Migration

I started this quilt at the BMQG retreat earlier this year and just finished it. It's the third quilt in my flying geese series and I think it's a really fun mini quilt. My flying geese series is all about taking the flying goose block and modifying it slightly and then arranging the blocks in a unique design. I had been trying to use the word "way" in each title, but "Migration" just seemed fitting for this, so I went with it.

This is a fairly small quilt, but boy is it mighty. Between the stark contrast between the colors, the bold shape and the quilting, this quilt was both fun and frustrating to make. The piecing was a breeze, but when it came time to quilt it, I had a bright idea to matchstick quilt this on my domestic. Let's just say with all of the pulling, tugging and shifting of the top, I had to do some serious blocking to get this to lay flat once finished. But I did and it's done.

Maybe matchstick quilting is the wrong term here. I actually quilted about 4-5 lines within a 1/4" segment, so this thing is covered in thread. I'm still not sure what I was thinking. All I know is that this will likely become like a similar story, where I pebble quilted an entire quilt using metallic thread. I've never done that again and I likely won't do this again on my domestic.

The Deets:
30" wide x 33" long
Fabric: Michael Miller Cotton Couture for the solids and assorted white print scraps
Thread: So Fine! #50 408
Batting: Quilter's Dream Cotton Select

This Way Up

I've been doing a whole lot of running and working lately, which means I haven't had as much time for quilting as I'd like. But with the weather getting colder and with less daylight to be had, I've been able to sneak in more quilting time this fall. With that, I was able to complete a few quilts recently, including my "This Way Up" quilt.

This is the fourth quilt I've completed in my flying geese series. I really love this quilt and had a ton of fun making it. From picking the colors in the ombre effect within the arrow to the grays and even the thread, which is a light Aurifil gray (2600). I always go with a lighter color thread if I'm using it across many types of fabric of varying value. When you get down to the black and charcoal gray it almost looks like sashiko on a smaller scale as a result.

I paper pieced each block, which really isn't a surprise to anyone at this point. I quilted it on my domestic this time around with stitches a half an inch apart except within the one large teal triangle. That one has one quarter inch stitching to make it stand out a little.

The quilt finishes at 45" long and 41" high. It was made using Kona solids and pieced/quilted with Aurifil 2600 thread in a 50wt. The batting is Quilter's Dream Orient, which gives the quilt a really nice drape. 

The Seaweed Is Always Greener...

...in somebody else's lake. This quilt was so incredibly fun to make. Maybe it was the fun, asymmetric design that I'm not used to. Maybe it was the beautiful shot cottons I used to make this quilt. Or maybe it's just fun to quilt. I'm going with all of the above! Introducing "The Seaweed Is Always Greener" quilt.

I had a ton of fun making this quilt. I've always struggled with the mustard color seen in this quilt, so it's always a personal challenge to use it. I love the look of it in a lot of quilts, but I'm just not as into earth tones as I am jewel tones. At the same time, I am always in love with the quilts I make that use colors out of my comfort zone.

And like most of my quilts, this one was paper pieced. I designed it when playing with a parallelogram design and just adding in random lines. Sometimes freeform designing yields some of the best results, as is the case with this quilt. Because I used shot cottons, I made sure to really starch them first before piecing with them, as it's not good to use any form of liquid with the paper template.

As for the quilting, I matchstick quilted this using my HandiQuilter longarm. I used channel locks and took my time carefully avoiding quilting anything in the mustard yellow. I did that so the fabric would pop. I only used one layer of batting, but the 3-D effect still comes through loud and strong. I love the look of matchstick quilting. It sure uses up a ton of thread, but it's so worth it. In the end, I'm so in love with this quilt.

This quilt measures 33.5" x 44" and is available as a pattern in my Craftsy shop. 

Nesting - What's Old is New Again

Wow, I'm not sure I ever thought I'd finish this quilt. I made the top what seems like ages ago, but was really about 5-6 years ago. I used some very precious Tula Pink Nest fabric (3 charm squares) to make the top, which is a modified version of a Weeks Ringle/Bill Kerr pattern that I thought would be good to showcase the charm packs and the fabric without having to cut into them. 

I ended up just quilting straight lines across the quilt about 1/2" to 3/4" apart. I didn't measure how far apart the lines were; I just went for it. I think the reason it took me so long to quilt and finish this quilt is that I had intentions of custom machine quilting it, but I could never get inspired by a particular design(s) to dive in. So it sat unfinished. Until I decided to just put the quilt on my longarm and go for it. 

My plan is to use this quilt as a beach blanket. Some of you might be gasping right now at the fact that I'm planning on using such rare, precious Tula Pink fabric on the beach, but I decided I'm going to use and love this quilt. I put a dark print from the collection on the back that I got on clearance for about $3 a yard when the line was out at the time. 

The quilt is slightly smaller than a twin size, but it's perfect for lying out at the beach and reading a good book. I bound the quilt in the same Nest fabric as the back since I had so much yardage of it. One of the reasons I'm excited to use this quilt is that it really shows how my style has changed through the years. I love that about myself. If I was still making the same type of quilts as I was five years ago, I'm not sure I'd be quilting. I love evolving my style and trying new things. That's the joy of quilting to me. 

Alternate Way

Those of you that follow me on Instagram (@AQuiltingJewel) might have seen the flying geese blocks and quilts I've been working on lately. When I'm making these quilts, I tend to make extra blocks in case I want to alter my design. I find that having extra blocks comes in handy often. In this case I had 10 extra flying geese blocks, so I started playing around with them.

Using a design wall, I moved around the blocks until I realized what would happen if I organized the blocks around a square made of the same color as the goose. Wow, what a fun design. I knew I had to turn this into a little mini quilt right away. This mini isn't big - only about 15" square or so, but I just love the look.

One of the trends I noticed at QuiltCon was the increased use of faced bindings. I've been wanting to try a faced binding for a while and decided that I would go for it here. And what do you know, I was able to do it pretty easily after checking out a number of tutorials online. I can definitely say that you will see more faced bindings from me in the future for sure.

The best part of this quilt - every single piece is from my stash. From the solids and prints on the front (Cotton Couture and some Violet Craft prints) to the backing (an old Art Gallery print), binding, batting and thread (Aurifil 2024 50wt)... I didn't have to go out and purchase anything. Score! Or is it a bad thing that I've got so much fabric in my stash that I can just whip up a ton of quilts without going shopping? Nah!

Stumped

Every year for the Boston MQG Quilt Show, we have a mini quilt challenge. This year, the theme was Improv. We had to make a mini quilt that was no more than 36" x 36" using an improv technique. That's it! It's amazing how when given so much free reign, that it becomes difficult to get your mojo and make something. In fact, I was stumped (despite being the president and issuing the challenge...)

I decided I just needed to dive in. I've toyed with the idea of an improv curved quilt, so I pulled a bundle of fabric and some coordinating solids and just started cutting and sewing. I had no idea where I was going with this when I started, but I ended up really enjoying the end result. The colors and process are definitely out of my comfort zone, but that's what I love about a challenge. It pushes me as a designer. 

I thought the quilt top looked like a tree stump (hence the name of the quilt), so I quilted concentric circles to enhance the design. I love the effect it gives the quilt. I quilted this using Aurifil 50wt (and pieced with it) in an all over moss green color to match the background. I love using a thin thread to really blend in with the fabric, regardless of the color.

The end result is a fun mini quilt that I really like. Now to think of a new challenge for myself!

Fabric: Alison Glass Handmade and Cotton Couture Solids
Thread: Aurifil 50wt
Batting: Quilters Dream Poly (from my QuiltCon goodie bag!)
Finished Size: 25" x 30"
Started and finished in March 2017

All Seeing Eye

Oh man, am I in love with this quilt! How in love? Well, let's just say that I'm actually in love with all THREE of these quilts. Yup, I made three versions of this quilt. I started by making the quilt you see below, All Seeing Eye. Then I decided to use this pattern for my Modern Quilt Guild Mini Swap quilt. Except I couldn't just make that quilt and give it away. I've learned with swaps, if you really love a quilt, make a second one for yourself. So that's what I did and how I ended up making three versions of this quilt.

This is the quilt that started it all. These colors are so not what I usually gravitate to, but I love this quilt. It's so fun, vibrant and striking. The cream diamonds are actual a double knit that I bought at QuiltCon in 2016. The olive and reds are Michael Miller Cotton Couture and the Navy is a linen fabric. I love the effect using different textured fabrics has. It's so striking in person.

Here's a closeup with some details of the quilting. I actually quilted this (all three of them) on my domestic using a bunch of different Aurifil 50wt threads.

This version is the one that will go to my swap partner. She loves Alison Glass fabrics, so I went with these fabrics. The white center was fussy cut to showcase the suns and the bird.

Here's a closeup of the quilting. This was also quilted using some Aurifil 50 wt threads. I love how different quilting effects give the quilt a completely different look.

And if that wasn't enough, here's the third quilt that I made. I just made double the number of quilt blocks that I made for the mini quilt for the swap. I just swapped out the background for this jewel solid. I had a ton of fun quilting this one. As you can see, the background was a total change and I love the look.

Look at that texture! (The color is off here because I adjusted it to showcase the quilting. I just had to show it to you!!!)

All of these quilts measure 20" x 21.5". It's the perfect size for a wall hanging.

I did create a pattern for this quilt. It comes together so quilt even though it's paper pieced, has one Y-Seam and uses a few templates. But don't be intimidated, it's very easy.

You can get the pattern on Craftsy here. 

Through The Looking Glass - A Complete Kaleidoscope BOM

Wow, I can't believe I managed to finish my Kaleidoscope BOM within a month of finishing the blocks. Those that know me know that I'm great at finishing quilt tops, but finishing them is another story. But I'm SO happy with how this quilt came out.

It took me a little while to settle on a layout. One tip that I tell people when trying to decide on layouts of quilts is to pull out your camera phone and put it on the black and white setting. Look at your quilt through your camera with that setting and see if you have a clustering of darks, mediums or lights in one area. Move blocks around until you find the right balance. You'll probably have to play around with color placement as well. Just remember - you can continue to make changes, OR you can sew the quilt together, quilt it and enjoy your quilt.

Anyone that knows me or has followed my quilting journey also knows how much I love some good custom quilting. But because the fabrics were busy and this quilt already had so much going on (and admittedly, I really just wanted it finished), I quilted this with straight lines about 1/2" apart.

I admit, I really want to try to make a quilt or two just using one block, repeated to see the secondary designs created as a result.

All of these blocks are still available on Craftsy as individual blocks. BUT, I also created a pattern with all of the blocks in one place for ease of download and use. Click here to check it all out.

For those that followed along with the entire BOM, thank you for joining me. I'd love to see your finished quilts. And if you're just joining now, welcome! There's never a bad time to start a quilt. Enjoy!

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"

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"

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

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

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. 

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

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

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. 

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

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

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!