Category: Quilting and Sewing

Several weeks ago I tested a new quilt pattern for Brigit Gail .  It’s called Starlight Lily. This design a foundation paper pieced pattern with a modern, minimalist style.  Today I’m sharing my version of this fun pattern.


I love the 2020 Kona Color of the Year, Everglade.  This quilt seemed like a good opportunity to try it, and it makes a beautiful background to the lily flowers!  I love the deep, rich, bluish-green.  It’s not an easy color to photograph, but it’s definitely a fabric color I will buy more of!


The flowers were easy to make, and the whole quilt came together quickly.  This pattern is great for anyone wanting to try foundation paper piecing.  It’s a simple project without too many points to match up.  I made an extra row so my quilt is a little longer, which I like.


Recently I bought a bright shell pink solid and lately I’m using it in everything.  It was perfect for the bud, especially when I paired it with light green leaves.  All in all, this was a great exercise in using a color scheme that’s new to me.  Brigit designed the Starlight lily quilt with Amish style in mind, so I tried to make something along those lines.


I have been thinking about what it means to find my creative voice.  Sometimes we relate that solely to style, but I don’t think they’re interchangeable.  Style is a big part of our creative voice, but not all of it.  I enjoy making quilts that help me explore new styles.  It invites me to grow.

I quilted this one with organic wavy lines mostly in dark green, with a few neon yellow ones as well.  Short on time, I had to bind it quickly to gift it to a friend who was leaving, so I don’t even have a finished photo of this quilt!  Still, it was a fun one to make.

If you like this Starlight lily pattern, don’t hesitate to purchase it!  I think there’s a sew along happening, and those are always fun to join.  As for me, I enjoyed the pattern so much that I made a second, scrappy version.  I’ll share it soon!

Here we are, at the end of August, and suddenly I’m wondering where 2020 has gone.  How can this be?  School is back in session where I live, and all of a sudden I’m in my car again as the days whiz by.  Honestly, I was NOT ready for this.  I kind of liked having life slow down.  My 20 in 20 August report is a little different because of it.


Am I still sewing?  Yes.  Mostly in the car, which means hand sewing.  I love hand sewing, but most of the things I SHOULD be working on require a machine.  So I’m falling behind on deadlines as I stitch in my car in various parking lots.  I suppose that’s the way life goes, and I know everything will work out.

I haven’t sewn the half rectangle triangle blocks to add to my quilt.  They require a machine.  But I am keeping a record of my sewing in my planner so I can make the right colored blocks as soon as I have time.  Hopefully I’ll find time to embroider a few important dates on them like I’ve done for the last few months.  The first day of school definitely needs to be on there, don’t you think?

I’m reminding myself that the purpose of my 20 in 20 goal was simply to keep sewing.  To see, at the end of the year, how it adds up.  So I’ll keep stitching!  

The essence of my 20 in 20 August report is simply this:  I’m still doing it!  And that is enough.

I have so many new quilts I hope to make, but I’m also trying valiantly to finish old projects this year.  My Log Cabin Swap Quilt is one that has waited a couple of years for quilting.


Ultimately I decided to finish it with simple straight line quilting.  It seems to be my go-to preference for finishing quilts.  When I first finish the quilt tops I’m really attached to them, and I worry I’ll ruin them when quilting.  My piecing skills are much better than my quilting skills, though I am improving and want to keep getting better.  After the quilt top has hung around for a while, I don’t feel intimidated anymore and it’s easier to finish them.  I need to work on shortening the wait time, though.


Every once in a while I back a quilt in flannel because my kids love it.  I hope my kids will snuggle with and love this one as the seasons change and it begins to cool down.  The log cabin swap quilts were the final swap I participated in for a modern quilting group that disbanded a while ago.  I’m excited to see this one in use.  It reminds me of the amazing women I met there.


None of us know what’s ahead right now.  I keep thinking that I want home to be a cozy, safe place, no matter what happens in the world.  Hopefully this log cabin swap quilt will contribute!


As I type this, I know that many are fleeing homes because of storms and fires.  Wherever you are, and wherever home is, I hope you are safe and feeling hope.  We had a conversation at the dinner table a few days ago, and asked our kids what they’ve learned in the past six months.  Their answer: gratitude.  I hope we all find something to be grateful for today, and every day.  It’s a great way to cope with hard times.