Wanderer quilt progress

If you were to ask me to name the fabric lines I'm currently most excited to work with, April Rhodes' Wanderer for Art Gallery Fabrics would be at the top of the list. (For the record, so would Maureen Cracknell's Wild & Free line and Katarina Roccella's Recollection line. AGF is killin' it right now.)

So when April contacted me and asked if I'd like a bit of early-release Wanderer to play with, I did 3 back handsprings and sang a few spirituals (OK, not really) before answering with a resounding YES. I supplemented April's beautiful prints with a few coordinating AGF Pure Elements solids and began thinking about what I would make with them.

At around the same time, I finally got around to checking Craftsy out. (A bit late to the party, I know.) What a great resource for quilt patterns and ideas! I stumbled across a pattern called Goose Feathers by Sarah Wheelwright and, I swear, I heard fireworks going off. It's a great fit for what I wanted to do with my Wanderer stack.

I'm not quite done with my quilt top yet -- I've finished all blocks except for the paper-pieced arrow quills. Once I finish them off, I'll be back to post pictures of the completed quilt. In the meantime, here are a few work-in-process shots to whet your appetite:

Lots & lots of HSTs! I am using AGF Pure Elements solid in Sandstone for the background. I love the way the colors are all playing together and cannot wait to see this one come together.

Birchen Quilt with AGF Stitched and the Fat Quarter Shop

I was excited to hear about the new AGF Stitched with Kimberly collaboration between my friends at the Fat Quarter Shop and Art Gallery Fabrics. This new program will showcase free fresh, modern quilt patterns designed by the AGF team and brought to us by the Fat Quarter Shop.

Fortunately for me, Kimberly asked me to be part of the team to make a version of the very first quilt in the AGF Stitched collection, the Birchen quilt. Once I saw the beautiful version that Kimberly made with fabrics from the new Hello, Bear collection, I simply had to make one of my own.

I was permitted to select any AGF fabrics of my choosing to make my quilt. The possibilities were overwhelming! Ultimately, I decided to also make my quilt from Hello, Bear prints, but I chose ones different from the sample quilt.

At first glance this quilt seemed way outside of my comfort zone. All of those HSTs! Such precise piecing! But I was intrigued to try out a new (to me) product and process for making the HSTs with the Triangles on a Roll paper.

Confession time: work and travel (and work travel) has been more extensive lately than I was anticipating, so I don't yet have my full Birchen quilt top to show off today. Check back soon for the unveiling -- it's nearly there and I only have a few more hours until it's complete!

Ready to plan and get started on your own Birchen quilt? Download the Birchen quilt pattern and watch Kimberly's video tutorial (also posted below) on how to piece the blocks. Kimberly demonstrates how she's simplified the seemingly daunting pattern it so that anyone can do it.  And if you love the Hello, Bear version that the Fat Quarter Shop shows off in their materials, they have put together quilt kits that are available in the shop.

(And psssst … there are giveaways on the Jolly Jabber's post today. Just sayin'.)

Several other talented quilters have also been working on their own versions of the Birchen quilt. Check out the links below to read more about their experiences and to see their beautiful versions of the pattern:

AGF Designer, Katarina Roccella

Nancy of Owen's Olivia

Melissa of Happy Quilting

Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting

Corey of Little Miss Shabby

Sinta of Pink Pincushion

Michele-Renee of Quilt Matters

Heather and Megan of Quilt Story

Svetlana of S.O.T.A.K. Handmade

Christina of Sometimes Crafter

Maxie of Maxie Makes