Hexagon Colour Wheel Mug Rug Patterns

I'm introducing three new mug rug patterns to brighten your home for spring. The bright primary colours against white, black,  and grey is a crisp combination. You could use these as potholders as well as mug rugs. They would look lovely in a modern kitchen. They would also be a great gift for an artist or art student. This is a good project for quilters just learning to foundation piece. Instructions assume basic knowledge in foundation piecing. The pattern includes instructions for all three mug rugs.





hexagon color wheel mug rug one hexagon color wheel mug rug two hexagon color wheel mug rug three

Phone book paper for foundation piecing


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Earlier this year, I was able to get the Layer Cake™ of With Glowing Hearts by Grace Noel before it was sold out from pretty much everywhere. I'm using this gorgeous line of fabric to create a commemorative quilted throw to mark Canada's 150th birthday this year.

I decided to make my quilt using the Hunter's Star quilt block because I love the block and it ties in with Canada's fur trade history. Hunting and trapping, especially beaver, was how Canada began.

There are several ways to make a Hunter's Star block. I chose to use foundation piecing because it's the technique I'm most comfortable with. However, this left me with a dilemma. I needed 48 blocks to make the quilt, but I didn't want to use 48 expensive sheets of foundation paper for the project. I know phone book paper is used for strip piecing, so I thought I'd try using it for foundation piecing. I was very pleased with the results. The phone book paper printed beautifully with my inkjet printer. If this were a complicated template, it might be hard to read, but it was perfect for this block. This paper is very light but doesn't curl up with normal iron heat and it tears away easily. Honestly, if I could get my hands on some of this paper not printed I'd buy a box of it.

The Pros and Cons of Using Phone Book Paper for Paper Piecing

PROS
  1. Very light but strong enough to be handled.
  2. Prints very well in an inkjet (not tested on a laser printer).
  3. Tears away with no effort at all.
  4. Doesn't curl up with the heat. 

CONS
  1. Somewhat difficult to read the template
  2. Not a nice 8½" x 11" sheet of paper.
  3. Can't see through it.

How to Print Your Template Onto Phone Book Paper

Because phone book paper has to be cut slightly smaller than normal letter-sized paper, use this method to print your templates.
  1. Copy your templates onto an 8½" x 11" sheet of paper.
  2. Cut out phone book pages to about 7¾ " to 8" wide.
  3. Cut a piece of white paper to the same size as your phone book paper.
  4. Cut out templates and paste or tape them down onto the smaller white piece of paper.
  5. Place phone book paper in your printer paper tray and adjust the paper width bars to the width of your paper.
  6. Center the template page on the printer bed and photocopy it onto the phone book paper.

Pixel Beach Mini Quilt

Inspired by a day at the beach, Pixel Beach is a simple and elegant quilted wall hanging in a checkerboard of neutral tones. What a lovely addition to your summer beach house. Think warm summer sand, collecting pretty stones and sea glass on the shore while the gulls singing overhead. These were my inspirations for my new mini quilt pattern Pixel Beach.

Recycle your Batting Scraps



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Over time, like most quilters, I end up with a lot of spare quilt batting pieces in all kinds of sizes. I don't throw any of these bits and pieces out, however. I keep them in a batting scrap box until I'm ready to recycle them. Here are three ways I recycle batting scraps. I hope this tutorial will encourage you to save your batting scraps and find a use for them.

USES FOR BATTING SCRAPS
  • stuffed toys
  • pin cushions
  • zipper bag stabilizer
  • bag straps
  • post cards
  • quilted coasters
  • One of the best ways to reuse batting scraps is to join them to make larger sheets of batting for your quilting projects. Below are two simple ways to do this.

ZIG-ZAG STITCH TOGETHER

1. Trim the rough edges of the batting.

2. Butt the trimmed edges together. Do not overlap them.

3. Join the two pieces with a wide zigzag stitch.


FUSE TOGETHER
I normally zig-zagged my pieces together but in a rush one day, I used a quicker method that I now prefer. I now recycle my batting bits by joining them together with fusible interfacing. It's so much faster than stitching them together, and they hold together very well this way.

YOU WILL NEED
  • batting chunks you want to join
  • rotary cutter
  • quilting ruler or regular ruler
  • strips of fusible interfacing. (I used Pellon Sheerweight interfacing, but a medium weight interfacing will work just as well. I'm also pretty sure there is such a thing as batting tape but the interfacing does the trick).
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Get your batting pieces and check if they are jagged on the edge or not (these are pretty jagged).



2. If the batting edges are jagged, trim a little off to make both edges straight.



3. Butt the two edges together as shown; don't overlap them.



4. Following the manufacture's instructions press the fusible interfacing securely to the batting.



5. This is something like what your batting will look like. Any puckers are not an issue because you won't see them once you sandwich your quilt.

My Urban Pathway Table Runner Kit at Connecting Threads

The Connecting Threads Spring 2017 catalogue came in the mail this week and I was excited to see my Urban Pathway table runner quilt kit there. The kit uses Shiny Objects by Flaurie & Finch for RJR. The line has a gorgeous metallic print. Thank you Anita and all the gang at Connecting Threads!

Update: July 20, 2021
This kit is no longer available at Connecting Threads but you can still buy this pattern at my Etsy Store.





monica curry connecting threads magazine
Image from Connecting Threads Pattern Catalogue


shiny object fabric collection urban patheay
Image from Connecting Threads Pattern Catalogue

Grand Piano Hot Pad

This cute Grand Piano quilted hot pad is sure to play a sweet note in your kitchen. The pattern uses one 10" square from your favourite Layer Cake and some black and white scraps. The keyboard is simple foundation paper piecing. The black bias binding completes it beautifully.





grand piano quilted hot pad pattern

This hot pad pattern measures 12" x 9" (30cm x 22.5cm), which is the size of a small standard baking pan or dish.

grand piano quilted hot pad pattern - detail 1

I choose bright colours to set off the contrast of the black and white keyboard. Any print would look gorgeous for this project, and the black binding ties everything together, but I think a print with even a little black in it really creates a nice balance of colour.

grand piano quilted hot pad pattern - detail 2



TULIP BASKET Mini Quilt

I'm excited to be introducing my newest mini quilt pattern Tulip Basket just in time for spring. The basket is two paper pieced log cabins, and the simple tulips are done in hand-stitched appliqué. It measures 19" x 18" (47.5cm x 45cm). This mini quilt uses a soft taupe colour palette inspired by the beautiful quilts by Japanese quilt artist Yoko Saito.



tulip basket mini quilt applique pattern

I think the rich tones of the tulips are stunning against the quiet neutrals. If you have basic appliqué and paper piecing skills, you can make this cheery spring project in no time at all. Hand stitched appliqué or fusible appliqué are both suitable for this project.

tulip basket mini quilt applique pattern detail

CELTIC TWIST Quilt Block | Step-by-Step Tutorial


This tutorial is for the 17" x 17" Celtic twist block shown above. It may look complicated, but it's simple to put together. There are no Y-seams and no templates to worry about. The block consists of two 6 inch units (one is a snowball block) and two different sized triangle units; that's it! You can make one block or add more units to make a quilt or table runner. I love this block for showcasing big prints.

These are the four units to make the block.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR ONE BLOCK
(All measurements include a 1/4 inch seam allowance)

Unit 1 - Makes 4
[8] 5" x 2" dark print
[8] 5" x 2" light print
[4] 3½" x 3½" medium print

Unit 2 - Makes 4
[1] 7¼" solid

Unit 3 - Makes 4
[2] 7" solid
[4] 2" x 2" dark print

Unit 4 - Makes 1
[1] 6½" x 6½" large print
[4] 2" x 2" light print

UNIT 1 - Make 4

1. Arrange your fabric pieces to ensure you have the correct colour placement. You'll need [2] 5" x 2" dark print; [2] 5" x 2" light print; and [1] 3½" square medium print to make one 6" block.



2. Place the square and first piece right sides facing and start stitching 1 inch from the top of the square.



3. Flip and press the first piece. Place the next piece right sides facing and stitch to end.



4. Flip and press the last piece you stitched. Place the next piece right sides facing and stitch to end.



5. Flip and press the last stitch pieced. Pull back and pine the first piece sewn on and pin back. Place the last piece right sides facing and stitch to end. Flip back and press.



6. Fold back the first piece as shown and stitch to just past the starting point of your first stitches.



7. Press completed block.




UNIT 2 (One square makes four triangles)

1. Cut [1] 7¼ solid colour square.
2. Cut the square diagonally to each corner to make four triangles.



UNIT 3 - Make 4

1. Pin one [1] 2" dark print square with right sides facing on opposite corners of the 7" solid colour square and stitch as shown. Cut a 1/4 inch seam allowance from each corner square, flip and press back.

2. Cut from corner to corner parallel to stitched corners to make two triangles.




UNIT 4 - Make 1

1. Cut [1] 6½ inch large print square and [4] 2" light print squares. Pin one 2" square with right sides facing on each corner of the larger square as shown.



2. Cut a corner inch seam allowance from each corner square, flip back, and press.



BLOCK ASSEMBLY DIAGRAM

Polly makes my pencil quilt

One of the most rewarding things as a quilt designer is seeing how other quilters interpret my patterns. I was so pleased to recently see one of my most popular patterns, Pencil Me In, created by Polly at Aunt Polly's Porch. I think she did a beautiful job with this pattern. Her colour choices are stunning, and I love the hanging tabs she put on the top.