The Whimsical Workshop, LLC is a full-service design studio and retailer. We specialize in designing a large range of quilting patterns and fabrics. We also offer lectures and workshops about quilting and design internationally. The Whimsical Workshop products are available worldwide through their website:
www.thewhimiscalworkshop.com.
Make sure to check them out on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook through the links on their website.
We have made it to Block 10 of the Block Mania Blog Hop! I can’t thank you enough for following along and coming back for this next free block! Have you made any of our previous blocks yet? If so, please send us a picture at Heidi@thewhimsicalworkshop.com or share it with us in the comments below. I would love to see what you’ve created!
If this is your first time stopping by for a free block, welcome; we’re so glad you’re here! Make sure to subscribe to be notified each month for the free blocks.
We are quickly coming to the end of 12 blocks. Once we finish them I will be turning all of these adorable blocks into one great quilt pattern. I cannot wait to see how this turns out!
The theme for this month’s block was “Graduate”, with a corresponding color palette of Red White and Blue. This month's Challenge was to figure out which animal should be the graduate. Since we just adopted a Great Pyrenees puppy who will be starting obedience school soon, my inspiration was sitting right next to me!
Now let’s get started crafting our newest block! In this month's companion video, I went over the inspiration for the block and how to finish the edges! I also share with you an update on our sweet puppy, Doodles who is almost 6 months old. You can check out the video below
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I hope you have enjoyed this month’s free block. Make sure to visit all the other designers on the Blog hop to collect your free Graduate blocks!
Each month a group of top designers in the quilting industry will each create a FREE 12” block that fits the month’s theme and color palette. We will all post our blocks on the first Tuesday of the Month. You can hop from blog to blog to learn more about each designer and collect your free block pattern. This month’s theme is “Graduate” and I created our adorable "Super Grad" block for you. The pattern is available on our website. The Block Mania Blocks will only be available free of charge for the first two months afterwards they will be for sale for $5.00 as a digital download.
Make sure to check out all the different Rain blocks from my fellow Block Mania Blog Hop Designers with the links below! You can also join our Facebook Group for Block Mania Here!
Get ready, Get Set and DON’T pack
your bags! We are once again participating in Road to California's "Road At Home" in May. This time
around it is all about Quilting Education. We have you covered if you are a
quilt hobbyist or a budding quilt designer. We are doing two lectures that we normally only
do for guilds and two lectures that we only do at professional trade shows. So, sit
back, relax, and take one of our 4 exclusive lectures from the comfort of your own home! If you have ever wondered what it is like to
be a professional designer in the quilt world or looking for tool
recommendations, check out our classes below ( Please note: All class times are in Pacific Standard Time, so plan accordingly for your time zone.):
FL04
- Designing Patterns For The Fabric Industry
Friday,
May 21st, 2021 One day
From 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (PST)
Faculty: Heidi
Pridemore
Fee $20.00
Description: Ever wonder what it’s like to be behind the scenes,
creating patterns for major fabric companies and magazines to share with the
world? In this lecture, Heidi Pridemore will walk you through this process from
her experienced and unique point of view. Heidi’s approach to design focuses on
a variety of techniques meant to inspire you as you work on your next project.
Over the years, she has designed thousands of quilts that appeared in major
quilting magazines and have been shown by national fabric companies. This
lecture includes a trunk show of some of Heidi’s favorite projects.
SAP01
- Getting Started On Setting Up A Successful YouTube Channel
Saturday,
May 22nd, 2021 One day
From 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (PST)
Faculty: Heidi
Pridemore
Fee $34.00
Description: So you have set up your YouTube Channel and are ready to
start creating content for your channel; now what? In this seminar, Heidi Pridemore
will share with you the tips and tricks she has discovered in the past 6 months
while creating her YouTube Channel "The Whimsical Workshop". She will
cover how to plan content, how to create a title that will get views,
thumbnails, keywords, and more. She will talk about how to cross market and
give tips on getting your content seen. As a beginner to YouTube, Heidi will
share her experience with what has worked and what to avoid as you begin your
own YouTube Channel.
SUL05
- A Few Of My Favorite Things
Sunday,
May 23rd, 2021 One day
From 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (PST)
Faculty: Heidi
Pridemore
Fee $20.00
Description: In this lecture, Heidi will share her tried and true
insider tips, tricks and tools that she uses every day while running The
Whimsical Workshop Studio. You’ll learn how to get the most out of your tools
and equipment, shortcuts to save time while cutting, and tips for construction
and finishing projects. The Whimsical Workshop team has made over 1000 quilts
for fabric companies, quilting magazines and their own retail website. In this
lecture, Heidi is excited to showcase some of her favorite projects with you.
SUP01
- What Makes A Great Pattern With Heidi Pridemore
Sunday,
May 23rd, 2021 One day
From 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM (PST)
Faculty: Heidi
Pridemore
Fee $34.00
Description: Heidi shares with you her 25+ years of experience in how
to write a great pattern. She has written and published patterns for Books,
Magazines and Fabric Companies as well as ghost writing for many popular
designers. In this class we will go over all the parts of a pattern, the best
way to explain a task through words and images and tips and tricks to writing
an excellent pattern for your designs.
You can head over tohttps://online.roadtocalifornia.com/ to sign up for the lectures above and check out Road to California's Blog this week where I was featured this week for more information.
Can you believe we are on month nine of the Block Mania Blog Hop! I can’t thank you enough for following along and coming back for this next free block! Have you made any of our previous blocks yet? If so, please send us a picture at Heidi@thewhimsicalworkshop.com or share it with us in the comments below. I would love to see what you’ve created!
If this is your first time stopping by for a free block, welcome; we’re so glad you’re here! Make sure to subscribe to be notified each month for the free blocks.
All of our previous block patterns and SVG files are available on our website, www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com under Patterns. So make sure to collect them all!
We are quickly coming to the end of 12 blocks. Once we finish them I will be turning all of these adorable blocks into one great quilt pattern. I cannot wait to see how this turns out!
The theme for this month’s block was “Rain”, with a corresponding color palette of all cool colors. I have to say I struggled a bit on this theme and was not sure what I was going to do until the deadline was looming. Matthew helped me out with the idea of a frog under a flower. Once I had the idea, it just all came together. I decided to call it "I Love Rainy Days" and here is the link to the pattern.
Now let’s get started crafting our newest block! In this month's companion video, I went over my process for selecting the fabrics for this block and then assembled the block. You can check out the video below
This month’s block features an assortment of basics from our friends
at Benartex Fabrics and Windham Fabrics. You’ll need a mix of greens,
blue, black, white with a splash of pink. Here is what I can up with.
Now download the pattern and grab your fabric and favorite
fusible web (mine is Hot Fix available here) to trace and
cut the shapes for this block.
To cut the shapes this month, I used my Cricut cutter to make
it a snap. The pattern includes full-size reversed templates
for the traditional method too.
Next, it’s time to pull out your appli-fuse sheet and placement drawing so we can start assembling our sweet frog. Our little Froggy does not have a name. Do you have any ideas?
Follow the free pattern to make your background and now it is time to position and press our froggy and her umbrella to the background.
Now that the big pieces are in place, it is time to add the the raindrops to the background. When you are adding your rain drops, make sure none of them make it under the flower umbrella. No One likes a leaky umbrella.
Now that we have our block assembled, it’s time to pick out your favorite Aurifil threads for the finishing stitch and move to the sewing machine. As always, I am using Aurifil 50wt threads.
Now it is time to finish the edges, so let's hop over to the machine. You can check out one of my many video tutorials to finish the edges over on our YouTube Channel "The Whimsical Workshop".
And there you go, now you've got a finished "I Love Rainy Days" block!
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s free block. Make sure to visit all the other designers on the Blog hop to collect your free Rains blocks!
Each month a group of top designers in the quilting industry will each create a FREE 12” block that fits the month’s theme and color palette. We will all post our blocks on the first Tuesday of the Month. You can hop from blog to blog to learn more about each designer and collect your free block pattern. This month’s theme is “Rain” and I created our adorable "I Love Rainy Days" block for you. The pattern is available on our website. The Block Mania Blocks will only be available free of charge for the first two months afterwards they will be for sale for $5.00 as a digital download.
Make sure to check out all the different Rain blocks from my fellow Block Mania Blog Hop Designers with the links below! You can also join our Facebook Group for Block Mania Here!
It’s now month eight of the Block Mania Blog Hop! I can’t thank you enough for following along and coming back for this next free block! Have you made any of our previous blocks yet? If so, please send us a picture at Heidi@thewhimsicalworkshop.com or share it with us in the comments below. I would love to see what you’ve created!
If this is your first time stopping by for a free block, welcome; we’re so glad you’re here! All 7 of our previous block patterns and SVG files are available on our website, www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com. So make sure to collect them all!
The theme for this month’s block is “Flowers”, with a corresponding color palette of Reds, Pinks and Greens. I was inspired to create Dottie the Ladybug in her flower garden. Here are the links to the pattern and SVG files for Dottie.
I hope you’ve been having as much fun meeting these characters, as I’ve had in creating them. Comment below with your favorite so far, or if there’s an animal you’re still hoping we’ll create for an upcoming block.
Now let’s get started crafting our newest friend, Dottie!
To see how I assemble this block, be sure to watch the video to learn more about the block and finished design while I put everything together. I will be covering tips on finishing the edges of small pieces and how to create Dottie.
This month’s block features an assortment of basics from our friends at
Benartex Fabrics. You’ll need a mix of reds, pinks, greens, black and white.
Now download the pattern and grab your favorite fusible web
(mine is Hot Fix available here) to trace and cut the shapes for
this block.
Next, it’s time to pull out your appli-fuse sheet and placement drawing so we can start assembling Dottie. Start with the smaller areas and built out to the wings. Make sure to check out the video for the block for tips to line up the dots on the wings.
Next up is to create the flowers on an appli-fuse sheet to make assembling the entire block a snap.
You’ll also need to make a gentle curved bottom for the block. If this is a new technique for you, don’t be discouraged! I’ve already got a quick YouTube video tutorial ready for you.
Once you have your background it is time to position and press Dottie and her flowers in place. I recommend placing Dottie down first (DO NOT PRESS) and arrange the flowers as desired and then once you are happy press her in place.
Now that we have our block assembled, it’s time to pick out your favorite Aurifil threads for the finishing stitch and move to the sewing machine. As always, I am using Aurifil 50wt threads.
In the block video above, I share with you tips on how to finish the edges of these small shapes and how to add the embroidery swirl to each lollipop flower.
And there you go, now you've got a finished Dottie block!
I hope you have enjoyed this month’s free block. Make sure to visit all the other designers on the Blog hop to collect your free Flowers blocks!
Each month a group of top designers in the quilting industry will each create a FREE 12” block that fits the month’s theme and color palette. We will all post our blocks on the first Tuesday of the Month. You can hop from blog to blog to learn more about each designer and collect your free block pattern. This month’s theme is “Flowers” and I created our adorable "Dottie's Flower Garden" block for you. The pattern is available on our website. The Block Mania Blocks will only be available free of charge for the first two months afterwards they will be for sale for $5.00 as a digital download.
Make sure to check out all the different flower blocks from my fellow Block Mania Blog Hop Designers with the links below! You can also join our Facebook Group for Block Mania Here!
Welcome back to our blog! Today I'm going to walk you through how to do the Square in Square blocks made from bias triangles and the mitered borders that make up our beautiful Jubilation quilt pattern. These are great techniques to take with you when making other projects as well so I made a full video tutorial for YouTube that you can come back to and re-watch at any time.
For this project, I chose to start with the Silver Jubilee fabric collection from Maywood Studios. It's a really elegant collection of pretty blues, white and silver that celebrates Maywood Studio's 25th anniversary.
The block is built out with little square in a square units made with flip and sew, and diamond shapes. Because we've covered flip and sew before, this post is going to focus mainly on the bias triangles and diamond shapes.
The diamond shapes are made up of two triangle in a square units. To create the diamond, sew two mirror image triangle units together end to end. Press the seam open; I recommend using a strip stick and purple thang for ease.
You'll notice the diamond points are 1/4" away from the edge, and that's how they should be! You'll need four of these units per block, and our pattern calls for two different color ways, one color for the center block and the second for the surrounding blocks.
Now, let's move on to the center of the block which is made using bias triangles. The center is a square, which I fold in half in both directions and give it a good press. I fold each bias triangle in half to mark the center line as well. This gives us our center lines that we can use during assembly.
The first round is white triangles. I take the first white triangle and nest it into the center square, following that folded line to center the bias triangle on the square. Next, do the same thing for the opposite side and sew with 1/4" seam. Then, in order to not stretch the fabric, gently fold up the white triangles and press down using the edge of the iron into the seam. Next we can add on the remaining two white triangles using the center square's folded line for alignment. Press the triangles and square up the unit.
Next, we'll add on the remaining triangles and square up the finished unit. Then we can assemble the block using all three units that we've made!
To piece the half triangle blocks, start with a half of the center unit from the above step as directed in the pattern. The block is sewn in rows, so we'll start with a small triangle, diamond and square in a square for row one. Then sew a second diamond unit to the half center unit for row two. Sew rows one and two together, and finish with another small triangle at the top.
Following the pattern, match up the finished setting triangles with the main blocks to assemble the quilt top.
Once the two inner borders are on, let's start on the outer border, which will have the mitered corners. To figure out how much fabric you need, take the overall size of the quilt and add 4" to give yourself a little excess to work with.
To sew the outer border, begin by centering it on your quilt and pin it in place. Then flip the project over and sew with the border on the bottom and the quilt top on top. This makes it easier to start and stop 1/4" away from each corner. Sew all 4 sides on, but don't press anything at this point.
Fold your quilt top in half diagonally, wrong sides together, so that the borders lay flat. Mark the miter on the outer border fabric using a ruler with a 45 degree line, and sew from end to end. If your border lays flat with no pleat, then you're ready to trim away the excess, leaving 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat for the other 3 corners, and you're all set!
I hope you enjoyed following along for this project and that you feel empowered to take on square in a square blocks, diamond units and mitered borders! Are there any other techniques you'd like a tutorial on? Let me know in the comments!
February is widely known as the Month of Love thanks to its most popular holiday, Valentine’s Day. While for some Valentine’s Day may feel like an over-the-top Hallmark holiday, I personally love the idea of everyone collectively coming together on the same day to celebrate the people in their lives that they love. Whether you’re bringing roses home to your partner after a long day of work, dropping off homemade brownies to your best friend, or watching a romantic comedy on the couch with your family, Valentine’s Day gets its true magic from the traditions that you and your loved ones create.
One way that I show love to my friends and family is by creating sweet, thoughtful (and usually easy) projects to let them know that I was thinking of them. This is a free project I designed for exactly this purpose – quick, sweet and easy! It’s the perfect size for a wall hanging or table topper, and while I like that it’s not in traditional Valentine’s Day colors, yours easily could be! For the version I’m showing here, I chose the Curious Dream collection from Windham Fabrics. It’s soft, pretty and inspired by one of my favorite fairy tales, Alice in Wonderland.
Dearest Heart 36" x 36"
This project features the use of the GO Mix and Match 6” Qube, GO! 6” Companion Set and Queen of Hearts Die Sets, however traditional cutting instructions are included in the pattern instructions. You can download this free pattern from our website: https://media.rainpos.com/4806/dearest_heart_pattern_with_cover_fr064_01182017.pdf
While constructing the pieced block for this quilt, I wanted to keep things simple. I used a Monkey’s Wrench Block, featuring assorted dies from the GO! Qube 6” Mix and Match dies. I added a touch of white fabric as the restring strip to help break up the different peach and teal pieces.
I choose a bright turquoise Aurifil thread for the finishing stitches around the hearts as I like the way that the color pops off against the block. Even though thread color can sometimes look very intense on the spool, I recommend laying out a piece of thread you’re considering against the block to see how it looks. You’d be surprised at how much your opinion can change when you see everything together. I tried several softer colored threads initially, but kept coming back to the bright turquoise!
To pull everything together, I used the darkest teal fabric in the collection as the sashing as it works as a frame around each of the lighter colored blocks. I also used the peach words fabric for the corner stones to help bring the peach color through to the outer areas.
Now if you know me, you know just how much I love polka dots! So for the Outer Border I made (44) 3” Drunkard Path blocks and used them to create a polka dot border. I’m absolutely thrilled with how this came out and feel like it has the potential to bring such an interesting element to other borders and projects. Also Make sure to check out our video on how to do curves without pinning
If you decide to make this pattern for a loved one in your life, I hope you have as much fun making it as I had! Happy Valentine’s Day and don’t forget to share any pictures with me – seeing your creations is my favorite part!
