One Block Deconstructed: Stars Aligned

When you first look at the Stars Aligned quilt, you probably see a star block made with a lot of quick corner piecing. Take a closer look at the pattern, however, and you won't believe how quickly and easily this block goes together! Colleen Tauke transformed the traditional Broken Dishes block into this sparkling Stars Aligned quilt using Walkabout 2 and Leather prints. The pattern is featured in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting Summer 2018 issue.

"Stars Aligned" by Colleen Tauke and machine quilted by Laura Brenner;
featured in Easy Quilts Summer 2018

Q. Walkabout 2 has so many fun, bold prints. How did you select which one to use?

CT: This was the print that I really loved. The green and the blue popped out. I saw this one and said, “ooh, that’s my dark print!”

Q. And how did you choose the green to go with it?

CT: I looked through the Leather tonal collection to find a color that popped against the navy. I tried green and blue, and green won.

Q. Tell us about the block design.

CT: I wanted to take the Broken Dishes block, cut it up and make it into something completely different. The block is cut into a nine-patch, and it can be arranged so many different ways. I really wanted to make a two-color quilt because I knew it would create a secondary design as well.

Q. What’s so appealing about this design?

CT: It’s a perfect project if you don’t want to think too hard about what you’re making—for example, if you’re at a retreat, or an open sew with friends. You can enjoy the gathering but still be really productive. It becomes addicting. You take a super simple block and cut it up to make something more intricate.

Q. How did you choose the layout for the blocks?

CT: I laid out the blocks in a few different options and took photos. Arranging them in circular fashion creates an explosion from the center out.

Q. Tell us about the machine quilting.

CT: It was done by a friend of mine—Laura Brenner. We chose an overall pantograph because  of the arrangement of blocks. It creates curves and shadows but doesn’t detract from blocks. We chose a medium blue quilting thread, which adds to the depth.

See the entire Walkabout 2 collection here and the Leather collection here. 
Find the Summer 2018 issue of Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts here.

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Love the Walkabout 2 prints?

Find a tote bag tutorial here.

Download our free quilt pattern here. 

Sweet & Breezy (and on the cover!)

Usually when we share magazine projects featuring our fabric, we show the project first and the magazine cover toward the bottom of the post. This time, we're flipping it around. Can you guess why? 

If you recognized prints from the Vintage 30's Ruby's Treasures collection in the cover quilt, you're right! Barbara Eikmeier designed the "Sweet & Breezy" quilt using the classic Weathervane block and her fabrics. The result? A bright and cheery quilt that brings a smile to your face. Below, Barb shares how she designed the quilt. 

Q. What block did you use?

BE: It’s a Weathervane block, and it was one of the blocks in Ruby’s 101 Patchwork Patterns. As I’ve designed quilts with the fabrics, I’ve been choosing patterns from her book to continue the celebration of Ruby McKim.

 

Q. How did you pair fabrics for each block? 

BE: This palette for the fabric line started with the solids and the prints were built to match, which is why they go together so well. I partnered each print with one of the solid colors that was in the print. I think the block showcases the Painter’s Palette Solids so nicely. 

Q. How did you decide which print to use for the outer border? 

BE: In the collection there are two prints that are more large-scale, and I tend to like those for borders. I picked the larger-scale yellow and blue print for the outer border, and then used the bright tonal yellow print for the sashing. It created such a bright and cheery quilt! 

Q. How does the quilt differ from your original design? 

BE: When I first designed the project, I had the solids and prints reversed in the block. But when you piece the corners, the prints get cut up. I thought it looked nice to have them be a bigger piece, so I flipped the position and was happier with it.

Q. Which is your favorite block color combination?

BE: The hot pink with the green. I’ve always liked pink and green together. 

Q. Tell us about the quilting.

BE: Denise Mariano quilted it. We were both really pleased with the quilting. I asked her to focus on the center of each block. She also added little feathered tree looking motifs in the print fabric “house” shapes. She was very creative with it.

Q. What do you like best about the quilt?

BE: Besides that it’s on the cover?! I just think it’s so cheerful, so bright. The colors in the collection, people have described them to me as being very clear. I also love the quilting on it. 

"Sweet & Breezy" designed by Barbara J. Eikmeier and quilted by Denise Mariano;
featured in the Winter 2016 issue of Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts

See the entire Vintage 30's Ruby's Treasures collection here. 
Read more about how Barb designed the fabric collection here.
Find the kit for the quilt here.
Find the Winter 2016 issue of Easy Quilts here.

Cozy up in the cold

With this week's Polar Vortex (is it 2014 again?), sharing a toasty winter quilt seemed appropriate. Kymberly Pease used the cool hues of our Winter Blues collection to make North Wind, a monochromatic half-square triangle beauty that you can curl up under on chilly days. Find the pattern in the winter 2014 issue of Easy Quilts magazine.

"North Wind" by Kymberly Pease; quilted by Kristen Hoftyzer;

featured in Easy Quilts Winter 2014

Q. What attracted you to the Winter Blues fabrics? How did you choose which shades of blue to use for this quilt?

Kymberly: After accepting the pattern Fons and Porter asked me to make a quilt using aqua and navy. Since this quilt was going to be in the winter issue of Easy Quilts, I fell in love with the Winter Blues fabric line. I like that these fabrics make a winter quilt that is okay to stay out past Christmas.

Q. Tell us about making a monochromatic quilt.

Kymberly: Most of my quilts are monochromatic. I struggle with choosing fabrics that compliment each other. I find it much easier to choose a single color and play with different shades of that color.

Q. Tell us about your pattern--did you play around with the block placement before settling on the final design? 

Kymberly: Last year I started working on the Farmer's Wife quilt. I began playing with several of the blocks to see how they worked on their own. After reading "Vintage Quilts" I liked the idea of twisting blocks to discover secondary patterns. I began experimenting with the Flock block and was surprised when the pinwheels popped out at me.

Q. What do you like best about the quilt?

Kymberly: I love that this quilt looks so much more complicated than it is. It's almost like the quilt contains a secret since it's all made from a single block that gets lost in the secondary design.

Q. Any challenges in making this quilt?

Kymberly: I think the biggest challenge with this quilt was working on the deadline. I had a month from getting the fabric before I needed to send it back. Ideally I would spread all of the triangle trimming out over a couple of weeks, but instead I sewed and trimmed 300+ triangles in a couple of days.

Q. Can you talk to us about the machine quilting? 

Kymberly: Since we were working on a tight deadline Kristen (my longarmer) and I wanted to choose a simple design. I like how the stippling softens the sharp lines of the block.

Q. What do you envision this quilt being used for?

Kymberly: I've had this quilt on my couch ever since it came back from Fons and Porter. It is so comfy to curl up at the end of the day while watching t.v. with my family.

Q. Anything else you'd like to share about this quilt?

Kymberly: I've heard some people say that they love this quilt, but don't have the skills to do it. This really is a very easy quilt that anyone can make.

See the entire Winter Blues collection here.

Learn more about Kymberly here.

Find the kit for this quilt here.

Find Easy Quilts here.

All About Texture

Some quilts are all about color; others depend on texture to enhance the design. The Earthenware Tiles quilt, designed by Lisa Bassett, focuses on the patterns and textures of our Elemental Lines collection for interest. What a great design for the fall issue of Easy Quilts magazine--autumn is right around the corner and this quilt is sure to get you in the mood! We love how the earthy tones pop against the red wall in the photo from Easy Quilts below; the muted palette and eye-catching design would make a beautiful wall hanging in any home. 

"Earthenware Tiles" designed by Lisa Bassett and made/machine quilted by Heather Porter;
featured in Easy Quilts Fall 2014

Q. What attracted you to the Elemental Lines collection? Do you have a favorite print within the collection?

Lisa: I'm usually attracted to very bright colors, so I wanted to mix it up and work with a collection that is outside my preferred color palette. I think my favorite piece is 120-0251. I absolutely love the texture those spiky flowers create.

Q. Can you talk about how you came up with the quilt design?

Lisa: Our signature, if you will, is making quilt designs that look harder than they are. I started with an idea of a basic shape (in this case a square in a square) and played with ways to make a simple block look dynamic. Turning every other block gives the quilt nice movement. Plus, I included a little piecing trick in the pattern that makes it easy to sew two square-in-a-square blocks together without the usual bulk in the seams.

Q. Did you find it challenging to work in a muted palette? How did you make the palette work?

Lisa: As I said, I love working with bright and bold fabrics, so this was a bit of a challenge. Working on this pattern, I really had to focus on using the different textures to provide contrast in the quilt. Where I usually use colors to provide contrast (yellow and blue together, for example) I focused more on the different textures of tans and browns in the fabric. I did love having that nice black as the background, it really makes the lighter fabrics in the quilt pop. In the end I really enjoyed the neutral tones.

Q.  What do you like best about the quilt?

Lisa:  I love the way I pieced the square blocks together. Not to make it sound like bragging, I'm sure I'm not the first! I had fun putting this quilt together, it went together very quickly and easily.

Q. Can you talk about the machine quilting? 

Lisa: The quilt is very angular, so I liked the idea of using a quilting design that had some curves in it, to provide a little variation and movement. I decided to use an all over design to continue with the theme of a quick and easy quilt.

Q. What do you envision the quilt being used for? 

Lisa: Since it is a small quilt, I think it would look great being used as a large wall hanging. 

Find the entire Elemental Lines collection here.

Learn more about Relatively Creative Patterns designers Lisa Bassett and Heather Porter here.

Purchase the kit for Earthenware Tiles here.

Find Easy Quilts magazine here.

Transform a bedroom...easy as 1, 2, 3!

As quilters, we're often asked "just how many bed quilts do you have?" It's fun to make a variety of bed quilts, and fun to have a variety of looks to change up a room. 

But what if there was an easier way? What about a bed runner? Less work, less storage space, all the impact! Terry Albers of Hedgehog Quilts designed this beautiful bed runner using the Summer Breeze  collection for Easy Quilts magazine.

Blue on Blue by Terry Albers; machine quilted by Sandy Schilawski;featured in Easy Quilts Spring 2014 

Q. What makes bed runners so great?
Terry: A bed runner can make a quick change for your room.  It lets you dress up
your bed without the time, expense and storage issues of a big quilt.

Q. What attracted you to the Summer Breeze fabric collection?
Terry: Color...it's always about the color for me. I'm a fan of watercolors and
that's the feeling I got when I saw this fabric. The unexpected hint of
purple really makes the line pop. It's subtle but makes an impression.

Q. Love the coordinating pillows! What can you tell us about them? 
Terry: I love the way the throw pillows accent and enhance the runner. They help
give the room a more pulled-together feel.  I used 20" pillow forms and make
all my "coordinating" pillow covers the same size. Quick change without
storage issues. When I want to change out the room, I just pull off the
pillow covers and keep them with the runner.

Q. Can you talk about how you came up with the design?
Terry: I knew I wanted to make a bed runner for my guest room. I played with some
of my favorite table runner designs, enlarged the blocks and tweaked the
borders.

Q. Favorite fabric in the collection?
Terry: My favorite fabric is the large floral on the light background...it looks so
airy.

Q.  What are the challenge/benefits of working with a fairly monochromatic collection?
Terry: While this line is fairly monochromatic, working within the group helps me
make sure the tints and values complement each other. The challenge lies in
arranging the design elements with enough contrast (in color and scale) to
keep the fabrics from mushing together. Also, the light purple accent draws
out the color differently in each fabric, helping the eye separate the
elements.

Q. Your bed runner seems wider than most traditional ones. How come? 
Terry: This bed runner is definitely wider than most.  It has a bigger presence on
the bed than a runner just at the foot. I love the layered look I get by
starting with the off-white matelasse bedspread, the turned back sheets and the
regular pillow cases in the same off-white and then the wide runner with the
accent pillows. It all looks luxurious and welcoming.

Q. Can you talk about the machine quilting?
Terry:I brought the runner and the pillow tops to Sandy Schilawski so that she could use the

same quilt design on everything. We chose an all-over design for the runner
and then enlarged the same design for the pillow covers. It wasn't so much
about matching the design as it was about keeping the flow smooth from the
runner to the pillows. I was looking for a peaceful feel to the whole
project.

See the entire Summer Breeze collection here.
Learn more about Terry and her work here.
Find Easy Quilts magazine here.
Find the kit for the Blue on Blue runner here.

What's black and white...

What's black and white and red/read all over?

Yeah, old riddle...a newspaper. Or a sunburned zebra. 

But if you change the question just slightly: What's black and white and beautiful?

You get a very different answer. 

The "Junctures" quilt by Tony Jacobson:

"Junctures" by Tony Jacobson;
featured in Easy Quilts Winter 2013

 Tony used the Black & White collection and a simple quarter log cabin block to make this eye-catching contemporary quilt. And the best part? It was featured as a Web Bonus project in Easy Quilts so you can download the free pattern here! (The pattern also includes yardage and cutting options for different sizes, crib through queen.)

We asked Tony a few questions about his design and decision-making process. Check out his answers below:

Q. What are the challenges in working with a monochromatic palette?

Tony: You need to make sure that you work with prints with varying patterns,

values, and sizes. You want to have texture and movement in the quilt.

Q. Why did you choose the Black & White collection?

Tony: I've always found black and white quilts to be very striking. They can be neutral and work in a lot of different interiors. I design most of my quilts in black and white first to make sure that the design works well even without color. So working with black and white fabrics actually takes out a step.

Q. Why did you choose the quarter Log Cabin design? What made you put a

different color square in the outer frame corner?

Tony: I wanted to work with a single block design and see what would happen if you just twisted the block around. Adding the square in the outer frame solved a problem of how to handle the stripe pieces coming together and also provided a secondary block pattern when the block was twisted around.

Q. Can you talk about how you oriented the stripe fabric in the block?

Tony: The stripes needed to go the long way so that the movement would flow through the entire quilt. I think having them the short direction would have caused design to stop at the edge of the block and would stop the overall flow from one block to the next.

Q. Did you consider adding color to the quilt?

Tony: I did consider it and actually had one design that had several additional colors in it, but decided that I liked the texture and movement I was getting with the selection of fabrics from the Black & White collection without the additional colors.

Q. Did you try other layouts?

Tony: I actually did three different designs using this collection. In the end this was the design that was chosen bythe editorial group for use in the magazine. I'm still thinking that Iwill make at least one of the alternate designs to see how it looks in real life. My mother-in-law really likes my black-and-white quilts, so I'm sure she won't mind if I have an extra one to give to her.

Find the Black & White collection here.

Find Easy Quilts and download the free pattern for this quilt here.

Find the kit for Junctures here.

Calling all chocolate lovers!

Where does chocolate rank on your list of favorite things? If you're like most of us, chances are both chocolate and quilting are pretty high on the list. 

Good news! Designer Tricia Lynn Maloney's latest project in Easy Quilts magazine uses chocolate and caramel shades of Marblehead fabrics to combine the two. 

"Chocolate Bar" by Tricia Lynn Maloney;
featured in Easy Quilts fall 2013

We asked Tricia, a fellow chocolate lover, to tell us about her delicious-looking quilt design.

What drew you to the Marblehead prints?

Tricia: I was immediately drawn to the Marblehead fabrics when one of the local shops that I teach at-- Homespun Treasures-- ordered the entire collection last year.  I really loved that every time I looked at a specific print, I saw more and more subtle color variations and textures.  As a designer, I also rejoiced with how well the fabrics played together.  The colors were so rich and vibrant -- I couldn’t wait to design some projects with those yummy fabrics. So far, I’ve used Marblehead fabrics in two magazine projects – Chocolate Bar for Easy Quilts Fall 2013 and a wall quilt for the Quilter’s World Winter 2013 issue, as well as a gift for my sister for Christmas this year. Shhhh! It’s a secret!

Why did you choose to use the browns/beiges?

Tricia: I really liked the way the brown and beige prints worked together, especially with surprising hints of other colors such as green, gold, orange, and purple. I find brown fabrics to be so very warm and inviting, don’t you?

Did you name the quilt?

Tricia: Yes, I did name the quilt.  Sigh. . . I must admit that I am a chocolate fanatic.  LOL! Once I had the design and I decided on the Marblehead browns and beiges, the quilt practically named itself because it looked like a giant piece of chocolate! 

Can you talk about your design--how you decided what to do with the fabrics?

Tricia: I created the quilt design and the original block design using Electric Quilt 7 software before I chose the fabrics.  I really like designing simple quilts that are fast and easy to put together.  Then I like to add fabrics in unusual ways to make simple into awesome.  I chose a dark brown print as well as a light beige print and then added four medium prints for just the right balance.

What do you like best about the quilt?

Tricia: I really like this quilt because of its simple design and warm fabrics -- it just literally begs to be used . . . or cuddled . . . to wipe away tears . . . or to give comfort.  It’s also a quilt that’s suitable for anyone.  This is not a quilt that will be hung on a wall or folded away in a chest.  

What do you think makes this quilt so appealing--both to look at and to sew?

Tricia: One simple block makes this quilt very easy to assemble.  It’s so quick that there is no time to get bored with it.  Of course, who can resist working with the colors of rich and creamy chocolate?

What is the challenge of working with a monochromatic color scheme?

Tricia: You have to add enough different shades and/or tints as well as different prints or textures so that the quilt doesn’t become flat and predictable.  Using fabrics like the Marblehead prints are wonderful to work with because of their subtle changes in texture and color.

Tell us about the machine quilting.

Tricia: I free motion quilted the quilt from edge to edge in a large meandering design reminiscent of tree rings.  It’s really a very simple design – basically a cross between a spiral and a stipple.

If all this talk of chocolate bars has your awakened your sweet tooth, try this recipe for Classic Chocolate Brownies from Ghirardelli. Yum!

And...just for fun...

Check this out!

A USB flash drive cleverly disguised as a chocolate bar

Geekalerts.com

See the entire Marblehead collection here.

Learn more about Tricia here. 

Find Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts here.

Also, Tricia would like to invite everyone to check out her second book – which is literally hot off the press -- A Russian Journey in Quilts: The Story of Nicholas and Nina Filatoff. 

She says: "This book is truly a labor of love and is based on one of my favorite childhood 'fairy tales.'  A Russian Journey in Quilts tells the amazing story of Nicholas and Nina Filatoff through fifteen quilt projects ranging from table runners to a large bed-sized sampler quilt.  The sampler quilt, called A Russian Journey Sampler, incorporates blocks from the smaller projects, and would make a fantastic Block of the Month program, especially with the Winter Olympics coming in February 2014 in Sochi, Russia.  There is even a free BOM guide to download from Pickledish.com.