My newest quilt sprung from the idea of capturing the every changing maple leaves outside my sewing room window. There’s nothing timid about the colors my maples put out. From the neon oranges of their first spring shoots to the neon green of their first leaves and then the fire of autumn followed by a plummy color before they drop off, their entire life cycle is a tribute to the beauty of nature and I’ve attempted to capture that in my new Heritage quilt kit.

The drama in this quilt can’t be ignored. She’s just absolutely STUNNING and takes only six blocks. It’s going to look phenomenal on my daughter’s twin bed. I’ve already started a second version to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States. This red, white, and blue quilt kit is going to be amazing. I can’t even wait to see it all together!

I haven’t made a red, white, and blue quilt in several years and this combination always makes me feel a little extra patriotic. This one uses traditional flag colors compared to the beachy RWB of Grand Old Flag. I weirdly dislike having only two coordinating quilts so I think i’ll probably make a third RWB quilt next month for Memorial Day.

PS: This iron is TWELVE! Happy Birthday, Oliso. I absolutely love how hot it gets and that I never have to worry about accidentally burning my quilts since it will lift itself up if it’s accidentally left face down. I HIGHLY recommend this iron! You can order it here!

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This is my Limerick design who is celebrating her sixth birthday very very soon. I created her during two weeks to flatten the curve when I was terrified things wouldn’t ever be ok again. And while nothing has gone back to how it was in 2019, I find myself so comforted by the act of piecing together heirlooms that will hopefully outlive me and see a time of peace and unhurriedness when my great grandchildren can pull out a quilt -they’ll have a few to choose from I’m guessing – and wrap it around themselves and watch the rain come down. That image brings me steadiness, that time continues on.

I’m hesitant to link to this kit as there are just three left. If you see it and love it, here is where it is listed. I no longer sell patterns by themselves. It was a hard decision but ultimately the correct one for my business. But that also means that as I am experimenting, the things that can’t or won’t become kits can be freely shared. This little scrappy project is a really fun way to use up scraps. The center squares are cut at 3-1/4″ (because that is the size of scraps I had a lot of) and the borders are either 2 – 2″ x 3-1/4″ & 2 – 2″ x 6-1/4″ or 4 – 2″ x 3-1/4″ and 4 2″ squares. The 4 patch in the center is kind of annoying to cut but it is 4 – 3-3/8″ squares. I’ll be making a few more of those today. My goal is 99 blocks for a 9 x 11 layout to make a roughly 50″ x 60″ throw. It could get larger, only time will tell. The strange thing is that as I’m using these scraps, my scrap pile is growing. Very odd magic happening there if you ask me…

While I’m stitching, I’ve been letting myself enjoy a candle I purchased as a treat for myself. Someone I follow shared that this brand of candles didn’t irritate her airways or give her a headache and I have MISSED candles so I thought I would give it a shot. I purchased one and I have been just loving it. And the color is just singing to me. I’ve combined that little bit of peace and comfort with listening to this book by a Christian pastor on eliminating hurry from our lives so we can better feel the Holy Spirit and spend time with God. It is a precious little book and I am very much enjoying it. You can find the link to the book and reviews here.

Until next time <3

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I may be the only one, but I have saved ALLLLLL of the little triangle off cuts from my Sonnet quilts. And lots of other quilts as well. I have so so many triangle fabric scraps that need a quilty project. And since my business is kits and this is a project truly designed for scraps, I am offering the pattern for free. I’ve long loved spool and butterfly blocks and these are just too cute to keep to myself. I’ve written up the tutorial for the larger 12″ blocks as well as the smaller 6″ blocks made with the off cuts.

I also tried the same design using snowballing at the corners. This uses leftover pieces of 2-1/2″ strips and being completely honest it wastes more fabric (but makes more off cuts!) and I feel like making the corners clean in the middle is a little harder. That being said, here’s a photo of that method if you have lots of 2-1/2″ pieces left over. This method requires 2 2-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ colored rectangles, 1 2-1/2″ colored square, and 6 2-1/2″ low volume squares. If you are drowning in fabric scraps in those sizes, this may work better for you.

When I polled my instagram followers, most said that a pdf to download would be ideal. So I made the ‘tutorial’ more of a pattern with step by step diagrams. You can download that here. If you are using your off cuts, just stitch the triangles together to make you HST pieces. Other than that, the process is simple. I’ve also made a chart to create a throw, twin, and queen sized. If you want a pillow, just make 9 spools and alternate the directions. This makes an 18″ pillow.

Rather than put up a photo tutorial, this is a pdf pattern you can print at home and make a few blocks at a time for something fun that gobbles scraps. It’s a little way I can say ‘thank you’ for supporting my shop for the last fifteen years. Hopefully we have a few other little thank yous coming soooooon.

And just to close out with a pretty, finished top, I completed my girly, autumn hued Limerick and hope to quilt it today. The color in this room reflects yellow towards the top of the quilt. (Today is literally painting day because I am OVER how boring beige discolors photos and how my quilts look in a room.) I’m going to use the cinnamon colored eyelet from Fig Tree for Moda as the binding and since I’ve already made that decision it should go pretty fast. Half the time, making the choice for fabric, or backing, or binding takes more time than the actual quilt. Which is why I offer curated bundles for busy ladies so they can get to the best part of quilting and skip the decision fatigue. There are just a few of these left in my shop and they are ready to ship!

Until next time! <3 Amanda

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This week I attempted something I’ve never done before. With more company coming for Thanksgiving Weekend, I wondered if I would be able to put an autumn or holiday quilt on every child’s bed. That means 8 new quilts. So, on Wednesday night I cut out two quilts, a Woodland Chocolate Sonnet and a girly-bookish-autumn Limerick. I chain pieced them together and at the end, I had one finished quilt and one in blocks. Today I’m hoping to finish the Limerick top, baste both and possibly quilt one. I am driving the carpool route tonight so we’ll see how much I can finish.

That’s such an awful photo of two absolutely gorgeous quilts. The chocolate Sonnet I put together quickly on Saturday before our date to the Symphony (where I heard the most amazing rendition of Faure’s Requiem by the Utah Symphony and Opera Chorus). Sunday was about preparing for company and I’ll get back to stitching today. My two at a time method was so successful, I think I’m going to try it again with Heritage and holiday themed Nostalgia quilt. We will just have to see how that goes…

My favorite blocks in the Woodland Chocolate Sonnet are the hymns, but the little fairy homes are equally sweet. The toadstool and house fabric are from Under the Canopy for Windham Fabrics and it’s an organic cotton. I wish there were more organic options, to be honest.

Because these are quilts I intend for children, I include a little puzzle in each one. I might talk about this more later, but in antique charm quilts, the makers would include one print only once and it would give children something to busy themselves if they were sick by finding the unique print. This one has one print I used twice just to throw them off the trail. And then I snuck a 2.5″ brown mouse print from Lizzie House’s Catnap collection as the unique piece. Can you find it? These chocolate kits are in my shop and more than half gone. You can find them here.

I think I’ll do the same in this quilt. I’ll probably hide it in a bottom corner because I have finished the rest of the blocks. For my bookish niece, I think this will be well received. I love the little stacks of books, the plaid that reminds me of cozy, English-style rooms, the sweet toile, and the tilda roses which may be my favorite print of all time. I do have kits for these here.

Til next time, friends. Time is a blur lately, but with any luck I’ll have more to share shortly. I’m also going to do a belated post on my trip to England. The memories I made on that trip have been getting me through some challenges and I dream every single day of going back. And I will say so many of the photos we took are EPIC. We went to a Granite Edge and found the spot from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. It was absolutely dreamy but I was a little terrified by the height and couldnt force myself closer to the edge.

Thank you for being here <3 Amanda

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This is my Sonnet Quilt in Maple. We only offer this design in kits and this is the current colorway. We’ll also be bringing back the cinnamon spice colorway shortly. If you have been hoping for one, the wait list is here.

I’ve just put together this new design I’m naming ‘Heritage’ because it combines so many historical blocks and techniques into one gorgeous extra large block. I’ll have kits for this one this week including those sweet horses! This bundle will be extremely limited and if you want one I recommend signing up for the waitlist. The finished quilt will be 66″ x 90″. We’ll bring this design back in Christmas colors before Thanksgiving.

I shrunk my Sonnet block down to this tiny size for the most perfect pincushion. This color sold out quickly but we do have a few colors left in my shop. These come together SO FAST.

There were some other fun projects this fall like this bear paw variation pillow for our subscribers in our Tiny Piecers club and a few blocks I’m not sure what to do with. And I’m not really ready to say goodbye to autumn making so I’m sure I’ll add a few things before I dive into Christmas head on. I have so many quilty dreams. I hope this week is kind to you and your bobbin never runs out. Til my next post <3 Amanda

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Aaaand, I’m still struggling to get my photos to upload and not get blurry. Perhaps this is the year I invest in help to figure out how to get my blog pretty. This quilt named herself Fairytale with her thorns and how everything comes full circle. Someone left a silly note on my instagram saying this is a glorified nine patch and I wanted to laugh. It’s always funny to hear people’s ideas of how to put a quilt together after I’ve made every mistake in the book to troubleshoot my patterns. 

This quilt is absolutely full of roses. I created a quilt kit for it and there  are four left in my shop as I write this. I don’t plan to revisit this colorway. She’s beautiful and this quilt was made just for me but I’m not in a grey or neutral mood too often. I’ll make her again in the hue of the lavender rose above. I’ve already picked my fabric and can’t even wait to get it made. But wait I must since I’m writing this as I am late to pick up my oldest from dance, then I’ll need to do my littlest’s hair for dance photos, then it will be time for a late dinner, house clean up, and then to bed to hopefully finish my current book. 

Speaking of books, I read this one nearly a month ago & still think of it. This is my first by this author and her debut novel and it is just perfect. Misunderstandings, dastardly villains, coming to realize what is really important and my favorite thing ever, sacrifice abound. If you are looking for something sweet, surprising, and romantic, grab this book. I just love it. The publisher announced Love Unseen is just $1.99 for the next 3 days so don’t wait! Here is the link. Until next time, dear reader. Which will hopefully be very soon. 

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This quilt along, the book I’ve chosen is Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes (You can order it here and it’s free in Kindle Unlimited), The book has deep themes of hope, and curiousity, and family, and different kinds of love and sacrifice. If you know me, you’ll know humble sacrifice is my kryptonite. This book has it in spades. And the quotes. My goodness, Amanda has a way with words. 

“You make it sound as if we’re in a battle, Dad.”

“So we are my girl. So we are. But it is a battle that can be won by holding fast to hope and light. We’ll keep telling the stories, finding the clues. Gather them up, Lucy & Dash. Taking note of the good, the true, the just, the miracles hidden at every turn is like…a deliberate act of defiance against the darkness.”

I hope you love it as much as I did. If you can read 12 chapters each week in June (they are quick!) you’ll finish the book at the same time you finish your quilt top! A starry book for a starry quilt. I hope it makes this month one to remember! 

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I read Gentleman Jim about a month ago while my family had a nasty winter cold & we were taking a little extra time to rest. With no exaggeration, I would STRUGGLE to pull myself out of the story & I carried it around with me as I warmed up soup, washed bedding and tended to our home. That’s something I look for in a book. It’s a regency spin on The Count of Monte Cristo with not-so-subtle themes of forgiveness that I am finding particularly poignant right now. I’ve discussed forgiveness here before, but I think it is incredibly good for body, mind, & soul & this book definitely follows that same thread of thought. 

I was entirely entranced the first 2/3 of the book. There does come a point where I get annoyed at our main character. If he were real, I would have grabbed his ear and pointed out his foolishness. And it’s much, much more lighthearted than the original Count of Monte Cristo. Honestly, I’m not sure I would have found it as engaging if it were heavy. I’m just not up for heavy reads right now. And, of course, there’s a lovely romance. It’s fairly well balanced and very sweet. Overall, it was a solid 4STAR read & I recommend it. I think the world might need forgiveness even in the face of immeasurable wrongs more than ever. I know it has me thinking as I write this after midnight.

If you are looking for a fun, easy, uplifting read, this is it. And if you’re looking for an example of the stunning beauty on this earth, I grabbed this shot tonight. This reverse sunset (it’s the eastern sky) just made me pause and breathe before I grabbed this pixelated heart quilt ran outside to capture it to share with you.

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This quilt requires 46 fat quarters and it gobbles them up. On my first version, I kept having to go back and cut, and cut, and cut. So if you have a stash of low volumes you are looking to turn into something beautiful, this is the quilt. And if you want a perfectly curated low volume background, we have a few kits left in our shop to make one nearly identical. 

This quilt is probably not ideal for a first time quilter, but if you’ve done any kind of patchwork before, you’ll be fine. The trick to getting it put together is to keep a consistent seam allowance. I love how the background has movement but lets the blocks glow. It usually lives on my oldest daughter’s bed and she just ADORES it. 

I’ll be hosting a quilt along on *instagram* in my stories (and hopefully posting here, too) with tips and tricks as we go along. Week one (starting this week on January 26th) will be choosing fabrics & cutting them up. Week two is constructing the focus blocks. Week three is creating the sashing pieces. Week four (February 16th) will be putting everything together. It’s a fun pattern and much easier to put together than it looks like once it’s all together. I hope you’ll join us!

The winner from the last post is number 31! Which, if I’ve counted correctly is Shelly Stephen. Yay for new scissors! And these really are the best! I’ll send you an email! 

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If you follow me on instagram, you may think I am constantly designing new things, but the truth is I haven’t designed and created anything new in almost a year. I’ve remade old things, I’ve finished a few things I had started in what feels like a before-time, but I’ve been in a rut. But I’ve recently been finishing old projects to free up mental space for new projects. This heart is a big step. I drew up the pattern the other night and I am getting it ready to present it here on Wednesday. It is exactly the right size to pop into the low volume block in my Limerick Quilt or into the star block in my Festive Quilt. While the sample is pretty scrappy, it looks fabulous with just one print for the pink & a patchwork background. 

I have to admit, I’m probably more excited than this warrants. While I will be sharing this block as an accessory pattern on Wednesday (there will be a tutorial for those who feel up to making their own templates), today I want to celebrate this baby step with a giveaway. While I’m simplifying in a lot of areas, I am NOT simplifying my scissor collection. I ordered close to twenty pairs of scissors over the holidays including a dozen of these amazingly sharp embroidery scissors from Warm Heart Scissors. They are MY FAVORITES. 

So today, i’m sharing a pair identical to these with you. And I’m hosting my giveaway here on my blog instead of on insta, so your odds with be pretty good. I haven’t done this in FOREVER, so tell me one thing you are hoping to achieve in 2022. I’ll pick a winner from the comments section on FRIDAY. 

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