BluePip Designs

Another fast month has gone by.  I didn't manage to finish anything, but I did publish a new pattern and matching tutorial , which meant I spent more time in front of my computer than in my sewing room.  I also got a nice long visit with my mom, whom I haven't seen since Christmas time, so overall the trade-offs were worth it!  Plus I have two projects that are almost done and should be easy June finishes, so I'll be back on track next month! Quilt Tally WIP List at beginning of month: 11 WIP List at end of month: 13 Untouched in 2022: 5 Active QAL Projects: 2 Quilts Finished None Quilts Started Just My Type  - I used my  Zephyr quilt pattern  to clear out my pink, blue, and Christmas novelty prints stash, and now my focus has switched to low-volume whites. This is the first of two quilt-along projects I am planning to take part in to use them up! Meeple Colorblock Quilt - A project with the larger size of my Meeple blocks....

It's your turn at game night - are you ready??  Today I am introducing the newest BluePip Designs pattern, the Meeple quilt block ! Meeple is not a full quilt pattern; instead it is a quilt block that you can use in any project you'd like! It works great as a repeated motif in a big project or as a single block in a sampler of game-related quilt blocks. It's up to you!  The Meeple pattern is paper-pieced and includes templates for two finished sizes, a 6" block and a 12" block.  If you've never paper pieced before, don't be worried; this block is beginner-friendly and easy to put together.  It's the perfect paper-piecing starter block.  The pattern does not include instructions for how to paper piece, but I've written a free tutorial explaining exactly how I paper piece .  If you're an experienced paper-piecer, you'll have fun sewing together these fast, easy blocks that pack a big graphic punch! When I'm not quilting, ...

Paper piecing is one of my favorite ways to piece a quilt block. It lets me use crazy angles to create picture blocks, some of which are so intricate they don't even look like they were pieced from fabric. I paper-pieced my first quilt block almost 10 years ago and today I am sharing my method for paper piecing. These are things I've learned from both reading other tutorials and trial and error. I'll start with some general information to make your paper piecing successful. All of the tools shown in the first part of the tutorial will be used in the second part, but it's also possible to paper piece with whatever you have on hand. Throughout the entire tutorial, I use the term "blob" to refer to the fabric that is already sewn onto the paper pattern pieces; if anyone knows a more technical term I'd love to hear it! Rulers. You can paper-piece with your regular quilting rulers, but if you are planning on doing...

 Are you ready to travel back in time to the 1980s?  If you are, I have just the quilt for you! The pink and aqua solids in this quilt remind me of the 1950s-themed diner I worked in in high school, but the pop of black in the block centers bring me right to the 1980s!  This is the newest mystery quilt from Meadow Mist Designs, the Macaron Mystery Quilt , and like all my mystery quilts, it is scrappy from my stash. I love the look of on-point blocks, but I forgot how tricky they can be to put together (my Chalk Stars and Zephyr quilts give the illusion of being on-point, but are pieced traditionally)!  The back is also from my stash, featuring some pink gingham that I thought would never find a home and some gray yardage originally bought for another project.  That project has been languishing in my WIP, untouched, for over three years and there's no special reason for this exact fabric to be used, so I can always go shopping if and when I come back it. Here's...