Pieced Brain - All about quilting, knitting, crochet, embroidery, free tutorials, quilting and crafting book reviews.

Scrappy quilt with stars

Create this scrappy quilt with stars using fabrics you've been collecting over the years. It will add vibrant colors to your home decor! Spiral Galaxies appears in the June issue of American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, hitting the stands on April 18! It measures 72-1/2" x 81-1/2" with 10" star blocks and 9" nine-patches with half-square triangles. It features bakits from my extensive collection. No single fabric was purchased for the quilt, including the (pieced) back, which I will show you soon. One day, I was testing the block above for a Block of the Month pattern I had designed. I enjoyed sewing it and wondered what a whole quilt made with this single block would look like. When I had a chance, I began auditioning fabrics from my batik stash. The stars would have a gradation of colors beginning with a dark center. It took me a while to select the fabrics, ensuring I had enough of each for placement on each part of the block. Then, I began piecing them … [Read More...] about Scrappy quilt with stars

Flannel quilt for beginners

By Denise Russell

Here's a quick flannel quilt for beginners, perfect as a graduation gift or home decor. You can make it in one day! My middle son turns 25 today! I had been collecting flannels for a few years to make the Suede Satchel quilt for him, and, while on a retreat at Lake Okoboji earlier this month, I finally put it together! It is smaller than my original pattern - it measures 48" x 64" with blocks that finish at 8" - and I hope he will enjoy it as a throw as he hangs out with his cat, Junior. The Suede Satchel quilt above with borders measures 58" x 74", but I could not find flannel prints I liked for the borders, so I ditched them. I designed this quilt for the Color Wash Woolies collection by Maywood Studio a little while ago. It is a very popular pattern in my Etsy shop. In preparation for the retreat, I cut the squares and rectangles I needed and grouped them by block. Stitching them was easy and fast: sew square to square, then sew this unit to the rectangle. I was the … [Read More...] about Flannel quilt for beginners

Black and White modern quilt

By Denise Russell

Download this free pattern for a black-and-white modern quilt with a cool geometric design and just enough color to interest you. It's easy to make! I designed "Geo Surprise" for the Back in Black collection by Goldi L. Studio for Henry Glass Fabrics a little while ago and forgot to write a post about this free pattern! The quilt measures 56” x 64” and the blocks finish at 8". Here is the surprise: although the image above does not show it, there are many different black fabrics on the blocks! In Geo Surprise, I featured six of the sixteen prints in the collection (two of my favorites are below). I would love to have a bolt of each print because Back in Black is the NEW BLACK for me! This design could be remade in other colors for a more playful effect. However, black and white are a dramatic pair and will not clash with any items in your room decor. True, it is known that artwork does not necessarily have to match anything in home decor, but for those of us who love a more … [Read More...] about Black and White modern quilt

Free star quilt pattern

By Denise Russell

Get ready for time in the wilderness with this free star quilt pattern! Make it for your home or your animal-lover friends. Are you ready for a new, easy project? Then, download Magic Under the Stars - a free pattern I designed for Studioe Fabrics' Woodland Magic collection by Ashley Satanosky. Owls, deer, foxes, bears, and rabbits bring their magic from the woodlands into our homes in this quilt where stars light up the sky, under which all is quiet and asleep! The quilt measures 51" x 51, and the blocks finish at 8". Only the alternating star/chain blocks are pieced, so Magic Under the Stars comes together quickly. The star points are paper-pieced and measure 3". If you wanted to try paper piecing but were afraid, this project is the perfect one to ease you into it, as you will repeat the same steps a few times and become a paper-piecing pro in no time! Print the templates on computer paper, cut them apart (there are six on the page), cut the fabrics and sew the … [Read More...] about Free star quilt pattern

Free pattern for a panel quilt

By Denise Russell

Download this easy, free pattern for a panel quilt, and get ready to WOW your friends with this lattice design! My motto has been "Glow with the Flow." Now I can glow while wrapped in this quilt! I designed Mystic, a 48" x 68" throw for the Jardin de Lune Glow, a glow-in-the-dark collection by Blank Quilting. The luminescent mushrooms, flowers, hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies transported me on a night journey through a magical garden, inspiring me as I translated the beautiful fabrics into a design that added 'beams of moonlight' (the light borders) while showcasing each print. Choosing which fabrics to feature on the design was tricky, as I loved them all. Should I use straight or pieced borders? I auditioned each option many times but kept returning to pieced borders. Lattices, to me, not only frame a garden-they add a touch of the dreamy... so I played with fabric placement until I achieved the look I wanted. I take quite a while auditioning fabrics as they can … [Read More...] about Free pattern for a panel quilt

Scrappy Quilt with Liberty of London

By Denise Russell

I made this scrappy quilt with Liberty of London fabrics for my bed—a quilted present just for me! I wanted something new to adorn the bedroom set I purchased. What do you think? Once, while scrolling through Instagram, I saw a post about granting a fabric wish to fellow quilters and making a wish, too. So, I said I would love to receive scraps of Liberty of London fabrics of any size. Then, I granted a bunch of wishes, which was so fun! The parcels began to arrive. I made an Oooh and an Aaah every time I opened them. Later, I purchased scrap bundles, and the collection grew. When I thought of how to use the fabrics, I was stumped! Every design I came up with seemed to focus on quilt blocks and not the fabrics. Fast-forward to two months ago, when it hit me one day: Let me measure each scrap and see the largest shape I can cut from it. I figured I could cut almost all of them into 5 1/2" x 6" rectangles. Then, I used EQ8 by the Electric Quilt Company, my trusty quilt … [Read More...] about Scrappy Quilt with Liberty of London

Piece and Applique Modern Quilt Blocks

By Denise Russell

Build your favorite city as you piece and applique modern quilt blocks. Select the ones you like for smaller projects, or make the whole quilt! Welcome to City Blocks - my first quilt book! Published by Leisure Arts and already on sale, this book features 32 blocks I designed, each portraying a place or an experience in a city. There are also six coordinating, smaller projects, many diagrams, and easy-to-follow instructions. Those of you who have been following me since I began this blog and my Etsy store (2013!) will remember our Sew Along. We made a block every two weeks. We had tons of fun! Leisure Arts loved the quilt; the rest is history in 96 colorful pages! I am a city girl through and through, so it was time to celebrate the places I enjoy when I walk or drive about town. I created my city using vibrant fabrics, beginner-friendly piecing techniques, and machine applique. As I was designing the blocks, I kept thinking of how some places we visit or live in make … [Read More...] about Piece and Applique Modern Quilt Blocks

One block modern quilt

By Denise Russell

Download this free pattern for an easy one-block modern quilt. It's great for beginner quilters and seasoned sewists! Island Breeze is the quilt I designed for Danielle Hartgers's Zanzibar collection for Blank Quilting. It measures 62" x 74" and has 12" blocks. Although the block looks complex, it is easy to assemble, requiring only half-square triangles. What do you think of those fabrics? I, for one, am smitten by these prints! Danielle was inspired when she assembled this beautiful fabric collection, with geometric lines invoking tiles and natural elements in neutral tones that will complement any home decor. My quilts are usually very bright (check this one out!). This collection, though... I can hardly wait until June when it begins shipping to stores! Check with your local quilt store to see if they will carry it. The block I chose for Island Breeze is very simple. Make the half-square triangles eight at a time, then use the stitch-and-flip method to add squares … [Read More...] about One block modern quilt

Beginner-friendly modern batik quilt

By Denise Russell

Make this beginner-friendly modern batik quilt using your favorite collection or as a scrap buster! One easy quilt block is all it takes! Nature Study is my latest quilt, published in the February 2024 American Patchwork & Quilting issue. It measures 67" x 82", and the blocks finish at 6". I used greens and blues from my batik fabric 'collection' - I still have enough fabric to make five quilts in the same palette! The photographer, Adam Albright, always transforms my quilts into works of art when he stages the lifestyle shots! I began Nature Study as soon as I moved to Georgia. I wanted to make a one-block quilt using many fabrics from my stash. I also wanted it to have a lot of [negative] space and be just as light as I felt then. I was beginning a new phase of my life; there was a lot of uncertainty - an everyday reality when you embark on an unexpected journey. With all that was changing, there was no time to seek relief in sewing. However, designing and sewing … [Read More...] about Beginner-friendly modern batik quilt

Paper Piecing Tutorial

By Denise Russell

This Paper-piecing tutorial is so easy to follow! With paper piecing, you can create amazing blocks or borders for your quilts! [Updated 01/08/2024] I LOVE Carol Doak's 300 Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks (I found it here)! It has tons of wonderful blocks, and the possibilities are infinite. The book comes with a CD so you can print the blocks you like when you are ready to start your project. I usually print a few blocks, then cut and paste them onto a page so I can get as many blocks as possible (sometimes 2, sometimes 4, depending on block size) on one page, making sure I leave about 1/2" between blocks on all sides. Once that is done, I print the page onto foundation paper (vellum paper) and cut each one. Then, I choose fabrics, cut them per her cutting instructions (Carol Doak tells you the size for each piece - little fabric waste!), and put them together. This is another must-have book for your library. One note about foundation paper: I've switched to regular copy … [Read More...] about Paper Piecing Tutorial