Author Archives: Jennifer Ofenstein

About Jennifer Ofenstein

Owner of sewhooked.com and fandominstitches.com. #quiltforgood advocate. Quilt designer, instructor, Talk to Me Tuesday founder & contributor, cat mom, and craft enabler.

Checking in With Stars For Linus

2 Replies

It’s been quite some time since I talked about Stars for Linus here on Sewhooked.

For my new visitors, Stars for Linus is a small thing I do for my favorite blanket making charity, The Linus Connection.

You, my quilting friends, have an open invitation to create 12″ (12 1/2″ unfinished) stars of bright colors on a light background and mail them to me. I turn them into quilts that are donated to The Linus Connection and from there go to children in crisis in Central Texas.

Not up for making stars? I also accept orphan blocks in any size!

It doesn’t get easier to help brighten the life of a child than that!

Want more information? I have an entire page on Stars For Linus linked from my top menu.

Use one of the patterns linked from the Stars for Linus page or any other 12″ star block of your choosing!

Looking for a chance to win a fun prize? Just share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in February and you’ve got a chance to win the fabulous prize above! Winner to be announced Monday, March 3, 2014.Be sure to stop back by on Saturday, March 1 for Paper Piecing Vintage!

Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!

TTMT #249 – Beautiful Quilts

8 Replies

In This Video:

Paper Piecing Vintage Block of the Month
As You Wish on Fandom In Stitches
Talk To Me Tuesday Livejournal Community
Kristel’s Blog – Work-In-Progress Girl
The Linus Connection

There are still chances for prizes! Just share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in February and you’ve got a chance to win the fabulous prize above! Winner to be announced Monday, March 3, 2014.

There’s a new prize each month during 2014, so be sure to stop back by!

Photobucket

Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!

Saturday Sewing

4 Replies

Yesterday morning, I headed out for a day of charity sewing with my favorite blanket charity, The Linus Connection. There were about sixteen of us, all told, stitching binding and quilt tops for kids in crisis in central Texas.

For this venture, I used my handy Singer 301A, which I made in to my “to-go” machine last fall. It has it’s own bag filled with all my duplicate sewing tools so that I don’t have to pack up my home machine every time I want to go sew with friends. I can’t even begin to tell you how much easier that has made events like this!

My first order of business was to stitching binding on two quilts donated by Kristel from Work-In-Progress Girl. Marie happily modeled the pre-bound versions of Kristel’s lovely quilts! I’ll be showing the finished version on TTMT this Tuesday.

After binding Kristel’s two quilts (which were quilted by my friend Marge on the Linus long arm machine), I moved on to piecing a simple top made of bright and cheerful 6″ squares.

After the sweet squares were complete, I moved on to a large tumble block quilt. For sewing days, volunteers pre-cut fabrics that have been donated in to kits to make quilt tops. We try to keep it pretty simple, but use beautiful, fun fabrics that will make a very happy quilt.

This pre-cut is made from a layer cake (10″ pre-cut squares) using a large tumble block template. Because the piecing are so big, the top stitches up super fast.

Lastly, I just have to share this amazing extension table that my friend’s husband made for her Singer 301A. It’s pegboard, an old broom handle, a few screws and felt pads for feet! Total cost, approximately $5! Isn’t it fantastic?!

There are still chances for prizes! Just share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with theSewhooked flickr group in February and you’ve got a chance to win the fabulous prize above! There’s a new prize each month during 2014, so be sure to stop back by!

Photobucket

Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!

TTMT #248 – Things I Can Discuss

Leave a reply

1000th Post Giveaway!

The winner of the 1000th Post giveaway (today is 1001!) is…

Congratulations, Sandra! Please email me – sewhooked@gmail.com with your mailing address to receive your prize!

Winner chosen via random.org.

Photobucket

Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!

1000th Post Giveaway!

51 Replies

999

Hello my lovely friends!

Not only is today Valentine’s day, it’s my ONE THOUSANDTH post!

That image up there? That’s from my last post! Isn’t that amazing?!

To celebrate, I’m giving away a three pack of Sewhooked patterns: A Little Haunted, Turkey Talk and Fairy Tale Femmes.

These are the real deal: printed patterns that you can hold and touch and then make something wonderful from!

1000th Post Giveaway!

Hard copies are no longer available for sale, which makes this giveaway extra special!

Entering to win is easy! Just comment on this post!

Want an extra entry? Follow me on Instagram (@sewhookedjen) and let me know you did! If you already follow, you get an extra entry, too, just let me know! 😉

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 18.

Want instant gratification? All the patterns seen her are available for instant download via my Craftsy shop!

Like prizes? Just share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in February and you’ve got a chance to win the fabulous prize above! I love giveaways, so the more you stop by, the more likely you are to win!

Photobucket

Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!

TTMT #247 – Much Better

Leave a reply

After a week of Not Much At All, I’m back with this week’s (slightly froggy) TTMT! Be sure to watch for lots of fun prizes for the different places around the web you’ll find me!

Sewhooked

Paper Piecing Vintage February Update. Get the pattern on Craftsy!
Paper Piecing Art: Beginner & Beyond.
Piecing Vintage Facebook Group
Sewhooked Flickr Group

Fandom In Stitches

The Linus Connection

Stars For Linus

Talk To Me Tuesday

Photobucket

Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!

Big Linus Heart

Leave a reply

Big Linus Heart Quilt via LinusConnection, free on Craftsy

There’s not a whole lot for a crafty sick girl like me to do besides hang out in bed with her laptop, drawing quilts.

In this case, the quilt was already drawn, it just needed a little bit of instruction added.

This Big Linus Heart quilt is free for you to download and make oodles of gloriously scrappy heart quilts for your favorite blanket charity!

Inspired by heart logo used by my own favorite blanket making charity, The Linus Connection, Big Linus Heart is the second variation of this patchy heart I’ve created.

The Linus Connection Heart via LinusConnection, free on Craftsy.

Do you sense a theme going on here? 😉

While the paper pieced version above is a mere 5″ finished, the patchwork quilt version makes a respectable 44″ x 49″ quilt, a great lap size quilt for a kid’s blanket!

So go, dig out your scraps and make a patchwork quilt for a charity (or kiddo) you love, with my compliments.

Stay well, and I’ll see you again when I’m back to my usual, bouncy self!

Waiting for Rain, companion pattern for my STITCHED Workshop.

Just $4 on Craftsy!

TTMT #246 – And Now I’m Going Back To Bed

4 Replies

Sewhooked

Paper Piecing Vintage February Update. Get the pattern on Craftsy!
Paper Piecing Art: Beginner & Beyond. My 2012 STITCHED Workshop, right here on Sewhooked.
Piecing Vintage Facebook Group

Fandom In Stitches

Also in this video:

TTMT Community

Waiting for Rain, companion pattern for my STITCHED Workshop.

Just $4 on Craftsy!

Paper Piecing Vintage: February

Leave a reply

Welcome to February! Is it just me, or did January seem to last forever? Maybe it’s just the excitement I’ve felt over every single Paper Piecing Vintage block that you wonderful people have shared! Today, I’d like to introduce you to the second installment in our Block of the Month: Come Fly Away. This block was inspired by a quilt I saw years ago but have never forgotten. I’ve recreated the block as best I can from memory. The name is my own and I hope you enjoy this sweet and simple chevron block! As with all the blocks from PPV, Come Fly Away is entirely paper pieced and both 6″ and 12″ patterns are included.

Already registered? Download your updated BOM file now!

Haven’t signed up for Paper Piecing Vintage yet? Registration for the entire year is just $12. That’s 12 patterns in two sizes, entirely paper pieced for one awesome price!

Come Fly Away, designed & pieced by Jennifer Ofenstein (sewhooked.com)

Be sure to stop back by the first of each month for the latest Paper Piecing Vintage block. Join the Paper Piecing Vintage Facebook Group for exclusive content and to sew with friends! Share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group for a chance to win fun prizes all year long!

Need some help with paper piecing? Check out my full-length workshop, shared free right here on Sewhooked!

Learn to Paper Piece Sweet Skating Sue, just $3!

Paper Piecing Art: Beginner and Beyond

9 Replies

Way back in 2011, I was invited to be an instructor for STITCHED, a subscription-based online classroom community that offered workshops by experts in different craft-related areas. The entire shebang was conceived of and hosted an extraordinary artist, Alma Stoller.

My own workshop Paper Piecing Art: Beginner and Beyond, was geared to take students step-by-step through the paper piecing process.

I shared every tip and technique that I myself use when paper piecing. Now, over a year after the completion of the STITCHED 2012 Workshops, I offer my own class here, free for you.

If you’re already a paper piecer, you might pick up a trick or two; if you’re new to paper piecing or have tried before and it didn’t quite click, I hope this helps you on your paper piecing journey!

Jennifer’s Tools: