Merrion Square • A New OPQuilt Pattern

February 27, 2019January 16, 2026 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

Merrion Square, Version 2_OPQuilt — *Merrion Square* 26″ Mini Quilt

First you saw this, way back in December of 2018. I had this idea in my head and with a stack of Alison Glass fat quarters from Andover, I decided to try it out.

That idea led to this mini quilt, named for a square in Dublin that is known for its doors:

At the center of the square is park, with interesting tributes to famous Irish poets and writers, so I had to include the bushes and trees.

Then I changed it up a bit, making it a rainbow of scrappy and leaving off the border.

And then this version emerged from my late-night tinkering around. Because of the (ahem) shoulder situation, I can’t quite quilt it yet, but I was able to sew it together. (I think this is my favorite.) I have since made three of these: one to send off for a sample for the Utah Valley Quilt Guild Workshop, another to head to the Valley of the Mist Quilt Guild, where I’ll be teaching it again in May, and one to hang around, just so I can look at it.

I worked with my new Affinity Publisher Beta software and wrote it up, and now it’s available for sale in my PayHip shop. Both versions are included — well, really, all three versions are included — if you go there, you can click on the little banner in the upper right corner and download a Preview, which includes a list of fabrics needed to make these.

Some of you may have seen this on Instagram today. I’ll be teaching this for the first time at a workshop with the Utah Valley Quilt Guild. I’m pretty excited about it.

You may have also seen this: I asked my Gridsters Bee Mates to make me up a slew of little houses, taken from this pattern. I want to make a lovely little quilt of houses:

I’ve had this idea floating around just as long as the others, and am looking forward to putting this together, too.

Merrion Square Pattern_opquilt_illustration — *front of pattern*

The pattern is $12.00, has 13 pages of colorful illustrations with clearly written directions. It is available for a PDF download, and you can have it immediately. [Update: it also includes the Far Away Doors pattern.) It is available in my pattern shop on PayHip.

Quilts

This and That for February 2019

February 16, 2019March 12, 2019 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

Bee Happy Quilt_Feb_1 — *You think I might have caught that wonky churn dash.*

I’ve been watching the second season of Anne with an E, a show on Netflix that re-thinks the well-loved story about a certain red-haired orphan. I binged-watched several episodes while hand-sewing and emobroidering the bees and other blocks from the sew-a-long Leisa and I decided to do. It’s been good company while I’m still recovering.

Bee Happy Quilt_Feb_2 — *Okay, now it’s fixed.*

blossom

I’ve been able to get out for a few walks around the neighborhood; this is our first blossom in our front yard. We’ve had a ton of rain, and since we’ve been in a drought, the plants (and I) are loving it.

Flower Hexie strips

I was able to sew my Flowers for Emma blocks into strips. Next up is sashing, the borders. I love this design by Sherri McConnell. Flying Geese BlocLoc ruler

I gave in and pressed the small triangles a different way, because, gosh! How can I possibly make a year’s worth of triangles and not use this?

Temperature Quilt_Feb13

Here’s a month-and-a-half’s worth of triangle temperature markers. It’s also an interesting way to note the passage of time. And yes, I have not yet Marie-Kondo-ed my design wall. I like it just as it is.

Gridster Bee Blocks_Feb13

Bee blocks from my Gridster pals have been coming in: a row of houses! High Quality Life label

I’d actually prefer dark, rich chocolate to give me a high-quality life, rather than Snickers. (Sign in my local Japanese/Chinese import store)

Quilted quilts_1

I sent out three quilts for quilting, and got them back in record time.

Quilted quilts_2

Now what will I do with them? I have to figure out how to trim them, and bind them with one working arm.

Time Marker for Surgery

Only now we’re almost at six weeks. I make these monthly time markers to send to my mother, to show her I’m still around. Still have the sling, still one-armed, but I’m trying to keep up with all the projects around here.

Happy Stitching!

Gridsters · Quilts

Queen Bee for Gridsters 2019

February 1, 2019January 31, 2019 Elizabeth E.4 Comments

(see below for the winners of the Temperature Giveaway)

gridsters 500 with label

February is my month to be Queen Bee, a phrase I picked up from hanging-out-across-the-ocean with Susan of Patchwork and Play (she lives in Melbourne). I’ve gone through about a million different permutations, but in the end, I’m playing it safe and asking my beemates to build me a series of little houses, like the ones I saw as a teenager in the Daly City area, near San Francisco.

daly city

We’d drive up the newly built 280 freeway, look out through gaps in the trees and see the houses like zippers in the landscape.

dolores heights sf_2

There are lots of houses also in Dolores Heights.

IMG_6111 copy.jpg IMG_6096 copy.jpg

But the USA doesn’t have a lock on houses crammed together: the first photo with the red house was from one of the villages in Cinque Terre, and the one just above is Porto Venere, Italy.

Dubrovnik, Croatia.

little houses

We’ll see what my beemates come up with. I’ve mailed them all the pattern, and look forward to seeing their creations!

Thank you to all who entered the Giveaway for coldest and for hottest place you’ve ever been. I started out by reading all the coldest, then had to go and put on another sweater; so many referenced the brutal cold the Midwest is experiencing. Our hearts go out to you.

Although I was shivering by the time I finished Celia’s story of walking in the snow in ballet flats, the winner of the coldest packet is Susan Shaw, with her story of sledding with her brothers:

Coldest Day.png

I used to live in Wisconsin, and one summer we moved to Texas. The A/C broke and my children and I sweltered in 100+ hea for week. We’d gone from wearing our winter coats to the 4th of July parade to two weeks later, melting in the home.

So many of you had great “hottest” stories, but I totally related to Beth, who had to endure no A/C with all her little children:

Hottest Day.png

I hope you all stay warm…or cool, whatever the case may be! I’ll be in touch via email to notify the winners. Thank you all for entering!

Quilt Shows · Quilts

Prepping the Quilts 2018

December 18, 2018December 14, 2018 Elizabeth E.14 Comments

Thank you all for the lovely words of encouragement you wrote in response to my last post. I’m making my way through them, and will answer them. However, everything I have done lately…is done lately.

Annularity_May 2018Labeled Northern Lights Medallion on bench

These two lovelies were juried into Road to California 2019, and so I spent a morning prepping them to head off:

Prepping for Road_1

Now you see the bit of errant blue quilting thread…

Prepping for Road_2

…and now you don’t… Prepping for Road_3

…thanks to these trusty friends. This is an old quilter’s trick, mentioned in several older books I have.

Names on labels are covered up. I also had to make sure my name and contact information are included on the quilt, and I do that in a label near the hanging sleeve, and that’s covered up, too.