I'm so excited to be able to share my newest quilt pattern, Fast Track! It's a quick and easy quilt pattern that uses pre-cuts and includes four sizes of quilts.
So far I've made three different versions of Fast Track and I've pretty much loved them all. I shared the first one a few weeks ago, and I have a red and gray Christmas version that I'll share next week. And I'm dying to make one with only solid fabrics - I'm just trying to narrow down which colors to use. Any suggestions?
Super quick to piece
We all love how fast strip piecing is, and I designed this pattern to be a unique take on a quick and easy strip quilt. With Fast Track there is minimal cutting and very few seams in each block. And with no points to match up, and no borders to add you'll be done with this quilt in no time.
Hey friends! Today I get to introduce to you to a couple of new fun things.
I've been sewing away over the past few weeks working on a new pattern and I'm super excited about it. I've made three different versions so far and I can't wait to share them all with you!
You'll have to wait just a bit longer though - just until after Thanksgiving when the patterns arrive from the printer. So consider this a little sneak peek.
This is Fast Track - a precut friendly, quick-to-piece pattern that you're going to love!
For this version of Fast Track I used some brand new fabrics - and as you can see, these prints brought a big ol' stack of sunshine to my sewing room. The colors and prints are so cheerful and bright.
This latest project falls into the "just for me & just for fun" category....so of course it ended up on the bottom of my list of priorities and took me awhile to make. Isn't that how it goes? :)
Back in July this new line from Allison Harris (Windham Fabrics) was released and I fell in love. The colors are very "me", I loved all of the different florals, and the chicken print was too good to pass up.
The line is called Backyard Blooms and you can still find some of the prints in quilt shops, or on Etsy - but I wouldn't wait - it won't last too much longer.
I wanted to leave the prints in bigger pieces so I could really appreciate them and I knew this Venture Out pattern would be perfect.
**This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post. Thank you!
The original Venture Out pattern calls for 14 fat quarters, but for this version I used only 9 FQ and made the quilt slightly smaller by removing one row and two columns.
This pattern is one of the easier ones to adjust in size and I really like how this smaller throw size turned out (53" x 67"). You could also adjust it to make a larger Venture Out by adding rows and columns - just remember that you can get 5 blocks from each FQ and do the math from there.
Here's the version of Venture Out that's in my book. I used a variety of prints (not from a single line) in light, bright colors.
I love seeing how a quilt changes just by changing up the fabrics - and I still have it in my head to make a version of Venture Out that's a little more moody - maybe with some deep navy, teal, plum, and gray prints!
For the quilting on this one I used a longarm design / panto called Rolling Hills. I discovered it in one of my favorite Etsy shops, 627 Handworks. She has some other fun quilting designs as well as some really cool foundation pieced block patterns.
I took a look around my sewing room the other day and had to laugh - all four seasons were equally represented. I really should have gotten a photo of it.
There was a completed fall-colored quilt folded on the chair, a Christmas quilt on the design wall, a stack of red, white and blue star blocks on my cutting table, and I was at my machine binding this very spring-ish quilt.
This quilt is called Winsome and it's made with a fat quarter bundle of Woodland Songbirds fabric (Poppie Cotton).
Have you ever added a scallop border to a quilt? I've always been completely intimidated by the idea, and honestly afraid I'd ruin a perfectly good quilt. But then I found a secret weapon of sorts that makes scallops super easy and a lot less scary.
I'll be sharing a tutorial all about scallops next week so if you don't want to miss it, be sure to sign up for my newsletter --you'll be notified when the tutorial is ready.
The Winsome quilt pattern needs just 10 fat quarters, but for this version I used a little of each of the 19 fat quarters in the Woodland Songbirds line. They're so pretty - I couldn't choose just ten so everyone got invited to the party ;)
Woodland Songbirds is the newest fabric line from Poppie Cotton (ask your local store if they've ordered it, or you can also find it on etsy from HunnieQuilt shop and PandoraLLC Shop.)* It's such a soft and pretty line, and I love the contrast of the dark gray prints.
**This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post. Thank you!
The Winsome pattern is found in my book, Fresh Fat Quarter Quilts but the original quilt looked just a bit different. The addition of the scallop border is new to this version and I'm in love! I wish I could go back in time and add a scallop border to the original quilt. (You can see a photo of the original Winsome quilt below.)
Isn't it fun to see how a quilt changes with the fabric choices?
I designed this quilt block to be a mix between a Card Trick block and a Pinwheel block. It's a fun one because it LOOKS far more complicated to piece than it actually is - I promise!
**If you're a quilt shop, Fresh Fat Quarter Quilts books are available wholesale through Checker, Brewer, United Notions, and Martingale.
If you make a Winsome quilt I'd love to see it! Be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@abrightcorner) and use the hashtags: #winsomequilt #freshfatquarterquilts and #abrighcorner so we can all see what you create!
Would you like to see more projects made with Woodland Songbirds fabrics? Check out the following makers who will be sharing their creations:
I always look forward to the week of quilt market, when we get to see sneak peeks of the fabrics that will be coming to stores in the months ahead. Due to Covid restrictions, last Spring's market was all virtual. I tuned in as much as I could and I remember when I first got a look at this new line by Pat Sloan called Morrison Park. I immediately fell in love with all of the pretty blues!
Fast forward to fall 2020 and these prints will soon be in stores! Pat is hosting a project tour so we can get a better look at this pretty line she has designed.
For my project I chose to use just the greens and blues from Morrison Park along with my pattern, Layer Cake Lucy (find copies of the pattern in my shop).
I originally designed the Layer Cake Lucy pattern to help you use those stacks of pre-cut squares that we ALL have in our stash and on our shelves. But if you'd rather use yardage you totally can-- and that's what I did for this quilt.
To make a Layer Cake Lucy quilt with yardage, you'll need 11 (1/3 yard) cuts of fabric. Then from each 1/3 yard, cut 4 (10") squares and you're ready to start on the pattern.
As pretty as this blue and green version is, I couldn't help but try out a version in EQ8 using all the warmer colors from the Morrison Park line. Which one is your favorite? Warm or cool?
Now, are you ready for a little inside scoop? Over on Instagram I'm holding a giveaway for a 10" stack of Morrison Park plus some fun extras. So be sure to head over to IG (@abrightcorner) and find my most recent Morrison Park post for the details!
Want to see more Morrison Park projects? There's a tour happening now through October 11 with 14 different designers.
You can follow along with the links below, and also find their projects (and lots of sneak peeks!) on Instagram - check out the hashtag: #PatSloanMorrisonPark
Each designer will be hosting a giveaway as well so be sure to follow along!
If you make a Layer Cake Lucy quilt I'd love to see it! Be sure to tag me (@abrightcorner) on social media and use the hashtags: #layercakelucyquilt and #abrightcorner so we can all see what you create!
**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.
You might also like these other precut friendly patterns:
Is it starting to feel a little more like fall yet where you live? I've been noticing how much earlier the sun is setting lately, and today it's only supposed to be around 57 degrees. That's a welcome change to the 100+ temps we've been having lately!
Today I get to share an all-solids quilt with you in some fall-ish colors. It's been so fun to work with a little different color combination (for me.) Usually I'm sewing with red, navy, aqua and / or green. Some times you just have to switch things up, ya know?
This is her first book and it's SO good! It's filled with 15 different projects - all using precuts. And one of the great things about the book is that all of the blocks are 12" so they can be mixed, matched, and inter-changed. I love that!
For my version of the Rise and Shine pattern I used this bundle of Kona cotton solids (colors are from top down: Ice Peach, Foxglove, Plum, Everglade, Sage, Seafoam, Sienna, Salmon, Butterscotch, Mustard)
Here's Amanda's original Rise and Shine quilt, made with the bright and cheerful Welsummer fabrics by Cotton + Steel.
I think it's so fun to see how different a quilt looks when the fabrics are changed! I did also choose to do a single border in the same gray I used for the sashing (Kona Shitake).
I backed the quilt in a snuggly gray minky, and used some simple wavy line quilting to keep the focus on the blocks. And for the binding I used the Everglade Kona solid.
And you can read more about this fun book on Amanda's blog here. She's hosting a blog tour over the next several weeks so be sure to stop by each quilter's site to see what they create! (Scroll down to see the full schedule)
**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) when purchases are made through links found in this post.
