Free Camera Appliqué Design – and quilt block instructions

Learn how to sew applique using my adorable free camera applique design. This blog post contains instructions for sewing the camera design onto a quilt block – but of course you can put it on a tee shirt, jacket, pillow, or flag too! Instructions for finishing the quilt are found here. 🙂

On the Christmas after their 8th birthday, we give each of our kids their first digital camera. This year my baby girl will finally get hers and I’ve been making her a quilt to go with it.  I’m convinced that this quilt will last wayyyy longer than any digital camera. First of all, tech devices break so fast these days – it’s like they are only made to last a year or less. And secondly – eight year olds aren’t very careful with their devices. The last digital camera we bought went through the washing machine – ouch!

This blog post (together with the instructions for finishing the quilt) has been converted to an optional PDF that’s optimized for printing. Find it here. The blog post below is totally free to read, print, and sew! Just hit CTRL +P on your computer to print. The Optimized for Printing PDF download for $2 is totally optional.

Anyway… don’t you love this ‘Say Cheese’ quilt that I designed for my daughter? I was inspired by the new Say Cheese fabric collection designed by Alicia Jacobs Dujets for Ink & Arrow Fabrics.

This quilt contains 9 cute camera quilt blocks. For my blocks, I picked 9 different fabrics and then I mixed and matched the backgrounds, cameras, and hearts. I used a cream colored fleece for the circles on the camera – just to add texture and interest.

{Download the free Camera Appliqué design here}

Guess what! Now I also have a mini version of this camera applique pattern.

To make a Say Cheese Quilt, you’ll need to make 9 appliqué blocks and 16 appliquéd sashing squares. The instructions for the appliqué blocks and sashing squares are in this blog post. Here are instructions for assembling the rest of your quilt top.

The finished quilt is approximately 60” square. Each camera quilt block is 11 1/2” x 11 1/2” finished.

Say Cheese Quilt – Materials List and Appliqué Instructions

You will need:

• 1/3 yard of 9 different fabric prints for the main blocks and appliqué pieces (fat quarters are okay if the fabric is non-directional)

• 1/3 yard fabric for the appliqué circles (quilting cotton or other, such as fleece)

• 2 yards of background fabric

• 3 yards of HeatnBond lite fusible web

• 4 yards of backing fabric

• 1/2 yard of fabric for the binding

Trace the camera, large circle, small circle, and large heart designs 9 times each onto the paper side if the HeatnBond lite fusible web.  Trace the small circle design 16 times.

From each of the 9 prints, cut:

• 1 square 12” x 12”

• 1 camera design

• 1 large heart

• 1 or 2 small hearts (for a total of 16)

From the circle fabric, cut:

• 9 large circles

• 9 small circles

Stack together and fuse 1 camera design in the center of each 12” square as seen above.

Tip: when centering the camera on the 12” square, you will have approximately 2” of space above and below the camera, and approximately 1” on either side.

Sew around the appliqué shapes using your preferred stitch.

To make the sashing squares, cut 16 squares 4 1/2” x 4 1/2” from the background fabric. Fuse and stitch one small heart in the center of each.

Of course, you don’t have to make a quilt with my free camera appliqué design. You could put it on a tote bag, tee shirt, or even a cute quilted pillow.

Thanks so much for reading my blog and supporting SewCanShe by subscribing to the SewCanShe newsletter so you’ll never miss a free tutorial. You are the best! ❤️

xoxo,