Featured Products Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Patchwork Chore Coat PDF Pattern $20.00 Add to cart Harvest Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Latest from the blog Nordic Star Ombre QuiltMeet my Nordic Star ombre quilt version! This quilt in blues and teals is the cover of my latest pattern, Nordic Star. I loved the Scandinavian feel of these blocks and how they really looked like snowflakes as well as stars, and decided to play off the feel of the blocks with my color scheme. Read on to learn more about how I created this Nordic Star ombre quilt, from the colors and quilting and binding! Shop Related Products: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Fabrics: For my cover version, I used all Moda Bella solids. If you want to make the same quilt, Fat Quarter Shop has a wide selection of Moda Bella solids in stock. Check out their blue and aqua/teal selection here. C1: Dark TealC2: ScubaC3: PoolsideC4: AquaC5: MistC6: GlacierC7: SeaC8: Admiral BlueBackground: WhiteBinding (both quilts): SeaBacking Nordic Star: Dark TealBacking Wonderie: Scuba The throw size of Nordic Star is HUGE! It finishes at 66″ x 82″. I love the extra long size for snuggling on the couch. Because the blocks are big, they are really satisfying to create. There’s a sense of accomplishment every time you finish one! Those large blocks, and their offcuts, is what allows you to make a second bonus quilt out of the scraps! Wonderie, the companion quilt, finishes at a lap size of 42″ x 54″ when making a throw size Nordic Star quilt. I won’t lie, there’s immense satisfaction in essentially finishing two quilt tops at the same time! Because of the way Wonderie is created, if you wanted a bigger quilt and you had extra fabric, you definitely could make it bigger by adding on additional blocks. I’m debating doing just that with my next version! Part of me thinks it would be so much fun to have both quilts on twin beds in a room – sister quilts – which coordinated and yet were distinctly unique. Scale can be deceiving, so having me (5′ 4″) with Wonderie makes it easier to see the size Nordic Star Ombre Quilting: I originally hoped to send both of these to a longarmer to work her magic. A series of circumstances, however, where she was having trouble with her machine and I was running really last minute before this release meant I had to buckle down and quilt them myself! I chose simple straight line quilting for Wonderie, but wanted to do something a bit more special for Nordic Star. This pattern is one of my favorites that I have ever created. Everything from the colors to the design just really speaks to me, so I wanted the quilting to be just as special. Therefore, I decided to pull out my trusty Walk book by Jacquie Gering, but with a twist – Walk 2.0! I bought Walk 2.0 in February 2020 at Quiltcon, and through the chaos that was 2020, I honestly kind-of forgot about it. Therefore, when I decided to quilt this myself, I originally pulled out my first Walk book, and then noticed Walk 2.0 on my shelf! Whoops! After flipping through the book, I chose this design. I loved that it looked like snowflakes and knitting all wrapped into one intricate design. If you’re curious about walking foot quilting, I’ve used designs from the original Walk book here, here, here, here, and here. (Can you tell I’m a big fan??!) I pieced and quilting this quilt with Aurifil 50 weight thread in #2021 which is my favorite white thread color, using my Janome MC6700P machine. I absolutely love this machine for quilting, it is so smooth! Zero puckers! Binding: I chose to hand bind the quilt with big stitches, which is quickly becoming my trademark. The look it adds as a finishing touch just can’t be beat! I got extra-inspired with the corners, deviating from my usual x’s to a little snowflake! Those little details are my favorite. I once wrote my name in free motion quilting in the corner of a quilt that was a gift for a friend, and about a week after she got it she texted me “Your name is in here!”. I love those moments and try to add that little something to each quilt. For this binding I used Aurifil 50 weight (my favorite!) in #5007. I use this color a lot. It is a super pale blue with gray undertones, and it works really well with all sorts of fabrics and colors. If you want to learn big stitch binding, I have a tutorial with video to both original binding and variations on big stitch binding. Nordic Star comes in both ombre and 2-color variations and in three sizes and is available in my shop in both pdf and paper format! The pattern is written for an intermediate quilter, but comes with step-by-step instructions and full color diagrams to walk you through the process. The pattern includes fabric requirements and instructions for both Nordic Star AND Wonderie! Shop Nordic Star: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart More Nordic Star Blog Posts: All About Nordic Star quilt patternCreating the perfect ombre for Nordic Star You might also like: Zesty | A Quilt Pattern Modern Crossing | A Finished Quilt Etoile Quilt | Farmhouse Version Creating an Ombre Nordic Star Quilt... Read more...Naturally Dyeing Fabric: My First ExperienceThis past weekend I went to a naturally dyeing fabric workshop. This has been on my bucket list for years! I’ve wanted to learn about natural dyes and start incorporating them into my quilts but have been really overwhelmed with the information currently available. I’ve gotten every book from the library and read them all, but each book told me how to mordant the fabric differently, using different mordants, and treat with tannins, or a wheat bran bath, or soy milk, or, or… the list went on and on. And quite frankly, it was really overwhelming and frustrating. I didn’t want to waste a whole bunch of fabric. So, when I saw this natural dyeing workshop/retreat pop up 2.5 hours from home, I signed up immediately! The workshop covered naturally dyeing fabric with available plants as well as eco-printing on paper. Gathering Sumac Berries for dyeing Prepping marigolds for dyeing Over the course of the weekend, I had all my questions answered and more. I learned how to mordant fabric, and because I came overly prepared with my own yardage, I was able to spend some time after dinner the first evening mordanting my fabric to take home and continue experimenting. In the workshop we learned how to prepare dyes and went out foraging near the retreat studio for available plants. I realized that there are some plants that are in my own neighborhood and I hadn’t even realized it (like sumac!). There were some dye baths that were prepared ahead of time for us to use as well. We dyed with: False IndigoWild GrapeWalnutEucalyptusGoldenrodJuniper BerriesMarigoldPokeweedHibiscusBasilMint In addition, there were several modifiers available for us to play with: Copper SulfateIron SulfateWood AshSoda AshVinegar The modifiers: each one will alter the color of your dyed fabric Fabric dyed prior to rinsing. While the wild grape stayed purple on wool, it turned blue on my cotton fabric! Day one was learning to prepare dyes and dyeing with available dyes in the area. We dyed fabric and yarn and were able to use the modifiers if we wished. Some dyes worked better than others, and in a workshop with lots of people, some things were a bit more chaotic than I would have liked. (Dye pots boiled and lost their colors, others never got warm enough, others got overloaded with fabric, etc.) However, I generally got the idea of what I would have to do at home in order to achieve different colors. Goldenrod, picked at the end of the season, giving off a golden brown instead of vivid yellow Cutting eucalyptus leaves to create a dye bath So many dye baths! Adding fabric and wool to the Juniper Berries dye bath Fabrics and wool hanging out to dry. Isn’t the view beautiful? View from the studio door. False Indigo. It gave a bright green dye. Here are the results from the weekend. All the fabrics and wool have been rinsed thoroughly until the water ran clear. As you can tell, the animal fiber (wool) retained colors much better than cotton did. Also, weirdly, all the grape and hibiscus cottons turned blue! It was fun to see the final results. Wool from left to right: Pokeweed modified with wood ash, Eucalyptus, Goldenrod, Hibiscus, and Wild Grape From left to right: Hibiscus, Pokeweed re-dyed in Hibiscus and modified with Copper Sulfate, Wild Grape, and Wild Grape modified with Copper Sulfate Left Column, going down: Goldenrod, Juniper Berries, Eucalyptus, BasilRight Column, going down: Mint, False Indigo, Coneflower modified with ?? (I can’t remember if it was iron sulfate or copper sulfate!), Walnut Day 2: Eco Printing Day two of the workshop was eco-printing on fabric and paper. We went out foraging again, this time for flowers and leaves we could pound into fabric or steam onto fabric. We used mordanted fabric, layered with plants that we first dipped in an iron sulfate solution, rolled it up and steamed it for 90 minutes. I used goldenrod, eucalyptus leaves, and sumac leaves Here’s the after! The sumac leaves look amazing! We also did something similar with mordanted watercolor paper – layering dipped plants between wet paper and tiles and steaming those for 90 minutes. We also experimented with pounding flowers directly onto mordanted paper and t-shirts. Mine turned out a little… messy. Ha! The results of this eco printing was really, really cool. I thought I’d be more interested in Day 1, and solid colors on fabric, but I ended up really loving the results of my eco-printed fabric. The paper was cool too, and would be a great activity with kids, but I generally don’t have a use for the paper so it was less interesting to me. Overall, I’m so glad I went to the workshop. I learned a lot and it gave me the confidence to keep naturally dyeing fabric at home. A lot of things in nature make yellow and brown (like, A LOT) so I’m looking forward to diving into what can produce additional colors, learning how to get an even color application, and testing the colorfastness of the dyed fabrics I produce. I’m hoping to use the fabrics I made in the workshop to create a small quilt or project. I think a Nordic Star block to turn into a pillow would be fun with some of the yellows and greens, or a Misty Mountains wall hanging with the blues. I’m going to experiment at home in the next few months with avocado pits, goldenrod (which I picked earlier in the season and froze), juniper berries and sumac berries/leaves. I’ll keep you all posted! I’m also going to invest in some dried dye stuff from Botanical Colors for plants that don’t grow nearby (madder, logwood, osage and cochineal ) and see what I can produce from those. You might also like: No related posts.... Read more...Creating an Ombre Nordic Star QuiltWant to create your own ombre Nordic Star quilt but unsure where to start with your fabric selection? Read on for tips on selecting fabrics and bundles for creating the perfect ombre quilt! The Ombre version of Nordic Star uses the following number of fabrics: Lap size (12 blocks): 8 fabricsThrow size (20 blocks): 8 fabricsBed size (36 blocks): 10 fabrics Shop Nordic Star: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star is created to use two main dominant colors and a gradient that draws you from the first main color to the second main color, going from dark to light and back to dark . Looking at the throw size above as our example, colors 1 & 8 are the darkest, and then you work your way into the middle lightest colors, which are colors 4 and 5. Not only are colors 4 and 5 the lightest colors, but I view those as your transition colors from one dominant color to the other. You’re looking for a fabric, or fabrics, that straddle the line between your two colors, allowing you to create the ombre look. For example, with the Unruly Nature fabric Nordic Star quilt, my two dominant colors were yellow and red, and the important transition fabric between them was Palmiers in pecan, which had a creamy yellow base fabric with a red line design drawn on top. It allowed that transition between yellow and red to happen more easily. Everyone on Instagram keeps calling this the “strawberry lemonade” version and they definitely have a point! Here’s another example of creating an ombre quilt with two very different colors. I mocked up with Nordic Star quilt using Rifle Paper Co. Holiday Classics collection. I wanted my quilt to go from red to green. I started with the darkest red fabric in the top right and the darkest green in the bottom left and worked my way towards the center, using the fabrics in the collection to create an ombre. If a low volume fabric had gold or red I used it to make the transition from the red side, and if a low volume fabric had green or was a pale blue in color it was used to make the transition from the green side. Since I was limited to the fabrics in the collection, the ombre gradient isn’t perhaps as “perfect” as the blue solid cover quilt is. However, it is still a very effective ombre quilt. In this quilt, every block is a different fabric, using a 1/2 yard bundle to create the look. (You can read more about using a 1/2 yard bundle in this post). Another example using a 1/2 yard bundle, this time for the lap size. The lap size is a little harder because you have less blocks available to make the transition. I used the More Pie Please! fabric collection coming out next year from FIGO fabrics. In this example, I used the yellows, lighter red and light blues to make the transition from one side to the other. Although written for an ombre from dark to light and back to dark, you could choose to do a light to dark (or dark to light) ombre gradient. I used a 3/8 yd bundle to create this lap size that goes from pale blue to dark blue. An effective ombre quilt won’t go just from light to dark, but will have almost a trickle effect, where there’s a slightly darker block in a light section and a slightly lighter block in the dark section. This brings movement in the quilt and gives the illusion that the blocks are fading into each other, creating that gradient look. This can be trickier when doing the lap size Nordic Star since the blocks are big and you don’t have a ton of them to re-arrange. You can see how effective the ombre looks in Wonderie, and how much that transition fabric helps to bring you from the yellows to the purple/reds in the quilt. There are a few shops online that create beautiful bundles that would work well for creating the perfect ombre quilt. Although mostly sold as fat quarter bundles, you can reach out to them about buying yardage for a Nordic Star quilt. Please note fat quarters are NOT recommended for Nordic Star. You need 3/8 yd per block. Here are some bundle examples. Since print fabrics tend to be more difficult to visualize, I’m using mostly those as my examples. The blue one on the left would make a great light to dark ombre, while the bundle on the right has a great transition from purple to green by using various coral fabrics. Photos by Marmalade Mood Quilts I absolutely love this bundle below. It has lovely transition from pecan to purple. If you wanted to use a bundle like this for the throw size (20 blocks), you would either need to remove fabrics until you had 8 and get yardage of them, or add fabrics until you reached 20 and get 1/2 yards. Photos by Marmalade Mood Quilts The bundles by Global Fiber Shop below are both examples of ombre. The more obvious one on the right, but if you rearranged the bundle on the left, you could get a nice gradient ombre. Photos by Global Fiber Shop While at first glance you may not think these are ombre, when rearranged, you can see how you could go from one dominant color to the next with transitions in-between. Each one would give you a different spin on a Nordic Star quilt. Each creating a unique ombre quilt! Photos by Cottoneer Fabrics Creating the perfect ombre quilt can feel a bit daunting in the beginning, but you can create a beautiful and unique Nordic Star quilt! Simply use two dominant colors and find your transition fabric or color for the center, and you’ll have an amazing ombre quilt! You can find Nordic Star in my shop along with all my other patterns. Shop Nordic Star: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart You might also like: All About the Nordic Star Quilt!... Read more...All About the Nordic Star Quilt!I’ve gotten a ton of requests for fabric requirements for the Nordic Star Quilt. But more than just providing those, I wanted to write a post that helped you create the quilt of your dreams. It should be no surprise to you if you’ve been following me for a while that I like to provide variations and ideas in all my quilt patterns to help you create the quilt you’re imagining. Nordic Star is an intermediate pattern, and there’s definitely a few tricky spots. With this blog post I hope to clarify some of those and give you all the Nordic Star Quilt tips so you can create this quilt with ease! Shop Products: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Variations: In the pattern, Nordic Star comes with two variations, 2-Color and Ombre. The 2-Color option uses a main color and a background color to create the quilt. The Ombre version uses 8 colors for the lap and throw sizes, and 10 colors for the bed size to create the Ombre gradient. The blocks are big, finishing at 16.5″. The pattern comes with instructions for three sizes; lap, throw, and bed. The throw size is a very generous 66″ x 82″. Because the pattern is block based, if you’re making the Ombre version, it wouldn’t be difficult to make 16 blocks instead of 20 blocks for a square quilt that finishes at 66″ x 66″. You would also need less background fabric. It is very customizable. The pattern has a chart that identifies what pieces and their quantity for a single block. You can use the Coloring Page to design your quilt! Bonus Quilt: Both versions; 2-Color and Ombre, create a bonus quilt with the offcuts called Wonderie. It is a super fun quilt all made with HSTs. Here’s the breakdown: Lap size Nordic Star (49″ x 66″) creates a Baby size Wonderie (36″ x 36″)Throw size Nordic Star (66″ x 82″) creates a Lap size Wonderie (42″ x 54″)Bed side Nordic Star (99″ x 99″) creates a Throw size Wonderie (54″ x 72″) The pattern comes instructions for creating Wonderie, so you’re getting two patterns in one! Bonus! The fabric requirements also reflect both Wonderie and Nordic Star, so you can feel confident you’ll have enough fabric for both quilts. There’s also fabric requirements for backings and bindings for both quilts. One thing to note, is that the Lap and Bed size Nordic Star quilts have enough fabric to create their Wonderie quilt. However, the Throw size Nordic Star requires 20 blocks and the coordinating Lap size Wonderie needs 21 blocks. This means that if you’re making a throw size Nordic Star, you’ll need to have a little extra fabric to create one extra Wonderie block. This is reflected in the fabric requirements in the pattern and there are instructions in the pattern. I’m mentioning it here because if you choose to vary the number of fabrics for your quilt, you’ll need to take this detail into account. (see Fabric Requirements section next for more details on varying number of fabrics). Fabric Requirements: The 2-Color Nordic Star is written to use strip piecing as much as possible and that is reflected in the fabric requirements. The Ombre Nordic Star quilt uses 8 colors for the Lap and Throw sizes, and 10 colors for the bed size. Each block is created individually without any strip piecing. However, it is possible to use more colors (or less) to create your quilt. The breakdown is as follows for the main colors: To make 1 block: 3/8 yardTo make 2 blocks: 5/8 yardTo make 3 blocks: 1 yardTo make 4 blocks: 1 1/8 yards For example, in the mock-up below for a holiday Nordic Star quilt where every block is made of a different fabric, I would need (20) 3/8 yards. The fabric requirements for the background, binding, and backing would remain the same. Continuing with this example, because Nordic Star has 20 blocks and Wonderie has 21 blocks, if I choose to stray from the fabric requirements on the pattern and use a different fabric for every block, I’ll find myself one block short for the Wonderie quilt. So I really need to pick out (20) 3/8 yards AND (1) 1/4 yd for the final Wonderie block (which doesn’t need as much fabric as the Nordic Star blocks do). Again, background fabric requirements would stay the same. This only applies to the Throw size Nordic Star quilt, because the Lap and Bed sizes have equal number of Nordic Star and Wonderie blocks. Using this information, you can design your own Ombre look and feel and use the guide above to determine how much of each fabric to purchase. Is Nordic Star Fat Quarter Friendly? Technically, yes. But also, no. Use fat quarters at your own risk. Although you can cut all the pieces you need for a single block out of a fat quarter, you really need the ENTIRE fat quarter. We’re talking 17.5″ out of 18″. It is very, very tight. So if you end up with a fat quarter that’s slightly too small, or has been cut crooked, you won’t have enough fabric. For this reason, I chose not to have fat quarter fabric requirements on the pattern. It was way too close and I thought would cause too much heartbreak if you found yourself with just a smidge too little fabric. There is no wiggle room. Nordic Star Quilt Tips: Nordic Star is such an amazing quilt when it comes together, but it is an intermediate pattern for a reason. Here’s some Nordic Star quilt tips. Starch your fabrics prior to cutting: Part of the quilt is constructed with a lot of bias edges, and these are a lot smoother when you starch your fabrics. Because fabrics can shrink slightly when starched, starching prior to cutting is recommended.Use a scant 1/4″ seam when sewing. Especially when doing all of the stitch & flip blocks, use a scant 1/4″ seam on each. If your seam allowance is too big you risk having Wonderie pieces that are too small.Do a victory lap around your quilt tops when completed to keep all the edges from stretching (bias) or unraveling.Use steam or water when pressing Wonderie. This quilt has a lot of seams, and everything will lay much smoother if you use a hot iron with steam.This last Nordic Star quilt tip is personal preference, but I like to create my Nordic Star and Wonderie blocks at the same time. When I’m working on a Nordic Star quilt block, I’ll sew, press, and trim my Wonderie HSTs at the same time, and sew that block together. That way, when I’m done with Nordic Star, I’m also done with Wonderie! Shop Nordic Star: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart You might also like: Creating an Ombre Nordic Star Quilt All About Hand Quilting Needles Using Directional Prints in Flying Geese & Half Square Triangles Trimming Half Square Triangles | Two Ways... Read more...Misty Mountains CoasterAs an Aurifil Artisan, I choose to participate in challenges throughout the year that use Aurifil thread. I absolutely love these because they push me outside of my comfort zone. This month’s theme is Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) and I immediately thought it would be so much fun to use create a Misty Mountains coaster! I’m quite the rookie when it comes to FPP and my previous experiences, well, I didn’t really love them. But a coaster seemed like a small, non-threatening way to try FPP again. Spoiler Alert: I still dislike Foundation Paper Piecing. For my Misty Mountains coaster I dug through my scraps and came up with a nice blue palette. I created the coaster design in Illustrator, scaling it down to end with a finished 4.5″ coaster. I was a bit stumped about how to create this FPP design without needing to break it up too much, and came up with sewing together colors 2 & 3, 4 & 5, and 6 & background together and putting that seam on the dotted lines in the pattern. This allowed me to sew the design together in one fell swoop. I realize this isn’t “standard” FPP practice, but, hey, it worked for me. I used Aurifil 50 weight in 2805 for piecing and 2785 for sewing the coaster opening shut. Because I feel anything can pretty much be improved with hand-quilting, I’d like to add some hand-quilting details with Aurifil 12 weight in 5007. I went into this super excited, friends. I thought this was going to be the project that made me like FPP just a little bit more. And by the end of the four coasters, boy, I was going to be looking up more FPP patterns with joy and glee. Well, if you’re squinting at the photos and wondering why you only see ONE finished coaster and a whole lot of unused paper, there’s a reason. Not even two seams in, I realized that actually, nope, still not a fan of FPP. I finished my one Misty Mountains coaster and decided to call it a day. Will I ever make three more to have a complete set? Only time will tell. But previous experience would dictate that putting your money on “no” would be a pretty safe bet. If you’re wanting to dip your toes into FPP, I have a handy video that outlines stitch lengths for everything from quilting to FPP. I do love the finished look of this Misty Mountains coaster. It captures the look and feel of Misty Mountains and would be quite at home in many different decor styles. And if you like foundation paper piecing, this project might just be for you. Related Items: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart You might also like: Misty Mountains Baby Quilt | Finished Project Quilted Coasters | Quick and Easy Tutorial Mini Quilted Zipper Pouch Tutorial... Read more...WIP-busting! Projects I’ve been up to lately…Ever get the WIP-busting bug? Where you just want to finish up a whole bunch of half-done projects? I caught the bug the last couple of weeks and have been finishing up projects left and right. BOY does it feel good! I thought it would be fun for me to show you what I’ve been up to! Organic Hand Quilting This quilt has been 75% hand quilted for far too long. I finally took the time to finish hand quilting the last few inches, trimmed it square, and zig-zagged around the raw edges. All that’s left is binding, I just can’t quite decide what color binding I should do so it might sit like this for a while. Luckily since the edge are zig-zagged it is perfectly fine to use as-is. I mean I WILL bind it… someday. Want to see more of this project? Click here. Cloth napkins for the kitchen I made four cloth napkins a long time ago for our kitchen, and a friend of mine gifted me some more fabric (they were little fat eighth cuts we both received at Quiltcon in 2019.) I had already washed and trimmed them to size, but had yet to stitch them up! They’ve been a great project while I watch TV at night. Now we have 8 cloth napkins that match! This was one of my favorite WIP-busting projects because it was so satisfying to finally have them done! Coasters I used my friend Homemade Emily Jane’s scrappy coaster tutorial for these guys. Although they were technically finished, my plan was always to add hand quilting to give them another layer of interest. And NOW I think I can call them done. A Baby Spyglass Quilt This baby Spyglass Quilt has actually been basted for months. The first hold-up was getting the right hand quilting thread color. And then life got busy and it was set aside. I’m happy to say it is finally all quilted and bound (major kudos to my past self for having pre-made the binding, you’re the real MVP in this story). Patriotic Placemats Several years ago (sensing a theme here in my WIPs?) my mom and I both made patriotic flag quilts using Thimble Blossom’s Stars and Stripes quilt pattern. We had extra fabric so we made extra blocks, with the idea that we’d have the ability to better mix and match. When my quilt was completed, I was left with 4 extra blocks, so I turned them into placemats! Honestly, when I dug these out recently, one was completely finished. One had the binding half sewn, one had the binding sewn on the front but not to the back, and the final one was hand quilted, but not trimmed or bound. So one by one I finished them up! I had fun with the binding on the back, doing some hand-binding variations. Sock Mending This is the first pair of socks I ever knit for Jason. I’ve made him 3 more pairs since then, but these remain his favorites. The last time he was wearing them, I saw that the ball of the foot was wearing thin. (I had already previously mended the heels on both socks). I did some proactive mending with a duplicate stitch patch on each of the socks – hopefully this will give him more wear out of them. It is always easier to mend socks before they form a hole! A stitch in time saves nine is actually an accurate statement when it comes to mending. OMG I’m Knitting Again: Lumme Socks I started quilting when I gave up knitting years ago. Or more specifically, I was getting a ton of wrist pain from knitting and found a different creative outlet (quilting) and dove in deep with that. However, I’ve wanted to dip my toes into knitting again, and found this lovely sock pattern so that’s been on my needles. I had to dust off my colorwork skills but I’m having so much fun that I want to make a second pair now. However, I’m really trying to take it slow with these and take lots of breaks to stretch out my wrist in the hopes that I won’t aggravate my old knitting injury. These are the Lumme Socks and you can find them on Ravelry. So there you have it! All the WIPs I’ve done and dusted recently! It has felt really good to go on this WIP-busting spree and get these projects out of my sewing room and into the world. I still have a lot (ahem, a lot a lot) of WIPs around here, but maybe I can keep up my enthusiasm and complete them all once and for all. Perhaps a bit of wishful thinking, but I’ve really finished a ton in the last few weeks. And it wasn’t hard, since most of them were half or more done. What about you? Have you ever gotten the WIP-busting bug? You might also like: No related posts.... Read more...Thread Basting TutorialI’m primarily a spray baster, mostly because I like to get basting done and over with FAST! (I’ve timed myself, and it takes me 18 minutes to spray baste a throw size quilt). However, there are times that I will opt for thread basting a quilt instead. The last time I was doing it, I thought to myself, hey, I should create a thread basting tutorial for all of you who might be curious about trying it too! Why Thread Basting? My main reason for thread basting is when I am going to hand quilt a quilt that is either: Large (queen or king sized)Going to take me a while to quilt, either because the design is more tedious or complicated (orange peels spring to mind here) or because it doesn’t have a deadline so it is a “backburner” project (I need to have my hands busy at all times, so I always have a project that I work on in-between all the projects with deadlines) At these times, I opt for thread because I find that it holds up better over time. Some fabrics on the market have a sizing over them that gets washed out, but if you’re like me and you don’t prewash your fabrics, that sizing can make the spray basting spray not stick as well to the fabric. I find this is okay when I’m machine quilting because I get quilts completed relatively fast, but with longer-term hand quilting projects where they’ll be sitting around for a while, getting twisted in all different angles, thread basting hold up better. The reason I thread baste: Riley finds half-quilted quilts perfect napping spots Thread Basting Supplies: Curved Needles: I like this Dritz Quilting brand. I use the smaller 2″ needles because they are thinner than the 2.5″ ones. I have yet to find a thinner curved needle on the market, but if you know of one, let me know!Scrap thread: use thread in a contrasting color to your top so you can see it easily. Old thread is great to use up here since thread deteriorates over time and is more prone to snapping. (Bad for quilting, great for thread basting!) Don’t use the good stuff here, you’ll only be throwing it away later! The How To: Start by taping your quilt backing on the ground, wrong side up. Add your batting on top, smoothing out any wrinkles. If your batting is very wrinkly, gently press with a warm iron prior to adding it to your quilt back. Layer your quilt top on top, lining it up with the backing, being careful not to warp the top. To thread baste, start in the center of your quilt and work outwards in a spiral. If you’re quilt is really big, you can visually divide your quilt into segments and work each one individually, always working from the middle outwards. If you’re basting a large quilt, you can divide it into segments. Bring your needle down through all the layers and back up to the top of the quilt, creating a stitch. Don’t worry about the neatness or size of your stitches, our goal is just to hold our quilt layers in place. I work my stitches about 3-4″ away from each other until I run out of thread. Then I cut a new piece and continue basting. I like to tie the end of my old thread to the new piece I start working. I’ve found if I don’t tie them off, over time they can pull and unravel. Especially if you have a poodle who likes to make nests in your half-quilted works ;). Continue basting until the entire quilt is covered in stitches! I find thread basting works especially well for hand quilting. Some people use pins, but I don’t enjoy using pins when hand quilting because my thread always gets stuck in or around the safety pins. I don’t tend to thread baste when machine quilting. Once I’m done hand quilting, I’ll remove all the basting stitches. They are easy to see since I used a contrasting basting thread. This quilt is my Starlite quilt pattern. I’m hand quilting a clamshell design over the entire quilt to add some subtle softness to the quilt. Find the clamshell hand quilting tutorial (with video!) here! Want to see thread basting in action? Watch the video! Clamshell hand quilting on a Starlite quilt. Find Starlite in my shop! You might also like: Sashiko Zipper Pouch | A Tutorial Big Stitch Hand Binding | A Tutorial Tree Garland Table Runner | Free Tutorial Simple Drawstring Bag | A Tutorial... Read more...Scrappy Starlite QuiltTHIS QUILT. This scrappy Starlite quilt. What an emotional roller coaster it brought me on! Starlite comes with three variations – 3-color, Fat Quarter, and Scrappy. Each variation allows for a slightly different finished quilt. The cover quilt, which you can see in the image below, is the “Fat Quarter Variation” made with Fat Eighths and a single background color. But, for the ultimate scrap experience, you want the “Scrappy Variation” of the Starlite quilt. The Scrappy Variation has directions for a scrappy background, so instead of using a single color for your background, you deep dive into the scrap bin and go all out. The result is a quilt with so much depth and interest! Pssst! There’s a Starlite Quilt Along starting July 5th 2021! Join me! Get all the details here and sign up here! Buy Starlite: Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart I started with a fat quarter bundle of Meadow by Rifle Paper Co. Of course, deciding that THIS was the fabric I absolutely wanted for my quilt… a year after said fabric was released meant a fair bit of internet sleuthing. I finally managed to track one down. I specifically wanted this bundle because the color stories worked so well for Starlite. Starlite is a “three color” quilt. I use that term loosely, but basically Color 1 makes up half of the stars, Color 2 makes up the other half, and Color 3 is the chain pieces. The number of fabrics you choose to use to make up your three colors is up to you. As you can tell from the fabrics below, Meadow neatly fit into the three-color story. For background, I picked a ton of white, cream and beige out of my stash. Most of these are Riley Blake Designs basics. I love RBD basics because they are so versatile and work for so many different types of quilts. I also brought in some different substrates – wovens, linen, and linen/cotton blends for added interest. I usually mock up my quilts before I actually get started on them, this gives me a good idea of where I’m heading. I realized I was in need of a few more green fabrics, the fat quarters I had wouldn’t be enough, so I purchased two fat quarters from the Strawberry Fields collection also by Rifle Paper Co. The greens looked like they would compliment the Meadow collection well. From my mock-up I realized how the pale plaid fabric took away from the design too much. I still wanted to keep some of it in there, but decided to try to use the least amount of it as I could in the finished quilt. From my mock-up, I also realized I didn’t like the darker grey background fabrics, so I ultimately took them out of my fabric pull and just stuck to white, cream, and beige instead. I’m not usually a scrappy sewer, so I had trouble letting go and just “seeing where the pieces would end up”. I organized my pieces by background fabric so I could make sure I was mixing background and color 3 fabrics “appropriately”. Feel free to laugh. As I was working on this scrappy Starlite quilt top, I knew I wanted to hand quilt it. The fabrics and colors have such a vintage feel to them that I thought hand quilting would be the perfect fit. I chose a striped brushed cotton fabric from my stash for the backing for extra softness. I think it is an old Moda print, but I’m really not sure. I bought it on super clearance from my local quilt shop a couple of years ago. I decided on a clamshell design for hand quilting because I wanted something that would soften the quilt and add texture without being too bold. The clamshells ended up being the perfect thing! My approach was to mark 3 rows of clamshells, then stitch up those rows. Then rinse and repeat all along the quilt! Thread-wise, I again wanted something that wouldn’t be very bold. Usually in my hand quilting, I want people to SEE the quilting. But in this case, I wanted the texture and softness without adding to an already busy quilt. Aurifil 12 weight thread in #2311 was just the ticket. #2311 is my go-to over and over again for projects because it is creamier and more beige than a stark white without being too bold either. The goldilocks of white threads ;). You might have noticed, I thread basted this quilt! I’m usually a spray baster, but there are certain times I’ll pick thread over spray. I’m working on a blog post and video about thread basting – why, when, how, the works. For this particular quilt, since I was hand quilting a design I knew would take a while, and I wasn’t sure how fast this quilt would get completed, thread basting just made the most sense. My favorite assistant, Riley, was more than happy to test this quilt’s quality throughout the hand quilting process. Every time I’d put this quilt on the floor to mark out some more rows, there he was, claiming it for his own. There were many times during this scrappy quilt that I questioned myself. The pale pinks and blues were too light. The darker beige background colors too dark. Maybe I should have picked different fabrics/different colors/a different quilt all together. I think that’s what happens when you push yourself. You end up questioning yourself all over again because new things are unpredictable. However, for me, this quilt really came all together when I started hand quilting it. The added texture from the clamshells seemed to soften the darker background fabrics and lend a cohesiveness to the whole quilt. I found myself thinking “oh yes, I really do love this one.” Now that this scrappy Starlite quilt is finished, holding it up for these photos, it is a quilt I find I could stare at all day. Seeing different shapes, different patterns within the fabrics show up. The way that you can tell what the pattern is, but the lighter fabrics break it just enough that it isn’t obvious at first glance. The fabrics themselves, which have a vintage look to them, and how I can just see this quilt looking better and better after it is crinkled post-washing. And over time, as it is used, loved, and worn, how it will continue to look special and unique. To see a Starlite quilt made with Fat Eighths and a single background fabric, click here. You might also like: Starlite Quilt – Cover Version Scrappy Bear Path Quilt... Read more...Creating the Ultimate Quilting RoomOrganizing your space can seem daunting. Too much fabric, too little shelving? That’s a problem I’ve encountered more than once as my love for quilting has grown and my space has… well, not. Redfin has a great article where they asked a bunch of us quilters to weigh in on how to create the ultimate quilting room. You can read all the tips from various quilters here. As for me? My biggest tip is to utilize your wall space! After you’ve crammed as many shelves as you can into your room, start looking at the nooks and crannies leftover. Can you turn that weird little corner into usable space with a thread rack? Or how about a peg board? Putting notions on the walls will not only help give them a home, but it also keeps them within sight visually, making them easier to use, and easier to put back. I turned a weird corner in my sewing space into a magnetic board which holds all my Aurifil 12 weight hand quilting thread, scissors, rotary cutter, and small square rulers. You know, the little 3.5″ ones that end up getting lost in a pile of fabric? Yeah, I gave those a home. I also added magnets to the back of my Kona color chips and gave them their own magnetic board in my sewing space. I’m a big fan of cutting up color cards because once they’re separated, it makes it so much easier to create color palettes and match fabrics from different collections or designers. And finally, if you want to hang up your quilts (or mini quilts too!) I have an easy way using command strips that we’ve used all over our house. Three years later, and not one of these command strips has failed. It makes it easy to swap out quilts and allows me to hang any quilt I want on my wall, regardless of whether or not it has a sleeve. What are your best tips for creating an ultimate quilting room? What organization hack have you found useful in your space? Let me know in the comments below! You might also like: No related posts.... Read more...Starlite Quilt Along!I’m so excited to announce a Starlite quilt along is coming! And I’ve got some awesome prizes and sponsors lined up for you! It is going to be a blast! This 7-week quilt along is the perfect scrap buster for the summer months! WHEN: July 05 – August 16DURATION: 7 weeksQUILT SIZE: Throw 69″ x 69″ (make the size you’d like) The quilt along will be hosted by me with weekly newsletters and instagram lives that offer tips, tricks, and encouragement. Oh! And prizes too! Lots of AMAZING prizes! How to participate: Sign up for the weekly newsletterGet your pattern (it is on sale until the start of the QAL!)Start picking your fabric pull! (I’m going scrappy!)Follow along on Instagram using the hashtag #starliteqal and post your weekly photo (I will give prompts each week)Join the IG Lives every week! For the 7 weeks of the QAL, I’ll be going LIVE one night a week. It is the perfect time to ask questions and say hi! Schedule: WEEK 1: Cut fabricWEEK 2: Make HSTsWEEK 3: Make 4-patchesWEEK 4: Create Color 1 unitsWEEK 5: Create Color 2 unitsWEEK 6: Create blocksWEEK 7: Assemble quilt top Supplies: The Starlite quilt pattern is available in my shop in both pdf and paper formats and is on sale until the start of the quilt along! Nordic Star | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Nordic Star | PDF $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | Set of 5 $30.00 Add to cart Starlite | PAPER $12.00 Add to cart Starlite | PDF $12.00 Add to cart If you’re looking for a fabric bundle to make a quilt similar to my cover quilt, Marmalade Mood Quilts has you covered! Her bundle is large enough to make a throw size, and you can purchase it here! The Prizes: By posting to Instagram each week of the quilt along with the hashtag #starliteqal, you’ll be eligible to win some amazing prizes! Check out the sponsor line-up below! WEEK 1-6 prizes include fabric and notions from Marmalade Mood Quilts, Global Fiber, Riley Blake Designs, PBS Fabrics, Aurifil Thread, and Figo Fabrics!WEEK 7: FREE longarm quilting from Modern Textiles! Longarm Quilting: I’ve teamed up with Modern Textiles for longarm quilting services! Modern Textiles is providing 15% off for all quilt along participants that send her their Starlite quilt before October 11th! Starlite Quilt Inspiration: I’ve made two Starlite quilts and I’m looking forward to making another one with all of you! Check out the #StarliteQuilt hashtag on Instagram for more inspiration! The cover quilt was made with Fat Eighths in all solids. You can read more about this version here. This super scrappy version was made with a fat quarter bundle of Meadow by Rifle Paper Co and all sorts of low volume prints for the background! You might also like: No related posts.... Read more... Follow us on Instagram With the weather turning to fall, it is officially Today felt like fall! 🍁 🍂 ☕ Bring on the s First attempt at naturally dyeing fabric! 🥳 I s Thread choices! Of course this version of Nordic S Last day to get Nordic Star on sale! Hurry! Oh, an Load More... Follow on Instagram
Nordic Star | PDF$12.00
Patchwork Chore Coat PDF Pattern$20.00
Harvest Star | PDF$12.00
