Spring Candy

Longing for spring?  The weather outside is still frightful here in New England, but here's a fun weekend project that sure to lift your spirits!

It's my Spring Candy mini quilt!

Spring Candy is based on my Christmas Candy Moda Bake Shop tutorial.  This little quilt is made in exactly the same way, but I've substituted a mini charm pack of "Hazelwood" fabric by One Canoe Two and changed up the embroidery for spring. 

I remember my mom teaching me the phrase "March winds, April showers, bring forth May flowers" when I was a child and I thought this project was the perfect opportunity to stitch the rhyme.  I embroidered the lettering, flowers and vines using two strands of embroidery floss and a backstitch and the little buds at the ends of the vines are French knots.  I love how this mini quilt turned out.  The colors of the "Hazelwood" fabrics make me happy just to look at them, and the stitching takes it over the top!

Ready to make your own version of Spring Candy?

Here's the link to my original Christmas Candy Moda Bake Shop tutorial.

And here's the link to a downloadable pdf of the Spring Candy embroidery pattern.

And finally, if you'd prefer to turn your Spring Candy quilt into a pillow, here's a link to my original post for Halloween Candy, the Halloween version of this project, that contains pillow instructions.

Happy Quilting!

Halloween Candy revisited

Looking for a quick Halloween project for this weekend?  Here, again, is my Halloween Candy pillow featuring "Hocus Pocus" by Sandy Gervais.

Halloween Candy Tutorial

Find the link to my Moda Bake Shop tutorial in the original blog post, as well as a downloadable pdf of the embroidery pattern.

Have fun!

Candy Stars - Free Mini Charm Pack Pattern

Last week I was hard at work on my latest Moda Bake Shop tutorial, and this mini charm pack of gorgeous "Desert Bloom" fabric by Sherri and Chelsi of a Quilting Life...

...became this sweet little mini quilt!

I named it "Candy Stars" not only because it's made with a Moda Candy, but also because the colorful, sparkly half square triangles in the star blocks make me think of candy.

Candy Stars is fast, fun and easy, and it finishes at 16" square, the perfect size for a pillow!

Here's Candy Stars finished as a Christmas pillow and made with Kate Spain's beautiful "North Woods" fabric:

I made this little pillow exactly like the mini quilt, but substituted a white center square for the navy blue that I used in the "Desert Bloom" version.  I also used red perle cotton to embroider an oversized running stitch down the center of the sashing strips and the inner border.  This fun pillow has a totally different vibe than the original mini quilt, but it's just as sweet!

If you'd like to make your own version of Candy Stars, grab a mini charm pack and head over to the Moda Bake Shop for my free tutorial—you'll find complete instructions and lots of picture to help you on your way.

Happy Quilting!

Happy!! - Free Mini Charm Pack Pattern

I can't believe it's already July!  To celebrate summer, I've got a new project to share with you—it's my Happy!! table runner, and it's a featured recipe today at the Moda Bake Shop.

This little quilt is so easy and so much fun to make.  I made the square in a square blocks in the center of the quilt with a bit of white background fabric and two mini charm packs of "Brighten Up!" fabric by Me and My Sister Designs—gorgeous fabrics that remind me, for some reason, of rainbow sherbet!

But what really makes this quilt sing, and what made me happy enough to name the quilt Happy!!, is the cheerful embroidered flowers.

I used two strands of floss and a backstitch to embroider the flowers and I loved watching each one emerge.  In fact, I enjoyed making Happy!! so much, that I made it twice.  Here's my second version made with April Rosenthal's "Meadowbloom" fabric—this one makes me think of sunshine.

Happy!! is a great take along project—perfect for summer.  I've been carrying my quilt and floss around with me and embroidering whenever I have a few minutes of downtime.  I stitched the "Meadowbloom" version of the quilt while sitting on a grassy patch overlooking the Connecticut River during my son's crew practices.  Bliss!

The free tutorial for Happy!! is available at the Moda Bake Shop.  My tutorial includes instructions for making the square in a square blocks two ways—paper pieced and traditionally pieced.  I've also included a quick how-to for the backstitch, so you should find everything you need all in one place.

Happy!! Quilting!