Foundation Paper Piecing returns: Mug Rugs

I've been returning to foundation paper piecing again after a long break.  I had a commission which I'm currently working on- can't show that I'm afraid- but I can show you the FPP pattern I've designed especially for an online interactive CraftyMonkies class.  

The pattern is for a mug rug.  There's a choice of mugs- plain or striped, and choice of text and these reflect easier and harder skills that I'll cover in class along with sharing as many paper-piecing tips as I can in the three-hour class!  If you're tempted to join in, you will be very welcome.  The class runs on Saturday 8th August, 10-1pm BST and bookings are welcome from anywhere in the world, find all the details here, scroll down.   

If you are a first-time Zoom class participant, don't panic! CraftyMonkies classes have an experienced host, Rachel, who settles you into class, sorts out technical niggles and controls sound and vision! This means that everyone gets their chance to interact without being talked over and to ask the question you really want to ask You 'll be able to have a close view of my hands, cutting mat and sewing machine presser foot so you can see exactly what I am doing.  It's a gentle, happy sociable experience too.  I'm really missing my sewing meet-ups at the moment and an interactive Zoom class like this is a great replacement.  

Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine: Whatever the Weather blocks

The new issue of Love Patchwork and Quilting Magazine is out and I've got a Weather themed foundation paper piecing project inside.  Eight weather symbol blocks with a touch of retro aesthetic, these were great fun to design and the art team have done a lovely styling job on the photos!

You can find the blocks inside issue 70, on sale now and also available digitally. and in

There are also detailed making instructions on the LPQ website.

Love Patchwork and Quilting: Winter House

I've so many things to blog about at the moment, I don't have time to get them all in, but I really want to share a foundation paper piecing project that is just about to come out in October's copy of Love Patchwork and Quilting.  You know my favourite things to paper piece are teapots and houses, so in preparation of the colder weather  a 'Winter House' foundation pieced cushion cover.

I love the photo styling!   I find cushions and pillows hard to photograph so its amazing what a professional can do!   This is a a skills builder project:  there are downloadable free full-size templates on the LPQ website for the paper piecing and I cover the foundation piecing process in details; there is a mitred corner border so the house looks like its sitting in a picture frame; and finally there is a machine stitched zipper opening which could easily be replaced by an envelope style opening too.

I kept to a muted cool palette with a hint of warmth just hinting at Christmas.  

This is the issue to look out for, you can see Lynne's new BOM top right in very pretty new Windham 'Mimosa' fabrics, as well as Cristina's stunning star quilt and a hint of Christmas with Ali's star stockings and Judith's easy paper pieced winter tree triangle projects.

Playful Little Paper-Pieced Projects

I got a surprise delivery today that I thought wouldn't arrive till the new year, Playful Little Paper-Pieced Projects: 37 Graphic Designs & Tips from Top Modern Quilters.  (check out the look inside feature on Amazon for pics/text previews).

I had an email to submit a design for this ages ago- such is the way of publishing, and at the time everyone is sworn to secrecy and you don't know who else is in it.  As time has passed you start to find out and in the end if tells like it is a book full of friends, people I have worked with, written with, met in person, Flickr Bees, Instagram- amazing company to be a little part of and congratulations to Tacha Bruecher who complied and edited the book, came up with such a great concept and managed to get a CD with all the templates/patterns in as part of the publication.  This book is an introduction to different methods of paper piecing and has the best 'how to' section that I have read on the subject.  There are 12 monthly themed blocks which can be sewn individually, together to make a calendar quilt hanging and each comes with its own project ranging from aprons to bicycle baskets.  My blocks are October and December.

And my projects for these were a banner and a gift basket.

Take a look at some of the others…

Penny's of course, July block and project.  A beautiful photo too with a perfect chair to showcase a chair!

In addition to the calendar blocks, there is a further section of small projects with different block designs.  This is Ayumi's Mail Organiser- cuteness overload!  

Chase's Nutcracker and ribbon pillow- ear marked to make for next Christmas.  I fancy the ribbon as a border all around the nutcracker.

Laura Jane's ingenious indexed book bag, pockets for different sections, so, so clever!

Megan's tea themed tea towel- the milk jug is my particular favourite here, love the shaping around the handle!

And there is so much more- Lynne, Amy Friend, Leila, Joanna, Daniel, Amy L, Angela, Kylie, Charise, Caroline, Tacha, Sonja, Cheryl, Tamiko, Julianna- you can see all the contributor profiles in this link- look at the inside feature,  Playful Little Paper-Pieced Projects: 37 Graphic Designs & Tips from Top Modern Quilters.   

I have been sent a stack of copies so I have some available for sale- bargain price for UK peeps, £14 including postage.  If you are in Europe, cost is £19 including postage.  If you would like a copy email me either using the link on the right of the blog or leave a comment with contact details here.  I will need to know your paypal email address so I can invoice you.  Anyone local who wants to collect a copy gets a no postage discount so only £12!  ***edited to add only 2 copies left! ***

I may be a little biased but it is a truly lovely book and I am thrilled to be a little part of it. 

Strawberry Friends Forever...story of a quilt

You know things have been a little hard here, events since December etc etc- I am not going to bore you with the details.  For the last few months I have had many messages of support for which I am dearly grateful.  I have had cards, messages and gifts... so many gifts that I felt I couldn't keep shaing them here as it would just seem like my life was a succession of presents in the post!  But there have been so many, I have even commented to friends and it was kinda strange in a lovely way.  And then Penny told me that she wanted to Skype with me becuase she was going to send me something funny.  A box arrived and I thought Penny might have been very bad and either sent me one of her quilts or made me a blanket covered in bras and pants fabric or something funny like that!  Oh I was so wrong, it was all a ruse and they all knew, except me, that this was inside...

Twenty quilty friends had each made my Sew-Ichigo Strawberry block and a bigger version of the traditional Friendship block (I made a pillow of this block).  They used fabrics they knew I would love, fabrics we have swapped and shared, precious and collectable fabrics of my dreams.  They stitched their names and Penny put them all together used a gorgeous green sashing (Topography from Architextures and a Suzuko Koseki daisy print border and binding.  She used my new glue method so she could machine bind and I had even commented on her binding on Instagram- "Nice binding Pen, what's that quilt?"  but she fobbed me off and I believed her.  And then she sent me an invitation to the private Flickr group where they had been plotting Strawberry Fields for the last few months, including a rota where they took it in turns to send me gifts hence the constant stream of parcels!  I had no idea, not a clue!

And the back is beautiful too...

This quilt is big, big enough for me to (reluctantly) share it on the sofa with D and L.  Too big to phtograph in my tiny house so I took it to show my friend Kathy and she and her son held it up for these pics and let me drape it over their couches in the sunny living room.

I couldn't take pics of every single one as it would make the longest post ever and maybe break the internet but here are a few random ones as we moved everyone out of the way on a Sunday morning at Kathy's house.

I can see Laurraine's deep dark strawberry, and Kristas's pretty siggy block

 I can identify these by fabric alone.  The colours drop hints, and the choices really do tell me who made what. Amy's bright red retro Strawberry next to Nova's Umbrella Prints raindrop strawberry.  Lynne's strawberry made from one of her favourite fabric ranges (Sandy Klopp's Punctuation) next to Leila's pastel Japanese prints

Angela's siggy block, I knew it was her fabrics straightaway!  I think the black Little Folks 'Buttoned up' Anna Maria Horner print gave her away!

Ayumi's sweet siggy which has one of my vintage fabrics in, a peek of Chase's Denyse fabric strawberry top right and Amy's siggy block below which has the Sevenberry floral that I still go nuts over.

Sonja's juicy grid strawberry, Lori's fussy cut friendship block,  Marit's strawberry in divine Kumiko Fujita sewing notions print, and Charise's vintage sewing inspired print choices.

Brioni's pretty repro fabrics and sweet embroidery.

Penny's perfect stitches and snippets of Garden Party, Amber's strawberry with the cutest leaves

 Doe's feedsack strawberry ( I swear she has the best stash ever), Megan's fussy cuts- the chicken in there makes me laugh and the scale of her prints is perfect!

A glorious picture with the sun pouring in...

Elnora's wonderful Japanese prints in her blocks- she has such great taste in fabrics. 

And then the icing on the cake,the bit that made me cry, along with the whole emotion and kindness of it all- Penny's embroidered panel, 

"more than kisses, quilts mingle souls; For thus friends absent speak"

Penny didn't know this, but John Donne, the writer of the original quote this is based on, is one of my favrouite poets.  I studied English Literature at Uni and Metaphysical poetry was my love.

The time, effort, thought, love, care, skill they poured into this project amazes me.  I have had separate conversations over the last few months with the people in this group, they have shared their own hardships and difficulties.  Quilters are an empathetic bunch and behind that often lies heartbreak, dealing with loss, health problems, family troubles, and the quilter ready to make a big warm beautiful blanket to hold and comfort those that are hurting.  Despite my best efforts I have felt so negative, ineffectual and down recently but the gesture warmth in this quilt and all those many packages has made me feel differently about myself and I feel well and truly loved.  These friendships run deep, I will be there for these women like they are there for me. Miles make no difference.

New Pattern Set: Back to School

It is new pattern tine at Sew-Ichigo, welcome to 'Back to School', a multi pattern set including a basic pencil block, a pencil wheel and a hi- lighter pen with two variations.

This pattern started with the hi lighters.  Penny designed them as a block for Elizabeth Hartman for her 'Traveling Quilts' Bee which is full of uber quilty brilliant people.

The hi lighters lead to pencils, I had done this block a while back for Ayumi in Ringo Pie

I never drew it up into a proper pattern and now felt like the time.  I tightened it up from my slovenly improv ways of winging it and turned it into a Dresden style wheel with an appliqué style centre.

It is foundation paper pieced, 12" finished size and made up of 10 single sections so the paper piecing is very straightforward- the only seams to join are when you join the wedges together.  I used Liberty Lifestyle Bloomsbury fabrics for the pencils and it shows how a little print can go a long way! 

For the more timid paper pieces who want a genuine beginner block, the solo pencil is perfect.  This has a single pattern piece and detailed instructions including what size of fabrics to rotary cut ready to piece and a cheats way to so pencil tips.    Penny and I put a lot of details into our patterns and share tips and construction details wherever possible.  The  pencil case pattern is available for free at A Spoonful of Sugar Designs  and I just pieced a single solo pencil block into the main fabric.  I will share more details on Sew-Ichigo in case anyone wanted to make one just the same.  The lace zip makes adding a zipper the easiest thing.  It is sewn on top of the finished seams which is such a simple way to add a zip and the metal zipper pull is perfect for a pencil case.  I bought mine at Eternal Maker  here.

Penny combined both of the easiest blocks- the solo pencil and the capped hi-liter pen and used the same pencil case pattern but jazzed it around moving the zipper placement.  You can use text or stamp your fabric for the pen centre or just leave it solid as a block.  There is an uncapped pen too with a chiseled tip like you can see in her travelling quilts block.  All these patterns are available  complete set in our Sew-Ichigo shop and our Craftsy store too!