Oh Canada Flag Banner

You can hang this beautiful paper pieced Canadian flag banner with pride. I'm Canadian born and raised and I truly love this country. I also think we have a very cool modern flag design; a simple maple leaf.




On July 1st, 2017, Canada turns 150 years young. I decided to make a Canadian flag banner to hang in the front window this year instead of using the one everyone gets in the morning paper.

The maple leaf in the center of the flag is a perfect design for foundation piecing. After some tweaking here and there, I finally got everything right. This block is 25 cm x 25 cm (10" x 10"). It can be reduced or enlarged to incorporate into pretty much anything: a throw pillow, a tote bag, or anything you want to cover with Canada's national symbol.

Another reason to love Canada . . . check out our Prime Minister.😛

Quilted doggy desk mat for my fluffy butt

My little Pomeranian Sophie is my shadow. She's with me everywhere I go around the house, but I've been spending a lot more time at my computer lately. Initially, she wanted to sit on my lap while I worked (she's a lap dog, after all), but I wouldn't get anything done that way. So, I plunked her on the desk. Now she sleeps there while I'm working, so I decided to make her a small quilted mat for the desktop.


doggy desk mat


Awhile back, I picked up some cute fabric from with foxes on it. The fabric line is Good Natured by Riley Blake. My husband always says Sophie reminds him of a fox, so I made her a quilted "desk mat" with it. This mat would be great for your feline friend as well. I noticed the new mat was a bit slippy at first, so I put a piece of anti-slip mesh under it and that worked great.

Sophie on her new mat

Good Natured by Riley Blake


I think the little foxes in the birch trees are adorable.

Good Natured by Riley Blake - detail


Sophie fast asleep on her new blankie.

Sophie asleep on my desk

Wooden scissors intarsia project

My husband is an intarsia artist, and I asked him if he could make some wooden scissors for my studio wall. I made the design and he did all the hard work putting them together. This is what we made together. Aren't they cool? They're hanging over my sewing machine table and I love them.

Pattern Now Available!
Wooden Scissors Wall Art

wooden scissors woodworking pattern


Wooden Scissors Wall Art

I love the real looking screw in the middle.

Wooden Scissors Wall Art - detail

Krazy Kites Quilt Block

This fun kites quilt block is a great stash buster for all those pretty scraps you've been hanging on to. For good contrast, I used multiple creams and beige scraps for the background, which makes the colours really pop. I like the block without embellishing, but if you like to embroider, you can add tails.

Krazy Kites Quilt Block by Monica Curry


This block makes a great summer themed pillow. I think it would also be stunning as a baby blanket or a wall quilt with embroidered tales.

kites quilt block pattern quilt

Pencil Me In Mini Quilt

This pencil quilt wall hanging would look great in an office or a student's dorm room. The script fabric in the background adds a touch of whimsy, and how cool are those sharp pencil tips? This is a great project for Jelly Roll scraps. The lovely script fabric I used for the background is Laurel White Vintage from Bee Creative by Deb Strain for Moda Fabrics.



Ice Cream Swirl Mug Rug

WHO WANTS ICE CREAM?!

My Ice Cream Swirl mug rug is a simple foundation pieced pattern. You can create it in your favourite ice cream flavours. The block is 7" x 7" (15cm x 15cm). Make nine blocks in different flavours for a cute mini quilt like the one below.



Make a few Ice Cream Swirls to create this cute mini quilt.

Autumn Star Quilt Block - FREE Download

Designed for the beautiful colours of autumn, the Autumn Star quilt block is stunning. I created my sample using batik and hand-dyed fabrics. This block would be nice in any fabric, but I really like it with batiks.


Autumn Star Quilt Block by Monica Curry
Autumn Star Quilt Block by Monica Curry

Autumn Star quilt idea
Autumn Star quilt idea

A Little Crazy Mug Rug: Free Pattern

This charming A Little Crazy mug rug is a foundation pieced design inspired by the crazy quilt. It measures 10 x 7½ inches. I love the oval shape and the fussy cut center adds an interesting focal point. The piece is quilted with decorative machine stitching to mimic crazy quilt embroidery. This would be a fun and fast project for anyone new to foundation paper piecing.

Pattern includes instructions for how to do a fussy cut, with template included, and how to cut foundation fabric pieces accurately.

The print fabrics I used are from the Garden Party collection by Tea & Sympathy. The yellow fabric is Henna Mustard Seed from the Eden collection by Tula Pink.




A Little Crazy Mug Rug - detail

How to test fabric for fiber content in ONE EASY STEP


I occasionally pick up fabrics from thrift stores, and I can usually tell the difference between cotton and polyester, but there are times when I'm stumped by the blends. The ladies at So Sew Easy put together a good video on how to determine if your fabric is synthetic or the real deal. It's important to know what you're working with before it's too late. Case in point, I once made a whole wack of HSTs and when I went to press my first batch, one triangle on every HST shrunk because I didn't realize it was polyester/cotton. Why did the triangles shrink? The poly fibers in the fabric melted from the hot iron. Poly is short for polyethylene aka plastic.

See the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDXOl4UbSqU

TEEPEE TRAILS Quilted Placemats

For me, the teepee is a symbol of home and especially being at home with nature. I paid homage to the humble teepee with my new placemat pattern, Teepee Trails. The pattern comes with yardage for two and four placemats. This foundation pieced project is simple to make for a beginner and a quick project for the seasoned pro.