New year, new pattern! I couldn’t wait to get everything together to have this pattern, Star Shimmer, released in January. I finished the quilt top last year but it’s finally ready for purchase in my Etsy shop. 🙂
Star Shimmer is an instant PDF download chock-full of easy-to-follow and colorful diagrams. It’s a fat quarter friendly pattern available in 3 sizes: baby, small throw and large throw.
My quilt (above) is small throw size made with Kona Cotton New 1930’s collection. I envisioned it in pastels and this fabric did not disappoint!
Star Shimmer is suitable for a confident quilter and above. The blocks are on the larger side so they come together rather quickly. Plus it’s just a fun one to create.
And, if you’re always wondering what to do with cut-away corners—there’s no worries as they’re used to make half square triangles resulting in very little waste! Always a win.
Envisioning yours in your favorite fabric line? Grab some fat quarters and give it a try. There are so many color options that would definitely make this one shine.
Wee Three Trees is now available in kits! Shabby Fabrics has this little mini pattern bundled with festive fabric so that one-stop shopping makes it easy. Inside the kit you will find beautiful Moda fabric and a paper copy of the pattern. Kits are limited so be sure to order early! 🙂
Have your own fabric? No problem! You can purchase either a paper or PDF pattern in my Etsy shop.
Wee Three Trees is designed for the confident beginner, but of course it’s a fun make for anyone. Plus, it goes together fast making it a great weekend project. And now’s the time to start on that holiday sewing, right? 😉
It’s nearly back to school and for a lot of quilters that means back to the sewing machine! Just in time to kick off sewing season, I have a fun and quick pattern for you – Stitches & Stars. It’s now available for purchase as a PDF download in my Etsy shop.
Everyone loves the sawtooth star, don’t they? In thinking so, I’d decided it was about time to design a pattern highlighting this famously loved block. To give it a new and innovative twist, I added stitches around the blocks to create a defining, unique look.
My quilt shown is throw size yet the pattern is also written for baby, twin and queen sizes. I made mine using beautiful Art Gallery Fabrics Nature Elements in jewel tones for the stars, and from the same collection in gray for the stitches. I used Bella Solids Bleached White PFD for the background.
It’s also designed for a quick-sew in mind…the stitches are larger pieces strip pieced and chained pieced then cut smaller. The stars are made with flying geese, using the 4 at a time method. It goes together fast!
Here’s a look at tester’s quilts…
There are so many color version opportunities with this one, why not give it a try?!?
Just in time for Christmas in July, here’s my pattern for this upcoming holiday season, Christmastime! Now available for purchase as a PDF download in my Etsy shop.
Finishing at 31 ¼” x 30 ¼”, Christmastime sews up in no time. Just choose your favorite colors and create a festive quilt – great as either a wall hanging or a table topper. And here’s a fun fact, I designed the tree construction in a non-conventional way that’s oh-so-easy with fewer seams and a smoother finish!
For my version of the quilt, I went bold with Kona Cotton solids which kind of gives it a Dr. Seuss look. 😉
Here’s a look at two of my testers quilts…Barbara went full-on Christmas which is just beautiful!
Janine chose solids and created a delightfully fun color scheme! And her choice of quilting is spot-on.
This is my first pattern of wall hanging or table topper size giving even more choices in my Etsy shop. If you’re looking for something fun to whip up that’s also whimsical AND original, give Christmastime a try!
After relocating and settling in, I’ve decided it’s time to clear out some of my mini quilts. Now most people would have thought to do this before moving, but, well…you know… 😉 Anyway, these minis are great for hanging on your wall or door -or- they make excellent table toppers. I have five on sale for 20% off on my Etsy shop for this week only! (More details are available on Etsy listing).
Here’s a run down of what’s available. Let’s start with my retro Flower Heart mini. I made this for my Scrappy Heart Mini tutorial a few years ago. It’s made with a fun, flowery collection from Riley Blake fabrics.
Next up is my Pinwheels Galoremini quilt. This mini is the one featured on the cover of my PDF pattern. Also, a baby size quilt version of this pattern was published in Quilts & more fall edition 2021. It’s a Monday Morning Designs pattern.
Another Monday Morning Design is my Floriography mini quilt. I embellished the block by adding a square-in-a-square border to help frame the center. This colorful mini is made with the Bedrock collection from Windham fabrics and boy does it pop!
This bold black, white and pink Flower mini is from a pattern by the Family Hearth. I used delightful prints by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics for a striking aesthetic.
Full Bloom Mini Quilt
If you’re looking to bring autumnal colors indoors, this Maple leaf mini will do the trick! The pattern is by Cori Yoder. I used Moda fabrics throughout to give it a true-to-life fall vibe.
All five mini’s have corner pockets sewn onto the back to accommodate a dowel rod for easy hanging. All minis are handmade by me.
Choose a favorite for yourself, give one to a friend or loved one as they make great gifts!
Pinwheels Galore quilt pattern is available for purchase in my Etsy shop. My last post introduced Pinwheels Galore Mini quilt but if you’d like to try it in a larger size you now have four choices – baby, throw, twin and queen.
My sample shown above is a baby quilt made with Blossom fabrics by Riley Blake.
Here’s some information about the pattern: the pinwheels use 10″ squares making it layer cake friendly and the cut-away waste is minimal. And of course, there’s always the option of going scrappy!
The pieced sashing requires small amounts of yardage. Like the mini, this also goes together quickly because it’s designed for strip piecing and chain piecing.
With so many size options available coupled with a quick finish and cuteness, there’s got to be a perfect size for everyone!
If you’re up for a beginner mini pattern, you’ve got it! This is quick, easy, fun and a great choice for quilters of all levels. Love pinwheels? Look no further; it truly is pinwheels galore!
Quilters find that making minis is fun because they go together pretty fast, but this one goes together really fast. It’s designed for both strip piecing and chain piecing.
Here’s some additional information about the mini…it measures 19 1/2″ square so it’s an excellent size for hanging or for a table topper.
Also, soon I’ll be offering this design in 4 quilt sizes – baby, throw, twin and queen. Look for the pattern later this month!
Pinwheels Galore Mini Quilt is available for purchase in my Etsy shop. Just pick your favorite colors and enjoy some time sewing!
Every year I like to take a look back at the projects I completed. While there were plenty of quilts and small projects, there was also a significant pause where I made absolutely nothing. Just needed a break I guess. 😉
I started the year off with a new pattern, Floriography. I designed it for a layer cake and tested it with one I’d had since 2015. The original pattern had square-in-a-square blocks in the sashing but once I made it I thought it might be too much fuss and if I thought so, other quilters would too. I still may offer it as Floriography II if there’s enough interest.
After completion, I ended up altering the pattern and offsetting the blocks so this is Floriography as it is today. The pattern is still layer cake friendly and is available for purchase in my Etsy shop. So far it’s been pretty popular and it’s so versatile with fabric cuts and colors, I used fat quarters!
Next, I played around with my Triangle Twizzle pattern by making a baby quilt first. Doing so helped me get the design where I wanted it. I really liked this one, especially the lovely pastels.
After tweaking the pattern, I ended up with my final version of Triangle Twizzle which is available in my Etsy shop with three size options: baby, small throw and large throw. It’s very easy and great for the beginner quilter.
For this quick finish I used various 2 1/2″ strips for an outdoor quilt as per my daughter’s request. She wanted it just big enough to sit on or cover up with and nothing fancy. All I did was gather a bunch of strips and put them together for a super scrappy look. The backing was a mix of gray pieces in random sizes which didn’t matter since it would be used primarily on the ground.
For the quilting, I experimented with a short zigzag stitch and really liked the results.
By early March I finished my Playful Pastels baby quilt for the Fall 2021 issue of Quilts and more. This pattern will be available when I have my copyrights back, making it the end of February 2022. I’m excited to release this pattern, renamed Pinwheels Galore; it’ll be available in four sizes: baby, throw, twin and queen.
I made The Ghost Quilt by Pen + Paper Patterns and along with it I made a few minis. It was a fun one, but it was also a ‘one and done’ one!
This was an ongoing quilt that I made using 2 1/2″ squares I cut as leftovers, although I did have to buy some yardage for the background. I absolutely love this quilt…except for the quilting…it just isn’t what I’d hoped for but it was a fun make and will someday be used on my queen size bed.
Other projects included reusable grocery bags, wine bottle bags, a pillowcase, fall leaf minis, Christmas stockings and table napkins. (A PDF wine bottle bag tutorial will be posted soon!)
I also have two other patterns nearing completion. Here’s a peek at one entitled Christmastime. It’s wall hanging size and will be available in July! The other quilt will be available in several sizes and features the ever-popular sawtooth star.
That wraps up last year and here’s looking forward to a quilty 2022! 🙂
Even though summer has just left us, now’s the time to get started on our holiday sewing projects. It’s definitely not too early especially if you plan to make a quilt and would like to have it finished in plenty of time.
I’ve noticed a lot a quilt patterns out there are so close to being the same as one another, and well, it’s getting kind of old. In order to make what change I could, I decided to design something completely different, and what better subject is there than the holidays? So last year I set to work and came up with my Holiday Hemlocks throw quilt in two versions, Scrappy Holiday Hemlocks PDF pattern…
There’s no denying this quilt design is definitely different than any other holiday quilt, right? Well, that’s exactly what I was going for. But different doesn’t mean difficult. 😉
Here are a few things I’d like to note about these quilts…they’re traditionally pieced with no tricky blocks involved, and the patterns are suitable for anyone who has made only a couple of quilts! In fact, one of my testers was an absolute beginner and hers turned out great.
My patterns are always clearly written with step-by-step instructions, there are also plenty of detailed, colorful diagrams throughout.
Don’t have time to make an entire quilt? Try this festive little mini instead—Wee Three Trees.
This pattern is by far the best seller in my Etsy shop. I made the one photographed here for myself, but I’ve made several of them for gifts, too. Wee Three Trees is a relatively quick make, you could easily whip one up in a weekend.
I’m happy to say that my baby quilt Playful Pastels is finally published!
I say ‘finally’ because it was quite a long process. To start, it was early June 2020 when I submitted my project for publication consideration to Better Homes & Gardens’ quilting magazine, Quilts & more. Whenever I do so, I know it’ll take a while to hear back, but when I did it wasn’t until the Fall 2021 issue that there was a spot for it. The timeframe was perfectly fine, but wow, that seems like forever ago!
After accepting the terms and working out the details, I had to make the quilt. Since it was a baby quilt, I wanted to use pastel colors so I chose the Blossom collection by Christopher Thompson. I usually lean toward small prints and this line is just background color with a small white design that looks like tiny flowers. As for the timeline, it was early February 2021 when I requested fabric from Riley Blake Designs.
The fabric arrived quickly but because I had a deadline of March 10, 2021, I started on it right away.
Playful Pastels is a really quick make so I was able to finish by the end of February. Here’s what makes it go so fast…there are only 9 main blocks, the pinwheels. The sashing around them is strip-pieced, meaning you sew the pieces together when they’re long, then cut them down to the size you need. That way you’re not sewing small pieces together.
For the quilting, I did a 1 1/4″ crosshatch design. I learned (the hard way) that you need to use a lot of pins when quilting, so I made sure I did when basting. Constantly moving the pins was pretty time consuming, but the results made it worth the effort.
I was able to ship my quilt out early March; then I could finally relax. 😉
Months previously I’d submitted instructions along with diagrams. Once everything was ready to go to print in June, I was given an electronic copy for proofing. It all looked good, so the rest was just waiting until publication in August.
Last week I received the photos I was permitted to use. Here’s a look…
Monday Morning Designs 