I just realized that I have never blogged about my Plump Pluses pattern!

And considering I have made 4 versions...I thought I would share!

This pattern came about because I wanted to figure out a way to use a lot of my 2-1/2" precut squares.  

So I designed this block and was able to make a whole quilt with fabric I had on hand.  The only thing I bought specifically for this quilt was the background - Boy Blue from the Confetti Cottons collection by Riley Blake.  I've really been trying to use more colorful backgrounds this year!

I decided to make a BIG quilt so I could use up lots of squares.  This is the queen-size quilt and it used up 769 squares.  That hardly put a dent in my precut squares stash LOL.

Jen Ostler quilted it for me with a new-to-me design called Ripple 1 by Melissa Kelley of Sew Shabby Quilting.  I think it's fun on the blue background.  And of course, she added her signature "hidden object" in the quilting - a duck!  I love it!

This is such a great scrap/stash-buster pattern.  Perfect for 2-1/2" precuts!

After I made that quilt, I thought it could be fun in a non-scrappy version so I decided to make another queen-size quilt.  This time, using fat quarters.  This fabric pull was my jumping-off point for a color scheme:

Here's block number 1 for that quilt:

Jen actually quilted all of these quilts for me.  The panto she used on this one is called Loop T Loop by Mike Fountain from Intelligent Quilting.  It was the first time using that panto and I really like it!

I love the teal background and color scheme of this quilt!  Kind of different for me!  I love playing with color - it's one of my favorite parts about quilting.  The possibilities are endless!

  

There are 4 size options in the pattern - Crib, Throw, Twin, and Queen.  I just couldn't get enough of using up squares and making the two different block versions included in this pattern so I made 2 crib quilts, as well.

All of the squares in both of the scrappy quilts were made from precut squares I had once cut from scraps.  When I have time, I try to cut my scraps into squares of specific sizes (2", 2-1/2", 3", 4", and 5") so they'll be ready for a scrap quilt.  Do you do that too?

The panto on this quilt is called Diamond Shaped Flower by Legacy Quilting.

The blue floral fabric that I used for the back was my grandma's.  Many of my quilts have a piece of her fabric in them.  Makes me so happy!

And last, but not least, is this space-themed version of Plump Pluses.

Using, again, fat quarters.

Jen quilted it with the panto, Sedona by Sarah Ann Myers.  I typically go for more geometric pantos as opposed to theme pantos.  Feels a little more modern to me.  I liked the triangles because a few of my prints had triangles in them.  And Jen added a cute little "Saturn" as the hidden object.  Do you see it (above)?

This is a fun, beginner-friendly pattern that is very versatile and cute in any colorway!  But I'd love to hear what YOU think!  Do you have a favorite between the scrappy and non-scrappy quilts?

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope you found a little inspiration!

To snag the paper Plump Pluses pattern, click HERE.

To snag the PDF version, click HERE.

Happy quilting!

Chris' Christmas Quilt

 Hello, hello!

I recently had the pleasure of making

a Christmas quilt for a friend.  She was looking 

for a quilt in dark colors that would really pop 

against her white shiplap walls.  After seeing her space

(so I could get a sense of her style) and discussing

a few ideas, I came home and pulled these fabrics.

I decided to go with mostly red, green, and black fabrics with little pops of gold, white, and brown.

We discussed just making stars - which would be really easy to accommodate the unique size she wanted the quilt to be.  She has a wall right by her front door that needed a little something special...so she wanted the quilt to be about 42" x 72".

While making this quilt, I laid out sets of fabric for each block - a row or two at a time - so I could make sure the colors were spread out and balanced.  It was also important to me to have contrast between each block so that each one stood out and didn't get "lost" in the scrappiness of this quilt.

My friend, Jen Ostler (@drycreekquilter on Instagram) quilted it for me with some classic crosshatch quilting.  My friend's style is transistional so I figured she wouldn't want anything too cutesy.  I think the crosshatching compliments the diagonal lines of the star points really well.

As many of you know, Jen always quilts a little hidden object into the quilting.  It makes for a fun game of hide and seek. Great for kids!  Can you find the star in the picture above?

I found this pretty olive green woven fabric for the back and I had the red stripe binding fabric for another quilt but ended up liking it more for this quilt!

It was so fun to work on the binding while it snowed outside!

I watched Christmas movies and felt extra festive and cozy while binding it!

I used my Sawtooth Star Cutting Chart to make 7" stars and did a 6 x 10 layout (so 60 blocks total).

Click HERE for the cutting chart and tutorial.

I hope my friend likes it!  She didn't really want to be involved in the process.  (I think she was being nice and letting me "do my thing" but she also said she would get overwhelmed if she had to pick out the fabrics - even though she has really great taste!)

I don't usually do commission quilts but this was really fun for me to do.  I loved seeing my friend's home and Christmas decor and trying to make something that would fit in perfectly there.  I really hope

this is what she envisioned!

Now it's time to deliver it!  So fun!

Happy holidays my friends!

Friendship Star Quilt Block

 Hi Friends!

I'm popping in to share

a free block pattern with you today!

It's such a simple, yet classic quilt block.

This block is called the Friendship Star

and probably took me about 15 minutes to cut and assemble the pieces.

This block would be great for a swap or to make a quilt 

for a friend who needs a little bit of cheering up!

Maybe in their favorite colors!?!

You could even make some little friendship stars

to use in the cornerstones of your sashing

(which is what Jessica Dayon and I did in our

free Willow pattern that you can check out HERE!)

I've created a cutting chart for several Friendship Star block sizes with instructions!

Click HERE to get the free chart and pattern.

If you use it, I'd love to see your blocks!

Please tag me @gigis_thimble on Instagram with the hashtag

#friendshipstarcuttingchart.

Happy quilting!