I'm a glutton for punishment.

I've finally decided to start sewing up a paper pieced block I've been sitting on for a while. I had someone on Etsy take a photo of one of my Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, Tranquil Acres' GTO, and create a paper pieced block.

 The block is originally 6 or 8 inches, and I blew it up to 12 inches, after seeing just how TEENY TINY some of the pieces are. So, after two hours and a few swear words, here is my progress...

I really like the way it looks, and I think I might just make all four colors of the Otters (that's what variety she is) Black, Blue, Chocolate & Lilac.

3 x 6 Sampler Quilt Mini Bee

Done! Finished! Completed!

I've got my six blocks done for the 3 x 6 block swap! WHEW! They're not due until June, but now they're done and out of the way. I hope the girls in my hive like them, if not I guess I have plenty of time to make new ones! LOL.

These blocks will be sent to:

1. The_Cleof

Bright fresh and modern Colours: red, blue, green, yellow, purple, turqoise

Cleof, I picked green and went with it.

2. Lydia - [blog]

Gray, Green, Black

3. KarinKajsa - [blog]

Red, Green, Pink

4. Amy.Newbold - [blog]

Green, Gray, Purple

Amy, after I put this together, I thought they looked a little batik like.

Most of the fabric is by Marcia Derse.

I'll gladly remake it if you don't care for the fabrics. Just let me know!

5. Brakmack

Orange, Gray, Aqua

6. JustPlainLaine - [blog]

Gray, Lime Green, Aqua, OrangeLaine, hope this is okay!

It's mostly lime green with bits of light aqua and orange sprinkled in!

These ladies were WONDERFUL to work with and so much fun!
I'm glad that I was able to meet each of you, even if it was just online. ;)

Tutorial: Foundation Paper Piecing (Freezer Paper Method)

I'll confess. I abhor pinning. I don't know why I just do. Maybe it's because I'm always jabbing myself with the little boogers. So if I can avoid it somehow, I do. Another peeve of mine is when my quilt blocks don't line up quite right, or are too small or large and my points get chopped off when I'm squaring up my blocks. Oh that just irritates me.I think that's why I really enjoy foundation paper piecing. My errors are practically eliminated!

So, here's how I do my paper piecing, step by step with photos.

You'll need some freezer paper. You can do this one of two ways, the quick and easy way is to purchase pre-cut sheets like these:

You can find them at Amazon.com

Or if you a roll of freezer paper on hand, or would prefer to buy a roll of it and make your own sheets, you can do that too. You can usually find freezer paper in the grocery store, by the aluminum foil and plastic wrap.

If you use the roll, the next steps will show you how to print on your freezer paper sheets.

Cut youself enough 8 1/2 x 11" sheets for your block. My block took 8, but I cut more than what I needed and stashed them away for later. Now grab some of your printer paper and head over to your ironing board.

Layer a sheet of freezer paper on top of your printer paper, shiny side down.

With a iron (no steam) on medium to med high heat, press the freezer paper onto your printer paper. You don't want to iron it too much or you'll have problems peeling it off later. Mainly make sure the edges are pressed down where the paper will feed into your printer.

Next, print your designs onto your freezer paper, and then peel your freezer paper off, and save the printer paper for later use! Pretty slick huh?