There’s a distinct magic in the air that can only mean one thing – fall has arrived or kind of. We are finally experiencing a relief from the extreme heat in Texas. We can’t wait to cozy up, to savor the simple pleasures, and to find warmth in the midst of nature’s gentle descent into winter. What better way to capture the feeling of fall than by pulling out quilts and decorating for the season.
In a world filled with mass-produced items, there’s an undeniable charm in creating something with our own hands. A fall quilt crafted from 12 fat quarters as the lights and Moda jelly roll strips as the chains; it’s a labor of love.
I have said it a million times.. I have the greatest job in the world working for Moda Fabrics and as you may or may not know, Moda is the parent company of Ruby Star Society. I love combining lots of different Moda designers fabrics and now I can add Ruby Star fabrics to the mix. That is exactly what I did for this quilt.
Here are the general specs. Link to pattern below.
CHAINS
Quilt is 74″ x 74″.
Supplies
Blocks (lights): 12 assorted Fat Quarters*
Block (light): 1 yard
Blocks (darks): 35-21/2″ x width of fabric
(a Jelly Roll is a great start! but I cut a couple of strips from as many layer cakes as I possibly could)
Binding: 2/3 yard. Plaids and Stripes are my favorite for bindings. I am always on the hunt for them.
Backing: 43/4 yards
*Fat Quarter=18″ x 22″
Experiment with color placement, combine different fabrics and colors, and let the quilt tell its own story. I am dying to do this in Christmas fabrics with darks in the middle.
Chains
So fun!!
Light fabrics are not normally fabrics that you gravitate to buy. It is so much easier to be attracted to color and print when shopping. Think of lights like milk and bread. You always need them and buy good ones when you see them. They are timeless and don’t expire like milk and bread.
As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisper finally, there’s a profound sense of fulfillment in completing a fall quilt or really any quilt, right? Create a quilt that not only keeps you warm but also fills your heart with the inspiring essence of autumn. This is currently my favorite quilt but just like the seasons, it will quickly change.
Every February, I join some dear friends for a quilt retreat on the coast of Oregon. With COVID we will not being retreating. I am bummed to miss my friends, the laughter, the stories, the food, drink and the scenery. I will also miss the time to work on future projects. The last retreat I was working on a project using Daybreak by 3 Sisters, which is shipping to stores now. So many projects I work on I can’t really show until the fabric is available, but I can share now.
Daybreak fat quarter bundle
I had all my pieces cut and ready so I could just sew, sew, sew. If you have not been to a retreat there is usually tons of laughing and talking, so not having to concentrate for cutting is usually best.
daybreak scraps
3 sisters fabrics always include romantic florals as the focal pieces and I knew I wanted to highlight the bigger prints in alternate blocks. One of my all time favorite quilt blocks is the sawtooth star and decided to use a couple of variations of that block to create a vintage feel.
Geese in progress
The pop of navy fabrics was something new for a 3 sisters collection and I love the combination of the pinks and blues together.
Daybreak Quilt
Can you say Paisley? I knew I had to use that for the backing.
Daybreak quilt border
Quilted by Maggi Honeyman, Binding by Susan Stiff
While I will miss the retreat in 2021, I will always have this quilt as a keepsake from 2020.
To download the pattern to make your own Daybreak quilt, click here.
I love the colors.
I love the pattern.
I love the quilting.
I love, love, love it.
Someone asked me about the pattern and colors so I thought I would share it here. When I went to hunt down
the good pics, I remembered it was featured in the April May 2013 QUILT magazine. So here are their nice styled, color corrected pictures from 2013.
The background could be anything but I used 9900-182 Porcelain (4 1/4 yds.)
Pick your favorite 12 colors, add background of your choice.
The possibilities are endless. Choose all shades of greens and browns for trees, blues and greens with a little white on top for snow capped mountains, 30’s prints for a retro quilt or just a combination of all your funky favorite fabrics as a scrap buster!
During the pandemic, several different people on social media starting having outdoor quilt shows by showcasing one of their quilts in their yard or on their front porch, etc. Jenny Doan starting doing this also and I thought I would do the same each weekend.
I dug this schoolhouse quilt out of my stack to symbolize the return to school, even though it was virtual.
Several of you have messaged me wanting this pattern so I decided to do a quick blog post
so I can share it with everyone.
The pattern does have templates for the roof, so be sure and set your printer to actual size.
Choose 6 fat quarters and 3 1/2 yds background of your choice.
I made mine using 6 different Bella Solids.
I also want to make it using denim, blues and greys.
I know my neighbors probably think I am crazy but I have enjoyed my own little quilt show.
My blog post would not be complete without a mock up of a little red schoolhouse quilt.
Today is the beginning of a beautiful quilting journey. If you did not finish your Splendid Sampler quilt, it is not too late to jump in on the second round. The blocks will be 6″ so any combination of Splendid Sampler blocks will work nicely together.
I am sharing my version of block 1 designed by Alex Veronelli! No better person to start us on our Splendid journey than the king of Aurifil thread.
I must admit I did not finish round 1, so I am combining blocks from both series. I am so inspired by the book
and all the creative settings online that
I have gotten my second wind and will be sewing along.
I hope you will also.
A big shout out to all the designers in the quilting community that have contributed their talent and creativity to share their blocks and their stories.
Book 1 shown above, available now. Book 2 already in the works and will be available later this fall.
My version is going to be scrappy since this will be an ongoing project. I would love to hear what your fabric choices are?
I had to show one more pic of my block mainly so I could show my favorite little tape measure. I am obsessed with plastic animal tape measures.
My grandkids can play with them and not break them!
Enough about me, join the FB group to follow along and get your patterns.
If you are not on FB, then follow the Splendid Sampler blog for all the details and patterns.
My daughter is the middle child. She has two older brothers and two younger brothers.
If you have read many of my posts you know I am into birth order. Jillian has so many different traits that it is hard to define her into a certain birth order. She is the middle child, she is the only daughter so that is like being a first-born and sometimes the only child comes out in her. So with this being said the main trait she carries is the girl with the biggest heart which has nothing to do with birth order at all.
She worries about all of this motley crew known as her family and makes sure they are all taken care of.
Shopping for her is impossible!
So when it was time to figure out what to do for her for Christmas, it needed to be a gift that she couldn’t take back.
So the answer was a quilt, but just what quilt was the tough part.
I decided the girl with the biggest heart needed a quilt that was just that… a big heart.
The quilt is fun and fast to make with 1 moda layer cake and 3.75 yds of background fabrics.
She loves Lella Boutique’s fabrics so it was easy to choose what fabrics to use.
After the quilt was quilted I decided it needed to add a bit of embroidery which was not the smartest move.
Embroidery through the quilt with Snuggles on the back did not make for the best stitches but she loves it no matter what.
This pic is a better pic for actual color and also to show the snuggles on the back. Once she has used a quilt with snuggles on the back that is all she ever wants to use! Have you tried different textures on the back of your quilts? Flannels, snuggles, lawns, denims, wovens? It is so much fun that there are so many options now. Remember when the only thing quilter’s used for their backings was muslin? How boring!
Another shot of some of the crowd with Jillian always hiding in the back. Love her to pieces!!
The pattern was designed by Holly Hickman and featured a Kate Spain fabric collection but translates into any collection.
If you want to make this quilt for the person with the biggest heart in your family, here is the pattern.
You will need 1 moda layer cake and 3.75 yards of background.
What can you make with a Moda Charm pack, a moda candy and a few yards of bella solids?
I am pulling this blog post out of my draft section because I share a free little pattern download at the bottom of the post but also wanted to share the incredible quilting.
A charm pack (42-5″ squares) and a mini charm pack (42-2 1/2″ squares) So easy. Start sewing with the precuts to make a quick project during balancing all the summer schedules. Plenty of room for autographs for a family reunion project.
WOWSER! Feathers Galore!
Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer.
I recently posted a picture of this quilt on my Instagram because I love it.
I love the colors.
I love the pattern.
I love the quilting.
I love, love, love it.
Someone asked me about the pattern and colors so I thought I would share it here. When I went to hunt down
the good pics, I remembered it was featured in the April May 2013 QUILT magazine.
So here are their nice styled, color corrected pictures from 2013.
And here are the details if you want to make your own version using Bella solids.
9900-51- Buttercup,
9900-81 Goldenrod,
9900-83 Grey,
9900-125 Betty’s Brown,
9900-147 Coral,
9900-162 Amelia Apricot,
9900-171 Etchings Charcoal,
9900-185 Zen Grey
9900-209 Clementine,
9900-210 Strawberry,
9900-213 Mustard,
9900-244 Harvest Gold.
A fat quarter of each.
The background could be anything but I used 9900-182 Porcelain (4 1/4 yds.)
I refer to this type of quilt as a 12 pack, not a 6- pack that is something completely different. Pick your favorite 12 colors, add background of your choice
and the possibilities are endless.
Choose all shades of greens and browns for trees,
blues and greens with a little white on top for snow capped mountains,
30’s prints for a retro quilt
or just a combination of all your funky favorite fabrics as a scrap buster!
I shot a pic of the quilt with my Iphone as I zipped by the quilt laying on an unmade bed at my sons house.
The quilt looked even better washed and used. I love it when a quilt has been put to good use.
Tag me if you make a version of this quilt. I would love to see it.
Here is the pattern for your use.
Enjoy!!
You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!
– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf
You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!
– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf
Welcome to your next to the last stop on the Texas Roadtrip QAL.
By now you have many of the highlights around the state and discovered many of the gems that give Texans our bragging rights.
I was born in Kansas but as the ol’ saying goes….
I got to Texas as fast I could.
Really it was my mom and dad that came to Texas as soon as they could since I was only 5 years old and couldn’t drive when my family moved to Texas. We started out in Lubbock and eventually moved to Dallas when I was 8.
Both my mother and father were native Texans so when I was told about this project I knew I wanted to play along. Making the blocks and reading about many of the parts of the state have brought back many memories of family reunions, road trips, and various adventures along the way. Enough about my families antics. You can read about my roadtrip down memory lane August 17th when I post the final quilt project and link up for prizes.
So today you are here to learn a little about the Texas Hill Country.
The area that defines the Hill Country varies depending on who you ask. It does however cover 25 different counties from as far north as West Austin and south all the way to Bandera and into San Antonio. Bandera, Texas is the Cowboy Capital of Texas. The town still has hitching posts outside many of the stores because it is not uncommon to ride your horse into town. Bandera also has as many honky tonks as it does churches. SIDE NOTE- This weekend, July 26th is the National Day of the American Cowboy. If you happen to visit Bandera, be sure and stop at the O.S.T Restaurant and enjoy your meal in the John Wayne room. I seriously have done this! I won’t share about the Honky Tonks we visited during the family reunion. Yes, Bandera also has a quilt store, Gone Quiltin’.
Everything is bigger in Texas except for maybe our hills, so to have an area of the state know for the hills, granite rocks and native brush tells you we are pretty proud. So if you visit, please no comments on the size of our hills. I could go on and on and tell you about the quaint downtown streets, the antique shopping, the mega outlet malls, the inter tube rides down the river but there is not enough time. You will just have to experience the charm for your self.
Any road trip is sure to include a few stops along the way at any and all quilt shops. So I will list just a few.
You won’t want to miss Creations in Kerrville, Texas.
They won’t mind that I borrowed this pic from their website.
Kathy and Julie are precious and have owned this shop for over 34 years so you know they are doing things right.
There are as many quilts shops as their are longhorns so I also wanted to include a few links that are state wide quilting events. Be sure and check them out.
http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/texas-row-by-row-experience.htm
http://www.quiltacrosstexas.com/
The fun part of this project was we were all making the quilt step by step as the blocks were posted on the QAL. We didn’t have each others quilt blocks in advance. Since I am one of the last to post, I thought I could do a HILL block to represent the hill country but that was too predictable. I choose to do a Bed and Breakfast block.
This area has such great memories for me because many many years ago I was a young stay at home mom. I was making and peddling my wares at various arts and craft shows. This was way before e-bay, etsy and all the other wonderful ways to be able to sell handmade items that they have now.
The Country Peddler show was coming to Fredrickburg, Texas and this was the big time kind of show. I had no idea what I was in for. My husband told me about a gal that he had met coaching the boys t-ball team. He said, “I think the two of you would really hit it off.”
I invited her to come with me for the weekend and to help me out at this show. There wasn’t a single hotel room in town available so we found a charming little bed and breakfast to stay in. The house was on the back side of an existing home so finding it in the dark was an adventure all by itself. We were expecting two rooms as the Inn Keeper described on the phone. When we arrived there was one bedroom, one bath, a few steps along with a small door and a tiny keyhole. Once we opened door there was the most charming small bed inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Charming is all I can say about the decorations and attention to detail. We had a wonderful weekend and like my husband said, we did hit it off and have been best friends for over 25 years.
So when visiting the Texas Hill Country please visit the bed and breakfasts so you can truly experience all the hospitality and charm this area of Texas has to offer.
You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!
– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf
You can find more specific details about this QAL, such as fabric requirements, at My Fabric Relish and Pretty Little Quilts.
There will be a lot of fun information and prizes, so I hope that you
will be able to follow along even if aren’t able to make the quilt!
– See more at: http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2014/05/deep-in-heart-of-texas-roadtrip-quilt.html#sthash.p5ek0S3j.dpuf
What draws you to a quilt pattern? I have wanted to make a certain quilt from the Moda bake shop forever. Well to tell the truth I have several of the patterns printed and waiting in the wings to make but this one was calling my name.
I dove right in. The pattern is Sunday Potluck by KnottyGnome Crafts. This quilt was faetured on the Moda Bake shop in September 2013. I loved how classic retro the fabrics were and it looked prefect for a Sunday picnic. I planned on making it using the American Jane collection, but I ended up using those fabrics for another project. So I had a Fig Tree and Co layer cake and wondered how different the quilt would look.
Same pattern, two completely different looks. what is your favorite way to change up patterns?
SIDE NOTE: This is a good reason to not try and take a picture on a windy day while your daughter is trying to hide behind the quilt top. My daughter will kill me if she sees this and probably never hold a quilt top for me again.
And here are the details if you want to make your own version using Bella solids.
