Finished Project: Chanukah mini-quilt

Last year when my dad visited us for Chanukah, we used a piece of cardboard under the menorah to protect the table from wax drips. This year, I thought maybe we could be a little classier and use something nicer than diverted recycling, so I made this star of David mini quilt to put under the menorah.

This was my first attempt at paper piecing, which I had read a lot about and still only vaguely understood. The pattern is from Leisure Arts’ 1,000 Any-Size Quilt Blocks, which gives a brief tutorial on how to paper piece, but I think it’s really a technique that needs to be done to be understood. The 60 degree angles were a little hard to wrap my head around at first, but once you figure it out, paper piecing is great. I love the tidy seams and matching points on the triangles.

I made the mini quilt with Modern Background Paper & Ink Collections from Fresh Modern Fabrics on Etsy for the star, and Robert Kaufman Blueprint Basics #14539 in Indigo for the background & backing.

And here it is in action, with fancy beeswax candles from Big Dipper Waxworks (I’m really excited about these).

Chag sameach (happy holiday), everyone!

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Finished Project: Pineapple Mini-Quilt

I finished my first “quilt” yesterday, from piecing to quilting to binding. I put “quilt” in quotes because it is only a tiny thing — about the size of a piece of paper. But I wanted to start small before embarking on a bigger project. Here it is!

I was thinking of using it for a mug rug or trivet, but I added little pockets in the top back corners so it could also be hung on a wall. I’m fairly pleased with the final results, though I can see places where my stitching went wonky and where my 45 degree angles are not 45 degrees.

Here are some work in progress pictures.

The half-square triangles after ironing

 

Laying out the patchwork squares

 

Folding over the binding

 

Binder clips make excellent alternatives to pins for securing the binding! Much cheaper than Clover’s Wonder clips, too.

Tutorials/Further Reading

I got the instructions for the pineapple patchwork block from Sassafras Lane and followed Patchwork Pottery’s excellent tutorial for adding the hanging pockets.

The yellow and green fabrics are assorted fat quarters from The Stitchin’ Post in Sisters, OR, and the pindot background fabric is from Fresh Modern Fabric on Etsy (I bought a fat quarter pack, but this particular fabric is called Pindot in Graphite, from the Modern Background Ink Collection by Brigitte Heitland for Zen Chic for Moda Fabrics. You can buy it from Fresh Modern Fabrics here).