Migration - a bee block. This 16” square block is made of three sizes of flying geese (1 x 2”, 2 x 4”, and 4 x 8” finished). Use the stitch-and-flip method to make four of the tiny geese, 19 medium geese and three large geese (and an extra reverse goose as a siggy block).
Before Christmas I made this sewing machine cover – I think it’s one of my favourite projects to date.
Create a funky and stylish way to carry your beauty products on the go with this Geometric DIY Makeup Bag. This adorable, little bag can be created out of scrap fabric and zips up to keep your powders, lipsticks, and eye shadows tucked away.
Today I will be sharing a tutorial for an English Paper Pieced tote! This tote finishes at approximately 13.5"H x 11"W x 4"D.
Selvedge, Selvage… whether you speak English or American, they’re the same thing. They are a gorgeous piece of fabric that often just gets thrown away. And that’s a shame.
Here’s how I sew easy inset circles using freezer paper and glue. Here is Folded Star (Somerset) Tutorial
So today I bring you an English Paper Piecing Tutorial! One of my long term projects right now is an English Paper Piecing (EPP) project. This project will take me forever, and I am quite all right with that!
This is the perfect bag to throw your stuff in for a trip to the pool, or the park, or anywhere you need to go this summer.
.jpg "Friendship Hexagon Block Tutorial")
Friendship Hexagon Mini - traditional Friendship Star block.
Want to make your own Friendship Hexagon block? Here's a super easy tutorial to follow for a 12.5" unfinished block.
This sophisticated cousin of the half-square triangle unit can be used in any half-square triangle block you can think of, and is made quite simply. Starting with a half-square triangle unit, you add a smaller square and sew along the diagonal using a stitch-and-flip technique, much like you use in improvisational piecing.
This super easy block tutorial shows exactly how I made the lovely mini. I made four of these blocks, and you'll see when you stitch these blocks together, they create a gorgeous, interlocked look.
Just as there are several different ways to make half-square triangles, there's several ways to do flying geese. I'll show you the two methods I use most often, and you can decide how you'd like to make yours for your quilt.
The block above used 4" squares for all the patterned blocks and 4"x4.5" blocks for the white blocks. I looked at several other tutorials for Granny Square Quilt Blocks and the consensus seems to be that adding the length on the outside blocks ensures you have enough to trim a true 1/4" seam allowance around the edges. Seemed a bit strange but I did have a generous amount to square up with so I like it.
I finished up my March blocks and I'll be honest, it was WAY more of a struggle than it should have been. We were asked to make 12" Sawtooth Star blocks - easy right?
I would have said yes before I decided to use the no waste method of making the flying geese blocks, which I had used before and loved but this time made me want to cry.
I love the Square-in-a-Square block for its simplicity, but it’s also terrific for learning to handle bias edges, and practicing great points. It’s also one of my favorites for using novelty or feature fabrics in the centers.
So, I ran into a little problem. It turns out that, when making a tutorial, I'm not so great at remembering to take pictures! I guess this is really more like a cross between a process and a tutorial. Hopefully it's somewhat helpful.
This block has been called many things over the years, dating as far back as 1907, from a Friendship block to a Hearth and Home block, but I think Star Crossed might be a better name for it, so that's what I'm calling it.
String blocks are a great way to use up scraps, and my recent quilt finish incorporated two different kinds of string blocks that made a heart shape when put together.
.jpg "Oven Mitt and Pot Holder Tutorial")
