Happy Halloween Sewing

Hello Everyone,

Halloween is right around the corner! I am starting to slowly get in the Halloween mood with the fall weather, misty mornings and soups of the season. A new block jumped into my head on Friday and Winnie the Witch was created. She measures 6" x 11". This block is a stand alone foundation paper pieced block (FPP) or can be mixed and matched with the Paper Dolls Mini Collection for added diversity. If you want to add a hat to any of the other paper dolls, trim the seam allowance of the head segment back 1/4" then add the hat segment.

easypatchworkSHOP

This is a PDF instant download, so if you already have the original pattern, it is a quick download you can sew up today without the added hassle of postal shipping and waiting time.

You can even add it to the Fall Freebie from last year. Did you download it last year? You can now download directly from my website without being tracked!

Look what I whipped up this morning in EQ8! I used the freebie pumpkin block from last year, added one of the bats from the Bad Kitty pattern as well as two witches (one reversed hairdo) to make this cute table runner. Wouldn't this be sew much fun to make??

17 1/2" x 32 1/2" Halloween Table Runner

You could even combine it with the original Bad Kitty Pattern and rename it - "Little Witch in the Pumpkin Patch."

If you don't like the witch and simply must have a very naughty kitty cat, there are still patterns available on Etsy. This is a combination of foundation piecing, regular piecing and appliqué.

You can even draw up your own very special Halloween table topper and have some spooky witches peeking out of the pumpkins.

Have a great week everyone! Happy Halloween Sewing!

fall freebie

To all of you fall and autumn lovers out there, here is a freebie featured on Craftsy. I intinially intended for this 10 x 12 inch block to be an add-on to the "Bad Kitty" pattern, but you can use it as a stand alone mini quilt, large mug rug or small placemat.

I really enjoyed making this and love how you can design things by sewing small squares and flipping to make new edges. I was tempted to design it with foundation paper piecing, but thought everyone (new quilters and experienced) would benefit more from the sew, cut and flip method. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Freebie from easypatchwork found on Craftsy

Here is what a quilt could look like by exchanging the cat and bat blocks for the double pumpkins and a stand alone pumpkin block:

Design Idea

There is no free tutorial for the "standing alone" pumpkin. If you are interested in this version and would like to buy the printed Bad Kitty in the Pumpkin Patch pattern (no PDF), I would be happy to give the dimensions to you. Please contact me [email protected]

If you make something with the free mini double pumpkins, please post on social media using the hashtag: #easypatchworkminipumpkins

Thank you and enjoy your fall!

autumn pillow and mini tutorial

Good morning everyone. Well, another few weeks have gone by and still no new posts from me. I am such a bad, bad girl. ;-) I've been busy like all of us; just using the extra time I have to sew instead of blogging. Since we are in the middle of fall, I thought I would share my beautiful, autumn pillow that I made for my sweet Pillow Swap Four Seasons partner, Betti from Bettis Stitches on Instagram.

What do I want to say about this pillow?.... It was really fun to make!

If you know me, you know I like a good challenge! And this time, I wanted to sew something really small. I took the traditional maple leaf pattern from EQ7 and designed my own pillow using the fabric line Tucker Prairie from Moda. This was my original design from EQ7 with a triple border. You can see from the final pillow, I removed the second patchwork border; I thought it was a bit too much in the end and was a little too loud or "unruhig."

My fabric pull came together rather quickly. I wanted blues, oranges, yellow-greens and purples. This may not be your "traditional" fall color palette, but I wanted the colors to jump out and be vibrant. I wanted to ground the entire idea by using low volumes for the background. I didn't purchase any new fabrics for the front of the pillow and most came from designers such as Tula Pink, Brigitte Heitland for Zen Chic, Carolyn Friedlander, and Sarah Watts if you want to recreate this. The outer border fabric was still undecided at this point.

I first made the four bigger leaves in the center which finished up at 4 1/2". Each of my corner blocks were cut to 2" and finish up to 1 1/2". (You could construct the entire block from a nine-patch using 1 1/2" blocks for each of the nine segments if you want to make this pillow.)

After I made my "big blocks" out of the way, I started with sewing my teeny tiny leaves. I actually found out that the leaves go together very easily when you know two principles - traditional foundation (paper) piecing and sewing on paper "sew-all-at-once" method.

Each leaf took about 15 minutes to make. I made about 30+ one-inch leaves for this project.

MINI TUTORIAL

First of all, cut out your template along the dotted lines, making sure to keep both adjacent sides of A and B together. Using a good light source, fold exactly between sections A and B; you will be sewing on line A6/A7 to B1/B2 later. (Templates are discontinued. You can also make your own.)

Sew Section A exactly as your normally would on paper using a smaller stitch than usual. I use 1,5 stitches instead of 2,5 when sewing on paper. Make sure none of the fabric extends over the folded line. If it does, cut it away by folding the paper in half and cutting off what extends over the fold. You may reference a previous tutorial here.

After you have made your leaf, iron it well and trim the block along the seam allowance line. The block should measure 1 1/2 inches. Use the blocks however you wish.

I made a couple extra blocks and used one of them in a pin cushion for my swap partner. I added a one inch border on each side ending with 1/2 border all the way around. The pin cushion measures 2" in total. ;-)

END OF MINI TUTORIAL

After I made all of my mini leaves, I arranged them together for a matching border. Yes, it is matching. AND there is one leaf that is a little wonky!  Can you find it?

 

I didn't notice my wonky leaf until after I sewed the border on! I showed it to several people and no one noticed! I did take the time to change it, because I would have have been a eye sore for me in the end.

I finished the pillow top by sewing on a 3" finished border of black around the center and first border to make the entire center pop out. I chose a matching butterfly and black print from Westminster Fabrics. It has the same yellow as the leaf on the front. I know I took a picture of the pillow from the backside, but I must have deleted the photos. You can jump here to Betti's photo of the backside.

This was as selection of possible fabrics I did buy to finish up the pillow. I used the yellow butterfly for the back and the black checkered for the outer border. I didn't like the bottom fabric with this pillow. It had a strange hue to it.

After everything was made, we went on location for a little photo shoot. ;-) I took the pillow along with us to Tuscany where we spent our summer vacation this year. When we weren't having fun by the pool, I stole a few minutes to tote the pillow around and take some nice location photos. ;-)

Thank you for joining me for explanation of my autumn pillow for Betti! I really and truly had a lot of fun making this pillow. I learned that I love to sew small! I hope you discover you like to sew small too. It really is achievable as long as you know and use a few special techniques.

You can download an entire sheet of one-inch maples leaves to try yourself just how easy they are! If you don't want to pay for the sheet of templates, you can always make your own. ;-)

Hugs,
Karen

pillow swap four seasons - come join us!

Do you like to decorate your home according to the seasons? Do you like seasonal pillows for your sofa or love seat? Do you love to sew for others and and be surprised yourself? Then we have an exciting new program for you - an international pillow case swap according to the seasons!

My friend Sandra, aka hohenbrunnerquilterin, and I are teaming up to bring you an exciting and challenging pillow swap. We are committed to hostessing and cheering you on as you design and show off your entire creative process of patchwork design.

How does the swap work? You have the chance to sew a pillow case for a secret partner using basically any "sewing" method around. To help you understand your partner, he/she will make an inspirational mosaic of things that they like according to the season and upload to flickr. You in turn, will also create a mosaic for the person who is creating a pillow case for you. These do not have to be pillows, but things to help you see your swap partner's style and taste. Remember, your swap partner will not be sewing for you in return, but someone else. Everyone has a different to and from parnter..sort of like a secret Santa exchange. You are not allowed under any circumstances to reveal your partner nor contact them until the "Secret List" is revealed!We want to keep it interesting.

The pillow swap takes place four times a year, spring, summer, fall and winter, so you will have the chance to get a new partner and be surprised every season. A new season, a new partner. It is your task to make a pillow case related to the season by use of color, design, motifs, holidays, etc. If you are a fall-type of person, then just sign up for the fall swap. Don't like the springtime? Then join for winter! Just keep the sign up dates marked on your calendar.

How did all of this start? I have been a member of the Doll Quilt Monthly swap for over a year now. It is very exciting designing mini quilts for others, and I wanted to extend the fun with seasonal yet functional patchwork designs. I have known about the pillow swaps on the Net, but they seem to be always full or per "invitation only." Our group is open to everyone of all skill levels. Everyone has a chance to participate!!

Are you ready to play? Registration begins the first of December for the spring swap 2015. After you have signed up, you will have three months to design your pillow case for your secret partner using the information he/she provides the pillow swap four seasons group via flickr. This is entirely organized and presented through flickr, so you must have a flickr account to play. Are you game? Then read more about it here on flickr. Keep in mind, you will have to agree to the rules before you are allowed to play. Don't forget, registration opens the first of December. I am so excited...I hope to see everyone there!!

If you don't want to play but would like to support our group, you can always grab our button and post on your blog or website. We are really going to wow your socks off!

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2730349@N24/

The easiest was I find to add a blinkie to your blog is to right click on the icon and copy the address. Link the image to the URL. That simple! Add the flickr address for redirection, of course. If that's too complicated, you can always go to Sandra's site. She does it with a html tag.

Thanks for dropping by and I look forward to seeing on you on the Pillow Swap Four Seasons!
Karen

fall spirit

I have discovered that the month of October is flying by. Where has the time gone? Even though I am very busy this month I am still getting in my sewing time which makes for a happy woman. I am totally in the fall spirit and with it, sewing leaves in all different shapes and styles. It first started with my paper pieced Autumn Leaf and kept on going.

I made the one below for our Quilt Group. The lovely and charming, Marianne, presented it for the month of October. It will be the last in our series of our mystery quilts celebrating our 20th anniversary of the Nersinger Patchworkers. Eight of the members presented a block for all of us to try sewing and incorporate into the mystery quilt. I tried to use all the different fabrics that I used throughout the quilt to give it a little bit of unity in the end. We'll see how it all turns out or if I have to resew a block or two...I certainly hope not! ;-)

 

And shortly before I made this colorful leaf, I decided to go simple this month with my Doll Quilt Swap partner and make a variegated table runner in a more modern color scheme. Was I successful? There is a peachy color in there! Is it modern? I like the playfulness of using somewhat of a "traditional" fabric on one side and a more "modern" fabric on the other. I like it! I managed a little outline quilting (straight line of course). I thought about FMQ, but I didn't want to mess it up. ;-) That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

How is your fall going? Are you in the fall spirit? Is it windy and rainy where you are? Or is the sun shining and giving your that gorgeous orange glow? What do you like about autumn?

my first patchwork at the peaks quilting retreat

from Busy Needle Archive  of Retreats 2012

Summer vacation is coming to a close here in Bavaria. Just one more week and the kids will be starting another school year filled with new events and a new teacher. Here in Germany, the kids usually will share the same teacher for the first two grades as well as the Third and Fourth Grades.We just have to get the back to school shopping done, and we are ready to get going again.

And when the kids are back in school, I too get to "play" a little too. I am very excited about two events: the European Patchwork Meeting from September 18-24 and Patchwork at the Peaks at the end of the month. Both of these are two new events for me, and I am totally excited about them! Two different events in the same month both in France. I am so psyched up!

The first Convention/Exhibit takes place in Alsace. I was told by my patchwork group that it is one of the most amazing events and locations to go to. The entire area (several villages) are decorated and cater to the patchwork scene. It must be amazing!! I can't wait to go.

And then there is the long awaited patchwork retreat in the most picturesque setting - a chalet in the French Alps! This is an unterstatement! This long awaited event takes place from October 2-5, 2014! I will be able to enjoy 100% sewing time in the most serene setting of changing leaves, beautiful fall skies, snow capped mountains, and enjoying a warm fire (maybe) in the fireplace in the evening followed a dip in the bubbly hot tub. No cooking, no cleaning, no kiddies, no spouses - just pure pampering and enjoyment. I will be greated and hosted by the charming and whitty, Elita Sharpe. She is another American who fell in love with European culture, enough so, to make it her home.

You are warmly welcomed and invited to the Patchwork at the Peaks Retreat! If all spaces are booked out, book in advance for spring or fall of 2015. Elita offers her fantasy retreats twice a year. Life doesn't get any better than this!

In preparation for the big event, I designed this simple paper pieced leaf pattern to demonstrate how you can use up all of those scraps in your scrap bin. My daughter and I whipped up this little zippered pouch just yesterday using the six inch leaf pattern. It is totally easy to make!
 

I have lots of more goodies to show at the retreat using this pattern, so stay tuned for more pictures and retreat talk.

Thanks for dropping by!
Karen