Spring Dreams Baby Quilt Pattern

A few months ago I designed this quilt for Quilter's World magazine and I am excited to now able to share it! 

I've always loved giant barn quilts and I used one as my inspiration for that large center star. 

Once I had the big star in the middle, I felt like the corners were too empty so I took the same block and scaled it down smaller to fit in the corners. 

Scrappy Gradient Block Tutorial

Ready for a simple but really fun quilt block tutorial? You're going to love this one. It's perfect for using up those scraps that I KNOW we've all be saving. These are fast to make, and it's fun to dig into your scraps and play with colors and values.

This is called the Scrappy Gradient quilt block and I created it for an online quilting bee that I was a part of a couple years ago. 

This block is great for quilting bees and block swaps because it's easy enough for even beginner quilters, it's a quick block so you can have each quilter make 2-3 blocks, and in the end you get such a great variety of scrappy fabrics and different prints. 

A Scrappy Heart Quilt

A few months ago I shared a free block tutorial called the Build A Heart block.

This last week I finished my throw size quilt made using different variations of the block and I thought you'd like to see!

The Build A Heart pattern is a fun way to use up scraps - each half of a heart uses a 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle. 

My pink and red scrap bins were overflowing so I had no problem finding enough scraps to make a throw size version! In fact, I probably should have kept going and made a bigger quilt to help use up even more scraps. 

Top Notch Quilt Pattern Crib Size

Today I am sharing a crib size version of the Top Notch pattern. I used a pack of precut 10" squares from the Primrose Hill fabric line for this sweet little quilt, and I stitched this up a couple of months ago but never shared photos of the finished quilt.

The Top Notch pattern is fairly new to the shop - I released it a few months ago and so far have only shared one other sample version. I have made several different samples, and I'll be sharing them in the upcoming weeks!

Sketch Stitched Ornament Tutorial

I have a fun tutorial to share with you today! 

I've been making some of these Sketch Stitched Christmas Ornaments lately and they're fun to make, easy to customize, and a great way to use those fabric scraps we all have on hand. Plus they're a great handmade gift idea!

To make these ornaments I used the raw edge applique technique but... instead of using matching thread and hiding my stitches I love to add some outlining stitching in a nice dark, contrasting thread. It helps the little shapes to stand out really nicely against whatever fabric you use for the background. 

And you can let go of worrying if your stitches are perfect or not - just relax and have fun with these. The stitching looks so fun when it's slightly imperfect - it gives it that "sketched" look!

Ready to get started? 

Winter Magic Quilt in Christmas Morning Fabrics

Today I'm sharing a version of the Winter Magic quilt pattern - a fat quarter friendly Christmas quilt pattern that I released last year.

I have to admit something... this is not exactly a new quilt. I finished it last year in November, and then we used it and loved it. 

But I did finally manage take some photos of it, and with the Winter Magic pattern being the $5 pattern of the month I thought you'd like to see the pattern sewn up in different fabrics than what is shown on the pattern cover.

The Winter Magic pattern is a medallion-style quilt, but it is not as difficult to piece. I really love the look of medallion quilts but sometimes getting everything to line up just right can be tricky. 

So I kept the look of a medallion quilt, but created a better way to put it together!

Fast & Fun Lap Quilts Book

Hey there - I have a finished quilt, a new book, AND a giveaway to share with you all today! 

My friend Melissa Corry has written a new book called Fast & Fun Lap Quilts and I'm delighted to be a part of the book tour.

Confession time: I own all of Melissa's previous books (I'm a big fan) and I really like her style. She's a talented designer who has a knack for designing quilts that look complicated but really aren't.