I am offering a new, 3 hour virtual workshop on Zoom where I will teach my Selvage Whirlwind Pattern. It’s such a fun project! It’s appropriate for a beginner quilter through advanced. And you do not have to have a ready to go collection of selvages. We will only sew a block or two during class. I will show you how to cut your selvages and you can cut some during class off yardage from your stash. Click here to read all about it and register ..read more

The “spring” weather in New England hasn’t been kind. It’s been cold, rainy, and very windy, making quilt photos extra challenging. I finally got some pictures that are decent enough to share. This is my new design called Dovetails. The word dovetails refers to the way that the pieced sections join together in a way that is similar to dovetails in woodworking. Thank you to Karen Miller for the name suggestion! Recently, I shared images of this jean jacket that I modified using this block design. I was inspired by all of the quilt-y clothing worn and photographed at QuiltCon this year. I thou ..read more

Blocks must ship by May 24th.  There’s a long sign up period this time because I have been getting lots of requests for a new round but am also trying to work around a busy spring with a graduating senior. So I had to make the dates work for me. But this way, you know it’s coming and you can start sewing right away. Why swap?  Well, if you are working on this quilt, you quickly find yourself running out of fussy cuts from your stash.  By swapping, you will receive a variety of fussy cut blocks to include in your quilt top. You also meet new quilting friends from all over the wo ..read more

Over the summer, I lost an old friend and recently learned that she left me an inheritance. I would like to share some of the items with you because I know that if you are reading this blog, you will appreciate them. And I would like others to see her work and her collections. I met Nancy’s son when I was a sophomore and he was a freshman in college. Soon after, he was diagnosed with cancer and died just a couple of years later. I managed to maintain a special friendship with his mom for the last thirty years. My husband and all my kids met her and knew her. And she loved talking to me about s ..read more

I fully intended to wait to publish this pattern until I got a nice flat shot against the barn. But following the 18″ of snow, we got a ton of rain, then another batch of snow and the temperatures dropped. Realistically, I would have been waiting weeks! So, here it is in its wintery glory. The pattern, along with alternate colorways and skill level recommendations, can be found in my Etsy shop and here on my website. What colors would you choose for this design? I hope to find out ..read more

I am calling this one Inheritance because, when I look at it, I see jewel like shapes that look like they could be part of a crown. There are way too many quilt names with the word “jewel” so I started thinking that jewels might be part of an inheritance…and that’s how this quilt was named. Here’s my color palette for this quilt. The solids (from top to bottom) are Plum Preserve, Dried Roses, Aurus, and Creme de la Creme Pure Solids by Art Gallery Fabrics. The backing is Bunch of Roses by Jen Hewett. It has a touch of metallic which seemed in keeping with the jewel idea. I have been working ..read more

Blocks must ship by February 26th.  Why swap?  Well, if you are working on this quilt, you quickly find yourself running out of fussy cuts from your stash.  By swapping, you will receive a variety of fussy cut blocks to include in your quilt top. You also meet new quilting friends from all over the world and have a reason to run to your mailbox! If you are new to paper piecing, I have a YouTube video available to help you. Find it here. In order for a swap to be successful, there need to be guidelines.  Here they are: Making the Blocks 1. You must purchase a copy of m ..read more

I am so happy that you all liked my Goose Egg Quilt! If you missed that post, you can see it here. I will not be selling a pattern for that quilt BUT I did make a more manageable to piece FPP pattern for the goose…with an added surprise! The goose block finishes at 6″ x 12″ and can be made to face left or right and wear a scarf in either version! You will have so much fun with this one. The pattern is available here in my shop and over in my Etsy shop too ..read more

I had too much fun with this quilt. It sort of visually tells the story of how my brain received inspiration and worked through the creative project. I was waiting for inspiration to strike a month or so ago and Sharon suggested I play around with ovals. I thought that it had been awhile since I had done any FPP curves so I started designing ovals. I was thinking of maybe just breaking up the space differently in all of the ovals and pulled together a few variations. I thought it looked interesting but something was missing. Then I started to play with color and chose AGF Pure Solids Swimming ..read more

I’d like to share my new Spidey Stars Quilt with you today! I don’t tend to design dozens of quilts each year. For me, it takes time to come up with a design that I feel is truly unique and worth spending the time and materials to make. I often sit with the feeling that I don’t know what to make next and just keep searching for inspiration or sketch until the next design is realized. I poured my creativity into this project, using my innovative improv paper piecing technique to design the repeated block. (To learn more about my technique, read my book, Improv Paper Piecing). As I spent more t ..read more