Free Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher pattern

Hello my friends! One of my most beloved tutorials from 2013 has been revised and updated. I’m excited to share my new (and free) Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher pattern with you! This is a special quilt to keep your cookie plate company and catch any stray crumbs that may fall its way. Who can resist cookies and a cute little quilt? Two of my favorite things all together in one project!

What makes a Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher?

Most quilts are made up of square blocks. The Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher has an octagonal shape and measures 15″ in diameter. It’s just the right size to hold a plate of cookies or bakery items.

It also fits perfectly underneath most dinner plates, so it could be used as a placemat as well.

The piecing is basic; a pinwheel unit in the center surrounded by four square-in-a-square units. Each corner contains an oversized triangle cut from one large square. Most of the fabric pieces needed to make this can be cut from scraps or fat eighths. You’ll need a fat quarter for the backing fabric and an 18″ square of batting or fusible fleece to go in the middle.

For this latest project, I’ve used fabric from the Decorum collection (2022) by Basic Grey for Moda Fabrics. I love the brown, blue and soft teal color combinations in this fabric line.

Revised features of this version

This new and updated pattern includes two finishing options. You can now choose between traditional binding or self-binding (also known as the “pillowcase” method) of finishing the edges. This is a nice addition as each finish produces a different look and uses different techniques.

I’m sharing additional details and photos on the binding techniques here since I couldn’t include them in the free pattern without turning it into a book. Feel free to skip to the download section if you don’t want to read the binding information.

Traditional binding method

Because this project is an octagon and has eight sides, binding becomes a little more complex. The corners are not right angles, but 135 degree angles and there are eight of them! It’s still very do-able, but perhaps prohibitive for those who aren’t comfortable with binding in general.

For this method, I treated the basting and quilting much the same as I would for a regular quilt. I used cotton batting and backing fabric cut into 18″ squares. I basted the three layers together and then quilted it very simply by stitching in the ditch. I used a walking foot and matching thread for this. Then I trimmed the excess batting and backing even with the top raw edges.

I prepared the binding strips the same as I would for any quilt. I prefer 2 1/4″ wide binding strips, but you can use whatever you’re comfortable with. You will need two strips that are joined together with a diagonal seam and then pressed in half wrong sides together.

Pocket method for joining tails

You’ll be sewing the binding to the front, starting in the middle of any diagonal corner. Because all the sides are so short, there isn’t a lot of room to piece the final ends together. So, I prefer the pocket method for joining the ends. A full tutorial for the pocket method can be found here. Below, you can see the basics of how I used this method for this project.

Instead of an actual seam, there is a fold where the lead binding tail was folded to create the pocket. It’s a little bulkier in the end, but not so noticeable that I wouldn’t use it. You can see below how it looks from the front.

Steps for binding at the corners

• From the quilt front, attach the binding with a 1/4″ seam. I use a walking foot for this.
• Before you get to the corner, fold the binding up and away from the next side so that it forms a straight line from the binding to the quilt edge. Make a crease at the fold and/or mark with a pencil. This is your stopping and pivot point for that corner.
• Pivot at the crease and stitch off the edge. You may also choose to backstitch at the crease and cut the thread.
• Fold the binding down so that the raw edges are even with the next side and the fold is horizontal (and perpendicular) to the edge.

• Continue stitching from the fold to the next corner.
• Repeat this mitering process on all eight corners.
• The miter will be slightly smaller than a typical 90 degree corner.
• Join the binding tails as described in the pocket method earlier.

You can finish the binding by hand (as I did), or by machine. I didn’t want to cut off the points of the square-in-a-square units, so I was careful about the 1/4″ seam of the binding. This is also why I chose to start by sewing the binding to the front and hand stitching to the back.

Self-binding method

The self-binding method is a faster and easier way to finish this quilt. I also prefer this method because it looks less like a quilt and more like a home décor item. Below you can see and compare the difference between the two.

This method directly affects the quilting process in one big way. You quilt through only two layers, the top and the batting. The backing is left out until the next step because it will need to be free to turn right side out.

I chose fusible fleece instead of batting because I wanted something thin and something that would not shrink when washed. However, I run the risk of the fusible fleece bubbling in areas when it gets washed. I’m not sure why or if it always happens, but I’ve seen it on previous projects.

Steps for self-binding

• Quilt the top and batting (or fusible fleece) and trim excess even with the top.
• Trim the backing fabric to the exact size as the quilted top.
• Layer the backing and quilted top right sides together. Pin or clip the edges.
• Stitch with 1/4″ seam along the raw edges, leaving a 3″ opening on one diagonal side for turning.

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• Clip the seam allowance at each corner to reduce bulk.
• Turn right side out through the opening.
• Push out the corners
• Press, turning in the seam allowance at the opening.

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• Top stitch close to the finished edge all the way around.
• This will also close and secure the turn opening.

Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher download

Click on the button below to download your free pattern!

Note: If you are reading this in an email, you may need to click over to my blog in order to see the download button. If you have any trouble downloading the file, please leave a comment or send me an email.

This is a free pattern and I’ve tried my best to make sure it is accurate. With that being said, it has not been tech edited or tested by others. Feel free to contact me if you find any inaccuracies.

Color options

I love this type of project because it lends itself to so many color combinations that are perfect for holidays or to match a certain style and décor. I’ve played with a few of my favorite fabric collections using EQ8. From left to right: Juniper (Art Gallery Fabrics), Denim & Daisies (Moda Fabrics), Starberry (Moda Fabrics).

My original Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher was done is red and green fabrics and was perfect for my favorite Christmas cookies. You can get the recipe for the Mini Chip Snowball Cookies here.

Great for gifts

As you can imagine, this project is perfect for gifting. You can make it in a day or two and you can customize it to fit any season or holiday. I love the idea of combining homemade cookies (or baked item) with a Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher for a housewarming gift or hostess gift. Add a recipe card and a bag of coffee beans or favorite tea and you’ll have an awesome birthday present!

But wait, there’s more!

I created a smaller version of this project and named it the Mug Rug Crumb Catcher. This is made exactly like the self-binding version of the Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher; I’ve simply changed the cutting measurements. This little version measures 8 1/2″ wide and is perfect for a cup of coffee or tea and a little something sweet.

And as my mind wanders and thinks of more possibilities, I see a table runner in my future. By changing the corners to half-square triangles, you get a square a block. I think I’ll rotate the corner HST units to change the way the colors meet. It might look something like the image below.

I will definitely let you know how that goes (and IF that goes). I have a lot of projects on my plate right now, but maybe you can use this as a jumping off point and make your own.

Make sure to pin the image below so you can find it later. If you make this project, use the hashtag #cookieplatecrumbcatcher and tag me @thecraftyquilter on social media so we can all see!

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I hope you enjoy this free pattern and make your own Cookie Plate Crumb Catcher. You’ll definitely need to have some cookies on hand to go with it. You know, “if you give a mouse a cookie”…