Photograph by Brent Kane and Adam Albright for Martingale. Used with permission. I woke up and immediately found myself in a contemplative state, pondering my numerous blessings, sending prayers to friends who are going through an arduous journey of sickness, and getting energized for my day. In the end, I realized as the beautiful artwork above depicts, that life is really good. And so, I give thanks for the many freedoms I enjoy, to the opportunity to learn new things (I am a learning … [Read more...] about Pure and Simple Things
Clementine Quilt Along – Month 6
Photograph by Fat Quarter Shop. Used with permission. Welcome to month 6 - and the last month - of the Clementine Quilt Along hosted by Fat Quarter Shop. This quilt along has gone by so fast! "Strawberry Star" is the name of this month's block. This is the 20" block and I also made the 12" block (with a tiny mistake: the red blocks are turned so the block does not look the same as the larger one. Oh, well - no one will notice). The blocks were easy to assemble, but you can also check … [Read more...] about Clementine Quilt Along – Month 6
Christmas in June
Free patterns alert! It is never too early to start preparing for Christmas, right? So, here are two Christmas quilt patterns for you, courtesy of Hoffman Fabrics and featuring their gorgeous fabric collection Poinsettia Song. Above is Bows and Bells, a fun pattern featuring wreaths adorned with bells and bows for a whimsical design. The quilt Bows and Bells measures 70" x 82" and the blocks finish at 12" x 15". Look at some of the fabrics I used: I love this collection … [Read more...] about Christmas in June
Black and White quilt
Happy Wednesday! A perfect day for you to receive a free pattern, wouldn't you say so? "Shades in Between" is the quilt I designed for Michael Miller Fabrics beautiful Black & White fabric collection, with fantastic prints and textures. The PDF instructions are easy to follow, so download the pattern and go get the fabrics which are already in stores. The line's array of shades was just begging to be used in a simple but dramatic design. Check out some (there are over 30!) of … [Read more...] about Black and White quilt
A Cottage Garden
This is about the time of the year when I begin my Christmas list, a list of people to whom I would like to handmake a small project. It is so fun to rest my feet up in the evening with needle and thread and a good audiobook playing, deadening the sounds of my 18-year-old playing video games with virtual friends in the basement (although, I do enjoy his belly laughs!). A Cottage Garden - Stitch and Enjoy a Bounty of Beautiful Blossoms by Kathy Cardiff, published by Martingale, has 11 wool … [Read more...] about A Cottage Garden
Samba Quilt pattern
Free pattern alert! This is Samba, the pattern I designed for Timeless Treasures' amazing batik collection called "Tonga Rio". When I think of Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), the first thing that comes to mind is Carnival: lots of dancing, fast music with meaningful lyrics, bright and colorful costumes... so I wanted to come up with a quilt that featured as many fabrics from the collection as possible - all the colors we see during the Carnival parade - and had a design with lots of … [Read more...] about Samba Quilt pattern