Parasol Mini Quilt PDF Pattern

Morning guys! Welcome to April and don't forget to watch out for those April Fool's Day pranksters! Apparently it's not cool to prank each other when you're a teenage because our son just rolled his eyes and walked away. There was a time when he and his older sister plotted and planned for days to catch us first - they were so adorable that we had to pretend they did ;)
The start of a new month means a new mini quilt pattern release from me so would you please welcome the gorgeous Parasol to my pattern family:

Can you imagine strolling through the park on a warm summers day, twirling a super pretty Parasol like this one?  People wear hats nowadays but parasols have been around for centuries and have a long and rich history.
Parasols were a sign of status to the wealthy because pale skin was an important factor to the female beauty. They were often made from materials like lace and silk, and were far too expensive for everyone to enjoy. They were an essential part of a ladies outfit and often complimented their gloves, hat, shoes and stockings. The introduction of the more affordable (and practical) waterproof umbrella made the high priced parasol outdated and unfashionable.
If its not cool for me to be strolling along the riverbed twirling a Parasol then the next best thing is to make one into a mini quilt, right?

Parasol is a paper pieced mini quilt pattern finishing at around 14" square. I used the gorgeous Little Snippets fabrics from Bonnie and Camille and I love this delicate mix of florals, dots and crosses - those pink and aqua fabrics are just stunning you guys! 

Its a super easy mini quilt to construct and a great project to sew over the weekend. It goes together very quickly and its constructed in eight large sections so you can showcase some of your favorite fabrics as well.  I've included fabric swatches in the pattern to help you source the ones I used and a colouring sheet so you can plan before you sew!

I'm pretty sure the wealthy ladies would have swooned over a Parasol in these fabrics but it would look gorgeous in any combination. You only need a few fat eighths and some background fabric and you're ready to sew your own version of this mini quilt.

Japanese fabrics would give this quilt a more traditional feel and I'd also love to see it done in Tilda fabrics - they would make it look dreamy and romantic, don't you think? You could go completely scrappy and give it a unique bohemian feel or chose a lovely dark linen background and mix it with some low volume fabrics to recreate that lacy, old world feel - wow I'm on a roll today! ;)

There's nothing too tricky about this mini quilt but don't forget to make those seams as flat as possible to avoid bulk at the centre join. Another blogger shared a pressing tip for paper piecing the other day - press with your iron as usual and while the seam is still warm, roll the seam with a seam roller to make it crisp and lay flat. I have one of these seam rollers sitting in my drawer but I don't use it. I think I might give this method a try on my next FPP project. Have you tried this before and does it work?

  

The PDF pattern comes complete with full sized FPP templates and full step by step instructions and diagrams for ease of construction. There's also optional instructions to add a hanging sleeve or corner hangers so you can add this quilt to your mini wall or any corner of the house.

Parasol is a super fun mini quilt to sew, and I love, love, love how it brings a summery feel to my sewing room even though our long dreadful winter is definitely on its way. 

From today until the end of April 2019, PDF patterns are available in both of my shops at the introductory price of $4.95 (AU). Simply select how you would like to purchase and click on the appropriate shop link to grab a copy of this pattern:             

I hope you love my Parasol mini quilt as much as I do. Its a very pretty addition to my pattern family and a lovely quilt to add to your collection or to give to someone as a gift, maybe a Mother's Day present or a just because present.
Don't forget I love seeing what you make with my patterns so send me a photo or add the hashtag #parasolminiquilt on social media and I'll pop on over and have a look. :)
Make sure you check out my blog tomorrow as I'm sharing the books I read during March. I read some real page turners last month so stay tuned!

 Happy quilting :)