Bye, Bye, Butterfly Pattern Release + 20% SALE

Just this week I was sharing with my youngest son why spring is my favorite time of year. It’s always been thrilling for me to discover those first bulbs, bursting up through the dormant soil…the perfect shade of spring green that adorns foliage with the promise of new life – tender and delicate…the much-craved light and warmth from a sun that now lingers longer than in the previous winter months. More than anything, I think my love of spring has more to do with the feeling that it ushers in… a feeling of hopefulness that hovers thick. Winter is coming to an end.

With this in mind, it feels like it is perfect timing for the release of my latest pattern, “Bye, Bye Butterfly”. A butterfly is symbolic of change and transformation, and I hope that it invokes feelings of renewal, hope, and courage.

Starting today, save 20% off my latest quilt pattern, Bye, Bye Butterfly, as well as all my patterns in my entire shop! Just  enter the Sale Code: byebye. Sale ends Monday, March 8th, 2021!
 

"Bye, Bye Butterfly" is for the intermediate quilter, and combines applique, XXL applique, and reverse applique with simple paper piecing techniques. The oversized shapes are a good starting point, even for the experienced quilter who wants to try their hand at applique. 

Reverse applique is a fantastic way to eliminate bulk in an applique project, plus it's a fun way to incorporate accent fabrics.

... and with so many of my patterns, circle accents add just the right touch, don't you think? With the help of my video, "how to make the perfect circle using the starch applique technique", you'll be making circles like a pro in no time.

I love combining piecing techniques with applique, and a fun little row of flying geese, adds to the organic applique shapes.

The PDF pattern includes the full size templates, and a coloring page. There are plenty of illustrations, and even a brief explnaion of the starch applique method. Find all my patterns in my shop and get started on your "Bye, Bye Butterfly" quilt today!

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"A" Is For Apple + 20% OFF ALL PATTERNS!

They say that good things come to those who wait, and hopefully you've not had to wait too long for the release of my "A" Is For Apple quilt pattern - now available in my online shop! For the official launch, I am running a 20% sale on ALL of my quilt patterns from March 5th - 15th, 2020! Just enter the Sale Code: APPLE.

The "A" is For Apple quilt pattern is custom made for the intermediate quilter looking for a pattern that has it all – traditional piecing, curved piecing, applique, reverse applique, and XXL applique. This juicy apple is 26 inches and packs a powerful punch as the focal point of this quilt!

There are two different stem options, as well as two different leaf layouts included in the pattern. Doesn't this Granny Smith version just look juicy and tart?

Red meets green... the perfect pair!

The PDF pattern includes the full size templates, and a coloring page. There are plenty of illustrations, and even a brief explnaion of the starch applique method. I've also covered the basics of the starch applique method on my YouTube channel, which should give you a good head start. Find all my patterns in my online shop, and get started on your "A" is For Apple quilt today!

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Circle Around Reverse Applique Pillow

Recently I shared one of my favorite, lesser-known, and all-too-often-forgotten-about quilting techniques. If you were to ask me, I would tell you without a doubt, that reverse applique should get more recognition than it does. Don't stop reading there, or snub your nose, just because it has the word "applique" in it... I promise, it's not a dirty word like some might like to label it with quick judgments.

But I've actually noticed something a lot recently - I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I have seen a quilt, and thought to myself - "wow, one could have cut corners, shaved off hours of drunkard's path, curved-piecing sewing, and still ended up at the finish line in half the time... just by using reverse applique instead!" Just stop and ponder it for a bit.

As part of my color theory class at Nadelwelt, I ended up making several quilt blocks to use as samples. I was inspired by a simple Baumhaus-influenced art print that I found, and decided that it would be perfect as an applique block. What starts out as one block, grows to two, well, and you know the rest...

I thought that straight line quilting was quite fitting to the simple geometric shapes. I finished the back with a really nice linen in fuchsia that I had picked up several years ago at a bargain price. I love mixing linens in my quilting projects.

So, have you done any reverse applique projects? What has been your experience? ... do you love it or are you scared of it because it's "applique"? Then let me challenge you... see if you can spot a couple projects that reverse applique would be a faster substitution than pieced curves... you might actually end up thanking me later!

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Very Berry Applique Mini Pattern

Warm, sunny days, flowers in full-color bloom, and a freshly-picked, picnic spread on a breezy afternoon... isn't that what summer is all about? Introducing my "Very Berry" applique template set... the perfect way to get you in the summer mood! These scrumptious berries are a delicious embellishment for a sweet summer pillow for the terrace, a pretty table runner for your summertime table decor, a playful carryall bag, or whatever quilting project you can dream up!

The "Very Berry" mini applique pattern, includes 4-piece applique templates, a brief explanation of the starch applique method, how-to instructions for the reverse applique leaf, as well as a layout/coloring sheet.

I thought that a few of my favorite Basic Grey grunge fabrics highlight these fresh tastes of summer perfectly... adding just the right depth and interest.

So, are you ready for summer yet? You can now find my "Very Berry" applique template set in my Payhip shop.

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Home Sweet Home RELEASE(S) + SALE!

What are the things that really make a home? It almost goes without saying that for most, it's the people around you... but we all have those special "things" around us that are sweet, little reminders of the connection we have to the place that we call home... and my Home Sweet Home Applique Sampler quilt embodies just that. When I first introduced a few blocks from the quilt, I shared a lot of personal connections and stories behind the blocks, and what better way than to highlight all those sweet blocks than framing them in an Irish Chain layout.

But I realize that not everyone likes to make such time intensive projects, so I decided to also release a few of my favorite blocks as applique template sets. These are prefect for those that want to explore applique before tackling a whole quilt, for those who like to work on small, in between projects, and of course for those who ALWAYS deviate from the original pattern to make it their own. No quilt pattern instructions, but "just the applique shapes"... I have to admit that the Flora & Fauna set has to be my favorite.

Kitchen and food themed projects are always such fun, don't you think?... and I could really imagine that these templates would be great made up into pot holders, hand towels, or even framed as prints. Here is a deliciously bright pillow that I made using the Edibles set combining felt and fabric applique.

If it's not already painfully obvious, my heart beats for flowers, which is not to say that I have a green thumb. I'm deeply amazed by the variety and the delicate and tiniest details of blossoms both big and small. This pillow, using the Blooms set, is everything that is soft and subtle in a garden.

I could imagine that it also goes without saying, that where I sew, it a big part of my home. I am blessed to have a space where I can create, mess up,clean up, and start all over again. There are so many sewing related projects possibilities with my Stitches set like needle books, thread catcher, sewing matching cover, fabric organizers, and the list goes...

... and saving the best part for last, I am running an 20% off introductory sale on all these patterns and the rest of my shop, starting today through May 27th, 2018. When you check out, be sure to enter the Sale Code: Home.

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Home Sweet Home Finish + Nadelwelt Update

So much of the first part of my year has been the push get ready for Nadelwelt, which included finishing my fourth pattern, Home Sweet Home Applique Sampler. I was able to pre-release the pattern for the show, and it officially releases next week! Right now the dust has not yet settled, and I've not even really had time to fully process the whole event, but I can assure that I had a blast!

The first day of the show I taught a class on the starch applique method. I really have it in my head to possibly put out a couple videos on this fantastic technique, but everything in it's time, right? I ended up taking my two latest quilts, as well as a good number of smaller applique project samples.

 ... you may have already noticed that my patterns are now available in print! I'm also excited to that a few shops in Germany will be carrying my in-print patterns. I'll be sharing details very soon!

Even though the class was listed that I would teaching in English, because there were only German speakers in the class, I actually found it helpful to flip to German... talk about a challenge - try explaining a technique, using technical terms in a foreign language... but I'm glad to say that I came out on the other side without any major injuries.

I got the feeling that my class participants really enjoyed a different approach to applique, and I was asked by a couple of shops to offer courses with them too... keep your eyes peeled for more on that as it develops.

 

So, start your one week countdown clock... I've got some pretty exciting news to share next week with the official release of my Home Sweet Home quilt pattern... and it has something to do with fabric!

 Really happy to check this first finish of the quarter off my Finish-A-Long list!

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On Your Mark, Get Set...

The countdown has officially begun... I'm about a week away from heading out to Nadelwelt, and I couldn't be more nervous and excited at the same time. So much to think of... pack... plan... check off the list, and that's exactly what I'm doing.

I shared last week my two latest kicks that I am somehow needing to get out of my system - felt and reverse applique. Both of these projects are blocks from my Home Sweet Home applique sampler, which releases in May!

I usually make a lot of pillows with several factors in mind. Firstly, I always like to show smaller sample projects that can be made for a large quilt pattern... it gets ideas flowing for how a pattern can be translated into a smaller and more doable piece  - not everyone likes doing long distance marathon quilts, you know.

Secondly, it gives me the opportunity to experiment... so far I've been in my safe "swirls" free motion quilting bubble, and it gives me room to try other quilting motifs. For my "Blooms" pillow, I branched out a bit and did a combination of flowers, leaves, and swirls. I don't always feel confident with connecting one movement to the next, but that's why you practice... right?

Thirdly, I find that I actually need smaller in between projects as a breather when I am working on a bigger one. Sometimes my sewing time is a bit here and there, and if it takes too long to get back into a big project, at least I'm still sewing on an easier to pick-up-where-I-left-off project... I'd say that's killing a lot of birds with just one stone!

So, I'm not sure if I'll be able to check here in next week since I'll be super busy packing my bags, but don't go too far because there's a lot coming up in May... my Home Sweet Home applique sampler is finished, and releases May 16th!... PLUS I've  got a little surprise coming up on Instagram. 

Hope to see you at Nadelwelt - be sure to say hello if you are there!

Linking up for the Q2 Finish-A-Long

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