New Maid, a finished quilt
Hello and happy Monday! I had a positively lovely weekend, complete with beautiful weather and a finished quilt. Come see, come see!
Ta da! Even the daffodils are smiling at my finished New Maid quilt. She’s a total classic. I’ve sewn the old maid’s puzzle block in a nostalgic, spring palette. And the prints are super cute and playful as well.
There are lions and mice, parrots and sheep, soda bottles and strawberries and circus tent stripes. Plus clover - lots of clover!
I used a generous dose of Heather Ross prints, which always radiate such a youthful joy. That and an emphasis on spring shades: pink, green and yellow, plus brown. I think it’s the brown that gives this quilt a softer, somewhat nostalgic vibe. Sometimes brown gets a bad rap with modern quilters, but I do enjoy its warmth as a neutral.
And did you notice the scrappy binding? I quickly threw the binding together, grabbing scraps that suited the palette. It was a little reckless on my part, but turned out well. She’s quilted with an all-over Fern motif, which imparts a soft and natural vibe.
On the quilt back you’ll find a few more adorable Heather Ross prints, plus a showy, large-scale Anna Maria Horner floral. Nice to use these special prints in large cuts, where you can really enjoy them.
Well, that is another quilt-making journey complete. This journey was not without its moments of doubts, but I am well-pleased with the finish. It suits the season and my heart just now.
If you’d like to bring some spring into your life, New Maid quilt is listed today in my Handmades shop. Thanks in advance for your comments and support!
Wouldn’t you know, she chose the apples? Actually she’s had her eye on that fabric since I brought it home last year. It is by Heather Ross from her Forestburgh collection. Isn’t it wonderful that a yard of fabric can be transformed to give us both so much pleasure? Yay for sewing!
Ta da! Even the daffodils are smiling at my finished New Maid quilt. She’s a total classic. I’ve sewn the old maid’s puzzle block in a nostalgic, spring palette. And the prints are super cute and playful as well.
What a quick and easy-going project. Not too many choices since I followed the look from the pattern cover, plenty of certainty and a satisfying, predictable result. I used the Sew Kind of Wonderful pattern called Happy Together and colored it in with Forestburgh fabrics by Heather Ross and Windham’s Ruby + Bee solids.
Here is my wall full of children! They do look happy together, don’t they? To me the bright, solid backgrounds are key to that effect. The solid backgrounds stamp the quilt with a sense of childhood joy, without being crazy-busy to the eye.
This quilt is made up of big blocks, each one of a different child figure. I arranged solids as colorful backgrounds and paired them with various print fabrics to ensure a nice spread of patterns, colors and value. It looks happy, no? Come see the first blocks!
What usually comes first - falling in love with a patchwork pattern or with a group of fabric? For me it varies so much that I don’t think I have a usual flow. This time it was perhaps both, if that’s possible. I am equally smitten by the pattern and the fabrics, and so excited to get to marry them together.
Friends, I am so pleased with how this turned out! My latest Teeter Totter quilt exudes a happy energy with a confetti of bright colors on bright, solid white. It looks positively resplendent in Keukenhof’s lush, colorful gardens! This was fun to sew and to photograph.
Yesterday, when it was quite overcast, little miss braved the cool weather for a lightning fast photo op. We dashed out our front door, across to the road to the daffodils and were back inside in less than five minutes! Aren’t you glad she was a good sport?
When mild weather and spring flowers first shyly showed their faces, Elora and I caught spring fever. One afternoon she nosed through my fabric stash for favorite fabrics that might become new dresses, shirts or skirts. I got right in the spirit, dreaming along with her. Today I started on that strawberry dress.
Come see what Elora made! It’s her first sewing project. Plus, my tips for how to ease a first machine sewing experience with a cautious child, like my sweet 6-year-old.
Hip, hip, hooray - a finished quilt! This new pretty thing is Economy Stars Parade in Heather Ross fabrics. I expect it’s the first of a series. I’ve got to try this patchwork layout with scraps sometime this summer!
The economy quilt block is a classic. With just three fabrics and square-in-square shapes, it’s the ideal block for framing cute prints like those created by Heather Ross. Here are some different ways I went about combining the fabrics.
I thought this was going to be a post about my Economy Star quilt, which is coming along quite nicely. But as I prepped the pictures, I realized that even more exciting than my patchwork is my new BIG design wall - hoorah!!!
I loved reading all of your reactions and ideas to the Economy Star sketches and fabric options. Of course there was support for each one. It just goes to show that there is no right or wrong when it comes to art and fabric choices!
Heather Ross fabrics are made of fairytales and sunshine. Today I’m designing a quilt starting with a very special stack - the Heather Ross 20th Anniversary collection. My design process flows from fabric to patchwork and back again.
Hello friends! I hope you had a nice weekend. We had some beautiful, sunny weather here in The Netherlands, which enticed Elora and I out on a walk with our mommy and toddler friend. So nice! I also managed to finish a quilt I’d like to share with you today.
A leader or a follower? I ponder the two opposing roles as I watch Elora play at our neighborhood playground. If I’m honest, her propensity to observe, bide her time and stand apart from the crowd can make me uncomfortable.
Good morning! I am savoring a quiet morning cutting fabrics. The window is open, ushering in a cool breeze and sweet bird song. I feel so lucky to have a few hours all to myself while Brandon takes the kids to a school appointment.
This time I paired two printed fabrics in a capsleeve version of the Geranium dress. I started with the Trixie Collage print by Heather Ross for Windham Fabrics. It’s so very, very adorable, isn’t it? And such a fun fabric…
Have you seen Heather Ross’ new collection for Windham Fabrics? It’s called Trixie, and as usual it’s super-sweet and absolutely perfect for little girls. Naturally, these fabrics had me dreaming of a little dress for Elora.
Vibrant colors, gorgeous bouquets, dainty dogwood quilting, sweet snails and lace moths - I absolutely adore this quilt! It teams with life and joy and femininity.
That’s why I wanted to make Aria her very own picnic blanket. She will soon begin a new phase of life as a young married woman. I wish her and her someday-family happy memories together that are too many to count, in the great outdoors and sometimes on this very blanket.