Category: Quilting and Sewing

My sisters and I have decided to make traveling quilts together this year.  We each made a center and swapped them last month.  For the longest time I couldn’t decide what I wanted to make for my starting block, and then inspiration struck.

I loved seeing Kathy Doughty’s Diamond Dollies quilt last year when she taught in Utah , and so the pattern had been on my to-do list for a while.  I decided this was the perfect chance to try it out and make three sisters to start things off.




Originally I had planned to try the diamond setting, but when I made the dollies I increased their size just a bit and ended up liking them as they were.  The pattern for making them is in Kathy’s book, Adding Layers.


I couldn’t find flesh colored fabric anywhere so I used a soft brown.  The dolls came together pretty quickly, and I appliqued their round hats on before assembling the blocks.

It was kind of funny how long it took me to find fabrics I liked for the borders; I auditioned so many prints and ended with a big pile on the floor before I pulled out that purple print.  When I added the Kaffe mirage stripe the whole thing said YES and I went with it.  It’s funny how many fabrics you can try before you get that yes, but I love waiting for it anyway.  So worth it.


The hourglass blocks on the sides were left over from my Dream Catcher quilt top , also a pattern by Kathy.  They were the perfect size and added some whimsy so I happily used them.

I told my sisters that I want this quilt to celebrate sisterhood.  I’m so excited to see how it changes as they add to it, and so excited to work on this project together.  I think it will be really fun for each of us to have a quilt we all worked on, that reminds us how great it is to have sisters.

It’s pretty great to have a cute seven year old, too.  Love her smile.

Jennifer

I’m revisiting the lone star block, and having all kinds of fun doing it.  This block is made with 2.75″ strips and I love the Katie Jump Rope prints!


Looking back, I’m not sure why/how it took me so long to figure out the whole pattern of fabric releases, but it did, and that meant I never bought a single piece of Katie Jump Rope.  I was happy to have it reprinted and am excited to be sewing with it now.


I’m not sure yet how this project will evolve once I make a few more stars.  I have a couple of ideas to play with.  One thing is certain, I love the satisfaction of having all those diamond points line up for a block with big impact.


This block sizes is one of eight included in my free PDF.  You can find it and a detailed tutorial for sewing your own lone star block here .


Have a great day!

My Fireworks quilt is finished, and it’s been fun to fall in love all over again with the beautiful Bloomsbury fabrics as I bound it.  The vivid colors and lovely florals make me anxious for spring.


I made this quilt top more than three years ago (yikes!) and last year had it quilted by Nicole Christoffersen (@kwilter100 on Instagram).  She did a wonderful job.


It’s kind of fun to go back and finish something you’ve set aside for a long time.  I’ve learned so much since I pieced this, and grown a lot as a quilter, yet this quilt still makes me smile.  I remember what a stretch it was to purchase the fabric, as I was unfamiliar with Liberty of London, and then I grew to really like them as I sewed with them.  Now I have a small collection of Liberty lawn and can’t believe I wasn’t sure I’d like these cotton prints!  I have saved every scrap.


The pattern is from Thimbleblossoms , available on her website.  I chose Jennifer Paganelli prints for the backing and binding and they look beautiful together.  My hope was to track down some Bloomsbury yardage to use because I rarely buy backing fabric when collections first release, but my search was unsuccessful.  Most of the time what I put on the back of my quilts is something I bought on clearance for $5/yard or less, and this quilt ended up being no exception.  I have come to enjoy the process of looking through what I have and trying several different prints until one satisfies me.  It’s fun to mix and match.


As always, I’m grateful for another finish.  It sure feels good.


In other news, we have a birthday to celebrate today!  My youngest son is now eleven years old and I’m off to bake his cake.  Have a great day!

Jennifer