I have a big announcement today; I am officially having a sample sale! AKA: Stacey Ran Out Of Room And Has More Quilts To Make So Needs To Make Room Quilt Adoption Sale!
I will be listing quilts this week, and the sale will go live Sunday morning. There will be Finished quilts from my book, Child’s Play Quilts, quilts I have made just for fun, and some from the first unpublished book. There will also be a small selection of Work In Progress (WIP) quilts. Some WIPs may be flimsy tops only, some might be quilted but need binding.
What does the Fox Say?Apple BlossomsTumbledRainbow BrightsButterfly KissesFishbowlPrismBows PeepStars ShineBig WheelsGumdropsBullseyeLadybirdStarry NightsI Love YouRaindropsLeafyStars of the Show
The prices will vary. I thought long and hard about the pricing models for these. Some take a lot more time, some take a lot more fabric. I have taken many things into account, and have settled on only charging for the cost of materials. For many of these samples my labor has been paid already, and I really want my quilts to find their forever homes. I am one of those maybe-not-so-strange-after-all people that tends to personify their art, and I know that each quilt has its perfect home, and have been ready to find them for a while. I have a hard time letting go.
I started off small in one of my Facebook groups, and I am feeling ready to start the quilt adoptions! I know that my own mental health and creativity is tied in with my stash of fabrics and quilts, and the sheer number has gotten overwhelming, to the point that I feel it affecting my sewing.
Thank you to everyone who has been following along and supporting me over the years. I am excited to me moving forward and making room for new quilts.
The next collection with Tula Pink is called Tiny Beasts, with a new selection of dots and stripes, also of the tiny variety. I really love the collection; not only are the prints excellent on their own, they can also be used like a blender print. The tiny dots and stripes round out the main prints, and of course solids are a quilters best freind!
First is Lend a Paw. This was such a fun quilt to design, I love making gradients and rainbows. the pieces are small, but the quilt is big, finishing up at 91″ x 91″! You’ll have no trouble fussy cutting this one if you want to, even though the cut pieces are smaller you’ll still get the full print in the pieces. I used my favorite print, the trash pandas, as a background feature. You could switch it up with whatever you wanted, from the ladybugs to solids. I used the tiny stripes/dots to complete the rainbow gradient.
Lend a Paw, 91″ x 91″, designed by Stacey Day
The next quilt is a more advanced quilt. I loved the hedgehog print, I thought it was so creative and clever and cute. Chatting with Tula about it led to an idea of dandelion fluff, which evolved into Just Dandy. This is a foundation paper pieced quilt with some bias tape applique. It is not for the faint of heart. The end result is spectacular. Its already popping up on Instagram in progress or completed, which makes my quilty heart so happy.
Just Dandy, 82″ x 82″, designed by Stacey Day
The final quilt I came up with is called Mini Menagerie. I wanted a large central block that would feature as much of the tiny print as possible. This is regular piecing, no special techniques required! I ended up hand drawing this one to make sure the the pieces all fit together as intended. it reminds me of a sunburst. I think this block will make an appearance again in the future. I want to color it for the upcoming Moon Garden collection, it would feature those large prints really well.
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.
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!
Monkey’s Lunch – January 2020 Photo courtesy of AQ Magazine
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.
Amethyst – July 2020 Photo courtesy of AQ Magazine
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.
Kaliedoscope – November 2020 Photo courtesy of AQ Magazine
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.
Family Hearts – January 2021 Photo courtesy of AQ Magazine
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.
Starlines – March 2021 Cover Photo courtesy of AQ Magazine
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!)
Delphinium – May 2021 Photo courtesy of AQ Magazine
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!
Today I thought I would dive right in to one of the most popular fabric designers I have the pleasure of working with; Tula Pink!
Every 6 months or so, Tula releases a new collection with FreeSpirit Fabrics, and I have so much fun taking those fabrics and turning them into quilts for you to enjoy. The entire process takes about a week per pattern, between designing, tweaking, writing, illustrating and technical editing. Myself and the tech editor at FreeSpirit do our absolute best to make sure you get a pattern that is clear, easy to read, and straightforward to make. I get to really branch out with the skill level on these ones; I aim to have a beginner friendly pattern and an advanced level pattern. The advanced level assume prior knowledge and experience in things like paper piecing, fussy cutting, templates, applique, ect. The beginner level patterns I try to make straightforward, and introduce at least one new skill for quilters to develop and start gaining confidence.
As I have about 3 releases of quilts to cover, I will take a day for each collection. I am prolific when it comes to the fabrics and designers I love 😉
Today we will dive into the glorious explosion of Tula Pink True Colors.
The release of Tula Pink’s new True Colors collection made all my wildest rainbow dreams come true. With a full spectrum of 42 hues to chose from, it is entirely possible that I may have gone overboard when designing for this one. I enjoyed every second of it, and poured so much of my love of all things color and fabric and texture into it, that True Colors will always be one of my favorite lines. The best part? It is a supporting line, so will be around for at least the next 2 years!
The first quilt for the True Colors collection was finalized while I was on my quilting cruise; Woven Radiance. I wanted to utilize every single print in the collection in a non-traditional rainbow layout. I took inspiration from my previously designed Radiance quilt. This quilts name is a nod to the previous. I assure you, the two are nothing alike and I may be the only person to see the inspiration on first glance.
The next offering for True Colors left me undecided on a background. I wasn’t the only one torn between colorways, so we went with both! A simple substitution of background hue breathes a different life into this quilt, which I called Stardust. The lighter version uses the fairy dust print from True Colors in Whisper for the background. The dark version used the Tula Pink Solid Diva. I may reimagine these with the new Tula Pink Solids, I think Legendary would make this quilt…..wait for it……LEGENDARY! haha!! See what I did there? yes? Okay! moving on….
In my mind, this quilt represents light in all it’s full prismatic glory, gently bathing the world in color as it rains from the stars.
I loved True Colors so much I needed to express it in quilt form. I also wanted a quilt that could possibly be made with a jelly roll. While the jelly roll aspect was a fail, the quilt itself was a WIN. I just can’t seem to make a quilt small enough to suit jelly rolls…….but that’s okay! More fabric for you to love!
Floating Hearts uses a combination of strip piecing and stitch and flip piecing. The best part is all the leftovers could be turned into a mini quilt or throw pillows if one was so inclined. And since I also can’t seem to do anything the easy way, the colors flow one into the next. My brain was a gooey pile of rainbow spaghetti after editing this one, but so totally worth it! The release of this pattern was delayed because of the background print. We had to wait until the announcement of the next collection before releasing this one, so it had been sitting in the ready folder for FOREVER. Okay, okay, not forever, but it really felt like it!
I don’t always remake my old patterns, but the next two quilts are updated colorings of my quilts for the previous true colors collection in 2016.
Confetti was first designed when Tule Pink All Stars released. The Stripes, Pom Poms, and Tula Pink Solids were meant to continue on into future collections, and I wanted a quilt to show off the supporting prints and carry them forward. I have an ongoing love affair with stars, and I’ll take any chance at creating one with fabric in different and exciting ways. I wrote Confetti as a beginner friendly quilt. The building blocks are HST. My whole vision was no two Confetti quilts would be the same. Cut the triangles, throw them in the air like confetti, then pick them up and start sewing them together at random. While I don’t usually encourage throwing your fabrics all over the place (who wants to recount squares or lose one behind the sofa) I do encourage letting go and grabbing at random to create the sections.
Each of Tula’s lines has an exclusive pattern that you can only get in the quilt kit released by FreeSpirit Fabrics. For True colors, my design was chosen for the kit! Solar Flare is an updated version of the original true colors quilt kit, Prism, that was Craftsy Exclusive. ALLLLLLLLL the way back in 2015. 2015!!!. I loved that quilt, and now I love it even more with the expansion of colors.
You can find the exclusive quilt kit at your local quilt shop or online.
Solar Flare Quilt Kit
This isn’t the last quilt in True Colors, but it is the last for today. The next True Colors quilts are spectacular, but both are part of different posts, and I cannot wait to introduce you to them!
As always, please tag me on Instagram when you make your quilts. I love to gush over other quilters makes from my designs!!
I am happy that I finally remembered to share this with everyone! As you know the last few months have been super busy preparing for the new house and baby. Now that things are settled down, I realized I still had quilts floating around out in the world that were ready to share.
Silent Film is one of the quilts featured in the December issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. I sewed this up ages ago, mailed it off, and then promptly forgot about it until the lovely editor emailed me with pictures and a release date.
I designed Silent Film as part of the Urban Scandinavian collection by Kirstyn Cogan for P&B Textiles. Black and white collections are always a challenge for me. I love color, so B&W is right out of my safe box. Designing with it always comes down to value. I used different variations of black on white and grey on black to create subtle changes in value, and the striped print for visual interest in the blocks and border. The resulting quilt reminded me of an old-time movie theater, playing a black and white movie.
Silent film is the perfect sofa quilt. Back it in a soft flannel or minky, and you have a cuddly yet elegant quilt to snuggle up with and watch your favorite movie. And when guests come over, Silent Film can be left folded over the couch as a sophisticated party guest!
I used the following fabrics from Urban Scandinavian B&W
Funny story about this quilt- this was quilted on my friends longarm, back when we had a small quilting co-op running. I was on a tight deadline, and I was SURE that I had black thread in my cubby at the space. I got the quilt loaded and wouldn’t you know, NO black thread! I almost panicked, and then started auditioning other colors. This is actually quilted with Navy Aurifil 50 wt. The thread was very fine, and it blends in into the quilt so well you cannot even tell. It was a close tie between this and a beautiful warm violet 40 wt Aurifil I had at the space.
Of course, we also love color, so the good people over at American Patchwork and Quilting made up this lovely mini version using color prints from Alexander Henry.
As you can see, it makes a fun statement and would be perfect for gifting to a new baby! You could also use black and white and a touch of color. The possibilities go on and on with this one!
The December issue of American Patchwork and Quilting goes on sale October 4. You can pick up a copy on newsstands or download a digital copy directly from All People Quilt. Please tag me when you make your version on Instagram @staceyinstitches or send me an email with pictures of the finished quilt (or top) and I will feature it here. I love to see what others make from my patterns =)
I am pleased to announce that the second colorway of my Anemone Quilt is available now exclusively from Craft of Quilting! My friend Anne sent me a picture today of the paper catalogue in her mailbox. Which is super cool. How many people get the mailer? I didn’t even know I could! And it’s an entire page!
Thanks Anne!
The blue/orange colorway looks amazing in person. Of course in my addled brain I once again forgot to take my own photos (boo!) of the finished quilt, but I can assure everyone that it looks spectacular.
You can get both the wall quilt pattern and a pillow pattern. The pillow is super fun and will sew up in an evening. It makes a great gift!
I love the Anemone Quilt and I plan on making myself a larger version in the future.
Thank you Craft of Quilting for loving the quilt as much as I do! To get your own Anemone Quilt Kit, click on the link here.
Stay tuned for some more super fun stuff happening at the end of the month (squee!)
Happy Stitching,
p.s. I have been receiving a lot of questions as to the availability of the pattern itself. First off, let me thank you for your support and enthusiasm for this quilt, it blows me away! Windham Fabrics is the official distributor for this pattern, and they will be releasing it sometime in the future, though the format (paper or PDF) has yet to be determined. If you have questions or concerns regarding the pattern or quilt kits, kindly email Windham =)
Northern Lights started life as a QDAD design. When Elizabeth Hartman released Rhoda Ruth (her very first fabric collection with Kaufman) I just ADORED it. And still do. I love rich, vibrant jewel tones, and since my good friend Anne introduced me to the joys of navy as a background, I love them even more! I knew when I saw it that I just HAD to make something with Rhoda Ruth and started digging through my files. I landed on this beauty from Aug 30th. The inspiration photo was a bunch of root veggies-carrots and radishes I believe.
As you can see, the final design took quite a departure from the original. It took a couple versions to get the paper piecing just right. I REALLY wanted to have the chevron shape at the end of the point, instead of just a straight across piece. Would it have been easier? Yes. Would it have looked as stellar as it does now? Not a chance!
I wanted to try and showcase as many of the Rhoda Ruth prints as possible, for the most part because I couldn’t narrow them down much, and then paired them up with the coordinating Kona Solids.
The quilting took me a while to think of, but I finally went with a combination of freehand designs that really made the quilt pop! I changed thread for each color of stars (a lot of winding the quilt top back and forth for that!) and quited some dense straight lines in the star points and then some pebbles in the center solids for texture. The background I went with a freemotion swirl between the stars to represent the motion of the night sky, clouds and wind. Then I chose an elongated piano key for the outside edge, giving the quilt a faux border and adding some additional visual texture and interest in the solid background. This is why I have a love/hate with solids, because you can have some amazing quilting stand out but you need amazing quilting because it will stand out. Makes total sense, yes?
I love that the quilting hides the seams of the blocks so you can’t tell it’s on point. I don’t know why I love that, but I do =)
You can find the May/June issue of McCall’s quilting on Newsstands now. I really hope you give Northern Lights a go! It’s one of my favorite quilts to date =)
It’s been a busy time here at Stacey in Stitches, so I thought I would post another free pattern for everyone! Say hello to Fletching!
Fletching is another quilt pattern from the book that never was. It was one of the first designs for the book, and my goal with it was to create a large, useable quilt that sews up quickly. I think I succeeded in Fletching. The best part is that it has an improv with intent element to the construction, so no two quilts will look the same. The pattern uses large scale simple paper piecing, so it’s perfect for anyone wanting to get their feet wet. I mocked it up in a few different colorways, and they all look spectacular, so you know whatever fabric you choose is going to look great. I used a selection of my favorite warm, rich prints and batiks from my stash to make the fletchings. Joan Nicholson of Maple Leaf Quilters did a bang up job on the quilting. I asked for simple and modern, and the straight lines in a rainbow variegated thread are perfect for this quilt.
The Fletching quilt went on a long flight recently to it’s new home with J, a childhood friend of mine in the UK. He went on a long vacation that ended up as a staycation, and finally has a proper flat in a charming little town full of old churches, hills, and bunny rabbits.  He was my brothers best friend growing up, and we have known each other since I was 7 and he was 5 ( I think, it’s been a LONG time) when they moved onto our street. I have a lot of happy fond memories growing up in that neighborhood.
When J posted a picture of his room on Facebook, touting the fact that he finally had a real bed and pillows again, I realized he needed a quilt. Badly. White pillowcases and a sheet, it was screaming for some color!
Every so often, a quilt tells me where it wants to live, and in this case Fletching practically jumped out of my trunk and into a mailbox. I knew it would be the perfect quilt for J. The rich, vibrant colors and multidirectional arrows of the quilt seemed to speak to his life, in which he is a performance artist and now a traveller. His life has gone a direction he maybe didn’t plan on, but he is making the most of it. So I went out on the first actually sunny day in what seemed like forever and captured a few pictures (with the help of my little buddy) and promptly sent it away.
The quilt has been received and it goes great with his flat. I am so happy that Fletching has a forever home with J, where it will be used and appreciated as a quilt should!
You can find the free pattern in my Craftsy shop by CLICKING HERE.Â
I am so excited to share a tutorial with you all for my newest quilt using Shannon’s line, Dryad! I met Shannon at Quilt Market last October, and I fell in love with Dryad. The colors are bold and vibrant and earthy, and some of the prints have some subtle metallic details. Shannon is also super awesome and so easy to chat with! When she asked me if I wanted to make a project with Dryad for her blog hop, of course I said yes! Fabri-Quilt sent me a Snack Pack, which contains 42-2 1/2″ wide strips of fabric. It also has a handy swatch chart on the back so you can preview the fabrics and know how many of each print are included in the pack.
I have four favorite prints (because I couldn’t pick just one). First is the main print in the cool greens, which contains bits and pieces of each prints in that colorway. The print is reminiscent of Shannon’s Scrappy Bits Applique style, which I think works really really well with the collection. It adds a lot of visual interest and pops of color to the pieces.
Next is the bright orange print I nicknamed branchlers, because they look like branches and antlers. The orange in person is the PERFECT hue of orange. Orange can be a hard color to pull off, and Shannon nailed it. NAILED IT. Also, kiddo loves it too!
The next is the text print. The text is a Robert Frost poem “Into My Own” written in Shannon’s own handwriting. At first glance the fabric looks black, but it’s really a rich deep indigo blue that sets off perfectly with the other fabrics in the line and would compliment a lot of what’s already in my stash.
Next is the leaf print with metallic accents. I couldn’t pick between the gold and green at first, but the gold won out. It makes good almost neutral compliment to all of the other fabrics and I can see myself using it in other projects as well.
Now, I am always trying to stretch my creativity when it comes to precut fabrics. I wanted to make something simple, but that so did not happen. I had a brainstorm and ran with it, and the result is a full tutorial that uses almost all of the fabrics included in the Snack Pack. The quilt can be made by either a very patient, confident beginner, or an intermediate/advanced quilter. There are two options and you can just continue with whichever option you choose, it’s very streamlined! I added a metallic ivory print from my stash, and a blue binding fabric that looked like water ripples.
Greeting from ~Enchanted Forest~
I really wanted to have the idea of leaves, and at first I was just going to cut out leaf shapes from my strip sets. Then I started thinking more about the name, Dryad, and how they are mythical creatures that you would probably find in an enchanted forest full of sunlight and unicorns. I thought to myself “If I were in an enchanted forest, I would expect it to sparkle and shine” and the idea of the 3D curved diamonds came to life. The curve of the diamonds create the leafy shape I wanted, but with an added level of sparkle. They are the magic in the forest, the sunshine through the trees, and a perfect skill builder!
I just love how Enchanted Forest turned out, and once I got going I finished in a single day. The top anyways. For quilting, I chose to double up a polycotton blend that was much too thin on its own, and then quilted it in simple straight lines that paralleled the direction of the strips. The result is a lofty warm toddler size quilt. Kiddo simple ADORES the color orange and has already confiscated this quilt. Wish me luck getting this one back to show off at Guild!
Now, before the tutorial begins, here is all the information you need to follow along with the rest of the hop and enter to win some great prizes!
chanzy01 who said”This has got to be my favorite stop on the hop so far. I’ve saved, bookmarked and pinned it so there is no chance I can loose it. I already follow Fabric Quilt and their Inspired By Fabric Blog.” Thank you chanzy01, and enjoy your fabric
Note: To see a photo or illustration larger or in more detail, click on the image and it will open that image full screen.
1. Remove and discard (2) strips from the Dryad Snack pack. Take the remaining (40) strips and randomly sew them together into pairs. Press the seams to one side, and then sew the pairs together to make (10) strip sets 8 1/2″ wide. Press in the same direction.
2. Cut the strip sets into (48) 8 1/2″ squares. You will be able to get (5) squares from a strip set.
3. Lay out the 8 1/2″ pieced squares into sets of (4), rotating the squares as shown so that the strips travel in two different directions. These pieced squares will be sewn together to make a large block with the 3-D shape in the center.
4. Take an 8 1/2″ ivory square and fold it in half wrong sides together (WST). Pin it to the right side of the first pieced square as shown, so that the raw edges match in the corner of the pieces square, and the fold is to the inside of the block. Place the second pieces square right sides together (RST) on top. Sew the pieces together down the side with the fold. Do not press yet.
5. Fold the block out of the way along the seam, so that the folded ivory piece is free. Pin and sew the other side of the folded ivory piece to a second set of pieced squares, in the same manner as before, making sure that the pieced squares are oriented as shown. Do not press yet.
6. Open the block and lay it flat, to check that the strips of the pieced squares are oriented correctly.
7. Place the two pairs of blocks right sides together, matching the side of the seam allowance with the folded ivory piece together. Finger press the seam allowances in opposite directions so that the seam nests together carefully. Make sure that the fold of the ivory piece is not caught up in the square. CLICK HERE for a handy video tutorial for this step! When you open the block it will look like this:
8. From the wrong side, gently open the seam allowance of the first two seams at the center of the block, so that the seams all spin in the same direction. Press the block flat.
9. Repeat steps 4- 8 with the remaining 8 1/2″ pieced squares, to make (12) diamond blocks total. Trim and square the blocks to 16 1/2″.
10. Take one of the 16 1/2″ diamond blocks and place it right side up on your ironing board. Gently fold one the side of the diamond in towards the center, until the side form a concave curve, usually about 1/4″-3/8″ fold will achieve this. Press the side to set the curve. Repeat for the remaining sides and the remaining diamond blocks.
11. Using a matching thread for each block, topstitch right next to the fold as shown, on the inside of the diamond, backstitching at the start and stop of the seam. Trim the threads or pull them to the back of the block to hide them.
Assembling the Quilt Top -Beginner Quilt
This section is for the beginner quilt. After completing Beginner step 10, scroll down to “Finishing the Quilt”. Skip this section if you wish to complete the Advanced quilt.Â
10. Sew the finished blocks together into (4) rows with (3) blocks in each row, matching the seam allowances. Press the even rows left and the odd rows right.
11. Sew the rows together, matching the seam allowances. Press the entire quilt top. The finished top will look like this:
Assembling the Quilt Top – Advanced Quilt
Alrighty folks, this is where the steps get a bit strange, but stay with me! You can already make the 3D Diamonds, so adding them into the rows just takes a little patience and longer seams. The corner curves are super easy, and the 3D geese are simple as well. Also, lots of pictures!
10. Take one of the 4 1/2″ ivory squares and fold it in WST. Pin it to the right side in the corner of a diamond block and then baste in in place. Turn the fold back like you did for the diamonds, and topstitch in place. Repeat for the remaining 4 1/2″ ivory squares and three more diamond blocks. This makes (4) corner blocks.
11. Take one of the 4 1/2″x 8 1/2″ ivory rectangles and fold it in half lengthwise WST. Pin it as shown on the right side of a corner block. Take an 8 1/2″ ivory square and fold it WST. Pin it in place as shown in the opposite corner of the same corner block.
12. Place a regular diamond block RSTÂ on top of the corner block and sew them together down the side with the folded rectangles. Press the seam allowance right and open the blocks flat.
13. Place a folded ivory rectangle and square on the regular diamond block the same as you did for the corner block, and pin them in place. Place a corner block RST on top, so that the curved square of the corner block is aligned as shown. Sew down the side. Open and press the seam allowance to the right. This is the top row.
14. Take (2) regular diamond blocks and pin a folded ivory rectangles in the top corner of each as shown. These will be the side blocks of the next row.
So far so good! This is where we will construct the 3D blocks that are between the rows. The technique is exactly the same as creating the regular diamond blocks, there is just some prep that needs to be done for each before sewing to set up the next set of 3D pieces in the rows below. The pieces tend to get a bit bulky as each diamond block is added and the rows are constructed, so take your time and use pins.Â
15. Take the left side block and place a folded ivory square in the bottom corner as shown. Using a pin or a removable marking pen, mark the opposite corner with the X. This is the corner that will be lined up with the other side of the first folded ivory square in the first row.
16. Take the first row and fold it back along the first seam allowance, like you did when constructing the diamond blocks. This will free up the folded ivory square and make it easier to sew the second set of blocks to it.
17. Match the raw edges of the left side block with the raw edges of the first folded ivory square in the first row. Pin, and then place a regular diamond block, now referred to as the center block, on the other side of the folded ivory square, RST with the side block. Sew down the side with the folded ivory square, as you did when constructing the diamond blocks. Open and press the seam allowance to the right.
18. Take the right side block and and place a folded ivory square in the bottom corner as shown. Using a pin or a removable marking pen, mark the opposite corner with the X. This is the corner that will be lined up with the other side of the second folded ivory square in the first row.
19. Match the raw edges of the right side block with the raw edges of the second folded ivory square in the first row. Pin, and then line up the center block on top of the other side of the folded ivory square, RST with the side block. Sew down the side with the folded ivory square. Open and press the seam allowance to the right.
Open the piece, and it will look something like this:
20. Place the two rows right sides together and pin at the seam allowances, adjusting and pinning the ivory pieces the same as when you made the diamond blocks. Sew the two rows together, open, and press towards the second row. It should look like this when you are finished:
21. Prep a second set of side blocks.  Sew the blocks of the third row EXACTLY the same as you did for the second row.
23. Take the last two corner blocks and pin the final folded ivory rectangles to them as shown.
24. Using the prepped corner blocks and the remaining diamond block, sew the last row the same as the second and third rows. Press the top well, then baste the open raw edges down to the edges of the quilt top. Fold and press all of the newly formed 3D diamond and geese shapes. Topstitch them down the exact same way you did with the original diamond blocks.
Did you make it through? Then give yourselves a pat on the pack and a chocolate bar, you earned it! It’s smooth sailing from this point!
Finishing the Quilt- Both Skill Levels
Give your quilt top a final press. Piece together the backing so that it measures about 56″x 72″ (you can make it smaller, but since I work on a longarm I like to have the extra wiggle room just in case) and then layer and baste the top, batting and backing. Quilt as desired! I used parallel straight lines and left the centers black, but there is a ton of potential for custom quilting in the strips and in the 3D shapes as well. Piece together the binding strips using a diagonal seam, and then attach the binding to the quilt. Sew on a label, take lots of pretty pictures, and enjoy!
Phew! We made it through! I hope you enjoyed my stop on the hop, and if you have any questions when making your own Enchanted Forest quilt, email me or pop a question in the comments and I will help out as best I can.
When you’re done, tag me on Instagram @staceyinstitches or email me a picture of the finished quilt, I love to see what you make!
