designer. quilter. teacher. author
I’ve receive a lot of questions about how to appliqué the orange peels so I made a video to share with you.
The instructions for Aether are vague so you can machine or hand appliqué the orange peels. There is no right or wrong – just what’s right for you.
This 12 minute video goes over a few tips and tricks so you can make the very best Aether quilt.
I am so thrilled that this scrappy Log Cabin is finally pieced. I absolutely love it and can’t wait to get it basted and quilted.
The Log Cabin blocks were made using scraps of fabric. The small, angled pieces were leftovers from the border strips from Persephone Awaits. I inserted them into leftover WOF strips to add dimension and I think the overall look is interesting and has some depth. I used a Kaffe Fassett print for my setting pieces. They were cut on the bias and starched heavily to minimize stretching.
Here’s a little video of my quilt swaying in a cool, spring breeze.
I don’t have much to share but wanted to update you with the goings on around my studio.
I’ve been working on a few new things. I’m incredibly pleased with my current scope of work, and can’t wait to share more about the process. In the meantime, enjoy the wall.
How it changed:
I moved some of the Log Cabin blocks around the balance the quilt.
Fussy cutting the center pieces on the bias required starch and patience, but I think it’ll work out. I contemplated fussy cutting the side and corner setting triangles but decided against it in the end because I would’ve cut off the tops of the flowers so it didn’t make sense to me.
A few are fussy cut, but most aren’t. Adds interest, or something like that <<wink>>.
Happy Piecing, everyone!
Back in 2017 I wrote a lengthy post about blocking quilts (you can find it here) and since it’s been seven years (Oh. My. Gosh!) I thought I’d share my two cents on blocking quilts again.
There’s a lot of debate about blocking. People definitely have thoughts on the process. Below I share what blocking is, why you block (or not) and how to do it.
It’s the process of squaring up your quilt after it’s been quilted so it’s flat and square.
You block to make your quilt flat and square, and you can do it for a few different reasons.
As a general rule, show quilts be blocked. Show quilts, especially quilts in juried shows, are measured when they are judged to make sure they are square.
Do you have to block a quilt for a show? No, but if you hope to get a ribbon it’s a good step to take.
Do all shows consider this? I’m not sure is the honest answer but most judges I’ve heard speak about the process have shared that they measure to make sure they award ribbons to square quilts.
I’ll go ahead and take a minute to note that I’m a fairly traditional quilter so my pool of knowledge, especially with regard to shows I’ve entered, may be a little more limited than more modern quilters/shows. Keep that in mind as you read this. Different shows have different rules and different judging criteria.
It’s easy to tell when a wholecloth quilt isn’t square because the stitching, borders, etc. aren’t even along the edges. Wall hangings that don’t lie flat on the wall are easily identifiable as not blocked and squared.
When we piece or quilt a quilt, we risk creating wave. You can do everything correctly – squaring blocks and borders as you go – and it still happens. It’s possible your top isn’t square. It’s possible the top is square but when you quilt it, you get a ruffled or wavy edge. It happens. The good news? You can fix it when you block a quilt!
Quilt not quite square and it’s driving you crazy? Block it.
Here’s where things get a little messy. Do you need to block your quilt? No. You don’t. It’s entirely up to you. If I’m putting a quilt in a show, if I’ve made a wall hanging or I have ruffled edges, I’ll block it. BUT, if a quilt has slightly ruffled edges and I’m using it on a bed or know it will be well loved and washed again and again, I won’t block it. You can use your judgement to decide what’s best.
There are multiple ways to block a quilt. Everyone has a method and I’m showing you what works for me. I’ve blocked quilts on carpet, a rug, foam insulation board and now I use dense foam blocks with a 1″ pre-marked grid on them. Some quilters block before a quilt is bound. I like to block a quilt after it’s bound. If you block a quilt this will come down to personal preference. I block after binding to ensure that I don’t distort the quilt when I bind. I know it shouldn’t happen but this is my extra ounce of prevention.
Measure your quilt before beginning so you know (approximately) what size it should finish when you start to block it. Cotton can shrink anywhere from 3-5% so the quilt may be slightly smaller when you lay it out to block it. You can stretch it some, but knowing your starting point is an important first step.
Before doing anything, wash and wet your quilt in a washing machine or the tub.
If you put your quilt in the washing machine, add a few color catchers and put the machine on a gentle cycle. When it’s finished, gently roll the quilt onto a towel* for transport. It’s easier to get a quilt out of a washer if you have a front loader because it rolls right out. If you have a top loader like me, I wad the quilt in the basin, grab under it with both hands and quickly put it on a towel. Experiment with what works best for you.
If you wash your quilt in a tub (be sure to use some color catchers!), wash and rinse the quit to get get it good and saturated, then press out as much water as you can. I just use my hands and press down into the lob of quilt I’ve created. It’s important that you get as much water as possible out of the quilt before transporting it. You can roll the quilt out of the tub onto a beach towel to take to the washing machine for a spin or take it to be blocked.
If the quilt is still heavy from all the water, I’ll put it in the washing machine on a spin cycle to get out some excess water. If you do this, be sure to roll the quilt out of the machine and onto a towel for transport.
Transport wet quilts on towels. This allows the towel to carry weight of the quilt. That means you are less likely to damage your quilt from the weight from the water, i.e., no popped stitches or seams.
You block a wet, or damp, quilt to block because cotton fibers (cellulose) stretch when wet. This allows you to gently manipulate the quilt when you block it. The stretch means you can pull a side or corner of the quilt to make it lie flat.
The ability for cotton fibers to stretch is also the reason you transport wet quilts on a towel. The weight can stretch the fibers and cause them to break.
Once your quilt is washed and wet (or just wet), it’s go time! This is where the fun begins!
As I mentioned previously, you can block on carpet, foam insulation board, dense foam, or any other way you choose. If you block on carpet or foam board you will need rulers, pins and a tape measure. If you block on pre-marked dense foam, you’ll just need pins.
In my old house, I worked in semi-finished basement room with an inexpensive carpet over the concrete foundation. I blocked quilts on that rug from time to time. The carpet on foundation trick worked extremely well. I had a really solid, stable surface, I didn’t have to worry about t-pins scratching the floor and my quilts came out unbelievably square. So if you have an unfinished basement, get an inexpensive piece of carpet (perhaps a remnant?) and use that on the floor if you have space. Works like a charm.
Insulation board is a great, affordable way to block a quilt. You can buy it in 4’x8′ sheets. I had the home improvement store cut the board into 4′ square pieces so I could get it home. You can also buy 2′ square pieces of insulation board. The smaller pieces are more expensive but if you can’t fit large sheets of insulation board in your car then it’s the way to go.
Tape the insulation board together. I used painters tape because it’s easy to remove so I can store the 4’x4′ boards in the workroom.
A few years ago I found some gridded dense foam boards to use for blocking. The foam boards I have measure 12” x 12” and are about 3/4” thick. They were marketed towards knitters** and came in a pack of 9 so I bought 4 packages and can easily block 72” square quilts (or 60” x 80” or any number of sizes). Each board has 1” markings so I can line up the grids knowing I’ll have straight edges to use to create a large square or rectangle to block quilts.
The edges of the boards interlock for easy assembly and storage. I keep mine stacked under a table when not in use.
** There are a variety of knitting blocking boards on the market. Search online to find what works best for you. The boards I bought are no longer being manufactured.
Now that you have a wet quilt and a way to block your quilt, it’s go time.
Open the quilt flat onto the board(s). You do not need to pull or stretch it, just open it. I make a few initial measurements (see diagram below). I block my quilts to the largest measurements. For example, if I measure 76″, 76 1/2″ and 77 1/4″ from top to bottom of a quilt, I make sure the quilt is 77 1/4″ long across left, center and right of the quilt.
Use t-pins to secure the quilt to the carpet, foam insulation or foam boards, gently stretching the quilt where necessary. You can read more about how I use foam insulation or carpet here in my earlier post.
I like to block with the binding on the quilt. I do this for two reasons:
Because I use gridded foam, I can easily block my quilt following the 1” markings. T-pins are great to use when blocking quilts because they are fairly heavy and the ‘t’ at the top gives you a little extra area when you are getting the pin into the board.
See how the boards lock with one another and the grid matches from board to board? That makes easier to get a straight edge on your quilt when you pin it and takes the guess work out of the equation. You can say goodbye to those rulers when you block!
Once you have the quilt square, leave it to dry. I like to put a fan on the quilt to help it dry faster. If it’s a nice day, I’ll leave the quilt outside to dry. I put a white sheet on top to keep of animals and debris.
After the quilt is dry, remove the pins and enjoy!
Do you have a different method to block your quilts? I’m always interested in learning different techniques in quilting. If you block your quilt differently, I’d love to hear more about your process.
Earlier this year my sister took up crochet and she is HOOKED. Sister has always like hand work (think cross stitch) but hasn’t ever really taken to sewing. I’ve tried to convert her on multiple occasions with no luck, including giving her an EPP pattern, templates and fabric for her birthday one year. Maybe one day she’ll give in to all my pressure and join the quilty fun!
Anyhow, about a week ago I asked her if she’d like to participate in a temperature quilt challenge with me. The rules are:
I make a quilt and she crochets a blanket.
We each determine our own temperature color chart.
No peeking or sharing until the end of 2024!
I think it’ll be a great exercise in creativity, patience and how we see each color.
Not sharing is going to be tough, though. We are at one another’s homes a few times a week. She’s in my studio frequently and I’m in her living space where she crochets. To quote our partners, maybe my studio will get clean and maybe her living room won’t look like yarn vomit; their words, not mine and to be clear, I’m fine with messy studios AND yarn everywhere. Creativity often promotes chaos and mess. I can live with that.
I’ve been working on my color chart for days. I have been going around and around trying to figure out how to make the color work with the ranges I want to use. Additionally, I want to use prints instead of solids so I had to think about an easy way to get that to make sense? Do I match to a solid? Do I pull some prints? How do I organize the ranges if I’m not using 24 specific fabrics but a variety of prints?
This morning I attempted to dive into that and as I was pulling fabric I noticed the Color Tool C&T sent me years ago when I wrote my first book. It’s a really tool but I’ve only used it a handful of times, if I’m honest. Worth noting: Joen Wolfram is a color genius so perhaps I should use it more? At any rate, her color tool has 24 distinct hues. My color chart had 22 ranges so I revisited my temperature ranges to increase them by two to have 24. Each temperature range will correspond to a specific hue on the color tool.
That makes color ranges simpler to match. I can match color and pull a handful of possibilities every few days and I think it’ll give me some leeway since I won’t be caught up using a specific fabric.
Here’s the range of the color tool. You can see how each color is assigned a number. I assigned numbers to specific temperature ranges from cold to hot (red to violet).
To keep track of it, I created a spreadsheet with 3 degree color ranges and each range has an assigned number.
As I work on this quilt, I may take liberties here and there and stray from the exact color at the top of the chart but I think this will keep me organized.
Have you made a temperature quilt? I’d love to hear from you.
I don’t know about you but I love leftovers. Leftover food? Yes, please. I’m happy to not make another meal. Leftover fabric? Absolutely! Let’s see how creative we can get. There’s a certain joy in taking leftover fabric and making something equally as stunning with leftovers. It really forces you to push your boundaries in the best ways.
Recently I finished Persephone Awaits. I know I keep saying this but it makes me smile. I love the color and depth and the ease putting it together. This quilt really comes together quickly.
I used an entire fat quarter bundle of Jennifer Sampou’s SKY Reflections collection to make Persephone Awaits. I’ve made several quilts using Jen’s fabrics and I absolutely love them.
I am not a solids girl, I like movement in my fabrics and this collection really hits several buttons for me – reads as solid, lots of movement, and the hand is lovely. They sew together nicely, and these fabrics are digitally printed so they are more environmentally friendly.
I took some of the leftovers from Persephone and created a half-rectangle triangle quilt. It was just as easy to piece and has such drama. I just love it and I hope you love this quilt as much as I do!
I’m working on the pattern and hope to release that relatively soon. If you want to hear more and aren’t already signed up for my newsletter, please take a moment to do that. I send one email a month (maybe) and you’ll be the first to hear about new releases, products and more.
Recently I decided it was time to update my Bluegrass pattern into something a little easier. Scale it back so it’s more user friendly because the borders are (were) super challenging to make. Keep the fun, lose the dread. Besides, who doesn’t love a quilt with diamond blocks? Right?
Inspiration always hits in weird ways. I was noodling on the idea of how to update it when it occurred to me I could use some SKY ombré fabrics to make this quilt. A cohesive collection of fabric with so much variety. Let me just say, that decision did not disappoint. I absolutely love the movement, the color variations and the depth.
This quilt is easy to make. You can cut out the pieces and sew the blocks in a day or two. It’s a dramatic quilt that won’t break your resolve. It’s a breeze to put together, too! Seriously.
I’ve been sitting on this layout for a few days. Before I piece a quilt I like to look at the blocks in different light during the day. You catch different things you like or don’t like. I’m not a patient person so I hate the wait and the fuss but it’s always worth it in the end!
And the name? Well, I was sitting at my sewing machine looking at the colors in the blocks while I was piecing them. The name of this fabric collection is Reflections, and it’s inspired by nature, as if you are on the ground looking up. As I was thinking about what to name this quilt (I’m not the only one to think about that while I’m making a quilt, right?) I thought about that. Several possibilities came to mind and then Persephone popped into my head: Greek Goddess taken to the underworld by Hades – what if these were the colors she saw just before spring BURST open in all its glory? All while she waits patiently to leave the underworld.
I hope to have the pattern out soon. You’ll be the first to hear about it if you are signed up for my newsletter.
Happy piecing, y’all!
I really enjoy when people share finished quilts they made using my patterns. I love to see how people put color together and make quilts their own. Celebrating the creativity of others is always a joyful occasion.
Recently, a few quilters sent photos along and, just this morning, I realized I’d shared them on Instagram but not here.
Karin used Lewis and Irene ombré fabrics. She added an inner and outer border to extend the quilt and use some remaining scraps. And can we also take a minute to talk about her chair?! Oh my gosh it’s fabulous!
Gayle won a BLUE ribbon for her Aether at the Oregon State Fair. Swoon!
Marguerite’s Aether reminds me of a glass of cognac. It’s stormy and stunning. I absolutely love her use of color!
Kathy didn’t extend orange peels into the border. It really draws your eye into the center of the quilt.
Have you made an Aether quilt? I would love to see it if you have!
Don’t forget I’ll be teaching it during Quilt Fusion November 9th and 10th. You can sign up at http://www.creativespark.ctpub.com using discount code QFPATTY1.
Quilt Fusion is a two-day event all about quilt color, composition, and techniques! We gathered some of the best quilt experts to share all their pro tips, tricks, and techniques with you.
I’ll be teaching Aether on November 9th and I’ll share all my tips and tricks to put yours togehter.
Can’t make the live presentations? Don’t worry. It’ll be recorded.
During QUILT FUSION you will learn:
Day one will begin with three sessions of breakout rooms lasting 40 minutes. In each session, you’ll get to pick who you want to see LIVE and choose your learning adventure with just a click. Recordings of the other breakout rooms will be available to watch through your Creative Spark account and will never expire. We’ll finish the day off with our Keynote Speaker, Kathy Doughty.
About our Keynote Speaker: Kathy has taught internationally for quilt groups, guilds, shops, and events, including Empty Spools, MISA, QBL, AQS, L’Amour Du Fils, Quilters Affair, and more. She’s the C&T author of “Organic Appliqué,” “Mixing Quilt Elements,” and “Adding Layers Color Design & Imagination.” In Kathy’s keynote, she will share her journey of cultivating a distinct quilting style, helping you unlock your quilting potential along the way. Prepare to learn how to infuse your projects with a splash of excitement and individuality, while embracing your own signature style.
Day two will begin with a special edition of The Quilting Hour where Lee Monroe will be in conversation with Amy Smart and Heather Valentine to talk all about color and color design for quilts. After the lively color panel discussion, you will be able to dive into three sessions of the breakout rooms with more instructors! Take your pick and hang out with the experts you’re most excited to see live. We’ll finish off the event with final raffle prizes but will be giving out prizes throughout the two days.
How do you get to watch the Live sessions? Let’s break down the breakout rooms:
You’ll get 8½ hours of live content in this two-day event using the magic of technology. Quilt Fusion will have nine 40-minute breakout rooms each day. You’ll pick three you want to see LIVE each day and choose your learning adventure with just a click. Recordings of the other breakout rooms will be available to watch through your Creative Spark account and will never expire.
Calling all quilting enthusiasts! Get ready to fuel your creativity at Quilt Fusion 2023, a two-day virtual event on November 9-10. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newbie with a needle, this event promises lots of fun and learning! By securing your spot, you get 8.5 hours of live content, 16+ hours of recorded (lifetime access) content at your convenience, a Swag Bag, and entry to quilt-tastic Giveaways!
Use the code [QF1PATTY] to save $25 off enrollment. Limited space is available, so secure your spot now!
I’ll be teaching my Aether Quilt. We’ll discuss color, value, scale, and more so you can create this quilt. AND there is NO curved piecing so this quilt is accessible for quilters of all levels! I’m really excited to share this quilt with you!
Read more about it at Creative Spark!