Hey there!  Today I want to share a really fun,

scrappy quilt I finished recently - my Kaleidoscope quilt!

I started with a bunch of random fat quarters from my stash...

And turned them into this finished quilt top!

The pattern I used is a free paper-piecing pattern called Kaleidoscope

by Sharon Holland.  Click HERE for the link.

I'm a HUGE fan of Sharon's work.  

She designs fabric for Art Gallery Fabrics and I swoon over

everything she creates!  Her Instagram feed is gorgeous and inspiring 

so be sure to check her out at @sharonhollanddesigns.

Sharon's Kaleidoscope pattern is for a mini quilt that finishes at 27-1/2" x 27-1/2"

(a 4 x 4 block layout).  The pattern has complete instructions and diagrams

 so it's a great project to practice the technique of paper-piecing.

The steps are repetitive and the project is small

so I highly recommend this for any paper-piecing newbie out there!

I LOVE paper piecing so I decided to make my Kaleidoscope quilt bigger 

with a 12 x 12 layout.  My quilt finishes at about 78" x 78". 

Because I multiplied the number of blocks to make by 9

I also multiplied the required background fabric by 9.

I had a LOT left over (I think I bought about 11 yards!) but unfortunately,

I don't remember how much was left over so I can't recommend 

how much to buy for this size quilt.  So sorry friends!

I started this project in February 2022 so I was thrilled

to get the quilt top finished just over a year later, in March of 2023.

A reminder that not every quilt comes together in just a few days

(like it sometimes seems on Instagram!)

I had the hardest time deciding on backing and binding fabrics

but I finally ended up with this rusty orange stripe for the binding.

It's called Morning Ray #187 by Edyta Sitar for Andover Fabrics.

The aqua floral backing (that you can see peeking out in the photo below)

is #9874 by Giucy Giuce for Andover Fabrics.

They don't really go together but the quilt is so scrappy that I don't mind.

Do you see the cute little heart that my quilter

Jen Ostler quilted into the design?  If you've been

around long enough, you know that she always quilts

an extra little shape into the quilt for the quilt recipient to find.  It's

a fun little game of hide and seek!

Jen used the Swivel Circles pantograph on my quilt and I love it!

A few friends joined me in this endeavor so I hope to get a 

picture of all of us with our Kaleidoscope quilts someday.

It was a fun project and I'm really happy

it's done so I can enjoy the finished quilt now!

Thanks for stopping by today!

I hope you feel inspired.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Oh What Fun Fabric Tour

The day is finally here that I get to share the project I made with the

darling fabric line, Oh What Fun by Elea Lutz for Poppie Cotton.

 I first saw this line at the 2023 International Fall Quilt Market.

I was immediately smitten with Elea's signature

vintage style, the unique color palette, and the 

fun details of this fabric line.

Oh What Fun features Santas, snowflakes and text, polka dots,

plaid, stockings, Christmas trees, snowmen, flowers and holly, and my personal

favorite...ice skating reindeer.  It's just so whimsical and sweet.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with this line.

I chose to make a quilt using the Patchwork Plaid pattern from my book,

Quilt the Rainbow.  I wanted to see it in another colorway

besides blue and white.  I think Christmas fabrics were the 

perfect match for that pattern.

I paired the Oh What Fun fabrics with a dark blue chambray

fabric that I had in my stash and a white with red polka dot fabric by

Lori Holt for Riley Blake.

Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah quilted it for me

with a fun loop and snowflake design.  It's called

Snowflake Meander.  Jen always hides an extra little 

shape in the quilting for its recipient to find.

This time it was a tiny star - so cute!

There are 3 different Plus blocks in Patchwork Plaid.

It finishes at 70-1/2" x 90-1/2" and would be cute in any colorway!

I backed it in a navy blue plaid fabric and bound it with 

the red Good Measure grid fabric from my fabric line, 

Treasured Treads with Poppie Cotton.

Oh What Fun is now in stores.

Grab a fat-quarter bundle and my book, Quilt the Rainbow

so you can make this quilt too.

Congratulations to Elea for another fabulous

fabric line!  I just love everything she creates

and am so happy I got to be a part of this tour!

To see some more Oh What Fun projects

check out these other makers on the tour:

Friday, June 2 http://prettybyhand.com/

Monday, June 5 http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, June 7      http://www.abrightcorner.com/

Friday, June 9         https://bretquiltdesigns.com/

Monday, June 12     https://www.sewmariana.com/

Wednesday, June 14 https://verityvintagestudio.typepad.com/my-blog/

Friday, June 16     Website: http://blueribbondesigns.com

Monday, June 19 http://www.gigisthimble.com/

Wednesday, June 21 theredfeedsack.blogspot.com

Friday, June 23     https://www.nannygoatquilts.com/

Monday, June 26     http://www.linenbouquet.com

Wednesday, June 28 www.cardinalcreekquilting.com

Friday, June 30     Instagram: @emmas_crafternoons

Thanks for stopping by today!

My Red, White, and Blue Quilts

Hey friend.  I've been meaning to share with you all of my 

red, white, and blue quilts - together in one place.  

Hopefully, if you're wanting to make a

patriotic quilt, you'll find some inspiration here!

First up is my Star-Spangled Pineapples quilt.

This is a free pattern that Amanda Niederhauser (@jedicraftgirl) 

and I created for our Five Fat Quarter Fun series a few years ago.

HERE is a link to the free PDF pattern and

HERE is a link to the original blog post with more photos and details.

Next up are my beachy, faded Stars and Stripes quilt

and my No-Point Stars quilt.

Both of these patterns are by other quilt pattern designers.

Stars and Stripes is by Camille Roskelly of Thimbleblossoms and it's available

in her shop HERE.  The No-Point Stars pattern is a free tutorial by

Allison Harris of Cluck, Cluck, Sew.  You can find it HERE.

I don't have blog posts up yet about my versions.

I want to share more details so I'll do that soon in another, separate post.

Another red, white, and blue quilt that I made

many years ago is my Scrap Jar Stars quilt.

This is a great stash-buster project!

This pattern comes with instructions for 4 different size quilts

and is available in my Etsy shop HERE.

I've also made my United quilt.  

It has 50 really simple flag blocks (to represent the 50 states) 

plus 5 stars and a heart block!  It's a fun make and very beginner-friendly!

United finishes at 78-1/2" x 87-1/2".

You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop HERE.

If you're looking for a really simple star/flag quilt

check out my Glory quilt HERE.

I share a free cutting chart & tutorial for Sawtooth

Star block sizes 3" - 20" plus all the details for this quilt.

Another option is a red, white, and blue Star Patch quilt!

I've made 3 Star Patch quilts (a colorful one, a red and white one,

and this one).  It was just screaming to be made up in 

red, white, and blue don't you think!?!

And for all you scrap lovers out there, I've got a tutorial

for this Firework quilt.  I made a baby-size but it

would be really easy to make it bigger.  A coloring sheet is included.

And if you're in the mood for some simple patchwork,

I've got this red, white and blue Rough and Tumble quilt pattern.

It comes with instructions for 5 different quilt sizes and is great for beginners!

I think it would be cute to layer any patriotic quilts

with a simple red or blue quilt (like the ones that I made for my new book,

Quilt the Rainbow).

[Sew Delightful.  Photo courtesy of Martingale.]

[Patchwork Plaid.  Photo courtesy of Martingale.]

You can find both of those patterns in Quilt the Rainbow; available HERE.

I feel like you can never have too many red, white, and blue quilts!

Do you have a favorite of the quilts I shared today?

I hope you found some inspiration here!

Happy Summer friends!

Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt

A scrappy, classic quilt is my favorite kind of quilt.

So when Liza Taylor (of Liza Taylor Handmade) announced

that she was hosting a Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt-Along

in 2022 - I couldn't resist joining.  And even though I am way 

behind schedule, I am so glad I participated!

I took my color palette inspo from some beautiful yardage

I had in my stash.  It's from the Kismet collection by Sharon Holland 

for Art Gallery Fabrics and I used it for the back of my quilt. 

I knew I wanted a layout that created diagonal rows of 

saturated prints and low-volume prints so I pulled warm

pinks, coppers, greens, golds, and low-volumes from my stash.

I tried not to choose "cutesy" prints.  I wanted a pretty, more mature 

feel to this quilt.  I auditioned and eliminated lots of fabrics along the way.

This basket stayed organized like this for about 2 seconds.

Once I started making blocks, strips were strewn about as I searched

for the perfect contrasting fabrics for each block.

I completely guessed how many strips to cut and I had to

cut more along the way to give me the variety I needed.

I have a bunch leftover so I may make a baby quilt out of them someday.

I cut fabrics for 6-8 blocks at a time and then chain-pieced

everything to help things go a little faster.

The blocks finish at 11-1/2" x 11-1/2".

You can get the free pattern if you sign up for

Liza's newsletter via her Instagram profile

@lizataylorhandmade.

I love Log Cabin quilts because there are so many ways to create 

secondary designs through fabric/color placement and block orientation.

My fave long-arm quilter, Jen Ostler quilted this for me. 

The panto I chose is called Behold.

I was a little nervous that it would be too busy but

I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I think the design compliments the 

diagonal rows of the dark and light fabrics while

adding some softness to this otherwise, angular quilt.

I originally planned on using a green or dark pink

fabric to bind this quilt but a friend at the fabric

store found this sweet little civil war brown print that I really liked! 

I loved the scale of the flowers and that it incorporated several of my colors.

It added a nice vintage vibe to the quilt, which I always love!

I made 56 blocks for a 7 x 8 layout so it finished at 80" x 92".

A great size to snuggle under!

Have you ever made a Log Cabin quilt?

I had so much fun making this quilt and look forward

to making another one someday.