Tamarinis

A Quilter's Alphabet - M

Mat - 

A self-healing mat is a necessary addition to any quilter's sewing area, especially when using a rotary cutter and rotary ruler.  Self-healing is a somewhat misleading term, as the mats will eventually wear out, but a quality mat IS resistant to developing cut grooves or ruts.

Mats come in a variety of sizes, from small trimming mats to large 24" x 36" mats (and some manufacturers have even larger sizes!).  Most mats are double sided, and have a handy measurement grid, making them dual purpose: a cutting surface and a handy measuring guide for cutting larger squares and strips.

Some folks favor the rotating mat, which is handy when cutting around templates or trimming up HSTs!

My favorite mat?  I have found the Olfa mats to hold up well.  See the bottom of this post for a link to two favorites - the traditional green Olfa mat, and a super pretty dark blue one! (yes, there are affiliate links at the bottom, which means if you click on them to purchase a mat, I get a small fee but it does NOT increase your costs at all - and I use it to help fund the maintenance of this blog and website)

Miter

A miter is an angled, fitted piecing, most commonly used in borders (but not always!), and usually a 45 degree angle.  While a mitered border is a BIT more work than a blunt ended border, it can add a polished look to a quilt, and is very impactful when using stripes or border print fabrics.  Framework, above, has a mitered border to make the most of that lovely large scale floral print.

Hesitant to tackle a mitered border?  I have an easy little tutorial on my website for mitered borders.  Try it with a small project first.  Like most skills, practice will make it easier.

 

Visit Kate's blog to get her definition of measure and meander.

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis?

Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  PS - I'm trying to get to the next milestone number on Facebook and Instagram (I am trying to get 2000+ followers) and would REALLY appreciate your help - so please click and follow!  Thanks so much!

Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.  

And did you know?  I travel and teach!  Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!

 

 

 

Exploring the Basics - The Double Pinwheel

I've shared how much I love the Pinwheel block in earlier posts (you can find my post about Pinwheel blocks and steps to make your own here).  The Double Pinwheel block takes the joy and happiness of the pinwheel block up to the next level by doubling the pinwheel fun - hence the name!

How do you make a double pinwheel?  Visit my post on the partial half square triangle block to get step by step details on how to make a partial half square triangle.  Why visit that post?  Because making FOUR partial half square triangle blocks - and proper block placement - will yield a Double Pinwheel block!

I love bright colors and quilts filled with vivid fabrics.  The double pinwheel block offers a terrific opportunity to fill your blocks - and quilts - with tons of color!

I pulled all of these elements together - bright colors, multiple fabrics, double pinwheel block - in my Whirlygigs pattern!  Double pinwheel blocks, multiple bright fabrics, two different background fabrics, multiple block sizes - Whirlygigs has it all!

See?  Fun, right?

Head over to Kate's blog to get her insights on the Double Pinwheel Block.

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis?

Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  PS - I'm trying to get to the next milestone number on Facebook and Instagram (I am trying to get 2000+ followers) and would REALLY appreciate your help - so please click and follow!  Thanks so much!

Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.  

And did you know?  I travel and teach!  Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!

 

A Quilter's Alphabet - L

Leaders and Enders - 

That's a quilting term?  Yes, dear quilty pal, it is.  A leader/ender is a piece of fabric used to begin and/or end a line of stitching.  They are called leaders and enders because - well - they lead or begin the stitching and end the stitching.  

Many quilters like to use leaders and enders to prevent their thread from "nesting" or knotting up underneath their fabric or to help create a nice, smooth stitch line at the beginning and ending of piecing.

Some clever multi-taskers will sew squares together as their leaders and enders, essentially stitching up four patches with each seam.  Before you know it, you'll have a stack of four patches that can be sewn into a quilt!

Light Box - 

A light box provides a lighted surface to trace templates, applique shapes, or align fabrics for paper piecing.  Originally, light boxes were fairly bulky, but recently LEDs have made it possible to have a slim but very bright light surface slightly thicker than a cutting mat.

 

Visit Kate's blog to get her definition of Layer Cake and Length of Fabric.

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis?

Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  PS - I'm trying to get to the next milestone number on Facebook and Instagram (I am trying to get 2000+ followers) and would REALLY appreciate your help - so please click and follow!  Thanks so much!

Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.  

And did you know?  I travel and teach!  Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!

Introducing Astria

I'm so thrilled to share another new stellar pattern,  Astria.  Astria means star maiden, and yes, it was inspired by the star strewn Block of the Month Kate Colleran of Seams Like a Dream and I designed, Luminous!

You can see Kate and I had had stars on the brain!  Luminous is gorgeous (at least we think so!), and we love all of the different stars in the quilt.  We thought it would be fun to carry on that starry theme  - and Astria was born!

Like most of our collaborative projects, Kate and I played around with color.  And no surprise to most of you - I went with a dark or nighttime color way for Astria.  Felix definitely approved - he finds the rich colors make a nice backdrop for him.

Astria has sparkling stars that glitter and shimmer against a simple field - in my case, deep dark blue.  I love how the icy green and light lavender shine against the deep midnight background.

One of my favorite features of the quilt is not the star blocks (they are great, don't get me wrong), but instead the little shimmer squares that explode out from some of the star blocks.  They provide a nice little pop of color and make me think of star showers.

Another interesting feature of our star maiden quilt is that it explores the same star shape in three different sizes, each with their own unique setting.  

Kate's stars shine in a sparkling citrus sky that evokes tropical sunrises.  It has colors that bring to mind hot days, warm blue waters and summer.

You can grab your very own copy on my website here!

Head over to Kate's blog to see her fabrics for her versions of Astria and Novalie.  

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis?

Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  PS - I'm trying to get to the next milestone number on Facebook and Instagram (I am trying to get 2000+ followers) and would REALLY appreciate your help - so please click and follow!  Thanks so much!

Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.  

And did you know?  I travel and teach!  Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!

Introducing Quilt Ink!

Did you know there is a new quilt tool available?  Yes, there is!  It is a coloring platform called Quilt Ink - and it is absolutely amazing!

What does it do?  The online tool allows you to easily recolor any pattern loaded into the program.  So what's the big deal about that?

Have you ever seen a pattern that you KINDA like, but really want to make it in completely different colors?  Me too.  Sometimes it is difficult, however, to image what exactly the quilt would look like in those new colors.  In comes Quilt Ink.  

Now you CAN see what it looks like!

Here is Diamond Dance, one of my paper pieced patterns.  And while I ADORE bright colors and sky blue as a background, those may not be your fav fabrics.  Thanks to Quilt Ink, you can "try before you buy" and work up Diamond Dance in YOUR favorite colors.

Here is Diamond Dance from the Quilt Ink site.  I know - gee it looks the same!  Yes, it does.  But....what if I gave it a dark background, and made all the diamonds in blues and greens?

Wow - big difference!  What if I went the other direction, and did a cream background and pastel ice cream colors?

It is fun - and addictive!  Love the pattern in YOUR colors?  You can download your coloring and then click the little shopping cart icon on the top right of the screen and it will take you directly to the designer's website to purchase the pattern.

There are currently 13 different designers that have put three different patterns on the Quilt Ink site, so you have a TON of patterns to play with.  This is SOOOO much easier than printed coloring pages (which I include with most of my patterns), because it is quick and easy to change your colors.

Oh - and the platform is FREE to use!  Yes - free!  So jump on over.

Visit the designers's blogs that have included their patterns on Quilt Ink and see their amazing patterns and fun colorations!  This, folks, is only going to continue to grow and you can expect to see even more designers and more patterns in the near future!

Blog Hop Schedule:

• February 2: Catalina Barceló from QuiltInk / Amarar Creacions
• February 3: Claire Campion from Made Just Sew
• February 4: Jen Frost from Faith and Fabric <–you’re already here!
• February 5: Tammy Silvers from Tamarinis
• February 6: Augusto Garcia from Capital A Quilts
• February 7: Marlene Oddie from KISSed Quilts
• February 8: Julia Wachs from Julia Wachs Designs
• February 9: Carolyn Murfitt from Free Bird Quilting
• February 10: Kiley Ferons from Kiley’s Quilt Room
• February 11: Wendy Congdon from Truly Materialistic
• February 12: Josianne from Indigoshima
• February 13: Sarah Harris from Acorm Corner Quilts
• February 14: Claire from Made Just Sew

 

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis?

Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  PS - I'm trying to get to the next milestone number on Facebook and Instagram (I am trying to get 2000+ followers) and would REALLY appreciate your help - so please click and follow!  Thanks so much!

Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.  

And did you know?  I travel and teach!  Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!

Exploring the Basics: The Pinwheel Block

I am sooooo excited to share this block with you!  It is one of my very favorite blocks.  To me, the pinwheel block is happy, cheerful and makes me think of childhood, sunny days, and laughter.  I know!  High expectations and associates for a simple block!

Let's make a pinwheel block together, and you'll see why I love it so.

Let's start with two fabrics.  Yes, you can have more colors for a scrappy effect (which is SUPER fun), but this exercise, I'm working with two contrasting colors - a sunny yellow and a lovely teal blue.

Gather your tools for a quick project completion!  You'll want to have on hand:

• Rotary Cutter
• Rotary Ruler
• Magic Wand
• Tucker Trimmer
• Flatter

 

Pinwheel Block Step 1

We will be making a 6" finished pinwheel (6 1/2" unfinished).  Cut (2) 4" squares from yellow and (2) 4" squares from teal (or whatever two colors you are working with).

 

Pinwheel Block Step 2

 

Layer a yellow 4" square with a teal 4" square, matching raw edges, with right sides together.  Use your favorite marking tool to mark your squares for sewing.

I like to use the Clover Chalk markers (several color choices, and easy to remark) and the Studio 180 Magic Wand for marking.

When using the Magic Wand, place the laser etched line corner to corner and mark on each side of the tool.  For illustration purposes, I used the gray chalk on the teal side (right side set) and on the yellow side (left side set).  It really is personal preference as to what color chalk or ink (if using a pen) you use and what shows up easily for you.

 

Pinwheel Block Step 3

Using your regular stitch length (I like 12 stitches per inch), sew ON the drawn lines on both sets of marked squares.

 

Pinwheel Block Step 4

Place your rotary ruler point to point on your stitched squares and cut between the two stitched lines.

Do this with BOTH sets of squares.  FYI -  each set of stitched squares is made up of a 4" teal square and a 4" yellow square. 

 

Pinwheel Block Step 5

Press your seams open on all four yellow/teal half square triangles (HST).  Yes, I really mean it!  I haven't always done this.  In fact, if you have some of my older patterns, I advised in them to press toward the darker fabric.  This will work, and will provide you seams that "nest" together.  HOWEVER, pressing seams open will give you MUCH flatter blocks.  So try it.  You are going to LOVE it!

 

Pinwheel Block Step 6

Now it's time to trim our slightly oversized HSTs down to size.  I LOVE to use the Studio 180 Tucker Trimmer to trim my HSTs, QSTs, and partial HST blocks.

Regardless of WHICH square tool you use to trim, some of the basics remain the same.  Place the diagonal line of your tool along the diagonal seam line.  Make sure the bottom and left side of your untrimmed HST is a bit PAST the 3 1/2" line (or whatever size you are trimming down).  Trim the excess along the right and top of the ruler/tool.  (FYI I am right handed, so these are right handed instructions.  Lefties will orient their blocks the exact OPPOSITE of this!).

Rotate your trimmed block 180 degrees so that the trimmed edges are now aligned with the 3 1/2" lines on your ruler/tool AND (super important) the seam line lines up with the diagonal line of your tool.  Trim the excess on the right and top side.

Repeat for all four HSTs.  You now have four PERFECT HSTs!  Ah, the joys of making units slightly oversized and trimming them down!  It's a beautiful thing.

 

Pinwheel Block Step 7

Now it's time to lay out your pinwheel block.  I STRONGLY recommend you lay out all of your units before stitching them together to make sure you have everything oriented the way you want it.

The pinwheel block is a symmetrical block, and it can spin to the right (above) or to the left (below).  The direction of the spin can be stitcher's choice, or may be dictated by the pattern you are following.

No matter WHICH way it spins, notice that the 45 degree seam lines all meet in the center!  This will help you when you are laying out your pieces.

 

Pinwheel Block Step 8

Sew your units together.  You can sew the top two together, and then the bottom two, or you can sew the left side units together and the right side units together.  I tend to work horizontally, so I've stitched the top two units together and the bottom two units together.

 

Pinwheel Block Step 9

Press your seams open again.  Ah - it's getting easier, isn't it?

 

Pinwheel Block Step 10

Matching up your center seam lines, stitch the two rows together.  And yes - press this seam open too!  Ta da!  You have a beautiful pinwheel block!

Where does the Flatter come in that I recommended at the beginning?  Right here, dear quilting pal.

Pressing all seams open has given you a lovely flat block, but....there may be a bit of bulk right there in the center.  Just a spritz of Flatter on the center of your block, followed by a nice press with a hot iron, will result in an extraordinarily flat block!

Now wasn't that nice and easy?  I truly do love pinwheel blocks!  Here are a few of my patterns that feature these cheerful little blocks.

Talk about pinwheel obsession!  Spinning Out is a large pinwheel made up of smaller pinwheels, with fun pops of color in some offset pinwheels.  Trust me - if you make this one, you'll truly perfect your HST and pinwheel game!

While the blocks in Fizz are not constructed the way that I walked you through in this post, at it's core, Fizz has pinwheels as the base shape!  I love this new coloration that will be out soon in a new line from Northcott!

Monkey Bread is my sampler quilt designed specifically for beginners (but anyone can make it!), and focuses on what I believe are some essential blocks to know - including the pinwheel!

Head over to Kate's blog to get some additional ideas on the partial half square triangle as well.

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis?

Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  PS - I'm trying to get to the next milestone number on Facebook and Instagram (I am trying to get 2000+ followers) and would REALLY appreciate your help - so please click and follow!  Thanks so much!

Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.  

And did you know?  I travel and teach!  Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!

Introducting Novalie

 

Novalie, which means "new star", is the latest addition to my pattern lineup, as well as the newest pattern in the series of collaborations I've done with Kate Colleran of Seams Like a Dream. 

 

To play up the modern feel of Novalie, I chose a selection of Island Batik solids.  The crisp citron adds a nice accent against the architectural feel of the steel grays, blacks and whites.  

The color palette of neutrals and a crisp cool give the quilt a striking modern vibe and help elevate a small quilt to star status (ok, I HAD to go there!).

Careful placement of the white, light gray and citron help emphasize the exploding nature of the off center star and draw the eye up and out.

One of my favorite elements is the larger off-center star, which is an unexpected element and a wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary.

The negative space and some of the larger block areas provide awesome opportunities for exploring quilting motifs and contrasting threads.  Julia Quiltoff did an amazing job of quilting this little gem and truly brought it to the next level!

Head over to Kate's blog to see her exploration of the new charmer Novalie.  And head over to my website to order your own copy of Novalie!

Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis?

Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com!  PS - I'm trying to get to the next milestone number on Facebook and Instagram (I am trying to get 2000+ followers) and would REALLY appreciate your help - so please click and follow!  Thanks so much!

Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships.  Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts.  

And did you know?  I travel and teach!  Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!