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Finished Oomph quilted zipper bag

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When did I sew these quirky quarter log cabin blocks? I don’t remember exactly, but my guess is that it must have been in the early 2000s. A few years ago, I found six of these blocks in a forgotten storage box. I added some strips to the edges and sewed two and two together – and promptly forgot all about them. This year, the time had come for these quilt blocks to become something. I added a strip to make the surface into a suitable size for a zipper bag, then quilted it and – ta-dah! – the first zipper bag panel was ready! I had to pair this panel with a different surface, which features surprisingly many solids or nearly solids! Such fabrics are a small minority in my stash. Here, the quilted, untrimmed zipper bag panels are waiting for the next phase in the bag-making process: A lot happened between the previous photo and this next one: Trimming Cutting the lining pieces Choosing the zipper and attaching it Side tabs cutting, sewing and attaching...
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How Lexical turned me into a pattern designer

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I was going to analyse Lexical, the quilt that launched me as a pattern designer, but I ended up writing a post that isn’t really about the quilt itself. Instead, I found myself reflecting on my own journey. After all, only I can tell that story – anyone can analyse a quilt if they want to. Here’s my journey which led to publishing Lexical, my first commercial quilt pattern – and the journey did NOT begin with a thought “I’m going to become a quilt pattern designer”. Before Lexical, I already loved writing instructions I’d already published numerous quilt block tutorials on my blog and written tutorials and how-to articles for the Finnish quilting magazine. I had dreamed of putting together a book that would combine my quilt patterns with the stories behind the quilts. (Some ten years ago, I even had a professional designer create a couple of sample page layouts for me so that I could see how my book might look.) Back then, though, publishing something commercially was d...
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3 tests every quilt block should pass

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Today I’m sharing three simple tests that every quilt block should pass. They’re especially worth doing when you’re making a scrappy quilt, where you may have picked a wide colour variety for the blocks. Before we get to the three tests, though, there’s an entrance exam. If a block doesn’t pass that, it cannot move further in your project. The entrance exam for quilt blocks: sewing a test block If you’re making quilt blocks following a pattern, first sew one block using expendable fabrics. Not poor-quality fabrics though, because if your test block colours work with the rest of the quilt, you may very well end up using it in your project. If the test block turns out to be of wrong size, you can also use it as part of your quilt backing. So it is worth picking decent fabrics even for your test block, though fabrics that you aren’t in love with. I often work out my own measurements for blocks, so I’ve sewn more than my fair share of test blocks. Once I had a particular...
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Sometimes quilting projects take a long time – and it’s not a problem

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A couple of days ago I came across a small piece that I’d sewn of half-square triangles. It was a small project to work on at our summer place where I only do hand-sewing – if I sew at all. I had the HSTs with me and sewed them together by hand. Nothing particularly exciting about that find, really. Until I happened to see a picture of “what was going on 10 years ago,” with that piece in it. I’d sewn it together a decade ago, thinking that it would become a quilted item – and it’s still in that same state. This got me thinking about how long things sometimes take in quilting. At least in my quilting. And because I have a lot of material in my blog, it didn’t take long to find examples to share with you. No progress in ten years Almost exactly ten years ago, in July 2016 I had hand-sewn the binding on my Heading North quilt and taken one of my most memorable quilt-finish photos of it. When I was sewing the flying geese blocks for that quilt, I got a whole bunch of bonus half-...
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Splendid colour tips for quilters: Versatile ways to use just one colour

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This post is one of my Splendid colour tips series, where I share information to help you choose fabrics and colours for your quilts with more confidence. Today’s post is a little different because it isn’t about any specific colour. Instead, it discusses how you can use a single colour to effect in your quilt. One colour can be surprisingly versatile in quilting, and perhaps this post encourages you to experiment a little. I suggest three basic ways to discover the versatility of using just one colour in a quilting project:  Create a scrappy surface  Make single-coloured blocks Choose one colour and complement it with a neutral I’ve illustrated these three ways with examples of my quilts and quilted items. I also give an answer to the question: “Could the whole quilt be of one colour?” 1. Create a scrappy surface Using your fabric scraps is a low-threshold way to start exploring the idea of using just one colour in a quilt project. If you have a mishmash o...
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