Shelly on Flash Sale! $4.80 for 48 hours! (Finished)

Shelly is a clamshell quilt pattern perfect for stash busting your favourite fabric scraps. Isn't she gorgeous? I love clamshells - they're so easy to pick up and put down whenener the time or mood suits. Shelly is a clamshell quilt with a twist: the central block consists of four clamshell stacks that meet in the centre with a foliage motif. Between the stacks, you have the option of slotting in some contrast fabrics to create a visible central crossing element and the border repeats the clamshell appeal with more foliage motifs to tie it all together.

I love making clamshells—they’re so quick and easy yet look so great.

I've been shelling away making stacks from my monochromatic stash. I'm still going and have about 50 more to make now. I can't get wait to get this top together. Of course, you know me and yes, I considered lots of different colourways for my clamshell quilt. Red and white was a really strong contender, as was a muted stash of civil war tones. But in the end, I had this really stunning assortment of black and white and grays that just needed to come together. I played around with the idea or a black / white & red theme, but somehow went with a newspaper print instead.

Me? I love it! What do you think?!

'Shelly' 

finished size 57 x 57 inches

$4.80 USD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What you need to know:  

Payment is securely completed via PayPal
You don't need a PayPal account to pay as PayPal also securely processes Credit Card payments

Pattern downloads are INSTANT and followed up with a live link to your email inbox. Check your email for the follow up email (and check your spam / junk folders if you can't see it).

The pattern will download to your computer directly.

You will REQUIRE an UPDATED PDF Reader in order to open and print the PDF Patterns.

*If you don't know how to download computer files, open PDF's or print, please don't buy this pattern.

Note: When you receive your download, be sure to SAVE it to your computer.
If you print it directly from the browser download screen, it will not be backed up to your computer and your print out might be missing pages, depending on your internet memory and download speed.

Click here to read my tutorial on printing my PDF patterns at home

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope: Working on the Border Blocks

I must have a short memory. The last time I worked with linen I had to work extra carefully to stop stretching and warping of the fabric fibres.. and totally forgot about all the hassle. Well, now I'm repeating myself! I love my Hope background in this rough linen but am having to work with extra diligence to make sure my seams and fibres stay nice and straight. I do this with spray starch and double checking every single piece before and after I sew it in. Phew.

With the strips sewn in and correct (yes, even I have to double check everything against the pattern sheet), it's time to create the beautiful vines.

I'm using my trusty turn edge applique technique with Elmer's glue for this.

Next, it's time to create the flower heads

it doesn't matter how many I make, I never get tired of applique flowers.

Aren't they sweet?

And this is my border block, waiting to be sewn in

Hope is a gorgeous blooming applique design, perfect for beginners. You can start this quilt anytime as a BOM or purchase the pattern outright. Simply click the image to learn more. 

Hope: Making Stems With A Bias Tape Maker

This is my favourite way to make vines and stems for applique foliage and flowers.

When considering a pattern, I think about whether an embroidery stitch, tracing from pattern or bias stem would work best.

Sometimes, especially when creating traditional or historic style quilts, imperfect stems look best. The size variations might exist to give a pattern a 'hand drawn' or naive look. In those cases, I simply trace the vines or stems from the pattern sheet like every other applique shape and work from there. 

However, most of the time I turn to my trusty bias tape makers to those lines.

I like to starch my fabrics first, helping to create a neat bias tape.

This is what my fabric looks like before it enters the tape.

Then I simply feed it through.

Sometimes the feed needs some help with a pin to wiggle the first bit out.

As soon as it appears, I start ironing the fabric tape to set it.

It looks like this. And then I simply repeat. Easy, isn't it?

If you aren't already creating bias tape for your stems and vines, give it a go. It's a satisfying technique for your applique that allows you to create neat and uniform lines with the least amount of hassle.

Flash Sale: On My Window Flowers Bloom

'On My Window, Flowers Bloom'

Finished size:  38 x 48 inches

'On my Window, Flowers Bloom' says it all. I love this design. I love the flowers and all the fun to be had during fabric selection. Will you go sophisticated with a naturalistic pallette or bright and bold? And what about that sky peeking through? Will it be daytime? Night time? Starry or snowy? I couldn't decide. I kept going back and forth. In the end I played around with two main ideas; the top one is just lovely and I can already see it shining on my wall. The one below is made up from my Fassett stash - because it's about time I started putting that gorgeous stash to proper use in a fabulous wall hanging. 

Whichever way you decide to go with it, I can't wait to see your progress. So don't forget to share as you work and chat along with all of us over in my BOM Group - we're more than just an online quilting group, we're a friendly and supportive community. 

Like it? Make it! 

On My Window Flowers Bloom

An applique wall hanging, finished size 38 x 48 inches

Complete Digital Pattern

$19.95 USD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What you need to know:  

Payment is securely completed via PayPal
You don't need a PayPal account to pay as PayPal also securely processes Credit Card payments

Pattern downloads are INSTANT and followed up with a live link to your email inbox. Check your email for the follow up email (and check your spam / junk folders if you can't see it).

The pattern will download to your computer directly.

You will REQUIRE an UPDATED PDF Reader in order to open and print the PDF Patterns.

*If you don't know how to download computer files, open PDF's or print, please don't buy this pattern.

Note: When you receive your download, be sure to SAVE it to your computer.
If you print it directly from the browser download screen, it will not be backed up to your computer and your print out might be missing pages, depending on your internet memory and download speed.

Click here to read my tutorial on printing my PDF patterns at home

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope: The Blooming Dahlia Block

Today I'm making the Blooming Dahlia Block. If you're making Hope month by month, this block is created in Part 8. I'm making my quilt parts 'out of turn', according to my fabric usage - I have a limited amount of Japanese Woven fabrics that I am balancing out between the blocks. 

Like always, I'm using fusible to create my turn edge applique. For newcomers, you can read detailed tutorials on this technique right here on my blog by clicking here now or the Guide To Applique button on the page header. 

I number all my shapes to help me arrange them when it's time to layer. I even number my leaves, when it comes to prep work, you can't be too organized.

 Layering up

I started with the centre circle and added the first layer of petals, adhering them with dabs of Roxanne glue to keep them in position until I'm ready to machine stitch them down.

 First layer complete and pinned into position - 

I do this to make sure my applique isn't 'growing' as I work

 Now it's time for the second layer

 Second layer pinned and checked against the pattern for size accuracy

 Motif completed and held in position with glue

 Ready for positioning on the block background! Today was all about creating the applique.

I'll be sharing a step by step tutorial on creating the circle star background for this block shortly. 

 Now I'm heading back to my Facebook Group to enjoy all the gorgeous centres that are being created - the range of fabrics and effects are stunning.

Hope is a gorgeous blooming applique design, perfect for beginners. You can start this quilt anytime as a BOM or purchase the pattern outright. Simply click the image to learn more.