It was the birds that did it! Once I started cutting up that bird print and putting it up on the design wall, I knew I had arrived in my happy patchwork place. Before long I had a delightful rainbow quilt top: happy scrappy rainbow kaleidoscope blocks and pastel rainbow cornerstones, nestled in a bed of black and gray. Very urban-cool, yes?
Read MoreConfession: lately I have been feeling stumped with my kaleidoscope blocks. I know that I want to set them in an irregular grid, but I also want to make a rainbow blend. One concept requires order while the other suggests freedom. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do next in order to move in the right direction.
Read MoreYesterday I got to start a new quilt. Yay for fabric scraps! I guess it’s been since May that I worked with them? That’s a bit too long in my book. I am even following the siren song of rainbow order scraps. Here we go again!
Read MoreThis quilt is called Rainbow Over Head. It represents my choice to believe that no matter what storms come in my life, it is possible to find a rainbow again. This is not the trite message that everything all works out and that everything is always somehow okay, but that beauty and love exist alongside the real loss. Like color in the darkness or a rainbow after a hurricane. I acknowledge the existence of both in my life. And I choose to be happy.
Read MorePeople often ask how long it takes to make a quilt. The most impossible question! First because the time varies radically based on the patchwork and quilt size. Second because most quilters don’t keep track! When we’ve really found our groove with a delicious project, time falls away into an immersive, satisfying present.
Read MoreYour rainbow messages, bee block rainbows and a fresh take on my Rainbow Plus quilt. This is the third time that I started fresh with arranging the pieces. This time, I am really loving it! May you enjoy the beautiful colors of today.
Read MoreThis month I have been keeping a secret. Or really, it’s been longer than that. Certainly my marriage has been dying a long, slow death of many months and years. For a long while the edges of that growing reality were soft and slippery until their form became a solid thing that could not be denied.
Read MoreI relish my turn to lead the monthly charity quilt for Comfort Circle of do. Good Stitches! Of course I enjoy getting to choose the patchwork and the colors; but, I also love how in the weeks that follow I receive so much happy mail. Small, squishy packages of delightful quilt blocks drop through my mail slot and brighten my day.
Read MoreNext month is my turn to lead the collaborative charity quilt for Comfort Circle of do. Good Stitches. A rainbow-blend Bear Tracks quilt is the project that I have chosen, inspired by the quilt I made for my book. Time to get things rolling with a few blocks!
Read MoreIt’s seems I’ve captured the rainbow again. This swirl of happy, scrappy patchwork makes me smile, just like that bow of color in the sky. Come see my finished quilt! Psst - a new round of Pas de Deux is on sale now. We start fresh in April!
Read MoreA rainbow of diamonds sparkles with vibrant color, bringing to mind a field of spring flowers. The wedges in between the diamonds offer slivers of contrasting blue and lavender skies. This wash of contrast enhances the diamond colors just as a bright, sunny day brings a garden to life.
Read MoreIt’s a lot at the moment. Logically I can rationalize that things will be ok, that our family’s future can unfold in a number of acceptable ways, but emotionally I’m often feeling a sort of anxious haze. And do you know what breaks through the haze and sets my spirit light? This very quilt. The colors. The clarity. The contrast. It’s freeing me.
Read MoreI’m crafting a rainbow of diamonds with the Wedge Cross block, a bonus quilt-pattern-in-progress for Pas de Deux BOM club. Fabrics are Ruby and Bee Solids. These rich, saturated hues are captured in cloth by designers Heather Ross and Annabel Wrigley, working in tandem for Windham Fabrics.
Read MoreMy longarm has been busy, busy, busy lately! Come see some rainbow-themed projects that I've been blessed to quilt in recent weeks. May your rainy days be filled with color!
Read MoreI’m working on something really fun and exciting today - the Confetti quilt encore! Oh how I LOVED the process of making this quilt. Scrap quilts are always a joy, but this one uses the smallest scraps and all the colors. Total scrappy bliss.
Read MoreA snapshot of community contributions for Rainbow Blends + All Colors In via Quilter’s Color Quest. Plus, Balance Your Stash with my custom curated rainbow fabric bundle, available at Purple Stitches.
Read MoreUsing all the colors doesn’t necessarily mean creating a classic rainbow quilt. When you think of the rainbow, you probably imagine those hues that appear in the sky. But, if rich, pure hues aren’t your cup of tea, don’t write rainbows off yet.
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