fancy fox II mini quilt

Among the classes I'm teaching this spring at Pintuck & Purl is one on the Fancy Fox II block, a quilt pattern designed by Elizabeth Hartman. Using fabrics selected by the shop's owner, Maggie, I created this fun sample for the class.

This fox is larger than those typically found in the Fancy Fox quilts made from the original pattern (this being one of my favorite iterations of it), so this individual block measures about 20 in. x 20 in., making it the perfect size for a wall quilt.

Since this quilt is destined for the shop's wall, I used Jayne's recent tutorial to make it hangable. I was super pleased with how quick it was to add corner triangles and twill tape tabs to the back for holding a wooden slat, and I love that it's such a clean finish. I highly recommend this method!

I will next be teaching this class in Exeter, NH, this Saturday (March 26), and would love for you to join if you're in the area! You can contact Pintuck & Purl via email or phone to sign up.

fernweh quilt

A few months ago, I began teaching quilting and embroidery classes at Pintuck & Purl, an adorable fabric and yarn shop in Exeter, NH. For most of the classes, I've created class samples for potential students to see what we will be making. This month, I taught students how to piece the Fernweh Quilt top, from the gorgeous quilt pattern by Domestic Strata, and I recently finished my sample.

I used fabrics from the shop for my quilt---including Cloud9 Fabrics' Cirrus Solids---basing the color palette off of a beautiful black, peach, and apricot floral print by Carina Gardner, which I used for the backing.

I did simple straight-line quilting in light pink, and chose Cotton + Steel's Sprinkle print in black for the binding, since it complemented the front and back so nicely.

I love the graphic nature of this pattern, and would love to one day make a queen-size version for a bed.

I will next be teaching the two-part class on April 9 and 16, and you can call or email the shop to sign up.

an embroidery stitch sampler

When I worked at Spoonflower, I had the chance to teach a number of classes in the company's public meeting space, The Greenhouse. Hand embroidery is one of my favorite things to teach---it's portable and so addicting---and with the ability to print patterns directly onto the fabric of your choice through Spoonflower, it was the perfect opportunity for me to design a few simple patterns for my students.

One of the first samplers I created was this stitch sampler. I quickly realized it was not a project that could be completed in a three-hour class (French knots take a long time!), but instead is best for stitching over time, as you learn and perfect your hand stitches.

Each word is stitched with the stitch that it represents---fern stitch, stem stitch, split stitch, satin stitch, chain stitch, running stitch and the French knot---and is framed with a back stitch and cross-stitch border. I kept my color palette super simple, using black floss for all of the stitches with the exception of the back stitch border, which was done with gold metallic floss. There are so many variations that you could try though; I think a color gradient, moving from light to dark, could be really beautiful.

Rather than using a hoop, I decided to staple the finished piece to canvas stretcher bars. The finished embroidery turns into an excellent reference chart to hang on your wall and refer back to as you stitch other projects.

If you'd like to try your hand at stitching up your own sampler, you can buy a pre-printed fat quarter in my Spoonflower shop (I recommend the linen-cotton canvas). Please be sure to share any projects you create with the hashtag #saltyoat, so I can see and share them. Happy stitching!

joy embroidery sampler

As a follow-up to my popular Hello embroidery class in September, I'll be teaching a second class in the Spoonflower Greenhouse on December 14. For this class, we'll be stitching up a holiday-themed sampler I designed, which features French knots and lots of satin stitching.

For more info and to sign up for the class, check out the event page here. In case you can't make the class, or want to stitch up a few samplers for holiday gifts, you can purchase your own here.

P.S. Today's the last day to use the code "THANKS" in my Etsy shop to receive 20% off your purchase!

hello embroidery sampler

Last week, I had the pleasure of teaching a group of 15+ students the joys of basic hand embroidery in the Spoonflower Greenhouse. For the class, I created a simple sampler, which incorporated four basic stitches: back stitch, detached chain stitch, fern stitch and French knots. I designed the pattern in Illustrator, with the help of a friend, and printed it on Spoonflower's linen-cotton canvas, a great fabric for stitching on.

The class was a lot of fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and learn a few new stitches. In case you're interested in stitching up your own sampler, I've posted the design for sale on the Spoonflower web site. It fits perfectly on an 8" x 8" swatch, and can easily be framed in a 6" embroidery hoop.

hope valley baby quilt

After sharing the mermaid quilt with you this past weekend, I figured I'd go ahead and pull another never-before-blogged-about quilt from the archives.

Back when we were living outside of DC a few years ago, I signed up for a ticker tape quilt class at Stitch DC, a local yarn and fabric shop.

I was excited to try out a new-to-me quilting technique, and happy to finally use some of the Hope Valley prints from my stash. I opted to do squares for my layout, and stitched each one to my quilt sandwich. It washed up quite nicely, and the pieces frayed around the edges as they were supposed to.

Perhaps the best part of the class though, was the friendship I formed with Katie, one of only a handful of people I managed to befriend during my short time in Maryland. Katie's blog is beautiful and inspiring, and definitely worth a read.

P.S. Thanks to my friend Kait, the lovely model/quilt holder in the pictures above, for her assistance when I took these photos OVER A YEAR AGO!

flying geese pillow class

There are still a few spots left in the Flying Geese Pillow class I'll be teaching in the Spoonflower Greenhouse on Thursday, May 9. If you live in the area, I hope you'll join!