It inevitably ends up that, as I am submitting designs for new collections, that not all will make it into a free pattern. If it is a design that I really like, I will occasionally save it for future collections. Other times, I love it so much in its current form, that I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT. That’s right, I said that in all caps. By now y’all know I am VERY passionate about my quilting.
For those must-make projects, I like to submit them as patterns for AQ Magazine. I have been working with the AQ team for many years now, and the experience has been so positive and fulfilling that I will continue to work with and support the company. My quilts have been published in over a dozen issues, online as web exclusives, used as member exclusive rewards, and turned into kits. The team at AQ are friendly, thoughtful, and just overall fun and wonderful to work with.
You can find these quilts in the paper back-issues or online if you are a member. I highly recommend and AQ membership. They keep all of the back issues online and can access them at any time, as well as receiving the newest issues as they release.
The January 2020 featured a quilt I made using the Tula Pink collection Monkey Wrench. It was a super fun and bright collection that featured monkeys, cockatiels, and frogs (FROGS!!!!) Monkey’s Lunch is super quick and easy to put together. The photographer to AQ Magazine went on a roadtrip for this shot, and I love it!
July 2020 featured my quilt Amethyst. This piece was made for the 2014 Hoffman Challenge and was quilted by Joan Nicholson of Maple Leaf Quilters. the quilt finishes 40″ x 40″, a perfect accent wall size. It was inspired by a piece of amethyst, which got me thinking about crystalline structures and how they come together, and this piece was the result.
In the November 2020 issue, you will find one of my absolute favorite quilts of that year; Kaleidoscope. This design has been floating around in my maybe folder for a while now, and when Tula Pink released True colors, I knew I finally found the perfect fabric match for this design. Kaleidoscope is foundation paper pieced and template pieced. It is definitely an advanced project, and oh so stunning! I had it send off and custom quilted by Teresa Silva of Quilting Is My Bliss. She did an absolute stellar job and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Teresa’s quilting is well worth the cross-border shipping.
I kicked off 2021 with Family Hearts. When I came up with the design, I had been thinking a lot about family, and what it means. Now more than ever people are recognizing the importance of family. And Family means different things to different people. Some have the family they were born into, and for others family are the people you have chosen and have chosen you, family through love. I am so fortunate to have both in my life; my family through blood and my family through love. I don’t know where I would be without those people, and the support and love they provide me, and accept from me in return. I wanted to make a non-linear family tree to represent the connections I have with my people, and thought that hearts were the perfect way to do it. I chose a rainbow spectrum of colors, using a combination of Handwork and Sunprints by Alison Glass for the fabrics.
Starlines came next, and was the featured quilt for the cover of the March 2021 issue! This quilt was a real departure from my usual colorful quilts, and I am so happy with it. Starlines features Linework by Tula Pink, with just a spot of bright color to liven it up. I love the green floral from True Colors and will happily use it in everything I can. I designed this on a very cold and snowy day, and in my minds eye the quilt is a serene winter landscape, with the hope of spring just around the corner. I fussy cut the different motifs from the Linework fabrics, and groups the pops of color from the fabrics together, with the warm spectrum on the left and the cool spectrum on the right. I think my favorite print from the collection is the Lemur.
The next quilt released only last month is another personal favorite, Delphinium. This is another design I have been playing with on and off for a while. I have a practice quilt, much smaller and in completely different colors, that I have been slowly working on, but the choices didn’t feel quite right. When I saw the Norma Rose collection by Natalie Barnes, I KNEW it was the perfect collection for Delphinium. Vibrant colors and subtle textures combined with the Ruby and Bee solids from Windham Fabrics, everything about this quilt fells bright and alive. The quilting was a labor of love, and completed by my good friend and expert quilter, Miriam March of Whispering Pines. We spent the better part of the day choosing the quilting and layout placement for each motif. This quilt will be the centerpiece quilt in the living room of my new home (yep, moving once again, and for the final time!)
There are more quilts slated to release in later issues this year, and well into 2022! I cannot wait to show you what I have come up with!
Happy Stitching!
