The story of this quilt began in September 2019.

Dancing Daylilies 70" by 90"

It was the long weekend of Labor Day and I was playing with scraps... Moda Scrap Bag scraps, to be precise. The fabric is by Corey Yoder. 

Scraps from Moda Scrap Bag

Just piecing strips and making large blocks. I ended up with a flimsy of 50" square. Good enough for a large baby quilt. I set it aside and worked on quilts for the Socorro Foundation. 

Almost Flimsy

In October 2019, I traveled to India. I was tasked to convey a care package to Meetu ...

The Island Batik Challenge for July urged us to get an early start on Christmas and other end of the year holiday projects!

In my first Island Batik Ambassador Box, I had received a strip set of Holly Holiday fabric, designed by Kathy Engle. With deep red/dark green colors and reindeer/pine shaped trees it screams Christmas. Naturally I set it aside for the July challenge.

Holly Holiday Strips

Selection

I chose to make a tree skirt.

We have a small Christmas tree and some years we even put it up, when we are not traveling. If I make ...

It’s winter here now in my part of paradise.  The temperatures have dropped, the rain has been falling, and its been rather cold and miserable here lately.  Much worse though in other areas of New Zealand, there has been flooding, and even a tornado causing all sorts of damage!

A rather wet and cold day

Its time for a seasonal change with my wall hangings.  Down came my Autumn stitchery, replaced by my Welcome Winter hanging.  The sewing room (spare bedroom) had a change too.  My Spools wall-hanging was replaced by Winter Quilt Festival.  As I’m sure I ...

My passion is planned improv piecing. I enjoy giving myself a set of rules to follow (or break!) as create.

While demoing my technique in my All About Angles classes, I always cut up some fabric to show how I create my starting pieces. Sometimes these are part of a work in progress, but sometimes I just start with a new pile of fabric I'm excited to work with. In this case it was the latter. I started with five Alison Glass Kaleidoscope solids: Tomato, Sunflower, Raisin, Cherry, Goldenrod.

I was drawn to this autumn palette. As I put ...

The Island Batik Challenge for June 2021 reads as follows:

The challenge for you is to use the 8” or 12” finished BOB dies from your Ambassador box, the GO! Qube 8" Mix & Match Block and create a whole new pattern by combining the two!

Here is my response

Novella, 11" by 66"

BOB means Block on Board. In other words, the complete block is on a single die. I received Snails Trails Die.

Snails Trail BOB Die

All units in one place

Cut Pieces

First Block

In my opinion, the best complement to Snails ...

These longarm renters at Quilted Joy have gone wild with their quilts using nature as an inspiration. As artists we can receive inspiration from many different sources, one of which is obviously nature. What we do with that inspiration is what makes us artists. Sometimes inspiration can take us into the wild. A couple of the following quilts were made with patterns, but each needed the creative input of an inspired artist to complete.

“Cora” a Laura Heine pattern

A popular collage artist that people are following these days is Laura Heine. Her quilts have gone wild and because of ...

Love is more than turning a blind eye when an unexpected shipment of fabric arrives. Love is a gift. Valentine’s Day is closely approaching and this year, share your love of quilting and crafts with someone special in your life. Gifts made from the heart are the best kind of present; nothing is more treasured than a handmade Valentine that shows the time and commitment of the crafting process.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your Valentine this year, look no further! We’ve collected six of our favorite quick and easy Valentine’s Day projects that you ...

Make a colorful quilted wall hanging to add a retro vibe to your home decor. Easy paper piecing and large blocks help you create this artwork in no time!

Photograph by American Quilter. Used with permission.

“On Broadway” was just published in the January 2021 issue of the American Quilter magazine by the American Quilter’s Society. I was inspired by the theaters on Broadway and love this photo setup! Lots of gold and bright colors, just as the ones we see as we walk the streets of Midtown Manhattan.

The quilt measures 60″ x 60″ and the blocks finish ...

I started one more facecloth this week, just because I had the yarn to make it and I like to keep myself busy, especially when ...

The weeks since my previous post have flown by like a whirlwind! I've been busy painting the bath/wash room, TV-room and part of the staircase. I can't say the reno is completed; a few things are left to be done. The reno has kept me away from sewing and I have enjoyed the break from sewing and doing something else! The Christmas Quilt top is done, that's all the sewing I've done lately. 

During the lock-down (April & May), I was determined to finish as many UFO's as possible. What else to do when you ...

Did you change your decor this weekend? I did some decorating, a bit of cleaning, and got rolling on some sewing for the holidays. I have this Christmas panel pretty much done as I’ve been working on it over the past month. I’ll break it into a couple of posts to show you what I did.

I began by cutting it up. I really don’t need a door panel, so it became a set of three table runners or wall hangings.

I auditioned fabrics to put with the truck panel first. This was the best red, and ...

This Christmas quilt with ornaments for your home decor spells Fun and Joy all in one piece! Make it in a weekend, hang it up, or snuggle under it as its size makes it a flexible accessory for the Holidays.

Photograph by American Quilter magazine. Used with permission.

“Family Traditions” measures 54″ x 56″ and the blocks finish at 12″. When I designed it I was inspired by memories of decorating the Christmas tree with my young sons, and their joy in carefully handling the exquisite ornaments, many of which we had purchased together.

The quilt features fabrics from the ...

Have I told you how much I love playing with textiles lately? It would seem that I'm smitten! As you may know, I've been taking part in the TextileArtist.org's Stitch Club 2020 since it first started this spring. It has brought stitchers together with amazing workshops by guest textile artists. 

TextileArtist.org's Stitch Club 2020

Flower Impressions - pink campion

The platform has really evolved since its creation - from having 3 workshops in a row with one week off, to now having workshops that last 2 weeks each.  At the beginning of the week, there is ...

This is a great pattern for a Christmas wall-hanging, door decoration, or advent calendar. Get into your stash and make some stacks of light, medium and darker grays, 3 flesh tones, some whites, dark and bright reds and green for the background. Most of the squares are just 2-1/2″ squares with scattered paper piecing. You’ll be piecing columns as shown at right above. When you get to a white bit, you’ll stop and piece that from the two indicated colors continuing down ...

You’ll love this pretty wall hanging by our second MWM designer, Deirdre Bond-Abel! Entitled “Betty’s Blooms”, the look is shown here in 1930s prints, yet would translate equally well in your favorite Marcus collections, including prints and basic texture lines for a more contemporary look! It’s a fun mix of piecing and applique that will add charm to any room setting.

To get the FREE PATTERN, just email deirdre@hatcreekquilts.com.au. Then, check out (and be sure to bookmark!) her companion video of applique tips and techniques!

Next Up: Pam Buda – October 19!

Meet Jack!

Jack has quite the life....one moment in the pumpkin patch with his friends...then the next minute, hanging over the waters edge.

Thanks so much for stopping to visit. I feel so honored to be able to kick off our 2020 It’s A Garden Party Row-Along on it’s first day! We have the fabulous Marian Pena from Seams To Be Sew to thank for organizing the 54 different quilt bloggers/designers participating this year! And…lots of great FREE STUFF! I am offering not only a super hot Give-away from one of our major sponsors, but also a free paper piecing pattern designed by little ole’ me, AND a pattern to create a super cute wall hanging with my row ...