Patty Pan: The Full Size Quilt

One of the first really big "fabric treats" I indulged in was a full FQ set of Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line.  She is one of my favorite fabric designers, and I'm always impressed with all the beautiful and quirky details that are included in her prints.

With this quilt, made up of 24-inch Patty Pan blocks, I found a way to use my loot while prominently featuring the intricate large-scale prints. This block structure allows for you to feature any 12-inch (finished) block in the center, making it perfect for sampler quilts, too.

I've been working away at this quilt for quite some time, so what follows is a pretty photo-heavy version of the whole process!

Quilt Pattern Debut: Patty Pan

I'm pleased to share the release of a summery new quilt pattern: Patty Pan!

Named after the delicious summer squashes with ridged edges about to hit farmers markets (I hope!), this block design uses half-square triangles to create zig-zag frames for your favorite "centerpiece" fabrics.

"Patty Pan," in some places, can also mean that little ridged paper cupcake/muffin wrapper, also a nice match for this shape. (If you are a Beatrix Potter aficionado, you also might know one of my favorites, The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan...)

The pattern contains cutting and piecing instructions for three block sizes with varying difficulty (based solely on size):

A Home for my Mini-Quilt

Finally, finally, I figured out what to do with my spider legs mini quilt! Summer, for me, means quite a bit of free time, so I've been chipping away at non-sewing projects.

For over a year, my experiment with circular improv chevrons sat on my DVD player (gathering dust). Does this happen to your projects?

Summer Job-ette + Studio Scraps Giveaway

I am very happy to share that I'll be spending some time this summer working at South Street Linen, a gorgeous little apparel and home goods shop that features artist-designed gems made from highest-quality linen.

The brainchild of three talented Maine artists, the shop carries luxe, handmade clothing, accessories, and table linens, perfect for someone like me with fabric on the brain.  Obviously, this is one of my favorite spots:

As for my favorite new item, this scarf is pretty amazing... c'mon, magenta stitching?!?

Photo Credit: South Street Linen

Much of South Street's work features hand-printed fabric, and to celebrate my new job, I'm giving away a pack of linen studio scraps! It includes everything pictured below, plus a couple surprises.

Some pieces include hand-printed proofs that may or may not have made it to production, making them absolutely one-of-a-kind. They're perfect for small projects or as accents on a quilt, and I'm currently working on an all-linen quilt top experiment.

Whiskers: a Free Baby Quilt Pattern

It's no secret: cats are my favorite.

"Cat" was my second word, I'm told.

I've got one on my lap right now (he loves computing).

If I'm at your house, and you have a cat, I'll find it and pet it. Even if there is a party going on.

(I like dogs, too, don't worry.)

Inspired by the inventive work of many paper-piecing designers, I thought about creating a cat quilt block that would satisfy my own sensibilities about using animals--not too cartoony or literal, and more geometric and silhouette-ish.

I was also a bit tired of paper-piecing for hours and only having half a block to show for it, so I wanted to create templates that would result in a big, easy quilt block.

The result:  Whiskers!