Monday, February 17, 2025

Looking back at QuiltCon Quilts

QuiltCon is this week in Phoenix, Arizona. It will be the first QuiltCon I will miss in years. I thought it would be fun to review the quilts I have had in the show over the years. I had 18 quilts hung in the show between 2015 and 2021 (after 2021 I have not submitted any due to lack of time).

Have you ever submitted a quilt into a quilt show? Into QuiltCon?


2015 - Pike's Peak - Negative Space


2015 - Oh the Places You'll Go - Small Quilts



2016 - Use Your Illusion - MQG Pattern of the Month Exhibit


2016 - Frequency - APQ Challenge



2017 - Cloud Burst - Piecing 





2017 - Half Circle Mirror - Minimal


2017 - Warp & Weft - APQ Challenge (9-patch) - Winner 1st Place





2017 - State of Being - MQG Patterns of the Month Exhibit



2018 - Pop Rocks - Fabric Challenge


2018 - Curated Cabins - Small Quilts



2019 - Mikado - APQ 2 Color Challenge



2019 Flew Away - Small Quilt



2019 - Periodicity - MQG Patterns of the Month exhibit



2020 - Logging into Alchemy - Group Quilt



2020 - Jupiter - APQ Challenge - Stripes




2020 - Aisle Path Lighting - Small Quilts


2020 - Disappearing Oranges - MQG Patterns of the Month Exhibit



2021 - Twists & Turns - Fabric Challenge








Monday, February 10, 2025

Let's Sew from our Stash!

 

You asked, and the answer was a resounding YES—let’s sew from our stash! ๐ŸŽ‰

I was blown away by the response to the quilt along survey—over 1,350 quilters chimed in, and the overwhelming consensus was clear: it's time for a stash-busting quilt along!

I originally proposed three patterns—Peanut Butter Pinwheels, Wharf Street, and Flagstone Path—all beginner-friendly designs that work beautifully with scraps. While Peanut Butter Pinwheels was the top pick with over half of the votes, the votes for the other two were nearly tied.

So, why choose just one? Let’s include all three! That way, you can pick the pattern that best suits your scraps.


How the quilt along will work:

๐Ÿ—“ Kickoff Date: Thursday, February 20th (plenty of time to grab a pattern & pick fabrics).

⏳ Duration: 6 weeks, wrapping up on April 3rd. I'll post schedules for each of the three designs to keep you on track.

๐ŸŽ‰ Final Parade: Share your quilt top or finished quilt at the end.

๐Ÿšซ No Prizes—Just Fun: This is all about using what we have & enjoying the process.

๐Ÿ“ Weekly Posts: I'll be posting tips on fabric organization, scrap-busting ideas, and sewing techniques each week.

๐Ÿ”น The Challenge: Try to create your entire quilt—top, binding, and backing—using only fabric from your stash! No new fabric purchases needed.

This is going to be a fun, low-pressure quilt along, and I’d love to have you join in!

Who’s in? ๐Ÿงต✨



Patterns and Sale:

To join the quilt along, you’ll need a copy of Peanut Butter Pinwheels, Wharf Street, or Flagstone Path—whichever pattern best suits your stash!

๐ŸŽ‰ Quilt Along Special: To celebrate, all three patterns are on sale for $2.20 off each! No coupon code needed—the discount will automatically apply at checkout. Sale now through Feb 20th.

Want more than one? No problem! If you grab two, it’s $4.40 off, and all three would be $6.60 off.

Snag your patterns now and get ready to sew from your stash! ๐Ÿงต✨



Peanut Butter Pinwheels


Peanut Butter Pinwheels has three sizes: baby, throw, and twin and is perfect for 4 ½" x 4 ½" and 2 ½" x 2 ½" squares.

Wharf Street is a throw sized quilt and uses 2 ½" x either width of fabric or width of a fat quarter or 2 ½" x 6 ½" pieces.



Flagstone Path

Flagstone Path contains instructions for baby, lap, large lap, and twin sizes and is perfect for 2 ½" x 2 ½" and 2 ½" x 4 ½" pieces.


Questions?  You can leave them in a comment below or reach me at cheryl@meadowmistdesigns.com.  I look forward to quilting along with you!!!




Sunday, January 26, 2025

8 Tips for Successful Foundation Paper Piecing FPP


I just released my newest pattern Wishing Star on Friday and I have had a lot of quilters love the design but not feel like they are up to tackling a more advanced foundation paper pieced design.  I would love to share some tips and tutorials that would help them up their FPP game.


8 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PAPER PIECING

1.  Start Small and Simple -
Choose patterns with larger sections, fewer pieces, and most importantly easier angles. This helps you focus on mastering the basics without becoming overwhelmed.


2.  Cut Fabric Generously - 
Always cut your fabric pieces larger than the section they will cover. This gives you room for error and reduces frustration.  Many times a pattern will give you the suggested piece cut sizes.  Be sure to only cut enough pieces to make one block or section to make sure they are not too small or large before cutting all of the fabric.


3.  Use a Short Stitch Length - 
Set your sewing machine to a stitch length of 1.5–2.0. Smaller stitches perforate the paper more, making the paper easier to remove while ensuring strong seams.


4.  Test Your Fabric Placement - 
Before sewing, hold the fabric up to the light or fold it along the seam line to ensure it covers the area with seam allowances included.  This is especially important in those trickly angled pieces.


5.  Work in Good Light - 
Adequate lighting helps you see fabric placement and alignment clearly, especially when working with light or translucent fabrics.  Holding your block to a window (or using a light box) allows you to see fabric placement through the paper.


6.  Trim as You Go - 
After sewing each section, trim the seam allowances to 1/4". This reduces bulk and keeps the block flat for easier assembly.


7.  Secure with Glue or Pins - 
Use a washable glue stick or a few pins to hold your fabric in place before sewing. This prevents slipping and ensures accurate placement.  I sometimes use a tiny dab of glue to hold my first piece of fabric and will occasionally use pins on additional pieces.  Be sure not to sew over the pins.  

8.  Keep Extra Templates Handy - 
Print or copy extra templates before you start. We all make mistakes and it’s nice to have spares without interrupting your progress.

9. (Bonus) Enjoy the Process - 
Take your time, embrace mistakes, and appreciate the precise, intricate results that FPP offers. Quilting is as much about the journey as the finished product.


FAVORITE FPP VIDEO TUTORIALS

Paper piecing can be kind of tricky to figure out in the beginning and I think that video tutorials are a great way of learning and seeing the technique in action.  There are many full in-person and online classes around FPP.  Here are two of my favorite free YouTube beginner level tutorials:


Foundation Paper Piecing Tutorial by A Quilting Life


BEGINNER LEVEL PAPER PIECING PATTERN

The pineapple block I feel is one of the best beginner blocks to start with.  There are easy angles and just one template per block (so no having to match seams while sewing the template sections together).  I offer my Kona Pineapple Block free to all of my newsletter subscribers.  

If you would like to join my newsletter, you can join right here.





MEADOW MIST DESIGNS FPP PATTERNS

I have a number of FPP patterns in my shop ranging from easier to more challenging.  I am even working on another FPP pattern right now :)











QUESTIONS OR OTHER TOPICS?

Do you have any questions or topics I could cover to help you along your foundation paper piecing (or quilting in general) journey?  Please leave them as a comment or email me at cheryl@meadowmistdesigns.com.





Friday, January 24, 2025

Wishing Star Pattern Release

Today, I'd love to introduce you to the first Meadow Mist Designs quilt pattern of the new year, Wishing Star!


✨ Introducing Wishing Star! ✨

๐ŸŒŸ Modern Paper-Pieced Design: A bold, star shaped throw-size quilt.

๐Ÿงต Advanced-Level: With over 1,000 fabric pieces, pieced angles, and precise matching seams, it’s designed to push your skills to new heights.

✂️ Why Paper Piecing?: I don’t paper piece often, but I love how it enables quilt designs with unique angles that you just can’t get with other techniques.

๐ŸŽฏ A Rewarding Project: This is not a quick make, but would be perfect for quilters that have paper piecing experience looking to elevate their skills and create something stunning.

Wishing Star is available now in both digital and print formats in my pattern shop, and as a digital download on Etsy. You can also grab a set of printed paper templates!

For a limited time, enjoy the introductory pattern price of $10.25 (digital, $11.25 print, and $16.50 templates), now through Monday, January 27th (midnight ET). Plus, you can stack savings with these exclusive coupon codes:
TWOPATTERNS: Get $2 off 2 patterns
THREEPATTERNS: Get $4 off 3 patterns

My Shop

Etsy

 





You asked, and I delivered! ๐Ÿ˜Š One of the biggest headaches of paper piecing is dealing with printing and photocopying templates. To make things easier, I’m excited to offer pre-printed paper templates so you can skip the hassle and jump straight into sewing!"



This set of paper templates contains a total of 66 pages to make the throw size of Wishing Star (a few extra of each template are included).
Note: The paper templates are on copy paper (which is my personal preference to paper piece with).

 

About the Fabrics and Quilting

I made my version using almost exclusively Bella Solids by Moda. The stars are made using eight 1/2 yard cuts on white and pink background fabrics.

Delia Dorn of Willowlark Quilt Studio did a fabulous job of quilting the quilt in an allover swirl design. I even got the Ruby Star Society wideback from her so I did not have to piece a back!






Additional Colorways

I have the exciting honor of having Wishing Star being highlighted Washi Plus fabric collection in the latest Ruby Star Society catalog (page 128).

I have such fun seeing the quilt designs in different colors and prints. I think that this is one of those quilt designs that looks in so many different colorways, I have also included some other ideas like Tula Pink and a Christmas version.







Remember...Wishing Star is available now in both digital and print formats in my pattern shop, and as a digital download on Etsy. You can also grab a set of printed paper templates!

For a limited time, enjoy the introductory pattern price of $10.25 (digital, $11.25 print, and $16.50 templates), now through Monday, January 27th (midnight ET). Plus, you can stack savings with these exclusive coupon codes:
TWOPATTERNS: Get $2 off 2 patterns
THREEPATTERNS: Get $4 off 3 patterns