspiration for my work. I love to create and express myself through many forms of art: collages, drawings, illustrations, calligraphy, graphic design, textile and surface design, printing, photography, sewing.....
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