Angela Lawrence is an award winning quilter with a passion for needleturn applique. A degree in education has led her to share her passion through workshops that encompass beginner’s skills right through to advanced tecniques.

If you are new to applique, or just want a quicker project, Tantalizing Tulip has large pieces that translate into a stunning 24″x30″ wall hanging.  The border is made from scrap pieces and put together brick style.

The colors are what first drew me to Simply Paisley first, but the design is delightful.  This is the kind of pattern you’d want to do over and over again to explore all different color combinations.

With just nine blocks in a large quilt (62″ x 74″), this Folk Art Floral applique pattern allows the use of larger scale fabrics.  Each block is unique – good luck choosing a favorite!

Butterfly Boutique is a 47″ x 58.5″ beauty.  With 12 blocks you can do a block a month and finish this just in time for next Spring.  The colors Angela used for her sample certainly are vibrant!  Stick with vibrant or go for soft, subtle, pastels.  Either way, the end product will be a treasure worthy of handing down.

If you live in the midwest, or are traveling there for upcoming quilt shows this summer, you can meet Angela, and see her work and patterns in person.  She will be teaching and exhibiting at the Minnesota Quilters 35th Annual Quilt Show and Conference in Duluth, MN; exhibiting only at the 2013 International Quilt Festival / Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois; and teaching and exhibiting at AQS 2013 Quilt Show and Contest in Des Moines, Iowa.

If you aren’t traveling, you can browse the rest of the Applique After Hours patterns from the comfort of your home!

Margaret Travis creates patterns for useful items . . . handbags, accessories, home decor, special needs items.  The patterns work for all levels of quilters and sewers, from the beginner to the experienced.  If you are a beginner, experience a finish!

Convenient Coupon Caddy, a fat quarter friendly project, has eight pockets for organizing all your coupons.  Save money and look stylish doing it!  Folds to 6.5″ x 4″ so you can tuck it in your purse and have your coupons when you need them.

Large, handy pockets and comfortably placed neck ties will make this a favorite apron.  An easy to make, comfortable, reversible apron, the Eazy Flip Apron pattern fits many sizes and instructions are included for larger sizes. The pretty scalloped hem is optional.

Who couldn’t use another pincushion?! These are super cute…. a “Cutest Cupcake”, a totally unique “Hearts in Hand”, and a handy “Pozie Wristlet”.  Bonus! You also get instructions for making fancy beaded pins.

Got stuff to hold?  Make up the Eeny, Meeny, Miny & Moe Accessory Bags and you’ll have a place to hold it all.  Great for cosmetics, cell phones, IPads & Kindles, sewing tools, anything!  Fat quarter friendly, it would be fun to match the fabric to the items it will hold…. maybe a wordy fabric for an e-reader, or sewing themed fabric for sewing tools.

Check out the Bodacious Brag Bag.  Lots of room and lot of pockets.  Ribbon is used for the handles and for embellishment.  The vinyl pocket on the front holds a photo or an embroidered piece or anything else you’d like to brag about!

These are just a few of Eazy Peazy‘s patterns.  There are many more, including a Spectacular Spectacle Case, Luverly Luggage Tags, a Walker Saddlebag, a Wheelchair Backpack, and more.

Some of these patterns are so beautiful and realistic looking, you’ll almost smell the flowers.

Flowering Trellis has instructions for three flowers: clematis, rose,and morning glory.  Make a wall hanging, a table runner, or a banner.

Garden Trellis by Evonne Cook of Clothesline Quilts showcases beautiful appliqued flowers scattered along the edges.  Lovely floral fabrics in varying shades have green sashing that simulates a trellis.  Instructions are included for three different sizes.

Blooming Vine from Anka’s Treasures has pieced flowers surrounded green leaves on a white lattice.  Make a queen size, a wall quilt, or a table runner with the included instructions.  I’d love to see this with a light blue background.

Choose white, a solid color, or a wood grain look for your Garden Trellis.  Add your favorite blooming fabric and you have a beautiful garden inspired table runner to brighten up any room! This D Hall Designs pattern is 16″ x 35″.

Garden Trellis BOM will keep you stitching for quite a while making a beautiful piece of art for your wall, or for your bed.  Twelve apppliqued flowers, each on a square in a square block, give the quilt an on point setting look. Two tone sashing is woven to resemble lattice work.

Go ahead and sew up a flowering trellis…. you’ll never have to worry about watering!

Have you been saving old denim clothes just waiting for the perfect project?  Here’s a few projects for denim.  One of these might be just right for you!

Add squares of denim to novelty prints to create a unique Recycled Denim Spy Quilt.  Smaller bits of denim are used in the pieced border.

Recycled Denim Skirt and Purse from Carolyn’s Creative Designs shows you how to make a skirt from the top of your jeans and a purse from the leg.  Hmm, that leaves one more leg…. make a purse for a friend?  Lots of variations with this pattern.  Add lots of length for a modest, really comfy skirt.  Or keep it short and flirty.  Or meet in the middle!

Carolyn’s Recycled Denim Tote or Purse pattern encourages you to add your imagination and creativity to the project.  The generously sized tote can be made from many different shades of denim and you can embellish to your heart’s content.

Here’s another Jeans Tote Pattern.  This one will go together quickly, and can be dressed up with a colorful sash.  Shop the thrift store for different sized jeans and make extra-large-hold-everything sized totes or cute little tiny totes from little kids jeans!

Create a Denim Shirt Jacket by starting with an old denim shirt. Modify the bottom, add some applique for your favorite season, add trim for the collar and cuffs.  Result: a one of a kind jacket that reflects your personality.

Dig out your old jeans or visit a thrift store and do some recycling!  Happy sewing!

In our neck of the woods…  wait, let me rephrase that…. here in our corner of the prairie, we had a snow storm earlier this week and are now enjoying sunshine and warming temperatures.  Shoveling the snow revealed a few green leaves of tulip bulbs that had just broken the surface of the soil.  We should be enjoying colorful displays not too long from now.  In the meantime we settle for tulip displays on quilts.

Beautiful Coventry Garden Tulips in your favorite colors combines easy piecing and applique.  Your garden will bloom soon!

Just one Tantalizing Tulip, but that’s all it takes to brighten our day, just one.  Pull out your bright scraps and applique this art deco type flower.

Another lone bloom, Tender Tulip looks romantic and graceful.  Thoughtful selection of your background fabric makes this a dynamic little quilt.  Finishing at 9″ x 12″, it’s just right for a hostess gift, Easter gift, or “just because” gift.

Tulip Festival is shown with a light background, but it would also look great with vibrant colored flowers on a dark background.  This wallhanging finishes at 36″ square.

Here’s a quick project that you’ll be able to finish before the real tulips show up.  A pre-printed, pre-colored design Heirloom Tulips just needs embroidery to be finished.  The size is 4″ x 5″.

Enjoy stitching your spring garden.

Spring is going to be here one day.  Though it’s the shortest month, February always seems so loooooong.  Makes me feel like Spring can never come!  But it will!  It does every year – so I’m counting on it!  In the meantime making a Spring table runner just might make the time pass more quickly.  Busy hands, and all that.

Briarwood Cottage’s Spring Pocket Table Runner has beautiful, delicate looking applique in the corners, leaving the center open to showcase your quilting. The table runner measures 14″ x 30″.  The pocket pattern (just $5!) includes instructions for matching placemats.

What a fresh looking design!  Searching for Direction can be made with normal square edges. Or use the Easy Scallop tool for the scallop edges and add a new technique to your arsenal of talents!

All Things Spring is just packed with projects in a Spring theme.  Many of the projects have instructions for multiple sizes.  Enjoy  piecing and applique as you make wall quilts, table runners, placemats, table toppers and more.

This cute Spring Pickins’ table runner by MH Designs features paper pieced tulips.  Never tried paper piecing?  What are you waiting for?!  You might just love the technique.  It give you ‘perfect’ results! And if you do fall in love with paper piecing, Mary Herschleb has several dozen beautiful patterns, all constructed with paper piecing.  Bonus tea towel instructions are included in this pattern.

Spring is on the way . . . . get your table runners ready!