Congratulations to Marsha. She is the winner of my “Scalloped Heart Pillow” pattern give-away.
My sweet friend Marilyn just shared a photo of her version of the scalloped heart. It is so lovely.
She also made a gift sack with my “Be Mine Puppy” block pattern. Too cute! There have been so many requests for holiday designs, that I am now working on blocks for every occasion.
This table runner and the gift sacks were also made by Marilyn. Didn’t she do a super cute job with my “Easter Collection“? I love when my customers continue to challenge me, and then inspire me!
Thanks to all who participated in last weeks Valentine Blog Hop. I enjoyed all of your comments.
Thanks for stopping by to visit! Carol from Just Let Me Quilt has done a marvelous job organizing this Blog Hop. We want to add some hearts and love to your February. So…every pattern mentioned in my blog today has a “heart”.
My FREE block is “HEARTY PENGUIN”. This paper pieced block measures 8″ x 8″ unfinished. This block would make a great pillow, potholder, or could be used in a table runner.
My intention was to share a pattern that would not only be sweet for Valentine’s Day, but would last all through winter.
This is a very easy paper pieced block, and would work well for beginners. You may download this
HEARTY-PENGUIN-MERGED.pdf (2254 downloads )
block here. Keep reading…my give-away is towards the end of this post.
Instead of giving you a finished project, I thought you might want to learn paper piecing basics. So…
Set the stitch length on your sewing machine to 1.5 (that’s about 20 stitches per inch).
Step 1 : Make 3 copies of the original pattern. (I use cheap copy paper.) Cut it into the 3 segments A, B and C, shown by the red lines. I like to add 1/4″ seam allowances between the segments. This is not a necessary step, but I find it a helpful reminder as I paper piece. If you prefer, you could just make 1 copy of the pattern and cut it apart on the red lines. Just make sure you are allowing plenty of fabric along the edges for the 1/4″ seam allowance as you paper piece. I will be paper piecing Segment C.
Step 2: Pin a scrap of fabric a bit larger than, directly behind, piece #1 . The right side of the fabric should be facing away from the back of the pattern. Another way of saying this is, place the wrong side of the fabric touching the wrong side of the pattern. Holding the pattern up to a light source makes this step easy.
This is what the pattern looks like from the back.
I have more “heart” blocks available on Etsy and Craftsy.
This is my “SCALLOPED HEART BLOCK“. It measures 8″x 8” unfinished. I used it to make an adorable pillow. This is a challenging pattern with a lot of pieces.The SCALLOPED HEART PILLOW pattern will be given to 1 lucky winner. To enter for a chance to win this pattern, please leave a comment after this post. Be sure to include your email address 🙂 This give-away will end on Friday, February 9. The winner will be announced on Saturday.
Of course, in my usual fashion, I couldn’t stop designing blocks with hearts. “BE-MINE PUPPY BLOCK” is for the dog lovers. I am going to make a potholder from this block.
This is “PERKY PENGUIN BLOCK“. His face is shaped like a heart! This pattern does not include directions for constructing the pillow. It is a nice, easy block for beginners!
If you like these Valentine’s patterns, you might also like to check out my brand new St. Patrick’s designs.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Please visit other blogs today for even more FREE patterns. And don’t forget to LEAVE A COMMENT. Let me know which of my “heart” blocks you like the best.
Welcome to my paper piecing tutorial “#2: Sewing Segments Together”. My step by step directions are designed to help you use my “Made By Marney” paper pieced patterns.If you are piecing a combination block, you will have to paper piece each segment in the pattern, then sew these segments together. Watch “Tutorial #1: Paper Piecing a Segment” if you are a beginner before watching this tutorial.
The Penguin block I am using in this tutorial is a FREE download and will be available on my website starting on Tuesday, February 6.
Step 4: Bend the paper pattern out of the way and trim away any excess seam allowance beyond the 1/4″ needed.
Step 5: Flip fabric 2 in place behind piece #2 and press flat.
Step 6: Trim away the excess fabric, leaving a generous 1/2″ beyond what is needed.
Step 7: Position the fabric for piece #3. Again, I am bending the pattern on the stitching line so I can peek under the pattern to help place my fabric to allow about 1/2″ of seam allowance. (I am always generous with this seam allowance, especially for beginners.)
Above, you can see that piece #3 is stitched, pressed in place, and the excess fabric has been trimmed. Continue to add pieces in numerical order.
Above you can see that section C is now completed.
Trim the seam allowance 1/4″ from the red line. Segment C will be sewn to Segments A and B along the red lines.
Step 8: This a close up showing how I match the seam lines for segments A and B. Poke a straight pin through the seam line of segment A and match it with the seam line on segment B.
Pin the segments together. Sew on the seam line.
Rip off the paper that is in the seam allowance on each side.
Press the seam to one side. Here is segment A and B sewn together and pressed.
If you need any further assistance, contact me at maryannhertel@gmail.com
My step by step directions are designed to help you use my “Made By Marney” paper pieced patterns. Tutorial #1 gets you started on paper piecing a segment. I cannot fit all of the photos in one post, so Tutorial #2 shows how to finish the segment and sew it to a second segment. The pattern I am using can be found as a FREE download on this website starting Tuesday, February 6.
Let’s do a tutorial on paper piecing right now. Set the stitch length on your sewing machine to 1.5 (that’s about 20 stitches per inch).
Step 1 : Make 3 copies of the original pattern. (I use cheap copy paper.) Cut it into the 3 segments A, B and C, shown by the red lines. I like to add 1/4″ seam allowances between the segments. This is not a necessary step, but I find it a helpful reminder as I paper piece. If you prefer, you could just make 1 copy of the pattern and cut it apart on the red lines. Just make sure you are allowing plenty of fabric along the edges for the 1/4″ seam allowance as you paper piece. I will be paper piecing Segment C.
Step 2: Pin a scrap of fabric behind piece #1. Hold the pattern up to a light source so you can position the piece behind piece #1 on the pattern. The right side of the fabric is facing away from the back of the pattern. Note that the scrap is larger than piece #1 to allow for seam allowances.
Step 3: I am now ready to position the fabric for piece #2. In the first photo I am pointing at the
line I will be stitching. In the second photo I am bending piece 2 back along the stitching line to help me position the fabric. Note that the fabrics are right sides together. I am allowing for about a 1/2″ of fabric beyond the stitching line. You can see I am working with a large scrap for fabric 2. I like to trim my fabric AFTER stitching it in place.
Notice, I start sewing 1/4″ before my stitching line, and will stop stitching 1/4″ after my stitching line. No backtacking is necessary.
Step 4: Bend the paper pattern out of the way and trim away any excess seam allowance beyond the 1/4″ needed.
Everyone seems to have that special pet in their life. Here is a sample of my “Dogs Only” paper pieced quilt done by my sweet customer, Jan. Didn’t she do a great job? I love when my friends share their photos!
This quilt was designed using photos of real pets sent to me by my customers and friends. They were my inspiration.
Here is a charity quilt sewn by Faith. She used just 1 of my block patterns, then added lots of borders. Very clever, especially if you want a fast project! Thanks for sharing, Faith.
And here are 2 very cute pillows shared by Edie. These pit bulls are named Duece and Daisy, as you can see. Edie used my Pit Bull pattern.
Here are some other dogs that I designed from customer’s requests.
And, 1 of my all time favorites, the Chinese Crested. When I was asked to design the Chinese Crested, I asked if that was a “bird”! No kidding, I had never heard of it. After finding out it is a somewhat hairless dog, I thought, “Oh my, this block might be really ugly!” However, it turned out to be one of my faves. It reminds me of a little fairy dog.
Thanks to all of my wonderful customers and friends who share their photos. It means a lot to see how much you enjoy your paper piecing. If there is a dog pattern you want, and don’t see it on my Etsy shop, please let me know and if you can share a photo of your pet, even better!
Hello to my friends everywhere! Today I am giving a special shout out to my friends and customers from Australia. I was fortunate enough to have my latest book, “Sew Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” previewed in their magazine, “Down Under Quilts“.
There I am on the cover…well it’s not really me, but my Rudolph.
The magazine shares a FREE pattern block “Present” from my book and the instructions to make it into a placemat.
I am very busy working on some cute designs for Valentines/Winter. There is an upcoming BLOG HOP that I want to share with you. In February, I will be participating in the “Put A Little Love In Your Heart” Blog Hop from February 5-8.
This is right around the corner. Everyday different quilters will be sharing a FREE pattern with a heart in it. This sounds like so much fun. I can’t wait! I will keep you posted as this fun event approaches. Some of the sights, including mine, will be offering give-aways, too.
I’ll let you know what my give-away will be next week! Stay tuned…
This is the time of year that I miss watching my team play football every week. If my favorite team does not make the playoffs, January is a very gloomy time of year.
I designed this paper pieced pillowcase for my favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. But, since I love football in general, I didn’t want to omit other fans favorite teams. I went on to design these pillowcase patterns so other fans could have fun paper piecing, too.
Minnesota Vikings will be the only team from the Central Division to advance to the playoffs…
Here are the other teams from my division for whom I have developed patterns; Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. But, I have had requests from these fans as well.
I’ve been considering working up pillowcase patterns for this years top teams, but I am limited to a 6 letter per line format. This means that I can only fit 6 letters or spaces per line and am limited to 2 lines. Help me out with names for these teams…
New Orleans Saints: SAINTS WIN!
Atlanta Falcons: DIRTY BIRDS (but is this complimentary??? Please advise me, Falcon fans.)
New England Patriots: GO PATS
Los Angeles Rams: LOVE RAMS
Philadelphia Eagles: EAGLES SOAR
Carolina Panthers: GO CATS (not in love with this…but do you have anything better???)
If I have omitted your team, and you have a clever idea for their name, please share!
Hi everyone…thanks so much for stopping by. Here are my 5 favorite posts of 2017.
My Jolly Old St. Nick was one of my favorite patterns this year for beginners. This post was very popular with new and experienced paper piecers because it was easy, but cute!
I adore spending a weekend at my cabin. This loon block gives me a calm feeling of relaxation and reminds me of the lovely song of the loon that I hear when at the lake.
When my kids were little, they loved hearing nursery rhymes from the Richard Scarey book. This quilt reminds me of reading to my kids every nite before bedtime.
Merry Christmas to all of my blogging friends. Thank you for allowing me to share my creations with you. As a retiree, designing has given me a purpose in life.
As Christmas day draws near, I am decorating my home with all of this year’s new holiday projects. Turquoise, red, and green have become my favorite holiday colors.
I’m loving my polar bears, as they are something that I can keep in my decorating all through winter. I hate having to take down all the Christmas things right after the holidays. I am loving my goofy Snowman for the same reason.
My sweet friend Marilyn just shared a photo of her version of the scalloped heart. It is so lovely.
She also made a gift sack with my “Be Mine Puppy” block pattern. Too cute! There have been so many requests for holiday designs, that I am now working on blocks for every occasion.
This table runner and the gift sacks were also made by Marilyn. Didn’t she do a super cute job with my “Easter Collection“? I love when my customers continue to challenge me, and then inspire me!
Thanks to all who participated in last weeks Valentine Blog Hop. I enjoyed all of your comments.
For anyone who missed last week’s free pattern, you can still download the “Hearty Penguin” block pattern
HEARTY-PENGUIN-MERGED.pdf (2254 downloads )
