Best of 2024 Linky Party Coming Soon

It is no secret that I love blog link parties.  One of the main reasons I started my blog was so that I could take part in the sharing of knowledge and inspiration through the parties and so I am very excited to announce that I am hosting my tenth annual blog linky party, the Best of 2024 Linky Party!

To take part in the link party, simply write a new blog post highlighting your "best" 5 posts from 2024 and linkup.  There is no set way or rules to pick your best, you can pick and highlight your posts anyway you would like.  Some examples include:

• Posts with the most views
• Posts with the most comments
• Posts that provoked the best discussions
• Posts showing your favorite finishes
• Posts of your best tutorials
• Posts that are simply your favorites

This post is not only a great way to find new readers, it is also wonderful to be able to highlight some of your best posts for those readers who have joined your blog throughout the year.

**NEW THIS YEAR - I know that a lot of quilters are not bloggers or are not blogging as actively so instead of linking up a blog post, you are welcome to link up your favorite Instagram post of 2024.  

This link needs to be done through the computer, not mobile.  Here are some instructions on how to link up an Instagram post.**

The link party will open the day after Christmas on Thursday, December 26th and will be open for one week ending on Thursday, January 2nd.

While you are waiting for this linky party to start up, you can take a look through the Best of 2015-2023.  Thanks!

 

 

Marble Mystery ++ Dec ++ Doublet and Corner Units

Happy December - Let's Sew :)  

Welcome to the December sewing instructions for the Marble Mystery Quilt, the tenth annual Meadow Mist Designs mystery quilt along!  This month we will starting to put together some units that will form the blocks in our quilt.  December's instructions are shorter because everyone's Decembers tend to be very busy.

The Marble Mystery Quilt is a free quilt-along that will run from July 2024 through March 2025 to make a throw sized quilt (about 65 ½" x 65 ½") with a set of instructions posted the first Thursday of every month.  The quilt pattern is at an advanced beginner level containing basic piecing techniques (no applique, Y-seams, or paper piecing).

The directions and all of the other information relate dot the mystery quilt can always be found on the Marble Mystery Home Page.   

Easy to Print PDF Instructions

If you would like easy to print instructions for the November instructions, they can found as a free download through my shop:  

Part 6 - December Instructions - Doublet and Corner Units

All Marble Mystery File Downloads

Cutting Instructions

Doublet Units

FIRST DOUBLET UNITS

1.  Sew together the following units, pressing the seam open or towards the hourglass unit, to make a first doublet unit 4 ½" x 6 ½".

1 hourglass unit 4 ½" x 4 ½"

1 flying geese 2 ½" x 4 ½"

2. Repeat to make a total of 16 first doublet units.

SECOND DOUBLET UNITS

1.  Sew together the following units, pressing the seam open or towards the SiaS unit, to make a second doublet unit 4 ½" x 6 ½".

1 flying geese unit 2 ½" x 4 ½"

1 A/bg SiaS 4 ½" x 4 ½"

2. Repeat to make a total of 20 second doublet units.

FIRST CORNER UNITS

1.  Cut each fabric A nine-patch unit in half in both horizontally and vertically in half to make 4 first corner units 6 ½" x 6 ½".

2. Repeat to make a total of 16 first corner units 6 ½" x 6 ½". 

SECOND CORNER UNITS

1.  Cut each fabric B nine-patch unit in half in both horizontally and vertically in half to make 4 second corner units 6 ½" x 6 ½".

2. Repeat to make a total of 20 second corner units 6 ½" x 6 ½". 

HOW TO JOIN

This has been my most asked question, how to join in on the Marble Mystery quilt?  There is no official sign up, list, or cost to join in the mystery quilt along.  Each set of instructions will be posted to this blog as a post on the first Thursday of each month.

To ensure you do not miss any of the posts, you can do any of the following:

• Visit the Meadow Mist Designs blog on the day (first Thursday of each month) the instructions are posted or visit the Main Marble Mystery Page which will contain links to all of the posts.

• Join the Meadow Mist Designs Newsletter, the newsletter typically is sent out the day after the instructions are posted with a link to that month's instructions.

• Follow the Meadow Mist Designs blog via email. You will get all new blog posts (all posts, not just mystery quilt posts) at 10am via email the day they post.

• Join the Meadow Mist Designs Facebook Group. Links to the instructions are always posted in the group.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors!

Quilting Jetgirl | Busy Hands Quilts | Aurifil 

Quilting by Anne-Marie | InkTorrents | My Sew Quilty Life | Blue Pip Designs | 

Fat Quarter Shop | Tallulah Art Head | Meadow Mist Designs | Connecting Threads

Quilted Ever After |  North Star Quilt Shop | Kylma Koira by The Chilly Dog | Backside Fabrics

Any questions? Leave them in a comment below or post them to our Facebook group page. I look forward to seeing everyone's cut fabrics. The next set of instructions will be published on the first Thursday of December.

 

Marble Mystery ++ Nov ++ Square in a Square Units

Who likes making square in a square units?  

Welcome to the November sewing instructions for the Marble Mystery Quilt, the tenth annual Meadow Mist Designs mystery quilt along!  This month we will be making some square in a square units.  I must admit that square in a square units are not my favorite to make but they did sew up faster than I thought they would.

The Marble Mystery Quilt is a free quilt-along that will run from July 2024 through March 2025 to make a throw sized quilt (about 65 ½" x 65 ½") with a set of instructions posted the first Thursday of every month.  The quilt pattern is at an advanced beginner level containing basic piecing techniques (no applique, Y-seams, or paper piecing).

The directions and all of the other information relate dot the mystery quilt can always be found on the Marble Mystery Home Page.   

Easy to Print PDF Instructions

If you would like easy to print instructions for the November instructions, they can found as a free download through my shop:  

Part 5 - November Instructions - Square in a Square Units

All Marble Mystery File Downloads

Cutting Instructions

Square in a Square Units

A/bg SiaS UNITS

1. Cut 40 bg square 3" x 3" (3 ¼" x 3 ¼" if oversized) in half once diagonally to form 80 bg triangles.

2. Center a bg triangle along one side of a fabric A square 3 ⅜" x 3 ⅜" right sides together.  

Sew along the edge with a scant  ¼" seam (shown as a dotted line), pressing seam open or towards the bg triangle.

3. Sew another bg triangle on the side of the fabric A square opposite to the first seam, pressing the seam open or towards the bg triangle.

Note: you can sew both of these triangles on then press instead of pressing after each addition.

4. Continue by sewing two more bg triangles onto the remaining outside edges of the fabric A square, pressing the seams open or towards the bg triangles.

5. Trim off the tabs (dog ears) formed by the sewn on triangles and square the unit to 4 ½" x 4 ½" if necessary making sure there is ¼" between the corners of the inner square and the outer sides of the unit.  

6. Repeat steps 2-5 to make a total of 20 A/bg SiaS units 4 ½" x 4 ½".

bg/A SiaS UNITS

1. Cut 8 fabric A square 3" x 3" (3 ¼" x 3 ¼" if oversized) in half once diagonally to form 16 fabric A triangles.

2. Center a fabric A triangle along one side of a bg square 3 ⅜" x 3 ⅜" right sides together.  

Sew along the edge with a scant ¼" seam (shown as a dotted line), pressing seam open or towards the fabric A triangle.

3. Sew another fabric A triangle on the side of the bg square opposite to the first seam, pressing the seam open or towards the fabric A triangle.

Note: you can sew both of these triangles on then press instead of pressing after each addition.

4. Continue by sewing two more fabric A triangles onto the remaining outside edges of the bg square, pressing the seams open or towards the fabric A triangles.

5. Trim off the tabs (dog ears) formed by the sewn on triangles and square the unit to 4 ½" x 4 ½" if necessary making sure there is ¼" between the corners of the inner square and the outer sides of the unit.  

6. Repeat steps 2-5 to make a total of 4 bg/A SiaS units 4 ½" x 4 ½".

HOW TO JOIN

This has been my most asked question, how to join in on the Marble Mystery quilt?  There is no official sign up, list, or cost to join in the mystery quilt along.  Each set of instructions will be posted to this blog as a post on the first Thursday of each month.

To ensure you do not miss any of the posts, you can do any of the following:

• Visit the Meadow Mist Designs blog on the day (first Thursday of each month) the instructions are posted or visit the Main Marble Mystery Page which will contain links to all of the posts.

• Join the Meadow Mist Designs Newsletter, the newsletter typically is sent out the day after the instructions are posted with a link to that month's instructions.

• Follow the Meadow Mist Designs blog via email. You will get all new blog posts (all posts, not just mystery quilt posts) at 10am via email the day they post.

• Join the Meadow Mist Designs Facebook Group. Links to the instructions are always posted in the group.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors!

Quilting Jetgirl | Busy Hands Quilts | Aurifil 

Quilting by Anne-Marie | InkTorrents | My Sew Quilty Life | Blue Pip Designs | 

Fat Quarter Shop | Tallulah Art Head | Meadow Mist Designs | Connecting Threads

Quilted Ever After |  North Star Quilt Shop | Kylma Koira by The Chilly Dog | Backside Fabrics

Any questions? Leave them in a comment below or post them to our Facebook group page. I look forward to seeing everyone's cut fabrics. The next set of instructions will be published on the first Thursday of December.

 

 

 

Gratitude and Grace Blog Hop and Giveaway

I am so happy to be the blog kicking off Pat Sloan's new fabric line for Benartex called Gratitude and Grace.  It is a great collection of greens, blues, and oranges (and the plaid prints are fabulous!!).  

Hint, hint - this post is long but there may be a super awesome fabric giveaway at the end...

WELCOME

If you are visiting my blog for the first time, welcome!  I'm Cheryl, a chemical engineer that writes patents during the day and quilts and sews at night.  I live in South Carolina with my husband, two high school aged children, and 4 cats.  

I love the online community and host a yearly free mystery quilt, have an active Facebook group, and create modern traditional quilt patterns.  I hope that you will join me!  You can sign up for my newsletter here to keep up with all of the happenings.

Marble Mystery - my current (and tenth annual) free monthly mystery quilt along.  I even offer a sneak peek of the design :)

CATHEDRAL WINDOW PINCUSIONS USING GRATITUDE AND GRACE FABRICS

Pat asked if we could make something with her fabric and my mind started to think of all of the possibilities, should I make a quilt, bag, or something else?  I decided that I wanted to make something that I could use and see everyday in my sewing room, a pincushion :) 

I used my Cathedral Window Pincushion pattern from my shop and started picking out some fabrics.  I love this pattern because it is charm pack (5" square) and scrap friendly, you only need (3) 5" squares plus some background fabric to make a pincushion.

To celebrate the release of Pat's collection, I am offering the digital Cathedral Window Pattern on sale now through Friday, November 8th for only $9.45 (no coupon code needed).

The Gratitude and Grace fabric collection is now available in shops so check out your local quilt shop or online at the Fat Quarter Shop (they have 10" packs, fat quarter bundles, and 1/2 yard bundles in stock as well as yardages).

Here are each one of the pincushions I made, I love how each highlight the prints from the collection.

QUILT RENDERINGS

I loved Pat's new collection so much that I had to play around with the fabric images to see how it would look in some of my quilt patterns.

Woodshire - throw size  - 2 charm packs or 1 layer cake or 8 fat quarters plus yardages

Wharf Street - throw size - 1 jelly roll or 12 fat quarters

Irish Puzzle - throw size - 2 charm packs or 1 layer cake

GIVEAWAY!!

I want to thank Pat for including me in her fabric blog hop, I had a great time playing with her beautiful fabrics.  I also want to thank everyone that has stopped by my blog hop post!  

If you are new to Meadow Mist Designs, I hope that you will take a few minutes looking around and consider joining my newsletter list (I send out each of the monthly mystery quilt instructions via the newsletter).

The giveaway prize, sponsored by Pat Sloan and Benartex, is a Gratitude and Grace 10" pack (layer cake) and one digital quilt pattern from Meadow Mist Designs (my shop).

The giveaway will end at 10:00 pm on Friday, November 8th EST and is open to everyone worldwide.

Note: if you are reading this post via e-mail or on your phone you might have to click over to the website site to enter.

Gratitude and Grace Giveaway

OTHER TOUR STOPS

Plus be sure to stop by each of the other bloggers in the Pat Sloan's Morrison Park Tour (each with a chance to win fabric or thread)

November 4th - By Annie & Meadow Mist Designs

November 5th - Auriful & Snuggle Bug Stitching

November 6th - Pam Kitty Morning & Fat Quarter Shop

November 7th - Ivory Spring & Pat Sloan

Remember to enter the giveaway and grab your copy of the Cathedral Window Pincushions (they make excellent swap and holiday gifts) for only $9.45.

Charity Quilt Sale

Hi from Greenville, South Carolina! The hurricane Helene visited us here a few weeks ago. Our damage was not near as bad as Asheville and Western North Carolina, but we had some flooding along widespread power outages from thousands of downed trees.

We were very lucky in our house that we escaped with almost no damage to our property and our power came back on within a day. Most of my friends were out of power and internet for over a week. School was shut down for 8 days.

One of the affected local organizations was Greenville Animal Care. They were without power to take care of all of their animals for over a week. Many people came to the rescue fostering animals and the Greenville Humane Society (which did have power) took over 100 animals to their facility.

I love supporting both of these agencies as they provide free TNR (trap-neuter-release), low cost spays and vaccinations, provide pet food to those who cannot afford it, and run excellent adoption agencies.

To support these two organizations, I am having a charity sample quilt sale from my book, Just One Charm Pack Quilts.

100% of the profit from the sale of these quilts will be split between Greenville Animal Care and the Greenville Humane Society.

See all of the charity quilts here.

Here are my cats that I have adopted...

Reeses (6 years old) - from Greenville Animal Care

Oreo (6 years old) - from the Greenville Humane Society

Piper (5 years old) - from the Greenville Humane Society

Turtle (2 years old) - from a parking lot :)

I hope that you will join me in supporting these two worthy organizations.  Here are a few of the quilts that are included in the charity sale.

You can find all of the charity quilts for sale here.