May's Block!

Can you believe May is here! I've been a bit lax at posting on the blog lately because I have been up to my neck in preparing for International Quilt Market in Kansas City. So as you can imagine, it's pretty busy around here. So much to do and soo little time! Lynn and I are very excited to be going. This quilt will actually be on display in my booth. #1540. So if you are at Market, stop on by and say 'Hi'. I would love to see you. I will have all sorts of quilty goodness on display so follow along on my Instagram feed and Facebook page. Lynn and I will be posting all sorts of fun inspirational quilting pics. 

Now back to this month's block! It's not just one block this month, but two! A bee hive block and a scrappy flower block. Since it's my birthday month, (yes I celebrate all month), I thought we would celebrate with two awesome blocks! I love gardening so these two blocks are two of my favorites in the quilt. 

Hint: While cutting fabric, check what you have used so far and see if any of your scraps will work. This includes the background fabric. I am a very frugal fabric cutter and save every little scrap until the end.

For the Bee Hive Block you will need two different yellows. If you want a scrappier block, use more yellows.

Following the pattern, cut out all of your pieces. I find it helpful to lay it all out on my cutting mat next to my sewing machine. It makes it easy for me to grab and sew as I stitch along.

Starting with yellow rectangle E, with right sides together, align one marked 2” cream square with one corner edge of the rectangle as shown. Sew from corner to corner. 

Trim away excess and press.

 Repeat with remaining rectangle corners. 

I have all of the corners done on my bee hive and now it's time to sew the rest of the block following the monthly directions.

~ Bee Hive Block ~

I have all of my pieces cut out and ready to sew.

 With cream rectangle B, with right sides together, align one marked 2” C square with one corner edge of the rectangle as shown.

Trim away excess fabric. Press.

Repeat on the other side of the rectangle. This will make a flying geese style block. Make a total of 12. I made mine scrappy.

Here I have my block all laid out with the 6 1/2" cream block and the remaining pieces for the flower (star) blocks. I am making mine very scrappy using little bits of fabric I had left from cutting other parts of the quilt.

I have sewn the three flower (star) blocks. Now it's the final step in constructing the block. 

Now it's time to make the applique leaves and stems for the flowers. Trace the leaves and stems onto your heat n bond fusible web. I have two sets pictured here. Remember, I am making two quilts. This block is the same for both the embroidered and appliqued versions of the quilt.

Lay the stems in place, cutting away any excess before you iron it in place.

I overlap the main stem over top the two side stems.

Iron the stems and leaves in place...

Then stitch around the raw edges using a buttonhole stitch.

~ Scrappy Flowers Block ~

The monthly FREE pattern will be available on my website. I have a special 2019 BOM section on my website. Each month the FREE pattern will be posted. But as soon as the new section or block is out the old block pattern will no longer be a freebie. But it will still be available for a small fee on my website or in my Etsy shop. If you want to share you finished blocks, feel free to post them on Facebook Group (Quilt Doodle Designs Garden Sunshine BOM 2019) and tag me or post them on Instagram tag Quilt Doodle Designs. I love to see everyone's progress as we stitch along together. 

Let me show you how I made this month's block. First, following the directions cut out all of the block pieces... as a reminder... if someone asks for the PDF or where it is on the Facebook group, please do not post the PDF directly onto the site. I appreciate you referring them to my website or to the blog.

This month's blocks will takes a little time to put together. Hope you are having a great day, remember April's block is no longer FREE. It can be found in my ETSY shop and also on the Quilt Doodle Website for a small fee. To get this month's block, head on over to Quilt Doodle Designs... remember this block is only available this month as a FREE PDF download. 

Happy Quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere

Flopsie Bunny

We sure have been enjoying the spring weather here in Minnesota. I have spring fever so bad and have taken the time to check out my perennial gardens even though it's way too early for me to uncover anything. Since I can't be outside yet playing in the garden, I have been designing some springtime designs to applique. I have another fun one for spring or Easter.... Flopsie Bunny. 

To make the design, first trace out all of the pieces onto the heat n bond fusible interfacing. (Or what ever brand you like to use) Iron it onto your fabric. Cut all of the shapes out. I did two sets of everything since I'm working on a couple of projects.

Arrange you pieces on your towel layering the different shapes as you go referring to the pattern placement sheet. Remember to peel all the paper off! With a hot, dry iron, fuse everything in place. 

I use white thread to stitch a button hole stitch around the bunny pieces. I used a dark brown thread to stitch around the flower pot, nose and flower.

I ironed a second set of pieces onto a piece of fabric, I think I'll make a table runner out of it. 

~ Flopsie Bunny ~

The pattern for Flopsie Bunny can be found on Etsy.   This design is quick and easy to make in an afternoon and Easter is right around the corner. Paired with a candle or some candy and you have a wonderful springtime gift for the Easter dinner hostess. It also makes a cute display when draped out of an Easter basket.

Happy quilting,

Cindy and Belvedere

April's Block

Happy spring! The April block for Garden Sunshine is all ready. I have been enjoying seeing everyone's blocks from last month! This month's block is a pieced basket. It will challenge your cutting and piecing skills! Just one block this month. I also need to apologize for the late posting. I meant to have it up and ready to go yesterday but when I arrived home from quilt retreat at mom's, I sat on the couch with Belvedere and it was all over. Both Belvedere and I fell asleep and hubby reports we both were snoring.... this I cannot deny. I was pretty tired when I got home. I got three UFO's quilted and bound at mom's. I'm pretty pleased with how much I accomplished. Now back to April's block.... it's a sweet nostalgic basket block. I made mine using yellow and orange 1930's fabric. You can have fun and make your basket any color you want! You need two contrasting colors and then a third color for the base. (I used green on my block.)

 The monthly FREE pattern will be available on my website. I have a special 2019 BOM section on my website. Each month the FREE pattern will be posted. But as soon as the new section or block is out the old block pattern will no longer be a freebie. But it will still be available for a small fee on my website or in my Etsy shop. If you want to share you finished blocks, feel free to post them on Facebook Group (Quilt Doodle Designs Garden Sunshine BOM 2019) and tag me or post them on Instagram tag Quilt Doodle Designs. I love to see everyone's progress as we stitch along together. 

Let me show you how I made this month's block. First, following the directions cut out all of the block pieces... 

These are the three colors I'm using for this month's block along with the background white fabric.

Following the cutting guide in the directions I rotary cut everything out and then laid it out on my cutting mat so that I can keep track of the pieces and what sections are sewn together.  I used a scant 1/4" seam. The finished block will measure 12 1/2" x 12 1/2". This includes the seam allowance.

~ Charm Basket ~

This month's block takes a little time to put together and is a bit of a puzzle to piece but it's certainly worth the time it takes to stitch together. Hope you are having a great day, remember March's block is no longer FREE. It can be found in my ETSY shop and also on the Quilt Doodle Website for a small fee. To get this month's block, head on over to Quilt Doodle Designs... remember this block is only available this month as a FREE PDF download. 

Happy Quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere

Something Fun for Quilt Retreat

I'm taking the weekend to spend some time sewing with my mom and sisters. Since our favorite retreat has closed... (insert sobbing here) we really miss going but have been meeting at mom's house to do retreat. Mom has a great space downstairs and more than enough tables for us. We take turns cooking and love spending the time together! It's not always where you meet but who you gather with that makes it special! I like to put together a special favor  for my family so this time I decided to package a quilting challenge. One thing we miss is learning from other quilters who gather at retreat. Thinking about this, I put together a paper piecing mug rug kit for everyone. The kit includes paper piecing patterns all printed and ready to go, fabric, batting, backing and a diagram of the finished mug rug. I know that this will be a huge challenge since it's so different then regular piecing. Everything is backwards and there's no cutting fabrics to size. Paper piecing is like a puzzle with fabric and paper!

To make my kits I used my EQ program and drafted out a mini quilt for a mug rug and then printed out the foundation paper piecing blocks onto some thin paper for my kits. The kits are put together very different then how I would write a pattern. It's very basic, just the pattern pieces, a color chart, fabric and a finished mug rug diagram. I made my mug rug ahead of time so that there was a sample for everyone to look at.

Foundation paper piecing is normally number with the section you start with. So here I have my A1 fabric and A2 fabric right sides together on the back side of the foundation paper. I then will sew on the line using a small stitch. Remember to sew beyond the seam allowance area of the block.

See how your seam appears on the other side?

Here I am lining up a piece of fabric for the next area on the block section. My piece of fabric is much bigger then the paper section. I will trim all the excess away later.

Then I sew on the line, remembering to sew past the outer edges of the block. 

Then fold the paper back....

… and trim the fabric to a 1/4" seam.

When each section is done, trim away the excess paper and fabric cutting on the outer line...

The sew your sections together on the line...

I love how my little project turned out. It's broken down to three sections. There is a nine patch block which is perfect for teaching how to paper piece. After that section is done then there's the sewing machine block and the flying geese strip section. After the sections are done, I sewed them together, pulled off all the paper and then layered it with the backing and batting. I did some quilting on it and added the 'thread' . Which was just a quilted line in a contrasting color. I think it's a fun added detail. 

If I did it all again, I would change the direction of the sewing machine.... remember everything comes out as a mirror image when paper piecing. 

It's a great mug rug for in my sewing room. Just the right size.

Just think about what fun you could have putting together a little project for your quilting friends. It could be an applique pattern with what they'll need to make it all packaged in a pretty bag. Or how about a block instructions for a mini block that can be turned into a pin cushion. You could sweeten the deal with a piece of chocolate! It's also a great way to use up some of your stash and share with your quilting friends. 

Happy Quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere

Little Bunny Butts....

What's cuter then a little baby's butt, well a bunny butt. Who can resist the cuteness of that fluffy cotton ball tail? I just had to draw one up to do heat n bond applique with. The bunnies usually play havoc with my garden so I have a bunny proof fence now. All of my perennials are bunny and deer proof so that I can enjoy the blooms too! But the bunnies have been known to dig up and eat my potted plants that I have on my deck.

To make the design, first trace out all of the pieces onto the heat n bond fusible interfacing. (Or what ever brand you like to use) Iron it onto your fabric.

Cut all of the shapes out. I did two sets of everything since I'm working on a couple of towels.

Arrange you pieces on your towel layering the different shapes as you go referring to the pattern placement sheet. Remember to peel all the paper off! With a hot, dry iron, fuse everything in place. I use white thread to stitch a button hole stitch around the bunny pieces and the Easter eggs. I used a dark brown thread to stitch around the flower pot.

~ Bunny Butt ~

I made my tea towel reversible! I have the bunny butt on one side and a couple of carrots on the other side. Isn't that fun! This design is great for all of springtime thru harvest!

~ Carrots~

The pattern for these cute little bunny butt with carrot can be found on Etsy.   These designs are quick and easy to make in an afternoon and Easter is right around the corner. Paired with a candle or some candy and you have a wonderful springtime gift for the Easter dinner hostess.

Happy quilting,

Cindy and Belvedere

Peep, Peep!

I love little chickens, I think they are so cute! My sister and sister in law both have chickens and I love to visit the little chicks. So in celebration of spring let's make some little chick mug rugs. These are quick and easy and perfect for a beginner appliquer. I thought it would be a good opportunity to show you all how to do fusible applique. It's quick and easy!

Trace your pieces onto the heat n bond. Make sure to draw on the paper side.

Iron onto the wrong side of the fabric.

Cut out your pieces and then lay onto your fabric. Peel the paper off. Make sure you
have the pieces placed just right before you iron it. Remember your picture will be
'mirror' image of what you traced.

Layer the front, batting and backing and pin well.

I like to use my blanket stitch on my machine to sew around

the pieces. You can also handstitch these if you would like.

Aren't the little chickies cute!!!

The pattern for these cute little chickens can be found on Etsy.  The colors can be switched up to look like a little baby bluebird or robin. They are quick and easy to make in an afternoon and Easter is right around the corner. Paired with a candle or some candy and you have a wonderful springtime gift. 

Happy quilting,
Cindy and Belvedere