Flying geese made with easy paper piecing.

I'm a little bit slow, but I've finally started looking ahead to autumn pattern making.  I pulled out bunches of scraps of those lovely warm autumn colors from my stash and waited for inspiration to strike.

There had to be leaves, of course.

Leaves swirling and blowing in the autumn wind.

And geese. Geese flying south like in one of my favorite poems.

Something told the wild geese,

 It was time to go, 

Though the fields lay golden. 

Something whispered, "snow." 

Yes, definitely flying geese. But there's a bit of a problem here. I have always liked flying geese borders, but working with all of those triangles makes me crazy! I am such a stickler for sharp points and perfect blocks, and I have ripped out seams and redone blocks so many times that I've often given up on flying geese.

Big blocks are easier, but I'm making a table runner, so the blocks have to be small - maximum 1 1/2" x 3".  Yikes!!

And, even for this small table runner I need a LOT of little blocks - 72, to be exact. Three triangles in each block, so that makes 216 little triangles with 648 points to make perfect!

But geese are what I want, so I'm going to make them the easy way.

Paper foundation piecing to the rescue!!

A number of my quilting friends tell me that they don't like paper piecing, that way they've always made their blocks suits them just fine.

For those of us who have been quilting for a long time and learned to quilt with more traditional methods, paper piecing may feel a bit uncomfortable. I truly balked at the idea. All of that upside-down sewing on paper looked downright weird!

Then a friend showed me a quilt she had made with paper foundation piecing. I was blown away! So, I tried it. Liked it, too. A lot! Perfect points, nice straight blocks, and all of it done quickly and easily.

Sew on the line. Cut on the line. Nothing to measure, nothing a tad too short or a little bit crooked, and perfect points every time!

This is what I've done in the past two days. I only worked for a couple of hours yesterday and a couple of hours today, but 26 of my flying geese are done.

Effortless points that even my perfectionist mother would approve. 

Here is a mini-tutorial for making these:

I started by making a pattern template.  

I worked in groups of four blocks. I made six sets of four, and one set of two flying geese blocks to give me the 26 that I needed for the top of my table runner. I may make a template for groups of six blocks as well. The larger the grouping, the easier it all becomes.

There is some waste of fabric, but if the pieces are cut just a bit larger than they would be otherwise, the fabric lost is minimal. 

Step 1: Photocopy the pattern templates. I use the cheapest copy paper I can find for this. It's lighter weight and tears away easily.

Cut out the triangles. 

4 5/8" squares cut twice diagonally are used for the geese.

2 5/8" squares cut in half diagonally work well for the background triangles.

Sew.

Hold the first goose triangle on the wrong side of the paper with the right side of the fabric facing out. Hold up to the light to see that it is positioned correctly.

Place the background triangle for the number 2 piece about 1/4" from the stitching line. The right side of this piece will be facing the green goose segment.

Make sure that you are using a very short stitch so the paper will tear away easily. 

Sew directly on the line between pieces #1 and @2.

View from the right side of the fabric.
A little bit off? Won't matter at all.

Trim edges fairly even.

Fold the background piece back and press.

Lay the next background piece against the geese block.

Check agains the light to make sure it is accurately lined up.

Stitch on the line between piece #1 and piece #3.

Trim, fold back...

Press.
Not even? Not a problem.

Add the next piece in the same way as the others. 

Stitch, trim, fold back, press.

Continue until all the geese blocks in this row are assembled.

Trim.

Trim right on the solid lines for the seam allowance.
Perfection!

Tear the paper away.

Sew the sections of blocks together.

Add the flying geese strip to the quilt.

Done!

I love paper foundation piecing, but it may not be your cup of tea. If you've never tried it, though, do give it a whirl. Who knows, it may prove to be a real time saver.

Happy Stitching!

A new grandson and a tooth fairy pillow

I'd like to introduce you to my new grandson!

This is Charlie.

Charlie is six years old, and I adopted him just two weeks ago. 

This wasn't an ordinary adoption.

You see, I adopted his parents and Charlie came with them. A package deal. 

His mom is my daughter's assistant, all around miracle worker, and saint. She also has a terrific sense of humor and is an absolute delight in every way. Her name is Becky. Charlie's dad, Bryan, is just as amazing. I adopted the whole crew. 

I love telling stories!

So, here goes ...

It was the second day after my son's surgery. He was doing very well. That morning he decided that he'd like some prunes. Prune juice that he could have ordered from patient room service wouldn't do at all. He wanted nice, moist, whole prunes.  I'm the mom whose son had just undergone a major ordeal, so I set off through the hospital on a search.

As I've mentioned before, this hospital is a huge complex of several very large buildings connected by large hallways, wide underground tunnels, and numerous elevators. I knew of two cafeterias, a restaurant and a Starbucks. I had also found two little convenience shops, a drugstore, and a couple of gift shops. Prunes should be easy. Hospitals are all about good health, aren't they?

Hmm...

If I had wanted candy, cake, pie, ice-cream, cookies, chips, or anything else that is loaded with fat, sugar, and salt, I was in just the right location. But dried fruit? Trail mix? Not to be found. If I'd only had my car I'd have ventured out into Omaha to find prunes, but I was living in the hotel in the hospital and my car was at home in Lincoln. I gave up. We'd just have to order the prune juice.

I mentioned the lack of prunes in an email to my daughter. She works in Omaha but on this day she was in Lincoln with a large number of other folks, including Becky. They were in the middle of a training session for work when my daughter got my email.  She told Becky about the prunes dilemma.

Becky came up with a solution. No surprise there. This was Becky, the miracle worker. She picked up her phone and texted Bryan, who was at home in Omaha taking care of Charlie. Charlie wasn't feeling too well that day, but his daddy bundled him into the van and off they went to the grocery store. Within half an hour this lovely man, whom I had never met, arrived at the hospital with a smile, a big hug, and a bag of prunes!

Whoa! I was blown away by the kindness of this family! Who goes out of their way with a sick child in tow just to buy a bag of prunes and deliver it to a stranger?

So you see, I really did have no choice. I adopted the whole family immediately! I sent another email off. With this one I informed Becky that the three of them were now part of my family and, like it or not, they were stuck with a new mom, mother-in-law, and grandma.

My lovely new family members.

The story isn't finished, yet! 
Keep reading.

My new grandson just lost his first tooth!

Charlie didn't have a tooth fairy pillow and he needed one right away - before another tooth fell out!

And who's the lucky grandma with the sewing machines?  

A chance to sew for a brand new grandson! Ooh, happy dance time! 

Charlie got his tooth fairy pillow in plenty of time for the next tooth!

And I hope we all live happily ever after!

Charlie's tooth fairy pillow.

One more thing:

Since I'd already made the pillow, I made a pattern, too. 

And a tooth fairy mug rug, as well. 

          Because, 

                          who knows ...

I just might adopt a granddaughter one of these days.

Happy Stitching, Everyone!!

Time to Celebrate!

With a mother's happy heart I'm definitely in the mood for celebration.

My son is doing remarkably well following a truly major and frightening surgery. The doctors are sure they were able to remove all of the malignancy, and though he'll need follow up with an oncologist, we are feeling tremendously optimistic. He's come home to our house for a week or two to regain his strength and mobility. Such a change from the two weeks after the diagnosis when we were so worried about the surgery and it's outcome!

For the first time in several weeks I've had the time and the motivation to work in my sewing room. My first project could be nothing other than an expression of my relief and happiness.

I can't think of anything that speaks to celebration more than the vision of glasses clinking together cheerfully.  This newest mug rug makes me feel all warm and happy as I count my blessings and remember to take life one day at a time. 

Cheers, everyone!

"Cheers" mug rug

This was one of those rare patterns that flew together without a hitch. I did have to pick up three new fat quarters of purple fabric, so you'll be seeing purple in another project or two one of these days.

When my children were small I never imagined that I would still worry and fret about them when they were nearing fifty years old, but problems arise at every stage of life and parents remain parents forever. Right now, I'm enjoying the chance to pamper my son a bit and giving thanks as he makes daily progress on the road back to good health.

That's everything for today

from a very happy mama!

Quilt Along Block #8, Birdhouse

I've really rushed to get this block finished up ahead of schedule. I don't want anyone to run out of work to do on this quilt while I'm otherwise occupied.

I'm afraid that I won't be doing much sewing in June as our son is having major surgery next week. I'll be spending a lot of time in the hospital at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he'll be kept for a week or more. He's a bachelor, so when he's released he'll be coming home to our house for his recuperation.

I'll  be taking books and crochet along to keep me busy through long hours of waiting. I'll also have my computer and pencils and paper with me so I can sit quietly and work on new pattern designs whenever the mood arises. I hope that I get enough designing done that I can make up for lost sewing time in July, but such things are terribly unpredictable.

Working on the birdhouse block

What is it about birdhouses that makes people happy and makes quilters want to depict them on quilts?  Is it the reminder of cheery twitters early on a summer morning or something more? There are hundreds of birdhouse quilts out there, and somehow birdhouses fit right in with our theme of "home".

I considered putting many other items in this block, but they simply weren't going to fit unless I made the birdhouse and the bird pretty miniscule. So the resulting block is quite simple - a birdhouse, a bird, the branch of a tree. After making the block I've been thinking that I should add a real birdhouse to the tree in my front yard, the one that I now see from my sewing room window. Goodness knows there are enough birds in that tree! Someone should take residence.

A mistake in my block? Absolutely!

There was an unintended lapse in my thinking. When I first ironed the applique pieces onto the block, I had it just right. Then, I looked at it again and thought that the branch looked bare above the birdhouse. I had totally forgotten that a string to hang the birdhouse from the branch would fill that spot.

So I added another leaf. I didn't realize my mistake until everything was stitched and I was getting ready to sew the string.

Oops! The extra leaf was in the way! Nothing to do but let the leaf float behind the string. It works, but I would have preferred it the other way. Some quilters add an intentional mistake to every quilt, but I truly have no need to make any mistakes on purpose. I unintentionally make more than enough! Sigh...



Wishing all of you a wonderful and productive June! May all of your quilts be at least almost perfect.

Happy stitching!!

Two Quilt Along Blocks

For quite awhile now, I have been promising a sewing machine block for this quilt along. I was going to make it earlier, but the cookie jar idea took root and the sewing machine was set on the back burner.

Better late than never, as they say, and it's finally done!

Block 6: Sewing Machine

I have to confess that I was having so much fun with this one that I couldn't stop adding details. To show the threading, or not to show the threading? To show the details of the needle and it's holder, or not? Well, duh! I had to show it all! How could I not once I'd thought of it? So, it added a bit more time. Didn't matter because those details really brought this little sewing machine to life. 

I LOVE DETAILS!!

The block was finished, but I wasn't. If you've been following this blog, you may have noticed that there are a number of smaller blocks planned. These are needed in four areas to fill out spaces that will finish at 10" x 16" each. I really wanted something in some of those smaller blocks that would go with the sewing machine. 

A number of thoughts came to mind - 

a pincushion, 

a spool of thread, 

scissors .... 

This was beginning to sound exactly like the pieces in my "Sewing Stuff" mug rug. Those would all work great. In fact, if you are joining in this quilt along, there is no reason that you couldn't use those templates in 6" x 6" blocks or in one 6" x 10" piece. 

But, no. I wanted something a bit different. Something new

What to make, what to make? I needed something green for sure. 

Something green...

             Vines? Vines are good.

                      Flowers?  Maybe not.

                             What then?

                                       Oh!

YES!!

Spools of thread growing on the vines! 

Happy Dance Time!

And here it is! One 6" x 10" block instead of two or three smaller blocks. 

Block 7: Spools

The two blocks can fit together side by side ...

or over and under.

For now, I have them pinned to my design board like this, but that could change. It all depends on what comes next. Only the house needs to stay where it is. Everything else can be moved around, and I'm sure that there will be some changes.

What does come next?

Oh, my!

Help!!

But don't leave yet. This story isn't finished!

I looked at that companion block with the spools on a vine and realized that it was exactly the same size as many of my mug rugs. Actually I could see that it would make a darling mug rug.

So...

You get the picture. Since I needed the spools block for the quilt I just made another one and turned that one into a mug rug.

So there you have it. Story complete.

The patterns are both ready to go, and I provided choices - 

the two quilt blocks (including mug rug instructions) in one pattern for one price, 

or

 the mug rug as a separate pattern. 

I hope you like these!

Happy Stitching!!

A Mug Rug for Mother's Day

I was thinking about my mom the other day, missing her of course, and remembering how much she loved spring and the delicate new blossoms that are beginning to appear in advance of summer. Mother was one of those special gardeners. She had the magic touch, and everything she planted and nurtured flourished with health. Her flowers bloomed like no others, her vegetable garden overflowed with wonderful fresh produce, and even the grass around her home seemed to grow a little greener than it did anywhere else.

I inherited none of this talent, I'm sorry to say, and I'm sure I sighed with nostalgia remembering this beautiful, gentle woman who influenced me in so many ways. Then it dawned on me that Mother's Day will be here in just a few weeks!

I always gave Mom a basket of flowers or a pretty plant for Mother's Day. Being who she was, she gave me a new geranium every year because I was a mom, too. She knew I'd kill it, but she also knew that I loved her for giving me a new chance every summer.

Last year I made a trio of mug rugs to remember her. Each one was a basket filled with one of her favorites - pansies, sunflowers, and strawberries. I called the pattern "Baskets for Mom". You can find it in my pattern store.

This year, though I wanted to make something a bit different. It had to be floral, of course, and of all the flowers in the world, she loved roses best. So, I created a rose. Because small mug rug sized roses are so difficult to reproduce in fabrics, I chose a simple, yet elegant stenciled rose. I added the word, "Mom", and that's what I named the pattern. "Mom".

Flower patterns often contain many very small pieces. Thick, applique stitching can detract from the shape of petals and leaves on smaller pieces, so I used raw edge stitching on all of these mug rugs. It's a very easy technique that involves fusing the pieces to the background and stitching near the edge with a straight stitch. 

I really like the way raw edge applique looks on nature subjects. Yes, the edges will fray a bit over time, but most things found in nature do not have perfectly smooth surfaces. This stitching just looks so natural. It's super easy, too!

I love you, Mom. I so wish I could give these little gifts to you, but I'm sure you know that I give them to you in my heart. 

To my mother, and for all the moms, grandmas, aunts, and other women who influence lives, 

I wish you a Happy Mother's Day. 

Every day of the year.

Made it on Friday

Friday was one of those days when everything went perfectly. I woke up to beautiful sunshine and an idea. I've been wanting to make happy faces for some time, now, but this was the morning when it dawned on me that those faces should be on flowers.

 Playtime!

Right after breakfast I trotted down to my new sewing room and began sketching. Three flowers, not perfectly centered, but balanced. Three different smiles. Zip, zip. The applique pieces were cut out and ready to press onto the background by lunchtime!

I think I gobbled lunch. I couldn't wait to get back to the mug rug. I embroidered the faces, ironed everything in place and by dinner the applique stitching was finished.

What to name it? My hubby and I tossed around names - Sunshine, Happy Days, Smile. "It's only Friday," he said. "What's the rush?"

Only Friday. Thank goodness! "TGIF"! A name!!


And Done!!

The Cookie Jar, Quilt Along Block #5

Have you ever been traveling down a road and suddenly been tempted to take a little side road just to see where it leads?

Happens to me all the time.

That little side road has always intrigued me. It knows my name. "Karen," it whispers. "Karen, come see what I can show you."  I'm always up to an adventure and I find these calls so hard to resist.  I've wandered off the main path over and over. I've left it on foot and in I've left it in my car. Sometimes there is nothing of interest of all, just a dead end, but you can never know unless you look.

Now and again, though that little path can lead a person right into a bog. Literally. Like the time I loaded up my mom's car with teenage friends and we went on an adventure! 

We were on the highway going nowhere in particular when one of the girls saw a small gravel road leading into some trees. With much encouragement from my giggling friends I slowed down and turned onto that gravel road. It did look interesting. 

This could have been us except my mom's '49 Ford was dark, forest green.

Soon we came upon an even narrower road. It was just a deeply rutted pat that wound through deep weeds. Of course, we simply had to see where it led. Where it led us was to a stop. We were suddenly mired deep in mud. Up the hubcaps! Soundly stuck. 

We couldn't just sit there, so we all piled out of the car and trudged through the muck, across a field, and up to the farmhouse to ask for help. The farmer eyes went to our mud-covered shoes and legs as he listened to our story. I'm sure I heard him snicker, but he just nodded, straight faced, and headed for his tractor.  He drove to our car, hauled it out of the field and pointed us back to the road. As we climbed back in the car he turned away shaking his head and mumbling something about "girls".

That's the one and only time I've been stuck in mud. But even that didn't cure my curiosity when I see an interesting path. The temptation to follow never leaves. More often than not, taking that turnoff has taken me somewhere wonderful - a beautiful meadow, an almost hidden fishing hole, a charming little town. 

"Ok, nice little story," you say. 

"But what does it have to do with the Quilt Along block?" 

It has everything to with the block! Truly. 

You see, I was planning to make a sewing machine. I had the sketch all planned out in my head. But, when I sat down at my desk I couldn't draw it. My mind kept wandering away from that idea. It wanted to explore some other direction. I didn't know where it all might lead, but I gave in and let my pencil doodle around. 

Before I knew it, I had drawn a cookie jar. 

A cookie jar? I had known from the beginning that I would make a cookie jar block some day, but I hadn't planned it for this block. It just happened. 

So I stitched it up, and here it is - a cookie jar for Block 5.

I filled it up with frosted sugar cookies because those are my grandson's absolute, all time, forever favorite cookies! 

In fact, when he was in first grade he begged me to bring frosted sugar cookies to share with everybody on Grandparents' Day.  My grandson proudly passed out cookies to all the students in his class and to the other visiting grandparents, too, all the while bragging that his grandma made the very best cookies ever.

Enough of the stories! I must be boring you to tears!

I think I'll go to the kitchen and bake some cookies. Frosted sugar cookies, of course. 

Want one?

Maybe I'll make a sewing machine next time. 

Maybe not.

Wherever the road leads...