A classic sailboat pillow

Over the years I have collected a small library of quilt patterns and books. On evenings when I am too tired to sew but have quilting on my mind, I enjoy perusing them and pondering future projects. My husband approves of this pastime as well, because it means he gets to control the clicker and can watch golf, or fishing or some other sporting event on TV without me complaining.

Recently, we shared just such an evening of marital bliss . . . Brad watching “Wicked Tuna” and Taunja thumbing through her pattern collection . . . when I came across “Boat Day” by the Pattern Basket. I purchased that pattern a while ago, thinking someday I will have a grandchild who wants a sailboat quilt. Rather than wait for that wonderful someday, I decided to sew up a single “Boat Day” quilt block and make a pillow for our house by the lake.

I kept the palette classic and understated for my “Boat Day” pillow, so that it would look pretty sitting in the corner of my dining room. The background fabric is Moda’s Indigo Chambray (#12051 13), which has nice texture and depth. The navy print is from the Sweet Tea collection by Sweetwater, and the stripes you see on the sails and binding are from Lella Boutique collections.

I hope someday to make the full “Boat Day” quilt featuring a regatta of vibrant, happy sailboats. But for now, I’m quite happy with my grown up sailboat pillow. And I’m thankful for quiet evenings spent with my sidekick, where we can both enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

Wishing you all sunny days ahead, and plenty of time to get carried away quilting!

~Taunja

Crossing Petals kits available at Sweet Treasures Quilts

It’s the first week of March, and we are finally experiencing seasonally appropriate weather in Minnesota. The polar vortex is gone! High temps are in the 40s (F), the sun is shining and the bird are chirping. Although we still have some snow on the ground, it is melting slowly. Spring is just around the corner. Halleluiah!

If you are looking for a quick spring sewing project, then the team at Sweet Treasures Quilts has the perfect idea for you! They have kitted up a lovely version of my Crossing Petals pattern, featuring a collection of prints by Lella Boutique for Moda. Shop owner Terri has photographed her sample with a pot of gorgeous blush tulips. That certainly makes me long for spring!

Crossing Petals finishes at 20” square.  It is easy to sew and easy to quilt, making it an ideal project for a beginning sewist. It’s also the perfect project for those of us who want to quickly jump-start our spring decorating with a new table topper.

Hop on over to Sweet Treasures Quilts to grab your kit today. It includes my pattern, as well as all the fabric for the front, back and binding.

Have a great week, everyone!

~Taunja

Photos courtesy of Sweet Treasures Quilts.

Star Crossed Pines shines with Christmas Morning

How many of you talk to yourself when sewing?  Do you praise the pretty fabric you are pressing? Do you let out hoots of laughter or even exclaim, “YES!” when a block comes together just right? Do you repeat the cutting instructions to yourself aloud to make sure you’re slicing in the correct spot?

I’m not embarrassed to say that I do all of those things. (I also chew myself out when I make a mistake, but let’s not dwell on that.) This past weekend I was chatting up a storm to my own best sewing friend, me, because I was so thrilled to be cutting and sewing with Lella Boutique’s upcoming collection, Christmas Morning. Here’s a little peek at my progress:

Do you recognize that block?  It’s from my Star Crossed Pines pattern, which I originally released in Fig Tree fabrics a few years ago.  I have been waiting for just the right collection to sew a new Star Crossed Pines quilt, and Christmas Morning ticked all of the boxes for me. This beautiful collection features a wonderous array of cranberry, sage and silvery gray prints that somehow feel both traditional and contemporary. You will find delicate holly, gorgeous florals, flirty polka dots, festive text and coordinating stripes. The collection is scheduled to ship to stores in May. (Click here for Moda's brochure of Christmas Morning, with SKUs.)

As I was stitching in my warm and cozy sewing room, my home state of Minnesota (like much of the country) was experiencing frigid outdoor temperatures well below zero. Can you imagine my giggle when I noticed that my fabric was also complaining about the weather? BRRRR! What a hoot!

I’ll be sure to update you when I finish my quilt top. In the meantime, if you would like to start scheming your own Star Crossed Pines quilt featuring Christmas Morning, the pattern is available in paper and PDF format on my Etsy Shop. Maybe you could even encourage your favorite quilt shop to pull together a kit when the fabric arrives! Sometimes all it takes is a nudge from customers and a quilt shop will kit a particular pattern.  (Quilts shops can contact me directly for wholesale pattern offerings.)

Thanks for stopping by. I’d better get back to sewing . . . and talking to myself.  This fun project has made me understandably chatty!

~Taunja

Harmony fat quarter quilt featuring Farmhouse Flannels II

Our nephew Adam will graduate from high school this May, and I’ve completed his flannel quilt with a few months to spare.  Last fall I asked Adam if he had any special requests for his graduation quilt, or if he would trust me to select the pattern and colors. He texted back, “I trust you Aunt Taunja. Go for it!”  He’s such a great kid. I hope he loves his quilt!

This past year I’ve made three quilts featuring the Farmhouse Flannels II collection by Primitive Gatherings for Moda: one for my husband, one for my son, and one for Haley’s boyfriend. Because all of these men gave rave reviews of their quilts, I also chose Farmhouse Flannels II for Adam’s quilt.  (Click here for Moda's brochure of Farmhouse Flannels II, with SKUs.)

The pattern I used was my Harmony pattern, which is fat quarter friendly and a breeze to stitch up.  My previous Harmony quilts have been decidedly feminine, so I'm happy to see that Harmony is also a great pattern for the guys in my life!

The awesome machine quilting on Adam’s Harmony quilt was done by Katy of Woods Edge Quilting.  We selected a motif called “Fort” which has an angular, masculine feeling that is perfect for this quilt. Katy suggested a warm gray thread that looks great with all of the flannel colors. Thanks so much, Katy and team! Once again you knocked it out of the park!

Adam’s quilt has been tucked away until his graduation celebration. He is the youngest grandchild on my husband’s side of the family, so we’ll all feel a bit nostalgic watching the baby of the family head off into the world.  I know I’ll be comforted with the thought that our quilt will go with him on his journeys, reminding him of home and family.

Thanks for stopping by today. Now go and get carried away quilting, my friends!

~Taunja

Other versions of Harmony:

Harmony in Coney Island by Fig Tree & Co.

Harmony in a mix of prints by Fig Tree and Bonnie & Camille

Harmony in Flower Mill by Corey Yoder for Moda

And Sweet Treasures Quilts still has 2 kits available of their version of Harmony, featuring Canning Day by Corey Yoder

Star Watch: a Christmas quilt featuring Hearthside Holiday

Hello quilting friends! Last October I shared sneak peek photos of another winter quilt I was working on, a Christmas version of my Star Watch pattern featuring fabrics by Deb Strain (Moda). This festive quilt is now complete, and yesterday I took several photos to share with you.

My daughter was home this weekend and commented that she hoped this quilt was for her, as she really loved the striking black and red, the buffalo checks and plaids, and the deer head motif. The traditional holiday elements have a slightly contemporary feeling thanks to that color combination, we decided. Sadly for Haley, this Star Watch quilt will be given to someone else in our family, but we’re hoping they love it as much as she does!

The fabrics you see in my Christmas version of Star Watch are from Deb Strain’s Hearthside Holiday collection, which is a couple of years old and very hard to find. However, I have good news for you. Deb has another wonderful Christmas collection called Home Sweet Holidays coming out in June!

The fabulous quilting motif of chunky snowflakes and wintery swirls was done by Woods Edge Quilting. Katy suggested this motif and selected just the right scale for my quilt . . . it looks dazzling in the neutral areas and also in the border, not to mention on the back! Thanks so much, Woods Edge Quilting!

While this pattern calls for a scrappy binding from some of the jelly roll strips, I elected to use a pretty charcoal gingham print I have been saving for a couple of years.  If memory serves me, it is from Lella Boutique’s Farmer’s Daughter collection.

Star Watch finishes at 64” x 74” and calls for one jelly roll and coordinating yardage. The pattern is available on my Etsy shop in PDF format.

If you love jelly rolls, I hope you’ll consider giving my Star Watch pattern a whirl.  I think you’ll enjoy it!

~Taunja

 

Other Star Watch Quilts

Star Watch featuring Harvest Road by Lella Boutique

Star Watch featuring Calico Days by Lori Holt

New pattern: "By the Hours" baby quilt and coordinating pillow

Several years ago, I made a simple patchwork quilt of five-inch squares for the new granddaughter of a dear friend. I was tickled to learn that the baby’s mother was using this quilt to track her daughter’s growth!  Each month she took a photograph of the baby on the patchwork quilt, documenting how she stretched in length. This was this inspiration for my newest quilt pattern, By the Hours.

 

I’ve always loved the simple beauty of the Hourglass block. The name alone, indicating passing time, makes it fitting to use in a baby’s growth quilt. In my design, I’ve included one whimsical climbing vine amid the columns of hourglass blocks, bringing to mind how quickly our little ones sprout and grow.

 

I’m happy to say that this pattern is a two-for-one, as it includes instructions to make both the baby quilt and the coordinating nursery pillow. The quilt finishes at 38 1/2” x 44 1/2” and the pillow finishes at 16 1/2” square.

 

Fabric selection is fairly easy. Begin with 8 coordinating fat quarters and then select a green for the vine, a neutral for the background, and of course the binding and backing. The material list will make both projects!  By the Hours is available as digital PDF pattern on my Etsy Shop.

Material list will make BOTH projects:

Hourglass Blocks.......... 8 coordinating fat quarters

Green........................... 1/3 yard 

White........................... 1 yard

Backing........................ 2 5/8 yards *

Pillow Backing............. Fat Quarter

Binding........................ 3/4 yard (1/2 for quilt; 1/4 for pillow)

*Note: Check with your long-arm quilter. You may get by with just 1 1/2 yards if 44” wide is acceptable to your quilter. My quilter was okay with that!

 

My samples were made with soft, nurturing pinks and greens from Brenda Riddle’s new “Sophie” collection for Moda, which is scheduled to hit stores in February. Romantic flowers and classic ginghams are a hallmark of Brenda’s much loved style. Just check out the backing fabric. Isn’t it glorious?

 

While I love the feminine fabric I’ve used here, I do think this quilt and pillow would be darling in any range of colors and any style of children’s prints, from classic to modern.

I also want to give a shout out to two women who were part of this project.  Thank you to Star of Starlit Quilts for the absolutely lovely machine quilting. It is exactly what I was hoping for, swirly and girly and oh so pretty! Thank you also to my Instagram friend, Sigi, who served as a pattern tester for By the Hours. Besides being a talented and generous quilter, Sigi is also a warm and generous person who offers kindness and caring to all in the IG quilting community.  I’m thankful to know her, even from many miles away!

 

This precious quilt and pillow set will be gifted to our soon-to-be first great niece! Our niece and her husband are expecting a little girl. They live several states away, but thanks to technology, we have attended a virtual baby shower and even a virtual nursery room tour. I’m thrilled to say that the nursery is awash in white and pink, so our gift will fit right in!

 

Thanks for stopping by the blog and checking out my new pattern, By the Hours. Wishing you all health and happiness . . . and lots of time at the sewing machine!

~Taunja

 

Free tutorial: Fat Quarter Lattice Quilt

Hello quilting friends!  Today I’m happy to share a new tutorial with you, the Fat Quarter Lattice Quilt. In December I shared my original version of the quilt with you, promising that I would follow up with a free tutorial. Armed with some beautiful Holly Taylor prints that I purchased from LouLou’s Fabric Shop, I was able to make a second quilt, testing my instructions and taking photographs along the way. I think you will find this to be a fun and easy project, and one that will look terrific in any fabric collection you choose!

 

Fat Quarter Lattice Quilt

A free tutorial by Carried Away Quilting

Finished size: 70 3/4” x 81 3/4”

Share your finished projects on Instagram using #fatquarterlatticequilt

 

MATERIALS NEEDED

16 Fat Quarters (for squares and scrappy binding)
*Fat Quarters are assumed to be 18” x 21”

Neutral: 3 1/4 yards

Backing: 5 yards

 

CUTTING

From each fat quarter:

Cut (2) strips 6 1/2” x 21”. Subcut (5) squares 6 1/2” x 6 1/2” for a total of 80 squares. (You will use 72.)

From the remaining fat quarter material, cut (18) strips 2 1/4” x 21” and set aside for scrappy binding.

 

From the neutral:

Cut (3) strips 7 1/2” x WOF. Subcut (11) squares 7 1/2” x 7 1/2”. Cut them once on the diagonal so that you have (22) triangles. These will be your setting triangles.

You should have enough left over from one of the strips to cut (2) squares 6 1/2” x 6 1/2”. Cut once on the diagonal so that you have (4) triangles.  These will be your corner triangles.

Cut (10) strips 2” x WOF. Subcut (60) strips 2” x 6 1/2”.

Cut (16) strips 2” x WOF. Sew these together end-to-end for one continuous strip.

Cut (8) strips 4 1/2” x WOF.  Sew them together into (4) pairs. These will be used for your outer borders.

 

ASSEMBLY

Sew all pieces right sides together (RST) using a 1/4” seam allowance.

1. Lay out (72) of your squares on point as shown below. (The top row has 6 squares, the second row has 5 squares, the third row has 6 squares, and so on until you have 13 rows.) Arrange your squares so that you have a nice mix of prints and colors. (During layout I noticed that I did not like the cream fat quarter I had originally selected. So, I omitted that print and cut into an additional striped fat quarter I had on hand.)  

 

2. Lay out the 6 1/2” x 2” sashing strips as shown below. Photograph your layout and print it if possible! (You will use this as a reference going forward.) Pick up all your squares in order (by diagonal row) and sew the sashing strips RST to the squares. Press toward the sashing.

 

3. Lay out all of your squares again. Now sew each diagonal row together from left to right. (Refer back to your photo often.) Press toward the sashing.  After you sew one row, lay it back down in its place and then work on the next row. Proceed until all rows are sewn together.

 

4. Now we will add the (22) side setting triangles. Layout the triangles and make sure they are in the correct “direction” per the photo below. Pin the triangles RST to the rows and sew together. Press toward the triangles. Trim the dog ears.

 

5. In the cutting instructions I asked you to sew together your (16) 2” strips. Now we will add sashing strips between the rows.

Beginning with the first row, lay the length of sashing strip onto the row RST.  Cut the sashing strip 2” longer than the row on both sides.  (We need a little tail hanging off each side. They will be trimmed later.) Then proceed to each row as shown in my photos.  Sew a sashing strip to each row and press toward the sashing. TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE of your layout so that rows don’t get mixed up in the next steps.

 

6. Sew all of the row/sashing units together and press well. As you are sewing rows together, make sure that squares from one row align to squares in the next row.  You can do these by taking a peek to see how they are lined up. I pinned rows together to make sure they stayed lined up.

 

7. Trim the tails on the two corners that have tails. Sew the (4) corner triangles RST to the corners of your quilt. Press toward the triangles.

 

8. Now we are going to trim the quilt center.

NOTE: It should measure roughly 62 1/4” x 73 1/4” after we have trimmed it.  (I say roughly because quilts sewn together on point with side setting triangles can sometimes be a little shifty.  Don’t worry about that. Once we add the borders and your quilt is quilted, it will be wonderful.)

To trim this quilt center, lay it on your cutting board and simply trim 1/2” away from the colored square points.  Continue trimming down each side in this fashion. Tip: I trimmed mine on the floor, sliding the cutting mat along underneath the quilt top as I went.

 

9. In the cutting instructions, I asked you to sew the (8) 4 1/2” border strips together into (4) pairs.  Add the left and right borders, press and trim.  Add the top and bottom borders, press and trim.

 

10. Quilt as desired.

 

SCRAPPY BINDING

Sew together the (18) 2 1/4” binding strips end-to-end to create one continuous binding strip. Your binding will be ready to go once you (or your favorite long-arm quilter) have quilted your Fat Quarter Lattice Quilt. This scrappy binding will be the perfect finishing touch.