Hi Everyone, Did you all have a marvelous National/International Quilting Day? I spent it at an antique show and a Civil War battlefield. I didn't take so much as one stitch! I usually spend my weekends with my husband--so I don't often quilt on those days. On Sunday, my husband seemed a bit bored, so I got him to help me with a project for my quilt room. If you have been following me for a while, you may remember my post about my quilt room after we got moved in and settled. If you haven't, you can read about it here. I have loved the room and haven't made too many changes. I could always use more storage, though (can't we all?) and I found this blog post on pinterest. If you scroll about halfway through, you will see this picture. The photo is linked to a blog, but try as I might, I couldn't find out anything about this rack thing. Isn't it cool? In my quilt room, I have this area: See how the wall with the two quilts is "free" but there isn't much clearance for anything to be up against it? I thought that "rack" would work out great here. I did some figuring. The wall is just over 4 feet wide. I decided that we could make one pretty easily. We bought 3 1x4s that were 6 feet long. One of them was for the top, so my husband cut it to 4 feet. (You can also have them do it at the home improvement store. We got our stuff at the "blue" one, not the "orange" one.) The rack would be six feet high and 4 feet wide. I decided on having 8 dowels for the "rungs." Why 8? It just seemed right. We got dowels that were 3/4" thick and 4 feet long. Again, it seemed right--not too thick, and not too thin. I took one of the side boards and marked it. First I marked where I wanted the top dowel to be, and then the bottom--you don't want one too close to the floor! Then I split the difference between so I had eight marks for the holes. My husband has a spade drill bit that drills 3/4" holes--that is a necessary item! This next step is important, too. Clamp both side board together with the marks on top and drill all the holes through both boards at the same time so they are perfectly spaced! We sanded and then he screwed the sides onto the top. Next we put most of the dowels in (to help stabilize it) and took it to the wall to position it. We marked where we wanted it to be and set it aside. To hang it, we took a piece of 2x2 and screwed it into studs along our marked line. Then we sat the rack on it and screwed up from the bottom of the 2x2 into the top of the rack. That was it! It took about an hour and a half and all the stuff cost less than $36! If we weren't renting, I would have painted it, but I didn't want any paint to rub off onto the wall. Here it is! See all the stuff I started putting on it? I have lots more room, too. Here is the top. Can you see the darker board? That is the 2x2 that it is mounted to. The top makes a nice shelf for display! Right now, I have put up unquilted tops, blocks for on-going projects, and other incomplete projects. I also have a partially used jelly roll hanging there. This is going to be great when I'm doing a project with lots of strips and strip sets. Also, it will be a great place to hang borders, etc. I'm just thrilled with the added storage! I hope you all have a great day! JoAnne
Memorial Day, Flag Day, and America's Independence Day are just around the corner. Red, white and blue quilts, wall hangings, flags, pillow...
Want to try sashing a quilt? Get some inspiration for quilt sashing in this post and make your own now.
Does batting have a right and wrong side? The answer is yes! Check out this photo guide to help you find the right batting for your next quilt.
There are strip quilt patterns you can follow to easily use up all that scrap
I am so excited to introduce you guys to my favorite, most meaningful quilt pattern yet, Interwoven! I designed this quilt as a gift for my husband. He's been asking for a quilt of his own for the past several years. I've been hesitant to get started on such a project because well, I wanted it to be perfect. The colors, the design, the quilting, everything! If you've seen our home decor, you'd quickly pick up the fact that we love neutrals. Little pops of color here and there are nice, but overall, I love calm and soothing color palates for the majority of our decor. Sometimes grays feel a little too cool for me, but I really love the soft and warm tone of Kona Doeskin. I'd maybe call it more of a tan gray. I paired Doeskin with Kona Snow (always my go-to white), and I knew that I wanted his quilt to contain only these two colors. When brainstorming designs, I wanted to create something timeless. Block-based patterns are nice, but I just didn't picture that kind of quilt on Peter's recliner. I wanted something with depth and movement. Something that made you stop and stare. I love geometry and playing lines and shapes this was a fun challenge for me! I played around with these lines on my computer for several months before I was happy with the overall aesthetic of the quilt. I then turned my plans into action, and I ended up loving it even more than I originally did! And most importantly, he loves it too. :) While I am a huge fan of two color quilts, I know that many of you love color and gradients. I do too, in the right context :) So I decided to introduce a fun color option for this quilt. I toyed around with how to incorporate colors into the quilt. Alternating colors between the lines was an option, but that seemed too busy and circus-like to me. I finally decided on doing a gradient across the horizontal axis of the quilt to give it a entirely different look. Not only do your eyes move with the lines, they also move as the colors fade from top to bottom. Love it! This is such a fun quilt to use with color gradients! The throw size uses eleven colors while the crib size uses nine. I suggest choosing 1-3 colors, then build your various shades from those colors. Both the two color and multi-color versions include instructions for two sizes, Crib (42
Modern quilts and pattern house
The Minimalist Square Burst is the third, and final, quilt in the Square Burst 2.0 series. This variation uses just two fabrics to create a more modern look! Is this my favorite quilt I've ever made? Maybe. I love absolutely everything about this quilt. From the texture of the Essex linens, to the softness of the Art
Quilted by Jessica's Quilting Studio
Ray is on a roll of finishing quilts again. Sit back and take them all in… Ray writes:Thanks to your blog readers and their generosity with patriotic quilt tops, I am still finishing quilts f…
The Attic Windows pattern is one of the most popular and best loved of all three dimensional quilt patterns! The pattern draws the eye into ...
I mentioned here that I made a center block for three different medallion quilts. Two are Marcelle Medallion blocks from the medallion pattern in the Liberty Love book. The third was for the design as you go Medallion project we’re currently working on with the Utah County Modern Quilt Group. For that block I decided to make a lone star [...]
Here is the second quilt Patty sent from Germany. This one is called American Glory by Peddlecar Quilts and the fabric line is called Faded Splendor by Robyn Pandolph. Patty asked for custom quilting and said she liked feathers so I was happy to make sure there were a few feather motifs on this quilt! I started with the flowing feathers in the outer border and added the piano key quilting in the middle border. The small inner border has a curl feather design. All the borders are stitched in the ditch to define each area. I took these first couple of pictures early in the morning when the sun was low so you can really see the quilting well. I used Quilters Dream Blend batting and a beige So Fine thread on top and a beige Bottom Line in the bobbin. I used a stencils to mark the designs in the center of the stars and center feathered star. Free hand loops frame the flags and I used a ruler to create the simple star design on the flags, the rest was stitch in the ditch. The center feathers star was were I focused the feather motifs and used a few curved QP rulers to create the shapes. This next pictures were taking in the afternoon light. Patty I’m so glad you found my blog and trusted me with your quilts! You were a pleasure to work with!
Oh my Ray has been busy. I know because whenever he is busy, my inbox gets flooded with emails from him. HA! Read on and hear the latest. Ray writes: I took a short break from patriotic quilts and …
To go with the video tutorial I've put together a cheat sheet. It details my method of making pinwheels along with a handy reference chart with the quilt math to make pinwheels in all sorts of sizes. You can download a PDF version of the cheat sheet by clicking here. You can also 'Pin" the
Goodville, Pennsylvania is just a blip of a town. You drive through it before you realize you even arrived. Its biggest claim to fame is the legendary hoard of quilting fabric in Obies Country Stor…
HIdden Star Quilt Tutorial
String quilts are pretty fantastic. They're so much fun to make, a great way to use up scraps, and can help build a lot of confidence if you're just beginning to learn to piece and quilt. How to make a string quilt isn't new, and there are lots of other great tutorials out there. I learned how to make my first one from a blog I adore: Film in the Fridge. I use a similar foundation piecing, aka paper...
Make this innovative design using your favorite solid colors -- quilt blocks in vibrant solids make this bed-size quilt pattern sing!
Talk about a great use of scraps! This patchwork quilt block is perfect for using up even your smaller pieces. The free Stars and Stripes block pattern is easy to make and can be pieced stripped for speed.
Wondering how to make a tradtional Manx Quilt Block? Top US quilting blog, Diary of a Quilter, features their step by step guide. Click here now!!
The Deltille Quilt is here! After I made my first sample (the patriotic one), I started playing with my color chips to figure out what to do for my cover quilt. I knew I wanted to make the ombre version for the cover, but didn't have a specific color vision in mind. And, honestly, I was all over the place with colo
Simplified Construction Uses a No-Waste Method! Sawtooth Star blocks (or eight-pointed stars) are used in so many quilt patterns and they’re extremely versatile. Depending on how many fabrics are used, and how they’re arranged, the blocks can take on several looks. The blocks are simple to make but Amy Smart from Diary of a Quilter …
Free star quilt tutorials and patterns. Are you looking for a fun quilt? Star quilts don't have to be super complicated. There are more than 10 star quilts to sew! Stars are really a basic
The life of an UnRuly Quilter
A Free Sawtooth Sunburst Quilt Top Pattern: This easy free pattern is a great beginning quilting project using half square triangles!
On my last day in Illinois this summer, my mom and I visited a quilt shop that had the cutest HST quilt hanging on the wall. It was a half square triangle quilt made with a mixture of Riley Blake Fancy and Fabulous and Moda Sugar Cookie. I knew I had most of the same [...]
I have to be honest, I had always looked at beautifully hand-quilted quilts and thought, “Well, that’s just crazy.” Although I loved the look feel and texture that hand quilting added to a project, I never saw myself doing such intricate work. The funny thing is, I love hand embroidery. Ah, the slow pace, the relaxation of having a project to work on at all times (I always have a hand embroidery project in my purse); and the satisfaction of finishing something that only required a simple needle and thread. I don’t know why it took my so long to realize that hand quilting is just one big hand embroidery project and usually using just one stitch, the running stitch! Hand quilting, especially in the modern quilting movement, has made a big resurgence in the last few years. Many quilters have discovered the beauty and added texture this simple stitch can add to a project. My personal favorite is big stitch quilting. This isn’t the hand quilting you would see on a traditional Hawaiian quilt or a hand quilted whole cloth quilt. Those quilts are normally done with a thinner thread and very small stitches so the quilted pattern shows through, not the thread. This style also takes exponentially longer to finish. With big stitch quilting, the thread really is the star, and that is why I like to do my big stitch quilting with Sulky 12 wt. Cotton Threads. Sulky 12 wt. Cotton is equal to about 2 strands of embroidery floss, so it will stand out nicely on the project, and the colors are luscious! Whether I am just doing several lines of big stitch quilting on some white fabric, Or quilting a pieced quilt top, This thread really changes an ordinary project into an extraordinary piece. The beauty of this is I am just doing a standard running stitch! Are you looking to try something new? Then join me in the Slow Stitch Movement. Check out all of Sulky’s 12 Wt. Cotton thread here and let’s start stitching! Happy Sewing.
Hi friends, I am back with another Checkers quilt, this time one showcasing the 2 color layout called the Essex Version! The 2 color layout references the two colors you choose for your checkers blocks or the half circle pieces, this doesn't include the background checkerboard layout that also calls for 2 colors...so technically this is a 4 color quilt. I shared this image on Instagram the other day and was laughing because my dog Pepper is never really interested in any of my quilts - but he couldn't leave this one alone! Today when I was taking some additional pictures he ran back in ready to snuggle on the quilt - wouldn't get off of it! Ok Pepper - we can keep this one! Checkers quilt includes instruction for four sizes: Crib, Throw, Bed and King. The pattern includes a link to a video all about sewing half circle blocks, coloring pages in each size and step by step directions with colorful diagrams. I shared a quick video on Instagram this past week that is helpful on how I pin and glue baste half circle blocks and sewing them at my machine. You can check that out below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Modern Handcraft (@modernhandcraft) There are a few different ways of making this quilt. Multi color - like the cover quilt (fat eighth and fat quarter friendly) 2 Color - this version / choose yardage (there are instructions for directional and non-directional fabrics) Scrappy - choose fabrics from your scrap bin or utilize a layer cake or two for a fun scrappy Checkers look Fabric Information: When I was playing around with my palette picks bundle I designed for Robert Kaufman I kept going back to three of the Essex blends I used in the bundle. I have always been a fan of yarn dyed Essex linen, and the two stripes that are in the bundle are a perfect match for the black linen. Since the Checkers quilt plays with transparency of fabric for the layout - how fun would it be to use the thickness of the stripes to play on that as well! I could see this working with some of the other wonderful Essex stripes, solids and even the gingham print - so many design options! Click on the links below to shop! Background fabric: Kona Cotton White Yardage SKU#K001-1387 Accent fabric: Essex Yarn Dyed Black Linen Yardage SKU#E064-1019 2 Color Checkers fabric: Thick stripe - Essex Yarn Dyed Classic Black Woven Yardage SKU#17586-2 Thin Stripe - Essex Yarn Dyed Classic Black Woven Yardage SKU#17587-2 Binding: Essex Yarn Dyed Classic Black Woven Yardage SKU#17587-2 Backing fabric: Mammoth Flannel Pepper Ben Lomand Yardage SKU#19670-188 If you are in the market for some fun tags on your quilts - my personal tags are from Dutch Label Co. and I buy all my other fun ones from Sarah Hearts Quilting Information: My sweet friend Lilo over at Trace Creek Quilting did the quilting on several of my Checkers quilts that I will be sharing over the next few days! This panto is called: Moon Phases Lilo is offering 25% off Checkers quilts that arrive in studio now through the end of March! Here is a sneek peek at the other quilts that Lilo has quilted for me! Finished Quilt: Thank you again for checking out the blog post today! You can find the PDF pattern here, and the printed pattern will be arriving soon! If you want to check out the Cover quilt featuring my Palette Picks Bundle for Robert Kaufman you can see that post here. Happy Sewing! Nicole P.S. Pepper really thinks you should make a quilt similar to this one - it's his favorite
There is a long story behind the loss and recovery of this tutorial. I won't share the whole tale here, but let's just say that I'm over the moon thrilled that this tutorial has been recovered and I'm excited to be able to share it with you (again) today. This was originally posted on the Bee Square Blog on March 23, 2009. Here's how to make a zig zag quilt without piecing triangles! First, select your fabrics. You will need: -9 quarter yards (not fat quarters) of coordinating print fabric -1 3/4 yards of solid fabric -1/2 yard fabric for binding -3 yards backing fabric -batting and thread Cut two strips 3" wide x WOF (width of fabric) from each of the prints. Cut 18 strips 3" wide x WOF from the background fabric. Sew each print strip to a solid strip with a 1/4" seam allowance. Press toward the gray. Cut into 5.5" squares-you will need 14 blocks for each row. Each strip will yield 7 blocks. Layout as shown (except use all 14 blocks-only 12 are shown). Repeat for the next set of fabrics. Continue building the rows until all 9 fabrics are arranged. Now it's time to assemble the quilt top. Since your quilt squares are set on point, you will be assembling your quilt top on the diagonal. Join the blocks to make strips, then join the strips together as shown. Now the quilt top should look like this. Use a rotary cutter, mat and ruler to cut off the zig zag points.... and your quilt top is finished! The quilt top should measure approximately 46" x 61". Baste, quilt, bind and wash. And you have a finished zig zag quilt!
