Who doesn’t have lots of scrap fabric? Quilt Patterns using Paper Foundation Piecing will have you searching through your scraps looking for just the right piece and before you know it you scrap bag will be less full and you’ll have a beautiful quilt.

If you are new to paper piecing Apple Patch would be a good pattern to try first.  Just a bit larger than a piece of legal sized paper, you can “get your feet wet” and have a darling little wallhanging when you are finished.  Perfect for your kitchen.

Gone Fishin is another easy one to get you started.

When you are ready for something a bit more challenging Home Spun houses will be just a bit harder but not so hard as to put you off this technique!

Or try I Love My Cats.  It’s a cute quilt with an Art Deco look to it. And, perfect for Valentine’s Day – it has a heart.

Now that you feel like an old pro, here’s a few quilts that really look stunning….

Watch the circles magically appear with Kaleidoscope.

This quilt pattern, Kilauea’s Fire, promises perfect points painlessly! Talk about a “Wow Factor” – isn’t it gorgeous?!

So go ahead, be brave, try a new technique.  Or if you are already an experienced “paper piecer” try a new pattern.  Happy Quilting!

Guest writing for us today is Kathy Southern, aka Kat, of StudioKat Designs.  If you haven’t tried her purse patterns yet, you don’t know what you’re missing!

“People often ask me where I get my inspiration for the handbag patterns I design, and the truth is, I have been on a quest for the perfect handbag since I was a young girl. Having spent the greater portion of my life seeking this perfect purse, and not finding it, I finally decided to just try to design it myself! I love the ease and style of a smaller bag, but let’s face it, I need to carry a lot of “stuff”, and a small bag doesn’t always get the job done. My early efforts, such as the Vervalise, Bellagio, AbracaNiche and especially the Gadabout and Odyssey, involved designing multitudes of organizational features into relatively small bags to increase their functionality. I loved the fact that these bags had the fashion sense & easy usage of small bags, yet offered storage capabilities that belied their smaller size.

While pleased with these early successes, I was still aggravated at the time it took to switch bags, and to adjust to each bag’s interior features, especially when I wanted to carry one of my beautiful leather bags for an occasion! I found I often had to sacrifice the convenience of carrying certain items because of purse dimensions, or worse, resort to also carry a tote bag at times, in order to have the additional items on hand when I needed them.

My “ah-ha” moment came when I decided to address this problem by playing around a bit with the idea of designing a removable purse interior that could be switched from bag to bag. My first prototype was very basic and my initial plan was to market this new design as a free incentive pattern. But the more I used my new accessory, the more features I added and soon the pattern was far too complex for a give-a-way. Still, I wasn’t convinced that your average woman would be willing to actually buy a pattern for an item that basically no one would ever see but her.Enter my best friend, the perfect product tester (picture the infamous Samsonite gorilla). Mary carried a prototype for a few weeks, now named the “PortaPockets Purse Insert, and a few days later, called with effusive praise! Not only did she enjoy using the Insert, she enjoyed it so much that she refused to give it back! Declaring it to eventually be my best-seller, she encouraged me in the strongest possible terms, to proceed full-steam ahead. Given Mary’s stellar review, I continued developing the PortaPockets Purse Insert, eventually offering it in two convenient sizes in the same pattern envelope, and to use a cliché… the rest is history.

Women from all walks of life appreciate the organization that a PortaPockets Insert it brings to their handbags. No more digging for keys or struggling to find your cellphone before it stops ringing. No more carrying both a diaper bag or a brief case, AND a purse. Simply lift your PortaPockets from your purse and drop it into the larger bag. You’ll lighten your load and free up your hands, without sacrificing any of your daily items.

The response to the PortaPockets Purse Insert has been so overwhelmingly positive, that almost immediately, customers began clamoring for me to design handbags that they could use with their new favorite accessory item. For this reason, we have added the Harmony Handbag and the Boho Baguette to our handbag pattern line. Not only are they beautiful handbags in their own right, but they have both been designed to work in perfect collaboration with our now best-selling PortaPockets Purse Insert.

Moral of the story… A best friend and a best-selling pattern sometimes go hand in hand!”

Buying pre cut quilt kits takes lots of the work out of making a quilt that might otherwise seem intimidating. And let’s face it, cutting the fabric isn’t nearly as much fun as putting it back together.

Dresden Plate Pre Cut Quilt Kits have enough fabric to make 12 Dresden Plate Blocks, measuring 13″ each. If you’ve always wanted to make one of these quilts but were afraid of all the cutting, here’s your chance. The ones pictured here have rounded ends but you can also choose pointed end pieces. You can select from five different color ways: Aunt Grace, Blues, Reds, Greens, or Reproduction. Then pick your favorite quilt pattern and go!

Apple Core quilts are so whimsical-looking but cutting all those curves – Yikes!
Pre cut kits are available in three different color ways: Aunt Grace, Plaids and Reproduction. The kit will contain no less than 10 different fabrics. Choose from twin size, double, queen or king.

With all the time you’ll save by not needing to cut your fabric, you have more time to spend finding just the right quilt pattern.

Pippa’s quilts are all about color.  Her Kitambaa Designs were created with African and other vibrant fabrics in mind.   She also has Art Deco inspired patterns.

It Takes a Village is a perfect example.  Lots of color and what a great mood this quilt exhibits.   Christmas fabrics would also make this quilt shine.  And the stars really add a little something extra.

Five Part Harmony is an easy, scrappy lap sized quilt. While you can make this quilt with any fabrics, the African fabrics really make it stand out. So easy to make but with such a “WOW” factor.

Serenity is an Art Deco inspired wall hanging, 22″ X 28″ with easy to follow fusible applique instructions. It’s a beautiful design which gives you ample opportunity to get creative with your quilting in all the open space and around the curved lines. Shown here with echo quilting, but you can make your own mark – let yourself go!

Have you ever made a log cabin quilt like this before? The blocks give the illusion of curves even though it’s made with all straight pieces. Instructions are included for two sizes. This quilt would look great on a wall.

Zebras Crossing is an African scene made bright with African fabrics.  You can choose your favorite method of construction: hand applique, machine applique or fusible applique.

Do you have a bit of floral fabric that you’ve been wanting to use. Grace will give you the chance. Use it in the border of this quilt, then dig out your scraps for all the flowers. The easy to follow fusible applique instructions mean even a beginner can make this stunning quilt.
Check out the rest of the Kitambaa Designs. You won’t find a single one of them to be boring.
And for all your quilt patterns, you know where to go…. Quilters Warehouse!

Do you need some inspiration? A book about quilting should do the trick.
All Things Spring by Anne Cosgrove includes quilts, wall hangings, a table runner, placemats and more.  All the quilts have instructions for several sizes.  Get sewing and then decorate for Spring.  If you enjoy this book and Anne’s patterns, you can try All For Fall.

Has your collection of fat quarters gotten out of hand?  Fat Quarter Five by Heather Mulder of Anka’s Treasures has five quick and simple quilts.  Get those fat quarters off your shelves and into a quilt. After you make a few of these quilts your stash of fat quarters will start to look depleted and you get to go shopping for more!

 If you still need to pare down that stash of fat quarters, More! Laps from Fats will help. There are 12 lap quilt projects included. You can stack your fat quarters and get the cutting done faster.

Are you ready to learn a new technique? On The Edge will teach you how to make mitered corners. Your quilts will look so very professional. Make some tableclothes and napkins and perfect the technique then try it on a quilt. You’ll be so impressed with your talents.

There are so many more quilt books to choose.  There are books just for jelly rolls and for layer cakes. Books with pieced quilt patterns  and appliqued quilts. Books with gifts and curtains. And so much more. Enjoy!

Sometimes you want to make a quilt lickety split.  A quilt pattern that incorporates a fabric panel will go together pretty quickly and will look great.  Here’s a few examples.

A Garden Party is just the right size for a throw or a wall hanging.  It would look great in a young girl’s bedroom.  A center panel, some squares, a few appliques and a border… how easy can it get?!

Around the Cabin would look great in your family room.  This one has a center panel, some log cabin blocks (how appropriate for a woodsy quilt) a bit of applique and some borders. It finishes at 48″ X 68″ so this would also make a perfect size throw or a great wall hanging.

Hearts and Home wallhanging would make a nice gift.  It measures 21″ X 21″ and is easy, easy, easy!   Two panels of houses,  8 heart blocks, some borders…. DONE!  And if you want to go even quicker you could substitute the hearts with a favorite fabric and you’ll be done before you can say Look At My Latest Quilt!  AND this project is available as a COMPLETE kit.  That means topping, backing, batting, binding, pattern…. WOW.

And don’t forget Love is in the Air (a personal favorite!).  Isn’t it pretty?

Of course, you can always select a fabric panel and add whatever YOU want.  Then no one will have a quilt just like yours.  Watch for an upcoming post… we’ll give you some ideas for this.