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 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!
After I sent the cover quilt to Jill for long arm quilting, I started my next Deltille almost immediately. Michael Miller Fabrics is coming out with 27 (!) new Cotton Couture colors in August, and they sent me a FQ bundle to play with in May.
I chose nine of the new colors to make a baby sized ombre Deltille. When I was making this one, I was calling it the "mermaid baby Deltille" because of the teals and purples. The colors are so rich in person. Photos really don't do them justice.
Since this was my third quilt, I had gotten pretty quick at making them so this one came together in a snap.
I used a print from the La Vida Loca line for the backing. It wasn't an obvious choice, but I really like how the blues and purples pop when combined with the front.
One of my favorite things I did for this quilt was use the same white for the binding as I did for the sashing. I love the way it takes the design all the way to the edge and frames everything.
The Deltille Quilt is here!
After I made my first sample (the patriotic one), I started playing with my color chips to figure out what to do for my cover quilt. I knew I wanted to make the ombre version for the cover, but didn't have a specific color vision in mind.
And, honestly, I was all over the place with colors for this one. I first tried a blue/teal/purple gradient that was very reminiscent of a mermaid tail. Then I tried a blue/pink/purple gradient that I loved, but ultimately tossed because I thought it might be too similar to my Mountain Valley cover quilt. So then, I switched out the blues for oranges and ultimately landed on these 13 colors that are currently on the cover. I don't usually gravitate towards orange, but I love how it worked in this quilt.
The cover quilt is made with Michael Miller Cotton Couture in Iris, Mauve, Venus, Eggplant, Aubergine, Dusty Rose, Antique, Cameo, Creamsicle, Geranium, Peach, Coral, Clementine, and Soft White. (Kits are available in my shop here).
I, once again, called up Jill at J. Coterie Quilting for long arming. She has become my go-to for cover quilts. I love her eye for pantograph selection and she tends to quilt a bit more densely which I LOVE for my cover samples. She used a panto called Along the Way by Anne Bright. I just adore the texture and the overall feel of this one.
Since I tend keep my cover samples packed away and not use them, I typically use a solid from the front for the backing. It helps to keep costs down, and also shows off the quilting nicely in photos. One of my quilting besties gave me a hard time for never picking a fun back, so this time I splurged on the MOST PERFECT print for the back. It is from the Dear Isla collection by Hope Johnson for Cotton and Steel, and it ties together all the colors on the front so perfectly. I smile every time I look at it.
I take my own photos, and I had a lot of fun taking these pictures. Enjoy!
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.
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!
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'm excited to introduce my latest pattern: Rivermill!
Rivermill is my take on the classic pinwheel block. I've been wanting to do a pinwheel block for a while now. After playing around with many (many) variations, I finally settled on this block.
I really like mix and match style blocks, so I made sure to include that with this pattern. As a bonus, I added the option to use half yards or fat quarters for a scrappier overall effect.
When I was trying to come up with the colors for the cover quilt I kept getting drawn towards blues and browns. I've never worked with brown in a quilt before, and I have to say, I'm obsessed with this ten color palette. It reminds me of the cold, snowy winter here in Michigan.
As always, I sent my quilt to Jill at J. Coterie for quilting. She chooses the best designs that complement the quilt top and really elevates the quilt to a whole new level.
