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Since making my Refuge Quilt, I have also wanted to experiment with my HOME quilt block pattern in a bright, beachy color scheme.   Picturing sand and sky surrounding brightly colored huts, I decided to test my vision.  Sometimes it’s nice to play with a few blocks, just to see what we like.  Therefore,  I created this HOME beach hut pillow cover.

Three six inch blocks in bright colors, surrounded by sand and sky.  I couldn’t resist sewing them together to see how the lines looked, and when I did, I knew I wanted a pillow.  You see, I’ve been curious about making a HOME pillow for a while.  Once they were together I added a simple white border.  I hunted around for a shade of blue to make the rest of the pillow cover with, and remembered this lovely chambray.  It’s the perfect weight, and the slightly darker blue grounds the line of houses.

Consistent with other recent HOME quilt block projects like my needle book and book cover, I kept it simple.  No zippers or fancy pulls.  Just a traditional envelope closure, which fits the laid back vibe of beach life.  I pulled a sailboat print from my blue prints and used it for half of the back.  It keeps both the front and back interesting.

I’m tempted to keep playing with this format.  I’m obviously enjoying a deep dive into my HOME pattern lately!  It could be fun to make one that is Halloween themed – what colors would you pick for the houses?  So many possibilities!  Until then, this fun HOME beach hut pillow will suffice.

What ideas are you playing with right now? I would love to hear!

Happy Sewing,
Jennifer

Today, September 17th, is Constitution Day.  237 years ago today, the Constitution of the United States of America was signed.  Have you ever really studied how those months of deliberation progressed?   A few years ago I read Plain Honest Men, the most extensive account – and most excellent – I’ve ever read of the constitutional convention.  It’s difficult to describe my gratitude for that revolutionary generation.  I love this holiday!

The older I get, the more my patriotism is rooted in the founding documents of the nation.  I am more unimpressed by politics and politicians and political slogans with each successive election, yet I remain devoted to the system of government that has allowed the USA to continue peacefully for nearly 250 years.  Currently I live in Utah, and our state legislature designated September as Constitution month.  We’re encouraged to read and study it, and I have LOVED doing just that.

I planned to start a quilt  to commemorate Constitution Day.  I still love my Lucky Lone Star quilt (pattern available here).  My recent Anthem experimenting is also becoming something bigger.  But the more I thought about it, the more ideas I had.  Should I make an album quilt?  Use my vintage linens?  Make something universal, or make something that tells the story of my own family lines in this country?  Every question triggered a half dozen ideas and now I’m swimming in them!

We celebrate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 2026, which means there are important anniversaries fast approaching.  Today I pulled out all my red, white and blue fabrics because I’d like to make more patriotic quilts.  I’m also planning to sew them mostly from fabric I already have.  I’m planning lots of patriotic sewing between now and then!

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I finished my Sherbet Heart Quilt in time for Valentine’s Day snuggling, and we thoroughly enjoyed using it.  My favorite part of this quilt is the color.  It feels like being in a candy store!


I made this quilt using my Scrappy Heart Quilt Pattern (you can find the free tutorial and pattern here ) but this time I used all solids, including a peachy pink as the background.  I added pinks, purples, oranges and reds to make the hearts.  Many of these colors come from the Tula Pink solids collection, with additions from my stash.


I decided to quilt this myself in an allover pattern, and settled on a clam shell design.  This is my first effort at using an acrylic ruler while quilting on my Juki.  I made a lot of mistakes, and there are a lot of wonky clam shells in this quilt, but I also learned a lot and improved as I went on.  No doubt I’ll try this again in the future.


I pulled from my stash for the backing, and this Amy Butler print above won out.  I supplemented with an orange dot print along one side.  The colors of the backing complement the front perfectly.  I used more of the background print for the binding.


This quilt is fun to observe as the light changes through the day.  The subtle changes in color are beautiful.  It’s fun to revisit a design and see how it changes with different design decisions.  I’m enjoying sewing more with solids, and this quilt was a great way to do it!