fall freebie

To all of you fall and autumn lovers out there, here is a freebie featured on Craftsy. I intinially intended for this 10 x 12 inch block to be an add-on to the "Bad Kitty" pattern, but you can use it as a stand alone mini quilt, large mug rug or small placemat.

I really enjoyed making this and love how you can design things by sewing small squares and flipping to make new edges. I was tempted to design it with foundation paper piecing, but thought everyone (new quilters and experienced) would benefit more from the sew, cut and flip method. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Freebie from easypatchwork found on Craftsy

Here is what a quilt could look like by exchanging the cat and bat blocks for the double pumpkins and a stand alone pumpkin block:

Design Idea

There is no free tutorial for the "standing alone" pumpkin. If you are interested in this version and would like to buy the printed Bad Kitty in the Pumpkin Patch pattern (no PDF), I would be happy to give the dimensions to you. Please contact me karen@easypatchwork.de

If you make something with the free mini double pumpkins, please post on social media using the hashtag: #easypatchworkminipumpkins

Thank you and enjoy your fall!

bad kitty in the pumpkin patch

As a good "American," I decided not only to get ready for the Halloween season early this year, but I also designed a new table topper that everyone can make. You see, my husband is getting onto me every year that I don't decorate the house a little bit better for Halloween. He knows this is one of my favorite holidays, but I am a bit lazy when it comes to decorating for a specific season other than Christmas.

This whimsical table topper features two applique kitties, one on each side as well as four FPP bats, one intertwined pumpkin stem block and four log cabin pumpkins. I tell you, it is really fun to make something using all of your skills as a quilter. I am not too fond of applique, but this is the easiest way to make that kitty. It is all raw-edge applique, but you can just add 1/4 to the templates using two pencils taped together and outlinging the original shape to make your turned-applique templates. The kitty is truly made of minimal parts and the accent quilting is just gorgeous! A big thanks goes out to Sabine of Quilt-Oase in Nersingen, Germany who did the most specatcular job on the spider web, cat legs and dangling spider quilting!!

The new pattern consists of 12 pages with a handout of all FPP and applique templates scaled at 100%. Once again, there is no need for scaling on my patterns. You can find the new pattern in my Etsy Store (easypatchworkshop) or at your local German quilt shop. If you own a quilt shop anywhere in the world and would like to sell this pattern, please contact me directly. This pattern is available only in English.

I used fabrics from the Hocus Pocus collection from Sandy Gervais for Moday and Riley Blake Fabrics - Eek Boo Shriek Creme Dot for the background. The acid green eyes are actually Chartreuse from Kona Cotton by Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

Material Requirements:

1 yard background fabric
1 yard 2 1/2" strips various prints for pumpkins and border
1 yard black for cat, bats, stems and border
scraps of acid green and pink for the applique kitty nose and eyes
1/2 yard of each - fusible web and applique interfacing

This pattern is for intermediate quilters.

Have fun and thank you for stopping by!

pillow swap four seasons - autumn edition

Sign ups are now open for the Autumn Edition of Pillow Swap Four Seasons found on flickr. Come join us!

What is it all about? We are a group of talented, international quilters and patchworkers who love to sew for each other four times a year using seasonal fabrics, motifs, designs, etc. according to the wishes and desires for one lucky recipient. The best part about our group, is that your partner remains one big secret until she/he receives her/his pillow case. You will also receive a pillow cover from a different person in return according to YOUR WISHES. No one knows who is sewing for whom until the final reveal date announcing all swap partners. It is sort of like "secret Santa" but four times of the year! You  will also be posting little sneak peeks of your creative process throughout the season and let the final pillow be a surprise for your partner. Anyone is allowed to join up as long as you have an active Flickr account.

Made for me by Karriofberries - Spring Pillow Swap

How does my "secret partner" know what I like? Before you submit a Google Form, we ask you to design a mosaic of items of interest or wishes for aN autumn pillow. The amount of ideas is up to you. You design your own mosaic. You can have six ideas or 40! This will be the starting point for the person sewing for you. Your partner will also be forwarded your personal information such as shipping address, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, blog, etc. so she can "stalk" you to find out your exact interests and your style.

Made for me by Karin - Summer Round

What do you need to do to sign up? (1) You must have an active Flickr account. (2) read and agree to the Rules and General Information of the group. (3) create a Flickr mosaic with your interests/style/wishes. (4) post your mosaic of your style/interests/wishes for pillow case in the Pillow Swap Four Seasons Flickr group and (5) sign up with the form below. We require a mosaic before you sign up to ensure your Flickr account is active, and the others can get started learning about you and your interest. Only your mosaic will be public for all to see.

My Mosaic for Autumn 2015

1. Pumpkin Mini Quilt - detail, 2. Vineyard at Dalla Terra, 3. Witchy toes, 4. buttons and pin cushion, 5. Free Quilt Pattern, 6. Appalachian Autumn, 7. Patchwork pumpkin, 8. Halloween Fabrics, 9. Perfect Apple Pie Recipe, 10. Pumpkin Patch, 11. Aspens in Wonderland, 12. pleated pillow tutorial, 13. Too Cute to Spook Pillow, 14. appliqued apple, 15. Peanut Carmel Apple, 16. Who has more sincerity than Linus? #Charlie_Brown #It's_The_Great_Pumpkin,_Charlie_Brown #Linus #Sally #Pumpkin_Patch, 17. Indie Pillow inspired by West Elm Kantha Chevron Pillows, 18. Handmade Autumn Swap-Pillow close-up, 19. Lone Tree detail, 20. Moonlit Scaredy Cat, 21. For Natalie, 22. Halloween Block, 23. Ruska Quilt - WIP, 24. autumn leaves, 25. Pillow Cover.

After we receive all forms, the group will be divided into three sub-groups according to skill level. We like to assign a new partner every round, too. The groups are also divided in such a way that even the swap mamas don't know who is sewing for them! That way, we have fun too!

After sign-ups close, you will receive a secret letter from one of the swap mamas (Sandra or myself) with the name and personal information of your partner. This information should remain secret. To ensure you are not "found out" by whom you are sewing for, it is best to stay in contact with all members of group and comment on all the photos others post! Stalk everyone! Not literally, of course! ;-)

Registration for the Autumn Round closes on June 12, 2015 so don't be shy. And please be 100% committed before you sign up. If your schedule is too busy at the moment, you can always join up for the Winter Edition. Check back at the beginning of September.

Autumn 2015
Registration: June 1 - June 12
Partners Assigned: Monday, June 15
Shipping Dates: Aug. 8 24 - Sep. 1
Announcement of Recipients: Monday, Sept. 15 

Registration Form
(Please click below to go directly to the Google form)

Registration is now closed.

Thanks for joining up and can't wait to see a whole new array of beautiful fall pillows!!

halloween goody

Happy Halloween Everyone!! If you have little kids at home, I wish you loads of fun if you go trick or treating. If you don't, and you hand out candy, have fun looking at all of the creative costumes all those hard working mothers put together. If you are still in the spirit, here is a little goody for you. My Halloween Goody is a little paper piecing row of pumpkins finishing at 4" x 12".

My challenge to you - print out these paper pieced templates and make something with them by November 20th, 2014. Send me a picture of what you made using "Friendly Pumpkins" in the header. I will post all pictures online. One lucky Halloween (or sewing) enthusiast will randomly win this lovely handmade zippered pouch using Zen Chic fabrics. It is that simple!

You can jump on over to Craftsy to download the free pattern at my easypatchwork store. You can use the appliqué templates provided or you may create your own. Have fun with it. And if NO ONE makes something to show or share with us, I will be quite content, because I love my Zen Chic Zippered Sewing Pouch and really don't want to part with it!!

Have fun and Happy Halloween!

-Karen

halloween quilts

Hello Everyone! I would like to share with a quilt I received from my Doll Quilt Montly Swap partner, Lorna. We decided not to go with the monthly theme of "Back to School" and make Halloween Quilts for each other instead. Lorna lives in the UK and doesn't really celebrate Halloween, so it gave her a chance to be a little creative and jump out of her comfort zone. She made this really beautiful Halloween Dresden using Halloween and linen fabrics. I was totally happy to have received it! She did a really fantastic job at quilting it as well! Thank you Lorna!

Halloween is just around the bend, and it has totally escaped me this year, again. I have hardly decorated at all and don't know what to dress the kids up as. I guess I should ask them, shouldn't I? Every year I think about Halloween costumes and never make one. And then, I decide I will make them at Fasching or Mardi Gras. That doesn't usually happen either! One of my goals for next year is to make clothing for my daughter, so costumes are also included. I think I will ask her today what costume we should sew for her for Kinderfasching! It will probably be a princess since she still very much likes pink! ;-)

Do you celebrate Halloween? Do you decorate your home? Do you scare Trick or Treaters or turn the light out when they come around?

Enjoy your week!
Karen

halloween a'whirl

I am a member of the Doll Quilt Monthly swap where optional monthly themes are supposed to challenge you and your partner to make something creative yet on an achievable small scale. I sat the summer out and had no exchanges but so was anxious to get back in the game and start designing again. I really do love the challenge of designing for someone else; just give me a theme, and I am all over the challenge. It jolts my brains with new ideas and possibilities. The themes for September were Farmer's Market & Back to School, but I thought if we got a jump on Halloween, we both could put something out on the kitchen table for the rest of the next month of October.

I quilted just the outline of the pumpkins and thought about an allover or meander in the purple areas. Since I am so afraid to mess things up, I just left the purple areas open. I quilted the outer border of the whirlwinds and outlined the center two in the middle. I finished it off with a 1/4" binding. The faces were fun to make, but not as easy as you might think. Not all looked good with the "standard" face. It must have been that great fabric I used called Juggling Summer from Brigitte Heitland. It was a great choice for the more sophisticated Halloween quilt.

I love celebrating Halloween and am happy that Trick-or-Treating is seeping its way into German culture. (It was actually there a long time ago with "Zuckerruben" and going door to door!) I went last year with my kids Trick-or-Treating with my dear neighbor, Derya and her two kids. We had a lota of fun! I am not sure we are going to go this year. We are expecting friends for a weekend visit and think it would be nicer to visit Lego Land. I am sure they put on a fantastic show for Halloween.

I just have to put this cute little label on it using my new style and technique of outlining in the binding color/fabric and hand sew it down. It goes into the mail on Monday morning!

I really had a lot of fun creating this table runner. Maybe one of the funnest parts was the fact that I used fabrics from my stash only; I didn't buy and new fabrics! Most of the whirlwinds and pumpkins came straight from my scrap bin. You can learn more my creative process here.

Thanks for dropping by!

Karen

happy halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year and is slowing starting to come here to Germany. About five years ago, no one did anything for Halloween. Now, you can find parties and some of the kids even go trick or treating. I passed out treats in Kindergarten one year and even told about the tradition and how it came about. It is actually a very old Celtic holiday.

We will carve our pumpkins tonight and light them to scare away the evil spirits who lurk the darkness before "Allerheiligen." If my kids decide to dress up, I even have a few ghostly treats for them.

Here is a table topper I made for Halloween a couple of years ago. I never quite finished it, but I still wanted to share. It is one of those patterns that you just have to make, and it doesn't matter when - just do it. It was featured in the September/October issure of Quiltmaker in 2009 No. 129. It was designed by Marilyn Larson of of North Dakota. Mine is still lacking the finishing touches such as the eye lashes, backing, quilting..finishing.

I also made a Scribbles Monsters II wallhanging last year. The panel is from Clothworks. And yes, it isn't finished either. I added some "Juggling Summer" fabric to it which gave it a nice modern feel. Hope you enjoy. You can see the rest of the photos on my flickr feed here.

Happy Halloween! Stay safe. Don't eat too much candy! Give out some healthy treats too such as tattoos or pencils.