Monday, July 27, 2015

Introducing the Twirl tutorial!

Happy Monday to you! First off, thank you all so much for your kind words and congratulations about our baby news last week! It's such an exciting time, and your lovely comments really made me smile. Speaking of smiling, I'm really enjoying trying to get back into a regular schedule of blogging as of late. I missed blogging! Don't get me wrong, I love Instagram and sharing a quick snap here and there, but I miss words. I love words :) So here I am, and hold me to this, but I'm going to try to blog every Monday for the rest of the summer. Surely that will be long enough to build a new habit, right? Here's hoping!


So, in the spirit of sharing words with you all, I've written a simple new tutorial to go with a block you mostly recently saw in my Cotton + Steel mini quilt, the Twirl block, used in the border of that mini. The Twirl block is a fun paper pieced block and the tutorial is complete with templates and cutting instructions for a 6" and 12" finished version of the block, so take your pick! You can do a lot of things with this very simple block, here's a few ideas:


You can download this block tutorial for free right here

The best part about putting together this tutorial is that I've managed to bundle it into this new crazy idea that I've had. A 39-block epic sampler quilt with boatloads of patchwork and paper piecing, in different block sizes and loads of color...that I plan to finish before the baby is born. I know, I'm crazy, but I need a big, long-term project to channel my energy into in my "free" time, something that makes me happy, that I can work on bit by bit, and I think this is it. I've designed the quilt using some blocks that I've made in the past, and lots that I've designed and just not had the right project for, and others still that I've just always wanted to make. And my goal is going to be to finish at least two blocks a week from now until the first week of January when the baby comes.


Based on my calculations, that will definitely yield me at least all the blocks to finish the quilt top before the baby comes. It's entirely possible that the Epic Sampler quilt will become a new block of the month club, if I can manage to sort it all out properly and figure out how to break 39 blocks into a 12 month experience. What say you, blog-land, would you be interested in a new club, one that mixes paper piecing and regular old patchwork piecing?

22 comments:

  1. Yes! This would be fun.
    I love that stack of fabric. nice array of colors
    I'm in

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  2. I love this idea for your quilt Elizabeth. I have always thought it would be fun to do something similar with orphan blocks, however, I think yor quilt will have a much more cohesive look due to your fabric selection. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

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  3. Lovely block. Thank you for sharing!

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  4. The block looks like lots of fun. Yes, I would be very, very, very interested in another block of the month!

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  5. That sounds like fun! I love your block and all the color options you have shown. You are in for some fun sewing before this little one arrives. It is always such a joy to stitch with a new one in mind.

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  6. Totally missed the baby news! Congrats! I would totally be up for a mixed patchwork/paper piecing BOM by you if you are so inclined.

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  7. Such a pretty block! But I opened my browser particularly to type congratulations on the baby news (bloglovin' reader otherwise)! Crossing my fingers everything goes well and baby arrives safely in the world. As for blogging, I love it. Nothing beats a coherent text with thoughtful pictures to go with it, and it's a shame quite a few seem to leave it a bit.

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  8. Oh man, forgot to say that I'm in love with paper piecing, too. I love many things apparently :D Would be up for a club-type of thingy, if you're the hostess!

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  9. I always enjoy your pp patterns! They are lovely and the directions are clear. :-)

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  10. Yes please! I can't wait to see what it will look like!

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  11. I just wanted to say, first of all, congratulations on the new little one, hope all goes well! And second, I am so glad you're blogging again! I really missed your posts - they are always interesting and I love your star patterns.

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    Replies
    1. That's so nice to hear! It feels good to be doing something regularly again :)

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  12. Love the blocks...like the ones that you chose. So fun that they are paper pieced as well as the two sizes. Congratulations on the new little one.

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  13. A new BOM would be great! Congrats on the baby. I know you must be super excited. When my son was 4(an only child), he went around telling everyone over and over how he wanted a big brother named Kevin. It's hard to explain to a 4 year old why they can't have a big brother only a little brother.

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    Replies
    1. Indeed that is a hard concept to explain to a four year old, but how cute!! :)

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  14. Hello.. I'm late as usual!! BUT I wanted to say congrats on the new baby... :) I just finished making all of the stars from the BOM that you hosted since I signed up late. I would definitely be interested in a new one and will be following your 39 block project.
    -genny

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  15. That's a great idea... Can I ask about your grey fabrics? I have the hardest time finding greys that I like but the light one with the leaf look is one I have a scrap of and would die to get yardage...
    Peggy in NJ

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    Replies
    1. Sure thing, Peggy. I love grey fabrics :) This particular one is a print by Carolyn Friedlander from her Botanics collection, which is out of print, and real hard to find. I've got a local shop in the area that may have some left, if you'd like to see if they're willing to ship to you - it's called Inspire Quilting & Sewing, and their phone number is 813-704-4867. Good luck!

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    2. Thank you.... Looking forward to seeing what you do as far as the BOM.

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Thank you for leaving a comment for me! I appreciate each and every one of them and try to respond when time allows. Your comments totally brighten my day :)


Welcome! I'm Elizabeth, mom to a mood teen boy and a chatty six-year-old girl and I sew for my sanity. Let's get to quilting, shall we?
The Epic Sampler BOM Club kicks off Oct 1st
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