Heartland

Meet Heartland!  

Heartland is a 28" square wall quilt featuring easy log cabin blocks and simple wool appliqué.  You can find the pattern for this warm and scrappy project in the spring issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine, currently available wherever quilting magazines are sold.  And if you like handwork, this is the issue for you!  There are more than a dozen beautiful projects featuring appliqué, wool appliqué and embroidery.

Here's the story behind Heartland...

I love log cabin blocks!  They're so much fun to make and so versatile!  Usually my favorite layout for log cabin blocks is the barn raising pattern, probably because it was the pattern that I used for my very first log cabin quilt.  Here's a pic:

Barn Raising - 48" x 48"

For Heartland, I wanted to try to use the strong diagonal lines of log cabin blocks to make a different secondary pattern, in this case a Sawtooth Star with a diamond center.  I used narrow logs — 1" wide unfinished — so that the "line" between the dark and light fabrics would seem smoother.  It meant cutting a lot of strips, but it also meant that I got to include a lot of different fabrics and I love the resulting sparkle.

The star layout that I chose also provided me the perfect opportunity to embellish some of the negative space with wool appliqué — another of my favorites!  I chose simple shapes and wools that echoed the color palette of the pieced blocks.

Once I'd finished the quilt top, I got a little hung up trying to figure out how to quilt Heartland.  It took me almost a year to hand quilt my first log cabin quilt and even though I love how it looks, I didn't want to take that on again.  My long arm quilter and I discussed machine quilting it, but realized that it might be difficult to see a quilted pattern on this particular quilt.  In the end, I machine quilted it myself on a regular sewing machine by stitching in the ditch between each block and along the diagonal lines between the dark and tan prints.  I also machine quilted along the outside edge of the wool appliqués.  Much easier than doing it by hand!

I love how Heartland turned out!  It's got a warm, vintage feel and the color palette of blue, green, red and plum is perfect for spring or summer.  But wouldn't it be great for fall with warm tones of red, rust, orange and brown?  Or for winter with blues ranging from gray blue to navy set against a backdrop of warm white prints?  So many possibilities!!

Happy Quilting!

Jen

Wool Appliqué - Free Pattern

Tomorrow I'm teaching a Wool Appliqué class at a local Sew-op and I've had so much fun stitching up samples for the class, that I thought I'd share the love and make the appliqué pattern available to all!

Here's a peek at the pattern:

Here's one of the finished samples popped into a 5" x 7" frame:

And the second made into a 12" x 16" pillow:

I cut the background fabric for both projects into an 8" x 10" rectangle.  To stitch the samples, I used two strands of embroidery floss and a Blanket Stitch for the topmost shapes and a single strand of embroidery floss and a Whipstitch for the stem and the larger, bottommost shapes.

To finish the framed version, I layered the stitched project with a thin piece of batting, wrapped both around the glass that came with the 5" x 7" frame, and inserted the unit into the frame.  

For the pillow version, after stitching, I trimmed the background down to a 5" x 7" rectangle and added scrappy squares and strips around it to make it into a 12½" x 16½" unfinished pillow top.  I used an envelope closure for the back of the pillow and inserted a 12" x 16" pillow form.

If you'd like to make your own little wool appliqué project, you can find a pdf of the pattern here.  

Happy Stitching!

Easter Mini

Lately, I can't seem to get enough of all things miniature!  So with Easter right around the corner, I thought it was high time that I made an Easter mini.

I designed this simple little 6" project around the Easter egg buttons.  Aren't they darling?!

They're Just Another Button Company buttons, specifically the "small blue," "small pink," and "small lavender egg(s)."  I've had these buttons for a while now, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use them, and I'm thrilled with how they look tucked into a wool appliqué basket.

I thought about framing my project, but decided instead to layer it with batting and backing fabric, and to bind it with a wide binding that does double duty as an outer border.  I'm so happy I did, because I just love the look of the wide binding!  This is my first time using single fold binding as a wide binding and it turns out that it was super easy!  For the half-inch wide binding, I cut my fabric strip 2¼" wide.

To display my little project, I decided to attach a length of the gingham ribbon to the back of the mini so I can hang it wherever I like—preferably directly in front of me!  

Here's a link to the pattern for the Easter basket. And if you don't happen to have gorgeous Easter egg buttons in your stash yet, don't despair!  I think this project would also be cute with little wool eggs, maybe even embellished with a bit of embroidery.  Hmm... now my wheels are turning again!

Happy Easter and Happy Stitching!

Home Is Where the Heart Is

The Spring 2016 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine is available now in bookstores and in quilt shops and it is GORGEOUS!

Even the cover is beautiful-- I think the fuchsia bricks and mums in the background of this picture are stunning!

Inside the pages of this yummy magazine, you'll find 16 inspiring projects that showcase a variety of materials and techniques.

And on page 94, you'll find my Home Is Where the Heart Is quilt...

Home Is Where the Heart Is is a fun and scrappy medallion quilt that features machine piecing, wool appliqué, and embroidery -- something for everyone.

There's a lot to this quilt, but when you break it down, the various blocks, embroidery, and wool appliqué are pretty simple.

Here's a close-up of the embroidery and wool appliqué.  I used only the Backstitch, Lazy Daisy Stitch, and French Knots for the vine and lettering and the wool is appliquéd using embroidery floss and a Whipstitch -- fast and easy.

The complete instructions and templates for Home Is Where the Heart Is are included in the Spring 2016 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.  Check out the PQP website too, you'll find a gallery of project photos for all of their magazines, free patterns, and more!

p.s.  If you like the look of my Home Is Where the Heart Is quilt, you might want to give my Peace on Earth wall hanging a try.

It's also a skill-building project that features piecing, embroidery, and wool appliqué, and I shared the free pattern for this little quilt on my blog throughout the month of December (2015).

Happy Quilting!