Gnome and Rainbow Strip Quilt

This is a fun quilt I made for a child who loves forest animals, happy gnomes and rainbows.

It’s an fast and easy quilt to make. It could easily be a weekend project.

I cut 2 1/2 inch strips WOF (width of fabric) from my stash Kona ® Cotton fabric. I added prints where I needed additional colors. I actually think that makes the quilt much for interesting.

The gnome fabric is a Spoonflower print “Gnome Sweet Gnome” by Lisa Kubenez. I fussy cut the strips to get as many as I could from the yard of fabric (5 strips) which meant trimming off bits of the design. But I cut the center strip slightly wider to include the full motif. I wanted to see the entire design at least once in the quilt.

The quilting is primarily straight walking foot quilting across the strips. I added decorative quilting in the top and bottom strips of the quilt and in the red patches I used to lengthen the gnome fabric to match the length of the other strips.

The quilt has gone to it’s new home and is already a much beloved item!

"Salt Air Crossings" Quilt Completed

Another finish for 2016! 

This is "Salt Air Crossings", a free pattern from Moda Bake Shop designed by Andrea Harris. The printed fabrics are from Karen Lewis's line, "Blueberry Park" printed by Robert Kaufman Fabrics.  The background is Kona® Cotton "Snow".

I really this pattern, especially with the Blueberry Park prints which echo the grid work of the pattern. The fabrics I chose have the colors of January cold and the July beach!  A great all year round color palette!

Tipper has also given his stamp of approval. He used to try to stand in front of every quilt I was photographing but he has become more particular about his endorsements as he has grown older!

Indigo Quilt: Part Two

The Indigo Quilt top, featuring 3 Cats shweshwe indigo fabrics, came together beautifully.  I didn't have enough shweshwe for the entire quilt so used a bit of dark indigo blue colored cotton fabric from Connecting Threads from my stash. The light center fabric the Kona® cotton solid "Snow' and the light "Bluebell" and medium blue "Denim"* are also Kona® cotton solids. (Note how those 2 colors of solid blue appear to be different depending on the fabric around them. It looks like there are more than 2 blues but it really is just 2 shades)!

When I drew this pattern, I had the center row of each block all facing east-west.  But when I put it up on the design wall, I found that turning the square blocks so that the center section runs north-south was much more interesting. Added bonus:  When assembling the quilt, I didn't have to match those center sections!

Just as I did with the pincushion in my previous post, I turned one small square block over to show the 3 Cats from the printed label!  It's fun and it identifies the fabrics as authentic Da Gama Textiles for anyone looking at this quilt in the future.

*Note:  I attempted to match the 2 blue Kona® fabrics I used with the Kona® color chart with actual swatches of fabric.  I think picked the correct names but am not a 100% sure.  I do wish Robert Kaufman Fabrics would print the name and/or number of the color on the selvage of their Kona® solid fabrics! It would so helpful!

Charm Square Apple Blossom Quilt

I got the last 2 UFO quilts in my stack quilted last week.  We had a couple cool days in New England and so it was the perfect time to finish them. It's not so fun to quilt when it's hot and humid!

This is my Apple Blossom Charm square quilt, using my "Apple Blossoms and Dots Pink" fabric printed by Spoonflower.com and 2 Kona® cotton solid charm square packs, Warm Sunrise collection. It was quick to sew up and I love the colors.

Here's the back.  My backing fabric is the same "Apple Blossoms and Dots Pink" print but in a much larger scale. Only the smaller scale version is available for sale at the link above.

I keep a "dog quilt" on the foot of my bed where my dogs often end up.  This is the new addition.  They are quick sews--charm square quilts with polyester batting so that they can wash and dry easily.  With these bright, happy colors, I know it will make me smile every time I look at it!

Apple Blossom Blocks Quilt

I've been working on my Apple Blossoms Blocks Quilt. 

The quilt is the product of a printing oops. Apparently my artwork slipped sideways on the art board on my computer screen while I was creating the repeat for the design, leaving a fine white line about the width of a hair on the right hand side. I didn't notice on the art board and couldn't see it on the computer monitor when I up-loaded the design for printing.  I've learned to check the pre-print repeats carefully for registration errors, but this one was just too small to see. When I got the printed fabric back from Spoonflower, there it was, a fine white line, less than 1 mm wide, running in parallel lines the length of the fabric. It was barely noticeable, but the eye easily picksup on any break in a design. Sigh.

The fabric sat on the table for a while until I decided to rescue the fabric by cutting it up into blocks, avoiding the white lines. I had 2 charm packs of Kona® Cotton Warm Sunrise collection which coordinates perfectly with my apple blossom design.  (Note: The Kona® Warm Sunrise charm pack collection is officially "sold out forever", but I found a few still for sale when I did a search last week)!

The blocks are a semi-planned random design because I didn't have enough apple blossom fabric to run the blocks in full diagonal lines. I'm planning to fold it at the foot of my bed for a pop of color this summer so the lack of a clear pattern isn't a problem.

Kona® Brights 2.5 inch strip quilt with "My Flower Garden" Backing

Every once in a while it is fun to just still down and sew up a quilt.  I found this design in a video on Creativebug.com, "Rainbow Jellyroll Quilt Top" by Heather Jones.  I love the colors in this Kona® New Bright collection.  When I get asked what my favorite color is, the answer really is "All these colors!"

It is the perfect quilt top for the floral fabric I had printed at Spoonflower.com which I call "My Flower Garden."

Quilt Backing is "My Flower Garden, Large pink", Printed by Spoonflower.com

Dancing Circles Sample Swatches Baby Quilt

Spoonflower.com makes 8 x 8 inch test prints when you submit a new design. I had a stack of these blocks by the time I was happy with my recently completed Dancing Circles designs. 

I cut them up into 4 x 4 inch squares and picked coordinating colors from my stash of Kona® Cotton solids to make this fun baby quilt!  The circles dance and I think the quilt does too!

Dogs at the Farmer's Market Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt

Here's my "Dogs at the Farmer's Market, Fat Quarter Friendly Quilt." 

Getting fabric I designed and printed at Spoonflower.com was a thrill.  Making a quilt using my very own "fabric collection" was just so much fun!  

This quilt is my original design.  I have included the traditional "Mississippi" star block, found in the Block Library of Electric Quilt 7, to help unify the fussy cut blocks.  I wanted to create a pattern that could make a quilt just using a single fat quarter (FQ) of the focus fabric.  I used all the fabrics in my "Dogs at the Farmer's Market Collection", but this quilt could be made with just 1 FQ of the focus fabric, 1 FQ of the Blueberries and Flowers and 1 FQ of the Cherries on Light Blue with the addition of solids and/or fabrics from your stash.

The solid color fabrics used in the quilt are all Kona® Cotton solids.  Here are the Kona® colors which coordinate well with the Dogs at the Farmers Market Collection.  

Kona® color and number                    Color best with:

• Periwinkle 1285  (medium blue)          entire collection
• Surf 32  (light royal)                            entire collection
• Alegria 405 (peacock blue)                cherries on darker blue, less good with collection 
• Cayenne 355  (deep red)                    entire collection
• Cinnamon 1075  (reddish brown)       Springer Spaniel and Terrier
• Amber 1479 (deep gold)                     Springer Spaniel and Terrier     
• Cappuccino 406  (brown)                   Springer Spaniel and Terrier
• Creamsicle  185  (peach)                     Golden Retriever, Coneflowers but looks with everything
• Primrose 274 (pink)                             coneflowers
• Lime 1192  (medium green)                  entire collection
• Palm 31  (deep green)                          entire collection
• Sunflower 353 (bright deep yellow)    entire collection
• Silver 1333  (light grey)                         entire collection, Pointer
• Graphite 295 (medium grey)                entire collection, Pointer and Big Black Dog

I used 1 yard of the focus fabric on the back (not the full WOF) with a strip of Creamsicle Kona® cotton and another of my Coneflower design.  Because dogs on the front of the quilt are all fussy-cut, I wanted to show the entire scene at the Farmer's Market on the back!

"Dogs at the Farmer's Market FQ Friendly Quilt" Back

I haven't written instructions for this quilt pattern but if you would like to make one for yourself, leave me a comment and I will write up the pattern.

If you would like to purchase any of these fabrics, you may do so at Dogs At the Farmers Market, Spoonflower.com.  If you click on the "Collection" in the Right hand bar, another window will open with large swatches of all the fabrics.  Spoonflower offers a wide variety of base fabrics to choose from. I printed on Kona® since I was that fabric I used for my solid colors. 

In my next post I'll show some quick and fun projects.  I will include the cutting directions for those projects.