Sunday afternoon was the first time my entire Bite Size Quilt class FINISHED all their blocks. Every single woman completed their mini quilt top! Whoohoo! And look how lovely they turned out. Here are a few from class.

We had such fun. We talked about the pictures we chose,  about the memories behind each photo, why we chose the image we did and then showed off our ‘back up’ photos that didn’t make the cut. The blocks were enjoyable to put together and the company was even more so.

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
― Ansel Adams

Join us June 29  at In Between Stitches for the July Bite size block. We’ll be learning paper-piecing. Kits are available as well. Class registration Link.

Absewlutely,

Lisa

With the warm sunny weather, June has always been a perfect month to make memories. I suppose that is why so many couples get married in June. This month’s Bite Size block features a Memory block. The cute young couple in the center of this square is none other than me and my husband now wed 25 years! I need more memory… and blocks! I called this block Tuxedos and Lace. The block instructions are from the Material Girlfriends’ Pattern Change the World. The link will only be available for free for a limited time so don’t delay in downloading your copy of this beautiful block. June.BiteSizeBlock.Instructions. (Sorry, free download expired 11/16. For pattern, please purchase Bite Size Vol. 3)

This is another example of this pretty block sewn by my sister, Lora. This photo shows the block on point. Lovely! And who can resist the adorable antique sewing machine in the background?

The center of the memory block is easy to make. Select a photo. If it is digital, print it on your home inkjet printer using inkjet printable fabric such as Printed Treasures. If your photo isn’t digital, you can place it right on the glass of your copier and make a copy of it using the printable fabric. Then just peel the paper off the back (tedious). I set the ink with a hot dry iron. Trim to size and use it just like fabric.

One of my quilting friends recently made a memory quilt for her father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Material Girlfriend, Judy, made her daughter a memory quilt since she was spending a semester overseas. Judy also made a 50th wedding anniversary quilt for her parents. The inkjet printable fabric can be used for hand bags and pillows as well! Purchase a package and see what memories you can create!

Absewlutely,

Lisa

Enjoy this fun block. Sew a dozen or more for a delight anniversary quilt.

Tuxedos and Lace kit is availabel at In Between Stitches in Livermore. I will be teaching this June Bite Size class, Sunday June 1, 2014 at In Between Stitches.  Sign up today!

April Showers Bring May Flowers!

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.” Emily Dickinson

This applique block is easier than it looks! Select a fat quarter of a large floral print. Press fusible web to the back and trim out your flowers. Peel off the backing paper and press into place. It is that easy! I layered just two pieces from a floral print. The large red and purple flower and green leaves were one piece and I tucked the blue flowers to the right. Perfect! You can purchase the kit from In Between Stitches, 2190 First St, Livermore, CA 94550. (925)371-7064

Absewlutely,

Lisa

Goodness! We’re just one small hop from Easter. Time for a cute chocolate bunny and an Easter egg. Usually I present these free 12″ bite size quilt patterns on the first of the month but I’ve had so many requests for this pattern already that I thought I’d go ahead and blog it early. This Bite size square is machine appliqué. Give special attention on fussy cutting your pieces.

What is fussy cutting? The internet definition: When you find a particular design, picture or print in your fabric and then cut around it so it fits into a patch or block on your quilt featuring the special picture or design.

But it is more than just that. You can have the direction of the fabric create highlights or imply the direction of the hair on the bunny. Fussy cut the egg and the ribbon across the egg, as well. But don’t stop there. Learn to do a mitered border by fussy cutting your strips and creating a beautiful accent to your 12″ block. Done with the fussy cutting now? Oh no. Don’t forget the binding! You can fussy cut and make the prettiest binding ever! Click here to download the pattern and instructions. April.BiteSizeBlock.Instructions (Sorry, free download expired 11/16. For pattern, please purchase Bite Size Vol. 2)

Hop to it! and Have a wonderful Easter.

Absewlutely,

Lisa

The Shamrock Irish Chain Bite Size Quilt class (that’s a mouthful!) that took place yesterday was sew much fun! I was ’bout to dance a jig! I’d thought I’d share a few of the squares made in class. The fabric choices were so cool! I had eight lasses in the class. I missed a few of the projects but you can see from the following pictures how successful they were! Thank you MG Judy for the block!   You can download your free pattern and instructions from the previous blog posting.

Absewlutely,

Patty O’Furniture

(aka MG Lisa)

Top of the Mornin’ to ya! We can all be Irish in March, especially if you make this adorable Irish chain with shamrock appliqué in the center. To download this free pattern click here. March.BiteSizeBlock.Instructions If you’d like lots of picture for the Extreme Piecing technique, then you’ll want this word doc as well. Material Girlfriend Judy put this together. Shamrock Little Bits Block (Sorry, free download expired 11/16. For pattern, please purchase Bite Size Vol. 2)

Every year on the 17th of March, I’d write up a limerick and call my mother. “Top of the mornin’ to ya, Mother of mine. Tis Patty, Patty O’Furniture, calling with a limerick for ya.” She’d laugh at my silly, ridiculous Irish accent, call my father over and put me on speaker phone.

Before We Go Further, Exactly What Is A Limerick?

According to Wisegeek a limerick is a five-line humorous poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme. It is about 500 years old (I’ve not been writing them that long), and held to have first been used as a distinct form at the end of the sixteenth century.

“Okay, Patty, we’re ready for you.” says my mother.

A quilter’s husband once spilt

A cold beer all over her quilt

He really was sly

He wiped it quite dry

But confessed because of the guilt!

Enjoy your Saint Patty’s Day celebrations.

Absewlutely,

Patty O’Furniture (aka MG Lisa)

Be My Valentine? And how can you resist with this lovely wool felt project just in time for Valentine’s Day?! Enjoy this free wool project designed my mother, Material Girlfriend Carolyn Wooldridge, as a “heart felt” gift of our appreciation of your support of the Material Girlfriends. This adorable 12″x 13″ block is easy to put together and fun to embelish. My mother added bling and beads as delightful finishes. Mine looks a little plain in comparison! But all the same I love it, love it, love it. I had never tried wool felt before and was so surprised at how fun such a project is. If you can’t remember your basic embroidery stitches, you can find a variety of tutorials on youtube. Double click for the pattern Feb.Felt.Pattern.F and  for the instructions FebBiteSizeBlockValentine. If you’d like a color version for the pattern you can use this file Feb.Felt.color. Since the image is larger than your standard printer pages, print at 100% and select “tile image” in your printer settings. (Sorry, free download expired 11/16. For pattern, please purchase Bite Size Valentine Banner)

This is also a class at In Between Stitches, Sunday, February 9 1-4pm. And kits are available for $15.95. Kits are limited so contact In Between Stitches right away if you’d like one. Enjoy your project!

Absewlutely,

Lisa

I love a new year. New things to do, new things to try, new expectations. It is a starting point, a “do-over” point. The old is gone and the new is here. I don’t plan on this year being Pointless. I’ve made New Year Resolutions and created plans on how to achieve them. First off for the New Year is January Bite Size Quilt with piecing tips on “Don’t Be Pointless”. (Don’t you hate it when you make a beautiful star and the star points get swallowed up in the seams or misaligned? You’ll like these tips.) This beautiful pieced square is a block from 1941, originally call Blackford’s Beauty. It is also known as Arrow Point, Arrowhead, Black Beauty or Stepping Stones. In the center of the star, I fussy cut a polar bear from a fat quarter brought home from Alaska. Brrr, perfect for our chilly January. You can choose to fill the center of the star with a character print of your choice or fill the center with tan. Download the free instructions to create this star here, Jan.BiteSizeBlock.Instructions. (Sorry, free download expired 11/16. For pattern, please purchase Bite Size Vol. 2)

Happy New Year!

Lisa

I just finished the last of the pumpkin pie for breakfast. It is NOW officially the Christmas season. Christmas tunes are tinkling from Pandora.com and I’m just adding the final instructions for my December Bite Size pattern for my class tomorrow. If you’ve never paper pieced before, you must try this one. It is an easy tree to put together, plus there is a video tutorial and free pattern and instructions from YouCanQuiltThis.com. Click Here for the video tutorial. And click Here to collect your free pattern. But the center square is just half the fun. You can paper piece the half square triangles too. Use a couple sheets from Star Singles or Thangles. You’ll want the 2″ half square triangle size. This little project went together very quickly. Download the Dec.BiteSizeBlock.Instructions if you’d like to make this 12″ quilt. Time for a hot cup of tea because the mailman just delivered my FEBRUARY issue of American Patchwork quilt magazine (really?!) but the world stops when a new quilt magazine arrives. Enjoy the December Bite Size pattern!

I am sitting by the fire and listening to Windham Hill Radio with lovely, relaxing classical piano saturating the air waves… awe…. Welcome November. I’ve created a beautiful Oak Wreath to warm our heart and hearths. Click on Nov.BiteSizeBlock.Instructions to download the instruction page. Click on Nov.BiteSizeblock.outline.11×17 to download the template page. If you don’t have a printer that prints 11×17, you’ll need to tile the page when printing, then tape it together. (Sorry, free download expired 11/16. For pattern, please purchase Bite Size Vol. 1) The appliqué technique used for this project is fusible interfacing. One of the things I love about fusible interface appliqué is that it doesn’t leave your project stiff like the fusible web stuff will.  After drawing your leaves to the wrong side of your fabric, lay a piece of fusible interfacing, fusible side to right side of fabric and with a small stitch length, sew along the line of the leaf. Cut the leaf out about an 1/8″ out side the line. Cut a slit in the back of the interfacing and turn the leaf right side out. Use a smooth instrument from the inside to smooth out the seam. Position the leaves and press in place. I then used a pretty blanket stitch in a coordinating green to finish the edges. When quilting the piece, I re-used my freezer paper template that I used to trace the leaves and with my blue water soluable ink pen, drew more leaves to machine stitch. It filled out the wreath so nicely and gave it a full feel. Enjoy your project!