What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Are you ready to immerse yourself in a tropical paper-piecing paradise? Get ready to explore a vibrant world of brilliant color and timeless quilt blocks with Fat Quarter Shop’s Dragon Fruit Block of the Month!

Dragon Fruit pairs Tula Pink’s modern fabric with Fat Quarter Shop’s Foundation Paper Piecing Pads. Your blocks will quickly take shape with detailed cutting guides and fabric placement instructions for the Log Cabin, Courthouse Steps, Square in a Square, Economy, Flying Geese and Snail Trail Foundation Papers that finish at 4″, 6″, and 12″. With our foundation paper pads, getting accurate points ...

Everywhere I go I’m seeing the cutest bunnies for Easter decorating. I found these at Walmart…cute and affordable.

For my front door, I made these moss bunny beauties from Dollar Tree items…

They were amazingly fun and easy to construct. I found this idea on Pinterest.

This is my fave paper pieced bunny block pattern… BUNNY WITH FLOWERS.

I’ve used this block in lots of projects. I love animals with flowers on their heads.

Here are some of my other bunny blocks…LOP EARED BUNNY

Here’s the same lop bunny with a bow… LOP BUNNY WITH ...

Oh, say, do you see… another fun quilt along! Show your love of all things Red, White, and Blue with The Heart of America four-part quilt along. The beautiful Heart of America Quilt pays homage to the land we love (and as a bonus, it meets the size and design requirements to be a Quilt of Valor)! 

The Heart of America Quilt is a beautiful medallion design that finishes at 60.5″ x 70.5″ It’s precut-friendly, too! It starts with a fat eighth bundle and some yardage for the background and accent.

Quilt Along Supplies

Although we sold ...

The Koala quilt from my newest book, HOME SWEET HOME PAPER PIECING, is being featured in Homespun Magazine’s February/March 2024 issue.

This charming little quilt combines paper piecing and applique to create a ” juvenile jungle” for your child. This Koala is one of many adorable animal patterns in the book.

Sea turtles, hedgehogs, monkeys and much more….

I’m in love with this sweet sea turtle. All square blocks measure 8″ x 8″ unfinished, and can be used in every project in this book, as well as my previous 6 books. This means you can be super creative ...

Oh, say, do you see… another fun quilt along! Show your love of all things Red, White, and Blue with The Heart of America four-part quilt along. The beautiful Heart of America Quilt pays homage to the land we love (and as a bonus, it meets the size and design requirements to be a Quilt of Valor)! 

The Heart of America Quilt is a beautiful medallion design that finishes at 60.5″ x 70.5″ It’s precut-friendly, too! It starts with a fat eighth bundle and some yardage for the background and accent.

You can find all the supplies ...

To welcome the New Year and hopefully clear out some of the quilts, I am having a sale in my Etsy shop starting on the 1/1/24 and lasting for 1 week.

In addition I am also offering a one-off 10% discount on all handmade quilts.

If you had your eye on one of my patterns or quilts, head over to the ETSY shop to take advantage of the offer.

Karin

No change in the numbers, a miracle considering all the opportunities I had to buy fabric this week.

I had a Guild meeting yesterday and the free table was bursting with books and magazines. There was also a buy a bin for $1 sale. This is what I brought home, although I often look at the magazines and take them back. I only pulled out a couple things for a closer look.

The quilt pattern came from the thrift shop. I took a chance because the package was taped shut, but it looks like I scored the entire pattern. It ...

Every year I create home made gifts for my pickleball crew. There are 8 of us and we play 3 times a week, so we have gotten very close. I want this gift to be pickleball related, but also practical. This year, I used some adorable novelty fabric (Elizabeth Studios Pickleball Paddles on White 683 Fabric) to sew SWEAT RAGS. I found my fabric at a local quilt shop, MY FAVORITE QUILT SHOP, in Green Bay, WI.

I simply purchased soft terry washcloths, ripped open any side seams…

tucked the pickleball fabric under the opened seam…

and sewed the seam ...

And then after Tracy alerted me to this I found one of my patterns that I submitted to Quiltmaker by the seller referenced in Tracy’s post. I designed a quilt.Hours of work designing and getting the color to work for the quilt top.Selected fabric for said quilt.Cut said fabric up, pieced and quilted it while… Continue reading Help a Quilter, or 100+ Out

Hi! I’m Mary Hertel. Welcome to my newest book “HOME SWEET HOME Paper Piecing“. Featuring 17 of my favorite block patterns, and 7 charming projects, this book is guaranteed to provide hours of creative fun for you.

If you are new to paper piecing, you can rely on any of my books to provide step by step directions. To give you even more assistance, visit me at madebymarney.com to watch paper piecing tutorials.

Did you know that as you paper piece, the block is created on the back of the paper pattern, and will be the opposite of ...

Everyone knows how much I love to design animal patterns. Here is my newest paper pieced pattern, A DOG FOR ALL SEASONS.

This adorable pattern includes all 4 blocks, LABRADOR WITH BUTTERFLY (spring); BEAGLE WITH FLOWER (summer); RETRIEVER WITH PUMPKIN (autumn); FRENCH BULLDOG WITH SCARF (winter). Use them to create pillows, potholders, or a lovely table runner for the dog lover in your life. You can keep these projects out all year!

Although they are all super cute, I am partial to this LABRADOR! He’s my fave. All of the block ...

Attention all quilting and sewing enthusiasts! Get ready to be captivated by the extraordinary talent of our Sewcialites. They recently took over our Instagram, sharing personal stories and their knowledge, skills, and insider tricks. And that's not all! Be prepared to be endlessly inspired by their latest projects. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a beginner on your creative journey, our Sewcialites have something for everyone that can take your quilting game to the next level. And Who are our Sewcialites, you may wonder? They are a group of 10 of the best creative and passionate quilting and ...

 It has been a long time since I shared some of the photos I receive from quilters who made quilts using my patterns. I love seeing them and I thought you might too.

First up is this colorful Wiggle Time quilt.  Sadly I can't find who sent this one to me.  But I always love when quilter use a print background on this pattern.

Sue just recently sent this picture to me.  She has made quite a few quilts from my Wiggle Time pattern.  I love it in blue and I also love the diagonal grid quilting she did ...

My newest book, HOME SWEET HOME PAPER PIECING, is ready for you to enjoy.

This book features 17 of my FAVORITE BLOCK PATTERNS, and I want to share them with you. Koalas, monkeys, sea turtles, gnomes, and so much more.

This is just a sampling of the adorable blocks, and there are 10 more!

Remember…all of my blocks will fit not only in the 7 projects in this book, but will also fit into the projects in my past 6 books. That helps you achieve soooo much creativity in your sewing.

Here’s an example…

This super cute HEDGEHOG ...

Get this Christmas quilt pattern for beginners, make it fast, and add whimsy to your holiday decor. You may want to make extras as gifts!

Photo by Annie’s. Used with permission.

I designed Starry Night for Exclusively Annie’s with the Blizzard collection by Moda Fabrics. It measures 36″ x 36″ with 5″ and 6-3/4″ blocks. I just got it back, and I tell you, I am tempted to hang it up right now instead of waiting all the way until December!

The blocks are very easy to make, so this project is ideal for newcomers to the ...

It’s time for the third release in our 10th Annual Charity Quilt, Bountiful! We can’t wait to see your Sunflower blocks! Be sure to read to the end of the post for our third Bountiful Charity Cross Stitch release.

DOWNLOAD THE SUNFLOWER BLOCK PATTERN

The third pattern release is the Sunflower blocks, and they’re ready to bloom! You’ll need to make two of these for the quilt. We’re sewing with the Sunwashed collection by Corey Yoder for Moda Fabrics. If you’re sewing with something different, download the fabric requirements to make this year’s ...

Download this easy scrappy quilt PDF pattern today and make a masterpiece using your own fabrics or your favorite collection.

Here and There quilt pattern

Introducing my latest pattern: Here and There. It is easy, fast, and perfect for beginner quilters. The quilt measures 53″ x 67″ – the blocks finish at 6″. You will make half-square triangles and Stitch and Flip squares onto rectangles. That’s it!

I chose batiks from the Tonga Mariposa collection by Timeless Treasures because I loved its palette! However, this stash-buster pattern will make a good dent in your fabric ‘collection’. This fabric line is ...

We are thrilled to announce our free Rail Fence Quilt Pattern! This FREE layout guide is perfect for quilters of all levels and comes in several size options, so you can make a quilt that fits your needs. If you love easy patchwork quilts, this Jelly Roll-friendly Rail Fence Quilt Pattern will surely become a favorite.

How to Make a Rail Fence Quilt

Rail Fence quilts are a classic patchwork design of blocks made from fabric strips arranged in a repeating pattern. Sometimes they form stairsteps, and sometimes they’re set on a diagonal to form W shapes. It’s ...

How about a quilt with floral fabrics as an indoor garden? Spring is a yearlong season when you are surrounded by flowers at home!

Photo by Adam Albright for American Patchwork and Quilting. Used with permission.

If you do not have a green thumb like yours truly, cultivating flowers of the textile type can be a fantastic alternative! Garden Gate, my newest quilt, just published in the June 2023 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting, might convince you to try my gardening tip! Garden Gate was made with the Sundance collection by Moda Fabrics. It measures 64-1/2″ x 78-1/2 ...

Get ready to roll with my TOP TEN jelly roll quilt patterns! I’ve collected some of my favorite jelly roll-friendly quilt patterns to share with you.

If you’re new to quilting, Jelly Rolls are 2.5″ x 42″ strips that also go by Bali Pops, Roll-Ups, Rolie Polies, or Design Rolls (depending on the manufacturer). But no matter what you call them, they’re fun to sew with and oh so, pretty.

All these quilts listed below are available in paper and PDF versions, and if you’d like to see the full video of my picks, read ...