Basket Weave Block: (free) Pattern Review

Hey Folks!  It's FRIDAY!!!
I have a few more things to do today before I can officially give into weekend indulgences, and one of them is sharing a little pattern review with you!



I saw this stunning purple block from Nydia a few weeks ago. I became obsessed with it, and would seriously 'visit' the photo every couple days. I am not telling you this not to make you think I am a freak, but because it was one of those blocks that made me think 'that is way to gorgeous and hard for me to make!'


 Well I asked Nydia for her pattern, and she was generous enough to share it. She has posted a FANTASTIC (FREE) tutorial on her website.

Here are a few things I've learned:

• It is a dramatic looking block, but it is not hard to piece! Speaking as someone who is terrified of paper piecing, this is the perfect block for the first time pp'er or newbie. 
• It can be time consuming, if you are new to it and only work one quadrant at a time, but it has no weird angles, and is easy to do.
• Do a practice block. Once you get a feel for it, you can easily 'pseudo' chain piece and work on several quadrants at the same time. This reduces the trips to the ironing board- and makes it go a bit more quickly.
• I recommend using real foundation piecing paper, or a light weight craft paper. Copy paper can get a bit thick in some of the seams. The craft paper is easier to tear off at the end too, which means you don't have to shorten your stitch length quite so much. I used a fisher price 'Doodle Pad' that I got from a dollar store at a whopping $1.  It's just slightly heavier than newspaper and I printed the template straight onto it. Easy!
•  It is very scrap friendly.... but don't get too skimpy with your scraps, if your fabric moves you will have to rip a seam.  If you give yourself a little extra fabric to play with you can trim it neatly, and it will looks very crisp once complete.

Still scared? Don't be! I asked a few others what their first time with this block was like. They echoed the sentiment that it can be slow going at first, but is easy to do, and well worth the time!


(Nydia's color wheel interpretation)

 
(Katy is working on a beautiful aqua and green version) 

 

Give it a try- you won't regret it! Thanks for sharing this block Nydia!!
 

Tutorial: Bee Simple Block

You probably already know this, but online quilting bees are alot of fun. You get to try a bunch of different blocks, new techniques, meet new people, the works.   

One of the parts that I get so excited about is choosing a block for my bee-mates to sew.

I am always looking for blocks that are easy to cut in advance and are beginner friendly

This block fits the bill. 

Sure, it looks pretty tame.  But check out the digital quilt Sandy Kayser made from it.

Cool right?

Simple, modern, and looks harder than it is. Love it.

Wanna make one yourself? 

Or, better yet, wanna get your bee to make some for you? 

Here are the particulars-

I always give credit to where it is due- so you should know that this block is originally from a pattern from Quilt magazine June/July 2011 page 45, Deep Blue Seas by Nancy Rink. I am not taking credit for the block design. This tutorial is meant to be a helpful reference if you are making this block for personal use/bees. Because, let's face it. Most of us ignore the text directions and just look for photos anyway, right?

 

Materials:  For one 9” block (9.5” unfinished) 

 

1.      Place one Color 1 3x3” square and the Color 2 3x3” square right sides together. Line up edges.

2.      Sew along one edge, using a scant ¼” seam. (I recommend sewing off of a scrap, so that stitches on the edge don’t come loose)

 3.      Press the seam open.

 4.      Place the second Color 1 3x3” square right sides together to the Color 2 3x3” square. 

Line up edges.

*NOTE: If you are using a directional print, make sure the direction is the same on both sides

5.      Sew along one edge, using a scant ¼” seam. Press the seam open (not pictured). This is the center of the block.

6.      Place one of the long (3x8”) Color 1 pieces right sides together on to the pieced center.

7.      Sew along one edge, using a scant ¼” seam.

8.      Press the seam open.

 9.      You know what to do! Place the second long (3x8”) Color 1 piece right side together. 

10.  Sew along the edge using a scant ¼” seam (not pictured).  Press the seam open. You’re almost done!

11.  Now if you have been using a good scant ¼” seam you will have a little trimming to do before the last steps. We will be trimming to a perfect 8” square. This just makes it nice and neat in the end, and easier to add the sashing.  If you have used closer to a true ¼” seam, it should be exactly 8” square, and you can go to the next step.

To square my block to 8”, I place an 8.5” or 12.5” ruler on the block. Then Iine up the corner of the center square to near 2.75” and 5.25” along the diagonal (red arrows).  You can fudge it one way or the other to make sure you have at least 8” each direction, but this gives you a guide as far as where ‘center’ is.

12.  Sew the 2x8” sashing strip along the top (not along the long strip) using a scant ¼” seam.

13.  Press seam open

14.  Sew the 2x9.5” sashing strip along the side (along the long color 1 strip), using a scant ¼” seam.

15.  Press seam open

Flip you block over to the front, and enjoy your modern simple block!

 

Happy Sewing!

Tutorial: Scrappy Tree Ornament

I've done my best to give you a step by step picture tutorial, 
but this is my first tutorial, so speak up if you have questions or need clarification!

Here's what you'll need:

• Background fabric (about 8x4 inches per per ornament)
• Bright fabric scraps, in strips (generally 1-2 inches wide)
• Ribbon, ricrac, ace, or trimming of choice (get resourceful here)
• Regular Thread
  
• Embroidery floss or thick thread (not pictured)
• Poly fill (optional)
• Random round thing to trace (I used a tape roll)
• Fusible web (I used 'heat n bond')
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Sewing machine
• Iron

Ready to get started?!

 

Love this tutorial? Hate it? Don't get it? Let me know!  I'm always glad to get your feedback :)
If you've used this tute, take a moment to SHOW OFF!

Just leave a link to a picture of YOUR creation in the comments!

Spreading Christmas Cheer (A Tutorial for YOU)

A few weeks ago I sent my first swap parcel off.

It was for the 2011 Modern Christmas Tableruner Swap.

Not bad for a first time swapper, right?

My partner loves scrappy trees, so that was the inspiration for the little extra I sent along.

Get this- It only takes about 15 minutes and some scraps to make! (and who doesn't have scraps?)

It's cute.

It's simple.

...and now it's broken down into a tutorial, just for you!

CLICK HERE FOR THE STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL