Plump Pluses - 4 Versions

 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!

New Quilt Pattern - Merry Pinwheels

 Hi friends!

I'd like to introduce you to my new pattern,

Merry Pinwheels!

I wanted to design a 2-1/2" strip-friendly pattern

and thought these pinwheels were really fun!

Merry Pinwheels would be cute in any colorway.  

But I used this darling Rolie Polie from Riley Blake Designs called

Holiday Cheer by My Mind's Eye. 

It's full of vintagy Christmas goodness!

And bonus, the selvages are so cute!

I believe the skill level for Merry Pinwheels is "confident beginner".

It comes with instructions for FIVE different quilt sizes:

Crib, Throw, Twin, Queen, and King.

This is the twin size.

For the background, I used Sparkler in the color Alpine

by Melissa Mortenson for Riley Blake Designs.

And then I found this darling pink gingham fabric 

for the backing. So vintagy and sweet.

My quilter, Jen Ostler (@drycreekquilter on Instagram) 

quilted it for me.  She used the Orange Peel Swirl Panto.

It was a new-to-me design and I think it's perfect

for this quilt.  It's festive but doesn't take away

from the pattern or prints.

Jen was able to get the design to line up perfectly with the blocks.  I love it.

I bound it with the red stripe from Holiday Cheer.

And of course, I added a simple label from Ever Emblem.

I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.

If you go to their site, you'll have to pick a cotton label 

and customize it from there.  I've been using their labels for years.  

They're so convenient.  Now I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!

We're all set for Christmas now.  (I love putting Christmas

quilts on beds during December.  It creates a magical feeling

and gives the added warmth needed in our home here in Utah).

I'll be sharing some of my pattern tester's versions soon.

If you were going to make this quilt what colors/fabrics

would you use?  I'm thinking this would be darling

in 30's reproduction prints.

You can get the PDF pattern HERE

and the paper pattern HERE.

P.S. All patterns and quilts in my Etsy shop

are 20% off right now.

Happy quilting!

Scrappy Brick Quilt

 Good morning!

I have another scrap-buster quilt

to share with you today.

It's a brick-style quilt.  Have you made one of those before?

It was my first time doing one and you can't 

get any easier than this pattern right here!

I was using up scraps leftover from my Kaleidoscope quilt

which you can see HERE.  I ended up cutting some more rectangles

from my stash and scraps to make it a little bigger though.  

I cut 3" x 9" for the main rectangles and 3" x 4-3/4" rectangles for the half-rectangles.

The finished size of this quilt is 43" x 53" but you could make it any size you want!

I think this size would be perfect for a baby, toddler, or lap quilt.

 Because my quilt top was wider than 40" (and you need extra backing fabric for longarm quilting) 

I decided to go with this 60" wide chambray fabric for the back.  It's called Robert Kaufman Chambray Union 5 Point Dot.  I didn't want to piece the back for such a small quilt so this was a great way to go.  I love the little design on it!

The labels are from Everemblem.

I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.

If you go to their site, you'll have to pick a cotton label 

and customize it from there.  I've loved the ease of these labels.

Now I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!

I love this gold and rust stripe fabric that I used

for the binding.  It's the Warp & Weft Moonglow Stitch Suede by

Alexia Marcelle Abegg for Ruby Star Society.

Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah quilted it for me.

The design she used is called Terracotta and I've used

it quite a few times.  I really like that panto for a

nice, basic, overall pattern.  Jen did a fantastic job as usual!

I love a super easy, fast, scrap-buster pattern, don't you?

I'm really happy with the way this turned out

and would definitely make this pattern again.

I hope this inspired you to use up some of your scraps.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy quilting!