I've been working on a lot of small projects lately, so completing a quilt top that has been in progress for a long time feels especially good! (It's been awhile!) I don't often sketch out my quilts ahead of time, but when I do, it's super high tech. Ha! This was my original plan. I had a very deliberate plan for how many white patches were in each block, and the placement of those blocks. About 2/3 of the way through, I decided to just let loose and make blocks on a whim. You know what? It worked out well and it was a lot more fun! After all the blocks were completed, I arranged them in a way that looked good and sew them up. Easy as that. Sometimes I am amazed at my ability to make things harder than they are. :) All of the blocks were improvisationally pieced and each one finishes at 12". I used a variety of white and cream scraps and indigo solid from Connecting Threads as the background. The quilt top measures 60" x 72". I am planning on doing a combination of hand quilting and machine quilting to finish it off. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out so far and I think quilting will really bring it to life! Happy Monday to you!
It is time to move on to block 13, of the I dropped the button box crazy quilt. I know many people enjoy monotone crazy quilt blocks and I hope people will enjoy seeing it in more detail over the next week or so. As you can see there are 6 …
For this month’s interview, EGA spoke with J. Marsha Michler about her love of crazy quilting and experience as a needleworker exploring this freestyle technique. Michler’s White on White Crazy Quilted Wallpiece Group Correspondence Course is only available as a Lightning Round until August 31, and will be retired as a course on December 31, […]
The BIG news is that in addition to the 3 new shape collections, there is a new Inklingo Cleopatra's Fan Design Book—and it is FREE for a limited time!
When I was in Houston in 2016 my special exhibit was right across the aisle from the beautiful Millefiori exhibit with all the beautiful English paper pieced quilts inspired by Willyne Hammerstein and I became fascinated with English paper piecing. I did a few pieces out of fancy silks but then I began to wonder how
I’m collecting my whole cloth quilts for Tuesday’s class at Make*Do*Mend (spaces left if you’ve been putting this one off). We’ll be covering basting, straight-line quilt design, the tools needed to create your design, bindings, quilting basics, squaring a quilt and hand sewing to finish a binding. Thought it would be fun to show a...Read More »
I've been having the hardest time focusing this week, so I decided to start a new project. That is sooooo not logical, unless you are a quilter (or crafter)....right? I bought this quilt kit (my first ever!) from Connecting Threads back in February. The fabric is my friend Cheryl's line called Tag. The pattern is called Arithmetic, by my friend Jeni. It's pretty neat to be able to support two of my friends in one purchase! I love this project because it's FAST! I started cutting late this morning and did the layout this afternoon. I plan to sew a little bit on it this evening. It's so nice to have a straightforward project to work on. My daughter really likes the color scheme, so she has already tried to claim it for her own. I guess we will have to see about that.... The kits are still available (and on sale!) here, if you care to make one of your own. Updated to add: it looks like the kits are sold out. I still highly recommend the pattern! I hope you are having a good week so far!
How to make a Hunter’s star Inspired quilt block? The video demonstrates how to make this very easy quilt block. Use strong contrast between fabrics for best results. How to use this block ? …
Here are free patterns for bargello quilts ! The bargello technique can be used to create backgrounds for applique, to showcase landscape pr...
Think you'll make waves with a nautical-theme crib quilt? Our instructions for easy-to-piece sailboats and appliqué accents ensure smooth sailing.
I love quilts that come together quickly. And this quilt would have come together quickly if not for an emergency visit to my local sewing shop. But once I got my machine back from repairs, it was good as new and I had this cute little cross quilt within about 4 hours of working time. I made […]
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
In a world of hustle and bustle, silence seems like a reduction in man- made noise: no car engines or buses or motorbikes, no horns or music blaring, no screaming children or adults, no loud talking on cell phones. When these are all reduced we say that it is quiet when actually there are probably still a lot of sounds around: insects buzzing, birds singing, wind blowing, rain splattering, waves crashing. We often find these sounds soothing and relaxing. Whether in the midst of man-made or natural sounds, the sounds most difficult to block out are those within our own minds. For many of us there is a running commentary continuously playing in our head and this is the most difficult place to find silence. And yet there is no true silence without the ability to interrupt the monologue in our mind. In this quilt I have attempted to convey the idea of inner silence. The bohdi leaf represents the spirit which is floating noiselessly on the surface of a pond, perhaps a meditation image to focus on when seeking inner silence.
The photo above © April B Folded corner quilt blocks are an optical illusion if you stick to colors from the same color family. If you use slightly lighter darker shades on the four corners of the rectangle each corner will appear to break off in the center. Hence the name of the block. This easy quilt square is a standard nine patch using half square triangles and a flying swan patch. Both are commonly used patches for quilting. This quilting pattern/tutorial is available for free... Download Pattern: Folded Corners
Sharing the Art and Heart of Homemaking
Are you a crafter, quilter or garment sewer and ever wondered how to sew with linen? I've listed out the tricks, tips and tools you need for success!
No More Getting Stuck in Corners or Having to Cross Over! Stipple quilting looks simple, and it actually is, yet many quilters have a hard time mastering it. It’s so easy to get stuck and have to cross over stitching lines, or to have your squiggles differ greatly in size. While you may have heard …
Enjoy this free Celtic Twist quilt block pattern
There’s something about a red and white quilt, isn’t there? Ever since I started quilting, every time I saw one I knew eventually I’d make one for myself. But in my mind, it could…
Quilters, feast your eyes on a gallery of stunning quilts from the 2017 Pacific International Quilt Festival. #PIQF2017, #quiltshow
Images of inspiration Dusted in White {Cool Chic Style Fashion} Hope you have a lovely weekend xo Stefania
52 of my favorite modern quilts from QuiltCon 2024.
Alright, my friends! I've shown you three of my Deco sample quilts so far, but before I show you the fourth, I want to take a moment to show you pattern tester quilts! In case you missed it, the Deco Quilt pattern is now available! If you haven't already read my initial blog post about the two-color Deco quilt that I made, be sure to check that out here. You'll find my inspiration, pattern sizes fabric requirements and other details about Deco. Every time I release a new pattern into the world, I love to do a blog post all about my pattern testers! This talented group of quilters generously give their time, energy and precious fabric to help me make the best patterns possible! Deco was especially technical, so I had a lot of dialogue around certain topics. We went back and forth on certain sewing instructions, diagrams and overall how the quilt comes together. Let's take a look at their beautiful Deco quilts! First, let's take a look at the testers who are carrying quilt kits. Many of my pattern testers conveniently have online fabric shops, which makes it really easy for you to quickly pick your fabrics and know how it will look before it's finished! QUILTS KITS Mary of @rosiegirlquilts used gorgeous jewel tones to create this masterpiece! They have kits in their shop to recreate this exact quilt, which can be found here. . Laura of @finleyfabric created the most stunning combination of fabrics. I absolutely LOVE the emerald background. I *almost* did something similar for my cover quilt, but I ended up going a different direction. I'm so glad that she took the plunge with this! It really paid off. You can find her kits here. . Claire of @thestitchsaloon is an Australian based shop that ships worldwide! She made a bright and cheery baby quilt and has kits for them in her shop! . LONG ARM DISCOUNT I was extremely excited to have a long-arm quilter test Deco for me! She is so generously offering a 20% off discount to anyone who sends a Deco quilt to her before July 9th. The coupon code is DECO20. Check out her Instagram, @browneyedquilter and/or website for more details. And isn't her quilt stunning? . . Next, we have Katie of @katesmakesandcreates created this gorgeous, kind of moody throw size Deco quilt. She used Kona Leather and Telio Swiss Dot in Rose. An alternative would be Essex Linen in Rose. I absolutely love how this turned out! . Now let's look at Cat, of @workinghandsstudio. She created this really fun baby quilt for the newest addition of their family. :) I really love how the subtle background print adds a little extra *sparkle*! . .Erin, of @lovesewmodern really knocked it out of the park with these colors! That darker background really makes everything else POP. . Claire of @claireandhercrafts helped me do a trial run of a certain concept that I was considering for the pattern. You might notice that her baby quilt includes only Block 3B, where as the final pattern calls for Block 3A. Essentially this means that her quilt is missing one of the tiny squares at the very corner of one of the blocks. I ended up changing my mind on this to add more drama to the quilt, and Claire was so kind to do a test run of the first version so that I could see how it looked. Her quilt is still equally stunning! . Now let's look at Nuria of @fabricstork's baby Deco quilt! She briefly had kits for this but they sold out within a day or two. And rightfully so, isn't this fun?? . . Robin of @seamedtobe created a gorgeous Throw size Deco quilt that is just STUNNING! I loveeee how this looks! She used Kona Leaf and Kona Haze as the background. . Next up, we have Nicki of @wovenandwoolly! She sewed up her quilt before I made a pretty big change in the pattern. If you can see where the corner of her little square are chopped off....that's totally my fault!! (sad day). If you make the baby size, notice that the solid background squares are 1/2
Are you ready to make the easiest quilt ever? If so, read on to see how I made this easy quilt with no measuring or pattern required!
As you may have noticed, lately, I can't get enough of simple and traditional quilts- and what's more simple (and beautiful) than the Irish chain? This one uses slightly larger squares to make it an extra speedy finish :-) NB: If you want to make a small throw/ large crib size Irish chain, you can
I've decided to begin a new routine ~ and I'm hoping I can stick to it. So, I thought; each Friday, I'll share here what has inspired me throughout the week. I'm sure not everything will be about needlework {but mostly...really who am I kidding?} Mostly photos will be shared from Pinterest ~ my very favorite place to be in my head. I just love how all of those pins can be collected & shared by like-minded folks. and I especially love sharing my own photos there for my followers on Pinterest too. Most of you know me as a designer of primitive and/or whimsical needlework, but I like to think of myself as something a little more. I never want to be constrained into one description or another, so I call my varying interests 'eclectic' to say the least. I am contemporary & I am old fashioned, ... modern yet vintage. and I love color, and neutrality ~ textures and design. I'm more complex than I am aware I guess...I think we all are perhaps.... and as I allow myself to think outside my comfortable perimeters I find that I just. love. everything. Life itself. So, bear with me friends, as I explore more and keep my thoughts and attitude positive and fresh. I'll not include wording or descriptions for the photos, ~ but allow them to speak to you however they may. Here is my very first post for Inspiration Friday: {and yes Nancy D ~ I am quite smitten with the color Yellow} ;) Blessings from the Farm ~ Lori
The Two Color Quilt Sew Along comes to an end today! It's been fun to see your creations, and we're so proud of our newly-finished quilts. The Two Color
BACKGROUND Block of the Month through Quilts in the Attic Beginning October 2013 – September 2014 Finished top at 92″ x 92 on 2/27/2016 Batting – Winline 100% Bamboo…
On my third trip walking through the exhibit at Festival , I took pictures of some of the quilts that really grabbed me. It's a pretty ecle...
