2022 Fairy Duo - Leticia and Jolean

Hi there! I am really excited to share with your the newest set of easypatchwork Paper Doll Fairy, Leticia and Jolean. This collection of fairies is made with 16" foundation paper pieced figures, a great size to get into paper piecing and create a throw pillow for a special person in your life.

The 2022 fairy, Leticia, was just too cute not to have her sister, Jolean, join in the celebration this year. Each one has her own style. You can even mix the heads, bodices and dresses from both figures to create more if you wish.

 

Leticia - 2022 Fairy of Joy

Allow us to introduce, Leticia, the 2022 Fairy of Joy. She is an English fairy princess who would like to guide you through the new year. May you entrust her to show you the simpler things in life. She is straight-forward, and elegant. You could also envision her as a garden fairy, a strawberry fairy, or forest fairy with her cute acorn-shaped cap.

You can sew her with a variety of different colorways such as monochromatic (shown above) or even in a rainbow color schemed shown in the lower right corner. I truly love using the dark background on the fairies with their soft creamy, blush skin tone. If you wish to create more contrast, use a variety of values such as light, medium and dark for the figure to stand out. Get creative with different hair and wing colors. Create a whole family of different rainbow-colored fairies. More design ideas as well as a coloring sheet are found in the pattern as well as step-by-step directions with illustrations.

 

 

Jolean - 2022 Fairy of Inspiration

Sister to Leticia, Jolean is a dazzling fairy of inspiration. May her spunky character and love of life inspire you in your creative endeavours. She is slightly more challenging with her cute hair buns and layered dress. She is very proud to sport her fairy-tipped ears. Her plunging neckline shows her high self-confidence and love of her own body.

She is also sewn in a monochromatic color scheme with creamy, blush skin. There so many more options to color her though. Just take a look below. More designs in the pattern as well as a coloring sheet and step-by-step illustrations with explanations.

This sister duo can be purchased together to mix and match and make even more figures. Here are some more ideas. Have fun and explore new ways to create by skipping over sewing lines or adding your own.

If you wish to make one or both of the 2022 fairies, you can purchase them on Etsy for a limited discount until January 2, 2022. Discount is already applied in the store - no need for more coupons. 

Have a happy and creative New Year 2022!

Generations of Friendship Quilt Layout

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by today and checking out the Generations of Friendship Quilt Layout featuring our new historical paper dolls series of figures. A couple of weeks ago, we showed our new quilt layout with six 6" x 12" quilt blocks in a circular layout set into a rectangle. The finished size is about 45" x 45" roughly.

 

Fabric Selection

As with most quilts, the desigsn are created with a simple, solid color scheme on the computer and later translated into fabric after many hours of fabric research. Our FPP paper dolls look best when using tone-on-tone or calico prints with small patterns. These prints should read as a solid when standing back from the finished design. Since the background and border fabrics take up a large portion of the canvas, those were to be picked first. My stash of fabrics is limited mostly to fat quarters but no background and larger pieces of fabric. So, I visited my local quilt shop here in Nersingen, Quilt Oase. 

I really wanted to find a fabric palette like the one above with yellow, green and coral above, but wasn't finding what I wanted. Then I spotted the lovely confetti on olive green print below which is fantastic to pull other fabrics from. Then chose the additional olive green and pink fabrics that sort of fell into place. Finding the last color fabric below was a little harder. All of the fabrics were turning into tonals without any real change in print. The red below is also in the green confetti print. I felt comfortable walking out of the fabric store with my perfectly matching stash.

Upon coming home, I started to doubt myself. The fabrics match perfectly, but for me, they lack luster. The red is a little too dominant and the green seems to pull the fabrics into a more traditional direction. Yes, it is supposed to be a little more traditional, but this palette would be a challenge for me to work with.

Rethinking the Color Scheme

I discovered a small collection of Lazy Days from Tilda that I bought at a quilt convention in 2019! I was saving it for a special "pure joy" project. Why not use it now! The prints from Tilda are so feminine, traditional and elegant. Even though this collection is a bit older, the three front florals below, they offer a nice variety to tone-on-tone prints. Prints add so much more intersest than all tone-on-tones, don't you think?

This color palette resembles more of the design featured on the previous post with a red, gray and blue palette. This is how I designed it on the computer using EQ8 program. The blue, solid fabric above is slightly lighter than the one used inthe computer generated version below. I might even skip the light pink and purchase a solid blue and coral to fit better. Tilda has matching solids for this collection which is always a plus in my book. Since this is supposed to be a spring version to contrast the month-by-month blocks sewn in blues and greens, I am happier to sew in friendlier colors and prints.

 

Purchasing Fabric for an Outdated Fabric Collection

So, I went and purchased matching fabric solids from Tilda (2019 fabrics) to fit the new design from NinaKrea. Here is what is should look like after the alternations. I really love the blue background on the previous image, but it is no longer available domestically. The image below is with a fabric from Windy Days, Breeze Blue also from Tilda. The borders may be a challenge depending on the repeat of the design. It may have mitered corners or horizontal borders. I am really excited to get started with this new color palette of fabrics. It is friendlier to the eye and will be quite a joy to work with over winter.

If you would like to purchase this layout, it will be ready soon. You can purchase the first figure on Etsy here. Thanks for dropping by.

Generations - a New Series of Historical Paper Dolls

After several years of being a quilt and quilt block designer, I have developed a passion to create mix and matchable figures especially females. This love and desire stems from a childhood hobby of drawing barbie dolls with different outfits. Did you also design clothing for your dolls? 

New Paper Dolls Series

After taking a very long break from quilting, designing, and sewing, I sat down one day and just "doodled" - designing on the computer. I wanted to see if I could create a new figure with a historial flair. After several hours of diligent changes, Quilter Grace was created. She may look like a little Dutch girl or even a pilgrim too. You are welcome to image her as you wish.

Most of the figures will have baskets with arms and hands in front. Some will have bonnets or hats while other may not. Most of the figures will be European-like in nature but not all. 

As with most block patterns, I like to design foundation patterns in segments that can enchace the design of the figure. I don't like irritating segments that involve unachievable matching points or 20,000 intersections that create bulk. The challenge is to keep segments so that can be used by multiple figures with ease. Hopefully, these designs are successful and you will enjoy them as well. 

Mix & Match

I had so much fun designing Grace, I designed more paper dolls which have interchangeable segments so you can create even more figures too. Without giving away too many secrets, you can exchange the heads, torsos, and dresses. For instance, you may want to put a bonnet on another figure or even swap out the basket. 

The historical figures will be available on the 15th of each month for the next several months. Receive a 20% discount on the figure on the day it is released! This will be reflected in the price on Release Day.

Quilt Along - Generations of Friendship

If you would like to sew along for at least six months with a new figure each month, I will be offering a quilt block setting also at a reduced rate for all who purchase at least one of the Generations Paper Dolls. I am mentioning this upfront, so you can choose a background that will fit all figures. Don't you just hate it when you run out of fabric during a project? The quilt below is approximately 50" x 50" for a nice wall quilt.

This is a neutral and fresh color scheme that is used throughout the written pattern of green (a dark and a light), yellow and a coral. Choose this palette for a more modern or even European look. Add some lovely fabrics to Grace's basket such mini prints or even lovely florals.

Fabric Requirements

Here are the fabric requirements if you would like to make the quilt above:

• 1 3/4 yards -  Background (Light to medium value neutral such as gray.) 
• 3/4 yard - Accent 1, Border 2 (Dark Main Green)
• 1/8 yard - Accent 2 (Yellow)
  
• 1/2 yard - Accent 3, Binding (Coral)
  
• 1/2 yard - Accent 4, Border 1 (Creme or White)
• 1/8 yard - Accent 5 (Black)
• 1/4 yard - Accent 6 (Light Main Green)
  
• 1/4 yard - Hair & Baskets (Brown)
• 1/8 yard - Skin (Use different shades for added interest.)
• 55" x 55" Backing 
• 55" x 55" Batting
  

If you would like a more patriotic or traditional look, choose this red, gray and blue color scheme.

Here are the fabric requirements if you would like to make the quilt above:

• 1 3/4 yards -  Background (Light to medium value neutral such as gray.) 
• 3/4 yard - Accent 1, Border 2 (Dark Main Blue)
• 1/8 yard - Accent 2 (Dark Gray)
  
• 1/2 yard - Accent 3, Binding (Red)
  
• 1/2 yard - Accent 4, Border 1 (Creme or White)
• 1/8 yard - Accent 5 (Black)
• 1/4 yard - Accent 6 (Light Main Blue)
  
• 1/4 yard - Hair & Baskets (Brown)
• 1/8 yard - Skin (Use different shades for added interest.)
• 55" x 55" Backing 
• 55" x 55" Batting

Selfmade Layout

If you love the figures but don't want to commit to a wall hanging, you can also make a table runner with five figures (or design your own quilt with any amount of paper dolls). Simply outline the figures with 1" and 2" finished borders.

Social Media

Let's have some fun and sew along together! Upload your makes and progress on social media. Use the following hashtags: #eppaperdolls #epgrace #easypatchworkpattern #eppattern #epgenerationsquilt

Online Shop

Grace is available now on Etsy. Click on the link to the left or on the "Pattern Shop" in the bar at the top of this page. Each month, a new figure will be released on the 15th of that month. Figures from the last three centuries will be availabe for purchase.

The Gernations of Friendship (with stars) pattern will be available on November 1, 2021. You will receive a discount code for the quilt layout download with each Generations Paper Doll purchase sent as a private message. Check your spam folder if you don't get a message. 

Preview

Stay tuned for the next blog post on October 29, 2021 to see my fabric selection and to read about the Generations of Friendship layout blocks. Happy quilting and sewing!

enchanted sal - jael

Hi and thanks for joining us today on another edition of the Enchanted Paper Dolls Fall Sew Along. I am happy you could stop by. Grab a cup of coffee and read a little bit about the next figure in the sew along.

We are looking at Jael today. Her beautiful name is Hebrew and means "mountain goat." She is a noble and strong.I just love the name which is pronounced with a Y instead of a J. I like saying it with a J though.

Before we get into the blog post, I would like to share with you again one of our sponsors. Gütermann, the German thread and fabric company, kindly offered two sets of quilting thread and premium cotton fabrics for our giveaway. Two lucky participants will each receive one set. It looks like three 1/2 meter cuts in those bundles too. I hope to show the rest of the loot next Sunday. : )

And here is our second sponsor - einfach bunt quilts with two matching Mini FPP sets including a 28mm rotary cutter from Fiskars, a 1" x 6" Creative Grids ruler and a mini cutting mat from Olfa! These are the best tools when sewing small and sewing foundation paper piecing. Thank you, Verena! We truly appreciate your generosity.

Our two winners will be picked at the end of the sew along

• one for the cutest ever and 
• one for the best use of the mix and match templates.

Now on to Jael - (the J is really pronounced silently like a y.) I chose to make her in a darker skin tone this time, because I wanted to celebrate our diversity. All of the Enchanted PD series have different skin tones and hair color. No two are alike.

If you take a look at Jael's dress, you will see that oversized blue flower on her skirt. I fussy cut it to be exactly where it is. After sewing it up, I realized the size of the flower is a little distracting. It looks as if the legs are off-centered, but they are not. I measured exactly 6 1/4" through the middle of the crown, neck and legs (feet) when squaring up the block. It is really exactly in the middle and not offset at all.

This was the original Jael made and landed on the cover of the pattern. You might be able to identify a slight change and/or adjustment in the heads of both figures. The one below is the original and allows you the most possibilities to lengthen the hair on the sides. I knew I would be making the shorter hair pulled back with the bun, so I drew the lines on the templates and sewed those. Or you can use the side hair templates from Isabella instead. She also comes with a very slightly different bonus bodice shown in the figure above. It is cut straight across instead of slanted on both sides.

Thank you for joining us today. I look forward to seeing what you do with our figure, Jael. How will you style her hair? Will you give her a bun as well?


There is still some time to make a figure and upload for your chance to win one of the provided sets above. Good luck to everyone.


Enjoy your week. Happy sewing and quilting.


Please LALL (Leave a Little Love) in the comments below. I would love to hear from you and what you like about the angels, fairies and princesses. I somehow feel that blogging is old school. Is it interesting for anyone anymore? Am I wasting my time? I've been seriously playing with the idea of retiring as well. Thanks for listening.

If you would like to purchase the individual PDF or paper book with all 12 figures, you can find all of them in my Etsy shop or at your local quilt store such as einfach bunt quilts or Niemanns-Land.

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

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

enchanted sal - hailey

Good morning everyone! It's Sunday morning for me and just getting to writing our weekly post. While my family is spoiling me with our traditional (American) Sunday breakfast, I get to take a few minutes to write our post. I have exactly fifteen minutes, because my goal was to post before 9am GMT.

Today marks the eighth week of our Enchanted Sew Along. Every week a new figure from the Enchanted Mix and Match Series will be highlighted. This week we are celebrating Hailey.

Before we get into the blog post, I would like to share with you again one of our sponsors. Gütermann, the German thread and fabric company, kindly offered two sets of quilting thread and premium cotton fabrics for our giveaway. Two lucky participants will each receive one set. It looks like three 1/2 meter cuts in those bundles too. I hope to show the rest of the loot next Sunday. : )

And here she is, our Hailey! I created her with the lightest skin tone I found in my Sediments Solids fabric pack from Robert Kaufman's Kona solids. I used a saffron color for her hair. She is very light skinned and pale, but I wanted to make all of the girls using different skin tones and hair colors. #Diversity is beautiful! We all should celebrate our own beauty and not compare ourselves to other.

If you already have the pattern, you will know there is a secret to Hailey. If you were wondering how to create her hair as shown in the pattern with her bangs to the side, it is actually a flip face/hair of Lilly yet to come.

Hailey is really a straight forward sew. Once again, there are just a couple of critical points that need to match up like the wrists and feet. Other than that, she is seems to be easier than the other figures.

Here is Hailey from the original quilt featured in the pattern. Don't you just love the dark hair and skin tones? I do! As you can see, her hands have been flipped over. You can mix and match everything in this pattern. If you would like to purchase the individual PDF or paper book with all 12 figures, you can find all of them in my Etsy shop or at your local quilt store such as einfach bunt quilts or Niemanns-Land.

Thank you for joinging us today. Happy sewing.

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

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

enchanted paper dolls - the newest collection of mix and match fpp quilt blocks

Hi everyone! Thanks for dropping by! It has been two months since my last blog post. That's right. I almost feel like going to confession by saying that. : ) I am not Catholic though.

I've been busy. I have been finalizing my latest mix and match foundation paper pieced pattern. This one is called Enchanted Paper Dolls - A Collection of Angels, Fairies and Princesses. I am truly excited about it too, because it has been in the works for close to one year. Where should I start? Hmm. I think I have to start at the beginning with the Paper Dolls - the Mini Collection.

The original collection contains three (girl) dolls with interchangeable hairstyles, dresses, bodices, arms and legs. It is very simple and easy foundation paper pieced sewing even for beginners. If you are new to FPP, this is a great start for you.

Then I designed a little witch, because I love the different holidays, especially Halloween. I added the cute witch's hat and extended the block outside of the 6" x 9" format. Since this is a "seasonal" item, I offered the pattern as a PDF - instant digital download. There is no hardcopy pattern for this block.

And I just kept going and designed the North Pole Edition with elves and a Santa. It was the first time I added boys into the group!

Then I started thinking about other types of figures and started to play around with angels. I found that they looked best with their hands down to their sides, with a warm and welcoming gesture. One of the challenges was the dress. As you can see below, the angel on the right is constructed in a block format. The other two blocks on the left are constructed with a y-seam. Which one looks better to you? In my opinion, FPP should not distract from the design. The dress on the right being sliced through the middle disturbs me.

A lot of people are also afraid of y-seams. Yes, they can be intimidating, but as long as you know how to sew them together, you won't have problems. They are much easier to sew on FPP templates than a regular pieced block, because all of the points are already marked for you where you should start and stop.


Of course, I could have designed angels and fairies just as stand alone blocks, but I took it is a step further. You can mix and match the figures to create new ones!

The first figure in the series is Agatha. As you might notice, she has a lot of of similarities to the center angel above. With the addition of the crown and the feet and the extension of the wings, I could extend this block to a 12" x 12" standard size. (Most quilts are designed with 12" blocks.)

After creating the four figures, I designed a quilt setting to show them off. I never made a scalloped border and thought this could be "cute enough" to frame the fairies and angels. The scalloped binding was actually much easier than I thought too. Most importantly, the quilt was sent to Birgit Schüller of Creative Bits Long Arm Quilting. She did the most beautiful job at accentuating the fairies.

Here's another look at that scalloped border.

I used fabrics from Art Gallery Fabrics the Signature Collection and mixed in another collection from AGF. For the skin and hair of the figures, I used fat quarters from Sediments from Robert Kaufman - Kona Cotton solids. The binding fabric is a solid from Gütermann.

I could have stopped there. Yes, I really could have, but I just kept going! I designed eight more figures! You can mix and match their crowns, hairstyles, arms, hands, feet, dresses and bodices to create hundreds of different figures or just that right one for you. I added princesses to the pattern as well - for all of those women who need more nobility in their lives.

Here is what's inside the full color, 64-page pattern:

• Instructions (construction/pressing directions) and full-size templates for 12 stand-alone, 12" blocks
• Instructions and fabric requirements for 1 quilt ~ 40" x 40"
• Instructions for the Sunkissed Cross © block using strip piecing
• Mix and match options to design your own figures
• Color-coded templates
• The Y-seam made easy
• Coloring blocks for your own color schemes
• Overview with all figures

The 64-page pattern booklet will be available on Sept. 6, 2019 in my Etsy shop as well as other fabric stores. If your store doesn't carry it, ask them to contact me about wholesale orders. If you live in and around Munich and are going to the Patchworkmesse-Erding, you will find the quilt and patterns sold by Verena from einfach bunt Quilts. Hope to see you there!

I am happy to announce, there will be an Enchanted Paper Dolls sew along starting September 15. Each week, a new block will be highlighted. Mark your calenders, ladies and please join us in the mix and match fun!

Thanks for stopping by!
-Karen

Happy Halloween Sewing

Hello Everyone,

Halloween is right around the corner! I am starting to slowly get in the Halloween mood with the fall weather, misty mornings and soups of the season. A new block jumped into my head on Friday and Winnie the Witch was created. She measures 6" x 11". This block is a stand alone foundation paper pieced block (FPP) or can be mixed and matched with the Paper Dolls Mini Collection for added diversity. If you want to add a hat to any of the other paper dolls, trim the seam allowance of the head segment back 1/4" then add the hat segment.

easypatchworkSHOP

This is a PDF instant download, so if you already have the original pattern, it is a quick download you can sew up today without the added hassle of postal shipping and waiting time.

You can even add it to the Fall Freebie from last year. Did you download it last year? You can now download directly from my website without being tracked!

Look what I whipped up this morning in EQ8! I used the freebie pumpkin block from last year, added one of the bats from the Bad Kitty pattern as well as two witches (one reversed hairdo) to make this cute table runner. Wouldn't this be sew much fun to make??

17 1/2" x 32 1/2" Halloween Table Runner

You could even combine it with the original Bad Kitty Pattern and rename it - "Little Witch in the Pumpkin Patch."

If you don't like the witch and simply must have a very naughty kitty cat, there are still patterns available on Etsy. This is a combination of foundation piecing, regular piecing and appliqué.

You can even draw up your own very special Halloween table topper and have some spooky witches peeking out of the pumpkins.

Have a great week everyone! Happy Halloween Sewing!

paper dolls pattern

Hi Everyone! Thanks for joining today and reading my blog. I truly appreciate your curiosity and your support. 

A couple of years ago, I came across a foundation paper pieced pattern (FPP) from Mary McGuire featured in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks. I loved the block so much, I redrew it in EQ8 and asked my bee mates to make blocks for a bee quilt. I was quite happy with the result.

There as so much excitement and rapport, that I took the idea a little further. I envisioned a whole community of girls and started working on adapting the blocks even further giving each one a nice outfit and different hairstyle. During one of my patchwork retreats, I sewed together most of these and then put them away. They seemed to be rather small and even I was a little discouraged to sew them at 4" x 6".

Then I had another idea. What if you could mix and match the dolls to make your very own "paper doll" just like when we were kids? So, I had to go back to the drawing board and design the dolls to be interchangeable. I divided them into three segments - head, torso and legs and increased the block size.

I designed and sewed together Emily, the reddish-brown girl on the far right followed by Mia on the left followed by the innocent and bashful Jasmin. With each doll block, I improved my own designing skills and understanding of my quilt designing software to design foundation blocks. I decided to increase the width of all blocks to 6" x 9" instead of 5" x 9" which gave the possibility of adding hands to Mia (both dark haired girls). I liked how it gave the illusion of dancing.

Since there was such a great interest in the dolls, I started writing a pattern for a mini collection. Yes, my dream is one day to have an extensive pattern with many dolls, but pattern writing takes time, a LOT of time. Not only must you know how to technically write, you must know how to utilize your computer programs to fulfill your ideas which are clear enough for everyone to read and understand. I want to stick to my philosophy of simple, easy and practical especially in my patterns. If you have too many details in the pattern, your customers will lose interest. If there is not enough, the finished product will not look like it is supposed to and your patterns will never be bought again. I truly wanted to design easy, do-able patterns for everyone with a little bit of foundation piecing knowledge.

When writing the pattern, I added a bonus hairstyle - a pretty shorter cut, because not all girls have long hair. 

I also wanted to set the dolls apart from other doll or girl patterns and designed a "Girl Power" quilt with a whole community of girls. I tried to create movement and flow between the dolls by adding a simple Log Cabin Block between them allowing the color to radiate towards the middle. 

Originally, I worked out a grid of quilting over the entire quilt that would not interfere with the doll faces and speed up the quilting time, but when I started marking my quilt, the lines started to interfere way too much. I sprayed the whole quilt with water and started again! 

I worked on a new design to eliminate the intrusive quilting over their faces. As with all designs, it usually gets changed slightly during implementation due to moods, brain gas and time restraints. : )

The center of the quilt, quilted up very nicely. I am not totally content with the outer parts of the quilting, because when I sprayed the quilt, the fabric lost its shape and the marker was not cooperating. I was afraid to iron the quilt again with the risk of having the lines reappear. I am currently unhappy with ALL quilting markers. If there is one thing that I am displeased with the way the quilt turned out, it is the quilting and the background fabric. I should have sent the quilt to a long arm quilter and should have used more of a contrasting background or darker skin colors for the girls. Another fabric other than a solid such as a low volume light printed fabric would work very nicely as well.

And, at the very last minute (the eleventh hour so to say), I had a revelation to design hands for Mia! Now, you can have a whole string of paper dolls holding hands. Not only that, but there are also three options for an ending hand - open, closed and partially open.

To finish up the quilt, I added some lovely 2 1/2" Double-Folded, Continuous Machine Binding. It was the first time that the binding came out exactly the way I wanted it too without "beauty flaws. "

Honestly, I just couldn't stop designing. My mind kept going and going with ideas for new dolls! I had to keep reminding myself - this is the MINI collection. "You have to come to an end, Karen."

Here are some of the noticeable design differentces from the original to the pre-edited Mia. I made the torso and legs longer and pepped up her hairstyle. I found the feet to be the most challenging. There are at least four different versions of the feet and legs that I sewed together, before I really found one that I loved. You will find those in the final version of Mia in the pattern booklet. 

So, I am proud to present this wonderful 16-page foundation pieced collection featuring three different dolls, one bonus hairstyle, four different hands for Emily and several ideas including instructions for the cover quilt. There are more than 200 different dolls you can make not including the hands for Mia. You can find it for sale on Etsy in the easypatchworkSHOP. You can also find it at these local stores in Germany: einfach bunt quilts & Quilt ét Textilkunst. If you wish to carry it in your patchwork and quilting store, please write for wholesale purchases.

I really look forward to seeing what you do with this pattern. Please send me an email with your doll or share on social media for all of us to see under the hashtag: eppaperdolls. 

Thank you for joining me today and reading all about the Paper Dolls Mini Collection. Enjoy your week(end).