At the end of a frustrating day, I opened my mail box and found just what a needed to lift my mood: a book with baby quilts sent for review. Not any book, mind you: the quilts in this book are gorgeous, with simple blocks as background to beautiful applique'. Animal Parade, Adorable Applique Quilt Patterns for Babies by Cheri Leffler features 10 quilt projects, each with a different animal: giraffes, owls, ducks, foxes, frogs, sheep, turtles and other sea creatures, koala bears, penguins, and … [Read more...] about Animal Parade
Appliqué
English Paper Piecing
When I travel I like to bring with me two or three projects to work on during downtime. For this trip (I am in Brazil visiting family) I am knitting socks, a scarf, and doing English paper piecing. When I don't feel like knitting, I can hand sew. English paper piecing is ideal for using scraps of fabric, which can be conveniently packed in small bags for traveling. As usual with English Paper Piecing for me, I have no idea what I will do when I have all the pieces prepared. I spent some time … [Read more...] about English Paper Piecing
Kim’s newest quilt book
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
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