Gigi's Quilt: A New Pattern

Saturday, July 13, 2024

 Hello, hello!  Today I have a fun new pattern I want to share with you!  It's a sentimental one for me.
It's called Gigi's Quilt and was inspired by one of my grandmother's quits.


This is my grandmother, Delma Baldridge (circa 1960).


She taught me how to quilt; we had a special bond.  She had a Churn Dash quilt that I always admired.  I loved the classic block, the scrappy red and blue color palette, and the Baptist Fan hand quilting.  



Several months ago, I wanted to design a quilt pattern in honor of my grandma.  So I took the Churn Dash block but I flipped it on it's head.  I designed this block with the same construction but different color placement and some 9-Patches added in.  It looks so different don't you think?  (That's the beauty of quilting!  With a few small changes you can completely change a design.)  


I ended up using the above block as a test block and started over with this color palette:


I used blues, purples, dark greens, and browns.  Several of the fabrics are wovens.  


Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah quilted it for me with the Gemma 3 pantograph.


I made the throw-size quilt but the pattern includes instructions for 5 different sizes.


I love the secondary designs this pattern makes.  Stars, Half-Square Triangles, 9-Patches...
everything that makes my quilter's heart happy!

I even made up this red and blue block to try to make one that more closely resembled my grandmother's quilt.  I'm not sure if I'll make a quilt with it?  Or maybe a pillow?  I think it's super cute and the red striped fabric was my grandmother's so I'm loving that!


I can't stop making these Gigi's blocks.  I have another quilt in the works as we speak.
I'd love to hear what you think about this pattern.  What colorway would you make it in?

You can grab the paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today!  Let me know if you have any questions!



Welcome Wreath: a 2-Color Quilt

Sunday, July 7, 2024

 Hi there! This past month has been a whirlwind with my nephew's wedding in Montana, kids home from college, and out-of-towners staying with us here and there. It's been fun and I've loved every minute!  But now things are slowing down and I want to share a quilt I finished a little while ago.


Back in May, I had the idea to make my new pattern, Welcome Wreath in a 2-color version.
You can check out the original, colorful version HERE.


I mocked up a few samples of 2-color Welcome Wreath quits and liked them!  So I looked in my stash for a pretty fabric that wasn't too busy but had just the right amount of print on it to be interesting.  I ended up using this pretty, blue-gray floral print for the main fabric and a white solid fabric for the background.


I made the lap-size version this time but Welcome Wreath comes with instructions
for three different quilt sizes - lap, throw, and full.  


It comes together pretty quickly because you use the 4-at-a-time method for making Flying Geese.
Oh, and by the way, I made a video tutorial with Riley Blake Designs for this block!
Use THIS link to check it out!  I shared all of my tips and tricks for getting nice points!


The original version of Welcome Wreath is fat-eighth or fat-quarter friendly 
(depending on which size quilt you make).  

If you'd like to make a 2-color version, you'll need the following fabric amounts:

LAP: 2-1/2 yards for the main fabric and 7/8 yard for the background fabric.
THROW: 4-3/4 yards for the main fabric and 2-1/3 yards for the background fabric.
FULL: 6-1/2 yards for the main fabric and 3-1/4 yards for the background fabric.

Note: The "main fabric" is the blue-gray fabric in my quilt and includes the binding.  
The "background fabric" is the white fabric.


I had my friend Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah long arm quilt this for me using the Goose Down pantograph.  I thought the feather design complemented the timeless look of this quilt.


This quilt is so soft and serene.  It makes me so happy!
I think it would make a really sweet baby quilt.


If you'd like to make this pattern, you can grab the paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE.


I think 2-color quilts are so classic and vintagy at the same time!
I need more of them in my life.  What about you?  Have YOU made a 2-color quilt?
Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Happy quilting!