Charlotte, Author at Carol's Quilts

Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month Four

06/08/2017 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

Wow! We’re into the second half of the Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt and I’m getting really excited to see everyone’s versions of this beautiful quilt.

First up I’ve got photographs and a list of all the blocks you should have so far. It’s easy to get a bit confused when you are working on a mystery quilt like this – I’ve got a master pattern to refer to, but you don’t!

All blocks should measure 8 1/2 inches, except the long, skinny ones you made in month two. These should measure 4 1/2 inches by 52 1/2 inches.

You should have four of the blocks above that you made in month one.

You should have four of the blocks above left and four of the long skinny blocks above right, both of which you made in month two.

And then you should have four of each of the blocks above, made in month three (last month).

So, now that you have everything in order. Let’s move on to some patchwork!

Cutting Instructions for Month Four

From light grey Fabric A cut:

Sixteen 2 ½ inch by 4 ½ inch rectangles

Eight 2 ½ inch by 8 ½ inch rectangles

From turquoise fabric Fabric C cut:

Sixteen 2 ½ inch squares

From the dark pink Fabric F cut:

Eight 2 ½ inch by 4 ½ inch rectangles

You will also need from your already cut fabrics:

From light grey Fabric A:

Eight 2 1/2 inch squares

Four 2 7/8 inch squares (3 inch squares if you choose to trim your HST after making them)

Four 4 7/8 inch squares (5 inch squares if you choose to trim your HST after making them)

From turquoise Fabric C:

Four 2 7/8 inch squares (3 inch squares if you choose to trim your HST after making them)

Four 4 7/8 inch squares (5 inch squares if you choose to trim your HST after making them)

From the purple Fabric E:

Eight 2 ½ inch squares

Construction

You are making eight blocks this month, four the mirror image of the other four, which can get a little brain-bending in terms of unit placement and seam pressing, so let’s look at the layouts now so we have something to work to.

Sew eight half-square triangle units (HST) using four light grey Fabric A 4 7/8 inch squares and four turquoise Fabric C 4 7/8 inch squares. Have you tried Carol’s Squares to Triangles tool yet? I find it a useful tool to speed up the process and keep my accuracy when making HST units (ignore the dark blue fabric square in the photo below – use a light grey one!). Press seams open. We’ll call this unit A.

Sew eight half-square triangle units (HST) using four light grey Fabric A 2 7/8 inch squares and four turquoise Fabric C 2 7/8 inch squares. Press seams open. We’ll call this unit B (no photo, I’m sure you all know how to sew HST units after last month!).

Sew eight purple Fabric E 2 1/2 inch squares to the ends of eight dark pink Fabric F 2 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch rectangles. Sew eight turquoise Fabric C 2 1/2 inch squares to the other ends of the rectangles. Press four of these with the seams going one way and four with the seams going the other, as in the photo below.

Sew four light grey Fabric A 2 ½ inch by 4 ½ inch rectangles to one turquoise side of the large HST unit, units A, and sew the other four rectangles to the OTHER turquoise side of the large HST unit, units A. Use the photos below for guidance. Press four of these with the seams going one way and four with the seams going the other, as in the photos below.

Sew four light grey Fabric A 2 ½ inch squares to one light grey side of the small HST units, unit B, and sew the other four squares to the OTHER light grey side of the small HST units, unit B. Use the photo below for guidance. Press four of these with the seams going one way and four with the seams going the other, as in the photo below. We’ll call this unit C.

Sew units C to the light grey side of the large HST unit, units A. Take some care here because we need to get the right units together in terms of how we have pressed the seams. Study the photographs below to help you construct your units and to see how the final seam is pressed. Let’s call this large unit, unit D. We’re nearly there!

Sew eight light grey Fabric A 2 ½ inch by 8 1/2 inch rectangles to the top edge of the eight unit Ds. Press the seams towards the light grey rectangles on all eight blocks. Sew the eight strips with the pink rectangles onto the bottom edge of the eight unit Ds, making sure that the purple square is below the small HST unit, unit B. The way you have pressed the seam allowances mean that if you have the correct layout, the seams will ‘nest’. Press the seams towards the pink rectangle strip on all eight blocks. See the example in the photo below.

So now you have eight, 8 1/2 inch blocks, half of them the mirror image of the others, and you are done for month four of the Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt!

Remember to head over to Carol’s Quilts on Facebook and share your progress there and check out what other people are doing with their quilts. And please leave us a comment below to let us know how you’re going, or if you have any questions.

Charlotte Scott blogs at The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady

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Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month Three

02/07/2017 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

Hi! And welcome back to the third clue for the Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt. Do you like my inspiration picture? This is how I picked the teal/turquoise colour for my quilt. Those are my kids swimming from our boat to the beach at one of the many islands in the Bay of Islands where we live. It was taken in Summer and I’m thinking longingly of those hot days when the Pacific Ocean begs to be swum in!

Once you’ve sewn this month’s blocks you’ll be halfway to having a gorgeous quilt top together. Has anyone been trying to figure out the final layout yet? I hope it’s still a mystery!

This is the month of half-square triangles (HST) – you need to make a fair few, so if you need a refresher on how to make HST units, refer back to month one. I use Carol’s squares to triangles tools to make the process quicker and more accurate.

Cutting Instructions for Month 3

From light grey Fabric A cut:

Twenty-eight 2 ½ inch squares

Twelve 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

From turquoise Fabric C cut:

Twelve 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

From the medium grey Fabric D cut:

Eight 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

Construction

You will have already cut quite a few of the pieces needed for this month, so remember to look in your ‘already cut’ pile if you can’t find the pieces you need.

Construct sixteen HST using eight light grey Fabric A 4 7/8 inch squares and eight dark indigo blue Fabric B 4 7/8 inch squares. These should finish at 4 1/2 inches. Press seams open on all HST blocks.

Construct eight HST using four light grey Fabric A 4 7/8 inch squares and four medium grey Fabric D 4 7/8 inch squares. These should finish at 4 1/2 inches.

Construct four HST using two light grey Fabric A 4 7/8 inch squares and two turquoise Fabric C 4 7/8 inch squares. These should finish at 4 1/2 inches.

Construct four HST using two dark indigo blue Fabric B 2 7/8 inch squares and two turquoise Fabric C 2 7/8 inch squares. These should finish at 2 1/2 inches.

Construct four HST using two dark indigo blue Fabric B 2 7/8 inch squares and two light grey Fabric A 2 7/8 inch squares. These should finish at 2 1/2 inches.

Use four light grey Fabric A 2 ½ inch squares, four dark indigo blue Fabric B 2 ½ inch squares and the eight 2 ½ inch HST units made in the above instructions to construct four, four-patches as shown in the photo below. Press seams in a clockwise direction – towards the HST unit in the top row and so on). This is block A.

Sew four light grey Fabric A and medium grey Fabric D 4 ½ inch HST units to four light grey Fabric A and dark blue Fabric B 4 ½ inch HST units, making sure that you sew the two light grey sides together as shown in the photo below. Press seams to the dark blue HST unit. This is the top of the next block B.

Now you are going to sew the bottom of block B. Sew the four, four-patches made above (Block A) to four light grey Fabric A and dark blue Fabric B 4 ½ inch HST units, making sure you sew the dark blue sides of each unit together (see the bottom row of the photo below). Press seams towards the four-patch.

Using the two units just made, construct the block B as shown below, you will need four of these for your mystery quilt and they should measure 8 1/2 inches. Spin your seams when pressing.

Next, use the remaining 4 1/2 inch HST units to construct four blocks as shown below. Spin your seams clockwise when pressing. These should also measure 8 1/2 inches.

So, you should have eight blocks that should all measure 8 ½ inches. You are officially half-way there!

Now go share your mystery quilt progress over on Carol’s Quilts Facebook page, we love to see progress! Remember, you can ask me questions in the comments section below if you are unsure of anything.

Charlotte Scott blogs at The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady

Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month Two

04/06/2017 By Charlotte 5 Comments

Hello! Welcome back to the Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt. How did you all get along last month? If you didn’t get all your blocks finished, don’t stress, you can always catch up this month.

For this clue you will need the pink and purple four patches that you made last month, and we will do some more cutting and piecing, making four square blocks and four long, skinny blocks – just to keep you guessing!

Let’s go!

Cutting Instructions JUST for Month Two

(you can be all smug now if you cut out the entire quilt in Month One!)

From light grey Fabric A cut:

Forty 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles (HST) after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

Four 5 inch by 9 inch rectangles

From the dark indigo blue Fabric B cut:

One 9 ¼ inch square

Sixteen 2 ½ inch squares

Sixteen 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your HST after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

Twenty 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your HST after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

From turquoise fabric Fabric C cut:

Sixteen 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your HST after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

From the medium grey Fabric D cut:

Four 4 ½ inch squares

Four 5 inch by 9 inch rectangles

From the purple Fabric E cut:

Four 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your HST after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

From the dark pink Fabric F cut:

Four 4 ½ inch squares

Piecing Instructions for Month Two

(Use a ¼ inch seam for all construction)

Construct eight half-square triangles (HST) using four purple Fabric E and four dark indigo blue Fabric B 2 7/8 inch squares. Refer to last month’s instructions if you need a refresher on how to make HST. I used Carol’s squares to triangles tool to make the process easier. Press seams open. (If you used 3 inch squares, trim down to a 2 ½ inch HST unit now.)

Repeat with four turquoise Fabric C and four dark indigo blue Fabric B 2 7/8 inch squares to make another eight HST units.

Use these sixteen HST units, eight 2 ½ inch dark pink Fabric F squares (which you cut in month one) and eight 2 ½ inch dark indigo blue Fabric B squares to construct four-patch units as shown in the photographs below. You want four units with the turquoise on the bottom row and four units with the turquoise fabric on the top row. Be careful with the turquoise and purple colours, fabric placement is important to the end design of the mystery quilt! Spin your seams clockwise (towards the HST unit in the top row and so on, see Adrianne Read’s video for a recap on spinning seams).

Using the four pink and purple four-patches from last month, the eight four-patch units from the above instructions and four medium grey Fabric D 4 ½ inch squares, construct four blocks using the layout shown in the photograph below. Spin your seams clockwise when looking at the right side of the block.

In the photo below you can see the seam pressing – remember it’s anti-clockwise when looking from the wrong side. You can see how I spun the seams on the four-patch units too. Seam pressing can get a bit confusing. If you get it right, it really helps your points meet and your quilt to lay flat. But if you get it wrong, it’s not the end of the world – you’ll just have a little more bulk in some joins.

Right, that’s the first set of mystery quilt blocks made for this month, so pat yourself on the back and go grab a cup of tea!

Next, construct four flying-geese units. Use the dark indigo blue Fabric B 9 ¼ inch square. With right sides together, place two light grey Fabric A 4 7/8 inch squares (and if you cut 5 inch squares, you will need to trim these down now) at opposite corners of the large square. Use Carol’s squares to triangles tool and rule two lines half an inch apart from corner to corner through the small squares.

Stitch along the drawn lines then cut between the lines. Flip the small triangles out and press seams open. In the picture below, the top triangle has it’s small triangles flipped out and I’m showing it from the back so you can see the seam pressed open. The bottom triangle is yet to have it’s small triangles flipped out and pressed.

Place another light grey Fabric A 4 7/8 inch square right sides together in the corner of one of the large dark blue triangles. Use Carol’s tool again to rule lines diagonally across this square half an inch apart. Sew on the lines, cut between the lines, flip the small triangles out and press seams open to make two flying geese units. Repeat with the other large dark blue triangle to make two more flying geese units. You should have four flying geese units in total.

Next, use four light grey Fabric A 4 7/8 inch squares and four dark indigo blue Fabric B 4 7/8 inch squares to construct eight HST units. Press seams open.

Construct eight half rectangle triangles (HRT). This is probably the trickiest bit of patchwork in the whole quilt, but if you read through it all first, then take it step by step, you’ll be fine. If you are used to using speciality rulers to construct HRT, go ahead, but I’m going to give instructions here for those without special tools.

On the right side of two light grey Fabric A 5 inch by 9 inch rectangles mark a dot 1/4 inch up from the bottom edge on the left and down from the top edge on the right on one rectangle and the top edge on the left and bottom edge on the right on the other rectangle, as shown in the photographs. Cut between these two points. You will end up with two triangles pointing one direction and two pointing the other. Repeat with two medium grey Fabric D 5 inch by 9 inch rectangles.

Take one light grey Fabric A triangle and one medium grey Fabric D triangle of the SAME shape and place them right sides together matching the cut edge from end to end. Pin and sew with a 1/4 inch seam. You are working with bias edges so go gently with your fabric as you stitch or you will distort your pieces.

Flip your triangles out and press your seam open gently. You will need to trim a little off each short end to make a 4 1/2 inch by 8 1/2 HRT, but you need to be careful as the seam needs to be in a particular place to form a point when you sew it in place. Place your ruler on your unit as shown below – matching up 1/4 inch in and 1/4 up so that mark sits on the seam line. Trim the excess. Now when you trim the excess off the other end, the 1/4 inch in and down mark should rest on the seam line on that side too.

You will end up with a 4 1/2 inch by 8 1/2 inch HRT unit that looks like the photo below. Note that the seam lines end slightly away from the corners, unlike half square triangles where it should end right in the corners. Repeat to make three other HRT units.

Use four dark pink Fabric F 4 ½ inch squares, the eight half-rectangle units, the eight HST units, the four flying geese units and sixteen light grey Fabric A 4 ½ inch squares (which you cut in month one) to construct long rows as in the photo below (you will have a total of four rows). Press all the seams to the left (towards the pink fabric in the first seam, and so on).

Now celebrate ‘cause your mystery quilt sewing is done for the month and you are totally awesome! And don’t forget to head over to Carol’s Quilts on Facebook and share your progress – we all love show and tell. If you use Instagram, the hashtag is #pacificstarsmq See you next month!

Charlotte Scott blogs at The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady

Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month One

07/05/2017 By Charlotte 11 Comments

Welcome to the Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Along!

My name is Charlotte Scott and I’m a New Zealand quilter and designer. I’m really excited to have been invited by Carol to share this six month adventure with you! Each month I’ll give you instructions for part of the quilt with the final layout being revealed in October. Once it’s complete, your beautiful quilt will measure 56 inches square, perfect to snuggle under on the couch or gift to someone (very!) special.

I live on a boat in the Pacific Ocean. New Zealand is a beautiful country, but I think the area I live in really takes the cake in terms of scenery. The blues and teals and turquoises of the ocean glow in the sun and then when the sun goes down the blues deepen to indigo and purples. I never get tired of looking at the water, so I decided to use the Pacific Ocean, both the sea and stars, as my inspiration for the mystery quilt.

What level of skill do you need? Well, if you have basic patchworking skills you’ll be fine. I’ve stuck with piecing only, no applique this time around, but you’re free to add your own if the fancy strikes you. We’ll be using Carol’s squares to triangles tool to make easy half-square triangles, but you will be able to use another method if you prefer. Because you’ll just be doing a handful of blocks per month, you’ll never feel as if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew!

So, are you ready? Let’s dive right in!

Fabric Requirements

This is a scrap and stash mystery quilt. I made the quilt top ENTIRELY from fabrics in my stash, and scraps from my scrap basket. So when looking at the fabric requirements, you have to imagine putting your bits and pieces together and visualising them as yardage. Because using scraps and bits and pieces can necessitate imaginative cutting, I have been fairly generous in the listed fabric requirements. I have based measurements on 100cm (40 inch) wide fabric. I recommend all fabric to be quilting weight, 100% cotton, prewashed and ironed.

1.75 m (2 yards) light grey (Fabric A background fabric)

1 m (40 inches) dark indigo blue (Fabric B main fabric)

60 cm (24 inches) turquoise fabric (Fabric C medium, analogous to main fabric)

50 cm (20 inches) medium grey fabric (Fabric D medium neutral)

25 cm (10 inches) purple fabric (Fabric E dark, analogous to main fabric)

25 cm (10 inches) dark pink fabric (Fabric F medium, complementary to the turquoise)

25 cm (10 inches) light blue fabric (Fabric G light version of main fabric)

You will also require fabric for the backing and binding to finish your quilt. But I recommend you wait to see the finished quilt top before you make any final decisions .

(the light blue is missing from the following photo of my fabric choices, but you can see it if you scroll further down this post)

Here’s an alternative colour way for those of you who aren’t particularly struck by the blues, they are laid out next to the corresponding original fabrics so you can see the comparison. The red would be the main fabric with a cream as a background and so on. Or you could go brights or moderns – I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s individuality coming out in their fabric choices!

For those of you who like to cut everything out before we start piecing, get stuck into the following cutting directions. For those who like to break up their cutting, I will give you some cutting instructions every month. They will be the instructions for the blocks we are making that month, plus a bit extra. For example, if we need four, 4 ½ inch background squares for the blocks in month 1 and we also need eight for month 2 and eight for month 5, we will cut 20 in month 1. This means you get more efficient cutting, but still don’t have to cut out the whole quilt in one go.

Cutting Instructions for the WHOLE quilt:

From light grey Fabric A cut:

Twenty eight 2 ½ inch squares

Sixteen 2 ½ inch by 4 ½ inch rectangles

Eight 2 ½ inch by 8 ½ inch rectangles

Twelve 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

Twenty 4 ½ inch squares

Forty 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

Four 5 inch by 9 inch rectangles

From the dark indigo blue Fabric B cut:

One 9 ¼ inch square

Sixteen 2 ½ inch squares

Sixteen 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

Eight 4 ½ inch squares

Twenty 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

From turquoise fabric Fabric C cut:

Sixteen 2 ½ inch squares

Sixteen 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

Twelve 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

From the medium grey Fabric D cut:

Four 4 ½ inch squares

Eight 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

Four 5 inch by 9 inch rectangles

From the purple Fabric E cut:

Twenty 2 ½ inch squares

Four 2 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 3 inch squares)

From the dark pink Fabric F cut:

Sixteen 2 ½ inch squares

Eight 2 ½ inch by 4 ½ inch rectangles

Four 4 ½ inch squares

Two 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

From the light blue Fabric G cut:

Four 4 ½ inch squares

Two 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

Cutting Instructions JUST for Month One:

From light grey Fabric A cut:

Twenty 4 ½ inch squares

From the dark indigo blue Fabric B cut:

Eight 4 ½ inch squares

From the dark pink Fabric F cut:

Sixteen 2 ½ inch squares

Two 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

From the purple Fabric E cut:

Twenty 2 ½ inch squares

From the light blue Fabric G cut:

Two 4 7/8 inch squares (if you like to trim your half square triangles after making them, cut these as 5 inch squares)

Piecing Instructions for Month One

(Use a ¼ inch seam for all construction)

Construct four half-square triangles (HST) using two dark pink Fabric F and two light blue Fabric G 4 7/8 inch squares. I use Carol’s squares to triangles tool to make it easy – here’s a link to her instruction video – or follow these instructions:

Layer a 4 7/8 inch dark pink Fabric F square right sides together with a 4 7/8 inch light blue Fabric G square. Use Carol’s squares to triangle tool to rule two lines half an inch apart diagonally across the centre (see photograph).

Sew carefully on the drawn lines. I like to position my needle just a thread width on the inside of the line. Cut between the two sewn lines.

Unfold into two HST units. Press seams open. (If you used 5 inch squares, trim down to a 4 ½ inch square now.) Repeat with the other squares.

Sew the four HST to four dark indigo blue Fabric B squares making sure you sew the dark pink side of the HST to the dark blue square. Press seams towards the dark blue square.

Sew four 4 ½ inch light grey Fabric A squares to four 4 ½ inch dark indigo blue Fabric B squares. Press seams towards the dark blue fabric.

Assemble the blocks as shown in the photograph. You should have four of these for your mystery quilt. When pressing, spin your seams as shown in the photo below. Not sure how to spin your seams? Watch this video from Adrianne Read.

Sew eight 2 ½ inch dark pink Fabric F squares to eight 2 ½ inch purple Fabric E squares. Press seams to dark pink fabric.

Make four four-patches as shown. When pressing the seams, spin your seams as shown.

And that’s it for Month One of the Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt. Easy peasy! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments for any clarification that you need.

If you’d like to share with others, head over to Carol’s Quilts Facebook page and you can share photographs of your work in progress – I’d love to see your colour choices!

Otherwise, see you next month.

Charlotte Scott blogs at The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady

How to Use Freezer Paper

08/04/2017 By Charlotte 4 Comments

Freezer paper is the most wonderful, versatile stuff for quilters and crafters. It was originally designed as a wrapping to protect food in the freezer, but quilters realised there were many more uses for it and we are still coming up with new uses every day!

If you’ve never used freezer paper, or only know one way to use it, watch this video. It’ll give you a whole raft of ideas of what to use it for. It’s not just for applique but also stencils, labels, English paper piecing and many more ideas. Freezer paper is a cheap, versatile product that will help you turn out beautiful, well-crafted quilts.

Freezer paper is a US product so it is not available in New Zealand supermarkets (it is NOT greaseproof paper or lunchwrap), but you can buy it here at Carol’s Quilts by the metre. It’s a must-have in my sewing room. I use it both when I make my art quilts and when I’m relaxing and making a traditional quilt.

Enjoy the video and if you know of any other uses for freezer paper, leave a comment, we’d love to learn from you!

The Great NZ Quilt Show

23/03/2016 By Charlotte 2 Comments

I’m getting excited! May is on its way and with it, The Great NZ Quilt Show!

The Great NZ Quilt Show is being run by Aotearoa Quilters, our national association, and promises to be several days of wonderful quilt related activities. This is the inaugural show and it is envisaged that it will be held biennially to alternate with national symposia.

This year The Great NZ Quilt Show is being held at The Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre, 1170 Fenton Street, Rotorua, from 6-8 May.

The show will have an Aotearoa Quilters members exhibit; the best of New Zealand Flight Challenge quilt exhibit; a merchants mall (yay!); and an exhibit of the Best of Show quilts from all the past Symposia. I’m really excited about seeing this exhibit – it will be like walking through history!

Best of Show winner Manawatu Symposium 2015 by Melanie Martin. Click on the image to hear my interview with Melanie about her winning quilt.

There is also the award evening to look forward to; floor talks by judges; a talk by Norma Slabbert on the Year 60 project; and long arm quilting of donation quilts (bring your donation quilt tops for quilting or finished quilts for donation) for the Cosy Kiwi Kids charity group.

If you are travelling to Rotorua, check out the directory tab above to locate quilt stores along your travel route. You can check the Aotearoa Quilters website or Facebook page for more info about the show, and here is a link to the Rotorua information site so you can feel like making a week of it, you can find out what else there is to do in the thermal wonderland city.

Cottage Flair – the local Rotorua quilt shop, find more details about them in our directory.

Being a Mum of two young children, I don’t get to take much time off, so a couple of days away, immersed in something that I’m really passionate about, is total heaven for me. It recharges the batteries of my soul and I come back to ‘real life’ refreshed and grateful and ready to go again. When was the last time YOU took a couple of days for yourself? Perhaps it’s time you recharged your creative batteries with a day or two away – shall I see you in Rotorua? Make sure you introduce yourself and say hi!

And if you can’t get to Rotorua, over in the right hand column, click on the link for Quilting Events in New Zealand. There are lots coming up and you’re sure to find one that tickles your fancy.

Gorgeous Easter Sewing Projects

16/03/2016 By Charlotte 3 Comments

Easter, and the long weekend that comes with it, will be on us before you know it. Have you ever sewn up some little Easter baskets or bunnies? If you haven’t, here are some ideas for Easter sewing projects. Either make them before Easter to add some fun and magic to the day, or tackle them during Easter weekend for something to keep you busy (and your hands from reaching for another chocolate egg!).

Pam, from Leaves and Stitches, made some sweet Easter egg placemats using fused appliqué. She shares a tutorial and downloadable PDF’s of the patterns on her blog so you can make your own placemats using colours that appeal to you. Imagine presenting Easter breakfast for your children or grandkids on these fun eggy placemats?!

To keep the chocolate load to a manageable level, how about replacing some of the eggs in the kid’s baskets with one or two of these adorable fabric bunnies? Courtney from Optimistic Mommy blog, shares this super simple and easy Easter bunny project that can be made using six or nine inch squares of fabric. Did I hear someone say scrap buster?!

We’ve mentioned egg baskets, but have you thought of making your own? These lovely little Easter baskets are made by Peta from She Quilts A Lot and they feature some neat wool appliqué. If you haven’t tried to work with wool, this would be a great project to start with as it’s just a small bit of wool appliqué on the front of a cotton fabric basket. Fill it with eggs (and fabric rabbits) and you have a wonderful, personalised Easter gift.

Okay, I said, “Awwww!” out loud when I saw these! I know my little 8-year-old would love one of these bags. They call it an Easter basket, but I think it’s a wee bit big for a basket to fill with treats, my tummy hurts just thinking about it! This bunny bag is pretty sweet whatever you decide to use it for, and it’s available as a free beginner pattern from pen + paper patterns via Craftsy.

These folded fabric Easter egg ornaments are just breathtaking. This isn’t a free pattern, but the intricate beauty of them is astounding and I urge you to have a look at Staci Ann’s website, The Ornament Girl. They would be lovely Easter heirlooms that come out each year to decorate your Easter table.

Lastly, and this one is just for fun! How about this egg gathering apron from Lori Griffiths of Fearless Makers? Now, I actually used to have chickens before I began living on a boat and this apron would have been just the thing! Can you imagine it filled with Easter eggs?! Yum!

Happy Easter everyone! No matter how you spend the holiday, have a safe and happy one.

X and O Quilt Block

12/03/2016 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

There are lots of versions of X and O quilts out there on the web to oogle at, but I think I’ve found the simplest tutorial so you make your own X and O quilt block. What’s even better than being simple, is that it’s such a great video; fun, fast and comprehensive.

The block that Teresa Downunder shows us in this tutorial is actually called Road to Tennessee. But it can be arranged in so many different ways! I like it best as the X and O quilt block, so that’s why I’m sticking to calling it that! Of course, if you played around with colour combinations and darks and lights, you might have a quilt that looked completely different again. The possibilities are endless!

Teresa Downunder has a great little YouTube channel with more of these fast and fun quilt block tutorials and her blog has written and photographed tutorials if that is more of your thing.

PS – save the little triangles you trim off the blocks, sew them together on the long side, open them out and you have a cute little half-square triangles to use for something else. Coasters perhaps?

Thanks to Teresa Downunder

Super Easy Quilted Table Runner Pattern

03/03/2016 By Charlotte 1 Comment

This quilted table runner pattern is so super easy that it’s almost cheating! I love this idea for using up scraps of Christmas or other holiday themed fabric, or for making a really quick gift as a housewarming present or a hostess gift. This would also be a great project for beginners or to introduce a newbie to quilting.

Art Gallery Fabric is a fabric company with a modern feel. They describe themselves as contemporary elegant and have designers such as Pat Bravo, April Rhodes, Sew Caroline and Angela Walters on board. And as with most quilting fabric companies these days, they have a great website with inspiration, tips, free-projects and lots of other information.

Art Gallery Fabric has teamed up with sewing and quilting bloggers from around the world to form the ‘Fat Quarter Gang’. They publish tutorials and patterns for funky homemade projects. One of these is the Strippy Quilted Table Runner tutorial written by Rachel Griffith of P.S I Quilt blog.

Have a look at the tutorial, you won’t believe how simple it is. Rachel has a neat little trick that makes this quilted table runner super easy! And if you machine bound it, it would be even quicker.

Have fun!

Thanks to Art Gallery Fabrics, The Fat Quarter Gang and Rachel Griffith of P.S. I Quilt

Design your own quilt blocks – using paper and fun!

25/02/2016 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

There is amazing quilt designing software available, but for those of us who are a bit more tactile, or just want to play once in a while, here is a fun way to design your own quilt blocks. All you need is some scrapbooking paper, a ruler and a pair of scissors. Oh, and don’t forget your sense of discovery and play – we’re here to have some fun!

I ruled 3 inch squares on the back of one sheet of scrapbooking paper. Then I layered up four sheets and cut out the squares. Don’t be too worried about accuracy – no perfect seam matching required! My little helper had great fun doing this, so consider this a child-friendly activity too.

Cut some of the squares into half-square triangles and use the leftover bits of paper to cut 3 inch x 1 1/2 inch rectangles. You can also cut some quarter square triangles too. That’s it! Now you get to play!

I started by building a basic nine patch block. Then I decided to grow it by adding another round. What was most fun about this series was to see how small alterations could change the whole look of the quilt block. I tired three different variations of the same block – just a small change each time. Can you pick out the changes ?

I designed some not-so-great quilt blocks too, but no harm done because no fabric was being cut and no seams were being sewn (no unpicking required!). I just pushed all the paper shapes into a pile and started again.

Here is another arrangement that I quite liked, also with some small changes that significantly alter the overall look of the quilt block.

And why yes, that IS a nerf bullet next to my paper quilt block! Here might be a good time for some quilter truth. You see, we work when we can, how we can. We are flexible, creative, multi-taskers! Here is a photograph of the ‘whole picture’ just to give you an insight into my quilting world. I’m working on the dining room table, mess everywhere, and my helper has given up and moved onto making teddy clothes with fabric scraps.

This was my last quilt block that I designed. I put all the shapes into a plastic bag so I could have a play another day if I felt like it. I had all my ‘blocks’ on record with my digital camera so if I want to make any of them in fabric I can. But I kinda feel like I’ve already made them all just because I saw them laid out on my table. How very satisfying indeed!

So, have you got any pretty paper lying around? Have a go at designing your own quilt blocks, no fabric required!

Colour! Choosing a Glorious Colour Palette for Quilts.

17/02/2016 By Charlotte 3 Comments

Ahh, the seduction of colour! Colour schemes can be described as wild, luscious, soothing, shocking, brave, rich – so many wonderful adjectives! So how do we decide on a colour palette for quilts? Do you start with a piece of focus fabric? Or do you start with a colour and choose fabric from that?

One fun way to work with colour and chose a colour palette is to make use of one of the many tools available to us on the web. You don’t have to have a deep knowledge of colour theory, you can just play and find a scheme that works for you. Here are three colour palette tools that I had a lot of fun with.

Do you have a digital photograph that you adore? Load it up to Pictaculous and this tool will generate a matching colour palette. You can then email the colour swatches to yourself! Pictaculous will also provide a list of suggested colour palettes from a couple of other colour websites. In the photos above you can see the image that I uploaded and in the photo below are the swatch suggestions that Pictaculous gave me.

TinEye Labs Multicolr Search Lab is fun to use. Pick up to five colours from the box on the right and the search lab searches 20 million creative commons images on Flikr to give you a whole set of photographs with those colours in them, in the ratios you choose. Fun, fun, fun! And it gives you a good impression of what a quilt might look like made up, rather than just a line of swatches. Below are two vibrant schemes that I picked.

You’ll see that I kept the blues, but changed the warm colours for red based colours and changed the ratios a bit. It changes the look significantly.

If you would like inspiration from other people, check out Colourlovers.com. You can browse over 4 million colour palettes put together by colour lovers from all over the world. You could even sign up, then create your own colour palette to share! I like that they have tabs to choose to look at the newest schemes, the most commented on and the most favourited collections. Be warned, this site is addictive!

So however you like to use colour, you will find a tool on the web to help you develop a colour palette for quilts. And I can bet you that you’ll have a lot of fun doing it!

How to Find Time to Quilt

11/02/2016 By Charlotte 2 Comments

How to find time to quilt is a common quilters conundrum. Let’s explore how to squeeze some more quilting time into our busy lives.

When non-quilters are admiring my work, one of the most common questions they ask is, “Where do you find the time?”. The other statement I hear frequently is from quilters themselves, “How do you get so much done?”.

Now I know many more prolific quilters than myself, but over the years I have discovered some strategies that help me in my quest of finding time to quilt. We all know that we should be cooking with a slow-cooker; baking in bulk and freezing; and ignoring the dust a little longer than Martha Stewart does, but take the time to think a little deeper and examine how you work as a person.

Here are my three top tips on how to find time to quilt:

Pick an appropriate time to quilt, a time when you are alert, focused and are not going to be interrupted.

On my days at home, I used to do all the housework when the kids were at school and then I used to try and quilt in the afternoons. That was an exercise in frustration, as I was constantly interrupted. I quickly learned that I could fold washing AND help with homework and I was better off to allocate a couple of hours in the quiet mornings to quilt. I got a lot more quilting done in the same amount of time with fewer mistakes. So find the time that suits you and your family activities and then schedule it in like an appointment.

Find your time-sucking distractions and minimise or eliminate them.

I don’t watch TV. Yup, it’s true! On average, New Zealand adults watch just under two hours of TV as a primary activity (and extra as a stimulus when doing other activities). Wow! Imagine if you quilted for two hours every day! My hubby will sometimes watch a DVD and I’ll sit with him and hand sew to keep him from feeling neglected, but don’t ask me what happened last night on Shortland Street, I was too busy quilting!

Get ‘Sew’ Organised.

“Arrrgh!” I hear you say! “Of course if I was more organised I’d be able to find more time to quilt!” But what I’m talking about is not major life re-organisation, just building little organisational habits in your sewing room – easy!

Keep all the supplies needed for one project together. Stackable boxes work well because you can label the outside and easily see at a glance what projects await your attention. Open the box and your fabric, pattern, notes, thread and half-sewn pieces are all right there. No searching required = more time to quilt.

Keep notes on a project as you go. Index cards work well. When you stop work on a project, write down the next step you intend to do, or tick off what you’ve done if you’re working on a pattern. Then you don’t waste valuable quilting time remembering what you had to do next.

The QuiltWoman.com blog asked five of their designers how to find time to quilt. Their five tips include harnessing the power of a quilting group and advice on how to stay motivated. You can check out the blog post here.

Now tell us your best tips for how to find time to quilt, we’d love to hear from you!

How to Make a Quilt Label

04/02/2016 By Charlotte 4 Comments

Labelling your quilt is super important! At the very least, it shows you take pride in your work, and at the most, in 100 years it will provide a quilt historian important information about the origins of the quilt! So here is a great little video about how to make a quilt label.

Quilt labels are usually made after the quilt is finished, and once the hard work of quilting and binding is done, the label can get forgotten or seem like too much bother. But there are quick and simple ways to ‘get ‘er done’! You can write with a fabric pen straight onto the back of the quilt or you can use pre-printed label fabric and just cut one out and fuse it on.

There are also more intricate and detailed ways to make and attach quilt labels and Amanda Rolfe, from 3 and 3 quarters, talks about and shows some great examples. Amanda also gives a link to her Pinterest board of quilt label examples, which is certain to give you some inspiration on how to make a quilt label.

One of my favourite labels I ever made was when I used an extra appliqué flower that was leftover from making the quilt top. I wrote the details on with a fabric pen, fused it to the backing fabric and machine appliquéd it down. Doing this before I sandwiched and quilted the quilt meant there was no way anyone was ever removing the label, AND when I finished the binding the quilt was truly done – the label was already on!

So my top tip for making quilt labels is to think about it before you finish your quilt. Start making one while you are piecing the top and then you have more options when it comes to attaching your label and if it’s already made before you are finished, it won’t seem like such a chore at the end.

We’d love to hear from you! Comment below and tell us your favourite ways of making a quilt label and your top tip on how to make the process easier.

How to make a Stained Glass Appliqué Quilt

26/01/2016 By Charlotte 1 Comment

Stained glass appliqué is a beautiful technique for making quilts that gives the appearance of stained glass to the quilt top.

There are a few different methods for achieving this look, including reverse appliqué, mosaic style appliqué and even needle turning tiny black strips of fabric! I think the easiest method uses black bias tape stitched down over the edges of the coloured fabric pieces. The bias tape creates the ‘leading’, while the fabric pieces create the ‘glass’. Since the invention of fusible webbing, this process has become even easier.

Deborah Wirsu, a textile artist from Australia, has generously made a video tutorial showing the process of making stained glass appliqué from go to whoa. She had a great technique for getting all the little pieces of fabric and tape in the right place by using a padded surface to pin straight into.

Other tips for making a stained glass appliqué quilt are to use plain, jewel toned fabrics as these appear much more like glass than highly patterned or muddy fabrics. Choose a simple pattern with large pieces to get the hang of the technique before attempting something complicated, and don’t sweat the small stuff – if your stitches jump off your black tape every now and then, don’t worry, no-one will notice from a couple of paces away!

Stained glass appliqué can create striking quilts and wallhangings, if you’ve never tried it, give it a go. Looking for fusible black bias tape? Try one of the quilt shops listed in our directory.

Thanks to Deborah Wirsu

Quilting Fiction – enjoy a quilt themed novels.

22/01/2016 By Charlotte 3 Comments

Are you a reader as well as a quilter? Or are you a writer who is also a quilter? It seems there are several authors who are also quilters and who have quietly incorporated their hobby into their day jobs by writing quilting fiction.

I first became aware of quilting themed fiction when I saw a Jennifer Chiaverini novel on a library stand. I was drawn to the picture of a quilt on the cover (I couldn’t help myself!) but I was pleased to find that there was a sweet, engaging story contained within the pages .

Jennifer Chiaverini’s quilting novels are known as the Elm Creek Quilt series and they could easily be picked up by a non-quilter and enjoyed too. The stories are set around a group of women who open a quilting retreat. Their lives, loves, losses and adventures (and those of a few ancestors of the characters) have provided enough material for Jennifer to write 21 books so far.

Marie Bostwick is another well-known quilting novelist. Her series are set around Evelyn, a woman who opens a quilting store in a small town called New Bern. The life she lives and those of the friends she makes are contained in six books of the Cobbled Court Quilts series.

They are easy reads, but provide enough fodder to keep me interested. And I enjoy the characters enough to keep wondering what happens next.

Earlene Fowler writes the Benni Harper Mystery Series. Benni Harper is a folk art museum curator and amateur sleuth and all the books are titled after quilt patterns. To be honest, I haven’t read any of these (yet!), so I can’t give any insights into the content, but I loved this answer Earlene gives on her FAQ page, especially about how the names of quilt pattern suggest stories to her and about how she always turns to quilting and stitching when facing discouragement. I’ve put the series on my ‘to-read’ list.

“Q: Why did you use quilts as a theme for your series?
A: Quilts are a theme of my series mostly in terms of being the titles of the books and the fact that quilts play such a large part in the personal and professional life of my main character, Benni Harper… I initially used quilt patterns as titles because they have always been so evocative and they suggested stories to me much like an overheard stranger’s conversation or part of a family’s story does. I have thought and spoke about how much making a quilt and writing a novel are very much the same physical and creative process. A quilter takes scraps of fabric and rearranges them into a new pattern, then stitches them back together into a whole piece. Writers perform a similar task taking pieces of family history, people we’ve met, things we’ve read and heard, half-truths and out-and-out lies and turn them into stories. I also acted on the old saying–write what you know. Whenever I stopped writing because of discouragement, I always turned to crafts, specifically the folk arts such as quilting, stitching…It makes sense that it would eventually find its way into my fiction.”

When I went searching for other authors of quilting themed novels, here’s another few that I came up with:
Terri Thayer – A Quilting Mystery Series
Barbara Cameron – Quilts of Lancaster County and Stitches in Time Series
Sandra Dallas
Wanda E. Brunstetter – Daughters of Lancaster County
Emilie Richards
Arlene Sachitano – Harriet Truman Mysteries

So if you are looking for a good book to curl up with in your deckchair this summer, why not try a quilting themed novel? They might be just the thing when you’re wanting a quilting hit, but finding it too hot to sit at the sewing machine!

Have you got any authors or quilting fiction titles to add to the list? Or even a review of a particular book or series? Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you.

Summer Quilt Patterns

14/01/2016 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

It’s Summer. And phew, it’s hot! And who wants to sit under a pile of fabric and batting and get all sweaty, right? But let’s face it, the glorious Summer weather isn’t going to last and before you know it, those nights will turn chilly and there will be fights over who gets to put the couch quilt over their knees.

So here are some quilts that scream ‘SUMMER’ to me. These Summer quilt patterns are designed to carry that lazy summery feeling on into the brisk Autumn evenings and cold winter nights. If you start now, you’ll have one ready to layer on the bed with the first frost!

Bloom is a quilt designed by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs. These whimsical flowers and fresh fabrics sing a happy Summer song. Even better, Lori is starting a quilt along on her blog. You can join her from Monday 18th January 2016 and get real insider information and tips on making this lovely quilt. Check out Lori’s blog for more details.

The Summer Beach Quilt that Christina from Pretty Little Quilts made is just gorgeous. She generously wrote a tutorial for each of the different blocks that she used in this row-by-row summer quilt pattern and she shares them on her blog. The theme of this quilt is already very summery, but you could make it even brighter by upping the hue of the fabrics you use.

Summer means camping and camping means caravans. This Campers Quilt Pattern is for all those lovers of vintage caravans and the fun memories they’ve got of camping in one. It’s not a free pattern, but it’s a goodie. This is an Amy Bradley appliqué design and is available from Keepsake Quilting.

I think this is my favourite! Erica from Kitchen Table Quilts made this simple, graphic, modern quilt that just says beach and summer and long days swimming. Erica called her version ‘Deep Blue Sea’ and the colours are just gorgeous. Erica shares a tutorial on how to make this quilt on her blog. It’s constructed with curved piecing, but the curves are long and shallow, so it’s a great quilt to practice on if you are a bit nervous or rusty with curves.

I hope these Summer quilt patterns have got you enthused to start one. Spend those hot afternoons in the pool or at the beach and the cooler evenings quilting and before you know it, you’ll be enjoying your little slice of Summer when it’s chilly and grey outside.

Free Quilt Block Pattern

08/01/2016 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

Beautiful quilts start with beautiful designs, and the simplest unit of design in a quilt is the block.

Many traditional blocks are incredibly lovely, but when you take a closer look at the construction, you’ll find scary y-seams and funny trapazoid shapes. Historical quilt makers were hand or English paper piecing and were able to easily deal with these techniques.

Amy, from Badskirt, has taken the complex, traditional Castle quilt block and written a free quilt block pattern on the Sew Mama, Sew blog. The Castle block has y-seams and interesting shapes like octagons, but Amy makes these easy for us by showing us how to do point to point sewing on a machine.

Point to point sewing is a method of stopping and starting so you don’t sew into your seam allowances. This lets you pivot your shapes and create really smooth y-seams. Confused? Follow Amy’s tutorial and I promise it will all make sense!

This free quilt block pattern would be the perfect start to a very special quilt. Can you imagine all those precious fabrics you’ve been stashing put together in this beautiful block? And if a whole quilt made with this technique seems a little daunting, this super-sized block would make a great cushion!

Thanks to Amy of Badskirt and Sew Mama, Sew

Give your sewing machine a Christmas pressie!

28/12/2015 By Charlotte 1 Comment

How to look after your sewing machine

I’m guessing that as a quilter, you own a sewing machine. Maybe you own more than one, and I dare say there’s a few of you who own more than can be counted on one hand!

We expect a lot from our machines – endless piecing, multiple layers, free-motion quilting for hours on end, machine embroidery – and we want our machines to perform a strong, neat job of it without jamming, fabric gobbling or thread nesting.

So now that you’ve had your own merry Christmas, how about saying thanks to your sewing machine for all her hard work by giving her a present this year?

Here’s a list of the best presents a sewing machine can get ( tips to look after your sewing machine ):

A thorough clean. And by thorough, I mean every bit. Use a damp rag to wipe her down, refer to your manual about how to clean her insides and do a good job of it, oil everything that needs it, clean off your foot pedal (have you ever looked at that closely?!), lift her up and clean underneath. A sparkling clean machine is a pleasure to sit down at, and a machine that’s clean on the inside will sew a better stitch too.

Change her needle. Are you a regular needle changer or a ‘only when it breaks’ changer?! A straight, sharp needle pierces fabric better and makes a nicer stitch. If you can hear a little thud each time you stitch, that’s your machine having to push a blunt needle through your fabric. Give your sewing machine the gift of a new needle and you’ll enjoy it too.

Book her in for her yearly service. Just like a car, a sewing machine is a finely tuned piece of equipment and needs regular servicing to perform at top level. It’s like going to the spa for your machine! She’ll come back refreshed and raring to go. Find a time each year that you don’t use your machine much and make a yearly repeating reminder on your phone.

Sew a new machine cover. Dust is a major cause of problems with sewing machines. Your machine should be covered in between use to prevent dust buildup. There are lots of sewing machine cover patterns available. Pick fabrics to match your decor or suit your machine’s personality and make your machine feel loved with a flash new cover.

Pimp your machine! How about some real individualisation with stick on decals, letters and bling?! You can buy customised sewing machine decorations or you can use any small decal designed to adhere to whatever your sewing machine housing is made from. Check out Design Skins, which are whole machine stickers for Berninas. Or how about pretty swirls, flowers and Celtic knots from Quiltastick?

However you treat your sewing machine this holiday season, don’t forget to treat yourself too, by gifting yourself some free time to sit down and sew.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Black and White Quilts

19/12/2015 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

Black and white quilts are an enduringly popular genre of patchwork. The simple, graphic quality of light and dark distils a quilt down to its most basic element – pattern. The pattern itself can be traditional, modern, stylised or complicated, but it must be clear and distinct for the beauty of black and white to shine through.

We’ve collected a few links to black and white quilt patterns that we think make the most of these qualities. And we want to share our top tips for making a black and white quilt, so we’ll sprinkle some of these throughout the list.

Rachel, from Sew Today, Clean Tomorrow, has created a free PDF quilt pattern that is bold, simple and modern. http://sewtodaycleantomorrow.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/free-pdf-quilt-pattern-black-and-white.html

Tip number one: Buy enough fabric.
Black is black and white is white, right? Anyone who has ever picked paint colours will tell you that’s not true! Just like there are a hundred different paint whites, there are a corresponding number of fabric whites. If you are planning to use just one white fabric or one black fabric, buy plenty plus a bit more. There is nothing more obvious than the last half row of a black and white chevron quilt made with a different black fabric.

Vanessa from The Crafty Gemini, did a black and white block quilt along. This link is to block number five and it’s a great example of how black and white fabrics can read as light or dark depending how they are patterned and how they are used. http://craftygemini.com/2010/07/black-white-quilt-along-block-5.html#lightbox/11/

Tip number two: Go scrappy. If you are worried about the problems highlighted in tip number one, then use lots of different fabrics. There are heaps of white on white fabrics available, plenty of black on blacks and equally as many white and black patterned fabrics. Many successful black and white quilts have been constructed from a collection of black and white fat quarters.

Leslie, from Seasoned Homemaker, used black and white fabrics and appliqué to create a funky and spooky wall hanging. She has provided instructions and a printable template so you can create your own creepy crawly quilt. http://www.seasonedhomemaker.com/spooky-spider-mini-quilt/

Tip number three: If you are using fabrics that are black and white patterned, your red tonal viewer is your best friend. The whole point of a black and white quilt is the graphic quality of the quilt pattern, but it is easy to be lose sight of this when you are dealing with lots of pattern on the fabrics but no colour. Use your red tonal viewer (a piece of red cellophane will do) to decigde whether each piece of black and white fabric reads as a dark or light. Then you can make your quilt blocks accordingly and you will have a graphic quilt made from graphic fabrics, and not a mess that has blended to grey.

This is not a pattern but in her black and white quilt, Kim Brunner has really shown what black and white fabrics can achieve. http://afabricplayground.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/playing-catchup-again.html

Tip number four: Your design wall is your second best friend.
Quilts are usually viewed from a distance. Used as a bed cover; thrown over the end of a bed or the back of a couch; hung up on a wall; this is the distance the pattern needs to be decipherable from. So when you are making your quilt, you need to be able to get back from it and check whether the pattern is working. A design wall will help you gain the perspective you need to make a knockout of a quilt rather than a ho-hum quilt.

And finally, tip number five: Convert your favourite block patterns to grayscale or photocopy them in black and white and you’ll soon find which blocks are powerful in monotone. Before you know it you’ll be creating your own black and white quilts that pack a powerful punch!

The Fascination of the Dear Jane Quilt

10/12/2015 By Charlotte Leave a Comment

What do quilters find so intriguing about sampler quilts with hundreds of tiny complicated blocks?

Jane A. Stickle completed her sampler quilt in Vermont in 1863. Many years later, Brenda Manges Papdakis saw the quilt featured in a book and became fascinated with drafting patterns for the tiny 4 3/4 inch finished blocks.

Eventually, Brenda made her own ‘Baby Jane’ replica quilt and released the Dear Jane book with all the patterns for the 225 centre and border blocks.

Dear Jane took the quilting world by storm. The book galloped off the shelves, a companion CD was produced, groups were formed, and web pages were set up for ‘Janiacs’ to gather and share their trials, tribulations and success in putting together their own Baby Janes.

Over the following decades, other books in a similar vein have been released and have also been very popular (although I don’t think anything has quite reached the fame of Dear Jane). The Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt, Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler from the Elm Creek novels, the Nearly Insane quilt (check out Frances’ Nearly Insane Quilt in the photo below) and Tula Pink’s City Sampler are examples of a few.

So back to my original question, what is it about this kind of quilt that catches quilter’s imaginations?

Is it the challenge of making something so intricate? These quilts require a mix of many skills – accurate machine piecing, the ability to foundation piece, working with small blocks – so do they appeal to quilters who like a challenge?

With this kind of quilt you never make the same block twice, so I guess it could intrigue and excite the quilter who suffers from quilting ADD! But equally they require perseverance and in this day and age of fast and furious, maybe the slowing down required in the process of making these quilts is attractive.

Perhaps it’s the link with history? I’m sure many quilters ponder Jane A Stickle’s life as they stitch a connection with her when they recreate her blocks. And civil war and reproduction fabrics continue to be very popular with some sections of the quilting community so maybe it’s just the fabrics and the combinations of colours.

Maybe it’s the need to put a unique and personal spin on such famous work? There are hundreds of quilts made that are very close replicas, but there are equally hundreds that change it up – whether it be with modern fabrics, a different layout or a completely different take on using the blocks. Kathy from Kathy’s Quilting Corner used bright fabrics in her Dear Jane quilt and turned it into a rainbow confection!

I can’t answer these questions, but I can suppose that it’s not one clear reason. We are all unique and so will will all have different reasons for attempting such an endeavour, and we will all take a quilting pattern like the Dear Jane quilt and turn it into our own in some way or another.

Have you made an intricate sampler quilt? How did you make it your own? And how did you stick with it till the bitter end?! We’d love to know, so leave us a comment.

The winner of Best in Show at the Auckland Festival of Quilts this year was Mary Hawke with her quilt Dear Jane. The photo above is Mary’s quilt, quilted by Colleen Burr. You can hear Mary talk about her quilt in my recent interview with her by following the link here and pressing play on the audio player that will appear.

Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month Four

Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month Three

Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month Two

Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt Month One

How to Use Freezer Paper

The Great NZ Quilt Show

Gorgeous Easter Sewing Projects

X and O Quilt Block

Super Easy Quilted Table Runner Pattern

Design your own quilt blocks – using paper and fun!

Colour! Choosing a Glorious Colour Palette for Quilts.

How to Find Time to Quilt

How to Make a Quilt Label

How to make a Stained Glass Appliqué Quilt

Quilting Fiction – enjoy a quilt themed novels.

Summer Quilt Patterns

Free Quilt Block Pattern

Give your sewing machine a Christmas pressie!

How to look after your sewing machine

Black and White Quilts

The Fascination of the Dear Jane Quilt

How to quickly and easily make scrappy quilts

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