Thimbles and Needles

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Thimbles and Needles

Quiltmaker, quilt pattern designer, Foundation Paper Piecing pattern designer

08/09/2026

A little house made for your favourite little fabric details.

The Fussy Cut House foundation paper piecing pattern puts fussy cutting at the heart of the block, giving you the perfect spot to feature a favourite motif, character, flower or tiny scene.

The whole house is foundation paper pieced in one go, with no separate sections to join. With 5 finished sizes from 3" to 7", you can choose just the right size for your project and your fussy-cut motif.

Make them for a pouch, cushion or mini quilt, or create a whole neighbourhood of little houses. Add some trees between them and turn your blocks into a wonderfully scrappy neighbourhood quilt. You’ll find a free FPP tree block in the Free Downloads section of my website, perfect for mixing in with your houses.

You can have fun with themed fabrics too. Fill the windows with Christmas prints for a festive village, use spooky motifs for a Halloween neighbourhood, or choose novelty fabrics for an I-spy quilt. It’s a lovely way to make those small fabric details the star of the block.

Find the Fussy Cut House FPP pattern at www.thimblesandneedles.com

07/09/2026

Looking for a quilt border that adds more than just extra inches?

FPP quilt border patterns can turn the edge of your quilt into part of the design, adding colour, movement and detail. With over 30 foundation paper pieced border patterns in the shop, there are plenty of designs to choose from.

Each pattern includes multiple border widths, and the templates can be repeated to make your border virtually any length you need. They’re scrap friendly too, making them a great way to put smaller pieces from your fabric stash to work.

And they don’t have to stay on quilts. Use an FPP border pattern to add a decorative strip to a tote bag, pouch, lanyard, cushion, table runner or other small sewing project.

Explore the full collection of FPP quilt border patterns at www.thimblesandneedles.com

03/09/2026

Flicker From View is all about mixing fabrics while letting each one have its moment. The sashing strips break up the busy prints and give your eyes somewhere to rest, bringing a little calm and structure to all that scrappy goodness.

For a quilt with plenty of visual interest, mix up the scale of your prints. Combine small, medium and large-scale designs rather than choosing fabrics that are all similar.

It also makes a wonderful I-Spy quilt. Pick novelty prints with little details to discover and turn the quilt into something that’s fun to look at as well as cosy to use.

And despite all that fabric variety, Flicker From View is beginner friendly, making it a lovely project if you’re new to quilting or simply want an enjoyable way to sew through your stash.

Find the Flicker From View quilt pattern at www.thimblesandneedles.com

01/09/2026

The Pinwheel Flower, Flower Bud and Mayflower are three traditional flower designs with all the points and angles that give them their distinctive shapes. Beautiful to look at, but not always the easiest to piece.

That’s where foundation paper piecing comes in.

FPP takes the challenge out of those tricky angles and intersections, giving you a clear sewing line to follow and helping you achieve crisp points and accurate results. All the character of a classic block, with a little less wrestling at the sewing machine.

Each pattern comes in multiple sizes, giving you plenty of possibilities. Make a single flower for a cushion, tote bag or mini quilt, combine a few in a table runner or wall hanging, or make an entire patchwork garden in a quilt.

Make them scrappy or in a restricted colourway, or give them a completely modern colour palette.

Find the Pinwheel Flower, Flower Bud and Mayflower FPP patterns at www.thimblesandneedles.com

31/08/2026

Olive & Nell has all the charm of a vintage quilt, with plenty of detail to draw you in.

It might look intricate, but it’s easier to piece than you might think. Strip piecing is used to make the tiny nine-patch blocks, keeping construction manageable while still giving the quilt that wonderfully detailed look.

It’s a lovely project for dipping into your scrap collection, mixing colours and prints and watching the design gradually come together.

The Olive & Nell quilt pattern includes 3 sizes and is available as a pdf and printed pattern.

Find the Olive & Nell quilt pattern at www.thimblesandneedles.com

30/08/2026

Love making star quilt blocks? There are over 60 foundation paper piecing (FPP) star patterns to choose from in the shop.

From classic stars to striking geometric designs, there’s plenty of variety, and most patterns include multiple block sizes so you can make much more than a quilt.

Make one star for a cushion, mini quilt, tote bag or potholder. Join a few for a table runner or wall hanging. Or mix and match your favourites to create a star sampler quilt of your own.

FPP is particularly suited to star blocks, helping you achieve those crisp points and precise shapes, while giving you plenty of opportunity to play with colour and use your scraps and stash.

Browse the FPP star patterns at www.thimblesandneedles.com

29/08/2026

Electrolite is a scrappy star quilt that’s all about controlled scrappy. Each star uses two coordinating fabrics, so you can work your way through your stash pairing colours and prints that look good together. Only 2 large scraps are required for each star.

A consistent neutral runs throughout the quilt, giving all those different combinations something in common and tying the finished quilt together.

Electrolite is rotary cut and machine pieced. Available in pdf and printed form.

Find the Electrolite quilt pattern at www.thimblesandneedles.com

28/08/2026

Looking for a foundation paper piecing pattern that lets you play with colour, scraps and movement?

The Colour Wheel and Flying Geese Wheel FPP quilt blocks create striking circular designs using two favourite quilting ideas: colour play and Flying Geese.

Use rainbow fabrics for a classic colour wheel, choose a limited palette for a more contemporary look, or make it completely scrappy. The Flying Geese Wheel creates a wonderful sense of movement as the geese circle around the centre.

Both foundation paper piecing patterns include 12" and 18" finished block sizes.

One block can become a cushion, mini quilt, wall hanging, table centre or tote bag. Repeat the blocks to create a larger quilt with bold colour and plenty of visual movement.

A satisfying scrap-friendly FPP project with lots of possibilities for making the finished block your own.

Find the Colour Wheel and Flying Geese Wheel FPP patterns at thimblesandneedles.com

25/08/2026

Foundation paper pieced quilt borders are a great way to add another layer of detail to your quilt, whether you want something subtle and geometric or a border that becomes a feature in its own right. FPP makes it easy to achieve crisp points, accurate angles and consistent repeats, without relying on perfect ¼" seams.

These templates are also great for making bag straps and lanyards.

With over 30 border templates to choose from, there are plenty of possibilities for framing a quilt, adding interest between sections or creating your own unique layout.

• Multiple border widths included
• Make your border to virtually any length by adding or repeating sections
• Great for scraps and leftover fabrics
• Precise results with those lovely sharp FPP points
• Mix and match designs for something completely your own
• Save when you purchase a border bundle

From herringbones and chevrons to twists, braids, peaks and more, a pieced border can turn the edge of your quilt into part of the design rather than simply the finishing touch.

Browse all the FPP border patterns at thimblesandneedles.com

24/08/2026

Love the Pineapple block? There’s more than one way to piece it.

My Pineapple FPP patterns include the Classic Pineapple, Simple Pineapple, Quarter Pineapple, Half Pineapple and Rectangular Pineapple, each offering a different take on this much-loved design.

Pineapple blocks are perfect if you enjoy the slower, more meditative side of sewing. Cut a pile of strips, then settle into the repetitive rhythm of adding one piece at a time. There’s no need to rush, just enjoy watching the block gradually grow.

They’re also wonderfully scrap and stash friendly, and changing fabric placement or rotating the blocks can create completely different layouts and interesting secondary patterns.

Find the Pineapple FPP patterns at www.thimblesandneedles.com

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