It’s finished! The quilt I made during the Starbright Stars Sew-Along has had her day in the sun at the beautiful Hoge Veluwe park, a nature preserve in The Netherlands. It’s a place that feels wild. The skies are wide and the forests are peaceful, the silence interrupted only by the calling of birds or the whirring of bicycles along the paths.
Read MoreSo! You guys have been really keeping me busy with the longarm quilting service! Customers keep bringing me three or four quilts at a time, which is such a great compliment and very efficient of course. Today I share a new batch of digital quilting designs and info about my new batting brand of choice.
Read MoreIt’s not everyday that I get to sew. I know, isn’t that funny since this is my job? Ironically, my workday doesn’t always include patchwork, and I can honestly go weeks without sitting down behind my machine if I am busy with producing patterns and/or longarm quilting.
Read MoreThere is a point during the making of most of my quilts where I second-guess my design choices. With this quilt the wheaty-brown backgrounds felt like a quiet gamble. But now that it’s all sewn together it has exactly that autumn wheat field flavor for which I was aiming. Phew. And yay!
Read MoreWeaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life: Best of September, reading How to Fall in Love with Anyone, anticipating going to the ballet, celebrating this perfectly fall quilt by Robin and bracing myself for a rough string of months ahead.
Read MoreI did consider making another heart backpack, because that was quite a success, but my curiosity to try something new won out. That’s when I was struck with the idea to look through my orphan blocks. I found this English paper pieced block languishing in my orphan block bin. It totally deserves to become something real, something loved.
Read MoreWow, am I love-love-loving your Starbright Stars quilts! This week I am featuring some of YOUR quilts in progress on my blog. Thank you for sharing and spreading the happy patchwork inspiration far and wide!
Read MoreI am so, so happy with how Pastelly turned out! This couldn’t have happened if I had forced myself to finish the project before I was ready and before my mood matched the energy and colors of the work. These days I am feeling so much lighter, and this quilt is a manifestation of that joy.
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 MoreWeek 3 Sew-Along Goal: Sewing more Blocks. Are you in the sew-flow? I like that in this stage of a project everything is cut and chosen so that I can simply plop myself behind the sewing machine and whirr away my cares.
Read MoreI am a member of the European/Dutch circle of do. Good Stitches. We collaborate on charity quilts throughout the year and donate them to various good causes. Now we’re starting a new quilt again after the summer break. The assignment? Improv Floating Squares blocks, as inspired by the first score of The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters.
Read MoreSince I returned from summer vacation, my longarm business has been busy. How nice! Thank you to each quilt-maker who has chosen to entrust me with his or her quilt. I know that it means so, so, soooo much to you, and it is my honor to get to be part of your creative process in this way. Today I will highlight a few favorites that have come through my studio this summer. Enjoy the mini quilt show!
Read MoreWeek 2 Sew-Along Goal: Sewing Blocks. On the pattern cover is a smaller, more square-ish throw quilt. I received an enquiry about how to layout the rows to match that cover quilt, and figured there may be more who would like to hear about that. So, here we go!
Read MoreIt is very nice about improv that you can end at what seems like the intended destination, even if you usually did not know where you were going along the way. Is life like that too, I wonder? I think we mostly make it so, for our peace of mind.
Read MoreI took so many photos on my camping trip this summer that I couldn’t share them all with you in that one Expat Chronicles post. I saved a bunch for this follow-up post that were simply inspirational to me. These photos of doors, buildings and art have something in the way of color or shape that tugs at my heart. I hope that they will speak to you as well. Enjoy!
Read MoreWeek 1 Sew-Along Goal: Cutting. I always start my Starbright Stars quilts by cutting the diamonds. They’re the most fun, of course, and when you arrange them as stars on a design wall it feels like a quilt is really happening! This post walks you through how to cut diamonds on directional fabrics to cool effect.
Read MoreThe first time that my boyfriend Floris visited my sewing room, he appreciated that pastel cluster of wonky patchwork. At the time I was considering abandoning the project, but his attention sparked something. Now, several months later, I have room in my head and in my creative schedule for messing around a bit. Yesterday, I invited Floris to join me in the creative process.
Read MoreWeaving together my life as a maker and other spheres of life: Best of August, reading to Elora, anticipating the autumn season, sharing a handy article on Choosing Batting and looking with curiosity toward the future.
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