enchanted sal - daphne

Hi everyone. Thanks for joining us on another edition of the Enchanted Sew Along. This is our fourth week in and we have a very beautiful an enchanting fairy for your this week.

If you just started joining us, I will tell you a little bit about the sew along. Each week a new figure will be highlighted from the Enchanted Paper Dolls pattern book. I may even give some tips and tricks about sewing the figure as well. ; ) If you would like to purchase the entire book or just an individual PDF of one figure, you can purchase them here on Etsy or at your local quilt shop. If you shop doesn't carry it, ask them to get in touch with me. We sell wholesale as well.

In appreciation to all who are sewing along, we are offering two prizes:

1. Cutest Figure
2. Best Use of Mix and Match Templates

We are starting to gather up the prizes for these two special winners. I don't really want you to sew along just for the prizes, so I don't like to tell about them in the beginning. They will be very interesting though and worth the effort. We will pick the two winners in December after all figures have been introduced.

You can link up your figure for the week here at the bottom of the post. The link will be open for two weeks from the start date of the post. You can also post on Instagram. Make sure to tag me and use the hashtags: #enchantedsal #enchantedpaperdolls #eppaperdolls and/or #enchanted(figure name).

I would like to make a correction on the pattern booklet. After sending the pattern out to a few people, I was corrected on how I was classifying the pattern. I stated it was a "booklet" but it really is classified as a book if it has more than 49 pages. It doesn't matter if it is hardcover or softcover. I was reluctant to do this, because I didn't apply for and buy an ISBN number. So, I am officially calling this a "book" now.

With that information, I would like to tell you a little story. When I was in my twenties, I made a list of goals for my life, wrote them on a piece of paper and kept them in my passport wallet for safe keeping. Every now and then, I look at that piece of paper. There aren't a lot of goals on there, but this one is..."write a book and have it published." My husband had to remind me of my goal. And with that, I just self-published my own book, my first book! I am allowed to check off one of my life-long goals! What a great feeling.

Back to the sew along. Daphne is the fourth figure in our book. She is an angel or fairy, whatever you wish her to be. Since I wanted her wings to be be a solid fabric on the top portion of her wing, I decided to hack my own pattern. Take a look at the red arrows below. The first foundation paper template on the left shows the original drawing printed directly out from EQ8 - the software program I use to create FPP templates. The second template on the right is how I changed it. Actually, all you need to do is draw a pencil line and sew that portion as Step 1 in the sewing sequence. You can do this on all of the templates. You can skip over some lines especially when sewing hair extensions. I tried to include every possible scenario I could think of to help you decide what you wanted to incorporate into your design.

When I pieced certain segments, I also did a little bit of fussy cutting. Depending on what fabrics I use for wings and background, I may also change up the order of the piecing or change the lines on the papers as described above. To make sure the direction is the same on both papers, I try to lay them over the fabric and cut out a large patch that covers that area.

When making the feet and slippers on all of these figures, I prefer to omit the last sewing lines and just go for a slanted piece of fabric on both sides. It is one less step I have to worry about. However, this take a little practice. That's why I left it on most of the figures in the pattern BOOK.

Once again, this is theory without moving photos, so it may sound strange. When I want my next piece of fabric to keep it's direction, I cut out a square or rectangle, hold it up to the piece I want to attach it to, fold the patch over and crease matching with the previous piece. This will give me the angle in which my fabric patch should be cut.

I then cut either directly on that line or 1/4" away from that crease to remove the corner. This is what it looks like after it has been cut. Now you have your correct angle without a lot of hassle. Just line up the edge of fabric, right-sides-together and sew along the line drawn of the paper pattern. It should match up pretty well.

 

I do this for other pieces as well. Usually just start out with a square or rectangle piece of fabric cut like a normal patch. Sew it on and then trim back the 1/4" for the next piece of fabric.When foundation piecing, I trim up my fabrics BEFORE I sew on the next fabric. This way, I can use strips, square and rectangles of fabric that will always point in the same direction. It gives the overall look of the design nice symmetry.

And now for the beautiful Daphne. I find she is rather one of the easier figures in the collection with the exception of her crown. All of the figures have one element in them that makes them slightly challenging.

I have another confession to make. She has the same feet as Celeste but a different skin color. I accidentally sewed her feet on to Celeste. I noticed on the photo of Celeste after I posted it last Sunday. Needless to say, I carefully dismantled both ladies on Monday and swapped out their feet. Daphne has a slightly darker skin tone than Celeste.

 

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

Take a look at previous posts and see the other figures. 

Agatha | Babette | Celeste | Daphne | Eva | Fiona | Gigi | Hailey | Isabella | Jael | Katharina | Lilly

 

quiltmaker's 100 blocks vol. 14 blog tour

We had a really long summer here in Germany and autumn appeared the middle of October quickly followed by a sudden appearance of winter with a touch of snow. Today it looks like a typical autumn day though - overcast, raining, dreary...so I would like to cheer you up with some pretty quick quilt blocks to pep up your day. Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks is having another great blog tour of fabulous designs from today's hottest designers and giving away gorgeous fabrics as well as other prizes every day this week. Please stop by and check it out.

Oh, I almost forgot! My block is also published in the magazine. You can find it in the centerfold (again). I just love being in the centerfold. My newest block is called "Mountain Range." As you might have guessed, I like to design blocks with nature in mind. This block was inspired by the Appalachian Mountains of N. Carolina, my home for more than a decade before I moved to Germany.

Mountain Range designed by Karen Ackva

Some of you might look at this block and think it is complicated as far as sewing it together. It is much simpler than you think. The magazine gives an excellent explanation as how to sew it all together and your points will match up perfectly, I promise you.

Mountain Range made with Cotton & Steel Fabrics

Have I gotten your creative juices going about what to make with this block? If not, here are a couple of suggestions:

Make a full-sized quilt with the 12" blocks adding multiple sashings and borders. No one ever said you had to make 48 quilt blocks for a quilt - 16 blocks are enough.

Scrappy Mountain Range Quilt ~ 72 x 72 inches

Or shrink the blocks down to 6 inches, make four, set on point and make a modern throw pillow.

Mountain Range Throw Pillow ~ 19 x 19 inches

Go go for an ultra modern look by adding blocks and changing up the arrangement. Add an  interesting border in contrasting colors and you have a new masterpiece your the house. Now wouldn't that make a nice holiday quilt?

Ultra Modern Mountain Range Quilt ~ 70 x 85 inches

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you join up to the other participants along the blog tour Quiltmaker Blog Tour and see all the blocks from extremely creative quilters and designers. Along the way, you will find great prizes, fabrics and always the great quilt publications from Quiltmakers!!

GIVEAWAY

And let us not forget, I am also giving away a copy of the magazine (maybe more than one) to a lucky person (or more and maybe a few other goodies). Just leave a comment below stating what your favorite block is and why. One entry per person please. (My personal block favorite is the Sweet Cupcake by Krista Lea of Quiet Play at quietplay.blogspot.com, because I love cupcakes!!) I will pick one (or more) lucky winner on Saturday, November 19, 2016.

Good luck and happy patching!

****WINNERS chosen******

Congratulations to PrairieKat and to the Swedish Scrapper for winning. Please contact me so I can get your winning prize out to you. Thank you everyone for participating. Have a great weekend!

danube river quilt

Hi Everyone! This winter has been rather strange here in Germany this year. Unlike last year, this year has been really mild. We have received very little snow, and the temperatures rarely have dropped below freezing. Today, you can hear the birds chirping their lovely songs which awakens the springtime feelings in all of us. This can only mean, it is time to get out the fresher colors from your fabric stash and make something exquisite! I have an exciting new quilt for your featured in Quilts from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Spring 2016! Get your copy while they last!

Check it out at your local newstand!

Although I am an American, I live in Germany, close to Ulm, along along the Donau (Danube), which is the second largest river in Europe. It originates in Donaueschingen (Germany) and continues throughout 10 countries ending in the Ukraine and emptying in to the Black Sea. It is a major international waterway for southern Europe. Living here along the Donau definitely influences my day-to-day routine and life. Although the winter months can be very gloomy, the summer months bring many bicycle tours and walks along the river paths.

Danube River as seen from the Münster (Protestant Church) in Ulm, Courtesy Wikipedia

I designed a block last year called Danube River Block, #1163 for Vol. 12 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks capturing my love of the Donau. I used Tokyo Train Ride from Sarah Watts for Cotton + Steel Fabrics and a Timeless Treaures Sketch Basic in Iron. The darker gray chevron reminds me of the river and the medium tones to the right and left signify the birds soaring along the Danube River. I really enjoyed designing this block and had even more fun sewing it together which is easy peasy when you follow the directions in the magazine : )

Danube River Block, #1163 from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 12

The Danube River Quilt uses a basic horizontal setting which gives a vertical illusion of water flowing through the quilt. You can quickly adapt it to any size quilt and would also be a great block for a single pillow cushion. You could also make this happy, scrappy with one shade of blue for the water and all those unused scraps for the birds. Have fun with it!

Featured in Quilts from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Spring 2016

A very big heartfelt thank-you goes out to Peg Spradlin for sewing this quilt perfectly together using Blueberry Park by Karen Lewis and Color Union by Studio RK, both by Robert Kaufman. She did an incredible job at matching up all those HSTs! I love the quilting as well...how the water flows over the chevrons. Thank you, Peg! Seeing this quilt come together so exquisitely, I want to had over the task of making these blocks to my To-Be-A-Bee Group here in Germany.<<wink>>

So where can you get this magazine? It should be hitting your local quilt shop on March 1st for all those located in the United States. For those located in Europe, it may take a little longer. Check out your local quilt shop or bookstore to pick up your copy today! Thanks for stopping by!

ugly christmas sweaters?

Do you like a fun little projects where you sew the same thing along with other patchworkers or sewist? I think it is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the Sew A-Long (SAL) with Quiet Play two years ago when Kristy had her Sew Kitschy SAL. I enjoyed using fussy cut prints to fit into the 10" blocks she created everything around the kitchen. Well, I have been itching for another SAL or Quilt A-Long (QAL) with exactly the same drive, anticipation, and challenges. Lorna, at Sew Fresh Quilts has delivered!

First of all, I wanted to participate in Lorna's SAL, the ugly Christmas sweaters. I missed her fabulous Dog Gone Cute and Elephant Parade SALs and didn't want to miss another one of her cute quilts!! She is absolutely amazing when it comes to the cutest patterns and quilts. I downloaded her lovely printable diagram and started brainstorming. Then I realized that the center blocks were six inches. I might just have an quick and easy way to fulfill the SAL and use some of my stash.

I remembered I had bought this fabulous panel from Henry Glass a couple of years ago. I actually loved it so much, I bought a second one. I knew I wanted to make some kind of Christmas quilt with it, but didn't quite have a plan.

Holiday Frost Panel by Jan Shade Beach for Henry Glass Pattern 9511P

I thought about writing a blog post about what you could do with these fabulous panels and made one star block to show you can make blocks with the fussing cut prints. I also made a "Kirschkernkissen" or cherry seed sack for warming (in the microwave) and applying to your aching muscles or a sore tummy. I thought both were cute but I put the fabrics away for another day. I forgot about the blog post too.

Friendship Star Block and Kirschkernkissen made with Panel

When I realized these panels were just over 6.5 inches, I decided I could use them for the sweater motifs. These would work perfectly for the center blocks in Lorna's sweaters and look pretty cool actually. I wouldn't have to make the new blocks! This would be a perfect fit to use up the panel, make a Christmas quilt (my first ever) and participate in the #uglychristmassweaterssal. 

I pulled some fabrics I bought at Quilt et Textilkunst in Munich last year right before Christmas. I just loved the red/gray/and turquoise mix. The other fabrics are from Wilmington Fabrics, two being from Debbie Mumm. I made my first sweater using these fabrics that went perfectly well with the Henry Glass panel and coordinating prints. The directions were super easy to follow too. Lorna does a very well job at writing easy-to-read directions that even I can follow! My first block took about one and a half hours to make. Finished!

My First Ugly Christmas Sweaters SAL Block

I immediately had to make a second block, because they were just too cute and went so fast. And no, it didn't take as long as the first one. But I couldn't stop! These were getting cuter and cuter. Since I didn't have a lot of the original Debbie Mumm fabric - maybe 30 cm, I realized the Henry Glass fabric was a perfect match to the original red I was using. I pulled out the gray and everything was just falling into place. And the best part about it...it all came from my stash!! Yes, I am sewing my stash off!

Two days later, I have a total of six sweaters! My blue turquoise fabric is getting a little tight, but I know where I found it if I need to buy more. I can get it right here in Germany in Munich. So, here are my six ugly Christmas sweaters. Aren't they just so cute!!?? I would like to come up with three other variations of the original sweater with changing neck, cuffs and bottom just to change it up a bit. Do you have any ideas?

Six Blocks Made

I think that is it for now. I have to join life again and back to the really important stuff. (I was getting just a little bit obsessed there!) The kids have Faschingsferien next week, so there will probably be NO SEWING for me. That's okay. The end of next week finishes with a long sewing weekend in a monastery with my patchwork group and quilty friends. 

If you are looking for a fun and easy Sew A-Long, I highly recommend Lorna's Ugly Christmas Sweaters SAL. It is sew much fun! Thanks for stopping by!

By the way, can you think of other ways to use a fabric panel? Please share with us.