Christmas Caroling Row Along: A Midnight Clear

Thank you for stopping by today! I am so excited to share with you my Christmas Caroling Row, as part of the Christmas Caroling Row Along hosted by the amazing Marian of Seams to be Sew!

After I share with you my row, I have some awesome giveaways that you won't want to miss!! So don't forget to keep scrolling!



A Midnight Clear

I designed my row from the Christmas Song, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. A song I've always loved, and which also lended itself greatly to being able to design something that I love (and after living in flat North Dakota for 9 months now, I am also greatly missing...) mountains, forests and beautiful crisp winter skies!

Measures 12 inch x 36 inch

The entire row is foundation paper pieced.

If you have never paper pieced before, or even if you have, you can view my video tutorials for how I paper piece, how I use my cutting templates (which are a tremendous help - especially with a pattern of this size), and more tips on my YouTube channel HERE!

This pattern is packed full of instructions, diagrams, pattern templates, cutting templates (for easy fussy cutting, easier piecing, and minimal fabric waste!), and lots of coloring pages to help you plan your block just right before you cut into your precious fabrics!

Here is my row

I decided to make my block a little playful and added some villages to the mountains along with a little nature and animals. I've been having a lot of fun with fussy cutting lately, which is fun for adding images, as well as getting your lines and textures (like in the trees to line up)!

Northcott was so kind to send each of the designers some fabrics, and can I just tell you how nice they are to work with?!! I received the whitish print that I used for the snow, a similar green that I used in the trees, the medium blue in the sky, and a fun snowflake print that I'm going to put on the back when I quilt this!

Aren't these beautiful?!!

You can download the pattern in my shop, HERE.
OR get it on Craftsy HERE!
It will be FREE until Tues September 26th, so be sure to grab it now!


 

Check out the other designers and their rows that have also been released today, and don't forget to enter their giveaways!

Jaded Spade Creations
Adventurous Applique and Quilting
UlaSewing / SzycieUli

You can find the full schedule HERE. Please note, all patterns are FREE for the first week only! Though some designers will be keeping theirs free indefinitely, not all will be, so don't miss out!

 3 Giveaways:
Enter all 3! Please read the giveaway guidelines at the very end of this post. 

 

 $50.00 Gift Certificate 

from The Broken Needle

Shipping is worldwide! so everyone can enter!

 You can read more about this prize HERE.

Starts September 19, 2017 / Ends September 26, 2017

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 FQ bundle, 2 yards total fabric 

from Northcott

Fabrics are from an assortment of different collections, valued at $20.

Shipping is worldwide! so everyone can enter!

 You can read more about this prize and see the fabrics  HERE.

Starts September 19, 2017 / Ends September 26, 2017

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Calibre Art 18x24 Mat

from Calibre Arts

Value $59.99

Shipping via Amazon, USA Only

You can read more about this giveaway HERE. 

Starts September 19, 2017 / Ends September September 20, 2017

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by! Best of luck on the giveaways! And I hope you enjoy the pattern!! 

I can't wait to see what you make! You can share your project with me on my website HERE, or if you are on instagram, use #fbpAMidnightClear and #fbpPatterns and I'll be sure to see it! You can also join my Facebook group HERE!

Happy Quilting & Happy Creating!!

Rules and Guidelines For Giveaways
Please take the time to read it.

1. Giveaways offered by sponsors are assigned to the various bloggers for their featured day.
2. There are no prior announcements on who is doing which sponsor except to the sponsor themselves.
3. You'll have to visit the blog or the featured blog to enter the giveaways.
4. Not all giveaways can be entered at Seams To Be Sew.
5. I will start announcing winners on September 12, 2017, and finish announcing winners on October 12, 2017.
6. In most cases, the blog where you won at also will announce their winners.
7. You must give a valid email address when you enter the giveaways, any email returned to me, loses the ability to win automatically.
8. With the exception of Show and Tell Day, all giveaways run for approximately one week.
9. You are given 3 days to answer the email, if you do not answer within 3 days a new winner will be drawn. Check those spam/junk mail folders, you may miss that winning email if you don't do so because there are no exceptions to this rule.
10. If you are notified that you are a winner, in most cases, you will need to provide your name, address, city, state, zip code, country, telephone number, and email address.
11. In some cases, you will be asked to comment on the blog to enter the giveaway... do the right thing and thank them for the time it took to create the pattern, thank them for the pattern and...
12. Thank the sponsor by buying their products for the giveaways. This helps them continue to offer great prizes for these types of events. You can also comment on their social media pages. Even if you don't win, letting them know you love their products is a huge incentive and they really do love hearing from you.
13. No purchase whatsoever is necessary.
14. You must be 18+ in order to win a gift.
15. You are responsible for claiming and paying any tax owed on the value of any gift that you win. Prizes valued at $500.00 should be claimed.
16. All winners are chosen at random.
17. All winners will be announced on the blogs via the Rafflecopter entry form and/or post by the blogger at the site where they won and here at Seams To Be Sew. All winners must allow for their first name and first initial of their last name to be announced on this blog.
18. Odds of Winning a prize are based on a total number of rafflecopter entries during each week and in total for all giveaways.
19. This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
20. Participating bloggers may enter any of the giveaways.
21. The word giveaways in the rules and guidelines are also known as sweepstakes.
22. Most of the giveaways are international shipping this year in some cases, you will be asked to pay for shipping your giveaways.
23. I am not rich and I do not ask sponsors for money, they provide prizes only.
24. If they shipped the prize to me, you will be asked to pay for shipping. All giveaways will be shipped that are in my home within 48 hours of my having heard from you.
25. An invoice will be sent to you via Paypal, and shipping will take place via Paypal, so your Paypal email will be needed to send the invoice. You will receive a tracking number except for overseas shipments. All shipping will either be first class which averages out at 2.77 to 4.00 up to 13 ounces. Paypal fees are added to that amount to cover that fee. All fabric bundles from Michael Miller, Hoffman, and Moda will be shipped via Priority Mail to protect the fabric itself.
Please note, every effort is made to protect the prizes. They go into a plastic bin when I receive them, and it is covered by an air tight cover. I have a dog in my home and I have a smoker in my home, so I do everything possible to protect the prizes.

Most companies are very good about getting prizes off to customers quickly also, but some companies are overseas, so please allow all sponsors a 2-week time period before you report to me that you still haven't received your prize. When the company is overseas, it can take 6 weeks to 90 days for an item to also arrive.

Whether or not you read the above, the rules for giveaways are in place to protect everyone. I do not want to hear you didn't read them, they will be posted on my blog daily during each featured day. There is no excuse for not reading them.

Exploring in September: My First Alphabet!

 Are you ready???

 For the month of September, I will be exploring the My First Alphabet pattern, and I invite you to join me!!

Both the letters pattern AND the numbers pattern are marked down 15% OFF in my shop!

Sale ends Tuesday 6 September 2016 at midnight PST. 
Sale is over. Thanks everyone who shopped over the weekend!

Don't know what is going on??? You can read all about my Exploring Creativity event HERE. 

Also to let you know, I have updated the My First Alphabet pattern!!! FINALLY! and included new formatting for easier printing of multiples of the same letters. I have even updated the dreaded "S" pattern! It has far fewer sections and only 3 pieces to it! No more "swear word S"! Yes, I was paying attention to every comment about the dreaded "S". For those of you who have already been using the pattern, I KNOW you'll be happy for the update! ;) (See at the very end of this post for details on how to get your updated version of the pattern.) Seriously though, I can't wait for you to see the difference!!

Ps. I DID update the Numbers & Punctuation pattern too. So if you are sending in proof of purchases for the update, be sure to send both so I can pass them both along to you. :)

Have you already made something(s) with this pattern???

Link up blog posts or images in the linky at the end of this post. 

If you want to share on Instagram, use the Hashtag #fbpPatterns, #fbpMyFirstAlphabet, AND #fbpExploreCreativity. If you've already posted the picture, you MUST repost the image so it is fresh in your feed and in the hashtags.

You can also share in my Facebook group HERE.

At the end of the month I will pick one project to share in my newsletter! 

You must read the newsletter to find out if it's your project. If it is, contact me and you will receive a $10 credit to my shop AND a $25 credit to Llama Fabrics on Etsy! 

Disclaimer: Unused credit towards fabric does not carry over and must be used in one purchase. Shipping not included. Any unused amount will be forfeit and cannot be used at a later date.  If the prize isn't claimed by the time the next winner is announced the following month, prize is forfeit and can no longer be claimed.

To pick a winner, I will be choosing from the hashtags on Etsy (be sure to use all three so I don't miss your post!), the linky on my blog, and Facebook. I know some of you don't use Instagram or Facebook, so I want to make this available for everyone!

Do you want to join in the fun?!! Not signed up for my newsletter yet??? (remember, I will be announcing the winner to my "official Creative Explorers" in my newsletter only! So don't miss out!)

I'm really excited to get started with projects that have been on my to-do list for years! As well as explore new possibilities and new projects. And I especially can't wait to see what you make!!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

And just so it's clear, because I don't think I mentioned this previously. I won't be doing in depth tutorials or paper piecing tutorials for each of these patterns. Instead I will share tips or tricks that I come across during the month are specific to each individual pattern only. If you would like some tutorials on paper piecing, you can find some on my blog here:

• Paper piecing tutorial, Piecing the letters l, o, v, and e (using My ABC's pattern, but the techniques transfer well to this pattern too.) :http://fromblankpages.blogspot.com/2015/03/tutorial-paper-piecing-letters-l-o-v.html
• There are a lot of great tutorials on different topics that are a part of the Celestial Star QAL, but here is the tutorial specific to paper piecing: http://fromblankpages.blogspot.com/2014/07/celestial-star-qal-paper-piecing.html
• This tutorial is older and I don't necessarily use all of these techniques anymore, but maybe this will work better for you. http://fromblankpages.blogspot.com/2012/05/two-stars-squared-paper-piecing.html

Stay tuned for more blog posts. Until then,

Happy Quilting! and Happy Creating!!

Link up your projects below:

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Have you already purchase the pattern??? 

No need to purchase it again. Here's what you need to do to get the update, based on the purchase platform you purchased it from.

If you purchased the pattern on

• Craftsy: simply log in to your account and download the updated pattern.
• Fromblankpagespatterns.com: You should have received an email with a link to the updated pattern. If not, login to your account on my site and you can download the updated pattern.
• Etsy: Unfortunately Etsy doesn't update PDF's for past purchases, even when I update them. Contact me with your Etsy account name and email, and the date you purchased the pattern and I will email you the updated pattern. Don't know how to find when you purchased it??? Login to your account, hover over "you" in the top right corner, a drop down menu will appear. Click on "Purchases and Reviews". Scroll down until you find your purchase, and you can see the date of purchase there.
• Fromblankpages.bigcartel.com: My Bigcartel shop is no longer open. BUT I do have a record of all purchases on there. Contact me with your name and email and date of purchase I can look it up for you, and email you the updated pattern.

 I will not go searching for your purchase for you. If you don't remember where you purchased it from, look on Etsy and Craftsy first and if you can't find it, contact me. Do not contact me if you know you didn't purchase it. If you do not have proof of purchase I cannot and will not email you the pattern. (and as much as I LOVE to help you, please don't waste my time looking for something that isn't there - like a purchase that wasn't made. Thanks!! But if you did make it, then it's not a waste of time to help. just so that's clear.) ;)

Zodiac BOM: Cancer Block

Patterns went out last night for June's Zodiac BOM block, Cancer! If you are participating in the Block of the Month series with me, be sure to check your email! :)

I seriously can't wait to see what you make! It's so much watching everyone's blocks come together! The finished quilts are going to be A-MAZ-ing!! ;)

Here is my Cancer block for my sampler quilt:

I'm usually not a huge fan of yellow and orange, but I am smitten with these! The Kona Carrot is the most beautiful color! And of course Henna Garden by Sandi Henderson is always a winner (the orange floral-y print). 

Zodiac BOM: Gemini Block

Not sure what happened with the last few months... oh wait, yes I do. I wrote about it in my last post. :/ (ps. THANK YOU for ALL of your LOVE! Comments, and support!! You are the BEST!! seriously. You lifted my spirits and opened my eyes to the world of food intolerance. I had NO idea it was such a common issue. Hugs to all of you! Though that is a different blog post for another day. But I couldn't NOT say thank you! So Thank you! again.) Anyway, as I was saying... I totally missed sharing the Aries block AND the Taurus blocks for the Zodiac BOM. I guess I'll save those for another day as well. ;)


But for TODAY I do want to share my  

Gemini block

 I LOVE these Sandi Henderson prints and colors together! For some reason this color of pink makes me think of strawberry ice cream... and I want to lick it!!

ok, now wipe off your screen so you can read the rest of this post. ;)


Would you like to look at more pictures??? of course you do.

My Shop is MOVING!

Due to some recent frustrations with my Bigcartel shop, as well as some added benefits with Shopify, I have decided to move my shop!!! It is a big, and I mean HUGE, undertaking, but it will be well worth it! And I'm REALLY excited!!

My NEW shop site is: fromblankpagespatterns.com

There are a lot of features I want to implement and use on Shopify, which will take some time to get it all up and running. I'm hoping to get it finished by the summer, crossing my fingers. I have put a lot of time in to moving all of my patterns over, and they are all now available in my new shop. But I'm still working on getting my own domain, so I hesitate to plaster it all over the interwebs before it's official.
BUT I do want to close down my Bigcartel shop as soon as I can, so I'm going to go ahead an announce this so you can download your patterns before I close up shop!!   

Shop is NOW CLOSED.

Updated to add: If you purchased patterns through Craftsy or Etsy, this does not affect you! You don't need to worry about downloading your patterns. They will always be available to you.

Zodiac BOM: Pisces Block

Today is the first day of Pisces, and I just sent out the emails including the Pisces pattern! I'm so excited and can't believe it's already time to release the second pattern of the Zodiac Block of the Month club! Where has this year gone already?! Anyway...

I'm excited to share with you my Pisces block that will go in my sampler quilt.

Zodiac BOM: Aquarius Block

It has been a lot of fun to see people's progress for the Zodiac BOM show up on Instagram and Flickr! I'm loving the coloring pages and the Aquarius blocks that I've seen so far!!

I wanted to quickly share my Aquarius blocks with you! I made my block for my final sampler quilt, and decided to also make a mini quilt with 4 blocks. I love playing around with this pattern!!!

Here is my 18 inch block for my sampler quilt:

oops! Zodiac BOM!

I just posted, and then deleted, a blog post that is for my Zodiac BOM blog! (I wasn't supposed to share it here. lol.) Yep! If you haven't heard, I am getting ready to publish my first block of the month pattern! I am really excited! And I have created a blog to go along with it, for everyone who purchases the pattern! Throughout the year I will post pattern updates, tips, techniques, and answer your questions, and help you anyway I can. I think it will be a great way to add a little extra encouragement for everyone to finish up the pattern, as well as step outside your comfort zone and try something a little more complex. :)

The BOM is called the Zodiac BOM, as I have named all the patterns after the different zodiac signs. Each pattern will be released on the first day of the corresponding sign. Aquarius is first and will be released on January 20th! Pisces is next and will be released on February 19th, and so on! I love doing things differently, so I think this will be a fun break from the standard everything-comes-out-on-the-first routine.

I will be sharing the full reveal through my newsletter today, so if you want to see it first, be sure to sign up! :) (I also created a free birthday cake pattern for all newsletter subscribers - to be sent out on your birthday month, or mine if you don't want to share yours. I'll share more about this soon!)

But here is a sneak peek, and perhaps my favorite part of the pattern!!

While this is a sampler quilt/BOM, all the blocks will be tied together with this lattice style design that goes throughout each block! I think they look pretty neat together, and you can repeat specific block combinations for some really great designs too! Or just use one block on repeat... they all look great! I can't wait to share more!!

The Zodiac BOM will go on PRESALE *hopefully* today! or tomorrow at the latest. (I just remembered I should probably figure out fabric requirements.... oh yeah. That might be helpful.) ;)

The presale price will be 50% off for a limited time, then go up to 25% off until January 20th. Once it starts the price will go up to full price. After the release of the last pattern in December, I offer the patterns in groups for discounted prices, for those who aren't interested in the entire pattern. But that won't be until December...

ALSO, each pattern will come in 3 sizes!! 9 inch, 12 inch and 18 inch! So there are lots of options as what you can do with the pattern. I love having options, so like all of my patterns, if I want options, I'm going to share those with you too. :)


Patterns also include the standard:

• cutting templates
• pattern templates
• coloring pages
• block assembly instructions (I'll share paper piecing techniques on the Zodiac BOM - which will be by invite only. I'll allow access to the email address used to purchase the pattern... more details on that to come.) 

Anyway, I'm really excited! And I hope you'll join me!! 

I'll let you know as soon as it's up!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! + Coupon! + NEW Pattern!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends stateside! And Happy Day to everyone the world over!!

 {Image from Pinteres}

My heart is so full this morning as I reflect on this day today, and Thanksgiving days in the past. This is one day in the year that every year, has been a good day! I have so many memories spending this day with family and dear friends! I wish I could take a picture of all my memories and post them on my wall so I could look at them every day! :)

There is something magical about this day, where all the worries of the world seem to disappear, where being with, and thinking about, loved ones become my focus, and we play and eat good food, rest, laugh, and enjoy life. I love this day. And I'm grateful for the time to reflect on all the blessings that I have! The power of gratitude is real, and something I want to hold closer to my heart every day of the year.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful day!! Enjoy your blessings!! It is such a sweet emotion. :)

 

 {Image from Pinterest}

And... to say thank you to all my quilty friends, I'm offering a coupon that starts now and will end on Monday 11/30/2015 at midnight!

Save 30% your entire order!

enter code: GIVETHANKS

Coupon works in my Etsy shop AND my shop!

I also recently updated my Paypal account so sales on Craftsy is now open to buyers outside of the USA. Please let me know if you have any trouble with any of my shops.

This will be the biggest coupon for the rest of the year... so don't miss out! ;)

 


ALSO, I want to announce my newest pattern:

Space Gem!

It comes in 4 sizes: 9inch, 12inch, 18inch, and formatted to print on legal paper (8.5in x 14in) is the 24inch size.

It includes the usual coloring pages, cutting templates, and detailed instructions for constructing the block.


 I will share more testers photos in the next few days, but if you want to see them, you can check them out now HERE. and here's a screenshot of just a few...

This pattern is available on Craftsy (price discounted since coupons don't work on Craftsy), Etsy, and My Shop! 

{Image from Pinterest}

Thank you everyone for your love and support!! This journey of pattern designing has been more than I ever expected and I'm so grateful for all of you!!!

A Happy almost Halloween coupon!! and what I'm up to...

Happy almost Halloween!! I usually really love Halloween!! I love decorating, carving pumpkins, halloween candy, making costumes, etc. But this year I have been avoiding the topic. I think I'll dress up as a sleeping mommy this year! oh wait!! I'm basically already a sleeping mommy. Or at least I wish I were... sleeping. ;)

Anyway, I thought a coupon and a little giveaway would be fun way to kind of get me in the mood.

Save 15% with code: HALLOWEEN15

expires 10/31/15

Good in my Etsy shop and in my Bigcartel shop

Would you like to win a FREE pattern of your choice? 

• Leave a comment and let me know what you and your family are dressing up as for Halloween. 
• If you don't celebrate Halloween, let me know what your favorite holiday or time of the year is.

In other news....


I'm working on a new pattern this week. I hope to get it out to testers by the end of the week.

Space Gem

I'm going to really make my son a quilt with this pattern (I always say that...). He's getting too tall for all his quilts and blankets, so naturally I need to make him a new one. And I'm really going to this time.

Anyway, this block will be a fun one for spotlighting focal prints. The center square that is on point, will be one solid fabric! (which means the assembly of this block is a little trickier, as apposed to constructing it as a 4-quadrant block. It was a tough decision to make, but I'm excited! I'll show you more soon...)


AND

because I honestly can't just work on one thing at a time, I'm going to make up some Halloween fabrics and print them on Spoonflower. I want to make a "Happy Halloween" banner like this "Happy Birthday" one I made a while ago.

But I haven't found just the right fabric for it... we'll see how this goes!! I'm really excited to finally try some fabric designing!! :)

I am still planning on turning this banner into a pattern, or perhaps kits. I'm just waiting for the right time to squeeze it in.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!!! 

Don't forget to pick up those patterns you've been eyeing!!

My Bee Hive Block: Hidden Gems & My Design Process

 I am so excited for this blog post today!! Almost a year ago Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts emailed me and asked if I would join her in being a guest designer for The Bee Hive - a quilt block tutorial series that she's been hosting all year. The focus of each block design has been taking a single block that when repeated creates an interesting secondary design, which is one of my favorite things to do!! (I could look for secondary patterns all day long if I had the time.)

Each month Alyce posts her own quilt block designs, and has one quest designer share a quilt block. All of the blocks are fantastic!! I do hope you will check them out!


Today I am guest blogging over at Blossom Heart Quilts and sharing my block!

Hidden Gems

I must admit, it doesn't look like a whole lot here, but on Alyce's blog I share loads of photos of what you can do with it on repeat. Though there are more than what I shared, so definitely use the coloring pages I included in the pattern! Be sure to take a look... and then come right back! Because I have more fun things to share with you.

 Did you check it out?! What do you think? The pattern is available for free on Craftsy! Due to the size of the paper piecing templates, I formatted it for printing on two different paper sizes:

• You can print it on letter size paper (the standard 8.5"x11" paper. Note, the pattern will need to be taped together before piecing.) 
• OR legal size paper (8.5"x14". Because it's the same width as letter paper, you can print this size on all printers. Just be sure to change the paper size settings before printing.Oh, and you don't need to tape anything together if you print on this size of paper.)

Not sure which you want to use? Grab both patterns! They're both free. :)


 *****

 The next thing I want to share with you is how awesome Alyce is! (you can follow her on instagram by the way, she's @blossomheartquilts. And if you don't already, you should.) Anyway, this month she has been hosting her DIY Block Design: Challenge and Blog hop! It's been really fun! She's has been encouraging all of us to take our quilt design ideas from our head, put them to paper, and turn them into an actual quilt! Sound fun?! But maybe a little scary?

 If you have ever had the desire to design your own quilt block, but haven't known where to begin, I do highly recommend Alyce's ebook! It's called, DIY Block Design: Your designs from sketch book to quilt by Alyce Blyth.

eBooks are nice because you can take them with you eveywhere you go!! Put it on your phone or tablet, and you never have to worry about losing these great resources!!

She does a fantastic job at explaining the ins and outs of quilt block layouts, breaking them down into basic structures making them easy to assemble.

 

She also includes a lot of the quilt math for you so you don't have to! (Like what size block to start with when making HST's, QST's, flying geese and even no-waste flying geese! and more! Thank you Alyce!!)

That alone is useful information for anyone designing a quilt block - beginner or experienced!! Be sure to check it out! Purchasing the book isn't required for the challenge and blog hop, but it would definitely be helpful. And I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't think it was awesome!


So anyway, my point is, is that Alyce asked me if I would share some of my design process with you to go along with her event this month! And of course I would!


My Design Process

On Alyce's blog, she shares a great list of tools and software you can use to design your own quilts. One thing she mentions is graph paper. That is one thing I always have near by! Though I don't use it as much as I used to.

My go-to software, or tool, that I use to design is Adobe Illustrator. I know there are other designers that also use Illustrator, though it's not designed to be a quilting software, so it doesn't have all the advantages that other programs do (like telling you how much fabric you'll need. I'm a little jealous of that feature). It also has a steep learning curve if you aren't familiar with it. But you can find so many tutorials online, on YouTube, as well as online classes, that will teach you all about it. So don't be afraid of it! Though it isn't cheap either, (and now I'm sounding like it's all negative) but I do recommend it if you are serious about designing! I absolutely love it and could NOT live without it!

So now I'll going to share with you a little bit of my process of designing, hopefully without boring you too much.

Thinking about my process, I realize how much it has evolved over the years! I started out on graph paper, making a bunch of quilt block outlines, and drawing away, creating lines and shapes and designs until I found one I liked.

Here are some early drafts of my Grandma's Lawn Chair pattern.
Now I feel like I've found a freedom in Illustrator where I can just sit down at the computer and a little while later (and sometimes a lot later) I have a design that I then spend hours more exploring and coloring - not because I have to spend hours on it, but because that is maybe my favorite part of the process!

I think that is one huge advantage of using computer software. It takes me two seconds to copy and paste a design, a minute to color it in, or I can re-color it a hundred times! Whereas graph paper, for every adjustment, or color change, I want to make I have to redraw the entire block all over again.

Anyway, it's fun! :) So let's begin:

First I start by making a box. (Since I design quilt blocks, I always start with a box. Though lately I've really enjoyed the idea of creating designs that are not square... I'm excited to see where that takes me in the next year!)

Since I mostly design paper piecing patterns, my process is a little different than what Alyce shares in her ebook, though the concepts really are so much alike!


I am kind of obsessed with geometric designs, so the next thing I almost always do is make up a grid to fit inside my box.

I have recently started making my grid very small (each square being 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch). It means that I have more accuracy in where my lines start and stop, and I can also create more detailed designs.

A quick tip: there is a grid tool that will make the grids for you! You just enter the finished size of your block, and how many lines you want, and there it is! Super fast and easy!

In this image I made 1/2 inch squares. Notice how I have 23 divders instead of 24?! It's just like cutting bread. If you want to cut a loaf of bread into 5 pieces, you only need to make 4 cuts. (Something I remember from my early childhood years. I don't know. lol. But it helps me remember!)

I use the grid, not necessarily to section off my block, but more as guides in creating symmetrical or asymmetrical designs. It helps me ensure that everything is accurately placed, and that everything will line up perfectly when I go to actually piece the pattern with my fabric. If one line ends even just a little bit off, it makes it harder to get my fabric sections aligned just right. And we all know how much we love those perfect points!!! This has been a great method for helping us all achieve that to the best of our abilities!

Also, because it's a paper pieced pattern, I don't have to worry about all the quilt math in a traditional quilt block. Which is really nice. ;)


From here I use the line tool and start drawing lines!

 I will usually lighten my grid lines, or make them a different color or weight so that I can tell the difference between the grid and my lines.

I get my inspiration for this step from anywhere and everywhere. When I look at patterns on clothing, buildings, photographs, nature. From other quilt blocks - I might see a design and think about how it would look if I changed basically every line, but using the original concept as a starting point. etc.  There are so many possibilities everywhere you look!

I usually will only draw lines in one quadrant of the block, depending on the type of design I'm making. My quilt block I'm sharing today, Hidden Gems, is basically a giant half square triangle (HST) with a design in each triangle. Once I have something I think I'll like, I group all the lines, and copy, paste, and rotate them until I have a complete block.

Next I'll make a copy of that block and color it in to get a better idea of how it will look.

From here I'll either make adjustments and repeat until I have a block I like. Once I have something I'm satisfied with, I'll put the block on repeat and color that in.

...reapeat block colored...

I like to play around with the repeats as well. Simply repeating the design, and then rotating the blocks within the repeat.

Repeating a block is a HUGE part of what I do. I love blocks that can stand alone and be beautiful, but I love even more the creativity that comes in finding different ways to play with it on repeat.


My Winter Holly block is an awesome example of that.

this is a 16 block repeat: or 4x4 design

Look how changing up where you place the colors and values, really change up the look of the block!


From here, I'll make more adjustments to the initial block and repeat the process until I have something I like. Once I'm happy with the design, I then go back to the individual block and then convert that into a paper piecing pattern.

This step can also sometimes change the overall look of the block.

See how once you add the lines that break up your block for paper piecing adds more options for coloring it?

And the repeat design changes also! But don't worry, you can still create the original design! You just have a few more options now.

After finishing this step I'll often go through all the steps again, making sure I'm happy with the repeat design, and will sometimes go back and adjust my lines even further.

Pretty soon after that I have my pattern pieces! Next I label and number them, and create cutting templates and coloring pages! I throw it all into Adobe InDesign, and poof! I have a pattern! Ha! I wish it were that simple, but that's the basic process from start to finish!

Now I have to add, as I've been reading through the stops on the blog hop, I realize that I design a little differently than some. It seems like a lot of people start with a design, or a color scheme and go from there. Sometimes I do start with a specific design in mind, but I don't know that I ever have a color scheme. I just seem to wing it! And personally, the color schemes I use to color my blocks with when I'm testing it out, are almost always super ugly! And never anything I would make in real life! It's not until I have the finished pattern, that I can then take it to my fabric and start figuring out colors and prints to use. :)

Isn't this so true?!! Creating is such an important part of who we are!

And I'm alright with that! Because it works for me! If you are starting out, and learning the design process from others, and something just doesn't flow for you, don't fight it! Try everything, explore new ideas and techniques, and find what works for you! That's the only way that you'll love the process and be happy with the end result!

I had to include this quote too! Because it's so true! Don't let the fear of failure stop you! Whatever you create will be beautiful!! So enjoy the process!!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! And thank you so much Alyce for having me! I have enjoyed this so much! 

If you do use my Hidden Gems pattern, I would love to see what you make! You can tag your photos on Instagram with #fbpPatterns and I'll be sure to see them! Or you can share them on Craftsy, or shoot me an email fromblankpages@gmail.com. It always makes my day to see your beautiful creations! And be sure to share your pictures with Alyce too! For the Bee Hive blocks: #thebeehivequilts and for the blog hop: #myDIYblockdesign

Have a great week!