What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Last year you all shared a lot of love for my new buffalo check patterns, which included two bed quilts (Buffalo Check Winter and Buffalo Check Autumn) and the Buffalo Check Christmas Runner. I also heard from some of you that while you like table runners, you really prefer table toppers! Well, I aim to please, so I came up with a new pattern, my Buffalo Check Table Topper, which is really two patterns in one. Yes, this pattern will provide instructions to make either a Halloween or Christmas table topper for your home!

The Buffalo Check Table Topper finishes ...

Spring is slowly arriving in Minnesota. It’s a joy to hear the robins tweeting in the evergreen outside my window. I am so excited for my grass to green, the perennials to peek out from the soil, and the trees to bud. But we quilters also know that in a month or two, several wonderful Christmas and winter fabric collections will be hitting the stores, and we have to be prepared! As crazy as it sounds, now is the time to plan any quilts you may want to have completed by next Christmas. I hope that my Star Crossed ...

Hello quilting friends! I haven’t posted on my blog in about a month, and a few of you have noticed. I’ve received some sweet emails and messages, just checking in to see if everything is okay in the Carried Away Quilting sewing room. All is well here, I’ve just been busy behind the scenes.  I do have some fun things to show you in the coming weeks, including a new pattern.

Today I thought I’d share progress on a winter project that I just got back from the machine quilter, my Fat Quarter Lattice quilt. I ...

Over the years I have collected a small library of quilt patterns and books. On evenings when I am too tired to sew but have quilting on my mind, I enjoy perusing them and pondering future projects. My husband approves of this pastime as well, because it means he gets to control the clicker and can watch golf, or fishing or some other sporting event on TV without me complaining.

Recently, we shared just such an evening of marital bliss . . . Brad watching “Wicked Tuna” and Taunja thumbing through her pattern collection . . . when I came across “Boat Day” by the Pattern ...

How is it Friday already??  I went through some of my fabrics that I have made a few quilts from and decided to liberate some more fabric.  I hope you will be excited to give my fabric a new place to call home.  My home is smoke free and cat friendly.  Buyer pays shipping.  PLEASE leave me an email if you claim something as otherwise I have no way to get in touch with you.  Shipping will be

How many of you talk to yourself when sewing?  Do you praise the pretty fabric you are pressing? Do you let out hoots of laughter or even exclaim, “YES!” when a block comes together just right? Do you repeat the cutting instructions to yourself aloud to make sure you’re slicing in the correct spot?

I’m not embarrassed to say that I do all of those things. (I also chew myself out when I make a mistake, but let’s not dwell on that.) This past weekend I was chatting up a storm to my own best sewing friend ...

Our nephew Adam will graduate from high school this May, and I’ve completed his flannel quilt with a few months to spare.  Last fall I asked Adam if he had any special requests for his graduation quilt, or if he would trust me to select the pattern and colors. He texted back, “I trust you Aunt Taunja. Go for it!”  He’s such a great kid. I hope he loves his quilt!

This past year I’ve made three quilts featuring the Farmhouse Flannels II collection by Primitive Gatherings for Moda: one for my husband, one for my son ...

Hello quilting friends! Last October I shared sneak peek photos of another winter quilt I was working on, a Christmas version of my Star Watch pattern featuring fabrics by Deb Strain (Moda). This festive quilt is now complete, and yesterday I took several photos to share with you.

My daughter was home this weekend and commented that she hoped this quilt was for her, as she really loved the striking black and red, the buffalo checks and plaids, and the deer head motif. The traditional holiday elements have a slightly contemporary feeling thanks to that color combination, we decided. Sadly ...

Several years ago, I made a simple patchwork quilt of five-inch squares for the new granddaughter of a dear friend. I was tickled to learn that the baby’s mother was using this quilt to track her daughter’s growth!  Each month she took a photograph of the baby on the patchwork quilt, documenting how she stretched in length. This was this inspiration for my newest quilt pattern, By the Hours.

I’ve always loved the simple beauty of the Hourglass block. The name alone, indicating passing time, makes it fitting to use in a baby’s growth quilt. In ...

Hello quilting friends!  Today I’m happy to share a new tutorial with you, the Fat Quarter Lattice Quilt. In December I shared my original version of the quilt with you, promising that I would follow up with a free tutorial. Armed with some beautiful Holly Taylor prints that I purchased from LouLou’s Fabric Shop, I was able to make a second quilt, testing my instructions and taking photographs along the way. I think you will find this to be a fun and easy project, and one that will look terrific in any fabric collection you choose!

Fat Quarter ...

We weren’t able to celebrate with Emilee in person. As a young nurse at a large hospital, she was scheduled to work both Christmas Eve day and Christmas Day. But our son celebrated with ...

Last spring, I made a college graduation quilt for Haley’s boyfriend. When I showed it to my husband, he asked, “Is that for me?” He knew darn well that it was for Cameron, but I felt a twinge of guilt. I realized I hadn’t made a quilt just for Brad in several years. When I told him that I’d make him one for Christmas, he asked for an exact replica of Cam’s quilt. Even though it won’t be much of a surprise, I’m still excited to see him open his present next week. I ...

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! If you love Marcia Brady as much as we do, get excited! 

Last year, Maureen McCormick (aka Marcia Brady) visited Missouri to meet Jenny. Maureen is an avid quilter and just as sweet in person as she was on TV. (Click HERE to watch the video!)

Now, Maureen has her own fabric collection with Moda, and Jenny used it to whip up a flower applique quilt made with quick and easy half-square triangles. 

These pretty blocks can be laid out in dozens of ways. And whether you choose pinwheels, chevrons, or square-in-a-square, you’ll have a groovy ...

Welcome December and welcome to the Modabakeshop Countdown to Christmas 2020. This year’s theme is Winter Frost. The Moda Bakers will be sharing a block each day, so make sure you visit the Bakeshop in December to bake your own delightfully, chilled quilt. Dec 1 starts with my winter palace block – 18″ x 18″...

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Hello quilting friends! I’m popping in quickly to let you know that LouLou’s Fabric Shop has restocked fabric kits for my Buffalo Check Winter pattern!  LouLou’s offered kits when the pattern released in August, but they quickly sold out. Here's your second chance to nab one!

Remember, the pattern is a digital (PDF) pattern which needs to be purchased from my Etsy shop. The fabric kits are available directly from LouLou’s.

That’s the post. I told you I was popping in quickly. Have a great day everyone!

~Taunja

This weekend I was seized by the desire to decorate for the holidays. I don’t usually pull out my Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. But this year is different. We’ve had three snowfalls since the middle of October. Our extended families won’t be gathering for Thanksgiving due to the pandemic. I rarely leave the house anymore. I’m not whining or complaining, I’m just deciding to make the best of it and give myself a warm hug. As one of my Instagram friends said, “Bring on the merry!” That’s exactly what I decided to do all ...

This past week we experienced unseasonably warm weather.  November high temps in the 70s are rare in Minnesota. The snow we received in October disappeared quickly, and we were able to get outside to finish our autumn yard chores and enjoy the sunshine.  But mother nature can’t fool me.  I know that bitter cold and mounds of white stuff are just around the corner. So, I embraced the inevitable and sewed up this pretty snowflake pillow.

I’m pleased to tell you that the snowflake block is a free pattern from Highway 10 Designs, a Canadian based design team ...

I got a little sidetracked this weekend, quilting friends.  I had fully intended to organize the scrap baskets and shelves in my fabric closet. Unfortunately, I was easily distracted by a bin of festive Sweetwater Christmas prints I had saved from past projects. So instead of organizing, I found myself cutting and sewing. Before I knew it, I had made four holiday Economy Blocks to share with you.

Just in case you missed my most recent posts, I’ve provided a detailed tutorial on making these 4 1/2” Economy Blocks from your stash. Let me warn you though, you ...