Diamond Baby Pattern Release and Bright Spark Quilt

I have the rights back to release my design that was featured in issue 70 of Make Modern. I am so pleased to release this pattern that can actually put quite a dent in your white, cream and beige strings. May I present Diamond Baby, now on sale in my Etsy shop!

I get a little fizz of a thrill every time I see that photo. So glad I was able to take some pretty great photos of the quilt at Fishermen’s Cove in the Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia.

Lyra Pattern Release!

And it’s on sale, 25% off!

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that I did not get the pattern totally together for yesterday’s post in my annual QAL. However, in retrospect, I think this is better, so that it gets its own post, and it includes a third quilt!

My original thought for the cover shot was to get this quilt under a magnolia tree, which are at their peak right now. However, when we were tootling around the little town of Essex this past week, which is just 15 km from my little town of Kingsville, we spied the old train station. It is a beautiful old building and made for a great backdrop, we thought.

Arabesque Pattern Release

It's been a minute or three since I've had a new pattern out, but here I am with one more for 2025. Many of you will remember my SAHRR this year, and several said it would be a great pattern. So here she is!

Something I realized as I wrote up the pattern is that because the rounds (all seven of them) are 3" blocks or widths, you can really go wild with this pattern, and switch them around to create a totally unique personalized quilt! I told my pattern testers to feel free to do just that!

Oh, and of course, Arabesque is on sale all weekend for just CA$10.🤩

Tinker Toys Pattern Release

Yay! Finally, after two long years, I can publish my Tinker Toys design that was in the August 2023 issue of Love of Quilting. I honestly do think that is an exorbitant amount of time to not own the rights to my own design, but, sniff! and hmph! I have not submitted another to them since! You may recall that last fall I did get permission to publish a throw size of the quilt, with my own instructions (they changed them slightly in the magazine) and in a completely different colour scheme. Well, now the baby quilt, throw, and even a cushion cover are all in one pattern. And oh yes, it's on sale all August long weekend!

This perfect spot for a photo, or even a sit😊, which many people do, is the front of The Grove Hotel on Main Street in Kingsville. It's a beautiful old hotel, totally renovated, built in 1854. I think they should have a couple of quilts on those rocking chairs! Might have to approach them...

Lilac Love Pattern Release Roundup

I have two more quilts to show you today! I asked two friends if they were up for making a version of one of the quilts in the new pattern, Lilac Love, which was about to be released.

They both said absolutely, yes please. I am so appreciative that they said yes to a DrEAMi: Drop Everything and Make it! (referring to a link party I used to host celebrating those squirrels we are compelled to chase).

Fall Flair

Along with the instructions for the queen size quilt in my newest pattern, Lilac Love, which was released yesterday, there are instructions for two small quilts, 38" and 39" square. I made the 38.5" square quilt.

I love it! These are not my usual colours, so where did I come up with this combination, especially since I didn't have a focus print, which I often like to do. For example, the queen quilt in the pattern used a lilacs border to draw upon. Well, I did want a completely different vibe for the small quilt, and as luck would have it, when I was playing with the borders for the quilt, I happened to be travelling in our car, on Thanksgiving weekend, on the way home from the Catskills.

Lilac Love Pattern Release

And just like that, one month after I released my pattern Orinoco Flow, I am back with another! This one is called Lilac Love, and, like Orinoco Flow, was also published in a magazine, but (cough) back in 2019. So it's long overdue. It's a queen-size quilt, but I've added in two options, because that's what I like to do: give value for money!

The large quilt goes together amazingly fast since the dark and olive green diamonds are made with giant HSTs. Once again, it is another layered design: the lilac bud blocks float over the quilt top, but as is noted in the pattern cover blurb, if you look closely you will see that the centre purple block is actually repeated in giant form by those dark and olive green diamonds. 

Rosebud Garland Pattern Release

Ta-da! May I present Rosebud Garland! I am very excited to release my first pattern of 2024, which technically is my last pattern of 2023, since it was in the previous issue of Make Modern, issue #55 to be specific. One of the many things I love about this magazine is that they only keep the rights to your patterns until the next issue comes out, in other words, just two months.

What you won't get in the Make Modern issue is the pattern for the accompanying placemats, as well as a tip in this post to make an extra-long runner if you've got a large dining table, as does my daughter, Dayna. Read on to find out and also to check out the low price at which it's being offered.

Sunset Strip Pattern Release

Sunset Strip is my newest release! This was a quilt I designed for a challenge when I was an Island Batik ambassador in March 2019. There are (ahem) a few challenge quilts that need to get written up and published into patterns! I've not been as productive in the pattern-writing department this year, just three: this one, and two for magazines.

This pattern was the first design in that year's Design Challenge I was hosting, so it is high time I got it out into the world. It's also the first one I wrote up, graphics and all, in Pages, a word processing app on my MacBook Air. Prior to this I worked in Googledocs, but storage is limited there, so I thought why not learn Pages. It's really not much different than Word and Googledocs, and is actually more user-friendly in many ways.

I had four lovely ladies test the pattern and I am excited to show you their makes! Also I should add that it is on sale all week at the lowest price I've ever released a pattern: $7CA. That's just about half price. ($12 regular)

Rainbow Neighbourhood

This post should have come out this morning, but well, life in general intervened and that is just fine. It wouldn't be fair to take my time to write about this much-loved and long-anticipated quilt finish that comes with a pattern release, unless I held over the sale price one more day. Yep, another 24 hours you have to save 25% off the regular price of the pattern.

I had really hoped for some sunshine but sadly this week, the sun peeped out for a few minutes only once since I wrote the pattern release post. However, I did shine a few twinkly lights on the quilt for this photo.

I thought a quilt of homes should be photographed on the steps of a cozy home, right?

Grandma's House

Quilt names don't usually come easily to me, but sometimes they do and this was one. I am excited to share my original design, a bench pillow, with you today!

It is one of four projects in my newly-released pattern, 'Rainbow Neighbourhood'. Did I mention the pattern is on sale all week? 25% off. It's a pretty darn good deal if I do say so myself: $10.50CA which is $8US for four projects, two of which are a throw quilt and a twin quilt, each with a completely different layout, a 22" cushion cover and this 20" x 36" bench pillow. 

Heading North Pattern Release

I am excited to release another pattern today, Heading North. This is one that should have been released a year ago, but ahem, here we are. How can patterns be UFOs? Well, I stand here telling you yes, they sure can. Do not ask me how many I have that are UFOs... Okay, enough confessing, here's to celebrating!

This was published in Make Modern #39 in spring 2021. (affiliate link) The design originated as one of the 30 Quilt Design Challenge quilts I did a few years ago. It uses one block from EQ8! It was my first published quilt Make Modern, and I went to town on the quilting, filling up the negative space with lots of texture. It is a super-simple block, and the quilt top comes together in a day or two max. There is a second design option in the pattern, one that is not in the magazine: a baby quilt with a completely different look, using the same block!

The Light Within Pattern Release

It gives me great pleasure to release another pattern, one that was published in Make Modern issue #42. (affiliate link) Like my first publication in MM, this one uses just one block. Rotating it and colouring a few of the blocks slightly differently results in the illusion of four on-point blocks and a centre glowing star, which led to the quilt's name, The Light Within.

Taken by the Windsor/Detroit waterfront, Ambassador Bridge in the background

This is a beginner pattern, consisting of squares, rectangles and HSTs. I love the diagonal movement across the quilt, and how the stars kind of twinkle in and out as you realize there are nine of them!

A Roll of the Dice - Baby Quilt Beauties

It's the final day of the pattern launch for A Roll of the Dice and today you get to see no less than five baby quilts. Today is the last day to grab the pattern for 30% off. That means for just CA$7.70 you can have a pattern with instructions for three projects: a baby quilt, a bed runner and a cushion/pillow. Without further ado, here is my baby quilt, done in warm tones.

It's on my design wall, being blocked. I plan to take a few more glamour shots tomorrow. The colours are pretty true here. Four of the five dice blocks, from two to five, are inside Evening Star blocks, with dice block one in the centre of a Rolling Stone block (get the rolling connection?) which is, in turn, the centre of the large Ohio Star. I think we all know how much I love layers in quilts!

A Roll of the Dice Pattern Launch: Rockin' Runners

Are you ready to see some rockin', radiant runners today? Here is the original one I made back in August 2018 using Amanda Murphy's gorgeous line 'Free Motion Fantasy'.

The background fabric is just fabulous, filled with swirls and McTavishing, so on two blocks I traced it with my FMQ, and on the alternate two blocks I did straight lines 1/2" apart. This runner, like the pillow, appears to have borders, but it doesn't! You make them as part of the blocks, sew the four blocks together and ta-da! Runner complete. Let's see what Michelle and Susan did with the pattern.

You Say Pillow...I Say Cushion...Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Well no, but gosh, that's a good title, isn't it?! Welcome to the first day of the Projects Parade for A Roll of the Dice. It's Comfy Cushions Day and you are in for a treat! Whether you say cushion or pillow, this is a simple, quick-to-make project that will use up some scraps, or some saved (hoarded) precious pieces from a favourite line. Here is the original cushion I made.

Very simple piecing, slightly elaborate quilting, but guess what? I just followed the design in Amanda Murphy's background fabric! The fabric line is Free Motion Fantasy, from 3.5 years ago.

I have two terrific projects to share with you today, made by two talented ladies, so read on to see what they came up with!

A Roll of the Dice Pattern Launch

I am really excited to try something new: a pattern launch! I actually had sent Yvonne at Quilting Jet Girl, my trusty tech editor, two patterns, Pop Star and this one, within a couple of weeks of each other. This one has had to wait because it took a bit to get the fabric to make the cover quilt, and I was also busy with the Pop Star Quilt Along, which wraps up next week.

So I had the idea to do a pattern launch since there are three different projects within this particular pattern. I asked several friends if they would be interested in making one of the three projects I designed, and was I rewarded! They were more excited than I about the design, and almost every one said yes. One couldn't because her sewing machine went kerflooey, and the other has a ton of grandmother stuff in her lap and so couldn't take part. Without further ado, here is the pattern cover.

You'll notice that the baby quilt is digital, not a quilt. Yet. The quilt top is done, but you won't see the finished quilt until Friday, when the other baby quilts will be on parade. So! Let's see what the launch is all about, shall we? Oh yes, the pattern is on sale all week!

Positive Flow Pattern Release

Well, it's been three years coming, but I have finally put together the pattern for this fun quilt! 

I've made this quilt a total of four times: three throw size (one for the original ezine publication) and one baby size. This baby size is perfect for a partial jelly roll you may have from another project. I also have another wonderful addition (see what I did there?!) to the pattern...

Orange You Glad You Did?

Orange is the September colour, and I got my orange 9-patch block done and the entire quilt is now a flimsy! 'Orange I glad I did indeed! I had the orange block on Instagram, but here, dear readers, is the entire top upon which your eyes may feast!

This is from the book by Jenifer Dick, Nine-Patch Revolution. It is an excellent book. Last year's RSC was also from it, 9-Patch Spectrum.

Reading Takes You Places and Pattern Update Release

First of all happy Full Sturgeon Moon, extra rare Blue Moon of the summer season (source Live Science). It's been gorgeous gazing at it the past few days. I thought it a fitting day for my newly updated and added-to suitcase quilt pattern! And, you guessed it, it's on sale this week.😊

Back in late July, I made this large reading cushion for Brady for his birthday which was July 30. Like me, he likes to read a book in bed before turning out his light. I always prop myself up with two pillows, so I figured this large cushion would be just the ticket for comfort while he reads. He also loves to listen on his phone to one of my favourite CDs by Suzanne Ciani, an artist I discovered on a New Age station out of Detroit, WJOI, when we lived here in the 80s. His phone can tuck into that actual pocket!

Some of you may recognize the block. It's one from my Oh, The Places You'll Go! quilt I made for Island Batik way back in January 2019. The pattern has been in my Etsy shop for almost as long. For the past two-plus weeks I have been updating the pattern, bringing it up to the level of my others, now that I know what is 'standard' in the pattern world, and also adding instructions to make the cushion and the appliqué blocks.