When I start paper piecing I get this urge to keep moving from one project to another. My last one was playing with "fabric saucers" (click here for details). Today I finished the mini quilt pictured above (I haven't had a chance to go get a proper hanger for it yet!). I think it turned out super cool... This pattern is called Serenity and I got it from the book Little Gems by Connie Kauffman. Here is Connie's original version of this pattern: (Photo by Brent Kane for Martingale) Isn't it … [Read more...] about My little paper pieced gem
Paper piecing
Fabric Saucer
You guys have been making mug rugs for a while now, but I hadn't yet wanted to make one until this week. I saw a pattern for a paper-pieced plate, or saucer, in a book and I new right there and then I had to make one. Or four... If it weren't for all the interruptions I had yesterday, I would have finished them a lot quicker, and would have made some more. Paper-piecing has an addictive effect on me - once I get over the first block I do not want to stop making them! I used a lot of my … [Read more...] about Fabric Saucer
Pin cushion Blog Hop and Giveaway
Are you enjoying the Pin Cushion Blog Hop? Sew We Quilt is hosting it and Kristen from Meadowbrook is the cheerleader. What wonderful projects we have seen so far... Today is my day! I made my pin cushions a little bit at a time... They are simple in shape, but I played with embroidery, wool, paper piecing... Here is my first one. I embroidered one of Anni Downs's patterns (all embroidery patterns shown here are by Anni), and reverse appliqued it onto wool using blanket stitch with … [Read more...] about Pin cushion Blog Hop and Giveaway
Another reason to paper-piece
True to the saying “Before Prozac there was quilting”, I often patch my sorrows in my quilt room. When I need respite but cannot get away from home, the answer to my frayed nerves is almost always a paper-piecing project (applique’ is my next choice), in the form of a small wall hanging or simply finding a way to add it to a current project. It is precisely the repetition and attention required at each step which takes my mind away from worries, relaxes stressed muscles, and heals wounds as it … [Read more...] about Another reason to paper-piece
Iris Quilting
What a cool book! Iris quilting by Maruscha Gaasenbeek features 16 designs, and I have already turned one of them into a wall hanging! Maruscha started using her iris folding technique to make greeting cards, and later used the same technique with fabric. The results are beautiful. She copies the design onto lightweight interfacing and sew pieces of fabric onto the interfacing. Are you thinking paper piecing? That is exactly what I did... I chose the first design, Heart to Heart, but traced it … [Read more...] about Iris Quilting
Best Birdhouse EVER! A bird lover’s dream.
We have all seen cool birdhouses as we drive by back roads in rural areas. But I am sure you have never seen this best birdhouse ever!!! I think that referring to it as a 'bird mansion' would be more appropriate. My friend Sue had her wood sculptor make this luxurious birdhouse to adorn her already gorgeous garden. Made with cedar, with hand carved cedar shingles, and enough room to house many families of local birds, this birdhouse stands almost 5 feet tall, not including the … [Read more...] about Best Birdhouse EVER! A bird lover’s dream.