May is for Makers

Well, I’m a week and a day late (and a dollar short as Dad always said) but I’m finally doing my first May is for Makers #mayisformakers. I planned to join in the fun last Monday but was unable. If you are a personal friend you saw my post on Facebook. To sum it up I lost my husband and had a heart attack on April 30. I got my laptop yesterday and spent all day today reading emails from the last 10 days. So that delayed my first post. Now, I can’t wait to get out of rehab and go home.

I did add my two published patterns to Craftsy and they can be purchased as a dpayment igital download there. You need to create an account but it is free. You can control the marketing emails you receive as well. They only accept Paypal for but that lets you use credit cards or your bank account to pay.  It's very easy and very secure. I've used it for 15 years and there has never been any security issues. Craftsy as a marketplace is unusual because it does not take a cut. If you purchase an $8.00 pattern I receive $8.00. I have three more designs in some stage of creation but would be interested in a couple testers? If you are local and want more information please contact me.

I just gotten a Brother Scan ‘n Cut CM650W (no affiliation, but see it here) the day before everything happened. I haven’t even tried it yet! But I plan to start making fabulous machine appliquéd quilts. So for my first May is for Makers pattern I purchased Whoo Knows? from a Craftsy seller, Fat Cat Patterns. I started browsing there because there is such a large selection of patterns for sale. Anyway, I have loved owls since my high school years in the 70’s. I had a pretty cool collection of ceramic owls back then. Wonder where they went? I didn’t take them away to college…

Image (c) Fat Cat Patterns

Whoo Knows? has lots of different owls that look like a good way to really learn how to use my Scan ‘n Cut. The pattern I downloaded has 70 pages and is listed as needing an intermediate level of quilting knowledge. The author, Sindy, says she designed it for her daughter, and I know owls are popular again. The instructions start with yardage requirements and some general hints. Then you get cutting and sewing instructions for the two different base blocks constructed to place the appliqué on. You can also cut the borders at this time, or wait till later.

A nice numbered layout of where each block and owl will go in the assembled quilt is next. The diagrams are both line drawings and color images. 65 pages for the individual owl appliqués with a block line drawing, color image, and individual templates are provided. The templates have lines with or without seam allowance so you can choose the style of appliqué you use. Every block has the total dimension, and how large to cut each of the appliqué pieces of fabric. The only thing I could possibly say is missing are grain lines on the curved piece templates to help those not that familiar with appliqué. I started sewing making clothing and grain lines are much more important there than when quilting. Your quilt will have all the layers stabilized by the final quilting stitches and if you use fusible web backed appliqué it won’t matter at all!

On the back of the pattern I found the designer’s website, www.fatcatpatterns.com. What a fun collection of original designs. There are also two Blocks of the Month, already in progress. She has a whole page of free patterns so you can see how well her patterns are written before you purchase any. I just started reading the blog but will definitely return to browse farther back. She also has a Facebook page. I hope everyone knows that you don't need a Facebook account to look at public pages. Do take a look at Fat Cat Patterns.

Thanks so much for reading, and I'll be back soon with my next post soon,
Mary