Cute and Clever Totes, a Paper Piecing Book by Mary Hertel

November 23, 2016Booksmaryhertel

It’s here! The paper piecing book that I have been working on for the past 17 months is hot off the press. Writing a book has been a wonderful experience, but LOTS of work. Thankfully, I worked with a GREAT team of editors at C&T Publishing. They were super supportive and I thank them!

Cute and Clever Totes is a great resource for the beginner, but also loads of fun for those who already have paper piecing skills. There are 16 adorable paper pieced blocks that cover a wide range of subject matter…something for everyone. And, by the way, if you have never heard of paper piecing, it is a sew by number technique. If you can sew a straight line, you can paper piece. My designs have easy , large pieces. These blocks are fun and assemble quickly.

Here’s one of my favorite blocks in a very easy to assemble Market Tote. You will find step by step directions to paper piece this Rooster block in my book, as well as the full directions to make the Market Tote and 5 other fun totes. So…let’s do the math…that means you are getting 96 different projects in one book! Sounds like a great deal to me!

There’s too much to share in just one blog post, so I will be sharing more about the totes and blocks in future posts.

Cute and Clever Totes is available on Amazon now. AND …I know you are all very busy, but I would love you to do a review of my book on Amazon.

Create something today!

Linking with: Elm Street Quilts

Kitty and Pup Paper Pieced Potholders Pattern

November 19, 2016Quilts with Animalsmaryhertel

I know many friends who will go crazy for these “Kitty and Pup Potholders”.

I had so much fun paper piecing these two. The blocks couldn’t be easier and would be great for beginners. I used buttons for my eyes, as I intend to flip the potholders over and use the back if I need to set something hot on them. But the eyes could also be done with appliqued fabric circles.

This kitty is too sweet! The kitty who ate the cream.

And how cute is he? Doesn’t he look like he just got into mischief?

This pattern is available on Etsy or Craftsy.

If you have a minute…I would appreciate a “LIKE” on my facebook Made By Marney page.

Thanks and have a great day!

Welcome to My Blog Tour + Giveaway

November 15, 2016Uncategorizedmaryhertel

Hi! I’m Mary Hertel, AKA “Made By Marney”, and I design paper pieced patterns. I consider myself very lucky to have a block in Volume 14 of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks. It is such a great resource, with so many creative blocks, and includes all the directions. But before I reveal my block, let me tell you a little bit about myself and my paper pieced designs.

Here I am in Oshkosh with one of the totes from my upcoming book, “Cute and Clever Totes”. This will be such a fun book…with 16 paper pieced blocks that can be used in 6 different tote patterns. It can pre-ordered from Amazon, as it is coming out in January, 2017. I am holding the Market Tote and the other 5 tote styles are pictured below.

Here are a few more of the 16 cute blocks that will be in “Cute and Clever Totes”.

As you can see, there will be something for everyone.

I was an elementary art teacher for 35 years and I love designing whimsical animals. Here’s a fun project I did this year…friends and customers sent me photos of their pets and I designed a paper pieced block of their animal. This is “Guinness” the Airedale.

This is “Dogs Only”, an entire quilt designed from the photos of real pets. This is my block on page 20 in Volume 14 of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks. Poinsettia Pop was fun to design. I love mixing media, for example putting buttons with paper piecing. I used all basic fabrics, weaves , marbles and solids to get a nice rich coloring for this giant Christmas flower.

As you can see, the block is repeated 4 times to complete one Poinsettia. This block would make a great Christmas table runner or even a cute tree skirt!

If you leave a comment today , Thursday or Friday, you could win 1 of the following paper pieced patterns…

I will be giving away a “Farmyard Stars” quilt pattern to 1 lucky visitor at the end of this week.

Another lucky winner will get this free pattern of “Cats N Dogs”. Both of these patterns offer 12 different paper pieced blocks with cute, whimsical animals!

A third lucky winner will receive a free copy of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks, Volume 14, compliments of Quilmaker magazine! Or you could order your own copy of Volume 14.

The winners will be announced Monday, November 21, 2016. But remember, you must leave a comment to be a winner. Also consider SUBSCRIBING to this website to get email reminders when I post new designs.

Check out all the other great designers that are participating in today’s Blog Tour. Don’t forget to visit Quilty Pleasures, for even more great giveaways!

Click HERE to visit and “Like” my Facebook page. Good-Bye for now…

Join Me For The Blog Tour and Win Free Patterns!

November 11, 2016Blog Hop, FREE Patterns, Quiltmakers 100 Blocks, Uncategorizedmaryhertel

This is sooo exciting! This Wednesday, November 16, is the BLOG TOUR for the new volume of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks magazine. If you visit this website on Wednesday, you can win free patterns from Made By Marney, as well as great give-aways from Quiltmaker.

I will be giving away free patterns to 2 lucky winners on November 16. Just visit this website and LEAVE A COMMENT. I need the comment to be able to contact you if you are a winner!

Here are the 2 patterns that will be given away.

This quilt is by far my best seller. Everyone LOVES their pets and these pets are so expressive and fun!

Farmyard Stars Quilt

The 12 farm animals in this quilt are named after celebrities. For example, the cow is “Demi Moo” and the Cat is “Kitty Purry”. You will have to see the pattern to find out the others…

Can’t wait until Wednesday when I will be revealing my block for the Quiltmaker’s magazine, Volume 14. Until then, it’s a secret…

Please join me then, and don’t forget to LEAVE A COMMENT to be eligible for great pattern prizes!

CUBS WIN! Paper Pieced Cubs Baseball Pillowcase Pattern

October 31, 2016Uncategorizedmaryhertel

What a super Christmas gift for a Cubs fan! This 20″x 30″ paper pieced pillow case is a great beginner project with very easy blocks. The “Cubs Win!” slogan is posted on the marquee at the stadium whenever the team wins. Let’s celebrate this wonderful team as they slug their way through the World’s Series.

Here’s the cub…so easy to paper piece.

This pattern is available on Etsy.

More Paper Pieced “Dogs Only” Dogs and Owners

October 16, 2016Quilts with Animals, Uncategorizedmaryhertel

I promised to reveal more of the real live pets that inspired my latest paper pieced quilt design, “Dogs Only”.This adorable quilt has 11 different dog breeds, all inspired by real pets.

This is a Labradoodle inspired by Percy, owner Kathleen McCormick.

And this cutie is a Westie named Mac, who’s lovely owner is my neighbor Peg Olson.

This cutie patootie is a Yorkie named Muggsy, owner is Mary Waldecker.

I love puppies with patches on their eyes, so I couldn’t resist this Terrier that I call Patch, owner unknown.

I had a lovely conversation with a customer about her Great Dane, Duke. Unfortunately I never got her name 🙁 However, I still couldn’t resist dedicating this block to Duke.

And here is the Saint Bernard, Studley Muffin, owner Jacqi Levy. Jacqi runs the “Keep Me In Stitches” quilt shop in Appleton. Her sweet Studley Muffin has passed away and is greatly missed.

All 11 dog blocks are available in the “Dogs Only” pattern on Etsy or Craftsy.

“Dogs Only” Paper Pieced Quilt Pattern from Made By Marney

October 7, 2016Quilts with Animalsmaryhertel

The Dogs Only quilt (42″x 51″) was so much fun to design. Each paper pieced block was inspired by a real dog, whose photo was shared with me by their loving owner! I will include some of the photos of the real life inspiration dogs in todays blog, and others will be shared in later blogs. There were so many proud pet owners that I have made “extra” blocks that can be purchased separately and substituted, if desired.

The Airedale is “Guinness” and the owner is Heidi Dronchi.

The Shih Tzu is “Molly” and the owner is Glenda Becker.

The Beagle is “Copper” and the owner is Lynn Much.

The Dachshund is “Oscar” and the owner is Jennifer Strauser.

The Bull Dog is “Tucker” and the owner is Lindsey Grover.

I will reveal the names of more dogs and their proud owners soon…

This original pattern can be found on Etsy and Craftsy.

A Made By Marney paper pieced pattern used in a tote bag!

September 30, 2016Quilts with Animalsmaryhertel

A clever customer, Mary Ehlert, used a paper pieced block from my Forest Friends pattern to decorate her tote bag. How cute! All the animals in my pattern can be used for lots of projects, not only quilts. I love that Mary shared her creativity with us.

This pattern can be found on Etsy.

DOG PHOTOS NEEDED!

September 13, 2016Uncategorizedmaryhertel

DOGS NEEDED!!! Help…I am designing a “Dogs Only” quilt and would like to design each block in the likeness of a REAL pet. I already have the Shih Tzu,” Parker”. This adorable dog belongs to Glenda from Canada.
If you could send me a photo of your pet AND tell me specifically what kind of dog it is AND their name, I may choose your lovely pet for the quilt!
Email me at : maryannhertel@gmail.com
Text me at: 920 379-1061

This is "Parker" the Shih Tzu — This is “Parker” the Shih Tzu

Dinosaur Paper Pieced Quilt Pattern

September 6, 2016Juvenile Quilts, Quilts with Animalsdinosaur blanket, dinosaur quilt, dinosaurs, paper pieced dinosaur, paper pieced pattern, T-Rex quiltmaryhertel

The paper pieced Dinosaur Quilt measures 44″x 60″. As you can see, it highlights 6 cool dinosaurs: Stegosaurus, T-Rex, Spinosaurus, Brontosaurus, Pterodactyl, and my personal favorite, Triceratops.Using a striped fabric for the teeth makes the paper piecing go super quick! It is such an easy way to get that GRRRRR look.

A zigzag fabric works cool for the teeth, too. There are so many nice chevron fabrics available right now, so finding a fabric similar to the black and white zigzag should be fairly easy. I found mine at my local quilt shop.

In the Stegosaurus, I just used a simple black fabric for his teeth. And I love using the tiny black and white stripe for his toes. It adds a nice graphic quality to the quilt.

I satin stitched the words, but they could easily be machine embroidered. If you increase the stitch width at the end of each letter as you satin stitch, the letters look a bit fancier.

This paper pieced Dinosaur quilt pattern is available on Etsy and on Craftsy.