quilt pattern Archives - QA Creations

May 23, 2016

Lover’s Knot Quilt Pattern

I’m excited to share my latest quilt design – the Lover’s Knot quilt pattern that is featured in Make Modern magazine, issue 11!

My work probably fits in the modern traditional style of quilting the best, and this latest quilt reflects that aesthetic.

This is an old block- probably. Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns labels it as a “lover’s knot” from the Old Chelsea Station Needlecraft Service (OCS). This company began in 1933, but this block has no date and doesn’t really look like what most quilters would consider to be a lover’s knot. Even before this company started, this name has been assigned to a wedding ring-style quilt, a snowball/flowerish quilt block, and various other pieced blocks.

I had never seen this block made before, and I thought it would be a beautiful quilt, so I made the paper pieced pattern for it and made the quilt in bright spring colors against a low volume background.

I really wanted the pink to stand out, so I stitched just inside of the pink spikes. The diamonds have swirls and pebbles, and the low volume starts have straight line quilting to echo the outside shape. I quilted some easy curves inside the turquoise centers.

This quilt is 48″x64″, so it makes a nice lap quilt or can be made for a baby that you really, really like. I love the secondary patterns this design makes, and want to make a larger version in blues if I get some free time this summer.

The pattern is in Issue 11 of Make Modern, which was just released on May 20, 2016. There are some other great patterns in this issue, as well as interesting articles. Stacey O’Malley of Slo Studio made an amazing quilt that uses hourglass blocks and inset circles. Alyce Blyth of Blossom Heart Quilts has an article on the math to do biased binding, and Sandi Hazlewood of the Crafty Planner recaps QuiltCon.

It was also fun to share the issue with Leanne (Devoted Quilter) – who was part of the Round Trip Quilts Bee I did last year (she made the X marks the spot mini with curved piecing and purple!), and Anne (Hudson Valley Quilts) who wrote an article about online learning and is part of the Hudson Valley Modern Quilt Guild with me!

I also was a featured maker this month, so if you want to see more of my work or hear my opinions on quilting, you can check that out 🙂

Make Modern has offered a special discount code for contributors to share – enter issue11friends at checkout to get your copy of issue 11 for just $6 AU. I always love this magazine, and read my copy on the train on my iPad (which is nice, because then I don’t have to recycle it when I get to the city, like I do with most magazines).

Linking up to some of the following: Main Crush Monday @ Cooking Up Quilts, Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story, Sew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart Quilts, Let’s Bee Social Wednesday @ SewFreshQuilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Whoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt Addict, TGIFF, Show off Saturday at Sew Can She

November 1, 2015January 4, 2016

Forging Steel Quilt Pattern

I am a covergirl! Or, at least my quilt is! Meet my latest pattern: Forging Steel Quilt.

This is Issue 8 of Make Modern magazine, which was released November 1st. Forging Steel is large baby/lap sized quilt. I personally like large baby quilts, so I would not hesitate to use this quilt for that purpose (although this one is going to be all mine!).

The block is a spin-off of the traditional anvil block with a border of half square triangles surrounding. I made this quilt with a variety of Cotton & Steel prints, so combining the historical roots with the modern brand of fabric used, I called it Forging Steel.

I quilted the background with large spiral loops and then went linear on the inside of the blocks for contrast. I left the triangles puffy because the puff once again contrasts the heavy quilting elsewhere. I really love custom quilting contrasts. The batting is Quilter’s Dream Puff, so it’s nice and light with good loft. In the background I used Bottom Line, and the inside of the blocks is a minty So-Fine.

I love this quilt, and I hope you do too! Please share if you make it because I would love to see your version. The hashtag is #forgingsteelquilt.

Linking to some of the following: Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story, Sew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart Quilts, Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River, Let’s Bee Social Wednesday @ SewFreshQuilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Whoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt Addict, TGIFF, Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Ft. Worth Fabric, Link a Finish Friday @ Richard and Tanya Quilts, Show off Saturday at Sew Can She

May 4, 2015September 25, 2015

Square Dance Quilt Pattern

Paper pieced pattern includes photographic instructions and offers three block sizes and six quilt sizes for maximum value!

I have been working on this quilt pattern for over a year, and I’m really excited to be able to share it with you today! The Square Dance Quilt Pattern is now available in my Craftsy store.

This is a paper pieced version of a traditional block – one of the traditional names for this block is Square Dance, and I thought it was the most appropriate name for the quilt once you see the overall movement created by the blocks.

I experimented with many different sizes of blocks, and the result of that work is that this pattern includes 6″, 8″ and 10″ versions. I also tried a 4″ version, but it’s not practical for a quilt of any size! The instructions include fabric requirements to make 6 quilt sizes (Baby/Crib, Lap, Twin, Double, Queen, and King) from all three block sizes.

This paper pieced block is a great introduction to paper piecing! I used this pattern to teach a group to paper piece and was very impressed by their results in a couple of short hours. A full color photo tutorial on how to paper piece is included with this pattern, so if you are new to paper piecing this is a great way to get started.

The cover quilt uses the 8″ version of the block.

I had help making some of the blocks from my bee last year – the 2014 Stash Bee Hive 12. For this version, I custom quilted it and entered it in the North Carolina State Fair, where it earned 2nd place in the competitive Group category.

Sharon of ShaShaLaRue Quilts also made a Frolic Square Dance Quilt. She can also be found on Facebook or on Instagram @ShaShaLaRueQuilts. Her playful version demonstrates the versatility of this block because this is perfect for a crib or baby’s playroom!

The 6″ version is also great for Sampler Quilts or bee blocks because if you make 4 of them, it results in a 12.5″ unfinished block, which is what so many samplers or bees ask for!

I made the block above to add to my “real world red & white” quilt.

My guild, the Tarheel Quilter’s Guild in Fayetteville, NC makes quilts for the NICU. Our local hospital likes the quilts to be approximately 40″ square, so I used 16 of the 10″ blocks and made the little boy version of the quilt below. This quilt is made up of blocks made by my Quilting Circle – most of whom had never paper pieced before!

In order to create variation like the cover quilt, a variety of fabric should be used. This quilt would also look amazing in just two colors, or invert the color scheme. Use any combination you can dream for your own look!

You can make any of the block sizes or quilt sizes using fat quarters, half yards or full yards so this quilt is stash friendly!

The pattern is available in my Craftsy store – Quilts Actually Patterns. It is on sale through Mother’s Day (May 10th, 2015) for $7.50.

If you make this quilt, please share it with the hashtag #squaredancequilt or by tagging me @QACreations. You can also email me pictures or a link to your blog post at quilts actually(at)gmail.com. I would love to see what you make!

– Heather

Linking up to some of the following: Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story, Sew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart Quilts, Scraptastic Tuesday @ She Can Quilt, Let’s Bee Social Wednesday @ SewFreshQuilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Whoop Whoop Fridays @ Confessions of a Quilt Addict, TGIFF, Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Ft. Worth Fabric, and Show off Saturday at Sew Can She.