Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Luxe Rebellion

Every year, Michael Miller and The Modern Quilt Guild get together and issue a challenge in advance of QuiltCon. Usually it involves a fabric line and a few stipulations. This year the challenge was to use the new Luxe Wide Back fabric by Michael Miller. We had to use at least one print from the collection along with the solids, and, if needed, one Cotton Couture Solid.

I admin, when I got the fabric, I was rather stumped. That is, until I realized that the blue print would be the perfect fabric to fussy cut and use in a pattern I had recently designed. You see, I'm constantly designing quilt patters, and most of them rarely make it to the fabric stage. This one was sitting in a binder, and when I saw the fabrics, I had to make it.

Introducing Luxe Rebellion! (Quilt on the left, the original challenge fabric on the right.)
I designed this quilt when I was playing with different ways to manipulate a hexagon. What started as playing with a partial hexagon triangle pieced turned into a much longer, more narrow block after quite a bit of manipulated. Sometimes playing with and tweaking a design can yield cool results. I originally envisioned this quilt in greens, browns and yellows and called it Turtle Power after seeing a Ninja Turtle commercial, but that just didn't seem right after making this. With the edgy look and the rebellious way I used the print fabric, Luxe Rebellion just seemed like the right name.

You can really see how I fussy cut the fabric in the photo above! I admit, I found this fabric a bit challenging to work with. The weave was interesting and I probably should have given it a heavy starch before working with it, as I found the fabric frayed easily. If using this fabric in the future, I'd definitely recommend starching it to avoid some of the frustrations I had. 

I knew I didn't have time for a custom quilt job on this given the tight deadline for QuiltCon, so I did an all over crosshatch. I quilted lines 1/4" apart followed by an inch apart, repeating that pattern. I loaded the quilt on my longarm at a slight angle to give the quilting a little more interest.

I'm also pleased to say that this quilt was juried into QuiltCon along with my Quilters DNA quilt. So if you happen to be in Savannah in February, make sure to check it out.

If interested, you can download the pattern on Craftsy. I'm really interested in seeing how this pattern would look in different color combinations, so do share if you make a Luxe Rebellion quilt.

Fabric: Michael Miller Luxe
Thread: Pieced with Aurifil #2024 50 wt. Quilted with So Fine #50
Batting: Two layers of Quilters Dream Cotton Select
Finished Size: 35" x 48"

Friday, December 2, 2016

Quilters DNA

It's no secret that I love designing quilt patterns and I especially love paper piecing. If I can't paper piece it, I better really love the pattern or design in order to make the quilt. Often I start designing my patterns by doodling on a piece of paper and move to the computer to see how it would look as a real quilt. That's how this quilt came about. I just started sketching and throwing lines on a piece of paper and fell in love. Introducing Quilters DNA!

I love this quilt. The colors, the jewel tones, are so me. Teal is my absolute favorite color. Add some purples, lime and orange and this quilt just screams me. The geometric design and paper pieced elements also scream me. Combined, I'm pretty sure this quilt is a depiction of my own, personal DNA.

It took me a while to figure out how to quilt this. I did some "point-to-point" style quilting in the "DNA Strands" to keep things simple. I didn't want to overwhelm the design. For the vanilla background, I emphasizing the diamond shape inside the strands while adding a ton of straight lines in the background.

And while it was next to impossible to photograph, I did extend the orange strands into the background, adding a fun quilting motif to break up the negative space. I love this design feature and think it gives this quilt just a little something extra that it needs.

If interested, I created a pattern for this and posted it in my Craftsy shop. Check it out today!

Fabric: Michael Miller Cotton Couture
Thread: Pieced using Aurifil #50 2024. Quilted using So Fine! #50 505
Batting: Quilters Dream Cotton Select
Finished Size: 68.5" x 62"

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 12

Well, this is it! We've reached the final month in our Kaleidoscope BOM. It's bittersweet for me. I've really enjoyed designing and making all of these blocks, but I'm also excited to complete this quilt and think about another project.

I like to call this block the "pinwheel trifecta." I love how the lime, teal and orange color combos create three fun pinwheels. I'd love to see this block repeated in a quilt. Imagine the movement!

This block has such a fun circular feel to it. Can you imagine a quilt with, say, four or five of these, offset, in some different color combos. I bet it would be super fun.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too. And stay tuned for the finished quilt with all of the blocks combined.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 11
Month 10
Month 9
Month 8
Month 7
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 11

This is it, we're on the home stretch here with the Kaleidoscope BOM. I can't believe we're almost done. In a way, it makes me a little sad, but I'm also excited to see how everything comes together.
I love this block, mainly because every time I look at it, my eye goes to a different feature... the purple pinwheel, the orange star or the 3-D teal. This block has so many possibilities. I just love it.

And cam we talk about how fun this block is. I love the deep contrast between the purple and lime green here. It just gives this block such definition. It's proof that the right fabric placement can do wonders.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 10
Month 9
Month 8
Month 7
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Monday, October 17, 2016

Dancing At Dusk

I'm constantly doodling and coming up with new quilt designs. Lately, a lot of them have been a little more complex. Throw in my desire to do some more custom machine quilting and I've found myself with a lot of in-progress quilts that I'm spending a lot of time finishing. Don't get me wrong, I love those projects, but sometimes there's something satisfying about finishing something in a short period of time.


Introducing Dancing At Dusk, my latest quilt and newest pattern. This, like most of my quilts is a paper pieced quilt that is super easy to make. I made each block in probably an hour, making it the perfect after-work project. I could make one block a night and then I added the outer fabric to make the stars stand out. Bam... a finished quilt top in a week. But like most projects of mine, I sit on them for a little while as I contemplate quilting options. I eventually quilted this by drawing a square in the center and continuously echoing around the square out to the edge using some 50wt Aurifil thread.

As I was designing this, I fell in love with the colors that I mocked up in my design program and just HAD to use the same colors. Fortunately for me, I have an extensive stash of Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids and had enough (1/2 yard) of each color and a couple yards of the fog on hand to get started immediately on this.

I absolutely love the movement that the blocks create. It's amazing what happens when you simply twist a block slightly. It just goes to show you that if you play with your designs, great things can happen.

The batting is a piece of Warm and Natural that was left over from another project. It finishes at 36" x 36" square.

The pattern is now available in my Craftsy shop. If you make one, I'd love to see a picture of it. 

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 10

Why hello there October, you sure snuck up on me. September was a crazy insane month at work as my company was part of the largest technology merger in history. Fortunately, we're onto the next stage, so I have a little more time to quilt. That means I can oogle over this month's blocks in the Kaleidoscope BOM.

I'm absolutely in love with this block. I don't know what it is about it, but the colors in this block sing to me, maybe more than any other block to this point. They just go together so well and create such a dynamic block. I might have to make a whole quilt using this color way.

Could you imagine an entire quilt using this block? It would just scream for some continuous circle quilting. The movement is so fun. It's the color placement, with the green on one side and purple on another that really gives it movement.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 9
Month 8
Month 7
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 9

It's September, so that means back to school (at least here in Massachusetts), slightly shorter and cooler days and the emergence of fall colors and foods. While most people I know can't wait for fall, I'm hoping Summer lasts well into October and beyond. I love the heat, the summer foods and the long days. I'm not quite ready for fall, but I am ready for two more blocks in the Kaleidoscope BOM series. Let's check these out. 
 As you can tell, these blocks are starting to become a little more detailed. With a few more pieces to each block, there are more and more possibilities in terms of fabric placement and ways to emphasize different elements. In this block above, I was just thinking how cool it would look if I replaced the orange with the white background. Wouldn't that look neat?

This next block reminds me of a bouquet of roses all wrapped up tight and ready to give to a special someone. I bet this would be great with some reds and yellows where the purple is here. 

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 8
Month 7
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Monday, August 15, 2016

Filled With Love

This quilt has been a long time in the making. I began this sometime in the summer of 2014, while I was in graduate school, so my quilting was limited at that time. I finished the top last spring (spring 2015) and it sat around for a while as I contemplated how to quilt it. I was in love with the quilt top and wanted to make sure the quilting was just as awesome.


After sitting around for a while, I threw the quilt on my longarm and just went for it. As Angela Walters says, "finished is better than perfect." The quilting isn't perfect, but I just love it. I definitely need to practice my stitch in the ditch skills, but I know that will get better with time.
I started quilting the white background first and then moved onto the gray diamonds followed by the colorful stars last. I didn't know what I was going to do, but each step of the way, with the desire to get the quilt finished, I just picked something and went with it.

The best thing? I don't regret any of my quilting designs and can't pick a favorite. People often ask me how I pick a quilting design, and I always let people know that my goal is always to pick a quilting motif that compliments the quilt top. Every quilting decision should be intentional.

The pattern I used for this quilt is my free Prism Dust quilt block pattern. I used primarily Michael Miller Cotton Couture with a couple of Art Gallery Pure Elements mixed in. The thread is So Fine #50, and yes I changed thread for each gray and each colored star. The batting is Quilters Dream Cotton Select. 

Monday, August 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 8

Ah, August - with your glorious heat, chatter of back to school and the reveal of yet another set of Kaleidoscope BOM blocks! I love the heat and warm weather, so the thought of fall coming is a bit of a disappointment, but to many, it's a welcome season. These two blocks channel fall with their colorings. We're starting to get into some slightly more detailed blocks, with more pieces, but that doesn't mean they're any more difficult than the other blocks.

I love the possibility that this block has. If we repeat this block in one quilt, the lime background could create an interesting grid pattern with its straight lines. The bold use of purple in this block really makes the star stand to here.

The second block this month has some fantastic elements to it as well that can be emphasized depending on the fabric placement. Emphasize the purple or green stars, or both, should you choose. The possibilities are endless.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 7Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Friday, July 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 7

It's summer here in New England and I'm loving every minute of it. One of my favorite things about it is that I get to not only spend time at the beach, but spend time in my sewing studio, sewing away with the windows open. With this month's blocks in the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month, I was taken to a beautiful hill town with windmills in the distance and the sweet smell of flowers.

I know, just like a mother isn't supposed to have a favorite child, a pattern designer isn't supposed to have a favorite block or pattern. But I just can't help it. I think this block might be my absolute favorite so far. I just love it. I think I need to go see what this would look like repeated in a single quilt.

But oh how fun this block is as well. There's so much going on here that I love. Every time I look at this block I see it in a different way, which is what makes it so fun.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 6
Month 5
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Monday, June 20, 2016

Filled with Love Quilt Block

With lots of amazing chatter in the quilting world around Quilts for Pulse, I wanted to do my part and design a fun heart block. I decided to create a heart within a heart to show how we can be consumed by love and not hate. Download the pattern for free here!


This block should compliment some of the other blocks that are being made for the Quilts for Pulse effort (hence the reason I made these 10" square).


Here are four blocks together to show what they look like as a group. Each block finishes at 10" square and is paper pieced. If you're not familiar with paper piecing, I recommend checking out this free tutorial.

A special thank you to everyone making blocks and quilts for Orlando. As a Boston MQG member, I know how the quilting community can react during times of crisis and it is heartwarming to know how much we all care. Much love!

Download the pattern for free here

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 6

Here we are, at the halfway point in the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month! I get so excited every time I finish another block and add it to my collection of finished blocks. That feeling grew when I placed the two blocks from month 6 up on my design wall. I can't wait to finish all of them and play with the layout a bit.

This first block is fun because of the super narrow pinwheel formed in this block. I can't help but love the thin orange lines outlining the pinwheel. I love adding thin lines around elements to really emphasize a feature and make it stand out.

The color combo in the second block this month is really fun and cheery to me. You could have a lot of fun with depth here, using the darkest fabric where the plum is and working out to the lightest fabric to create a 3-D effect.

Download the pattern now on Craftsy and don't forget to check out all of the other blocks below. Be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #KaliedoscopeBOM too.

Check out the previous months too:
Month 5Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 5

Welcome to month five of the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month! I have to say, I'm loving how quick all of these blocks are coming together. An hour or so in my studio and I can have a block done. I love projects like that where I can spend a short amount of time sewing and see great results. With work being extremely busy right now, I need more of those projects in my life.


The first block this month is really fun and different than some of the other blocks we've done. It definitely has a more geometric feel to it than other blocks. Those of you that know my style know that I love some good geometric elements.


The second block for month five is super simple yet dramatic. I'd love to see someone use a great fussy cut print in the dark teal here. It's a larger piece compared to many of the other blocks we've made, so it's perfect for showcasing a fun print. Or, if there's one color that you love and want to highlight, this is the place to do it. There's no coincidence that teal is my favorite color and it's highlighted the most here.

Download the block on Craftsy today to join along. Don't forget to use the hashtag, #kaleidoscopeBOM and share your creations!

Check out the previous months too:
Month 4
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Picchu Boo

Almost a year ago I took a trip of a lifetime to Peru to celebrate graduating from graduate school. One of the most memorable parts of the trip was when I visited Machu Picchu. I took thousands of photos during the ten day trip, but this photo was one of my favorites.
I knew it had to be turned into a quilt, so when we announced the solids challenge in the Boston Modern Quilt Guild, I decided this was my opportunity to make this into a quilt.

Not wanting to do an exact interpretation or make an art quilt, I started cutting a ton of 1" strips out of five different brown fabrics and sewed them together. I ended up making three different groups of these brown strips, one with the strips horizontal, one vertical and one on the diagonal. I varied the width and length of all three as part of my interpretation of the photo.

I decided on a teal background instead of a more natural green that's found in nature. Again, this was my way of modernizing the quilt and avoid looking too much like an art quilt. When it came time to quilt it, I knew I wanted to quilt straight lines opposite the direction of the brown strips. It took me a little while to settle on echoing the brown sections, which ended up giving the quilt a 3-D look.

I used an Art Gallery print from my stash on the backing that I thought went well with the top. I quilted it using gold and teal Aurifil threads. The batting is Quilters Dream Cotton Select. The solids are Michael Miller Cotton Couture.

Overall, I'm pleased with this quilt and it will definitely remind me of my trip to Peru every time I look at it.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 4

Can you believe that we're 1/3 of the way through the kaleidoscope BOM now? I know I can't. The flowers are starting to bloom here in New England. It also means I can sew with the windows open in my studio, which is exactly what I did when sewing these blocks together.


This first block is fun. It uses a gradation of fabrics from dark to light, outside in, to create depth and movement. I tried making a scrappy version of this block and it created a much different effect. I happen to like the gradation in this block, as I'm getting enough of a scrappy feel with the variation of fabrics in the quilt blocks.


As you can see, we have a theme this month with flying geese. In this block, the geese are going away from the center of the block. You could also make this one scrappy if you wanted that look. Below is the same block in different fabrics. I think I'm going to use the aqua block above because I like the contrast in the aqua and the background more, but I do love the purples and lemon colors together in the block below. This just goes to show you how changing up the fabrics can make a big difference in the final product.


Want to download these blocks and join along? Check out the Craftsy page here. Don't forget to share your work using the hashtag, #kaleidoscopeBOM.


Check out the previous months too:
Month 3
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 3

Can you believe we're already onto month three of the Kaleidoscope BOM? It feels like New Years 2016 was just the other day. I'm so excited about these two blocks because they start to get a little more detailed, which adds a new layer of dimension to these blocks. 


This first one is so cool to me. I love the way the orange in the middle creates a pinwheel, but it also adds a ton of depth to the lemon star. The plum secondary background adds a cool dimension to this block as well. I love the effect of the kaleidoscope pieces extending into the background as an optical illusion. The quilting could really enhance this when we're done. 

The second block for month three is also so fun. This one has a great out of space vibe to it. Maybe it's the fabric selection or the angles of the center of the star and the star itself, but I feel like I'm on Space Mountain going through the galaxy on a space ship. This just goes to show you how the fabric choice and pattern can really make a block pop. 

If you want to download these blocks and join along in our BOM, hop on over to Craftsy. And remember, if you make any, make sure to share them on social media using #KaleidoscopeBOM

Check out the previous months too:
Month 2
Month 1
Fabric Selection

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Butterfly Garden

Earlier this year, Northcott put out a call for quilts for their QuiltCon booth. As one that's always designing new patterns and constantly has multiple sketches and ideas running around my head, I answered their call and submitted a fun, whimsical, yet modern quilt design, which they accepted. I used a bunch of Northcott fabrics along with a tone on tone black print to come up with the quilt you see below, Butterfly Garden.
I was designing a few baby quilts for a soon-to-be baby girl in the family and this was one of my sketches. I ran with it and love the outcome. The color palette was inspired by my printer cartridge. It's amazing where you can find inspiration these days.

I quilted this quilt to look like the butterflies were flying in the wind using some simple wavy lines. Whenever I quilt a quilt, I always pick my quilting with intention, whether that quilting is complex or simple. In this case, I thought some complex quilting motifs would distract from the pattern. I thought about quilting some antenna on the butterflies, but decided against it at the last minute.

After giving a talk at a local quilt guild recently and previewing this quilt, I was encouraged to draft up a pattern for this quilt. If you'd like to make your own Butterfly Garden quilt, hop on over to Craftsy and download the pattern. If you make one, send me a picture, I'd love to see it.

QuiltCon opens this morning, so once I get a good shot of the Northcott booth and this hanging, I'll be sure to include a picture in some of my QuiltCon posts.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope BOM - Month 2

Where did January go? It feels like I just introduced the Kaleidoscope BOM a week or two ago and we're already launching month two.

Month two has some really awesome blocks in it. This first block would be amazing repeated in a quilt. I'd be interested in seeing the movement that the light teal would work that way. As just a single block, I feel like I'm on Space Mountain at Disney World, just zooming into space. 

The second block for this month is a bright and cheery star kaleidoscope block. I really like how the white background intersects the orange star in this block to give it a great effect. I love star blocks that are framed up, and the use of the same color of fabrics in two different tones really has a nice effect here. 
I can't wait to see what you make with these blocks. If you want to participate in the BOM, download the blocks on Craftsy here. Don't forget to hashtag your blocks using #kaleidoscopeBOM. 

Friday, January 22, 2016

Dazzling Diamonds Remix

Three years ago now I taught a class for my Dazzling Diamonds quilt pattern. Instead of making it on solids like my original pattern, I made this one in some prints to go with the colors of my guest bedroom.
I'm really not sure why it took me this long to finish this quilt, because I really do love it. This is still one of my favorite quilt patterns I've designed over the years. I love that there are so many different layout options for this quilt, making it so versatile.
This quilt finishes at 24" square and is now hanging in my guest bedroom. I picked these colors specifically for this bedroom, with it's blue walls and pink and green accents.
I machine quilted this on my longarm and found inspiration from a recent Craftsy class - Angela Walters' Dot to Dot quilting. I had quilted the white and blue already before that class but decided to use one of her quilting techniques to do the green points here. I really love how it came out and will definitely use this design again. I had toyed with pebbling the pink, but it became clear that with the pattern, it would be difficult for any pattern to show up, so I just echoed around the diamonds.
I'm not sure if this new quilt will become a favorite over the original, but they're both pretty awesome in my opinion. I can look back at this original all the time and just smile.

If you ever come stay with me at my house, your guest room will now how two lovely quilts hanging in it. You can see my Twirling Trellis quilt hanging in the mirror here with some great complementary colors to it. 

Monday, January 18, 2016

Twirling Delight

I was recently asked to publish my Twirling Delight pattern, which originally appeared in Quilty a few years ago. Upon receiving that ask, I looked back through my blog and realized I never blogged about this quilt.
This is a super simple paper pieced quilt that has only seven pieces per block with minimal points that need to be matched up, making it ideal for the beginner paper piecer. The colors of this quilt remind me of spring and summer, a much welcome color palette right now given that I spent the morning snowblowing my driveway and shoveling my front walk. I could go for a picnic in the park or on the beach, just sitting on top of this quilt.

This quilt was machine quilted by Angela Walters. Some day I hope to be able to quilt swirls the way she does. She brought so much texture and movement to this wonderful quilt with her magic.

If you want to make this quilt, visit my Craftsy page here for the pattern. 

Friday, January 1, 2016

Kaleidoscope Block of the Month - Month 1

Here we go, it's month one in the Kaleidoscope Block of the Month. Hop on over to Craftsy to download the first two blocks today!

Block one is a simple kaleidoscope block that has a couple of star patterns here. If you look at the light teal and the dark teal, each color individually could be a star. Make one of those colors the same as the plum in this block and you have a completely different look.

Block two has a lot of depth to it with the dark and light orange here. Playing with color here could change the look of this block as well. Alternate colors for more of a spiral look or make it more scrappy with more fabrics instead of just three here.

Download the blocks here!

Share your blocks on Instagram using the hashtag #kaleidoscopeBOM. I can't wait to see what you make.