TUFFETS!

Tuffets!  They're all the rage, and we are having a great time with them at Back Door Quilts. Linda taught our first class in early December, and the results were terrific!

Eileen used ties for her tuffet.  They look sharp and make a great piece of art furniture.

You can use jelly rolls for lots of coordinated variety.  You can also use four of our Pirouette packs, or cut 2" strips from your stash. As you can see, there's a lot of options!

Tuffets, Too

Here is Linda's first Tuffet. She used the pattern, Pieced 18" Tuffet from Tuffet Source.  Some exciting news: Linda will be attending the Tuffet a Source Affiliate Workshop in mid March and will be a Certified Tuffet Instructor when she returns!  Our next class is right after her training, Saturday, March 19 from 10-1.

Darlene was inspired to make this beautiful tuffet. 

Connie loves reproduction prints, and this tuffet reflects her taste. 

Elaine was so excited to get her tuffet done. 

Lynette watches as Connie works on the button cover.

Nyra is a new sewist, and she did just great with her tuffet. Doesn't the shaded jelly roll look yummy?

Linda is admiring Theresa's pink tuffet. 

For more inspiration, check out our Tuffet board on Pinterest. Go to www.backdoorquilts.com and press the P button. You can also see lots of beautiful tuffets on Facebook at Tuffet Source and Tuffet Team.  There are so many possibilities!

Bloom Sew Along

Linda and Teri were so excited about Lori Holt's new Sew Along that we got started ahead of time and have our quilt almost done!  Lori's Sew Along starts today, and you can get your kits from us and sew a block a week from now until June 6.

Linda used Lori's technique for applique, which involves featherweight interfacing, and she treated herself to a new pair of pinking shears to trim the rounded pieces.  This makes the curves smoother.  Linda machine stitched the pieces with a buttonhole stitch and cream thread on the top and bottom. She used Sew Fine from Superior, which is a very fine polyester.

As the blocks were appliqued, Teri trimmed them and added the block borders.  The strips are laid out by design, and the long strips are on a different tray from the corner squares.  It made it easy for Teri to find the right fabrics to add to each block.  She kept her iPad handy so she could enlarge the picture and determine the correct fabric!

One thing that Teri did differently was add the top and bottom border first on alternate blocks, then the side borders first on the other blocks.  Because she pressed toward the borders instead of pressing open, it made the seams nest together better.  She marked the borders to be sewn on first on a copy of the picture to stay organized.

Here's one the blocks with the first borders being added.

The top two rows are completed.

And the rest of the blocks are in various stages of progress.  If you get a chance, be sure to check out the rest of Lori's blog.  She has so many cute gift and decorating ideas.  We're already looking forward to her Cozy Christmas collection, arriving in May.

EPP Addiction, March part 2

 

Becky Wilson and Sandy Warren are working on Faith, Hope, and Love from Sue Daley.  Becky has most of her pieces done, and Sandy surprised us with the center done on hers.  Beautiful!

 

 

Before our March meeting, we asked new member Carol Elson if she needed help getting going after the Show and Tell.  Well, it turns out she doesn't!  Carol has been busy at work making our needle cases, and she's completed several!

 

Donna Spain is working on the 1930s quilt Chelsea from Sue Daley.  She's been enjoying seeing ours in progress.  Marilyn Cullen is working on hexies and making good progress on them.

 

Mary Moutschka is showing off part of the Lucy Boston block, but she's finished a lot more of them. Linda Snoke is making a larger quilt or table topper.  IT's alsays so fun to see a lot of progress made!

 

We laid out some works in progress so everyone could see the different 1/8" makes.  These are both starts of the center star from Stars in the Garden by Yellow Creek.  The smaller one is made from 1/8" hexies, and the larger one is made from 1/2" hexies.

Jo Ann Gates is working on hexies in beautiful Spring colors.  She also brought us a wool needlecase she had made so we can see how the chain stitch holds it all together.

 

As promised, here is LuAnn Krug's Dear Jane quilt.  Fantastic!

EPP Addiction, March part 1

 

We had a great group at our March English Paper Piecing meeting!  After a couple months of bad weather, we were all anxious to see what the enforced at home time had produced!

 

 

Karen Romoser is working on Stars in the Garden from our friends at Yellow Creek Designs.  Jerry Pitts is making good progress on her Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt. 

 

 

 

Linda Paulson found a pattern in a magazine, but chose to make it English Paper Piecing style instead of by machine.  She cut her own papers, but if you want to tackle a project like this, remember that Paper Pieces will cut any papers or acrylic templates at a very reasonable price!

 

Linda has also been working on a sweet flower wall quilt, and it's all done now!

 

 

 

Bonnie Harlow is making good progress on the cover quilt from Edyta Sitar's latest book, Handfuls of Scraps.  Bonnie also brought in a quilt she embroidered.  We like to see all kinds of Show and Tells!

 

 

Marlene Sowatzke is working on It Takes Two from Sue Daley for awhile.  She has the rings done for the center of the quilt, and is working on the border arcs.  Donna Nigh is getting started on a new hexie project.  You can't do just one!

 

Barbara Rettig is also working on It Takes Two.  So are Neppie and Teri from Back Door Quilts!  Someday, maybe we'll have a show!  Michele Hellman is our prolific EPP-er, and has several projects to show every month.  She has several projects in the works, including Flower Gardens, Just Like a Jigsaw from Sue Daley, Fussy Cut Friday from Temecula Quilt Co, and most recently the Smitten Quilt by Lucy Carson Kidwell.  We have the Smitten patterns in the shop, and if you'd like to do it with English Paper Piecing, Paper Pieces has a packet of papers and acrylics we can order for you.  You can also join the group on Facebook putting it together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sweet quilt above is one Michele put together inspired byu Sue Daley's Sunshine Lollipops quilt, but using different papers.  LuAnn Krug is also quite prolific, and she brings in lots of different quilts for our viewing pleasure.  You'll see one at the end of our next post!  LuAnn has made the flower basket below that she'll finish as is, or use as the center medallion for a larger quilt.  Lu Ann also showed us how she's getting organized with binders and plastic sleeves. The sleeves don't close tightly, so they won't damage the fabric.

 

 

Watch this spot for the second half of our Show and Tell!