Matching Quilts in the Etsy Shop!

I finally have a couple of new finishes to share!!!  I had been sitting on some scraps of Amy Butler charm fabric, and I had no idea what to do with them.  I created a wall hanging from these fabrics nearly 10 years ago, and had stashed the leftovers in the drawer and forgot about them.

Recently, I decided I need to start working through some of my scraps, and make pretty things from them.  These quilts are the first on that list.  It felt great to make even a small dent in my scrap stash.

The quilts are almost the same.  They have the same fabrics in them, both measure 51" square, and have the same backing fabric (by freespirit).  The only difference is the layout.  One of the quilts has prints on the outside edges, and the other has the border fabric on the outside.  That's it, the only difference.

Both were longarm quilted on my handi-quilter (by me), one quilted with swirls, and one quilted with flowers.  I used Quilters Dream batting in both, and I love the way this batting quilts up.  I have far fewer issues with this batting than some of the other popular brands out there.

These would be great quilts for little girls, especially if they share a room.  They are close enough to match, but you can still tell which quilt is which.

Of course, these quilts are also great summer couch quilts.  The batting in them is light, and they are the perfect size for your favorite couch or chair, or even an evening by the lake.

I really love how these turned out.  They are simple, but I didn't want to detract from the boldness of the fabric.  I love how modern they are.

Both are for sale in my Etsy Shop, and can be found here and here.  In all honesty, if I didn't already have a quilt made from these fabrics, at least one of these would be staying with me!

Thanks for visiting!  What scrap projects have you been working on lately?

Cristina
The Quilted Mitten

A Most Versatile Pattern

Happy Monday Guys!

Have any of you been participating in Instagram Quilt Fest (#igquiltfest) this year?  This is my first year participating, and it has been so much fun!  I love seeing everyone's personality come through in sharing their version of the prompts.  It's been a great way for me to learn about new-to-me quilters as well and help jump back into the amazing community of quilters we have out there.

This week I'd like to talk about a quilt pattern that I find myself making over and over again.  I actually showed a quilt made with this pattern a few weeks ago, but I have some more examples I'd like to share today. 

I love this quilt, because it's the perfect "gift" size; great for snuggling on the couch, using at the office, or even for a baby.  Also, it works great with feature fabric and large scale prints that have been so popular in recent years.

The pattern is "Girls Best Friend" by Mountainpeek Creations (found here).  I never felt like the quilt on the cover of the pattern did the pattern any justice, as almost every quilt I've seen made from this has been more attractive (in my opinion) than the cover quilt.  However, that could just be the photography, which can sometimes be difficult on quilts that don't have a ton of contrast in the piecing.

I'm glad I gave it a chance while working at Quilts Plus, in Kalamazoo MI, because this quickly became one of my go-to patterns and most made design.

Here is the first one I made (9 years ago already!) while working at Quilts Plus:

I loved the softness of the blue and green in this quilt (try and ignore my icky orange carpet), and to this day this is one of my favorite quilts to leave out in my living room.  One way I like to manipulate this pattern is to use a different fabric for the 4 corner blocks.  The pattern calls for this fabric to be the same as the center and border, but I always felt that it made the other blocks look they were floating weirdly in the middle of the focus fabric.  Changing the fabric layout a little bit helps me feel like the piecing is more intentional.

Another example I'd like to show is a quilt I actually have for sale in my Etsy shop right now:

I love that each one of these quilts is so different thanks to just a fabric change!  I have seen many others make this quilt and they always turn out great!

What about you guys?  Do any of you have a favorite quilt pattern that you've made multiple times?  What pattern is your favorite and why?

Until next time!

Cristina

The Quilted Mitten

All in the Family - Part 1 of 2

Hello Everyone!

I have 2 quilts to share with you in the near future.  Both of them were finished quite some time ago, however I am just now realizing that I never got the opportunity to show them to you!

I think it was about 3 years ago now (sheesh I'm behind), my Aunt K contacted me about making her a quilt.  Originally she was interested in finding one that I had already finished, or had a finished top, but in the end I didn't really have anything ready made in the style and colors she was looking for.  Ultimately we decided that I should make her a quilt of her own.

She really loved a quilt that I was working on with Parisville fabric by Tula Pink, however I had been hoarding that fabric quite a long time, and it was long out of print.  Luckily, Elizabeth by Tula Pink had just been released which was similar in color story and style.

Because there were so many prints in this collection, we decided to use pre-cuts to get all the color variety and pattern into the quilt.  We also used one of my quilt patterns "When in Rome"  which works great with charm packs or a layer cake.

This picture shows my "design wall" (aka a quilt hanging on the wall), as I laid out the blocks for the best color placement.

It feels weird to review my own pattern, because I'm obviously biased, but I do really like the way this plays with charm packs AND yardage.  It's a good way to use a whole collection while also highlighting larger prints.  The center block and the border are bigger cuts so that you can show off the feature fabric without losing design.

Here is the center of the quilt with all of the blocks and sashing.

 After the center, there are a series of borders including a pieced border of half-square triangles.

I love the way this quilt turned out.  The hardest part was letting it go, because I love Tula Pink so much!!!  I quilted this all over with a floral pattern, and even backed it with Tula's extra wide fabric.

 My favorite part was that she loved it. :)  That's always my favorite part.

Ooh!  I almost forgot!!!  I stashed more of this fabric!!! ;)  I haven't started it yet, but there will be a version 2.0 of this quilt added to the Etsy shop at some time in the future.  If you are an Etsy user, favorite my shop to stay in the loop.  :)

Thanks everyone!!!  Hoping for an early spring!

Cristina
The Quilted Mitten.