Cosmic Red and White Baby Quilt

As part of my recent dive back into doing more sewing, I decided to tackle some WIPs.  I found these three Sun, Please!  blocks (from two years ago!) and decided to feature them on a simple, gender-neutral red and white baby quilt.

This quilt measures about 42 inches square, and I love the contrast created by the simple layout and palette against the intricate paper-pieced block design of the suns.

Summer Finish Roundup

Nooootttt so much sewing over here this Fall! And it is certainly Fall up here! We've had a few very cold nights, and I've busted out my warm slippers.

As we move forward, I thought I'd record the work I did this summer as a way to reset and recharge for some cosy, stitchy evenings to come.

Back in May (ok, pre-Summer) I decided to devote my Summer to WIPs when I finished this quilt top.  I just finished the quilt as my last Summer project!  That full circle is really satisfying.

Cats love quilts.  I made a quilt that loves cats back (with a free pattern!).

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!

Paper-Piecing Tutorials: Do It Your Way

Over time, I've received many requests from people who want to learn paper-piecing, but aren't sure where to start. I've created a Paper-Piecing page on this blog that shows the basic steps I take, but I want to give credit to the amazing work others have done, and avoid reinventing the wheel!  

In addition, I urge you to find the method that looks the most normal and logical to you, since there are endless ways to achieve wonderful results.