Tag: Foundation Paper Piecing

The Night Garden Quilt

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Let’s talk about a dramatic shift from loving low volume backgrounds to being enamored with blacks, navy and every shade of blue/gray to mimic a night sky. Add in the flowers of a garden and the creatures that visit under the cover of darkness and you’re here, the start of my first Night Garden Quilt.

How does your garden grow?

I was cruising through summer and prepping my holiday gift lists and even getting some projects started, when my IG friend, Elizabeth (@lizzymakes) started sharing pictures of a night garden quilt. It caught my eye immediately, mostly because the dark fabrics were so out of the norm for me, but I really liked what she was doing. I’d zoom in….see more details, finding myself even more intrigued as I studied her quilts. Then she shared the idea of a loosely structured / no deadline sew-along and I jumped right in. Yes, 100%. I went about pulling all the bright colors for flowers and all the darks for backgrounds. I was intent on not buying more fabric, but as you might imagine, that was a short-lived idea. I have a lot of scraps, but this was going to require more dark prints than I had available for the size finish I wanted.

Flowers

First up, flowers. I started with the zinnia blocks, a pattern by Lori Holt. I literally went straight to my scrap bins and pulled everything for the petals, and then built in the other elements of the flowers. I wasn’t really sure how many flowers I’d make or what the formation of the sky might entail or how closely I could replicate all the creatures I’ve seen walk through my yard. But it was ALL swirling in my thoughts. I started to remember other floral block patterns I had purchased and only used once. Could I add those? Yes. It was back to my digital files and scouring the archives to make use of the things I had purchased with other intentions. So much of it came into play for this quilt. Revisiting patterns is a good thing!

I could easily overthink the animals & whether they are night or day visitors, but in the end, I just wanted representation of what I like – stars, crescent moon, bright/lively flowers, flying friends and the all time favorite, the bear. Everything else would be a cherry on top.

Here’s another flower variety, this one a pattern by On Williams Street. More chances for tiny scraps to come to life!

Details

It’s all in the details. While the scrappy-ness of the bigger blocks is typical of my wild-color, improv loving heart, I also like to sneak in little details. At first glance you may not see them. If you’re sitting snuggled under the quilt with time to spare, you might notice. If you know me well, you know why it’s there. That kind of stuff. I like it in my work. The storytelling through images makes me happy.

This little segment has old & new fabric, pieces from pattern testing and even fabric my husband brought home from a business trip in the UK. Nobody else would know, but I do and I like how it all continues to find a way into my quilting.

Is there such thing as “tiring of rifle paper co. rabbits”? I don’t think so.

Foundation Paper Piecing

Foundation Paper Piecing. For me, it’s the love / hate piecing method. I love the accuracy and precision. I loathe the removal of the foundation. I love the tiny bits; it means every scrap has potential. But those papers, there has to be a better, less messy way. It’s a test of patience for me, for sure. However, as much as I take deep breaths and sigh about the mess, I go back for more. Ha!

In all seriousness, I could NOT make this hummingbird without foundation paper piecing. So, tiny pieces of foundation to tear away, it’s ok. I’ll keep doing it to have results like this.

For the past few summers, I’ve planted gardens that are welcoming to butterflies and hummingbirds. They are frequent visitors to our home every single day, so they had to be included in this quilt. As the weather chills and some of the flowers die off, my flying friends aren’t as frequent to the patio. I look forward to seeing them next summer.

There’s a tiny note in this block too. I’m sure you see it; wink. 🙂

Be still my heart; owl….I think you are stunning. This is a pattern by Griffin and the Bear, which made my piecing work so easy. I hear the hooting from the woods…this one needed to be included too. There is such a thrill and a gift to living in a forest.

Speaking of forests….wouldn’t you gnome it? There has to be a gnome.

It’s a wrap

I worked on this daily and from start to finish; add in long distance quilting and photos. It took less than 8 weeks?! I think that’s right. To say I was slightly obsessed would be accurate. I *may” have left my fabric out and purchased more backing for another one. Once I got in a rhythm with these blocks, it just flew by.

This was professionally quilted by Kaitlyn, http://www.knotandthreaddesign.com. It’s fantastic. She’s finished several of my quilts and I’m always pleased with the results. I finally had a chance to meet her this summer; so thankful for my quilt community. I bound it with the same fabric I used for the backing.

See the bear? I see them often; of course one makes an appearance here.

That’s a wrap. I’m a convert. Give me all the dark backgrounds now! Thanks to Elizabeth for the sew-along, Kaitlyn for the quilting, and Cass for indulging me in awesome fabric from Nova Quilts. There were moments along the way I wasn’t sure how my intentions were going to be puzzled together, but it worked. It’s another “I love it” finish for me! Night Garden 2 – I’m coming for you.

-Happy Quilting…enjoy!

All photos and content property of Two Terriers Studio and not to be copied or distributed without written consent of the owner. This is not a sponsored post.

Eastern to Mountain, Part 3

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Well, this post was a long time coming to press! Goodness gracious. The second post in this 3-part series was written five months ago, but this particular quilt has been finished for a year. I’ve clearly not kept up with the blog or the chronology of my projects this year.

Time. It’s fleeting.

Let’s just get to it…meet the quilt lovingly called “The Beast”. The third in a 3 part series.

The Beast

Why “The Beast”? First and probably singularly named because it’s huge. Huge by the standards I’d set for some of my quilts when this was finished in the summer of 2022. With this being an improv style, there wasn’t a pattern or an end size in mind when I started. It was finished when I was finished and that took months (years?). It’s perfectly suited to keep my tall husband cozy on movie nights, so all’s well that ends well.

Strings

There’s no surprise this is another scrappy quilt. I never tire of seeing a decade of fabric bits thrown together into something useful. Thrown together may be a stretch, but I can say without hesitation that I don’t spend much time thinking about which fabrics are pulled from my overflowing bin. I’ve purchased all these pieces because I like them individually, so my thought is that collectively, it will work out. This quilt represents years of previous projects. I love it.

Like most quilters, I have a multiple scrap bins. Some sorted by color, some by designer, some by size. The pieces of this quilt came from the “strings & strips” bin. With the completion of each project, I sort scraps into the appropriate bin and anything more than an inch wide, but in a long strip, goes into this one space. When it hits overflowing, it’s time to piece them together.

Foundation Paper Piecing

I started these blocks with ten inch foundation paper piecing squares from http://www.missouriquiltco.com. The lightweight and easily torn-away foundation papers made these blocks a breeze. I constructed this like a “string quilt”, with a fabric strip placed face-up, diagonally across the center and then worked in each consecutive strip to one side until the foundation was covered. I flipped the square around and repeated on the other half of the square. Everything was given a good press, trimmed and set aside. Over and over and over!

As you can see, there isn’t a theme. The strips vary in color, width, designer and style. It seems to me that in scrappy quilts, the more fabrics, the more it makes sense. It’s not like trying to stay in a zone and missing it…the more the better. At least to my eye.

A Traveling Top

From New England to Utah, this quilt saw some mileage. In the summer of 2022, my husband & I were in Provo, Utah as well as Sundance. The scenery is incredible; perfect for quilt photos. We hopped around town, a bag of quilt tops in tow, and then headed into the mountains. I’m so lucky to have a husband who will carry quilts up steep terrain and then also hold them off the ground while I try to capture good angles. He’s the best. We’ve learned that photos of large quilts in the wild are easier when they are just pieced tops. These babies get heavy!

Stewart’s Cascade Trail

Into the mountains we go. These photos were taken along Stewart’s Cascade Trail, a 1.9 mile hike from the south side of Mount Timpanogos. The trail traverses through thick fir trees, oak, maple, aspens, and an avalanche path. It is stunning. The aspens were spectacular and when the sun shines just right, everything is more beautiful. The elevation is significantly higher than what we are used to at home, but it was manageable. The snakes, not my thing. I kept a good watch after the first one crossed my path.

Anyone else love to see quilts in the wild or in the wind? I love the burst of color among nature’s glory.

The goal was to get to the waterfall and take the photos there. A few people stopped to ask what we were carrying, so the trek took more time as we stopped to explain the quilts. I never know if other hikers think it’s cool or wacky that this is what we are doing, but I’m guessing it leads to a story of “you’re not going to believe what I saw on the trail today!” Just as we got to the clearing and the waterfall was within sight, a young couple moved passed us and perched on a rocky ledge and made themselves comfortable. We debated waiting them out, but also made note of the time and impending sunset. Hiking back down a trail we didn’t know, in the dark, wasn’t top priority. The waterfall shot was over. So here we are…imagine a waterfall just behind the quilt. It’s there, I promise.

Quilted

I had this longarm quilted by Jenn, http://www.knottedthread.com using the Time Warp pantograph. The movement of the panto across these angular cuts is exactly what I wanted.

With so much going on in the front of the quilt, I opted for a simple black & white striped binding. The back of the quilt is mainly black and white with a pieced section, too. I like how the striped binding frames everything.

I had two bolts of the terrier fabric & it has come in handy for quilt backs. I really like this print and have used it on quilts I know I intend to keep in our family.

The Beast finished at 75″ x 87″; a decade of fabric, many months of sewing, a bit more than two thousand miles of travel and a day’s hike in Utah. Worth every minute of effort.

-Happy Quilting!

This is not a sponsored post. All content and photos property of Two Terriers Studio and not to be duplicated or shared without written consent of the owner.

The Great Outdoors

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In 2021, I joined Kitty Wilkin, @nightquilter, for her Quilt Your Life Community program. I had taken a virtual class with her prior to that & found her teaching style and skill to be very inviting and inspiring. Being a member of the QYL Crew was an obvious next step for me. Kitty has designed so many beautiful blocks and patterns; I was anxious to incorporate them into personal projects.

Thinking about the concept of “Quilt Your Life”, was both exciting and overwhelming. If you think about life, there are so many facets and measurable events. My head was spinning. It was a struggle narrowing it to something manageable. Kitty kept saying, “keep it simple, keep it simple.” I began a quilt that would track a 10-week program I was participating in, but in brainstorming what else this could be, I thought of loved ones and what I could make for them. We each have unique lives. How could I document something about each of them into a quilt-like piece of art?

Scenes in Colorado

I have a niece who loves the outdoors; camping, hiking, skiing and more. I’ve not sewn a lot of things for her recently, so she came to mind for this first pass at sewing tiny “life” quilts. One of the patterns Kitty has designed is called Sew Tiny Adventures. The camping tent, pine trees and mountain ranges are perfect for this niece. Knowing I wanted to frame this piece, I upscaled the pattern about 56%; it’s still tiny.

Attention to details

Tiny Blocks = Tiny Quilts

These blocks finish under 1.5″, so I needed to join them & then border with more fabric to fit the frame. This is finished like a quilt with wool batting and quilt cotton backing. It’s signed & my logo is attached, in the event the piece is ever separated from the frame. The informal tent, tree & mountains called for simple straight line quilting. Just enough texture, but leaving the images to stand on their own.

For the Adventurer

Now that this is finished & gifted, I’m able to share here. My wheels are in motion once again about what might come next. I have my own 10-week milestone quilt to design & finish. To be able to share a mini-quilt, personalized to a loved one, was FUN. It’s one of a kind and that’s always a good thing, right?

Get outdoors; live and document life!

Enjoy…

All photos and text property of Two Terriers Studio; not to be copied or distributed without written consent of the author.

Festive Forest

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It’s still September, but there are Christmas trees in my studio. I am not one to jump ahead in holiday decorations, choosing instead to savor the current moment. However, when the opportunity to test a pattern for Monika, @pennyspoolquilts, came about, I gladly set aside my Autumn projects and worked on some scrappy Christmas trees. I’ve tested patterns for her before & knew this one would also be a quality project.

This particular pattern is based in foundation paper piecing, which is not outlined in the pattern, but assumes the maker has a basic understanding of this technique. I found it to be a simple FPP pattern; the pieces are easy angles and manageable sizes. No tiny piecing here.

I’ve made two projects with this pattern; each using a different template size. The first, this turquoise, gray and white table runner using the larger of two tree sizes. Compiling four blocks, alternating their “top” direction, it has become my first holiday gift to be finished for the Christmas of 2020. That seems so odd to say…I’m sewing Christmas gifts in September. That’s not a typical event for me; maybe it’s a new trend. I opted for these non-traditional colors so that I could coordinate with the recipient’s decor colors. This pattern would be lovely in a coordinated fabric pull or any variety of multi-colored scraps. The versatility is limited only by the maker’s imagination!

In my second project, I shifted the color scheme to one that is considered more traditional. If I’m going to be making Christmas gifts a few months ahead of schedule, I’m going to include gift bags! I truly think the sky is the limit in how this block is depicted; color choice could make it more or less holiday-themed. Go with bright colors like hot pink or yellow and make it a retro vibe. In a variety of greens or backgrounds of darker colors, this could easily be a woodland theme.

This gift bag is fully lined and uses the red grosgrain ribbon as a drawstring. By adding additional borders, it could be resized to suit your needs to accommodate a different sized gift. I will likely be using this size for smaller gifts and treats this holiday season.

I’m thankful to have worked with Monika again & hope readers will take a minute to browse her Instagram (@pennyspoolquilts) and website, http://www.pennyspoolquilts.com and check into the patterns and tutorials linked there. This particular pattern, Festive Forest, will be released to the public October, 8, 2020.

So tell me, do you sew for the holidays or other gift giving seasons? What’s your favorite thing to make?