Tag: Foundation Paper Piecing

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?