Introducing...my United quilt!  This is one of the most special quilts I own!  Many hands went into making it.  It was completed in 2020 so this blog post is long overdue! Keep reading to hear the story behind this quilt...

I am sure you would all agree that 2020 was a rough year for humanity.  At the beginning of the year, people started to realize we had a terrifying worldwide Covid-19 pandemic on our hands.  Then, a few months later George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis, MN. police officer.  Riots ensued and cities across the country burned. All of this happened during a major U.S. presidential campaign.  Things got ugly.  It wasn't our best moment as Americans.  My heart was in turmoil.  So what does a quilter do when things get rough?

They create.  They use the hum of a sewing machine to blur the chaos of the world.

So, I made a little flag block and then another.  They were so fun and easy to make.  I quickly realized what would make them even better though - if some of my Instagram friends joined me.  So I put a request out there for anyone who desired - to please send me a flag block for my special project.

My request was for just one block in soft red, white, and blue fabrics.  Of course, many quilters could not resist sending more than one because they are that simple to make!  Just 2 seams!  It takes more time to pick out the fabrics than it does to make the block!  They're kind of addicting to make.

I received so many blocks!  Most came with sweet notes, a few with extra fabric they thought I would enjoy.  Everyone was so kind; it was so fun to open each package.  After I received all of the flags, I started piecing together my quilt top which included 50 flags (to represent the 50 states), plus 5 stars and 1 heart.  Thus, my United pattern was born!  And there really wasn't a question about what I would call it, "United" was meant to be.  It really was such a heartfelt project, from beginning to end.

I smile when I see the back of my quilt because it represents the generosity of my Instagram friends!  I didn't know any of them personally, but I received so many blocks that I had to put some on the back!  It's a reminder of how good, kind, and thoughtful people really are.  Despite all of the different religious, political, economic, and cultural backgrounds we have (there was even a flag from Australia!), we are all humans, and I believe, children of God.  And that is the greatest uniter.  We have more in common than we think and sometimes we need to be reminded of that.

I enjoyed putting the quilt together and then I took it to my quilter, Jen Ostler, who quilted it using the Diagonal Plaid panto.  It's a great general panto that looks good on everything!

I think the light blues and reds look great on the navy background.  But I've also made a United quilt with a low-volume background that you can check out HERE.  It's extra scrappy.  I would love to hear which one is your favorite!

This quilt will always have a special place in my heart.  I want to thank everyone who sent me a block.  They mean so much!  I even had several pattern testers for United so be sure to check out the #unitedquilt hashtag on Instagram to see lots more inspiration.  They really knocked it out of the park.  People have even hosted block swaps for United (which I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing!) 

This quilt finishes at 78" x 87". So it's big!  Someone told me the other day that they gave their United quilt to a friend in her "Military Mom Era".  That made me so happy!

If you'd like to make a United quilt you can grab the 

paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE.

Have a great day!

Scrappy United Quilt

 Hi friends!  Happy New Year!  I am so excited for 2025!  I love a fresh start and am looking forward to some fun things on the calendar this year!  I don't know if you've noticed but I now have an "Events" tab at the top of my blog with some of the said things on my calendar!  Check it out if you're looking for trunk shows, classes, and retreats you can do with me this year!

Today I want to share a quilt I started back in July of 2023.  

I just finished it last month and finally have some pictures to share!

This is my United quilt pattern and the third United quilt I've made.

Okay, I just realized that I never blogged about my other United quilts!  

I will have to make another post for those ASAP!  But here's the original United quilt. 

It has a great story...stay tuned.

01//14/25 Edit: I finally posted about my original United quilt!  Click HERE to check it out and hear the beautiful story of how many hands came together to create this quilt.

I really love the original quilt so much but I saw a scrappy version that one of my friends/pattern testers made and I was smitten!  Leah @pinkdesertblossoms.shop on Instagram made a darling low-volume background version that I couldn't stop thinking about.  Here's her finished quilt:

[Photo by Leah @pinkdesertblossoms.shop on Instagram]

With Leah's permission, I totally copied her!  Because I just loved it so much!

I made scrappy little flags whenever I had red and blue fabrics out.

United has 50 flags in the pattern - to represent the 50 states of course!

It also has 5 star blocks and 1 heart block for a little extra sweetness!

I used a red and white striped fabric for the binding and was absolutely in LOVE 

with the two-toned blue floral fabric I used for my back.

Jen Ostler quilted it for me with a really fun quilty star panto that was new to me.

It's called Starry Sawtooth by Melissa Kelley of Sew Shabby Quilting.  

I love how the quilting turned out!

Lots of fun fabrics were used!

The red and white wide-striped fabric below was from an old shirt of mine! 

These flag blocks are SO easy to make!  It will take you more time to decide 

which fabrics to use than to cut the fabric and make the blocks!

The quilt is pretty big!  It finishes at 78" x 87". 

I'm gonna give you a pro tip too!  It's awesome to do this pattern as a block exchange because then you don't have to buy so many different red and blue fabrics (if you want all of the flags to be different).  I did end up buying quite a few for mine because my red stash had gotten really low!

You can snag a paper or PDF version of this pattern HERE in my Etsy shop.

I'd love to hear what you think of this United quilt!

I'll try to do another post soon of my other United ones!

Happy quilting friends!

Feels Like Home Quilt

 Anyone else feeling like they need to finish a few projects before the end of the year?  I've got about 

3-1/2 quilts to bind so I'll be watching all the Christmas movies for the next two weeks while I try to get those finished!  I watched Haul Out the Holly on Netflix while finishing the binding on my Feels Like Home quilt.  It was a cute movie about a town that is over-the-top festive and a girl...who is not!

I hosted a quilt-along for this pattern in August and September and enjoyed making it alongside some of you.  I always love seeing the different colorways people choose.  I especially loved the red and white version and the Christmas version I saw.  If only there were enough time and money to make them all!

I used fabrics from my first fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs called, Feels Like Home for this quilt.  The collection has 10 low-volume prints and 14 saturated prints that were all inspired by my hometown and my home - my favorite place to be!

The pattern incorporates Heart blocks, Log Cabin blocks, and Courthouse Steps blocks.  I had been wanting to make a Courthouse Steps pattern since the first quilt I ever made was a scrappy Courthouse Steps quilt.  So this is what I came up with!

The roof unit of the house block is made using a technique called foundation paper-piecing.  There are only 5 pieces in each roof unit and only 13 houses so it's totally doable!  This is a great opportunity to practice FPP if you haven't tried it before.  And I actually have a video tutorial HERE for this specific block, if you want to check it out.

FPP is a great technique for getting challenging angles and accurate seams!  It looks a lot harder than it really is too!  Have you tried it before?

My friend, Jen Ostler quilted it for me.  She is the best.  She trims each quilt, ties it up with a ribbon and attaches a chocolate to the receipt.  She puts her heart into each quilt and is seriously the sweetest person ever!

She also quilts a tiny hidden object into each quilt - which makes for a fun game of hide-n-seek!  This time it was a star.  Can you see it in the photo below?  I love that little personal touch!

The panto I chose for this quilt is called Heart of the Home and I knew before I even finished making the quilt top that I wanted that design.  It's just perfect!

Jen tweaked the panto just a tad to make the proportion of the houses match the proportion of MY houses!  She also made sure the chimneys were on the same side as MY chimneys!  She did that all on her own.  She really is the best!

I bound it with this fun floral stripe from my collection, Feels Like Home.  

It's called Flower Beds in the color Night.

I backed it in Peonies in the color Honey.

And of course, I added one of the simple labels I always use.  I get them from Ever Emblem.  They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!  I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.  If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels and customize it from there.  I machine stitch my binding down around it because it's hard to hand stitch through it (but then I usually hand stitch the rest of my binding down to the back of my quilt).

This is a big quilt!  It finishes at about 92" square.  Perfect for snuggling or putting on a bed!

I don't know why it took me so long to bind it but I'm so glad it's finally finished!

I love how it turned out!  It was really fun to make and maybe someday I'll make another one...in Christmas fabrics!

If you'd like to grab the pattern, please visit my Etsy shop HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  

Happy quilting and happy holidays!

Two-Color Uneven 9-Patch Quilt Free Pattern

 Hi there!  I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving holiday if you live in the USA!

We did things a little differently this year and went out to eat in Deer Valley, UT. 

It was a winter wonderland there, as you can see.  We had a great time, relaxing and spending time with friends.

Over the last couple of days I have been writing instructions for a new project I am going to start soon.

I've talked a little bit about it on Instagram...

I've been wanting to make another 2-color quilt.  I made a green and white Irish Chain quilt a few years ago, ended up selling it, and have been wanting to make another one ever since.  This time, I decided to go with this Uneven 9-Patch pattern though.  I thought it had a similar vibe but it's a little more jazzy!  I have never made an Uneven 9-Patch quilt if you can believe that!

For the dark fabric, I'm using this green leaf fabric (from my Feels Like Home collection with Riley Blake Designs).  It's called Sketchy Leaves and is in stores now.  For the light fabric, I am using this cream quilty stars print that I designed for Riley Blake's Hush Hush 4 low-volume collection.  It's called Seeing Stars and just shipped to stores!

[Santa Mini Mug Pincushion was gifted to me by my friend Shannon White.]

I plan to make a king-size quilt for my bed.  I have written the instructions to include 5 different size options though so there's something for everyone!  I think it would be cute in any colorway.  2-color quilts are just classic!  I'm loving this red and white "test" block I made!

I am not doing an official quilt-along for this pattern.  I have no sign-ups, or schedule, and won't be sending any emails.  But I would love for you to make one too, if your little heart desires!  I'm starting Monday, December 2nd as a little treat to myself for getting through November haha!  Feel free to join me.   I'll be sharing my progress on Instagram.  

I'm not sure how long it will take me but I think it will be a little bit festive to work on this during December.  It's green and white so I think it will be really cute at Christmastime, but it will work in my home throughout the year too!

Click HERE for the free pattern.

Happy holidays,

Amber

Trunk Show, Pineapple Block Paper Piecing Class and a Retreat

 Hey there!  I'm so excited to announce that I am partnering with my local go-to quilt shop, The Quilter's Lodge, to bring you some fun events in 2025!  I love The Quilter's Lodge!  It's big, it's beautiful, and it's full of gorgeous fabric, useful notions, and TONS of inspiration!  They even have an awesome retreat center that I've stayed in before.  It was so fun and nice having the fabric store at our fingertips during our stay!  

Keep reading to find out what we have up our sleeves!

First, I want to officially invite you to a trunk show!

DATE: Friday, January 24th, 2025

TIME: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm 

WHERE: The Quilter's Lodge

Draper, Utah

COST: $25

Sign up HERE

I'll be talking about how I got started in the quilting industry; designing patterns, designing fabric, writing books, and of course, sharing LOTS of quilts!  I hope you'll grab some friends and join me for a fun night of all things quilting!  If you're coming, let me know in the comment section below if there's a specific quilt that you want me to bring or if you have any questions that you want me to discuss that night!

Then, the following day, Saturday, January 25th, I'll be teaching a Pineapple Paper Piecing class!

It will be an all-day event so you will have my technique down by the time you leave that evening!  Again, grab your friends and reserve a spot.  This is such a fun technique that is perfect for scraps!

Foundation Paper Piecing Class

DATE: Saturday, January 25th, 2025

TIME: 10:00 am - 5:30 pm

(lunch will be from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm)

WHERE: The Quilter's Lodge

Draper, Utah

COST: $95 

(includes a pack of my Pineapple

Paper Piecing Patterns, lunch, drinks, and snacks)

Sign up HERE

I've made a few Pineapple quilts over the years and even hosted a Pineapple quilt quilt-along on Instagram.  Every single one I see is just stunning and it amazes me how different they all look!

And looking ahead, we have another trunk show + retreat planned for September, 25th - 27th, 2025.

My next fabric line with Riley Blake Designs called, Honey Locust will be hitting stores in May of 2025 so we'll be focusing on fabric and patterns from that line.  I am so excited and can't wait to share it all with you there!  Anyone is welcome to the trunk show and retreat so talk to your friends and set those dates aside.

Trunk Show

DATE: Thursday, September 25th, 2025

TIME: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm 

WHERE: The Quilter's Lodge

Draper, Utah

COST: $25

Sign-ups will be available soon.

For the retreat, we'll be spending 2 full days making blocks for my upcoming pattern, 

The Locust House Row Quilt!  This pattern was inspired by my grandma (Gigi) and I can't wait to tell you all about it.  And guess what!  I am going to design an exclusive row pattern specifically for the Quilter's Lodge retreat attendees! 

Honey Locust Retreat

DATE: Friday, September 26th - Saturday, September 27th, 2025

CLASSTIME: 10:00 am - 5:30 pm

(lunch will be from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm)

WHERE: The Quilter's Lodge

Draper, Utah

COST: $200

(includes a 2-day class, lunch on both days, 

the Friday night trunk show, and a Quilter's Lodge swag bag!)

Sign-ups will be available soon.

I just love The Quilter's Lodge and am so thrilled to be partnering with them to offer you these fun events.  Meeting you and connecting over our love of quilting is one of my favorite things to do!  Please let me know if you have any questions or you can contact The Quilter's Lodge for more details.

The Quilter's Lodge

12214 900 E, Draper, UT 84020

(801) 576-0390

info@quilterslodge.com 

Family Ties Quilt

 Hello!  Today I want to share a quilt that I actually finished a couple of months ago.  I got some pictures of it in September but I'm finally blogging about it!  It's a free pattern that I designed for the Riley Blake Designs website called Family Ties.

You may recognize it because I shared the original version (using my Feels Like Home fabrics) HERE.

I loved making the original version so much that I decided to make another, bigger one from my stash!  

I am not much of a purple person but when I spontaneously put some purples together with some warm browns and navy blues, I loved the combination!  I pulled a lot of low-volumes from my stash as well, that had those same colors in them.  There's a bit of a modern/vintage vibe going on here which is one of my favorite styles!  I used a lot of florals, plaids, geometrics, and even some shirtings.  I love mixing different kinds of prints to give quilts an extra scrappy look!

My original Family Ties quilt (which you can see HERE) has a 6 x 6 block layout.

For this quilt, I made 80 blocks put together in an 8 x 10 layout.  

This is such a simple, classic pattern that is pretty quick to put together.

I think it would be a great pattern for gifting! 

I just so happened to have a bolt of this cream and navy blue plaid fabric in my stash.  I thought it went nicely so I used it for the back and even had the binding fabric in my stash (leftover from another project) so this was kind of a freebie quilt (#girlmath ha!)

My long-arm quilting bestie, Jen Ostler quilted it for me with the Relation pantograph by Melissa Kelley of Sew Shabby Quilting.  I like how it has a vintage/modern vibe and mimics the design of my blocks.

This quilt finished at 72" x 90".  To make this size quilt, you will need:

- 40 light print 10" squares

- 80 light print 2" squares (2 coordinating squares for each 10" square)

- 40 dark print 10" squares

- 80 dark print 2" squares (2 coordinating squares for each 10" square)

- 3/4 yard of binding (cut 9 strips, 2-1/2" x 40" each)

- 5-1/2 yards of backing fabric

- 80" x 98" piece of batting

Click HERE for the original free Family Ties pattern.

The skill level for this quilt is beginner.

This quilt would be cute for any person and in any colorway!  Do you think you would make it?

What colors would you do?

I hope you enjoy this free pattern!  Let me know if you decide to make it and thanks for stopping by!