I had a chance to hear Kim Diehl speak last October at the Utah Quilt Festival: it was great to learn details about her journey as a quilter and see her beautiful quilts. Her color choices and wonderful applique patterns can make any house look and fell like a cozy home. I was anxiously awaiting her newest book, "Simple Appeal", to add to my collection of her books, and was not disappointed! Cotton and wool join in harmonic creations with simple, colorful applique pieces landing a primitive … [Read more...] about Kim’s newest quilt book
Appliqué
Kite wall hanging
Rainy day here so I can't take pictures outside of this wall hanging I just finished. Still working with leftover strips from my stash, this project was easy, fun, and it is meant to inspire you as you get ready for the Strip-easy Quilt Challenge that is coming up on May 26th. I used strips from a project I designed for Riley Blake Designs (see post here) for the kites, and other strips for the applique pieces and binding. The dogs were cut from wool, which my son Chris found in one of my … [Read more...] about Kite wall hanging
Wool and Cotton applique
(Photo by Brent Kane for Martingale) I am in love with this quilt featured in My Enchanted Garden: Applique' Quilts in Cotton and Wool by Gretchen Gibbons, published by That Patchwork Place, an imprint of Martingale. I like how Gretchen mixed cotton and wool on each block, which I don't usually do. However, the different textures and patterns contribute to a striking design! Colorful birds appear on almost every block, with cameo appearances by a squirrel, a bear, a dog, a cat … [Read more...] about Wool and Cotton applique
Strip-easy Table Runner
A few more strips out of my scrap drawer! I started by sewing together the four strips which I used for the butterfly. Then, I could not think of anything to do with that little strata. I cut it in rectangles... Nothing. Instead of thinking 'blocks', I started thinking 'shapes'. That is when I thought of butterfly wings. I traced triangles onto Heat'nBond paper, ironed them onto the back of the strippy rectangles, pulled the paper off and used scissors to shape the edges of the wings. I … [Read more...] about Strip-easy Table Runner
Wool Embroidery Tote
Today I turned a wool applique' block I made last year into a tote. First, I surrounded it with borders using same wool from the applique', then I used its background fabric for the back, bottom, and sides of tote. It measures 19" x 17", with lots of room for books, a tablet, wallet, etc. I framed the center block by couching two strands of colorful yarn. Instead of batting, I used ByAnnie Soft and Stable (I found it here) which gives body to the bag. However, I am not sure you can quilt … [Read more...] about Wool Embroidery Tote
Baby Zoo
At last the first of a series of four wall hangings is finished! I am the frog (it appears on all four quilts) spying on the baby lion, as I wish I could spy on my little grandson who is about 6 and a half months old. He lives far away from me, but his pictures are everywhere I am... Speaking of babies, my sister sent a set of four of these cute babies when my youngest son was born. I have not been able to part with them! I am embroidering the second wall hanging and hope to have it … [Read more...] about Baby Zoo