Fran of Cotton and Joy in one of my favorite quilty friends. When I found out she was working with Riley Blake Designs on her first fabric collection, I immediately started thinking about what I would make with them.
I initially planned on making a Desert Charm quilt, but then I wrote the Chevron Points pattern. The Modern Solids version of Chevron Points is perfect for showing off prints - and I really wanted to show off the prints!
For this baby quilt, I picked four of my favorite prints from the Daybreak collection plus one extra for the accent. The little bees are my favorite. I smile every time I see them!
I quilted my standard straight lines about 3/4" apart. This has become my go-to for when I have to quilt something myself. It's easy and quick.
Because I didn't use all of the prints I originally selected, I pieced them together for the backing. Making pieced backings is my new favorite obsession. It helps keeps the cost down since you aren't buying extra yardage for the back, it helps keep my fabric stash to a minimum since I don't like storing fabric, and it's just fun. :)
I went with my favorite binding option - stripes!
I really really love everything about this quilt. :)
It's no secret that my favorite thing about partnering with fabric companies like Riley Blake Designs is getting to play with all the beautiful fabrics first. I was thrilled when they sent me the Whimsical Romance by Keera Job to work with. I love the navy blue, mustard yellow, and burgundy red color combination with the pretty floral prints.
I chose to make one of my oldest patterns, Eternally Yours. The thing I like about this pattern is that each print is able to stand alone in the block. It is perfect for showing off a fabric collection. Plus, I haven't made it since I wrote the pattern and it was really fun to revisit! I had forgotten how quick this pattern is to make, but I had the baby size top done in three days (including taking time out to take progress photos along the way!).
I used Riley Blake Confetti Cottons in Denim for the cornerstones, binding, and unifying fabric in each block, and I used Confetti Cottons in Natural for the background. I usually opt for a brighter white, but I like how the softness of this white complements the saturation of the prints. It worked well I think.
For the quilting, I kept it simple with vertical lines spaced about 1.5" apart. It gives the perfect amount of drape and softness. Just perfect!
Enjoy the rest of the photos!
When I got the opportunity to sew something with these gorgeous Riley Blake Designs basics, I knew I had to make a Mountain Valley wall hanging. I modified the pattern slightly to get a flag effect, and I love the end result so much!
The Riley Blake Designs basic, Textured, is one of my favorites. It has subtle depth without being over the top about it. I'm using Navy, Barn Red, Denim, and Cream.
I knew I was going to want to hang this when I was done, so I went to my old mini quilt hanging method standby: corner tabs.
Using corner tabs is my favorite way to easily hang a mini quilt on the wall that will not be seen from the front. The tabs get sewn into the binding making it a permanent solution. Then all you need to do is pop in a small dowel rod and hang the rod on a couple of command strips. See, so easy!
Couple housekeeping things: this method is best for smaller quilts (think less than 24 inches or so). For a quilt wider than 24 inches, I would probably make a hanging sleeve. The quilt also needs to be unfinished. If the binding is already attached, an alternative method (like a hanging sleeve) is more appropriate.
- Quilted Wall Hanging - quilted, but no binding yet!
- (2) 5" squares of coordinating or matching fabric
- Binding
- Dowel Rod (I used a 1/4" dowel rod that I got from Home Depot. I've also seen them at Hobby Lobby)
- Command Hooks
1. Fold 5" square diagonally into a triangle and press.
2. On the back of the quilt, place one triangle in each corner on the top edge. Pin in place.
3. Bind quilt as usual. I attach my binding to the front, fold it over to the back, clip in place, and stitch the ditch from the front to sew it down.
4. The triangles are now corner pockets that will hold a dowel rod.
5. Attach command hooks to the wall.
6. You might need to cut your dowel rod down to size. I did! Hang the dowel rod on the command hooks and admire your new wall hanging!
Back in February, I hosted my first quilt along with my Noughts and Crosses pattern. When the QAL ended, I packed my quilt away to prep for our move to Michigan. Well, I finally pulled the quilt out, got the binding added, and took some pictures. I am excited to finally share the finished quilt with you!
When I first saw this black plaid from the Riley Blake Winterberry line, I knew I had to make a Christmas quilt with it. I loved this print so much that I bought a five yard cut of it. FIVE YARDS. What can I say, it was an impulse buy after the Christmas season and it was getting hard to find. That's okay though, there is plenty if fabric leftover to make stockings, a tree skirt, and maybe a couple of pillows.
For my Christmas quilt, I used the plaid as my feature print and paired it with Kona colors Evergreen, Basil, and Rich Red. The background is Essex Linen in Metallic Crystal. Photos really don’t do this fabric justice, the sparkle is so pretty in real life.
The quilting was done by Jill of J. Coterie Quilting. I let her pick the panto and she chose the fun starburst/snowflake design. Jill also carries a selection of minky to use as backing, so I asked her to back it with a black minky. Oh my goodness, it is so soft! My toddler has claimed this quilt as hers and has also requested that all my quilts be the “cuddly kind” from now on.
The original Noughts and Crosses pattern doesn’t include borders, but I added a 5” border on all sides for this one. I wanted it to be just a tad bigger so I can cuddle up with my family on the couch with it. Let's be honest though, I really just wanted more blanket to cocoon myself with. (I'm not a very good at blanket sharing!)
You can find the paper pattern here and the digital pattern here if you’d like to make your own. If you do, tag me in instagram with #noughtsandcrossesquilt and @runningstitchquilts so I can see!
But now, pictures!
I don't make commissioned quilts very often anymore, but when a sweet friend from college asked me to make her nephew a quilt, I couldn't resist. For one, I love her. And two, I made a baby quilt for her first nephew a few years ago!
She gave me a theme (western) and asked that the quilt look similar to the one I made originally. Other than that, I had free rein!
I found this super cute John Wayne fabric by Riley Blake, and I paired with with a cream/red star print from my stash.
I didn't use a pattern, but I cut out 5" squares and sewed them in random order, and then I appliquéd the name and cowboy hats. I finished it off with straight line quilting 1/4" on either side of each seam.
Now...pictures!
On Thursdays, I will be throwing it back to quilts I have made over the years. Up first: the Two Tone Herringbone Baby Quilt
In 2015, my best friend was expecting her first child and I decided I needed to make her a baby quilt. Partially because I love her (and her daughter!) and partially because I wanted to an excuse to buy more fabric and work on another project.
My friend gave me free reign to do whatever kind of design I wanted, but requested purples and grays. I searched for a while before I settled on a herringbone pattern. I didn't follow a specific pattern, but did the quilt math on my own. As the quilt is only comprised of half-square triangles (HSTs), it wasn't too hard to figure out. Making this quilt was my first attempt at HSTs, as well as my first attempt at writing/designing a quilt. I have to say, the end result was not too shabby for my first time!
This quilt is made with Robert Kaufman Kona Solids in Lilac, Snow, and Stone. The binding is the darker Purple fabric. I had the hardest time finding the perfect purple fabric for the back. After some searching, I finally settled on a polka dot fabric from Riley Blake and I think it turned out perfect.
This was quilted this on my home machine using straight lines. The width between lines is varied and follows the chevron pattern the HSTs make. I originally planned to stitch in the ditch and leave it at that, but when I actually started, I couldn't help but add more lines. I love the texture of densely quilted quilts!
This quilt was first published on my personal blog celebrateeverymile.wordpress.com.
