A few months ago American Quilter Magazine reached out to see if I wanted to create a quilt using the new We Are All Stars collection from Cloud 9. Stars have a special meaning for me, and I really liked the color palette, so of course I immediately said yes. I had a lot of fun trying out different combinations with these fabrics. Ultimately I wanted to make something that looked more complex than it actually was. I’ve been on an on-point layout kick lately, and after trying out a few blocks I settled on a simple HST square block.
In my minds eye, as I was playing with shape and color, I kept seeing a skyline at night. The colors of the lights in the city blending and blurring together. I kept circling back to that, and started adding in some negative space using a deep indigo solid. the warm contrast of the indigo pulled new life out of the colors, and it meshed perfectly with my mental image.
the colors are chameleons. in warm sunlight the quilt pulls a very retro photo vibe. in cool cloudy light the colors are sharp and deep.
I quilted it in a combination of straight lines, chevrons, and swirling loops,because I was on a tight schedule and why not? I am so happy with how it turned out. and of course Cloud 9 is organic so the fabrics are soft and supple, much like sleeping on a cloud.
Night Lights can be found on newsstands now in the May issue of American Quilter Magazine.
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 =)
Well hello everyone! I am so pleased to finally be able to share this pattern with you. You may remember back in 2014 I had my very first Craftsy kit. It was quite popular and I got plenty of emails asking when just the pattern would be available. Enough time has finally gone by (plus some bonus time because, you know life happens) and I have FINALLY formatted Celebrate Old Glory as a Stacey Day Quilts pattern! Yay!
Celebrate Old Glory!
This quilts started out as a QDAD design, done on Memorial Day 2014. The inspiration photo was, you guessed it, an iconic antique American Flag. I created the block using my Electric Quilt 7 program, and I love the result. It really has a fun, celebratory movement to it. I love bringing a QDAD to reality!
As with any pattern, don’t feel limited to the suggested colors. I know this would be stunning with some flashy rainbow stars, or having the spin in a single hue ombre.
You can purchase your very own copy of Celebrate Old Glory by clicking here. Please tag me on Instagram @staceyinstitches or with the hashtag #OldGloryQuilt so I can see your own take on Celebrate Old Glory. Or email me a picture!
Thank you!
I also want to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your readership and support! Without my fellow quilters, I wouldn’t have anyone to share my work with. And really, that’s what it’s all about, being able to share my love of quilting with other like-minded individuals. So, THANK YOU!
Its been a long busy summer, with so many things that I just cannot share at the moment. So I thought I would carve some time out and do something that I could share with you!
Meet “Going Up”
I used some of my favorite fabrics from my stash, and it was lovingly pieced by Holly Broadland @hollybroadland . The quilting is a medium grey thread, and Joan of Maple Leaf Quilters did a great job straight line quilting this on her long arm for me.
Going Up is one of the patterns from the book that never was. I finally got motivated enough to illustrate it and try to take some pictures (solo outdoor pictures with a white quilt on a sick day? Yeah, that was really smart of me) But they turned out not half bad and I was rewarded with a visit from an actual real live bumble bee. I took more pictures of him than I did the quilt!
That bumblebee was exactly what I needed today. I have been sick for a few days, and feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities at home and at work. Watching that little guy, standing in the warm summer sun, I felt a peaceful calm fall over me. I was able to relax and enjoy the moment. It has been a dry, hot summer with severe drought conditions, so its no small miracle that we have these teeny tiny flowers for him to enjoy. Some shots even show the pollen as it bursts from the flower while he works.
I feel busy as the little guy for sure!
Going up is available as a free download from my Craftsy Pattern Shop. I have some other great patterns there too, so have a look around and enjoy!
Last weeked I had the immense pleasure of attending one of Krista @poppyprint wonderful Quilting By the Bay retreats. Its a 13 hour day full of sewing, great food, and great friends. I managed to find a sitter for the entire day, so I was off and away bright and early that morning.
A gorgeous view in beautiful Lions Bay!
As usual, I brought waaay to much stuff with me, but I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. My biggest goals for the day were to finish up a longterm project, by BTW challenge quilt for the Pacific NorthWest show, and do my Riley Blake MQG challenge quilt. If I had time, I was going to play with making some Anna Maria Horner feathers, since I love them so much! I was reminded of them from a recent Molli Sparkles post and decided I really wanted to make some at one point in the day.
A table with a view, amidst my fellow VMQGers!
I did manage to get most of my blocks sewn together from the long term project, but got bored waiting for the iron, and decided to put the rows away ( I know, I know, only 5 seams left, it’s just not a priority right now) and star on my BTW challenge quilt. I made up a design using only the Black to White fabrics, in a very effective grayscale. I had purchased a whole bunch of Cotton and Steel Black and White fabrics, and ended up with none of them in the final design for the quilt. By the time I finished sewing up the 256 Half Square Triangles, I was pretty bored of that too. I just wasn’t feeling it (To put some perspective on my strange mood, this was the first time in almost 2 weeks that I actually spent any time on my machine. I was burned out, and feeling it. I made a skirt at some point in there, but it doesn’t really count. Garment sewing is a whole ‘nother creature from quilting).
Holy Trimmings Batman!
I had a big, bright bundle of Hadley by Denyse Schmidt in my bag, and the templates and instructions for the Anna Maria Horner feathers, and I decided to play around with that. Only, as I was digging for the big, colourful bundle, I instead pulled out the Cotton and Steel fabrics that didn’t make it into the first quilt, paired with a lime green C+S basic (Dotties Cousin is the name of the print). It hit me then, that these particular fabrics together would look exactly like seagull feathers! Living on the coast, seagulls are a stable fixture in the environment. At the beach, in the parking lot at the store, or pretty well anywhere there is a chance of free food. Especially along the pier and beach at White Rock, which is a favorite spot for us.
A table full of feathers
I worked my way through the pattern, made a couple tweaks, and had enough strips cut from my fat quarters to make 11 feathers. Perfect for the baby quilt size. I had just enough white to make the surrounds, but had to borrow the solid black for the insides because I mistakenly grabbed an old poly-cotton blend that just didn’t work with the other fabrics (Thanks @FelicityQuilts!). I finished sewing the feathers together at home the next morning, added strips to the sides to make the quilt wider, and then backed it in another C+S print. The next day I booked my time on the longarm, and got to it! I chose a pattern of curved/straight lines and bubbles. I believe its is called Effervescent? Either way, it’s from the book Step-By-Step Free Motion Quilting by Christina Cameli.
Feathers (Unofficially called Squack!)
Quilting detail! This is one of my new favorite background fills
I color bombed the binding, and then hand sewed the whole thing, label and sleeve notwithstanding. I love my Feather quilt so much, I decided to completely forgo the original design and use this in place as my BTW entry. As I was filling out the entry form, I got to the section that asks if you want to sell your quilt. I decided to use the Molli Sparkles spreadsheet to see just how much, exactly, this quilt was worth.
HOLY CRAP! ITS WORTH WHAT!!!!
Let me clarify a couple points in this spreadsheet. I am an award winning quilter, an author, teacher and lecturer. I have more than 15 years of experience quilting. $33/hour is reasonable for a skilled and experienced artist. Quilting cotton in Canada is expensive, with solids starting around $10/yard and designer prints upwards of 17.99/meter, and Cotton and Steel in particular is at the upper end of the scale. The shop I purchased them from charges 16.99/yard, and I only charged for the actual amount of fabric used. The longarm rental is a flat rate of $60/day. There technically would have been the cost of babysitting and the retreat in there, since thats where I was sewing, but I didn’t include it. Then there is the 23% that the PNW takes as commission for selling your quilt (12.5% for two NFP entities) so that 30% markup is really only 7% for myself. Not much, considering most businesses mark up their products 50% or more ( I worked at a shoe store once, and made the mistake of checking the invoice. Our cost, $5.00, our retail price, $89.99, that’s an 1800% markup!) And Canada Post is mega expensive, even with my discount card, and that cost is a low estimate based on what it usually costs me to package and send off quilts to the lower US.
I never would have put this quilt at almost $900, but there it is! Personally, when I make a quilt for myself and as gifts, I don’t take cost into account. Especially with gifts, because friendship is priceless. But if you go and read through the We are Sew Worth It series from Hunter Studios, Molli Sparkles, and Sew Mama, Sew, it starts to make sense. When someone seeks out out to request a quilt, you are spending a lot of time, energy and money to make said quilt. Our time and skill has worth!
Two weeks ago in April I was honored to be one of the featured speakers at the 2015 Gathering of the Guilds in Osoyoos, BC. It was an amazing day, filled with laughing, quilting, shopping, and fun. I got to meet so many amazing people!
The Osoyoos Quilters Guild hosted the annual event, and they did an amazing job. From the charity blocks to the table settings, everything followed the theme of “Black Tie Affair”. Everyone who attended wore black and white, the charity quilt blocks were black bowtie blocks, and each table setting had a handmade basket in black and white filled with yummy treats and healthy snacks. It looked awesome!
I was given a display table right up front. I did not expect it to be so large OR front and center, and had a mini panic attack. Luckily my mom is super awesome (and really should be an event planner) and she helped me pull off a great looking display of patterns, quilts, and little ceramic quails. I am not ashamed to admit I have been coveting those quails for years….
I handed out buttons, cards, and sold patterns in the morning. I talked with lots of quilters from all over the BC Interior, enjoyed a yummy breakfast of homemade muffins and pastries, and met fellow presenter and Canadian Quilters Association Instructor of the Year, Dianne Stevenson of Black Crow Quilts. She is a very talented, very knowledgable, and very inspiring lady. Dianne was the afternoon presenter, and her lecture, “Feed Sacks and Fancy Things” was so interesting I forgot to take pictures. She had some pristine feed sacks that looked brand new with her, as well as a collection of vintage quilts, feed sacks, and even an antique barrel label! Also, we found out that Dianne and her husband BIKED ACROSS CANADA five years ago! She learned a lot about Canada’s history in that trip, and it sounded amazing. I can barely bike to work and it’s only three blocks away…
Me and my display table
I presented my trunk show in the morning. My mom and grandma were in the very front row taking pictures and (silently) cheering me on. I talked about my journey as a third generation quilter, my inspirations, my achievements and my failures (which we all know are just learning experiences). I was able to finally show the quilts from the book that never was and talk about how that experience was a defining point for me as a quilter. I had almost 25 quilts in my trunk show, and as it turns out, all but 2 were made in the last 18 months. There were even quilts that I wasn’t able to show, due to the timing of quilt market, and I realized just how much I actually do.
There is a reason its called a trunk show
At lunch time I went upstairs to visit the merchant’s mall. I was delighted at the number of quilt shops in BC’s Interior, especially the new ones that have opened in the last couple years. It shows that quilting is alive and well in this part of our beautiful province. I picked up some thread to try on the long arm from Peach Tree Quilts (I also cleaned her out of Mochi), and a curated bundle of fat quarters from Heart n’ Sole Quilts just because it was pretty (Bonnie and Camille with Joel Dewberry is a match made in heaven)!
I also stopped by to chat with Barb at Poppins Quilt Parlour. Poppins and I have a long history together, and every time I go in there (which is really maybe twice a year) Barb remembers me every time! Poppins chose my quilt, The Long Road Home, to compete in the Canadian Cottage/Trend Tex Challenge. Each shop could only chose one quilt per category, and mine ended up winning first place. Now I am going to be teaching classes there, and she even had these great little cards announcing the classes in her booth! Star of the West and Sherbert at the beach are the two classe I am teaching. You can find more information under the Calendar tab of the blog =)
The day was amazing, and made a wonderful end to a very, very busy month. Thank you so much Maureen Wood and the Osoyoos Quilters Guild, for having me!
Seems that all I have been doing lately, and not a whole lot that I can share at the moment.
One of the things I CAN share is the Rainbow Confetti Quilt!!
This pretty lap quilt is in the latest issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited. I made it using Color Theory by V and CO for Moda. I love everything V and Co does! The block is one of my favorite asymmetrical blocks. You can really make things pop when you start playing with rotation and layouts.
Rainbow Confetti
I used the Ombre in Navy for the backing and the binding. Oh man, the Ombre!!
March 1st saw me frantically sewing February bee blocks for the Great Canadian Stash Busting Bee. Since I was making Feb block, I figure I might as well sew the March blocks too! I also finished the March block for the I Love Lucy International Bee (but forgot to take a finished picture, yikes!).
I also finished this quilt for Windhams new collection, Forest Parade by Petit Collage. It’s printed on organic cotton and is so super cute! The free pattern will be available soon ( I will have a link on my Free Patterns page)
Forest Clearings featuring the Forest Parade Collection by Petit Collage
I also have a bevy of patterns out with P&B Textiles. They have some great blenders (I love Dash and Color Weave) and some really pretty prints. You can find links to the patterns again on my patterns page.
I picked up this cute little Lotta Jansdotter paper doll at the Windham booth at Quiltcon (and got to meet Lotta in person! EEE!). L’il LJ has been helping out in my sewing room, coming on photo shoots, and organizing my thread by color ( to match her outfits apparently). She also gave me a hand with some of the secret sewing I have been doing!
I have some great fun stuff coming up in the next couple months. I am really really excited about it and cannot wait to share it with you!!!
Sounds like the title to a bad sequel doesn’t it? haha!
Nothing could be further from the truth.
For me, Quiltcon was an amazing experience! Learning, sewing, socializing, eating, the whole experience was inspiring and a breath of fresh air for my poor dusty brain. The new year was filled with a number of personal stressors for me. Being able to attend Quiltcon was the relief, the break from ‘real life’ I needed to recharge my creativity and take the step back that I really needed. I didn’t touch my laptop the entire time I was gone! I was having so much fun that I even forgot to take pictures. Luckily my friends remembered, so I relive the memories through their IG feeds and blog posts. (if you want to find me on Instagram, I am @staceyinstitches)
One of our daily coffee friends, Reginald. Reggie is an art collector from Sussex.
I was one of the lucky few who manage to get every class I wanted, and ended up with a waitlist bonus. I spent two days learning Piece-lique techniques with Cristy Fincher (@cristycreates) She is the daughter of the immeasurable Sharon Schambers (who is one of my personal quilt heroes). Starch and glue baste are my new best friends as a result. The first day I learned the Paper less Paper piecing. This has definitely changed my life! I cant wait to finish the rest of this quilt!
My paperless paper piece block.
I managed to finish up a mini top in the second days class. It was great to be able to learn the technique the first day, then have the second day to practice the technique. I plan on adding a border around the mini to make it a larger wall size. Off center and quilted using the techniques I learned in my other classes of course!
I was super lucky to have gotten into an evening class with Angela Walters. She is practical, down to earth, and I thought she was a great teacher. I had a lot of fun in her class, and wish I could have been in an all day with her. I also won a box of her Drift Aurifil thread! Woot!
The next day was spent with Krista Withers, another amazing quilter. Her style is different, but I was able to find a happy place where I felt like I Was stitching well and I was happy with my samples. I took her Compositional Quilting class in the morning, and then Ghost Shapes in the afternoon. Definitely another set of classes that feed well into one another, and ones that I could have done every day!
The best part of Quiltcon was being able to meet everyone in person. From QDAD to Moda to Windham, being able to shake hands and hug the people I interact with online on a regular basis was just tremendous. Kim Anderson @iadorepattern and I were roommates, and we sure had a great time. I also met up with Amy Garro @13spools and we lived it up. And went boot shopping. I love my boots and left a pair of old shoes in Austin in favor of my new kicks! I also developed an addiction to Tex-Mex. I recreated one of the dishes last night that tasted like it should, woo hoo!
The highlight of the trip was our QDAD at Quiltcon meetup! We had so much fun. Amy @Badskirt wasn’t able to attend, but she was definitely there!
QDAD at Quiltcon!
In Anne’s defense, I may have been doing something with Amy’s head a split second earlier…
The entire experience is hard to explain in typing. I left feeling inspired, refreshed, brimming with new ideas and confidence and friends. I may never be back to Austin,(Quiltcon is now split into a yearly show that flips coasts each year), but I will never forget it!
So to summarize what I learned:
1. Tex Mex is the best food ever
2. Spray baste is awesome
3. Cowboy butts boots are awesome
4. I need a long arm
5. No, seriously, I need a long arm
6. Margheritas are acceptable lunch fare
7. Everybody likes buttons
8. Its okay to wave your arms and yell like a crazy person at someone you recognize (except maybe not in the TSA line)
9. 49.5lbs Checked bag= Winning
aaaaaaaand
10. Quilty people are the best kind of people! EVER!
Lately I have been so (sew!) busy, that I haven’t had time to write as much as I would like. I have a bunch of ideas strewn about my sewing room on scrap pieces of paper, of ideas for blog posts and tutorials, as well as some free pattern shares for you all. As I find them I will start working my way through them. Well, those still legible despite cat teeth marks and copious amounts of peanut butter fingerprints (those only happen ONCE, and he knows it!)
Today it’s all about paper piecing, which is perfect because I have a couple of patterns coming out very soon that use paper piecing!
Cartwheel Mini-Adapted from Cartwheel COnstellation published in AQS magazine January 2010
Paper piecing, also known as foundation piecing, is a method of sewing your fabric to the wrong side of a piece of paper, stitching down the printed lines on the right side of the paper. It makes piecing irregular angles and tiny shapes a breeze, and you don’t have to worry about your straight and bias grain as much as if you were piecing normally. You can also paper piece blocks made from templates or blocks you could piece normally, it makes for very accurate points and corners.
Supernova
My favourite method for paper piecing is a combination of a couple different techniques I have learned over the years. The tutorial works for all manner of foundation patterns, simple, complex, pictorial…
Rainbow Star
When I paper peice ( I am sure you noticed that I interchange the terminology) I like to pre cut my fabrics. This is how I know that a) my pieces will be large enough to cover the entire area of the foundation section, and b) that I actually have enough fabric to make all the pieces. There is nothing worse than cutting a piece too small or not having enough fabric to make all the pieces!
When foundation piecing it is important to pay careful attention to the sewing order of the peices. The sewing order is laid out so that the next seam sewn always covers the first.
To determine the size of strips to use:
Lay the foundation printed side up on your work area. Find the sewing line between the first and second section of the foundation pattern. This line will be the first line you stitch down, so you use this line to find the length of the fabric strips.
*NOTE* If the first section is a triangle shape, or has a long edge that is also the seam allowance, like the triangle of a flying geese block, then you want to use that edge as the length of your first piece plus seam allowance, and then determine the width. I cut Half Square Triangles for triangle shapes, that way there is less waste fabric.
Take a large clear acrylic grid ruler and place it over the template, with the 1/4″ line on the stitching line and the bulk of the ruler covering the first section. Adjust the ruler so that it starts at least a 1/4″ past the end of the stitching line. Find the end of the stitching line, and the measurement on the ruler that corresponds with it. Add 1/4″ to that number. This is the length of your piece with seam allowances included.
Now without moving your ruler, find the outer edge of the first section and the measurement that corresponds with it. Add 1/4″ to that number. This gives you the width of the piece with seam allowances included. Write down the two measurements inside the foundation section, this helps avoid a million measurements on a single piece and avoids confusion. As a general rule, I will add an extra 1/4″ to each measurement as a safety net-sometimes fabric shifts as you are sewing.
Now move your ruler so that the bulk is covering the second section of the foundation pattern, again with the 1/4″ line of the ruler on the same stitching line. Using the same method as above, find the length and width of the piece. Continue across the foundation, from section to section in the order they are sewn, until you have mapped out the measurements of each section.
To determine the amount of fabric you need:
I use this calculation to determine how much fabric I need:
42″ (the average usable Width of Fabric) divided by the length of the piece = the number of pieces per strip (always round this number DOWN to the nearest whole number)
I then divide the number of pieces needed by the number of pieces per strip, and round the answer UP.
Finally, take the number of strips needed and multiply it by the width of the pieces, then divide by 36 ( the number of inches in a yard). The final sum is the required yardage.
So for example:
I need 16 white rectangles 2 1/2″x 7 1/2″
42/7.5= 5.6, rounded down to 5
16 pieces/ 5 pieces per strip =3.2, rounded up to 4 strips
4 strips x 2.5 wide=10″
10/36= 0.2777777 , rounded up to the nearest whole cut of fabric, which is 0.3333333, or 1/3 yard.
Here is a handy chart for you to reference!
0.125 = 1/8 yard
0.250 = 1/4 yard
0.333 = 1/3 yard
0.375 = 3/8 yard
0.5 = 1/2 yard
0.625 = 5/8 yard
0.666 = 2/3 yard
0.75 = 3/4 yard
0.875 = 7/8 yard
1 = 1 yard
I like to label my fabrics in the order they are pieced, that way I don’t confuse myself if there are lots of little pieces.
Now that we have our fabric pieces cut we can start piecing the foundations.
1. Lay the first fabric strip right side up on the wrong side of the paper over the first section of the pattern. Hold the fabric to the paper and look through the printed side of the pattern, holding it up to a light in, to make sure the fabric is covering the entire section and there is approx 1/4″ extending into the second section for seam allowance. Pin in place.
2.Place the fabric labelled #2 right sides together on top of the first, matching the raw edges in the seam allowance. Secure the second piece of fabric, turn the foundation over and stitch down the line between the first and second sections of the pattern, extending your stitching through the printed seam allowance.
*Note* Sometimes it’s easy to misjudge the placement of your fabrics when foundation piecing. When this happens you will have to remove the stitches. The cleanest way to do this is with a sharp seam ripper. Place the seam ripper between the paper and the base layer of the fabric and ripe the stitches. The thread on the paper side will remain intact, all you have to do is pull it off and it will take all the extra thread bits out as well.
3. Press open with a hot, dry iron. Fold the paper back along the second stitching line, where piece 2 and three meet, and trim the seam allowance to 1/4”. I use a piece of template plastic and an Add-A-Quarter Ruler to make this quick and easy.
4. Place the third fabric RST with the second, matching the raw edges to the seam allowance and stitch as before, making sure to stitch at least 1/4″ past the next line or through the outside seam allowance, depending on where the piece is on your template. Continue stitching, pressing, and trimming until all the pieces are sewn.
5. Trim around the pieces, leaving a 1/4” seam allowance. Often the seam allowance is marked as an outline around your shapes.
Some people swear by leaving the paper in when sewing. With simple shapes-squares and rectangles- I will remove the paper before sewing the shapes together. This gives a tighter, stronger stitch, I can easily match seams, and the fabric feeds evenly through the machine. For complex shapes, such as wedges and triangles, I will first pin the pieces with the foundations intact to make sure my seam allowances line up, and then remove the paper from the bottom piece, the one that is going to be at the feed dogs. That way I have a line to follow, and I know my pieces will line up. I find that when I leave both layers of paper I get slippage and the fabrics shift inside the paper.
Poppin’ Pillow
I use this same technique for pretty well all of my paper piecing. You can make so many awesome blocks with it, I really hope you find it helpful!
A while ago I designed a quilt for a new Timeless Treasures line: Tres Jolie. This French inspired line is full of soft colours and rich prints. Even better, the prints are sewing related! The antique machines and sewing scissors were begging to be showcased.
I chose a block called French Silk Pie as my feature block, and put my favorite prints in the center. Then I played with the layout until I hit one that I liked. The borders are my favorite part, they set off the inside perfectly!
I sent off my idea, and Timeless Treasures chose it as the free pattern for the line!
Head on over here to get your copy. I can’t wait to see what people make!
In my minds eye, as I was playing with shape and color, I kept seeing a skyline at night. The colors of the lights in the city blending and blurring together. I kept circling back to that, and started adding in some negative space using a deep indigo solid. the warm contrast of the indigo pulled new life out of the colors, and it meshed perfectly with my mental image.
