2025 Debut Designer Projects

Posted in Other by StaceyinStitches

It’s that time of year, where we close the chapter of the year and get ready to ring in the next. For me, that means making one last post of patterns! 2025 has been a busy one for quilts. I have been blessed to work with so many amazing new designers this year, as well as some of my usual favorites.

First up we have Adam Trest’s debut collection with FreeSpirit Fabrics – Backyard Wonder. Adam is a fine art painter and illustrator. Backyard Wonder is a fantastic collection of woodland flora and fauna with a large aesthetic range from soft and whimsical to bold and classic.

Promenade is a beginner level quilt featuring the Walk In The Woods print, which is versatile enough to use as a border stripe, a full panel, or individual fussy cut squares. The possibilities are endless.

Meadowbrook is an advance fussy cutting extravaganza. The corner squares are fussy cut from the Storyteller Patchwork print. This particular print has hundreds of small stamps/patches that I wanted to feature. The Walk in the Woods print is fussy cut, and makes up the center squares and borders.

Blue Garland uses only three prints, and is also heavily fussy cut focus. The Racing Rabbits print is the focus of this quilt, and is that perfect classic blue and white quilt for the discerning quilter.

Next up is the debut collection for FreeSpiritFabrics from Katy Tanis – Love In the Wild. Katy is a children’s book author and illustrator. Her fabrics are bold, bright, colorful, and whimsical menagerie sure to capture the imagination.

The first quilt features the Love in the Wild panel from the collection. This quilt is the perfect baby gift, with its bright rainbow of colors and adorable creatures. It was designed with simplicity and gifting in mind.

The next quilt is Love For All, an easy strip quilt. Its the perfect quilt to introduce quilting to a beginner, whether its your own child, niece, nephew, grandchild, or your best friend that you finally talked into sewing with you!

Lastly we have Let Love Shine. Designed with an older child in mind, and featuring the Ringtail Love Day border print.

Finally we have Clare Youngs debut collection with FreeSpirit Fabrics – Flying South. Clare is an artist from the UK specializing in collage and paper crafts, as well as creating with different printing methods to make her art.

Flying South is a vibrant eclectic mix of birds of all varieties. From woodpeckers and owls to fantastical feathered friends straight from Clare’s imagination.

Each of these new designers has a very unique style, and it was a joy working with each of the collections. Which is your favorite?

Happy Stitching

4Jul2025

Full Moon Forest II – 50th Anniversary

Posted in Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

Today I am featuring the quilts for Tula Pinks 50th Fabric Collection. I have been working with Freespirit Fabrics and Tula pink for over a decade now. My first collection with Tula was Nest. I entered a jelly roll challenge with my Grandma at her LQS, and I was faster than she was and grabbed the brightest rainbow roll before she could. I was instantly drawn to Tula’s fabrics. They were like nothing I had seen before. Bright, colorful, bold, unique, and everything I had ever wanted to sew with. You can find the finished challenge quilt here.

When I decided that designing quilts was something I wanted to do, my goal was to design for Tula. I always made my best work with her fabrics, and I wanted to share my love of her designs with as many people as possible. My first design was released with FreeSpirit in 2015, and here we are 10 years, 31 collections, and at least a hundred patterns later. This collection was a celebration of 50 collections for Tula. For me, it was the realization of a dream, and I am so excited for what the next 10 years will bring!

The first quilt in the collection is Rainbow Forest. Its a classic SiS design – fussy cutting, flying geese, and rainbow layout! The centers of the blocks were large enough to feature the owl print, which is one of the largest motifs to date in a Tula collection. There are so many fussy cuttable elements!

The collection consisted of 8 prints, and went wand in hand with the release of the next selection of True Colors prints – 22 rainbow blenders and 6 low volume. I adore the low volume prints, they are the original Full Moon Forest owls, bunnies, and raindrops. What a perfect way to show love for the original while celebrating the new! I made two quilts using the True Colors only. The prints were so pretty and make perfect rainbow quilts.

The final quilt is my personal favorite. It is a love letter to Tula’s fabrics, and the joy that designing quilts brings me. I am truly blessed to do what I love, and be able to share that love with others.

I custom quilted the entire thing. It took me hours. It was a labor of love, and I am overjoyed with the final result! The true colors blocks show the quilting the best, so I came up with a quilting design that would compliment the collection without overwhelming the pieces. I love feather quilting, so I played around on paper until the pattern emerged – a butterfly flitting through the colorful garden of the quilt.

Thank you to all my readers and fellow quilters for sharing this colorful, wonderful, amazing journey with me. I can’t wait to share what’s next!

With all my love,

Happy Stitching!

23Jun2025

Summer Blooming

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

Today I am happy to introduce my latest quilt patter, In Bloom, to you all. Meet in Bloom, a celebration of spring and summer flowers.

In Bloom features the Untamed collection by Tula Pink for FreeSpirit Fabrics. The pattern is available in the May 2025 issue of AQ Magazine. I spent countless hours constructing and quilting this beauty, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. In Bloom is foundation paper piecing and curved templates, with a pieced border.

Each round of blocks was quilted with its own unique design. The quilting took about a week to plan and stitch out. I was stuck for a little bit, but with some help from Sharon Blackmore of Love Shack Quilts I got right back on track. Sharon offers one on one workshops and I highly recommend it! She is kind and patient and so talented.

The quilting is mostly ruler work, with some freehand ribbon candy swirls thrown in for good measure.

Enjoy the rest of the photos, and I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of the magazine!

Happy Stitiching!

16Mar2025

Happy National Quilting Day

Posted in Other by StaceyinStitches

To Celebrate, I have gone through and added about 20 quilt patterns to the Tula Pink Free Patterns Section and the FreeSpirit Free patterns section!

I’ve been busy sewing up a storm these past few months. Some things I can show off, some I can’t yet.

Jurassic party featuring Roar! by Tula Pink for Freespirit Fabrics

My Roar quilt has returned from its world tour! She’s been hanging at international quilt markets and making the rounds to quilt shops across North America. Roar is still my favorite fabric line!

As you may have noticed, I have taken the plunge into bag making! Stacie Wilson of Troll Brothers Quilt Shop sent me a box of gorgeous colorshift vinyl to play with, and I have been making all the things! My Annette Handbag and Commuter Tote feature the vinyl handles and side panels.

Annette Handbag featuring Moon Garden by Tula Pink for FreeSpirit Fabrics

My Hissy Fit handbag is my daily go-to handbag. This is one of my favorite prints from Moon Garden. I am a reptile fan, and finally having Tula Pink make a snake print made me giddy with joy. I take this bag everywhere!

The pattern and hardware for my Annette came from Emmaline Bags. In Fact, every bag I have ever made has Emmaline’s Hardware. Its top notch hardware from right here in Canada!

In my box of vinyl was this deep yellow that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with. A little brainstorming with the kids, and my Pikachu backpack was born! I designed the face and ears myself, and used the Lindsport Mini Backpack as the body of the bag.

The Sweetpea Saddle Bag is a free pattern from BlueCalla. I love their bags as well, and have made a few. I was testing out the denim lookaline for Troll Brothers. Its got a water resistant backing and a denim look without actually being denim. The main flap was a generous donation of original Tula Pink Prince Charming frogs from a friend that I pieced together into a whole frog. It’s stunning with the bright gold hardware, and the perfect size when I just need the basics.

Lastly, I have this gorgeous duo! I was thrilled to be invited as a special guest into teh FreeSpirit Circle of Makers in November. I got to play with Club Hauer’s newest line, Costumes & Cobwebs. The whole line is gorgeous! I was sent this spooktacular cat and owl print, and the frightfully gorgeous Venus Eye Traps, as well as a handful of blender prints from the collection. The second I opened the box, I knew I absolutely needed to make a bag to show them off! I used the Aster Handbag from Blue Calla for the bag, and the Necessary Clutch Wallet from Emmaline Bags for the wallet. The two pair together brilliantly. I also pulled out some Italian leather that’s been waiting for just the right project.

Happy Stitching!

21Jun2022

The Daydreamer Quilts Collection

Posted in Other by StaceyinStitches

The Daydreamer Collection by Tula Pink has to be one of my favorite fabric lines to date. So much so, that I am still making quilts with it! I just adore the flamingos, the ombre prints, the tiny fruits, the jaguars, the butterflies…. it makes me want to travel where there are sunny beaches and clear ocean water. The collection also saw the release of 22 new solids, Unicorn Poop and Dragons Breath. Most of the quilts have the complimentary solids included somewhere in the design. They do an amazing job of adding resting spots for the eyes, or adding to the rainbow effect for each quilt.

I had a field day designing quilts to showcase Daydreamer.

First up is my personal favorite, Imagination. This is an advanced foundation paper pieced quilt. It has a LOT of pieces and needs a LOT of patience, but the end result is 1000% worth it! just take a look at #tulapinkdaydreamer and #imaginationquilt on Instagram to see how people are just killin’ it with this quilt! @quilting_elissa was the first person to finish hers, and she showcases the quilt to its absolute best. Go check her out!

The Imagination Quilt, 84″ x 84″, designed by Stacey Day

Next up is another personal favorite, Hibiscus. I really wanted to make a floral inspired quilt, one that would showcase the gorgeous border print and make best use of the ombre jaguars. Again, this is a more advanced quilt because of the number of pieces, and the color shift between the blocks. There are no tricky seams or templates needed with this one, just patience and determination. The border has mitred corners, but if you aren’t up for them, traditional straight borders will also go nicely. If you are going to change it, I recommend making the side borders first, then measuring and sewing the top and bottom. Organization is key with this quilt. The Hibiscus is the perfect size for the guest bedroom or the vacation house.

The Hibiscus Quilt, 70″ x 81″, designed by Stacey Day

Then we move on to another floral inspired quilt, Chrysanthemum. I was really on a floral kick with this one (its the tropics, need all the flowers!) I would call this one intermediate, but a confident beginner could definitely make it. The units of each block are all stitch-and-flip. All straight seams and no templates. I really wanted to make something that looked complex but was easy to put together, and show off that rainbow jaguar print.

The Chrysanthemum Quilt, 85″ x 85″, designed by Stacey Day

The next quilt, Tumble, has big open blocks to show off the print. Tula had a hand in the final design of this one, she has such an amazing sense of color and design. She rearranged some of the prints and added the gradient sashing, and elevated the original design to its final form. Tumble is confident beginner friendly, with some fussy cutting, and simple to put together. You need to pay attention to the solid placements in the sashes when making it.

The Tumble Quilt, 71″ x 81″, designed by Stacey Day and Tula Pink

Daydreamer also offers some factory cut quilt kits. I am thrilled that one of my earlier quilts made a comeback. This quilt has been asked after for years, it was a kit exclusive with the Tabby Road collection. Tula recolored it for Daydreamer and is again available as a kit exclusive. Say hello to Sunshine Daydream! There is a lot of fussy cutting with this one, for each individual butterfly and the spikes. Paired with the Manatee solid from Freespirit, this is a must-make! Kits are available through your local quilt shop.

The Sunshine Daydream Quilt Kit, 70″ x 70″, designed by Stacey Day and Tula Pink

I also did up a couple fun kids quilts with Daydreamer and Unicorn Poop (my kids absolutely love that name). The duo were published though AQ Magazine, and I’m super happy how they turned out. The first is a baby quilt, made using charm squares. Perfect for the leftovers from your larger project.

46″ x 51″ Sweet Dreams Baby Quilt by Stacey Day

The second is a cute kids quilt with a 3D element-the bottom of each scoop of ice cream is a lift-the-flap style element. The cones are paper pieced, and the cone domes are applique. I used a different decorative stitch for the top of each. For some extra fun factor I took little bites out of some of the cones.

Month of Sundaes, 64″ x 71″, Designed and quilted by Stacey Day

I still have one more Daydreamer quilt in the works, but its a secret for now. I am really excited for its release, coming early next year!

That’s all for now, I still have lots to talk about.

Happy Stitching,

7Sep2017

Market Recap 2

Posted in Other by StaceyinStitches

Spring Market was a busy one indeed! I was thrilled to be able to work with the esteemed Amy Butler her new collection for FreeSpirit Fabrics. Each quilt is available as a free pattern, found HERE.

I ADORE both collections and had so many ideas for each. It was so hard to narrow it down to just a few. I am so happy with how the designs turned out.

True Love – featuring Soul Mate by Amy Butler.

True Love came from an image in my head of little cartoon hearts floating above the heads of a couple newly in love. That love is fresh, vibrant, and feels like a dream. There is potential in that love, for something deeper and true, but only time will tell.

Cross My Heart – featuring Soul Mate by Amy Butler

Cross My Heart was the first design out of my brain. I new immediately I wanted to do a cross stitch heart when I heard the collection name. even before I saw the prints. As I colored in each stitch, I imagined a couple who have weathered the test of time. Each stitch is a memory, a milestone, that over time has woven two lives together in a tapestry of love.

You Complete Me – featuring Soul Mate by Amy Butler

Finally, You Complete Me. this is my favorite of the three quilts. Is the feeling when you find each other and realise you fit together perfectly. You are two halfs of the same whole, Soul Mates.

Two of the quilts, Cross My Heart and You Complete Me, were adapted for Amy’s Spice Market Tote. They are addenums to the original pattern.

I hope you enjoy Soul Mates. I loved sewing with it. The feel of the poplin is featherlight and soft, and I could just wrap myself in it all day.

Happy Stitching,

11Jul2016

The Bloom Quilt

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

It’s been a long, exhausting month here at Stacey In Stitches. Not only did we buy a house and move, we also welcomed a new addition to the family! Nothing like cramming everything into two weeks *I’m not crazy I swear*
I haven’t had time or energy to unpack my sewing room, everything is just sitting in boxes, and I haven’t sewn a stitch since June 20th (I’m not counting or anything) so it’s nice to have a fantastic finish to share with everyone!

This is the Bloom Quilt that I designed back in January for Tula PInk’s Chipper Collection. I forgot to take actual pictures of it, I was a little crunched for time, but the man at the FedEx office was nice enough to hold it for me while I snapped some photos with my phone ( and then promptly packed it back up in the box)

Thankfully it is a kit available on Craftsy, and they take some GORGEOUS pictures, so I can share some of those! Woot!

Image Courtesy of Craftsy

Image Courtesy of Craftsy

Image courtesy of Craftsy

I quilted this pretty heavily, but as you can see, the prints absorb it really well, so it creates a nice suprise when you get up close. I used all Aurifil 40wt for my quilting. A light lavender for the star points, a light teal for the chipmunk squares, and light mint for the background. I did an all-over triple paisley motif in the background that I really liked, and it worked well with the print. The chipmunks were all pebbles, and the star points were an orange peel motif. That took a little bit of thinking to avoid too much backtracking but I finally got it worked out. I especially LOVE the bias binding, I love bias striped binding!

I am super happy with how this quilt came out! You can get your own Bloom Kit from Craftsy by Clicking HERE.

Happy Stitching,

25May2016

Spring Quilt Market

Posted in Finished Quilts, Gallery by StaceyinStitches

So, I didn’t make it to quilt market this spring, but a few of my designs did! I have been sitting on these quilt design for months, and its been driving me crazy because I love them SOOO MUCH! When FreeSpirit asked me to design with Tula’s upcoming Slow and Steady line I of course said (in a calm and professional manner) YESSSSS! I submitted a handful of designs, and they were given to Tula herself for approval. She liked them a lot, and made a tweak or two with color placement in the approved designs. She really is a genius of color, and I found the collaboration to be eye opening and inspiring. She is also a genuinely super nice person. I would buy her fabric based on that alone if I didn’t also love it so much. Then the good news came that they wanted one of the designs for a kit. I didn’t clue in until the market photos started popping up that it was one of the amazing pre-cut box kits! HOLY COW!

Seriously, thank goodness for social media, otherwise when would you ever find pictures of stuff! Yay for Instagram and a huge thanks to @swimbikequilt, @angelafmq, and @tulapink for posting photos.

Fandango, pieced by Tula Pink, Quilted by Angela Walters

Then there is the lovely Wall of Fame Quilt. This quilt is to be a free pattern download from FreeSpirit Fabrics. I will link to it in my patterns section once it goes live.

Pieced by myself, before Angela got her talented magical hands on it…..

…and after! Gorgeous quilting!

Hanging in the FreeSpirit booth. So many gorgeous projects. Check out those Umbrellas!

There is one more project that I made for this collection, but it is heading someplace else. I cannot wait to share it with you!

Happy Stitching!

30Jan2016

New Craftsy Kit!

Posted in Finished Quilts, Tutorials and Patterns by StaceyinStitches

Yahoo! Finally another finish I can share!

This particular quilt I designed back in June and made in August, using Tula Pink’s True Colors and Birds and Bees remix. FreeSpirit Fabrics launched a limited series of reprints in a new collection called the Timeless Collection. Select prints from select designers were included, and they asked me to come up with some designs. Spectrum Stars was by far my favorite, and I am so glad they chose it!

Introducing the Spectrum Stars Quilt!

Spectrum Stars Quilt Kit- Photo courtesy of Craftsy

Spectrum Stars is bright and cheerful, full of rainbow goodness. It makes me happy just to look at it! The background is my new favorite ‘not-white’ solid, FreeSpirit Designer Solid in Mist. It’s a warm ultralight ivory-grey blend, it works so well with so many different things, I use it all the time in my designs. I just love how all the colors play so well together between the different collections. Tula Pink certainly did a spectacular job with her True Colors! It plays well on its own, with her latest releases like Eden, or her vintage collections as you can see here.

The quilt is a large crib size, finishing at 48″x60″, and the kit gives you all the fabric you need to complete the quilt.

Photo courtesy of Craftsy

The pattern calls for paper piecing, the templates will fit on regular printer paper. If you want to make a bigger quilt, enlarging the paper foundations 150% will give you a double size (72″x 90″), and 200% will give you a large queen (96″x 120″) Of course, you will have to increase the amount of fabric you need, but you can find the True Colors and Birds and Bees reprint fabric on Craftsy, online, or at your local quilt shop. Craftsy also carries the FreeFall 108″ wide backing, which is what I used for the backing. I love Free Fall, its a lovely sateen weave with some good weight and a sleek soft feel. I never have tension issues when I use it to back my quilts.

Photo courtesy of Craftsy

I picked a stylized flames motif for the quilting, it added depth and texture without overwhelming the quilt. I used my favorite Glide off white thread, it has such a pretty shine when you get it under bright lights, but doesn’t overpower the fabric.

Spectrum Stars is one of my favorite finishes from last year. If you love it as much as I do, you can CLICK HERE to get your own Spectrum Stars kit from Craftsy. I can say I will be making this one again in a queen size for home!

Photo Courtesy of Craftsy

Happy Stitching!

15Nov2015

New Craftsy Kits

Posted in Finished Quilts by StaceyinStitches

Oh MY GOSH FINALLY!!

I have been just itching to share these projects for SO LONG!

Back in June I had the pleasure of designing some quilts and a bag for FreeSpirit Fabrics using the True Colors and Eden collections by Tula Pink (TULA!) The designs were picked up by Craftsy, and turned into kits!

First up is Prism

Prism was a lot of fun to make. I love anything rainbow, and nothing is more rainbow than Tula Pink True Colors, with the sole exception of maybe an actual real life rainbow. I love the bright amber yellow in the collection, and the owl print in each color. All the prints are fun, detailed, and totally Tula.

I straight line quilted the center, following the branching pieces, and then for the outside square border I used a piano key. I love piano keys for keeping the borders straight and flat. I used all Aurifil threads in a bright fuschia and a purple. The black inner borders I went with a tight squiggle and black thread. LOTS of thead changed on this one, but TOTALLY worth it!

Next up was the Easy Market Tote. I picked my favorite selection of True Colors prints that went well together in a rainbow for the geese. I love flying geese, and the paper piecing is really straight forward. The entire bag is super easy to make! Best of all, no intricate little seams to match up, so no bulk!

And finally my personal favorite, the Hot House Quilt!

I LOVE Eden, and I was so excited to be able to work with it. It combines with True Colors beautifully. This beauty has so much quilting potential it hurts. I probably printed and filled 5 or 6 outlines with possible quilting, but in the end it came down to time limits, and I used my favorite floral pantograph. It is a hothouse after all 😉

Hot House is the largest quilt I had designed to that point, before I had always been concerned about what I could quilt at home, or have to pay for a longarm. With access to a longarm, I was finally able to make quilts in the sizes I really wanted without worrying!

I hope you all enjoy the kits, which are available by clicking the titles: Prism, Hot House, and Market Tote. They are really very affordable, Craftsy is excellent with their pricing! Whn you finish, please send me pictures, I love to see how people put them together! Send them to my email, or tag me in Instagram @staceyinstitches

Happy Stitching!