This month in the Dutch circle of the do. Good Stitches quilting bee, we are sewing string blocks for our collaborative charity quilt. The block style comes from the book Why We Quilt by Thomas Knauer. Fun, straightforward and definitely scrap-friendly!
Read MoreWhen paging through Uppercase magazine, I photographed spreads which particularly inspired me. This is one favorite by Margo Selby, which I immediately wanted sew. I love how the colors graduate subtly along the sharp stair-stepping stripes. The regular light and dark accents punctuate the design gorgeously.
Read MoreFloris says that my latest quilt top has a retro vibe, but I think of it as pure Anna Maria Horner. It’s about abundance - all the colors, all the patterns, all the energy and life. What could be better on a drizzly December day?
Read MoreBright for the gifts and the laughter and the fresh start to come. Color upon color for our love of making, our innermost artsy selves. Shady for the drama of life, its ebb and flow, its birth and death. The bright and the dark mingle, like all this year’s highs and lows, to create something of value. Something as ordinary as it is lovely.
Read MoreBut the thing about rainy days is that they’re Perfect for sewing. I love to be inside all cozy and warm when the rain is falling. My fabrics never fail to offer a daily does of pick-me-up color. These days string scraps are overflowing the windowsill and crowding around my ironing board.
Read MoreMy first coins are really hitting the spot! I barely have to think when I match up two fabrics for a strip of coins, especially since my sewing recipe is quite relaxed. Here’s my recipe for a quick, scrappy coin quilt sewn from string scraps.
Read MoreWeek 5 Sew-Along Goal: Sew Border. I’m glad that it is the last week of our Circus Cabin sew-along. I’ve been pacing myself with this quilt, when I really could have flown through the blocks in a week! Now I give myself permission to finish it, and I’m looking forward to the quilting stage. How about you?
Read MoreWeek 4 Sew-Along Goal: Sew 5 Blocks + assemble Quilt Center. With this quilt, the momentum quickly builds. The blocks are easy and fun to sew, and when one is finished you lean easily into the next. I think we might be coasting at this point! A finished quilt top is just around the corner.
Read MoreWeek 3 Sew-Along Goal: Sew 5 Blocks. Or sew a few more, because you’re having fun! Today I share my progress and then celebrate some of your finished quilt tops, before finishing off with prizes at the end of the post.
Read MoreWeek 2 Sew-Along Goal: Sew 5 Blocks. Everything’s prepped, and you’ve sewed your first test block - there’s nothing stopping you! I have a feeling that once you start sewing these Circus Cabin blocks, you won’t want to stop.
Read MoreWeek 1 Sew-Along Goal: Gather Fabrics + Sew 1 Block. Still feeling stumped about your seasonal palette? Need some help going from palette to practice? This post walks you through my process for gathering and choosing fabrics. Follow along and get inspired to start your own Circus Cabin!
Read MoreTa da! I’ve dubbed this design Circus Log Cabins, for the stripey log style that reminds me of circus tent stripes. I started sewing blocks for this on a whim, inspired by log cabin blocks made for a bee quilt. My multi-colored scraps were begging to be used. I don’t think I’ve ever used them so successfully!
Read MoreThis week I turned the scraps from sewing Kismet patchwork curtains into new dining chair covers. The patchwork version is sewn with the quilt-as-you-go method, meaning that batting is already attached. That method is always nice when using string scraps.
Read MoreDo you remember the Monument block tutorial, a free resource that I posted earlier this year? Hurrah, all the blocks have arrived from my bee mates! It’s quite a pile and I’m excited to take in the collective effect.
Read MoreHave you had a merry holiday season? I hope so! For me it has been a lovely time, not the least because of my new scrap quilt. Making a quilt on a whim is such a treat! Today - tips on how to sew these scrappy log cabin blocks.
Read MoreI have a problem, a perfectly delightful problem = too many string scraps. I browsed through my Patchwork Pinterest board, Flickr faves and Instagram saves to find ideas for a string quilt. Here are some that caught my eye.
Read MoreThis quilt design is not mine; it’s a pattern called Concert from the book Quilt Modern Curves & Bold Stripes. Comfort Circle quilt bee did a fantastic job sewing this intermediate quilt block. Look how well those stripes match up!
Read MoreI’ve been wanting to sew this block since I saw a friend making it at a sewing retreat in 2012. Isn’t that funny? How did it take me this long? The paper piecing pattern I’ve developed for this block can be used to make a braid of any length desired!
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