Mary Herschleb is a paper piecing pattern designer with many patterns.  Beginners to advance quilters will have no trouble finding a pattern to suit.  I had the opportunity to speak with Mary recently and she graciously answered a few questions for me….

Are all your patterns for paper piecing?  Do any patterns involve applique.  “Yes, every pattern is paper pieced.  None of them include applique but there are many which have pearl cotton embellishments.

Where do you find inspiration for your projects?   “Usually from my life, my family, my surroundings.  For instance, one of my grandchildren (he’s grown now) was interested in penguins.  We looked at penquin pictures, read books about penquins, talked about penquins.  From that came CRACK THE WHIP, a group of penquins having fun on ice skates.” 

“Here’s another example - I was sitting on our deck one beautiful morning with my coffee and I could hear the loons calling – in fact they wouldn’t stop! That inspired me to create Loon Lake.

Do you have a favorite pattern?  “I really like Quilters Wash Day.  I probably had the most fun making that quilt.  It’s not the best pattern for a beginner paper piecer as there are a lot of tiny pieces, but it’s really cute.”

I agree, it IS cute!  What patterns would you recommend for a beginner?   “Tulips Spring and Tulips – Red are easy patterns.  The Pines is another easy one.  The pattern includes instructions for a small square wall hanging and for a table runner.

Can you tell us what you are working on now?  Anything new coming?  “Well, it’s not finished yet, so I’m not sure what the final piece will be, but I can tell you there will be owls involved!  It will be something easy… maybe a kitchen project or something for a baby.  We’ll see!

Okay Mary, we’ll watch for it!  Thank you for taking the time to share with us a little of your designing life.

That’s right!   We’re giving away THREE patterns by MH Designs!  

THE THREE PATTERNS:

Four Toy Ornaments  made to look like old fashioned glass ornaments…aren’t they cute?!   Embellishments are added to make them a bit 3-D.  The rocking horse tail is several strands of floss, as are the pig-tails on the doll.  The truck has buttons for wheels and the drumsticks have little buttons on the ends.

A stack of quilts is just the right place for a Cat Nap.  Traditional blocks are visible on the folded quilts… flying geese, star, and square in a square.

Double Paw is a variation on the Bear Paw quilt block.   You can make a small lap quilt, a runner and a single block wallhanging.

THE RULES:

Leave a comment on this post telling us which pattern you’ll probably make first.  You have until Friday midnight.  US residents only. A random number generator will select the winner from all eligible comments.  

THE DISCOUNT:

All this week 10% off any and all MH Designs patterns.  Use coupon code:  DS001

Kim Q is the winner of both patterns by MH Designs - she will soon be delighting in the perfect points paper piecing permits!

Can you imagine making all  those HSTs AND getting all sharp points with regular piecing?   I think Fall would be over before that was done.

A smiling sun looks down on all the critters and on the children standing to be measured.  Little ones will remember which critter they were as tall as and will be able to monitor their progess as they grow by using the animals.   Mom, Dad, and the grandparents can watch the numbers.

Be sure to check back with us for more about MH Designs.  We will be posting an interview with Mary, more patterns will be given away, and all next week a discount will be available for purchase of any MH Designs patterns.  A coupon code will be posted on our blog.   See you soon!

Congrats to Jeanie who won the “early bird” prize of Backyard Friends!  The random number generator selected comment number 3.  Jeanie said “Sweet pattern. And when the winds of winter begin to howl, this would be a great project reminder of the warmer weather to follow!”.

A bird sitting in front of his bird house, a bee buzzing around, and a few tulips in a pot (is that a lady bug on the flower pot?) make a cute wallhanging. By the time you finish this pattern you’ll be hooked on paper piecing if you aren’t already.

Have fun with your pattern Jeanie!

Here are two more patterns from MH Designs that we’ll be giving away. 

Fall Wreath  This colorful wall hanging is season appropriate!  Hurry though, because you know how quickly winter will follow.

Animal Grow Chart

An adorable chart for tracking your little ones’ growth.  Are your “little ones” all grown up?  Then it’s perfect for the grandkids.  

One person will win both patterns.  The rule for this giveaway:  Leave a comment and tell us what color will dominate your fall wreath when you make it.  A random number generator will select the winner from all comments posted now through midnight Friday.

Mary Herschleb has over a hundred patterns (yikes!), and they are all paper piecing patterns.  If you have never tried paper piecing before, an MH Designs pattern is a great one to use for your first.  Mary’s instructions are very clear and concise.  Each pattern includes basic instructions for beginners, plus a sample of a simple pine tree for you to try so you can get the hang of things before you start the actual pattern.    Each pattern not only has clear and concise step-by-step directions, but also easy to follow cutting instructions. 

With projects as small as Christmas ornaments, like the Christmas Kittens . . .

as large as a lap quilt like Crossed Canoe . . .

and everything in between; there is something for everyone.   Some of the patterns are just right for a beginner and experienced paper piecers will find many satisfying projects.

Many of the patterns are for wall hangings and cover all the seasons.  Some are flower themed, others feature animals… some of these are tongue-in-cheek and will definately ellicit smiles.  Still other wallhangings showcase favorite vacation spots or outdoor pasttimes such as golf or gardening. 

We’ll be giving away six patterns by MH Designs in the next week or two.   Our “early bird” winner will be drawn from any comment made in the first two days this week.  A random number generator will select the winner.  Make sure your e-mail address is correct when you comment!

The first pattern to be given away - the “early bird” prize – is Backyard Friends

A bird sitting in front of his bird house, a bee buzzing around, and a few tulips in a pot (is that a lady bug on the flower pot?) make a cute wallhanging.  By the time you finish this pattern you’ll be hooked on paper piecing if you aren’t already. 

Comments left before midnight tomorrow (Tuesday) will be entered in the giveaway.  Good luck and be sure to check back later this week for more giveaways!  We will also have an interview with Mary.   Do you have any quilts that you made with a pattern from MH Designs?  We’d love to see a photo of them on our Facebook Page.