Category Archives: Paper Piecing

Any Bunny Need Ideas for Easter?

Everywhere I go I’m seeing the cutest bunnies for Easter decorating. I found these at Walmart…cute and affordable.

For my front door, I made these moss bunny beauties from Dollar Tree items…

They were amazingly fun and easy to construct. I found this idea on Pinterest.

This is my fave paper pieced bunny block pattern… BUNNY WITH FLOWERS.

I’ve used this block in lots of projects. I love animals with flowers on their heads.

Here are some of my other bunny blocks…LOP EARED BUNNY

Here’s the same lop bunny with a bow… LOP BUNNY WITH BOW TIE.

EASTER TABLE RUNNER has 6 Easter blocks included in the pattern…

This bunny and pillow pattern are from my book… SEW CUTE AND CLEVER FARM AND FOREST ANIMALS. Thank you to Claudia for making this adorable sample 🙂

And this bunny burp cloth is from my book…SEW CUTE BABY ANIMALS. This book is chocked full of projects to sew for your little one.

Hope I have inspired you to do some holiday creating. Have a lovely Easter!

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!

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.

QUICK-QUILTS PATTERN BUNDLE

Yes, it’s that time of year again…once a year I join forces with other talented pattern designers to offer my customers a bundle of 20 PATTERNS FOR ONLY $19! This is an amazing deal, and is only available from today through Sunday, October 9.

MY GNOME MADE APRON PATTERN

My GNOME MADE APRON PATTERN is part of this bundle! I love this apron because you can sew one for each season, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. What a great gift!!! AND, they are so easy to sew! I finished mine in an afternoon, and that included sewing the paper pieced image.

I’m ready to do some baking for any time of year! The apron pocket is sewn into 3 sections. This butcher style apron is easily adjustable and fits anyone!

All 4 Gnome Block Patterns are included in my pattern. These blocks measure 8″ x 8″ (unfinished) and also make adorable pillows, potholders, table runners… you name it!

Here are some close-ups of the projects you will get in your bundle.

ALL 20 PATTERNS FOR JUST $19. This awesome offer ends on Sunday night, October 9. Don’t miss out! Start those Christmas gifts right now! PRESS HERE TO ORDER YOUR PATTERN BUNDLE NOW!

A FREE HALLOWEEN PATTERN FOR YOU FROM MADE BY MARNEY!

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of my wonderful customers. Please enjoy this FREE HALLOWEEN PAPER PIECED PATTERN!

FREE HALLOWEEN PATTERNS FOR MY CUSTOMERS!

You will find the download for these patterns at the end of this post. You might also enjoy my series of WITCH BLOCKS. These are all sold separately on Etsy…

Here are links to all the witches:

GLINDA THE WITCH

BEWITCHED

HAPPY WITCH

TOOTHY WITCH

GOOFY WITCH

WANDA THE WITCH

Wouldn’t these witches make a stinkin’ cute table runner for October?

GNOME BOO CREW QUILT

This is my favorite new Halloween Quilt pattern: GNOME BOO CREW QUILT. This pattern is for all you “Gnome Lovers”!

The CAT’S MEOW QUILT PATTERN is for the more traditional Halloween lover. One of my customers, Mary D., made this adorable wall hanging from my quilt pattern. Great job, Mary!

Wall Hanging

Enjoy this download of my FREE HALLOWEEN BLOCKS… you will find the download button below.