Category Archives: Paper Pieced Table Toppers

Koala’s Anyone?

The Koala quilt from my newest book, HOME SWEET HOME PAPER PIECING, is being featured in Homespun Magazine’s February/March 2024 issue.

This charming little quilt combines paper piecing and applique to create a ” juvenile jungle” for your child. This Koala is one of many adorable animal patterns in the book.

Sea turtles, hedgehogs, monkeys and much more….

I’m in love with this sweet sea turtle. All square blocks measure 8″ x 8″ unfinished, and can be used in every project in this book, as well as my previous 6 books. This means you can be super creative!

There are also rectangular blocks which measure 8″ x 15 1/2″ unfinished, like this cute and clever tote bag…

What a great tote for the beach, or even a diaper bag!

You can find this issue of Homespun to buy from news stands now, or online.

If you are new to paper piecing, HOME SWEET HOME PAPER PIECING has step by step directions to help you on your way to sewing images for lovely quilts, pillows, table runners, and more.

Home Made Holiday Gifts

Every year I create home made gifts for my pickleball crew. There are 8 of us and we play 3 times a week, so we have gotten very close. I want this gift to be pickleball related, but also practical. This year, I used some adorable novelty fabric (Elizabeth Studios Pickleball Paddles on White 683 Fabric) to sew SWEAT RAGS. I found my fabric at a local quilt shop, MY FAVORITE QUILT SHOP, in Green Bay, WI.

I simply purchased soft terry washcloths, ripped open any side seams…

tucked the pickleball fabric under the opened seam…

and sewed the seam back in place. If there was no seam on the washcloths, I cut the fabric 1/2″ wider on those sides, pressed it under, and sewed it in place. So simple! The size of the fabric will depend on the size of your washcloth.

I popped a grommet in one corner so it could be attached to a tote bag.

I think they turned out super cute. I’ve also attached last year’s gift, a tiny tissue holder, because we are always in need of tissue!

PICKLEBALL POTHOLDERS

This is my favorite PB paper pieced pattern, PICKLEBALL POTHOLDERS. Adorbs!

PICKLEBALL GIRL BLOCK

I made this towel for our Pickleball/Tennis Center director…

How would you use my pickleball blocks? They are all paper pieced, and pretty easy!

Farmhouse Animals with Flowers

My newest table runner has 4 adorable paper pieced farm animals wearing flower wreaths.

My FARMHOUSE TABLE RUNNER pattern has all 4 animals included and the directions to make the extra long farmhouse ruffle. This table runner has no quilt batting. Instead I used fusible T-shirt interfacing to keep the table runner nice and thin and flexible.

All of the block patterns are also sold separately. BUNNY WITH FLOWERS.

HORSE WITH FLOWERS
CAT WITH FLOWERS
PIG WITH FLOWERS

These blocks also make lovely pillows…

Although the pillow directions are not included in the pattern, they are available in my book: SEW CUTE AND CLEVER FARM AND FOREST ANIMALS.

I’m always interested in hearing what paper pieced images you are looking for….please comment below with more ideas for future patterns.

Home Sweet Home…New Book…New Patterns!

Hi! I’m Mary Hertel. Welcome to my newest book “HOME SWEET HOME Paper Piecing“. Featuring 17 of my favorite block patterns, and 7 charming projects, this book is guaranteed to provide hours of creative fun for you.

If you are new to paper piecing, you can rely on any of my books to provide step by step directions. To give you even more assistance, visit me at madebymarney.com to watch paper piecing tutorials.

Did you know that as you paper piece, the block is created on the back of the paper pattern, and will be the opposite of the pattern? On the pattern, this sweet gnome’s flower is actually pictured on the left, but in the finished block it will be on the right.

With gnomes from spring, summer, fall, and winter, this table runner can be used all year long. The book has lots of great gift ideas. Why not start sewing those Christmas gifts right now?

Totes, floor pillows, wall hangings, pillowcases and more. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

And remember, all 17 blocks can be used in any of my other 6 books. What a great way to show your creativity!

Please visit me at www.madebymarney.com for more paper piecing ideas.

A DOG FOR ALL SEASONS

Everyone knows how much I love to design animal patterns. Here is my newest paper pieced pattern, A DOG FOR ALL SEASONS.

A DOG FOR ALL SEASONS

This adorable pattern includes all 4 blocks, LABRADOR WITH BUTTERFLY (spring); BEAGLE WITH FLOWER (summer); RETRIEVER WITH PUMPKIN (autumn); FRENCH BULLDOG WITH SCARF (winter). Use them to create pillows, potholders, or a lovely table runner for the dog lover in your life. You can keep these projects out all year!

LABRADOR WITH BUTTERFLY

Although they are all super cute, I am partial to this LABRADOR! He’s my fave. All of the block patterns are also available separately.

BEAGLE WITH FLOWER
RETRIEVER WITH PUMPKIN
FRENCH BULLDOG WITH SCARF

Which dog is your favorite? Any of these cuties would look super in my DOGS ONLY QUILT, too!

DOGS ONLY QUILT PATTERN

HOME SWEET HOME PAPER PIECING

My newest book, HOME SWEET HOME PAPER PIECING, is ready for you to enjoy.

This book features 17 of my FAVORITE BLOCK PATTERNS, and I want to share them with you. Koalas, monkeys, sea turtles, gnomes, and so much more.

This is just a sampling of the adorable blocks, and there are 10 more!

Remember…all of my blocks will fit not only in the 7 projects in this book, but will also fit into the projects in my past 6 books. That helps you achieve soooo much creativity in your sewing.

Here’s an example…

This super cute HEDGEHOG PILLOWCASE pattern comes with the book, but here is a baby penguin quilt pattern from my SEW CUTE BABY ANIMALS book.

Using this same pattern, I am substituting the Hedgehog blocks instead of the Penguins. How sweet is that! Here is my finished HEDGEHOG BABY QUILT. You will find everything you need to create this baby quilt in my books, as well as a paper piecing tutorial. I am using minky fabric for the background. So soft and cuddly.

Wrap it up with a stuffed hedgehog and you will RULE at the baby shower!

Order your copy of HOME SWEET HOME today!

Quilting Over A Paper Pieced Block

All of my patterns include paper pieced blocks, which are constructed with scraps of fabric going in various directions. It is important to quilt over the finished block so it will not stretch out of shape when laundered. But, after paper piecing a lovely image, it almost hurts to quilt over it! My go to method is to use invisible thread.

These 3 invisible threads are brands that I have used and I think they are all do a good job. Superior Threads makes MonoPoly, Aurifil makes a 100% Nylon variety, and YLI makes this Monofilament 100% Nylon Invisible Thread. All of these threads will hold up to your iron, and not melt. But even so, I am always careful to iron gently.

Of these three invisible threads, my favorite is the YLI. It is easy to thread into my machine, and it doesn’t “snap” and break as easily as the others. When using any invisible thread, I use a lighter weight white, 40 weight spun poly bobbin thread.

Easter Bunny Gnome has been quilted with vertical lines that are 1” apart. I mark the lines with a Frixion pen so the lines can be erased with an iron. Quilting in this manner doesn’t distract from the image, and looks modern. The “Peepers” below were quilted with regular thread, changing thread color in each area. I also change the bobbin thread to match the top thread. This method also works fine, but is more tedious.

Easter Potholders

Now, let’s talk about having some Easter paper piecing fun! Hang these adorable “peepers” on your microwave with suction cups. They are easily accessible when cooking, but almost too cute to use!

Easter Table Runner

Here’s the matching table runner, or create your own! I’d love to see what you produce. Here’s what some of my customers/friends have done using my Easter blocks…

Created by Marilyn
Created by Lisa

Lisa used the Bunny from my HAPPY EASTER BUNNY pattern.

Happy Easter Bunny and Happy Easter Ducky

I am working on a new springtime bunny and will share the photo soon!

If you have any other questions about quilting over a paper pieced image, please leave a comment below, or email me directly at: maryannhertel@gmail.com

Tree Skirts for the Holidays

As I started putting up my Christmas decorations, I realized I have plenty of Christmas tree skirts to choose from. They are all handmade and, of course, all paper pieced.

BEAR-Y CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT

Any tree skirt pattern can be created as a table topper instead, just don’t cut the hole in the center. The BEARY-Y CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT would also make a super cute table centerpiece.

When I am decorating using a more farmhouse look, I use this tree skirt.

RED TRUCK TREE SKIRT

LITTLE RED TRUCK TREE SKIRT is so easy! Consider using fabric photos to paper piece into the windows. Your kids could be driving the trucks!

GNOME FOR CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT

I absolutley loved using my GNOME FOR CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT last year when I decorated my tree with gnomes! I used some of these gnome patterns to create some gift bags and stockings, too!

GIFT BAG
STOCKING
CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT SAMPLER

Here’s a more traditional rendition of the Gnome Tree Skirt. I call it the CHRISTMAS TREE SKIRT SAMPLER, and comes with 8 more typical Christmas images.

My 2 newest Christmas related gnomes are both Mrs. Claus blocks…

MRS. CLAUS WITH A TREE
MRS. CLAUS WITH GIFT

Most of my patterns are 20% off through the month of November for CYBER DAYS! I hope this helps to motivate you to start some of your holiday projects! Have fun creating!

Some Fun Halloween Paper Pieced Patterns

As Halloween is approaching, you might be looking for some cute and spooky patterns. Here are some of my faves….

BOO COLLECTION, a pattern with 6 blocks including these…

This collection of 6 Halloween paper pieced block patterns is so clever! Included with the blocks are patterns for a table runner and potholders. These 8″x 8″ blocks can be used in so many fun ways. Be creative and construct an entire Halloween quilt! Here is a quilt put together by Donna for her daughter, using some of these blocks….

The WITCH HAT pattern is very easy and would be great for a beginner.

Create some cute and spooky projects with this SPIDER block pattern.

WITCHY PILLOW is super fun to paper piece. Find just the right stripe for her stockings!

One of my best selling Halloween designs is IF THE SHOE FITS POTHOLDERS pattern. How great would these potholders look hanging in your kitchen this fall? The shoes have a large rhinestone sewn to the shoe flap, which is optional.

The WITCHY POO PILLOW pattern is detailed with the witch, broomstick, and lamp post making this a pattern more suited to an intermediate or advanced paper piecer.

This adorable addition to your holiday decor uses large rick rack as a border. I LOVE rick rack! Visit MADE BY MARNEY ON ETSY to see all of my Halloween patterns.

Bride and Groom Patterns

Here’s my new go to gift for bridal showers and weddings…

The BRIDE AND GROOM POTHOLDERS are hot off my press and available to create all kinds of lovely gifts for newlyweds.

THE BRIDE paper pieced block has 3 tiny buttons that resemble flowers. I found them at Hobby Lobby. You could also use tiny silk flowers, or even embroider some tiny flowers with embroidery floss.

THE GROOM block has lots of small pieces, and is not recommended for a beginner paper piecer, but a really fun challenge for an intermediate.

I would love to see what you can make using these blocks…pillows? towels? Show me your projects please!

What new paper pieced block patterns are you looking for? I get my best ideas from my customers!