Category Archives: Quilts & Quilting

Fabric Friday – BFF

fabric friday

Today’s Fabric Friday offering was a gift from my best friend, Jewells, for Christmas. She picked this up at a Japanese festival in Albuquerque. Isn’t it fun?

Tackett is a quilter

A totally non-related photo of my cat, Tackett, helping me quilt. He’s adopted my nine-patch project as his own and had decided I’d been quilting on it long enough! Despite his “help,” I only have about 8 more nine-patch blocks to quilt. Of course, then there is trimming and binding!

Have a very happy Friday and a great weekend! I’ll be at The Linus Connection’s monthly meeting in Round Rock tomorrow. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hello!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP

The POD BOW Cometh

Photobucket

Tomorrow is the big day – the day I will post the very first pattern for the Harry Potter Paper Piecing Project of Doom.

This project is months in the making and has been created for all my fellow crafty HP fans as a spanking big THANK YOU for all the support I’ve received since I started designing and sharing patterns online over five years ago.

It’s also the last HP paper piecing project I plan to do. I’ve put everything I have into making this project truly awesome and I hope it will be fun, fun, fun both for me to present and for you to play along.

I’ve been teasing about this for weeks in my Talk To Me Tuesday videos and have even shown off my background fabric on Fabric Friday. I’ve been stitching up a storm and I cannot express how EXCITED I am about this quilt!

If you love, or even just like Harry Potter, if you paper piece or you want to learn, this is the time and the project for you! There will be lots of us playing along and at the end we will have a completed quilt top. Not just a stack of blocks, but an entire quilt. I’ve designed the layout as well as the blocks and will give instruction on how to complete the top once all the blocks are made. A whole, complete Harry Potter quilt!

Are you excited yet?

If you are, visit hp_paperpiecing on Livejournal. That’s where all the fun will be taking place! If you’re not a member of the community yet, it’s easy to sign up for a free Livejournal account and then join the community. All Project of Doom (POD) patterns will be posted there first, so be sure to sign up!

If you’re part of the hp_paperpiecing community and you share your photos with me either via email or through our flickr group, you will be eligible for the monthly prize drawing for participating members! The prizes are fantastic this year and have been donated by a variety of community members. I’m waiting for a last couple of prizes to arrive in the mail and then I’ll post a photo of the awesomeness.

I can’t wait to get started!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP

2010 UFO – How’d I do?

On January 2, 2010, I posted UFO Round Up with photos and descriptions of UFOs I hoped to complete in 2010, or at least make some progress on in 2010.

Here’s how I did! Current status of each project is in red.

To Be Quilted:

Friendship Quilt by Jen's Grannie & friends
January 2, 2010 – Grannie’s Autograph Quilt – This was my Grannie’s and was previously a tied quilt. I’d like to hand quilt it, but I’ve been reluctant to start until I finish my Electric Amish project (see below).

January 5, 2011 –  This top has borders and is in the process of being quilted.


Lost & Found Flour Sack Quilt
January 2, 2010 – Lost and Found Flour Sack Quilt – A quilt top my mom found when she inherited my Grannie’s house. It was originally much longer with holes in several of the squares. I removed a few rows across the bottom (which is not how it was pieced, so it was a pain!) and the damaged fabrics, then replaced those with some of that fabric salvaged from the bottom. The border is muslin, which is also what I’d like to put on the back.
Grannie's Trunk Quilt
January 5, 2011 – Renamed Grannie’s Trunk Quilt. This top was quilted by my friend Linda and then returned to my mom. Read all about it here.


in progress quilts for Linus
January 2, 2010 – Yellow/Green Linus X-Quilts (from fabric donated by Laci L) – made from the Layer ‘Em Up book by Sharyn Craig. Easy peasy tops made from just 2 yards of fabric, both are baby-size. To finish by the next Linus meeting, January 16, 2009.

2 of 2, made from fabric given to me by Laci Donated January 2010

January 5, 2011 – Both quilts were finished and donated to The Linus Connection in January and February of 2010.

Electric Amish by Jen

January 2, 2010 – Electric Amish (hand quilting project, about 1/3 complete) – modified Storm at Sea pattern. This is the first large quilt top I completed that I intended to keep for myself. I’ve been quilting on it for at least five years.  To say that hand quilting is not my strong point is an understatement!

Electric Amish

January 5, 2011 – Done, done, done and VERY happy about it! Blogged about here and vlogged here.

Tops to Finish:

Bear Paws in progress
January 2, 2010 – Brown Bear (blocks are done, need more borders and to be pieced) – from a pass around with my bee. We made the bear paws for each other.  I’ve pieced the units, which still need borders.

January 5, 2011 – Sadly, no progress at all on these. They look exactly like they did a year ago.


HP block swaps all together

January 2, 2010 – HP swap received (blocks are done, need layout, piecing) – from various online quilt block swaps 2007-2008.  Not all of these will go in the finished quilt because a few were the wrong size.  I’ll save those for something else.

January 5, 2011 – No progress here, either, though I have thought about these blocks a lot over the last year. I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to split them into two groups and make two different quilts. Now, I just have to decide how to do it!

Christmas Cottage Swap, blocks rec'd Christmas Cottage Swap, blocks rec'd Christmas Cottage Swap, blocks rec'd Christmas Cottage Swap, blocks rec'd Christmas Cottage Swap, blocks rec'd

January 2, 2010 – Christmas Cottage swap received (blocks are done, need layout, piecing) – blocks received from the 2009 All About Paper Piecing Christmas Cottage Swap. I’m not in a huge hurry for these since I just got them all, but they’re officially a UFO, so they’re on the list.

Christmas Cottage swap blocks with whimsical Christmas trees
January 5, 2011 – I pieced the top, added the trees and the first border at my bee’s annual retreat in March last year (photo taken there on our portable design wall). I plan to do piano keys out of my stash of sparkly Christmas fabric for the last border. The original idea was to be done by this Christmas that just passed, but that didn’t happen!

Layer Em Up for Linus
January 2, 2010 – Layer ‘Em Up 2 for Linus (blocks are pieced, need to be squared and top pieced) – To finish by the next Linus meeting, January 16, 2009.

Layer 'Em Up made at Linus Work Day

January 5, 2011 – Top finished in January and then quilted by my friend Marge and donated to Linus in February 2010. I love the way this quilt turned out. As a bonus, I got to meet Sharyn Craig in October and tell her how much her patterns have meant to our organization!

New York Beauty Block

January 2, 2010 – Batik Beauty (finish blocks) – this will likely be my quilt retreat project for March. I’d like to have this top done by April in order to show the NYB class I’m teaching at Honey Bee.

January 5, 2011 – I have a whole stack of these blocks done, which I did take to my class, but the top has not yet been pieced. The class was fun to teach,  mainly because I had awesome students, but New York Beauty blocks are not my favorites and I doubt I’ll teach them again any time soon. For now, this project is staying in the bag.

Sewing:
January 2, 2010 – Pillowcases to donate to Honey Bee for the 1 Million Pillowcases Challenge.

Pillow made with the "hot dog" method...so cool! 10 Pillowcases

January 5, 2011 – Not only did I make a stack of pillowcases to donate (over 10 total!), I wrote a tutorial to share with Honey Bee, which was posted both here and on the Honey Bee website. The Hot Dog Pillowcase Tutorial was my most viewed post on the Sewhooked Blog in 2010!

January 2, 2010 – New Bag with pockets for BB & camera

Monk's Bag 2.0 Tutorial

January 5, 2011 – Done in form of Monk’s Bag 2.0, completed February 2010. I’ve been carrying this bag ever since and am constantly having people ask where I got it. This was another popular tutorial from last year.

Crochet

Black & Red Swap - Received
January 2, 2010 – Twilight Crafts Black & Red Swap Received (layout and finish) – knit and crochet squares.  I might make a few more, or I might just border these and make them into a lapghan.

January 5, 2011 – In progress as my “carpool crochet” project. I’m making simple white squares to set between each of the red & black ones. I will likely donate it to Linus when I’m done, though I hate to say goodbye to these blocks!

In Progress - jeweled "Turn Around Granny"

January 2, 2010 – Turn Around Granny Square ‘ghan (more rounds? and finish) – Oh geez, these have been sitting for at least a year. I’m uninspired as to what I need to do next. More rounds? Just put them together? No idea!

Jewelled Granny Ghan

January 5, 2011 – Completed and renamed Jewelled Granny Ghan. Gifted to my in-laws for Christmas 2010 because they are awesome.

That’s it for the 2010 UFO Round-up update. Would you like to see a 2011 version? Let me know and I’ll get to work on what needs to be done this year!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP

2011 Project of Doom

Photobucket

Chances are pretty good that, if you follow my blog, you like Harry Potter. Why? It could be because of my Harry Potter quilt, or maybe the Hogwarts-themed birthday party, my daughter’s Harry Potter bedroom or maybe the costumes or buttons, or scarves or crafts or….you get the idea.

I love Harry Potter and I love to create.

In 2011, as a Thank You to all of those members of the HP fandom that have been my cheerleaders and my friends over the years, I will be hosting The Project of Doom over on my quilting community on Livejournal, hp_paperpiecing.

The Project of Doom is a Block of the Week (BOW) Mystery Quilt to create an entire Harry Potter-themed quilt top.

We’ll be starting the week of January 12, 2011 and you’re invited, too!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP

Classic Film

Classic Film

Get Classic Film

Whew.

What a relief that this pattern is finally created for your enjoyment!

When I first drafted this pattern back in 2008, it was strictly as a prop for my then-book. Once my contract was canceled, this piece sat in closet with the rest of the finished Magical Friends projects.

When I made the decision to literally bring them out of the closet and add the patterns I had worked so very hard on to my infant Sewhooked shop, showing off Saturday Morning Monster Movies garnered an immediate response. You wanted the layout pattern and you wanted it yesterday! Well, of course I couldn’t find my original notes anywhere. So, guess who drafted this pattern all over again, just for  you?

I am so excited that I can finally share the newly drafted, tested and altogether fun-to-make Classic Film pattern. I hope you have as much fun making it as I had drafting it…both times!

Classic Film was created specifically to display 5” (finished) quilt blocks, which is by far my favorite size block to design. All the Magical Friends are 5″ in their original size, as are most of the free patterns available on Sewhooked.

Use your favorite paper pieced patterns, applique or fussy cut to create a striking film layout to show off your favorite blocks!

Finished size – 12″ x 31″
Techniques – Traditional and Strip Piecing

 

Want to learn to paper piece? Check out my free paper piecing resources and text tutorial!

Shop Sewhooked and help keep the free patterns free!

Add your Sewhooked-related photos to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!

Happy crafting!

signature-2016

Craftsy Pattern Shop ♥ Etsy Shop

Facebook ♥ Sewhooked on FB ♥ Sewhooked Facebook Group

Instagram ♥ Flickr ♥ Twitter

Posts on this blog contain affiliate links. Thank you for your support. ♥

Holly Jolly

Lil' St. Nick

Santa's Elf Little Wonky Christmas Tree

Mrs. Claus Wee Lil Penguin

Buy it now on Craftsy!

I have a feeling that most of my long-time blog friends are going to look at these patterns and say to themselves, “Huh, I thought I’d seen those before…”

I admit it, it’s true. While working on Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends, I created these patterns and briefly posted them as free content. They have not been online in quite some time now, but emails about them have never stopped.  They’re back now, with newly updated easier to read, full-color patterns, just in time for a little bit of Christmas crafting!

These patterns were not included with the original set because the holiday theme just didn’t quite work. Even so, I adore these characters. They’re some of my absolute favorites!

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends (Supplemental Set 1) – Holly Jolly includes Lil’ St. Nick, Santa’s Helper, Lil’ Mrs. Claus, Wonky Lil’ Christmas Tree and Wee Lil’ Penguin.

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends are inspired by the classic Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam blocks, with a fun, whimsical twist!

Complete paper pieced patterns and sewing order for each. Pattern can be printed in color or gray scale.

5″ finished
patterns can be printed in color or gray scale

Included: 5  paper pieced block patterns with sewing order.

These patterns and others are super-easy to buy from the Sewhooked Shop as an instant PDF download with PayPal payment – completely secure shopping through E-junkie! If you feel more comfortable shopping through e-junking, you can go straight to my storefront there.

With your PDF download, you receive a 6 paper pieced patterns with seam allowance and stitching instructions.

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends

Set 1 – Monster Madness

Set 2 – Wand Wielders

Set 3 – Fanciful Fairies

Set 4 – Friendly Familiars

Set 5 – Busy Bodies

Want to learn to paper piece? Check out my free paper piecing resources and text tutorial or take my Introduction To Paper Piecing class at Honey Bee Quilt Store (new dates coming soon)!

If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked,  I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.

Happy crafting!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP

Busy Bodies

Broomstick Witch

Potion Maker Fortune Teller

Oopsie Daisy Witch Green Thumb Witch Old Wise Wizard

My journey creating Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends, while frustrating at times, was overall a good experience. I learned a lot about publishing and layout, despite not seeing my book in print.

I’ve had many people suggest that I self-publish the book. It’s something I definitely haven’ t ruled out, but for now, I’m very happy to own my own small pattern company and to continue to share both my for sale designs and  free patterns designed both by myself and my talented Guest Designers on Sewhooked.

This is the last “official” set of Magical Friends, meaning only that these cute little characters are the last of the patterns that would have been part of the book.  Like any other project, there are often tangents that occur that may or may not make the final cut. Those design will be presented as supplemental sets. Those sets were, in my own opinion, not quite obviously magical enough or they have other elements that aren’t very Sunbonnet Sue, or they got away from the basic theme I was following. They’re still fun patterns that I believe captures my my style and enjoyment of the work.

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends (Set 5) – Busy Bodies includes Broomstick Witch, Fortune Teller, Green Thumb Witch, Old Wise Wizard, Oopsie Daisy Witch and Potion Maker.

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends are inspired by the classic Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam blocks, with a fun, whimsical twist!

Complete paper pieced patterns and sewing order for each. Pattern can be printed in color or gray scale.

5″ finished
patterns can be printed in color or gray scale

Included: 5  paper pieced block patterns with sewing order.

These patterns and others are super-easy to buy from the Sewhooked Shop as an instant PDF download with PayPal payment – completely secure shopping through E-junkie! If you feel more comfortable shopping through e-junking, you can go straight to my storefront there.

With your PDF download, you receive a 6 paper pieced patterns with seam allowance and stitching instructions.

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends

Set 1 – Monster Madness

Set 2 – Wand Wielders

Set 3 – Fanciful Fairies

Set 4 – Friendly Familiars

Want to learn to paper piece? Check out my free paper piecing resources and text tutorial or take my Introduction To Paper Piecing class at Honey Bee Quilt Store (new dates coming soon)!

Shop Sewhooked and help keep the free patterns free!

Add your Sewhooked-related photos (that includes my patterns posted to Fandom In Stitches!) to my flickr group and you might be featured in a future post!

Photobucket

Friendly Familiars

Wizard with Rat

Witch with Owl Wizard with Snake

Wizard with Toad Witch with Cat

There’s just something a little extra magical about a story with animals in it. Perhaps it’s how they seem to perceive our needs and be our friends, without ever being able to verbally communicate. Maybe it’s because they’re cute or maybe, just maybe, it’s because we see something simple and appealing when we look at our cat curled up in a spot of sunshine.

Enter Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends (Set 4) – Friendly Familiars: Wizard with Rat, Witch with Owl, Witch with Cat, Wizard with Snake and Wizard with Toad.

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends are inspired by the classic Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam blocks, with a fun, whimsical twist!

Complete paper pieced patterns and sewing order for each. Pattern can be printed in color or gray scale.

5″ finished
patterns can be printed in color or gray scale

Included: 5  paper pieced block patterns with sewing order.

These patterns and others are super-easy to buy from the Sewhooked Shop as an instant PDF download with PayPal payment – completely secure shopping through E-junkie! If you feel more comfortable shopping through e-junking, you can go straight to my storefront there.

With your PDF download, you receive a 6 paper pieced patterns with seam allowance and stitching instructions.

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends.

Set 1 – Monster Madness

Set 2 – Wand Wielders

Set 3 – Fanciful Fairies

Want to learn to paper piece? Check out my free paper piecing resources and text tutorial or take my Introduction To Paper Piecing class at Honey Bee Quilt Store (new dates coming soon)!

If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked,  I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.

Happy crafting!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP

Fabulous Fanciful Fairies

We’re still moving right along, as I share the designs from my erstwhile book in the Sewhooked Shop.

New for 2013 – Also available on Craftsy!

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends (Set 3) Fanciful Fairies might just be the sweetest set in the bunch. They’re just…nice. Happy. Whimsical.

Of course, if you make them in some awesome dark and moody fabric…Boom, emo fairies!

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends are inspired by the classic Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam blocks, with a fun, whimsical twist.

Fanciful Fairies includes 6 patterns: Rose Fairy, Daisy Fairy, Tooth Fairy, Fairy Godmother, Flower Fairy and Tulip Fairy.

5″ finished
patterns can be printed in color or gray scale

Included: 6 paper pieced block patterns with sewing order.

With your PDF download, you receive a 6 paper pieced patterns with seam allowance and stitching instructions.

Get a sneak peak at the rest of Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends.

Set 1 – Monster Madness

Set 2 – Wand Wielders

Want to learn to paper piece? Check out my free paper piecing resources and text tutorial or take my Introduction To Paper Piecing class at Honey Bee Quilt Store (new dates coming soon)!

If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked,  I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.

Happy crafting!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP

Wand Weirdos, I mean Wielders

Buckled Boots Wizard Long-Haired Witch Wee Witch Tatty Wizard

Momma Witch Twin Wizards Trendy Witch Cloaked Wizard

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends Set 2 – Wand Wielders is here!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve typed “Wand Weirdos” today…maybe that’s what I should have called this set!

Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends are inspired by the classic Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam blocks, with a fun, whimsical twist.

The patterns were originally designed for a book that I was contracted for. When that contract fell through, I thought long and hard about what to do with the awesome patterns I’d created. They’ve been hiding out long enough and it’s now time to share these fun, whimsical patterns that I love with the rest of the world! (Want to hear the whole story? I talk about it in this video.)

Wand Weilders includes 8 patterns: Buckled Boots Wizard, Cloaked Wizard, Long-Haired Witch, Momma Witch, Tatty Wizard, Trendy Witch, Twin Wizards and Wee Witch

5″ finished
patterns can be printed in color or gray scale

Included: 8 paper pieced block patterns with sewing order.

They’re super-easy to buy from the Sewhooked Shop as an instant PDF download with PayPal payment – completely secure shopping through E-junkie! If you feel more comfortable shopping through e-junking, you can go straight to my storefront there.

With your PDF download, you receive a 8 paper pieced patterns with seam allowance and stitching instructions.

Get a sneak peak at the rest of Sunbonnet Sue’s Magical Friends.

Set 1 – Monster Madness

Want to learn to paper piece? Check out my free paper piecing resources and text tutorial or take my Introduction To Paper Piecing class at Honey Bee Quilt Store!

If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked,  I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.

Happy crafting!

Photobucket

SEWHOOKED SHOP |SCHEDULESEWHOOKED FB
JEN FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FLICKR GROUP