I made this center Iris flower block many moons ago during a class in Draper, Utah, with my friend Cathie. My original post is from June 2012 (see it here). It was so much fun and so much work! It uses Ruth McDowell's straight line method of piecing and the Iris pattern can be found in her book "Pieced Flowers". I pulled this block out of my orphan block stash a few times in hopes I would turn it into something special, but I could not come up with any ideas that would do it … [Read more...] about Iris Orphan Block
wall hanging
Pattern published on Quilter’s World Magazine
Have you seen this special issue of Quilter's World? Beautiful mug rugs, table runners, wall hangings and bed quilts by very creative designers. However, the highlight for me is that one of my projects is in this magazine! (Photograph by Matthew Owen for Quilter's World) This wall hanging is in chapter 2 - Projects for a Rainy Day - and it is called "Spring is Here!" It is a quick to make project featuring wool applique and embroidery. I quilted around the applique pieces using … [Read more...] about Pattern published on Quilter’s World Magazine
Vintage Baby
My latest wall hanging is a bit of a departure from the ones I usually make as it is wider than longer. But I really like how it turned out! It measures 27-1/2" x 15-1/2", has a flannel backing, and the applique ducks were inspired by one of the prints I used on the center block. After joining the bow tie blocks I added a narrow white border, then a wider yellow border, still not knowing how it would look like in the end. That is when the idea of the ducks came along. I dug deep (I mean, … [Read more...] about Vintage Baby
Wool applique and embroidery
This is my sister's Christmas gift for this year. She has two dogs but has fallen in love with cats. Hopefully, she will like this wall hanging. I had no idea what to do for the border. Then, looking through my stash I found this fabric which had all the colors of the applique. Plus, the yellow brightened the piece. I had made the center block a little while ago, but revisited it by changing the color of the cat's facial features, adding borders and quilting it. I did quilt all around the … [Read more...] about Wool applique and embroidery
Learning by doing
While I was visiting my family in Brazil this summer, I had a chance to teach my sister how to make her first quilt, from beginning to end. Amongst the patterns her husband her chosen, we picked the one on the left, which was all we would have time for. Many years ago, while my sister still lived in Boston, she and I traveled to Lancaster County, PA, and got some wonderful fabrics with which she wanted me to make a bed quilt for her. That bed quilt never happened and I kept the fabrics all … [Read more...] about Learning by doing
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