Free Pattern & Tutorial: The Cupcake Block, featuring Therm O Web!

Recently, I signed up to create a block for a charity quilt the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild was organizing.

The project, which will be raffled off, and proceeds going to breast cancer research, had a 'boob' theme.

We had to pick from a list of terms, and create a block reflective of that term. I picked "cupcakes".

I went pretty literal with my block -

Here's the free pattern/tutorial for you. The awesome people from Therm O Web helped this project out with a few their fantastic products!

Materials:
Pink scraps and strips (cupcake 'cake')
Brown scraps/strips (cupcake 'cup')
12.5" square background fabric
The "Cupcake" templates {click here to download them}
Therm O Web HeatnBond Fusible, Lightweight
Therm O Web Stitch n Sew Non-woven Lightweight Embroidery Stabilizer (Tear Away)
Pressing cloth
Thread (variegated Aurifil in Pinks and Browns)

Instructions:
Press all seams OPEN.
1) Create your 'Cup'
Using your scrap strips of browns, sew them together in pairs first, measuring at least 4-5" in length:

Join your strip pairs together. Feel free to sew them together in a 'wonky' fashion - i.e. - don't match the straight edges up together - put your top piece on your bottom piece on a bit of an angle, like so:
 then, trim the excess fabric away from the edge at 1/4" from the seam:
 Here's another picture of that wonky sewing:
 My template is fully covered:
 Using your strip set as a template, cut out a piece of Heat n Bond just slightly smaller than your strip sets, but larger than your "Cupcake Bottom" template:
 Using the manufacturer's instructions (which include using a pressing cloth - I used Therm O Web's PressingPaper) adhere the Heat n Bond to the back or wrong side of your strip set
 See here below - in order, from ironing board UP:
- pressing cloth
- strip set, right side DOWN
- Heat n Bond, paper side UP
- PressingPaper:
Once you have the Heat n Bond adhered to the backside of your "Cupcake Bottom" strip set, using a marker trace the "Cupcake Bottom" template onto the paper side of the Heat n Bond.
 Cut out your "Cupcake Bottom":
 start sewing them together in a wonky fashion,
 making sure to trim off any excess fabric so that each seam is 1/4" each time,
 and press your seams all open so that they'll lay nice and flat when we add the fusible to the back of them,
 keep adding on to your scrappy 'blob'. If you don't have a piece long enough, why not join 2 or 3 pieces together to make a strip the size you need?
 Once you think your scrappy 'blob' is big enough to be a piece of 'Cake',
lay your "Cupcake Top" template over top to see if the entire thing will be covered by scrappy goodness. If not, keep adding strips and scraps to the spots you need covered,
 Once you've got a blog big enough, it's time to play with the Heat n Bond again!

Using your template, trace the template onto the paper side of the Heat n Bond fusible and cut it out.
Using the method above for fusing, and the manufacturers instructions, fuse the "Cake" shaped piece of Heat n Bond to the BACK side of your cupcake blob:
 3) Make your Cupcake!
Place your 'cup' portion down on your 12.5" sq background fabric first, then lay your 'cake' portion over top with a slight over lap. Make sure you're happy with their placement - then remove your cake portion, fuse the cup portion in place. Follow up by replacing the cake portion, and fusing in place:
 Now! To applique or stitch it in place!

I recommend using a stabilizer behind your block while your appliqueing in place; it's optional - some machines will be less finicky than others. I know my machine likes appliqueing with a stabilizer.

This is Therm O Web's tear-away stabilizer - it's called "StitchnSew":
Pick your threads - I went with a variegated Aurifil in pinks and browns.

Pin your stabilizer in place behind your block; I started with appliqueing the 'cake' portion first:
 ...and once I was done the top, I flipped the block over and carefully removed the stabilizer by tearing it away:
 ..then repeated the process for the 'cup' portion:

There!

Cupcake block is done.
 Cute, right?

(this post contains affiliate links to Therm O Web).