The Centerpiece Tablemat: a pattern by Sweet Treasures Quilts

I’m really excited to share today’s project, the Centerpiece Tablemat!  This terrific pattern was designed by Terri Staats, owner of Sweet Treasures Quilts. Simply select a pretty focal fabric and coordinating 1 1/2” strips and you can whip together a 21” octagon shaped tablemat in no time!

Maybe you have purchased some of those cute Moda Honeybun rolls of 1 1/2” fabric strips, but you haven’t used them yet. This would be a great project for a Honeybun. Or you could create your own 1 1/2” strips from your stash.  That’s what I did!

My Centerpiece Tablemat features a beautiful floral print from Fig Tree’s Strawberry Fields Revisited collection, surrounded by a smattering of other Fig Tree fabrics making up the strips. This project is a reminder to never throw away our treasured scraps!  Look at the loveliness we can create with 1 1/2” strips!

Terri’s pattern instructions and illustrations are top-notch!  She teaches classes at her sewing studio in Keiser, Oregon, and her teacher personality comes through in her patterns, with helpful tips and easy-to-follow instructions! I thoroughly enjoyed this project.

I quilted my tablemat using a 1” grid.  As you can see in the photo below, I like to use quilter’s tape to mark my stitching line. I began by quilting one line right down the center.  However, when I laid down my large rulers to plan out the remaining quilting lines, I noticed that I didn’t like where the one-inch stitch lines would land “in the ditch” of the outer strips. So I put my seam ripper to work and removed that first on-center stitch. I then laid out my grid so that the true center of the tablemat is in between of my first two stitching lines.

This photo shows how the outer quilting lines land in the center of the border strips.  I’m really happy with how this turned out, and it was such an easy quilting process using quilter’s tape.

I backed my tablemat with the cream floral from Fig Tree’s Ella & Ollie collection and bound it with a red gingham from their Strawberry Fields Revisited collection.  All told, I believe I have used at least six past Fig Tree collections in this fun project!

The Centerpiece Tablemat is a great weekend project and would make a lovely gift! You can purchase the pattern from Sweet Treasures Quilts. If you don’t feel like you have a great stash of fabrics to pull from, Terri and her team have also created several kits using lovely Moda collections! I have shared Terri’s photos with links to the individual kits below.

Winter Version

features "Return to Winter's Lane" by Kate & Birdie

Valentine Version

features "Love You" by Sandy Gervais

Patriotic Version

features red, white and blue prints by Bonnie & Camille

Red & Taupe Version

features "Project Red" by Sweetwater Fabrics

If you are looking for a homemade gift idea, the Centerpiece Tablemat is just the ticket.  It’s quick and easy, and really lends itself to some assembly line sewing. You could probably get carried away and crank out several in one weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Taunja

Cloth book panel winners! Thanks Quilt Girls!

It's time to announce our cloth book panel giveaway winners, thanks to the generous folks at Quilt Girls! Shop owner Patricia was kind enough to send me FOUR cloth book panels, which will go to four lucky readers!

If you haven't entered one of my giveaways before, my scientific method for selecting a winner is to copy and paste all of the comments into an Excel spreadsheet.  Then I do several sorts to rearrange the entries. Then I ask a family member to “say a number.” Today the lucky guy to holler some winning numbers from the front yard was my husband, Brad.  So you can thank him if you won, and scold him if you didn’t!

The winners are: Brooke R., Linda msstitcher, Annette E, and Britany-The Mouse Quilts.  I will be in touch with you so that I can ship out your panels!

Quilting friends, please visit the Quilt Girls website and check out their terrific selection of book panels, quilt panels and novelty fabrics! You’ll be so inspired for homemade gift-giving!

~Taunja 

Cloth book giveaway with Quilt Girls!

One of the easiest and most gratifying homemade gifts you can make for a child is a cloth book. It's wonderful to give a gift that teaches and nurtures at the same time! The kind folks at Quilt Girls recently sent me FOUR book panels so that we could run a giveaway for my readers. Isn't that nice?

Here are the four darling panels we'll be giving away. (You can click on the links below to see full photos of the panels.)  Details on how to enter are at the bottom of this post.

Dino Party

Ducky Tales 

I Ruff You  

Little Star

MY CLOTH BOOK PROJECTS:

Quilt Girls has an amazing selection of cloth panel books, including classic/vintage stories, ABC/123 primers, holiday stories, and contemporary characters. I’ve made three cloth books in the past and blogged about them. You can read about those projects here:

I Love to Gobble You Up

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 

Fun in Somebunny’s Garden

Note: I included some of my own tips and instructions in this post!

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me why you'd like to make a cloth book. Be sure to include your email address. The giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only due to the high rate of international shipping. Comments are open through 1:00 pm (CST) on Sunday, July 29. At that time, I will do a random drawing and announce the winners. 

*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)

Please visit the Quilt Girls website and check out their terrific selection of book panels, quilt panels and novelty fabrics.  Thanks so much for stopping by today, and thank you to Quilt Girls for their generous offer!

~Taunja

Custom kits featuring Christmas Figs by Fig Tree & Company

It’s the middle of summer in my neck of the woods, which of course means days filled with sunshine, warm temperatures and outdoor activities.  It also means that it’s time for many quilters to begin working on . . . Christmas quilts!

I know, I know . . . you may not be ready to think about winter and the holiday season, but the truth is, now is the time to get started! I thought I’d help you out by kitting two of my festive patterns, Welcome Home Wreath and Starry Way, using the brand new Christmas Figs collection by Fig Tree & Company for Moda! I’ve made up a new sample of Welcome Home Wreath, and I love how she turned out!

Welcome Home Wreath is a 48 1/2" x 48 1/2" wall hanging or table topper that will add a warm holiday spirit to your home. The pattern calls for one mini charm pack and coordinating yardage, for a scrappy, homespun feel. You may notice in my sample that I also used a bit of the red text print from Fig Tree's Ella & Ollie collection. 

My Welcome Home Wreath sample was custom quilted by Starlit Bear of Starlit Quilts.  As I’m writing this blog post, I realize that I don’t have the words to adequately describe how awesome her quilting is.  Marvelous, beautiful, inspiring, amazing . . . seriously, Star’s talent is the kind that just makes me shake my head in wonder. Thank you, Star, for transforming my sweet top into a much treasured quilt.

If you’d like to make a Welcome Home Wreath for your home, my kits include the pattern plus Christmas Figs fabric for the top, back and binding. I even tucked in a strip of the Ella & Ollie red text print if you’d like to pull that into your design like I did. The kits are available on my Etsy Shop with two different backing fabric options (as shown below).

I’ve also kitted my Starry Way table runner pattern with the Christmas Figs collection.  I don’t have a new sample to show you, but I think it’s easy to see how lovely Starry Way would look using Christmas Figs.  The table runner kit is available on my Etsy Shop. The kit includes the pattern plus Christmas Figs fabric for the top, back and binding.

Here is the original Starry Way, which featured a Basic Grey line called Juniper Berry.  This charm pack friendly table runner finishes at 40” x 20”, a terrific size for your table or buffet. This pattern would be delightful sewn up in Christmas Figs!

Please note that I am not a fabric store, and I only purchase a small supply of fabric annually for use in my pattern design. So these kits are limited in number and once they are gone, they are gone. The Ella & Ollie kits I created this spring sold out quickly, but please remember that my blog sponsors (whose logos run along the left-hand side of my website) typically carry the same collections that I describe in my blog posts. They are all wonderful folks who would love to help you custom curate a kit with their fabric supplies. 

Both the Welcome Home Wreath and Starry Way kits are now available on my Etsy Shop. You will find complete details and pricing there. Thanks so much for stopping by! 

~Taunja

Pinwheel pincushion featuring Sunnyside Up

I’m a big fan of Moda fabric designer Corey Yoder. I’ve made several projects with three of Corey’s recent collections (Sundrops, Flower Mill, and Pepper & Flax). So imagine my delight when Corey was kind enough to send me a scrap bag of sample fabric from her upcoming collection, Sunnyside Up! I picked through all of the yummy fabric morsels and selected these prints to make a dimensional pinwheel pincushion.

Besides her charming floral designs, Corey’s use of color always draws me in. She has a knack for selecting happy, cheerful hues that are warm and deep. They feel saturated but soft at the same time.

I absolutely love the orchid purple that Corey incorporated into Sunnyside Up. I wish more fabric collections included a bit of purple. It really makes the other colors sing!

The pinwheel pincushion is a free video tutorial from Fat Quarter Shop. Do you know what I love best about this project, besides the fact that it was quick and easy? It’s the perfect “play with fabric” project. I love digging around in my scraps, buttons and trims and deciding what combinations I like best. During that process, I make quite a mess, but that is part of the fun! Creative mess is good for the soul!

Just one note about this project: The video instructs us to stuff the pin cushion (with polyfil) and then attach the button when done, to achieve a tufting effect. However, I like to fill my pincushions with crushed walnut shells, so that is what I used. I attached the button to the top before assembling and filling the pincushion. You could go either route!

I still have bits and pieces from the scrap bag Corey sent me, and I promise to put them to good use. For now, they are on my cutting table adding sunshine to the room. Sunnyside Up is due to hit stores in November.  I can hardly wait!

Thank you all for stopping by the blog today. I hope you get carried away making a creative mess real soon!

~Taunja

Other projects featuring Corey Yoder Fabric:

·        Barn Star quilt featuring Pepper & Flax by Corey Yoder

·        Fun project alert: the jelly roll rug!

·        Harmony: a finished quilt for Haley

·        On Point pillow: a mini charm pack project featuring Sundrops

·        New Charm Pack pattern: Diamond Trail

·        Sundrops on my Pinafore bag

June Sew Sampler box with Fat Quarter Shop

Hello quilting friends!  I can't believe how quickly this summer is flying by. And I can't believe that it's already July 11 and I’m just now sharing my giddiness over the June Sew Sampler box from Fat Quarter Shop. This box is called Block Party, but it sure made me want to throw a sewing room party! Woo hoo!  Look at these goodies!

Until the Sew Sampler box arrived, I had not yet seen Bonnie & Camille’s new Vintage Holiday fabric in person.  It is absolutely darling, in true Bonnie & Camille fashion! Those sweet folks at Fat Quarter Shop didn’t just tuck in ONE charm pack.  Nope, they tucked in TWO charm packs of Vintage Holiday, plus the cutest coordinating enamel pin and an ArtBin case to store my charm packs!

Rounding out the fun are two patterns and a Cupcake Mix recipe pack from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company! Here’s a complete list of the items in the June box:

~ 2 Vintage Holiday Charm Packs by Bonnie & Camille for Moda ~ 

~ Cupcake Mix Recipe #4 ~

~ Winterville Enamel Pin by Thimble Blossoms ~

~ Clearview Artbin Case (Charm Pack Storage!) ~

~ Cupcake Crossings Quilt Pattern ~

~ Barn Block Recipe #3 ~

plus COUPONS & SPECIAL OFFERS!

If you haven't signed up for this monthly subscription box and want to know more, just follow this link:  Sew Sampler box from Fat Quarter Shop. These boxes are an incredible value. You may also cancel at any time, giving you total flexibility.

While I always love receiving fabric in the Sew Sampler boxes, I also find that I’m trying (and loving) notions that I typically wouldn’t buy for myself. When I start to feel a little greedy with all of the goodies I’m accumulating, I give some of these treasures to friends and family. Receiving and giving . . . double the joy!

Thanks for stopping by, quilting friends! Have a great day!

~Taunja

Say hello to Primrose Cottage Quilts

This past weekend we celebrated Independence Day at my mom’s home on Lake Minnewaska in west central Minnesota. We had loads of fun, ate too much, chatted and laughed, watched the fireworks and enjoyed the beauty of the lake.  My Star Spangled quilt also made the trip so that I could take a few finished shots to share with you!  

It was a humid, hazy and slightly breezy afternoon as I tried to take these photos. It’s not the easiest task, let me tell you! But I love this quilt and the cheerful, festive vibe it gives off.  I look forward to taking it out every year in July, either as a table topper or a "welcome to our home" decoration.

You may recall that this Star Spangled quilt was a block of the month program with Fort Worth Fabric Studio and their pattern designer, Lindsey Weight. Fort Worth Fabric Studio is one of my oldest blog sponsors, and one of the great by-products of that relationship has been getting to know Lindsey.  She is talented, upbeat, and full of pretty project ideas.

In addition to being a designer and blogger for Fort Worth Fabric Studio, Lindsey and her mom Nettie have also started their own quilting business called Primrose Cottage Quilts, located in St. George, Utah.   

Lindsey sells her independent patterns through their online shop, and they also offer longarm quilting AND binding services! Lindsey quilted my Star Spangled quilt with this fun pattern called “Modern Twist.”  I absolutely love it!

I hope you’ll visit the Primrose Cottage Quilts website to learn more about their products and services. Their website is super easy to navigate. You’ll notice that machine quilting services can be “ordered” online using a handy submission form. They also have detailed instructions on preparing your top for quilting. While you are visiting their website, be sure to sign up for their newsletter so you receive information on sales and pattern releases!

I want to extend my best wishes to the gals at Primrose Cottage Quilts as they build their new business and share their talents with the quilting community! And thank you all for stopping by the blog today.  Now go and get carried away quilting!

~Taunja