SCRAPS INC 2 | Meet my Origami Garden quilt

Today I am excited to share that I am one of the 15 designers whose quilts will comprise the upcoming book Scraps Inc. Vol. 2, an upcoming title by Lucky Spool! You may be familiar with the Scraps Inc. books because the first volume was such a success. Well, volume 2 is now available with 15 all-new original quilt project that are perfect for busting your fabric stash, and at the end of this post I'll share both how you could win a free copy of the book as well as how to receive a discount when purchasing it.

First, let me tell you about my quilt. I went about creating this quilt in a very different way from normal for me. Usually, I start with a pattern or quilt design, then pick or purchase fabric to match it. Or, I start with a stack or a collection of fabric and then select or design a pattern to showcase them.

For Origami Garden, I started with a color scheme. Nothing more. I loved the combination of deep plum, teal, magenta, and charcoal gray, and realized that I had a lot of scraps in these colors left over from other projects. With a pile of scraps in hand, I set about designing a small block that didn't require any large swaths of fabric and could be made with decent-sized scraps. I landed on a combination of a basic flying geese unit and a slight variation of a half-square triangle -- both approachable techniques for a beginner quilter -- and arranged them in such a way that the color placement, to me, resembled a folded paper flower. A tulip, to be more precise. The blocks are laid out in a basic row and column format, but the varied arrangement and use of negative space (via blocks of just the background print) helps to 'scatter' the flowers across the quilt top.

Hence, Origami Garden! I am extremely pleased with how it turned out.

The other quilts in the book are equally impressive. When I first saw the list of contributors, I knew I had to bring my A-game. And everyone really stepped it up for this book. All of the designers are participating on this blog tour, so to see who else has quilts featured in the book and links to their blogs, simply scroll to the bottom of this post. I've included the full list.

One of the most exciting things about this book is that it was photographed by fellow quilter and featured designer Nydia Kehnle, and her vibrant photography makes each and every quilt jump off the page. The book is eye candy, pure and simple. So even if you're not a big scrap sewer (and, by the way, each and every one of these quilts would look great in a more planned, purchased-fabric way as well), the photography alone will provide heaps of color and pattern inspiration.

Here's a little bit more about the book from the official description:

The wait is over. Introducing Volume 2 of the best-selling Scraps, Inc series. Create 15 stunning scrappy quilts using a variety of techniques, from curves, to triangles and from strips to squares. Carefully collected and constructed based on a common mood board of trendy, soft, spring-time blues, creams, pinks (and even metallics!), each of the 15 contributors has created a design that focuses on using those impulse-purchased fat quarters or all of the beloved scraps you have left over from sewing previous quilts. Each will stretch your creative skills whether you like quilts with a minimalist feel or with a plethora of piecing, there is a pattern sure to please in this book. 

You might decide to sew them all!

Are you interested in winning a free copy? I have one copy of the book to give away and, to have a chance to win it, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me something about scrap sewing: either a tip, a favorite project, an unexpected fabric combination that you discovered ... anything. I'll randomly pick one comment as the winner and announce it on Monday, February 15th … that way you can still take advantage of the purchase discount (see below) if you are not the lucky winner.

In case you're not one of the lucky winners, readers of the blog tour are eligible for a 30% discount when purchasing the book. This is only a limited time offer, though. Use this link to order the book directly from the Taunton site, and use the code Scraps30 to get your 30% discount. The discount is good only through Tuesday, February 16th at midnight, no matter what your time zone. That way, you have time to visit all the stops on the blog hop before you buy.

As for my Origami Garden quilt, it has already gone to live with a good friend across the globe in Christchurch, New Zealand. Deb, I hope you're enjoying the quilt and that it's providing a little bit of a reminder of your adventure through the United States.

Here are pictures of some of the other quilts included in Scraps Inc. Vol. 2:

Hope you enjoyed a sneak peek of this great new book! If you'd like to learn more about the other quilters in the book, see and hear the stories behind their quilts, and collect more chances to win a free copy of Scraps Inc. Vol. 2, be sure to visit all of the stops on the blog tour:

Monday, February 8

Amy Smart, Diary of a Quilter

Nydia Kehnle, Nydia Kehnle Design + Photography

Tuesday, February 9

Amy Friend, During Quiet Time

Alexandra Ledgerwood, Teaginny Designs

Wednesday, February 10

April Rosenthal, April Rosenthal – The {Studio} Blog

Dorie Schwarz, Tumbling Blocks

Thursday, February 11

Erin Harris, House on Hill Road

Janice Ryan, Better Off Thread

Friday, February 12

John Adams, Quilt Dad (YOU ARE HERE!)

Kari Vojtechovsky, Craft Happy

Saturday, February 13

Katie Blakesley, Swim Bike Quilt

Kati Spencer, From the Blue Chair

Sunday, February 14

Melissa Lunden, Lunden Designs

Allison Harris, Cluck Cluck Sew

Sherri McConnell, A Quilting Life

Good luck & happy quilting!

Dreamtime Quilt | Quilt Now, issue 8

As a quilter, I can't think of many things more rewarding than seeing your quilts in print. Having one of my quilts featured in a book or magazine allows me to share my work with quilters from all around the world, and I get the warm fuzzies thinking that I might be delighting and inspiring others. And when it's not just a quilt but also an original pattern of my own -- one that others might also choose to make themselves -- it makes me downright giddy.

Recently, I've been fortunate enough to have a few of my quilts featured in an exciting and relatively new publication, Quilt Now magazine. Based out of the UK, Quilt Now is helmed by my quiltsister Katy Jones as editor and recently celebrated its first year in print.

Earlier this year I had my first quilt featured in issue 8 of Quilt Now.  Each issue of the magazine centers around a theme, and the theme for the eighth issue was "monochromatic quilts". I have kind of a love affair with grey prints, so I set about making quilt top with a scrappy mix of a wide variety of grey and white (aka "low volume") fabrics.

The quilt ended up being quite large -- nearly king-sized -- but I wanted to add a little something extra. I drew some simple jewel and gemstone shapes, made cardboard templates, and cut them from a mix of brilliant pink & regal purple solids. Inspired by the design of Casey York's Apiary quilt pattern, I arranged the shapes in the center of the quilt, forming a circular focal point. I fused them down and used a raw-edge appliqué technique for an easy finish. It was finished with some AMAZING quilting by the AMAZING Trudi Wood. (Thanks again, Trudi!)

I named this quilt "Dreamtime" because of the juxtaposition of the calming and relaxing grey background and the vibrant jewels that appear, as if part of a dream. Who wouldn't love to dream about being covered in jewels?  :)

Big thanks to Katy and the great team at Quilt Now for featuring the Dreamtime quilt! I hope you'll check out their gorgeous magazine and let me know if you decide to make a Dreamtime quilt of your own.

Welded Quilt with AGF Stitched and the Fat Quarter Shop

Hello everyone, and welcome new visitors! Just a quick post today to share one of my recent quilt top finishes and let you know about a fun new free quilt pattern offered by my friends at Art Gallery Fabrics and the Fat Quarter Shop.

You may have seen my post a few months back about the Birchen quilt pattern, the first in the new AGF Stitched series of free patterns and projects born out of a collaboration between Art Gallery and the Fat Quarter Shop. I was excited to be asked to join in the launch of the newest pattern in the AFG Stitched series, the Welded quilt.

I've had the chance to make my own version of Welded, and I can attest to the fact that it is a fun, beginner-friendly pattern that delivers great results. I always love a quilt pattern that is able to showcase my favorite large prints, and Welded certainly fits the bill.

The Art Gallery Fabrics portfolio of designers and fabric lines has grown so much that it's always difficult to decide what fabrics to use for these quilt patterns. For Welded, I decided to play with my good friend Katy Jones' line for AGF, Priory Square. That navy blue "clippings" print, with its collage-inspired mix of floral images and hand-drawn birds, is a new favorite of mine.

Though I finished the quilt top per the pattern instructions, I'm not quite done yet. I'm waiting for some more cuts of the fabric to arrive so that I can add some borders and increase the size of the quilt in order to make it a bit more queen-sized bed friendly. This one's going to be a Christmas present for someone!

I will admit that I found the on-point layout of the blocks and assembling the quilt top in rows a bit tricky. Actually, the tricky part was trimming the edges of the top once it was assembled. I had to trim a bit more off than expected, because my row ends didn't quite leave me a straight line for easy trimming. I'll chalk that one up to a learning experience.

As always, the Fat Quarter Shop team has done a great job putting together materials to make your quilt-making experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. These materials include the pattern, quilt kits, and a YouTube video that you can find below.

Quilt pattern: http://static.fatquartershop.com/media/wysiwyg/pdf/Welded-Pattern.pdf

Quilt kits (featuring Artisan by Pat Bravo): http://www.fatquartershop.com/welded-quilt-kit

Backing set: http://www.fatquartershop.com/backing-set-welded-quilt-kit

There is a whole bunch of other talented quilters showing off their Welded quilts today. Go check 'em out and say hi!

AGF Designer, Caroline Hulse of Sew Caroline

AGF Designer, Katarina Roccella

Kitty of Night Quilter

Dana of Old Red Barn Co.

Michele-Renee of Quilt Matters

Corey of Little Miss Shabby

Christina of Sometimes Crafter

Jess of the Elven Garden

Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting

Svetlana of Sotak Handmade

Natalia of Piece N Quilt

Megan of Quilt Story

Cara of That Crafty Cara

John of Quilt Dad

Sinta of Pink Pin Cushion

Jemima of Tied with a Ribbon

Riane of Vessel Quilts

Kaye of Miss Print

Mochi Charm Box Quilt

Back today with a quick recent finish. I was happy to work with my friends at the Fat Quarter Shop to make their most recent (free) Short Cuts pattern, the Charm Box Quilt. I made mine using Rashida Coleman-Hale's new line for Cotton & Steel, Mochi.

This was really a quick, fun, and easy quilt to make. It uses 2 charm packs, plus less than a yard of a background fabric. The quilt finishes at 36" x 45" -- the perfect size for a crib or baby quilt, or even a wall hanging.

I loved working with Rashida's collection. The colors and prints are unique, vibrant, and lots of fun. Most of all, I've fallen in love with the background fabric I chose: Dottie's Cousin in Natural. It's got a linen-y look and feel, but is pure quilting cotton so that it sews beautifully. It's the perfect blender / neutral.

Here are all the links you'll need to make your own Charm Box quilt:

• Charm Box Video tutorial
• Charm Box FREE pattern
• The Fat Quarter Shop is selling a Charm Box Quilt Kit in Aloha Girl fabrics

Enjoy! If you make a Charm Box quilt, I'd love to see it. Link it up in your comment below!

The last of the book quilts

With the book tour underway, I wanted to wrap up my series of posts showcasing the quilts from Beyond Neutral: Quilts Inspired by Nature's Elements. I've shown 12 of the quilts in previous posts, and this post will reveal the last four. I hope you've enjoyed seeing the quilts as much as I've enjoyed hearing your amazing feedback on the book. It makes me happy and proud that so many of you are enjoying Beyond Neutral, and I truly appreciate each and every review and kind word.

This first quilt is a bold beauty that I named Fire Island. I paired fun, colorful Cloud 9 prints with a bright red shot cotton whose dimension and texture both look and feels beautiful up close. Was the red a scary choice? For sure, but I'm glad I pushed beyond my comfort zone.

For Big Thicket, I pulled out a long-hoarded fat quarter bundle that I had purchased from Pink Castle Fabrics a few years back and loved for its eclectic mix of prints and colors. (Sheep? Chairs? Meteors? Electric yellow?? Sure!) I created a very simple 2-block pattern that showed the prints off and paired them with a subdued grey that I think achieved both strength and whimsy.

Speaking of hoarding, here's Triton Cove. I made it using my collection of Tula Pink's Neptune line. Need I say more? (PS. the solid here is also a shot cotton.)

And finally, allow me to introduce Fox River. It was my experiment in pairing woodland prints -- foxes, trees, and owls -- with a decidedly aquamarine solid. Constructed in rows, this is a super easy pattern perfect for showing off large prints, and could easily be adapted into baby / kid quilt size.

I hope you've enjoyed my brief introduction to all of the quilts from Beyond Neutral. Remember, the book tour is now underway and there will be plenty of book giveaways to help celebrate. (My giveaway is still open, and there aren't many entries yet. Just sayin'!)

If you have a copy of Beyond Neutral, I'd love to hear what you think. Amazon reviews are always appreciated too!

Jelly Roll Jam II | A free pattern

I always love hearing when my friends at the Fat Quarter Shop are planning on releasing another of their Shortcut Quilt patterns. One of their most popular Shortcut Quilts was the Jelly Roll Jam, and today they are releasing its long-awaited sequel: the Jelly Roll Jam II.

I love working with pre-cuts but, to be honest, I've always been a bit stumped when it comes to jelly rolls. Having 2.5" strips of every print in a collection is wonderful, but I find it difficult to find good quilt patterns that use jelly rolls. Well, I'm here to tell you that this one is a winner.

I started out with one jelly roll of Carolyn Friedlander's Botanics line (one of my faves) and, in less than 24 hours, I had this fun quilt. The pattern calls for splitting the jelly roll into 2 sets of strips and making two smaller quilts, but I decided to combine them to make one larger quilt. What can I say? -- I like big quilts and I cannot lie.

My Jelly Roll Jam II quilt is 4 columns across by 6 rows down. It used every strip in the roll -- exactly -- and produced very little waste. It measures approximately 48" x 60". I can't wait to finish this one up!

As always, Kimberly and her team put up a great video to introduce the pattern, and the free PDF can be found here.

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To celebrate the launch of the Jelly Roll Jam II pattern, the Fat Quarter Shop is offering 10% OFF all jelly rolls in their shop until August 24th, 2014 at 11:59 pm CST. So what are you waiting for? Pick your favorite jelly rolls today and start Jelly Roll Jammin'!

Fat Quarter Fizz | Free pattern and a giveaway

A few months back I posted a quilt top I made using one of the Fat Quarter Shop's wonderful free Shortcut Quilt patterns. Shortcut Quilts are quick and easy patterns designed by Kimberly and the fabulous team at the Fat Quarter Shop to use and showcase pre-cuts. I'm back today to show off my version of the newest Shortcut Quilt, the Fat Quarter Fizz! (The free pattern is launching on the Fat Quarter Shop's blog today.)

The Fat Quarter Fizz uses -- you guessed it! -- fat quarters. For my version, I chose the Mormor line by Lotta Jansdotter. The pattern calls for 20 fat quarters to make a large-sized lap quilt, but I wanted mine bigger so I doubled the recipe and used 40. My quilt finished at 90" x 120" -- a large queen-sized quilt. (The pattern provides supply lists for a variety of quilt sizes. I've pasted it to the bottom of this post for your reference.)

As promised, the Fat Quarter Fizz is extremely easy to construct and comes together quickly -- despite the larger size, I still cut and pieced mine in a single day! What I'd really like to point out, though, is the great versatility offered by this pattern. In addition to the size flexibility I've already mentioned, I decided to orient my quilt with the blocks stacked horizontally instead of vertically.

You see, some of the prints in the Mormor line are directional and I wanted them all facing the same way. I decided to do some simple quilt math and lay the blocks out 5 wide by 10 tall, with the blocks oriented horizontally. It was a simple adjustment and maintains the visual effect of the quilt's layout.

My only tip if / when you decide to make your own version of the Fat Quarter Fizz is to ensure that your fabric selection includes a selection of contrasting dark and light prints. The Mormor line was a bit difficult to divide into light and dark stacks which resulted in a more subtle effect than might result with some other fabric choices. (I still love it, though!)

Fat Quarter Fizz - free pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop
          Link to free pattern
          Companion video:

Giveaway time!

To celebrate the launch of the Fat Quarter Fizz pattern, I'm hosting a giveaway. One lucky winner will win a full fat quarter bundle of Mormor as well as my scraps from this project (which are large and many -- certainly enough for another project!) Simply head over to the Fat Quarter Shop's blog post, take a look at the other bloggers who are showing off their Fat Quarter Fizz quilts today, and come back and tell me whose blog you'll be checking out next. I'll select one winner randomly from the comments below.

** This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered! **

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Size variations for the Fat Quarter Fizz pattern:

Crib Quilt - 36" square
6 Fat Quarters (3 Dark and 3 Light)
1/2 yard binding
1 1/4 yards backing
Make 3 Dark Blocks and 3 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row assembly, layout in 2 rows of 3 blocks.

Small Lap Quilt - 48" x 54"
12 Fat Quarters (6 Dark and 6 Light)
5/8 yard binding
3 1/4 yards backing
Make 6 Dark Blocks and 6 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row assembly, layout in 3 rows of 4 blocks.

Large Lap Quilt - 60" x 72"
Refer to pattern for these requirements and instructions.

Twin Bed Quilt - 72" x 90"
30 Fat Quarters (15 Dark and 15 Light)
7/8 yard binding
5 5/8 yards backing
Make 15 Dark Blocks and 15 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row assembly, layout in 5 rows of 6 blocks.

Queen Bed Quilt - 84" x 90"
36 Fat Quarters (18 Dark and 18 Light)
7/8 yard binding
7 7/8 yards backing
Make 18 Dark Blocks and 17 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row Assembly, layout in 5 rows of 7 blocks.

King Bed Quilt - 108" x 108"
54 Fat Quarters (27 Dark and 27 Light)
1 yard binding
9 7/8 yards backing
Make 27 Dark Blocks and 27 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row Assembly, layout in 6 rows of 9 blocks.

More book quilts

I'm back today with three more quilts from Beyond Neutral: Quilts Inspired by Nature's Elements.

This first quilt is from the leaves & grass chapter, and it's named Cascadia. Beginning quilters, take note: it doesn't get much easier than Cascadia. It's really just basic patchwork with a twist: rectangles instead of squares, and small pops of a coordinating solid that's strategically placed to create a structured, architectural effect. It was the perfect showcase for a favorite fabric line (Nature Walk by Cloud 9 Fabrics.) 

Next up is Cayucos, from the water chapter of the book. This quilt was inspired by the very popular zig-zag quilts that have been around for a few years, but I also wanted to put my own unique spin on it. Two things I love about this quilt: the arrowhead designs that emerge as a main design element, and the basic squares that evoke traditional patchwork and allow you to feature a favorite fabric range (mine is Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry, one of my long-hoarded collections.) This is a quilt I'd love to see made in all solid fabrics.

Our last quilt for today is Glacier Bay, from the wind and sky chapter. This was my attempt at creating a pattern where modern and traditional can merge. Glacier Bay is traditional in that, unlike most of my quilts, it comprises a single block pattern laid out in a consistent, repeating pattern. At the same time, its unique color palette and contemporary prints make it accessible for the modern quilter. I guess this was my way of saying "let's drop the labels and just make beautiful quilts!"

And finally, from the "made from Beyond Neutral" file comes a quilt top from Jill Evans, who took my class at Q First for Quilting in Lexington, KY last month. Here's her Pacific Crest quilt top. Isn't is gorgeous?

Thanks, Jill. If you've made anything from Beyond Neutral, I'd love to see it. Please send me photos and I'll share them here on the blog. And if you're enjoying the book, Amazon reviews are always appreciated!

Three more quilts from Beyond Neutral

Let's continue on our tour of the quilts from my book, Beyond Neutral: Quilts Inspired by Nature's Elements. So far I've shown 6 of the book's 16 quilts, and today I'll reveal three more.

(ICYMI, you can catch up on previous posts here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)

The quilt pictured above is Glimmerglass. Eagle-eyed readers may recognize this quilt as Carousel, a quilt I designed in 2011 for Fat Quarterly. Carousel really worked well as a juvenile quilt, but when it was time to start pulling the book together I wanted to give it a new life. I brushed off the pattern and remade the quilt using Tula Pink's The Birds and the Bees line. As I suspected, the fresh fabric choices breathed new life into the quilt and allowed it to feel right at home alongside the others in the book.

This is Fallen Timbers. Fallen Timbers is actually another pattern reissue. It was originally published as Sanctuary in the second issue of Fat Quarterly. Again, I felt the pattern deserved an update and the quilt a refresh. Now Fallen Timbers sits comfortably in the Grass chapter of Beyond Neutral. I don't think I could love this fabric combination more.

And introducing perhaps my favorite quilt in the book, Pinnacles. It was designed to feature a large amount of negative space and to showcase a select few favorite prints. I chose a mix of Alison Glass' fabric paired with some whimsical Japanese prints, all against a stone grey. I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

As always, I am not above asking for some help. Amazon reviews really do help with book sales so, if you're enjoying the book and are so inclined, please consider leaving a review. I truly appreciate it. And if you've made anything from Beyond Neutral, please send me photos of your quilt tops. I'd love to feature them in future posts!

Link to purchase at Amazon.
Link to purchase at the Fat Quarter Shop.
Link to purchase at Barnes & Noble.

Even more photos from Beyond Neutral

Quiet week here, so I thought I'd take another opportunity to share some more images from my book, Beyond Neutral: Quilts Inspired by Nature's Elements.

This first one is called Cape Lookout, and it was inspired by the view of sunrises and sunsets over the water. As you can tell by the photo, it's an easy quilt to piece together and a great showcase for your favorite collection of gradient prints.

With Canyonlands, I took a free block pattern that I had designed for Generation Q magazine's blog a few years back (Modern Starlings, found here.) As soon as I designed the block I envisioned an entire quilt of starlings, and was finally able to realize it in my book.

Today's third quilt is called Half Moon Bay, and in it I used my long-hoarded (and much-loved) collection of Cake Rock Beach fabric. I love the graphic nature of this quilt and think that, with different colors and prints, the pattern can be taken in so many different directions.

I hope you're all enjoying the book. If you've been able to browse through a copy and are so inclined, I always appreciate Amazon reviews of the book. And if you've made anything from Beyond Neutral, please send me photos of your quilt tops. I'd love to feature them in future posts!

Link to purchase at Amazon.
Link to purchase at the Fat Quarter Shop.
Link to purchase at Barnes & Noble.

Beyond Neutral in Generation Q Magazine (again!)

Beyond Neutral is making its second appearance in Generation Q magazine! Today, it's featured in this Martingale ad in Gen Q's Issue 11. It's always so exciting to see the book out in the wild. Thanks for all of your support!

P.S. Has anyone made anything from the book yet??

Beyond Neutral in Quilt Trends Magazine

Another ad for Beyond Neutral: Quilts Inspired by Nature's Elements hits the stands today! This one is featured in the summer issue of Quilt Trends magazine and showcases Triton Cove, made using Tula Pink's popular Neptune collection.

I've appreciated all of the excitement and feedback you've been sending me about the book. If you have a copy and are so inclined, it would be great if you could leave a review on the Amazon page. Thanks!