Hopscotch - Perfect Kids Quilt with Tag Fabrics

Hopscotch

70'' x 88''

In the fabric design process not everything makes it. My designs evolved, changed, and both got cut and grew. One of the prints that got cut was based off sidewalk chalk games, like Hopscotch and Four Square. The entire line is based on the marks that we make throughout our life, so the sidewalk chalk made so much sense. But things happen. And so when that design got cut I immediately regrouped and designed an entire quilt around Hopscotch! Win win.

And can we talk about that 80s laser school photo background quilting? Not planned to be that influence, it was about adding colour to the quilt, but oh so fun.

This pattern is really easy. Some applique for the numbers, but otherwise straight piecing and not much of it, really. This makes it perfect for impatient children who just want it done so they can play!

My son, who is now 5, was desperate for this quilt to be finished and then back home so he could play. The day it arrived back from Connecting Threads it was immediately spread on the living room floor and painted rocks procured. We hopscotched with the snow falling for over an hour. Currently, it is hanging over some furniture in his room creating a fort, a fort he slept in last night. It is truly a kids quilt. 

The pattern itself makes a twin sized quilt, but with some wider side borders it is easily transported to a double/full bed. You can buy the pattern from my own Etsy store, or both the pattern and a full kit direct from Connecting Threads. 

Whether you use Tag fabrics or any favourites of your own, this quilt is a guaranteed smile maker!

Spiral - Values Quilt with Tag Fabric

Spiral

60'' x 60''

There was a moment while making this quilt, as I put the trimmed blocks on the wall, when I stopped breathing. Not in a bad, call the ambulance way! No, in the held my breath because I was so excited way. That was the moment when it hit me that I was sewing with fabrics I designed. Until that point the fact that I'd designed fabrics for sewing seemed distant, almost ethereal. Not even when I approved final designs, not when I got my strike offs, not even when I was cutting into the fabric for the first time. The moment only came when I'd already cut, sewn, and trimmed over 100 HSTs for this quilt. I put three blocks on the design wall and simply had to stop.

It is a moment I remember clearly. The sewing room door was open and the rest of the family was watching Bear Grylls, the one with Mel B from the Spice Girls. I started in the top left corner of the design wall and three blocks in just stopped. I had to sit down. Then stand. Then sit. Then stand. Then lean. I may have jumped a little, just a little. And I kept talking to myself about how cool it all was, annoying the family. Tough on them - this was my new quilt with my new fabric! All mine! I would say it was surreal, but the truth is that it was profoundly real. That's why I lost my breath.

Thankfully I managed to forge ahead and make this quilt, plus a few others to be shared.

I will fully admit, that it was a bit of a struggle to make quilts and write patterns with ONLY Tag Fabric. If you've been reading here for any amount of time you know that I have a hard time being so exclusive. Even with my own fabric that was really difficult. 

When I designed the fabric it was originally supposed to be full colour. Through the iterative process with Connecting Threads we switched with black, grey, and white. Without too much trouble it became 20 fabrics evenly split along value lines. That meant it was ripe for making a Values Quilt. Because value is relative, it is ridiculously easy to have the fabric line do the work for you. But also an excellent lesson for learning value. Also conveniently, a fat quarter bundle gets you this quilt, with enough blocks left over for another small quilt or pillow.  You get all that in the pattern. Yes, there is a pattern for the quilt.

Patterns and full quilt kits are available from the Connecting Threads site. Or you can buy the PDF pattern directly from my Etsy site.

Galaxy

Galaxy

60'' x 60''

Improv isn't just for wonky cuts and pulling fabric out of a bag. You can start with a shape, precise cuts, and a playful spirit. That's exactly what I did when I started this quilt, oh... almost 3 years ago.

I did have a plan, but when that didn't work I had to figure out something else that would still make a beautiful quilt. There was no way this beautiful fabric was going to waste. It is made from the Cloud 9 Cirrus Solids, their first colour release. It is extremely soft and oh so delicious. Bonus, it is certified organic cotton. So when my initial intention did not work out, I came up with an alternative quilt top.

This is what playing with improv teaches you to do - figure out a solution no matter what. Whether it is running out of background fabric or making a mistake in piecing, whether you simply don't like the way it turned out or you suddenly want to make the quilt bigger, having the spirit of improv means you can come up with a low stress solution. It is about tapping into that ability to embrace the unknown and find a path forward. 

So back to the quilt.

When I took my mostly random half square triangles and settled on a layout - after a lot of design wall play - the top got pieced and added to the pile of tops in the closet. Periodically I would pet it (that fabric is seriously soft) but that's about it. Fast forward to last month when friends of ours asked if just maybe I had a quilt to donate to a charity event they were hosting. I think my husband answered for me, with the strongest yes ever. Rather than take a finished, and therefore used, quilt from the racks I decided to finish one fresh for them.

I've also learned that for charity donations like this people seem to like quite traditional or quite bold quilts. This one is definitely bold! The other thing I've learned is that while I am generous, I can't be ridiculous with my time. I do have that family/work thing to do. So I went with straight line quilting that actually added some movement plus a cool secondary pattern of an Ohio Star where the lines intersected. I picked a turquoise Aurifil because when any colour will work that is always an excellent choice! It also looked great on the back, one of the first Prints from Rashida Coleman-Hale with Cotton and Steel, Moonlit.

Binding choice was probably the most difficult. Again, any solid colour would likely do. I was leaning towards hot pink or carrying the turquoise out. Then I spied the perfect fabric peeking out of my stash - a ruled sheet of paper inspired print from Paper Obsessed by Heather Givans (of Crimson Tate fame). It's already on the bias, and the touch of blue and pink is just enough to make it so much more than a solid binding. And thankfully it looked great on the back.

The quilt has already been auctioned off. I'm always a little bit sad that they don't fetch more, but happy that the quilt is going to a loving home. And I met the winning bidder so I know it will be well taken care of. I may however, need to restash some of those Cirrus Solids now.

New Obsession with Tiny Piecing

I'm a fan of a big quilt. Always in favour of sewing more to make it bigger I have a hard time making something smaller than 84'' square these days. I have to push myself to go smaller. None of that, however, applies to piecing. The day may have now come where I have to push myself to go larger in piecing, at least for now.

While at QuiltCon East in Savannah last month I had the great joy of taking a tiny piecing class with Chawne Kimber. Mostly, I just wanted to hang out with Chawne for a day. She rocked my world in so many ways!

After a demo and short talk about the mechanics of tiny piecing she let us loose. Not one to follow the crowd, I decided I would try my favourite improv curves scaled down. Way down. I started with squares cut anywhere from 1 1/2'' to 2'' big. With scissors I cut a curve and started sewing. 

Oy.

Not easy, especially on the classroom machines. But also not too difficult. And once I got home and could use my own machine with a smaller foot it got much easier. So much so that I am totally addicted. I can't stop cutting fabric and sewing blocks!

To keep from going totally insane and to make a finished pieced more interesting I change up the size of the starting squares. So far, the largest ones cut are in the 3'' range. They seem enormous in comparison. I square up according to what it can be, but the smallest ones are about 1 1/4'' wide. Even though Chawne taught us how to make log cabins and pineapple blocks with 1/8'' finished pieces, I think that is about as small as I can go and still be able to sew them in the first place. 

It takes a lot of work to get to any size when working this small. I break it up to keep from total insanity (although, I may already be there). One day I might cut and sew a bunch of the curves. After the kids go to bed I might press the handfuls of little blocks. With some good music I tackle the tedious job of squaring up, sorting the blocks into piles of different sizes. This, by far, is the part that makes me doubt myself the most. Then it is play time. I took about 4 hours to get this piece together, from ready blocks. It measures about 9'' by 28'' at the moment. 

Another student in the class - a woman who has actually taken an Improv Curves workshop with me - teased me for being so on brand with this. After a good laugh I conceded that she was right. I just like what I like!

Because it is me, I have zero intention of stopping at a wall hanging or even a baby quilt size. Must go larger! For now, I will play with this until I don't want to play anymore. Seeing as this seems to be pulling me out of a funk I don't anticipate boredom anytime soon. 

Amazing what some experimentation and a lot of play can do for the soul.