quilting, quilts, Uncategorized

Scrappy Squares Quilt

Deb Gehringer

From the time I started quilting, I’ve cut smaller leftover fabric into squares for future projects. By doing so, I’ve undoubtedly accumulated a lot of squares. And since I’m one for organizing, I have different sized cut squares in four boxes: 3″, 2 1/2″, 2″, 1 1/2″.

Here and there I’ve made scrappy quilts using these squares—Five Squared, my Scrappy On Point Nine Patch Quilt and a couple of baby quilts.

And since I’m also one for frequent paring down, several months ago I decided to go through my boxes to see what I could use and consolidate.

Because I had a nice array of colors in both prints and solids, I decided to make a scrappy nothing-but-2 ½”-squares-quilt (which I’ve always wanted to do).

The appeal of making this quilt was twofold. One, to use only what was already cut, saving time. Two, since I was going scrappy it meant anything would go.

It wasn’t a total free-for-all though, I did have a plan in mind. I wanted every other row to feature prints, then solids, rotating back and forth. Every other square within the row was to contrast.

I chose to do it this way for a few reasons. First, I didn’t have enough 2 ½” solid squares already cut, but my main reason for mixing both is that it would be more visually interesting.

Here’s what my sewing desk looked like while working. I basically took one print square and paired it with a light solid. I sewed one darker solid to a lighter solid.

Because nothing was in strip form, I had to sew pairs, chain piecing as I went. I loved how freeing this method was, just pick up a square and attach it to whatever I wanted.

I was a bit short on cut solids, so I had to cut more from on-hand strips. I gauged cutting as I went along, not wanting to end up with leftovers for the box.

Once I had several pairs sewn, it was time to switch gears and press. I pressed toward dark squares for nesting purposes. After pressing several pair, it was time to start making blocks. I sewed a print/solid pair to a solid/solid pair, dark colors opposite to make a 4 patch.

To make a block, I sewed four 4 patches together. So a 16-patch…?

You can see the pattern of a row of prints then a row of dark solids.

After several blocks were complete and assessing how much fabric was left, it was time to determine the size of the quilt.

I decided on 8 blocks across and 8 down. I needed to make eight additional 3/4 blocks for the bottom row. Why? Because I like the quilt top row to be the same as the bottom row. Meaning, if I hadn’t added the partial blocks, the top row and the bottom row fabrics wouldn’t have matched up. Plus, I prefer a rectangular quilt to a square one.

Here’s a look at how few cut squares I had left. I eliminated an entire box and consolidated prints and solids into one.

Would you like to guess how many 2 ½” squares were used in all? 1,120! Can you believe it? I found that pretty surprising.

So…here’s a look at the finished quilt top!

It measures 62 ½” wide x 68 ½” long.

I love the way it turned out.

But…I’ve had it sitting around for a couple of months now and I’m pretty sure I won’t quilt it, so I’ve decided to sell it as a ‘quilt top.’ If interested, please send me an email, I’d love to see it go to a new home and become a quilt. 🙂

This was a great project with pretty results. Got too many scraps, give this one a go!

modern quilts, monday morning designs quilt pattern, quilts, sewing

2023 Project Recap

Deb Gehringer

At the beginning of the new year, I like to take a look back to see what projects I completed or am close to completing, for the last 12 months.

Earlier in the year, I wanted to decorate with toss pillows. Given that I have quite a few fat quarters on hand, it made perfect sense to use them for small chair pillows.

I also had some yardage so I made 16″ square pillows for my daybed.

The one in the middle back was made using the pillow sham that came with the comforter. I didn’t want to set out a bed-sized pillow so I put it to good use otherwise.

This little mini was made from cut-away squares from the ghost quilt. I didn’t want to throw them away, but the small size of the HST made for a sewing challenge!

I really enjoy making a colorful Stitches & Stars quilt, so I decided to make a baby version and have it for sale in my Etsy shop. It’s a fun fat eighth friendly pattern and it’s very versatile.

I released two kitten related projects last year, which is kind of funny because I don’t even own a cat! Because they’re such cute blocks to make I guess I couldn’t resist.

On the left is my Spooky Kittens throw quilt. It’s beginner-friendly and the pattern offers two options, yardage or fat quarters. It’s fast and fun!

On the right is my Cozy Kittens mini. It makes a nice wall hanging or table topper, and it’s designed for the confident quilter and above.

Because I wanted to give appliqué a try and couldn’t find a tree pattern, I designed (with some technical help) my Big Tree and Little Tree PDF outline patterns. Big Tree is great for a wall hanging, advent countdown or decorating in your own style. Little Tree is a fun, whimsical tree for appliquéing onto a pillow, clothing or whatever else suits you!

Much like my Pinwheels Galore quilt (seen below), I wanted a leisure project so I made a postage stamp like quilt. I’ll write a blog post about it once finished, but here’s a look at piecing four patches, getting the quilt underway.

This quilt was one that just came to me, so I decided to make it and release the pattern. It’s a nod to Wee Three Trees, it’s like Wee Tree Trees grows up. 😉

It’s called Winter Woodlands and is geared for a jelly roll and makes a quick finish. I made mine using Merry Little Christmas by Bonnie & Camille. You can see it’s only a quilt top…I’m waiting for a local quilt shop to open and will take it there for longarming if they offer it.

I always make a handmade pillowcase for my husband in bird fabric. Last year’s was no different!

Lastly, my Pinwheels Galore finish! I started this in 2022 as a quilt with no timeline. I finally got it pieced and ready for longarming in the spring of 2023. For no good reason, I didn’t send it out until late summer and finished it in late fall.

It’s queen size, and it makes the second one of that size I made for myself. I’d like to be able to switch quilts throughout the year so this will give me the option to do so.

That wraps up 2023!

To date, I have three patterns for release, two quilts and a holiday table runner (a first for me). I hope you’ll stop back and see what’s in store for 2024.

modern quilts, monday morning designs quilt pattern, PDF pattern, quilting, quilts, Uncategorized

Classic Plaid Quilt Pattern

Deb Gehringer

I like to start off every year with a new pattern release and this year it’s Classic Plaid. I finished this pattern (and quilt) nearly 5 years ago but kept pushing it back because I’d get a new idea then start that, etc., etc.

The main reason why I designed this quilt is because I feel we quilters need a quilt pattern geared toward the masculine side. While this one is very versatile, it’s a perfect choice for a man, after all, men need quilts too!

So…here it is!

Classic Plaid is designed specifically for the beginner quilter, but you don’t have to be a newbie to make it; it’s suitable for quilters of all levels. It’s oh-so-easy as there are only two blocks to make. Assembly is really fast because you’ll use techniques such as strip piecing and chain piecing, making it go together in a snap.

There are three sizes to choose from: throw, twin and queen. Only four different colored fabrics of yardage are needed. Easy, right?

Often times the most simple designs make the most interesting quilts and this one is definitely a great example.

For quilting on mine, I chose a 1 1/2″ grid to coordinate with the quilt’s design. Basic, yet it makes a statement.

Here’s a look at Barbara’s quilt. She made a throw size using blue and red bandana fabrics. They’re an excellent choice, and I’d like to mention that she’s an excellent quilter.

Barbara had her quilt longarmed in a cowboy/western motif of boots, spurs and stars. I love how she also used a darker thread for quilting, it really brings out the details. Great job Barbara, it’s a beautiful finish!

Joanna, another awesome quilter, made a throw size quilt. We all loved her version; she fussy cut the background square. I honestly have to say that I never would have thought of this which is why I love getting testers’ take on patterns. This is such an adorable quilt, excellent job Joanna!

Lastly, I have to share this photo. I had my husband hold my quilt up in front of a beautifully painted mural (in NW PA). Without realizing it, the people’s heads in the mural are poking up from the top and look as if they’re holding up the quilt or hiding behind it, which I thought was pretty funny.

Classic Plaid is available for purchase in my Etsy shop starting today!

monday morning designs quilt pattern, PDF pattern, quilting, quilts, Uncategorized

Pinwheels Galore Queen Size Quilt

Deb Gehringer

In the fall of 2022, I found myself (once again) making another quilt for my bed to use up leftover fabric. Since I’d already made a queen size on point scrappy quilt, I thought it was time to make one using my own pattern.

I had a variety of beautiful fabrics to use so I decided on Pinwheels Galore because 1. I love to sew pinwheels 2. the pinwheels are on the larger size so I knew they’d showcase all the lovely, vibrant colors.

Pinwheels Galore is an easy, 10″ square friendly pattern. Just make pinwheels, strip piece the bars for sashing and voilà, you’ve got yourself a quilt. The pattern is a PDF download and four sizes are available: baby, throw, twin and queen.

To start, I chose the most colorful fabrics I had enough of and began making HST for the pinwheel blocks. Fabrics included: Art Gallery Elements and Matchmade by Pat Bravo of Art Gallery Fabrics, Moda Rustic Weave and Grunge, Bedrock by Windham Fabrics and Blossom by Riley Blake.

Here’s a look at some HST before creating the pinwheels.

I needed 72 pinwheels which works out to 288 HST. That’s a lot! I made sure of an even balance between lights, darks and colorways.

Because of the sheer number of HST needed, chain piecing came in very handy.

Here’s a look at some pinwheel blocks…

After finishing all the pinwheels, it was time to start the sashing. I’d designed the pattern to include strip piecing, so with that there’s chain piecing, too. I can’t say enough about how easy this pattern is, and fast!

While working on this quilt I completed other projects, took breaks, etc. Start to finish time was several months which was intended as I was in no hurry. I had everything sewn together in April 2023.

Here it is after trimming threads on the back; an annoying task and time consuming, but completely necessary. 😉

In August, I sent it off for longarming. For the quilting pattern, I chose Euphoria by Urban Elementz. I love how it turned out! Here it is on the cutting table for trimming off excess batting and backing.

I had made the binding long before I sent out the quilt. I was glad of that because it was ready to go once I got the quilt back. I used different colors of Blossom by Riley Blake. While it’s one of my favorite collections because of the small print and variety of colors, it frays a lot. That said, it took me quite a while to trim the binding edge before basting it down for machine sewing.

Lastly, here’s my finished quilt…

For backing, I used a wide width due to the amount needed. The fabric here is Lava Lamps by Whistler Studio. I love that every color on the back is seen on the front.

For this photo I added pillows I made but keep elsewhere in my home. I thought they looked cute so I included them. 😉

That ends my major projects for 2023! And I doubt there’ll be any more queen size quilts in my future, but who knows…

Christmas, modern quilts, monday morning designs quilt pattern, PDF download, quilting, Uncategorized

Winter Woodlands Quilt Pattern

Deb Gehringer

To end this year’s quilt pattern releases, I’d like to introduce my Winter Woodlands PDF pattern, now available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Winter Woodlands is a nod to my best selling pattern, Wee Three Trees mini quilt. For quite a while I’d been thinking about making the mini into a larger version and here it is! Just think of it as Wee Three Trees grown up. 😉

For my quilt, I used Moda’s jelly roll Merry Little Christmas by Bonnie and Camille.

This collection is so festive and is a perfect choice for this quilt. I love the traditional red and green and that teal is also included.

Since the pattern is written for a throw size quilt (finishes 55″ x 60 ½”) you can make it all from a jelly roll, including the binding!

Winter Woodlands block made from Moda’s Evergreen Collection

I know I say it a lot, but my testers all agreed this is a quick make! It’s geared toward confident quilters; yet if you’re a quilter looking to build your quilting skills, give it a whirl.

It’s the perfect time with the holiday season upon us, so I hope you’ll get your copy and add a festive quilt to your home for this coming winter.

fabric project, home decor, patterns, PDF download, sewing

Big Tree & Little Tree Downloadable Templates

Deb Gehringer

For several years, I’ve seen lovely appliqué projects but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to give one a try. Since the holiday season wasn’t too far off, I thought a small tree would be a cute idea for a decorative pillow.

Initially I set out for a pattern to download, but found nothing. I really wanted to give appliqué a whirl so I decided to make my own pattern (with recruited help from my daughter’s artistic hand.) 🙂

Before long, we came up with the Little Tree pattern. Shortly thereafter, for larger projects, the Big Tree pattern was created.

After researching how to appliqué and acquiring the necessary materials, I set to work. Once finished, I thought it didn’t turn out too bad for a first try!

Next up was to make something using the Big Tree template. Since it measures over 17″ high, I made two as a wall hangings (one for me, one for a gift).

To make them, I used the same plaid fabric, adhered a low-loft fusible fleece, added backing, quilted 1″ rows then ran a zigzag stitch around the edge.

Not only are they festive, they’re easy and fast! Think of all the things you could add to decorate them…buttons, bows, photos, ornaments—just about anything lightweight.

Another idea is to make a Big Tree project for advent or a Christmas countdown. I added cutout numbers to my finished plaid tree. Because the tree is generously sized, there’s plenty of room for attaching pockets for small advent gifts.

I’m convinced these versatile tree templates would make a great addition to your list of holiday project must-makes. 😉

You can purchase both templates together in one download from my Etsy shop.

Why not get your favorite holiday fabric ready and start a project today—I’d love to see what you create.

halloween, modern quilts, monday morning designs quilt pattern, quilts, Uncategorized

Making My Spooky Kittens Throw Quilt

Deb Gehringer

My last entry was about the release of my latest pattern, Spooky Kittens. Since this quilt has gotten quite a bit of interest, I decided to post a write-up with photos for a more in-depth look at my process.

I’d like to start by mentioning that not only is this pattern beginner friendly, it sews together fast and instructions include 2 fabric choices, either fat quarters or yardage. And also for beginners, there are no half square triangles which can sometimes be a challenge!

To make my quilt, I used yardage since I had most of the solids I wanted to use on hand.

Kona Cottons from L to R – Morning Glory, Black, Citrus, Quicksilver

Once my colors were chosen, it was time to get started. In a nutshell, this pattern consists of making two mirrored kitten blocks, adding sashing then putting it all together. All testers agreed—it’s a quick make.

And here’s why…throughout the pattern there are several places where you can chain piece: when assembling the kitten heads and again when attaching sashing strips. It’s no secret that chain piecing is an excellent time-saver. 😉

You can also chain piece when attaching kitten heads to background pieces, as I did here…

And again when sewing the kittens blocks together making finishing blocks a breeze.

Once the blocks were sewn and my layout was complete, it was time to sew the blocks and vertical sashing strips into rows. At this point, everything was coming together as I envisioned so I was pretty happy about that. 🙂

With rows completed, the last thing to do was attach the sashing. Here’s a tip for handling the sashing strips; once they’re sewn into long strips, wrap them around something sturdy so they will unfold nicely when you’re attaching them to rows.

I used comic book cardboard backing boards for wrapping and it worked great. (I happen to have a whole pack for wrapping and storing my solid fabrics). If you don’t have any on hand, cardboard or anything sturdy will work just fine.

Once my quilt top was complete, I had to pause a while waiting for a fabric order. I wanted something Halloween themed for the backing and I found the perfect fabric. It’s from Free Spirit’s line Spell Bound and it features black chains on a festive orange background. It was the perfect compliment to the quilt front.

With my quilt top complete, my backing fabric cut, sewn and pressed, it was time to sandwich and pin baste my quilt. Not a favorite part of the process but I managed to get through it easily enough. 😉

After basting, I needed to decide on a quilting pattern. Since the kittens are shorter blocks, I thought the quilting would showcase best by running horizontally. And because the kittens are a bit ‘spooky’, I decided the quilting should give that sort of vibe, too. That said, I chose a three-stitch zigzag with the lines spaced 1 1/4″ apart.

I used medium gray Aurifil thread (2605), and was pleased with the results.

Since the binding is the finishing touch—I consider it ‘framing in’ the quilt, kind of like choosing the right frame for a piece of art—I wanted something to set it off.

I also wanted to use a common Halloween color so I went with purple.

So here it is—my version of Spooky Kittens complete!

One last thing…I had my test block leftover so I decided to make it into a mini quilt. For this, I used the serpentine quilting motif sewn with a lighter gray thread. I also used Kiwi Kona cotton for the binding. It’ll make a great wall hanging in a small area.

There you have it, easy and quick! And a great quilt to add to your Halloween decor. I hope you enjoy this fun Halloween quilt and you try one out for yourself.

halloween, modern quilts, PDF pattern, quilts, Uncategorized

Spooky Kittens Quilt Pattern

Deb Gehringer

It’s nearly back to school and that means back to the sewing machine! With Halloween just a mere 78 days away, you’ll have more than enough time to whip up my latest quilt pattern, Spooky Kittens. It’s now available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

To all the Halloween lovers out there, this quilt’s for you. Spooky Kittens has a lot to offer…first of all, it’s beginner friendly. The pattern is written for throw size; it consists of just two mirrored blocks, sashing, and presto, it’s done!

Another bonus is that the pattern comes with two fabric options—yardage or fat quarters.

I made mine using yardage. For the back, I went with a really fun print with black chains on an orange background. With all the seasonal fabrics out there, you’ll surely find something to make yours unique!

I’d love to see your version of this fun and easy quilt! With either fabric option you choose it’s sure to be a Halloween favorite. 🙂

home decor, mini quilts, monday morning designs quilt pattern, quilting, Uncategorized

Cozy Kittens Mini Quilt Pattern

Deb Gehringer

Every year I like to release a winter holiday pattern and this year’s pattern is ready to go just in time for Christmas in July. It’s called Cozy Kittens and it can be purchased in my Etsy shop.

Cozy Kittens measures 23 ½” wide x 17″ high, so I consider it a mini quilt but it’s also a great size for a table topper.

What’s more? It’s written for fat eighths but I bet if you dig into your scrap bin you’d find plenty in there for this one. 🙂

This cute little mini quilt is suitable for the confident beginner and testers all agreed that it goes together really fast!

If you’re looking for a quick sew and want to get your holiday sewing underway early, get your copy and get started. Happy Sewing!

baby quilts, modern quilts, monday morning designs quilt pattern, quilting, quilts, Uncategorized

Stitches & Stars Baby Quilt Finish

Deb Gehringer

Finally, another quilt finish! While this is only my second quilt for the year, I do have a couple of new patterns in the works that I’m excited to share fairly soon.

Yesterday I finished a baby version of my Stitches & Stars pattern. I decided to make this to help use up some extra fabric, mostly solids. I also had on hand a variety of colorful bindings from other makes. I attached them all together and came up with a myriad of colors. It’s definitely a fun look and certainly adds some brights, too.

For this baby version, I used soft-colored solids for the stars. The sashing, the “stitches”, are made using a tone-on-tone print by Art Gallery Fabrics. I feel accenting with gray is always a good choice. 😉

Since it’s for baby, I thought I’d soften the whole look by using an off-white solid on both the front and back. And to add some extra flair, I sewed together the cut-aways and made a fun stripe on the back.

For the quilting, I ran a vertical serpentine stitch every 1 1/2″ which gives it that lovely, crinkly-quilty look.

I released Stitches & Stars in 2022. It’s a really fun pattern to make, and if you’re one who loves star quilts it would be a perfect pattern for you.

I have decided to put this for sale on my Etsy shop hoping a cute baby will receive it soon!