New Patterns: Purely Petals and Wallflowers

Hello quilting friends.  I’m excited to share two new patterns with you today: Purely Petals and Wallflowers. These cheerful quilts are precut friendly and make a happy visual impact, while also being simple and fun to sew!  

First up is Purely Petals, a charm pack friendly quilt measuring 74 1/2” x 74 1/2”. This scrappy quilt shines with lively flower petals, pretty star blocks and a leafy green chain, all framed nicely by a pieced border. 

My sample quilt features Coney Island by Fig Tree & Company for Moda, but I think Purely Petals would lend itself to any fabric collection that you love. Please forgive me now as I inundate you with photos.

My second new pattern is called Wallflowers, and it is also charm pack friendly.  This wall hanging or table topper measures 30 1/2” x 30 1/2”.  Nine chipper flowers are surrounded by green sashing and a sweet scrappy border. 

Once again I’ve used the lovely Coney Island collection to bring these little Wallflowers to life. But can't you also see this small quilt in more subdued colors, or 1930s fabrics, or even petite holiday prints? I often sew up my patterns in different styles. The creative process is quite fun and good for our brains, I think!

This next close-up shot shows how two coordinating colored squares from your charm pack serve to make up the red petals of the flower

If you are interested in purchasing Purely Petals or Wallflowers, please visit your local quilt shop or one of my blog sponsors who are carrying the patterns.  Some of them are also offering kits!

My Timeless Day

Lou Lou's Fabric Shop

Stitches 'N Giggles 

Stash Addict Quilts
Quilts on Broadway 

Country Road Quilts 
Fort Worth Fabric Studio

You can also purchase paper or electronic patterns directly from me, but I encourage you to shop locally or through one of my sponsors when possible! Quilt shop owners: wholesale information is available here. 

Thank you so much to Barb (Quilts on Broadway) for the pretty machine quilting on both projects! The swirly feathers she used on Purely Petals are just perfect I think!

I appreciate you stopping by the blog today.  Please be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you sew up either one of these quilts.  I’d love to see your finished project!   #purelypetalspattern   #wallflowerspattern

Now head on over to your sewing machine and get carried away quilting!

~Taunja

Winner! Impressions Quilting Templates from Fat Quarter Shop

Thank you all for your enthusiasm over these terrific Impressions Quilting Templates by It's Sew Emma for Fat Quarter Shop.  If you weren't the lucky winner today, I hope you'll consider purchasing a set from the creative folks at Fat Quarter Shop.  I am really having fun with my first orange peel project thanks to these templates, and I know you would too!

Without further ado . . . today's lucky winner is Sherri Burrier! Congratulations Sherri! And thank you so much to Fat Quarter Shop for your generosity and support! 

Thanks for stopping by folks! Next week I plan to release two new patterns that I hope you will love.  They feature the beautiful upcoming line by Fig Tree & Company:  Coney Island!  Until then, go get carried away quilting!

~Taunja

February Diamond Panes Blocks: Patchwork Quilt Along with Fat Quarter Shop

We're midway through February, so that means we are already onto our second block in the Fat Quarter Shop 2017 Patchwork Quilt Along! Last month I shared my six Souvenir of Friendship blocks.  This month our block is called Diamond Panes.  It is a snap to sew together, and yet I made a silly mistake.  Whoops!

Here are my finished (accurate) blocks:

You may recall I am using the pretty Fleurs collection by Brenda Riddle (Moda) for my quilt. I just love sewing with this fabric, especially as I long for springtime to arrive in Minnesota!

The pattern calls for us to make (6) 5 1/2" blocks and the construction is simple. Yet for some reason, my brain must have wandered. I began sewing them together in Shoofly fashion. Here's a picture of my whoops moment. Seam ripper to the rescue!

As I was sewing my blocks together (correctly) I snapped a couple of pictures to share a tip with you. When you are pinning the sections together, it's a good idea to sew on the side with the half square triangles (left photo) rather than the side with the small middle square (right photo).

 

That will allow you to see the seam angle you want to "hit" with your needle for precise piecing! (You will also note that I pressed all of my seams open. I like pressing my seams open on smaller blocks.)

In case you are a new reader, this annual event hosted by Fat Quarter Shop is a charity quilt along.  The patterns are free and are posted on the 15^th of each month on the Jolly Jabber. Quilters are asked to donate $5 for each block pattern that they download.  All proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation!  What a great opportunity for us all!

It's not too late for you to join in the fun. Here’s an informational link which provides all the details:

https://blog.fatquartershop.com/patchwork-quilt-along.html

And here’s a link to the kit if you want to make one in Basics by Bonnie & Camille!

http://www.fatquartershop.com/patchwork-quilt-along-quilt-kit

Several other bloggers are quilting along! Please visit their blogs too!

Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl (@jedicraftgirl)

Amy of Diary of a Quilter (@diaryofaquilter)

Andy of A Bright Corner (@abrightcorner)

Bonnie of Cotton Way (@bonniecottonway)

Camille of Thimble Blossoms (@thimbleblossoms)

Debbie of Happy Little Cottage (@happylittlecottage1)

Greg of Grey Dogwood Studio (@greydogwoodstudio)

Heidi of Buttons and Butterflies (@buttonsandbutterflies)

Melissa of Happy Quilting (@happyquiltingmc)

Melissa of Oh How Sweet (@ohhowsweet)

Pat Sloan of PatSloan.com (@quilterpatsloan)

Renee of Sewn with Grace (@sewnwithgrace)

Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane (@downgrapevinelane)

Sherri of A Quilting Life (@aquiltinglife)

Sondra of Out of the Blue Quilts (@sondradavison)

Taunja of Carried Away Quilting (@taunjalynn)

Tina of Emily Ann's Kloset (@emilyannskloset)

Carrie Nelson/Miss Rosie of Moda Cutting Table

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to share your progress on the 2017 Patchwork Quilt Along Facebook group! And be sure to post your own blocks using the hashtag #patchworkquiltalong on Instagram!   

~Taunja

Impressions Orange Peel Templates: a giveaway with Fat Quarter Shop

Update: Giveaway closed 
Today seems like a great day to announce a fun giveaway with Fat Quarter Shop! In December I received their fabulous Sew Sampler box, and it included a set of Impressions Orange Peel Templates. That was the nudge I needed to begin my first orange peel quilt, and I’d love for one of you to win a set of Impressions Quilting Templates too!

To backtrack just a bit, I want to add a disclaimer.  I am not a hand applique expert . . . by any means!  But I do love hand binding, and I have been longing to do more hand sewing, more "slowdown sewing."  In fact, I blogged about that just last week. So I took a little leap of faith, relied on some techniques I know, and I’m winging it as I go. It feels really good!  I’ll share some of my thoughts with you in case you feel like throwing caution to the wind!

First I pulled some favorite cream-background prints from my Fig Tree stash.  They looked really pretty with the Moda CrossWeave (in sand) that I had on hand.  Fabric selection: check! Then I chose the 4” template because, to my eye, it looked like the right size for the prints.  (Again, winging it and loving it.  Go with your instincts, people!)

Next I pondered whether I would do fusible applique (which I’ve done before), needle turn applique (which sounded scary), or sew-in interfacing applique (which I’ve done once before and enjoyed). Since this project was intended to be slowdown sewing, I opted for the last option and traced about 8 orange peel shapes onto the interfacing just to get started.

Call me silly, but it’s fun to see the cherries through the traced shape! Time to begin sewing.

I shortened up my stitch length and used my walking foot to sew on the traced line.  I love my walking foot, but it does block the view of where the needle hits the line. I checked my stitches.  They looked good.

 

Still, I wondered if I should use my open toe foot (#20 on my Bernina) so that I could see the line better. I tried that, and my stitches looked fine that way too.  However, I didn’t enjoy stopping and pivoting around the curve.  So in the end I opted for my walking foot.  I’m the most comfortable with that, and I could ease around the shape without any stopping and pivoting.

After I had sewn interfacing to four different prints, I trimmed to within 1/4" of the traced shape.  I then cut an opening in the interfacing, turned the orange peel right side out, pushed out the corners as best I could, and pressed.

Typically a 4” orange peel would call for a 4 1/2” background square.  I cut my Moda Cross Weave squares to 5” because that woven fabric tends to fray a bit when you are handling it.  I will trim them up to 4 1/2” later when the hand sewing is all done. (Here's a picture of my sweet little needle book I made for this project. You can read about that here if you'd like: Simple Zipper Bag: Preparing for some "slowdown sewing".

I selected Aurifil 80wt applique thread number 2026 (chalk). This thread is silky smooth to the touch, but it is also strong.  I love how my stitches disappear into the fabric. And, I must say, I’m a little smitten with the wooden spool.

I only have four orange peels done, and my type A personality is totally fine with that.  No deadline.  No pressure.  Although . . . I can’t stop thinking about how I’d like an orange peel mini quilt hanging in a bare spot in my dining room . . . by summer would be nice. 

Update: Giveaway closed 
Would you like to win an Impressions Orange Peel Quilting Template set from Fat Quarter Shop? Then simply leave a comment below with your email address. Comments are open through 5:00pm (CST) on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at which time a random drawing will take place. We are also giving away a set on Instagram, so visit me at @taunjalynn for a second chance to win. This giveaway is also open to international customers.  Thank you so much for your generosity Fat Quarter Shop!

*Only one comment per person/per email address.  Email me if you are having trouble leaving a comment and I will leave a comment on your behalf (carriedawayquilting@gmail.com) 

Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

~Taunja

Window Garden pattern: Making a layer cake quilt using fat quarters

In September I released a layer cake pattern called Window Garden using a fresh, pretty collection from Moda, Olive’s Flower Market.  This quilt became an instant hit in my house, and my daughter adopted it for her room.  

Not to toot my own horn (ha!), but I really like the visual impact of this pattern and wanted to make one for my own bedroom. I decided to use warmer, deeper colors this time to coordinate with the navy accents in our bedroom. This seemed like the perfect time to break into some Tilda fabric I have been hoarding. 

Since I didn’t have a layer cake, I simply pulled my 10 favorite fat quarters from that bundle and cut all of the “layer cake parts” I needed for the pattern.  Bonus . . . I still have a nice bit of fabric left over from each fat quarter!  

Then I made up two test blocks.  I absolutely love how these colors are working together in this pattern.  I'm excited to see how this quilt will turn out!

My Window Garden pattern is made up of 20 blocks.  When using a layer cake that has no repeated prints, you would have 20 different blocks.  When using the “10 fat quarters” method, each print will be repeated.  I am pretty pleased with this outcome, because it means my 10 favorite Tilda prints will show up TWICE in my quilt. J

Perhaps you have 10 favorite fat quarters you’ve been hoping to pull together into a pretty quilt. Window Garden might be the right pattern for that project! You’ll just need some background and borders, and then you can get that sewing machine whirring! You can see my additional fabric choices in the picture below. I will be using the navy floral for the outer border, the olive green for the inner border, and the cream floral for the binding.

If you are interested in purchasing my Window Garden pattern, please visit your local quilt shop or one of my blog sponsors (see their logos in the left sidebar). You can also purchase directly from me.  Besides paper patterns, Window Garden is available as on my Etsy Shop. Quilt shop owners: wholesale information is available here.

I will keep you updated on my growing Window Garden quilt. I will be taking my time piecing this top, working on it in between projects that have a deadline. I don't mind going slowly, as this pretty project will be a treat to sew each time I go back to it. That's how sewing should be, right?

Thanks for stopping by the blog today! I hope you get carried away quilting real soon!

~Taunja

Simple Zipper Bag: Preparing for some "slowdown sewing"

This year I promised myself that I would do more “slowdown sewing.” It’s a loose term I’m using to define projects that . . .

a.  have no deadline

b.  probably involve some handwork

c.  possibly require me to learn a new technique or try a new product

d.  most likely can be done in a comfy chair while watching TV with the hubby or while travelling

That might sound like a silly definition. But in my mind, it makes perfect sense.  And since I’m the boss, I can refine this definition as I go along. I have to tell you, I’m feeling completely rejuvenated by this whole idea!

I have planned my first Slowdown Sewing Project, but I’m not going to share that with you quite yet. I got so excited by the thought of my first project that I had to make a quick pouch to store my supplies. Quilting friends, this was a totally fun sewing project.

I've made several zipped pouches in the past couple of years. This time I followed a wonderful video tutorial available from Fat Quarter Shop and Sherri McConnell: the Simple Zipper Bag. This webpage link also provides a supply list and several photos showing size options. I made their large bag (10" x 10 1/2"), but mine is actually 1" taller as I wanted a taller band of text fabric at the top.  It's very easy to customize this bag to suit your needs!

You could break open a new mini charm pack for this project, or use what you have on hand. I pulled some Fig Tree & Company favorites from my stash. Once I had the patchwork pieced, I quilted it using Aurifil 50 wt 2021 (natural white) and added a bit of crocheted trim and a button. The fun is in the details, isn't it?

You can see in the next picture that I've used a soft tan dot for my lining.  Perhaps my favorite thing about the construction of this bag is that we bind it like a small quilt.  It creates both a pretty and firm finished edge!

Since this bag will store my Aurifil 80 wt. hand applique thread for my first Slowdown Sewing Project (hint, hint), I decided to also make a needle book.  The text print from Fig Tree's Chestnut Street collection is just perfect for a needle book!

My needle book is very simple.  It doesn’t have any fancy compartments or doo-dads, but I think she’s pretty cute and will serve her purpose.

I encourage you to check out this tutorial by the Fat Quarter Shop, and I hope you’ll stop by again when I share my first Slowdown Sewing Project.  

Maybe you’ll even been inspired to sew along! :)

~Taunja