Catching Up on Park Bench

When I learned that my local quilt shop was offering Jaybird Quilts’ Park Bench BOM, it was hard to refuse. Not only would I be working with one of Julie Herman’s fantastic designs, but it would also be an excuse to buy some fancy rulers and sew with Carolyn Friedlander’s Botanics line.

I dutifully picked up my March BOM kit and then my April BOM kit and my May BOM kit—without so much as cutting a piece of fabric. Now knee-deep in June, it was time to play catch-up. Of course, once I cracked open the pattern book, I learned that I was not just three but six blocks behind. BAH!

It’s pretty rewarding to leave the land of squares and triangles and work with hexagons and half-hexagons, diamonds and what Julie calls “jewels.” There are some triangles, to be sure, but working with triangles cut with the Sidekick ruler are way easier to piece than others.

I am going to have to head back to my LQS to pick up some more yardage today. I managed to scorch a diamond for March and miscut some half-triangles for April. (Oh, and I need to pick up the June BOM kit!)

That’s where the readers of Freshly Pieced and Sew Fresh Quilts come in. I’ve made a point to get better about using my iron and encountered some problems. When working on my Farmer’s Market quilt, for example, I used steam that actually made some of the colors in the precuts bleed. I’ve stopped using steam as a result but encountered the whole scorching issue with Park Bench.

My question to you: What’s your take on ironing? (Yeah, yeah. I know: no ironing, just pressing.) What brand is your iron? What method brings about the most success?

Finished Projects -- June 2025

Ornament Collection

Brightly

Kitty Cats

Ridiculously Easy Jelly Roll Quilt

 

 

Rosemary

Step Dance

Befriend New Sewers!

Is your current quilting project getting you down? Are piecing snafus making you mutter evil things at your sewing machine? Feeling like this quilting thing is for the birds?

Well, do I have a remedy for you: befriend new sewers!

Two friends of mine took a beginner’s sewing class last fall. They’ve learned a lot and made some fabulous projects, but they are still sewing newbies. I, on the other hand, have ripped out my fair share of seams—like, 11 or 12 years of them. I can say something as simple as “press, don’t iron” or toss around the names of fabric designers, and these friends think I’m brilliant. What an ego boost to talk sewing with these friends—I feel as if I know what I’m talking about!

In all sincerity, however, I love these two gals, and I was excited when they both, independently of each other, approached me about helping them with quilting. I suggested a sew-along, and they both jumped on board.

The challenge? We have different levels of sewing experience and different styles. What quilt would be a worthwhile sew for the three of us? The disappearing nine-patch seemed to fit the bill. It’s super simple to piece and offers fabulous versatility. If you pick traditional fabrics and lay the blocks in a predictable pattern, you end up with a traditional-looking quilt. Pick modern fabrics and rotate the blocks randomly, and you’ve created a more modern look. 

I’m going to work on a throw-size quilt inspired by the disappearing nine-patch I found at Bonjour Quilts. I started with the red bird fabric (Lauren and Jessi Jung’s Hideaway) and added the red and orange houndstooth (DS Quilts). Other fabrics with red, orange, pale yellow, and aqua were added to the mix, including more DS Quilts fabrics, two almost solids from Jenn Ski’s Mod-Century, Kona Snow, and Kona Ice Frappe.

I’m excited to get the nine-patches sewn and cut. I can’t wait to start playing with the placement of the blocks!

I’m linking up to Work in Progress Wednesday at and Let’s Bee Social. If you recently tackled your own disappearing nine-patch, I’d love to see it. Add a link in the comments below—thanks in advance for the additional inspiration!