Thimble SIX Medallion Quilt Step ONE

Join us for our anniversary doll quit sew along...this project finishes at approx. 20 inches x 26 inches!

Step ONE:
Create your center medallion - unfinished size 6.5 inches.  You could substitute a 6 inch orphan block, create your favorite 6 inch block...or fussy cut a great toile or feature fabric you've been hoarding  I mean saving for the perfect occasion!

center medallion options

toile fabric 

Thimble strips

Thimbles

For our center medallion, we used thimble shapes and went a bit scrappy, but not too scrappy.  Since we used the Lil' Crumbler tool, we cut strips first.  If you're working from our fabric kit, you will only cut a short strip, since you're only cutting 2 or 3 thimbles from each small piece of fabric.

Cut (48) 1-inch thimble shapes (unfinished 1.5 inches)

• We used 18 fabrics, repeating each fabric 2 or 3 times
• We used Miss Rosie's Lil' Crumbler template tool
• English paper pieces this size are also available

Sew SIX rows of (8) thimbles each, and combine the rows to form a center medallion.  Trim block to 6.5 inches (for finished size of 6 inches).  Just add more thimbles if your measurement is shy...the seam allowances need to be scant 1/4 inch and they do get bulky.  I press seams open, and really liked using the wood seam roller for this project.  

Step 2 will be simple, so take your time with this step and find your perfect "Center".

Center Medallion

Have fun and happy Stitching!!

Still June right?

Well with school graduations, finals and end of year projects and performances....the month has disappeared quickly!  We will be glad to get on with a 'summer' routine soon.  And of course, summer for us means we can sew all day and night right?  If you missed our announcement about the Sew-in scheduled for July 26th....we've still got a few spaces left in case you have any projects you want to get underway?  A 'retreat' day may be just the ticket!  Give us a call or stop in and we'll get you registered.

We finally have a show and tell pin cushion for the month of June...it was a bit of trial and error, as I followed a tutorial online, and thought perhaps it was sew simple, I really didn't need to follow any directions, pictures or hints...let's just say it took a bit longer to execute!  This project is english paper pieced and it can also be done by machine if you can master pivoting corners, etc.  Here is the tutorial link and our photo, featuring gorgeous william morris fabrics.  Pretty cool?!
http://abyquilt.blogspot.com.au/2007/04/pincushion-tutorial.html

We really love some of our anniversary edition doll quilts from the past...and wanted to do something a bit different this year.  I've attached some of the pictures below from our prior projects.  We still have a couple of kits available for one or two of these.  This year if you hadn't noticed, we're stretching our anniversary activities out to fit our ability to get things done.  Sounds reasonable right?

Vintage T - year 2

Sense of Direction - year 4

Four-Square - year 4 too!

Chocolate T - year 5

In honor of our 6th anniversary......over the next several weeks we'll provide a set of instructions to complete a medallion doll quilt.  Each 'frame' represents a year of blood, sweat and tears....mixed up with great customers, new friends and a few fabric scraps!  We hope you'll join in and make a little doll quilt along with us...and don't forget to send us comments and pictures of your progress...or drag it in for show and tell in person - we love to see your projects!

No worries if you can't join us now, we're working on a pattern and will have it available at a later date.    
That being said - if you want to join in the sew along - gather your favorite fabrics and finish up your works in progress so you'll be ready to start when we publish the first step on Tuesday the 18th... OR we have fabric kits available if you want to sew a quilt featuring our favorite color palette of chocolate and aqua.

And just a little hint...if you want to do it exactly like ours...you'll want to gather up some one inch thimble paper piece templates OR the Miss Rosie's Lil' Crumbler template.  We'll suggest some other options too if you're just not in a thimble mood.  We have both of these options in stock at the moment.

And to get you in the spirit for medallion quilts - here are a couple of great sources of inspiration!
http://pinterest.com/ctpublishing/liberty-love/

We love Gwen's book that came out last spring published by AQS.



Happy Stitching!  

Guest Post #1

Here is a great easy inspirational project...customer ideas help keep us motivated and we love it when something comes together as if there was a master plan!  Here is our first guest post by customer Linda... 

Musings from the quilt room...........Ever had to make a quilt that was out of your comfort zone and out of your age zone?  I recently had to make a very modern, hip, quilt for a young woman who lives next door to me and is graduating from high school this week.  I have been teaching her younger sister to sew for the past year and thankfully, she had some ideas about what our young grad might like.  I gave her free run of the over the top stash and she chose an old pile of “impossible” fat quarters well past their "use by" date.  Working together, we just made up this black and multicolored quilt as we went along.  We had a wonderful time and were rather excited about the results. 

Two Thimbles really hit the mark with the quilting and the multicolored binding really framed the whole thing nicely.  Making the border from fat quarters was a bit annoying but a good teaching moment for a young quilter.  All in all I think my aspiring young quilt-maker friend and I are really pleased with the result and what fun we had.  Maybe some more of those “impossible” fabrics will find a home soon.  Happy quilting and teach someone young to sew if you have a chance, it will give you a whole new outlook.  Oh yes, Happy Graduation Anya,  hope you love this Jazzy quilt.
  

Graduation

Before Binding

Thanks for sharing your story!  We appreciate your patronage and enjoy your inspiring projects!

Happy Stitching!

Quilt Market Inspiration

Some of what we go to quilt market for ...is to be inspired and energized with all that is happening around us...  It gets me out of the shop and some fresh thoughts start to percolate.  Of course, the hard part is translating those into reality given there is never enough time right?!  Here are some photos we took in Portland in May.

 All the great displays, new products and patterns, fabrics and COLOR everywhere are a real source of ideas for us...and sometimes our customers are the source of our inspiration.  We are going to feature 'guest' customer blogs on occasion so if you think you have something you'd like to share, and a great project and photo that ties in with 2T experiences send us an email and we'll set you up!

Happy Stitching!

What's been going on...Anniversary SALE

Oilcloth picnic tote

Some or our customers have been creating fun projects - a picnic / roll-up tote for summer concerts in the park?  This one has oilcloth on one side just in case the grass is damp - not that could happen in our neck of the woods!  And a fun inside storage pocket to stash your favorite beverage...What a fun gift to give and receive!

Inside Picnic tote

My dear friend Octavia passed away several years ago, she is pictured below with one of her early quilts.  She produced some beautiful projects, and her amazing stash was distributed far and wide....well between life and jobs and kids and dogs etc., happening for the rest of us, the memorial quilt we had intended to do for her family never got done.  Until now.  So although the occasion was not a happy one - the resulting quilt feels like a huge accomplishment and is truly appreciated at the receiving end.   It is a big relief to have it done - thanks to O's quilting friends from the past, now Two Thimbles customers.  I delivered the quilt last month to Octavia's mom and she was so happy and appreciative to receive it.  Thank-you so much to everyone who helped move this project along for me!   We miss you Octavia!!

Octavia's memorial quilt

And here is a bright and cheerful something fun I completed recently...not a store sample for a change...actually a gift for my mom who loves red and orange.  This table runner features a gorgeous poppy ribbon down the middle, hand-dyed sateen and jacquard fabrics from my collection of hand-dyed Judy Robertson www.justimagination.com fabrics....and a piece of printed lawn I received from Octavia's stash...This was a fun, quick project and not in a traditional color palette!

Table Runner

So that is a little bit of what's been going on...as we get ready for our Anniversary Sale!  Hope you'll be stopping in to stock up!!

 Two Thimbles Turns Six!

 Anniversary Celebration Sale 

June 6th, 7th, and 8th 

Thursday – Friday – Saturday 

10am – 6pm 

25% Off Fabric From the Bolt 

Old Favorites Newly priced at $6.00/yard 

Special Anniversary Prices on Selected Items! 

Happy Stitching!

June

Well....what can I say?  It's been a bit of chaos in my world....projects started, projects finished, gone to market, add in a summer cold, school and sporting events, and then there is the usual day to day....so maybe we'll get back on track this month if we start now?  

Cherry Blossoms

The color in this photo isn't quite right, but you get the idea - this is a great pattern for a bold print, and we are ready for some spring and summer picnic weather to go with it!

Beginning Quilting table runner

The above two pictures feature a beginning quilt project - if you've been waiting to get started - we've got an evening beginning quilting class ready to go this summer while it stays light longer....how many more sewing hours can you squeeze in?  The class will focus on beginning techniques and you'll create a simple table runner and pillow top...come in and take a look at our samples!

Laura's 1870 Cradle Quilt 

The challenge quilt is moving along - we have our sample to look at, and we've seen some great progress!  The first deadline is still weeks away so it's not too late to jump in and start this one if you like what you see!

Fern Valley Quilt 

Here's another summery quilt and bright group of fabrics - we think this color group is cheerful even when we have had too much rain!

We are closed on Sundays for the summer - so here's to summer weather and summer sewing!  Happy Stitching!

May Flowers!

The sun is shining...and the flowers are bursting into bloom.  We hope you have a chance to rest up in between all the yard work and find some time for your sewing room!

Our pincushion this month features thimble shapes and some of the latest fabric from Sweetwater for Moda "Noteworthy", which is a cross between a bucket list and a 'things to do' list.  We have kits available so stop by soon to pick one up!

May pincushion

The photo below features a customer quilt, featuring scrappy split-9 patch blocks (it is currently on display - and as you know the quilts are always better in person!).  We have precut strips and thangles for this project.  And you can determine how many blocks to make and what setting you prefer.  It is a pretty striking quilt - and another reminder of how great scrap quilts can turn out.  This is a great method to create blocks a bit at a time, or when you need an in between project or something not too complicated to work on during a retreat or sewing weekend.  We have a second color way available too - this one is shirtings and reproduction fabrics, and the alternative is more contemporary yellow and blue fabrics.  

Customer quilt features thangles and strips 

close up and better color photo!

Enjoy the sunshine and happy stitching!