Made by: Carla C.
Isn’t this just a fantastic quilt? I was thrilled when Carla asked me to custom quilt it. There was so much negative space to fill. I had the idea of using shadow circles to complement the pieced design right away, but it took some time to figure out how to make it work. This is one of my favourite quilts ever, and I am so happy with how it turned out.
Thread: Glide 10000 White
I believe I am a very conscientious fabric buyer. I stopped buying fabrics just because they are pretty a long time ago, and with very few exceptions, I only buy fabric that I need for specific projects now. I do not have a big stash, but my scrap drawers still seem to be overflowing. They are organized by width, ranging from 2″ to 6.5″. I throw out everything under 2″, except for white fabrics, because I use those for sashing and background pieces. It is still plenty to deal with, and the other day, I saw a picture of a quilt online, I don’ remember where, and immediately thought it would make a good scrap project.
The top came together quickly. The big squares have a finished size of 5″, and the smaller ones are 3″. I have already bought the backing fabric for this one, so hopefully, it will be quilted soon and can be donated once it is finished. I am quite happy with the result. Even though the fabrics are all over the place, the white frame around every other square gives the quilt some purpose and provides the eyes with a place to rest. On a side note, my 5.5″ scrap drawer looks a bit less crowded, but I cannot really see any difference in the 3.5″ drawer, so I think I will have to make more of these.
A few days ago, I walked through my living room, where I have lots of quilts on display, and my eyes stopped at the Coming Up Roses sample quilt. I realized that it has a very similar pattern, just with a smaller square in the alternating blocks.
If you feel inspired and need a pattern, the Coming Up Roses quilt pattern is available here:
Made by: Carol B.
Pantograph: Fast Feathers by Christy Dillon
Thread: Glide 20727 Mocha
Made by: Lynne T.
Pantograph: Taj Mahal by Patricia Ritter and Leisha Farnsworth
Thread: Glide 1BLK7 Storm
I finished a second top with my Kiwiana fabrics in the meantime. There is definitely enough left for at least one more quilt, maybe even two. For this quilt, I used a free pattern called Garden Tiles from Robert Kaufman. I adjusted the measurements to suit my needs, as well as the number of rows and columns. The basic idea looked similar to the Shadow Boxes pattern I used in my first Kiwiana quilt, but the result is quite different.
For this one, I can actually see some custom quilting. The sashing forms a secondary pattern of white crosses, and these areas are just begging for a nice custom design.
But no quilting will happen anytime soon for this top since I do not have a suitable backing. I am working hard on the idea of another trip to New Zealand, but it will have to wait until summer in the southern hemisphere. Until then, it will go on a hanger and into the closet, and I will keep thinking about possible quilting patterns that echo Maori designs.
If you are interested in this free pattern, you can find it on the Robert Kaufman website by following the link below.
Made by: Diane N.
Pantograph: Springtime Waltz 2 by Christy Dillon
Thread: Glide 10000 White
Made by: Nancy B.
Pantograph: Ginger Flower by Apricot Moon
Thread: Glide 10000 White
Made by: Sandra K.
Pantograph: Constance by Christy Dillon
Thread: Glide 20005 Pearl
Made by: Betty K.
Pantograph: Ground Cover by Keryn Emmerson
Thread: Glide 10WG1 Linen
Welcome to April! I started a lot of seeds in March, most of them indoors because it is still too cold for many to survive outside. But my peas, radishes, spinach, and carrots are all in the ground, as they do not mind the occasional overnight frost.
My veggie beds are all in the backyard. In the front yard, I have the sunflower beds but not much else, so we have started turning the area into a rose garden. There was one very pretty rose there when we bought the house, a Peace Rose, with beautiful colouring and a wonderful scent. Then a friend came across a rose called Pumpkin Patch and just had to buy it for me. We added a few more, and they are doing really well, which gave us the idea to plant as many roses out front as will fit.
But roses are expensive, so this project will take multiple years. We have eight so far, and I have ordered four more, which I should be able to pick up any day now.
As for our Safari, it would not be a very satisfying experience without seeing a lion, would it? I fiddled around with his mane a lot, trying to keep it as simple as possible, but it needed to be a bit spiky to give it enough texture. I did not like the smooth variations I came up with, so be prepared to cut plenty of points. Overall, I am now very happy with the way he turned out, very majestic but still rather friendly-looking.
As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the May block is released.
EDIT: The month of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase.
