When I heard I'd be getting fabric from the Michael Miller line, Blue Muse, I got really excited because they are so beautiful! They sent 5 of the prints, but I was tempted to order the rest of the collection so I could make a throw size Desert Charm with them. I ended up using four prints for the blocks and saved one for the backing.
If you've been around for more than a few minutes, you know how much I love a striped binding. So I obviously made sure I had enough to use bind the quilt with that stripe.
I used this large scale cat print for the backing. I just couldn't cut those cats up and the backing is the perfect way to show them off.
I haven't made a Desert Charm quilt in a while and it was really fun to revisit this pattern. It is one of my favorites for skill building because it has a lot of different pieces within the block.
Enough from me, enjoy some pictures!
It's Christmas in July here!
Michael Miller Fabrics sent over a box of their new fabric line, Vintage Holiday, and it is so cute! What's not to love: snowmen, gingerbread, and candy canes! Not to mention the added touch of gold metallic accents.
This is the second time I've gotten a panel print and I wanted to feature it on the quilt top this time. (Last time I used the panels as part of the backing). I made a few mock ups with flying geese and friendship stars, but then I remembered I designed the Holiday Lights blocks as part of Quiltmas last year. And what do you know, they were the perfect size.
A row of Holiday Lights above and below the snowman panel and a few borders later, I had a quilt top!
One perk of using a panel print...the quilt top comes together in a snap!
I quilted with my go-to serpentine stitch about an inch apart. I debated on using white or black thread, but ultimately chose white. There is quilt a bit of contrast against the black fabric, but I didn't want to take away from the snowman with a dark thread. It works in the end though!
If striped binding is an option, I will use it 100% of the time! Striped bindings are my favorite. ;)
The Holiday Lights quilt block is now available for purchase. You can find it here.
So, full disclosure. I have never been particularly drawn to batiks. They are great, just not my style. Then I got a box of batiks from Michael Miller as part of their brand ambassador program.
My first impression was "wow these are beautiful!", but I was still a little unsure of what to make with them. Something mix and match? Something smaller like a quilted tote? In the end, I decided on one of my older patterns: Summer Garden.
I haven't made a Summer Garden quilt in a while, and in my opinion, it really lets these batiks shine! I liked that each print could be the focal point as its own flower. I paired each batik with Cotton Couture from my FQ bundle of new colors (and, seriously, how nicely did THAT work out!).
I made the throw size which is a really generous throw. I did my go-to serpentine stitch spaced about 2" apart to quilt it. This quilt is going to squishy and soft, perfect for the couch, after its been washed. My 4 year old daughter can't wait. She says the fabrics are "very hungry caterpillar" fabrics which she loves!
The Deltille Quilt is here!
I feel like I have been talking about and sharing this quilt for ages. In fact, I first shared this particular quilt in April! I had gotten this box of beautiful fabrics from Michael Miller Fabrics (as part of their brand ambassador program) and I knew I wanted to make something special with them.
It had been on my mind to design a pattern that showed off larger scale prints. I tried a couple designs using larger squares and rectangles in various combinations, but none of them really jumped out at me. Then I started playing with triangles, and eventually landed on the Deltille design.
I sent my mock ups to my Director of Creative Names (ie: my best friend) who went down the Google rabbit hole until she found this website that described the word "Deltille" as another word for "triangular tiling". And if that wasn't more perfect I don't know what is!
Once I figured out the design, I immediately cut into my fabrics to see if it would work. I had to tweak the sizing a bit and make some adjustments on the fly, but I LOVE how it turned out.
Since I had a good mix of fabrics, I went with a scrappy layout and mixed and matched my blocks until I had a good balance. I saved the chunky red and white stripe print for the binding. I can't resist using stripes for binding when I have that as an option.
The hidden surprise in this quilt is the back though! This fabric collection has a really fun panel that has 4 half yard designs. I cut out each panel and sewed them into the quilt backing.
My only regret is that this quilt isn't bigger! It would make a perfect summer picnic quilt.
Earlier this year, I put up a poll in my Instagram stories asking if people preferred to keep their fabric color cards intact or to cut them up into swatches. I assumed most people would choose 'swatches' as their preference. It was surprising that it was about a 50/50 split.
So, why cut up a perfectly good fabric color card?
Because the resulting fabric swatch cards are fun to play with, look nice attached to a magnetic board, and make choosing fabrics for your next pattern that much easier!
One of my favorite things do when starting a new pattern is to play with my fabric swatch chips. I don't consider choosing colors one of my biggest strengths so I find it really helpful to see the fabrics side by side when deciding on a fabric pull.
I recently started using Cotton Couture solids by Michael Miller, and they have quickly become my favorites! I got a color card from them at the beginning of the year as part of my Brand Ambassador welcome package. It has taken me a few months to get around to it, but I'm finally turning my color card into fabric swatch chips. I'm going to show you, step by step, how I did it. So you can do it too!
- Color Card - I'm using Michael Miller's Cotton Coutures for this post, but the process would be similar for most other popular brands (except Kona Cottons as they come already attached to card stock)
- Heavy Weight Card stock or Comic Book Boards
- Pen
- Iron
- Ruler/Cutting Mat/Rotary Cutter (use an old rotary cutter blade as you will be cutting through card stock)
- Adhesive Magnetic Sheets (optional)
1. Cut cardstock or comic book boards into 1.75" x 1.5" chips. There are currently 214 Cotton Couture colors so that is how many chips I cut out.
I cut my comic book board into 1.5" strips, then sub cut those into 1.5" x 1.75" chips.
2. Write fabric names on the bottom of the card.
Alternatively, you could use your rotary cutter and cut the names out of the swatch book. I like my handwriting though, so I chose to handwrite the names onto the cards.
I wrote ALL of the names on the individual cards before moving onto the next step. To stay organized, I wrote down one row at a time making sure to keep everything in the right order. I just made sure to keep all of my stacks in line.
3. GENTLY peel the fabric swatch from the book. The edges may curl up a bit so I liked to press it flat.
At this point, I worked down each row and did one fabric swatch at a time. Again, making sure to keep everything in the same order.
4. Add a thin layer of glue to the front of your color chip covering the most of the surface area above where the name is written.
Gently press the fabric swatch onto the glue. Fold the fabric swatch over the card and glue down the backside as well.
I personally did not have any issues with discoloration of the fabric. As long as you use a thin layer of glue with no clumps, there shouldn't be any issues. However, if this is a concern for you, double sided tape works here too! Just do a strip of tape on the front and back.
5. Give your new fabric swatch card and quick press (front and back) with a hot iron to help set the glue.
Optional Steps:
6. Add a magnet to the back.
7. Attach to magnetic board and admire!
I had a hard time deciding what to make with these fun fabrics! I wanted to make a Rivermill, but I hated the idea of cutting up these beautiful prints. After playing with several mock ups, I finally settled on a Noughts and Crosses quilt. The center squares of this pattern are perfect for fussy cutting, and these prints are perfect to be fussy cut!
For the main fabric, I used the Darling Bouquets print. Combined with the white background, I love the softer, more subtle overall impression it gives the quilt. Plus, the pots are super fun and make a great feature.
In addition to the fussy cut llamas, I chose the blue and yellow florals to coordinate without being distracting.
And don't worry, I didn't forget about the sugar skulls! I loved this print so much I used it for the backing so I didn't have to cut into it at all! Haha!
I quilted my go-to serpentine stitch about 1.5" apart. I love this stitch because it gives a little bit of extra dimension without free motion quilting. Plus, it's quick!
To finish it off, I used the orange tie dye print for binding. I just love love love this quilt. It would be perfect for a baby girl!
After I finished this quilt, I had just enough extra sugar skulls fabric to make two matching pillows. Adorable, right!?
See the entire La Vida Loca collection here! Michael Miller sent me these fabrics as part of their brand ambassador program. :)
I am currently in the process of making a new quilt for my oldest daughters bed. Since I am making her a new quilt, it only makes sense to make coordinating pillow shams too, right!?
For this project, I picked two pinks, two purples, and two teals from the new Michael Miller basics line, Coco. It was inspired by Coco Chanel and the subtle texture of the prints are beautiful! They still read as a solid, but if you get up close you can see the dimension in the print. I really enjoyed playing with these fabrics!
For the focal point of the pillow sham, I chose my Desert Charm pattern. It is a big block so it works well in the center. I also added flying geese to each edge to increase the size, but also because I liked the extra element versus just adding more background fabric.
Anyway, read on to see how I made these. :)
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1. Make your pillow sham quilt panel. A standard pillow sham is 20" x 26" so your quilt top should measure 20.5" x 26.5" unfinished.
2. Make a quilt sandwich with quilt top, batting, and backing. Spray or pin baste.
3. Quilt as desired. (I did 1/2" straight lines).
4. Set aside.
1. Cut (2) 17" x 20.5" pieces from the backing fabric.
2. On one 20.5" edge, fold over 1/4" and press, fold over 1/4" and press again. Then top stitch that edge.
3. Repeat with the other fabric piece.
1. Lay your quilted pillow front right side DOWN.
2. Place the raw edges of the pillow closure pieces right side DOWN on top of the pillow front (so these pieces are wrong sides together).
3. There will be about 5" of overlap.
4. Use pins or wonder clips to hold all the pieces together.
5. Sew around the edge with a scant 1/4" seam (so that this seam is hidden by the binding)
6. Bind as usual.
7. Stuff a pillow inside and enjoy your work!
When I first started quilting, it was around the time my friends started having babies. Naturally, I started making baby quilts for my friends. Baby quilts are probably my favorite thing to make. They are small, so they come together quickly, and I know it will be loved and cherished by the recipient.
When my friend commissioned me to make a baby quilt for her soon to be born son last fall, I jumped at the opportunity. She was decorating his nursery in natural colors in a woodland theme. There is so much good woodland creatures fabric. I had the best time pulling together some options for her.
I'm just now getting around to sharing this quilt even though the little man made his entrance into the world in December. Enjoy!
[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
From L - R: Michael Miller Woodland Winter Friends; Michael Miller Woodland Winter Stitches and Strips Snow; Dear Stella Blue Moon Folkstone; Art Gallery Hello Bear Tiny Buck Forest Mint; Art Gallery Hello Bear Leaflet Dawn; Dear Stella Woodland Critters White[/caption]
Backing Fabric: Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel in Iron[/caption]
Quilt Stats:
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