Category

Quilt

Category

I’ve made some good progress on the Dresden Bee quilt lately! This week, I managed to cut all the background pieces for the Dresden blocks, and I finally made a firm decision on the layout—always a big milestone. I’ve also figured out how I want to piece the giant Dresden block together with the scrappy patchwork border panels I’ve been working on.

Right now, I have five completed panels, each framed with a scrappy border. But here’s the twist: those patchwork panels ended up feeling so small next to the 24″ Dresden block, which truly lives up to its “giant” title! The scale difference really challenged my layout plan.

In fact, I originally cut the border strips for those panel pieces a little too narrow. Once I laid everything out, it just didn’t feel balanced next to the large Dresden. So I decided to go back and recut the borders, this time making them wider to better anchor the design. It was a little extra effort, but totally worth it!

It’s been a quiet patch in my sewing life lately. I’ve been gently easing back into creating, after a stretch where I just didn’t have the heart to sew much.

Heaviness in my heart.

Maybe you’ve felt that too at times—the heaviness of the world casting a shadow over even the brightest fabric.

There’s been a strange sense of estrangement in me… I can’t quite name it, only that it carries guilt—guilt for having peace in my sewing room while others face turmoil. I know guilt doesn’t solve anything, but it nudges me to look deeper, to be kinder, and to stay rooted in the belief that the good we do, however small, matters. We are all human, and it’s heartbreaking to see that truth not honored in every corner of the world.

Still, here we are, doing our best. Sometimes it feels helpless, but I do believe: if we choose kindness, we’re already making a shift. And I know, doing nothing keeps me in the shadow too, I need to keep on moving, finding peace in my heart so I can continue to pray, spread kindness and keep hope alive. 

Hence, I’m picking myself up when I can, and share this part of joy with you. 

Strippy Spool Quilt Along

This week, I found a flicker of joy in beginning the Strippy Spools Quilt—just a little head start before the quilt along begins on May 17th. Lori Holt’s cheerful colors gave my heart a small lift, a reminder that color and beauty still belong to us, even in hard times.

Using Lori Holt’s Mercantile Collection for this Strippy Spool Quilt.

Scrappy Dresden Bee Quilt

There are other projects quietly calling to me too. The scrappy Dresden bee quilt with the printed panels is yet to be sewn into blocks. You can read more about this quilt in my previous post HERE>

Hopefully another start –  Charm Squares Woven Star

And there’s a charm pack on my shelf that’s just perfect for a paper piecing idea I’ve been itching to try. I can feel the spark returning… slowly, softly.

I’ll be using Sunday Brunch Collection and the Woven Star paper piecing pad. (click on the link to grab it too)

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today as I’m writing this, it’s Mother’s Day, and I want to spend it mothering, resting, and holding gratitude close. However you spend the day, I hope it’s filled with love. Whether you’re a mother in body, spirit, or presence—you matter, deeply. Happy Mother’s Day to you.

If you’re in the mood for a little creative treat, grab some fun Jolly Bars HERE>
25% off Jolly Bars for Jolly Bar Day – which is half of a Layer Cake, double of a Charm Pack. use code JBDAY25. (ends Sunday 11:59pm May 11th)

Thanks for reading my heart today. Let’s keep being gentle with ourselves and one another. That, too, is a form of healing.

I’m so thrilled to finally share the finished Jelly Roll Quilt Spinner with you—and let me tell you, I’m in love. 😍 This quilt turned out even better than I imagined, and I just can’t get over how magical the rainbow ombré jelly roll looks with this pattern. The colors seem to dance and swirl with every block—like the quilt is spinning with joy!

This particular jelly roll was such a beautiful collection to work with. I really feel like the ombré effect brought the quilt to life, highlighting the motion in the design – can you the illusion of a reflection shining from the quilt due to  the lighter shades of the ombre? 

This pattern is free for all my lovely newsletter subscribers, so don’t miss your chance to grab it and sew along! In the video, I take you through the whole process—and yep, I even show you the mistake I made so you don’t have to repeat it. Learn from my oopsie!

But honestly? I’m convinced this jelly roll quilt pattern would look amazing in any jelly roll—whether you prefer soft florals, bold brights, or soothing neutrals. It’s one of those patterns that just knows how to make fabric shine ✨.

 

I just had to dive into my latest quilt book, The Prairie Home Quilt Book by Lori Holt (published by It’s Sew Emma). The moment I flipped through its pages, I knew I couldn’t resist starting a new project. This book is packed with so many delightful sewing ideas—it’s like a quilter’s playground! And the gorgeous bright colored Lori Holt Fabrics in the book, simply delightful to browse through. 

Prairie Pastures Runner

For my first project, I’m making a table runner. The pattern Prairie Pastures Runner actually calls for a layer cake, but I decided to get creative and use what I already have—two Lori Holt charm packs from my stash, plus some scrap pieces to fill in the gaps. I love a good quick quilting project, and making this project slightly smaller than the original design feels just right for my space and time.

Want to see more? I’ve got a sew with me video where I chat about the project and take you along for the fun. Come hang out with me, see my fabric choices, and let’s stitch up something beautiful together! ✨

Discover The Prairie Home Quilt Book by Lori Holt, published by It’s Sew Emma—a treasure trove of quilting projects inspired by vintage charm. In my latest sew with me video, I’m starting a table runner from the book, using Lori Holt charm packs and scraps instead of a layer cake. Join me as I share my process, fabric choices, and quilting tips!

Link to shop:

Are you working on any new quilting projects? I’d love to hear what’s on your sewing table! 🧵💛

If you are like me and love making quilted table runners, check out my previous post and table runner finishes too:

Kindle Unlimited for Quilt Books

By the way, I used my amazon kindles to browse through other  fun quilt books too. And there are so many available with the Kindle Unlimited, so check it out HERE> 

I’ve been having so much fun working on a giant Dresden bee quilt using a bee collection called Honey & Lavender by Deb Strain for Moda Fabrics. I first tried out the Dresden Plate Template for 10″ Squares from Missouri Star Quilt Company when I made my quilt project organizer bag which I talked about before HERE>, and I completely fell in love with it. I knew right then that I had to make a full-sized quilt using these oversized Dresdens.

Fabric link:

Fabric: Honey & Lavender still available HERE> and at Missouri Star Quilt Company at the time of me writing this. However, if they’re no longer available, check out this page HERE for all the bees fabric to make your own bee quilt.

There’s something so special about seeing a quilt come to life piece by piece. And this time, I have stripy sashing to bring it all together!  I’m thrilled to share that I’ve made more progress on my pastel basket quilt which I posted about last week here, and it’s finally at the flimsy stage! I do still need to put the border on, but I’m pretty sure I’ll start quilting it soon!

Here’s what’s currently on my quilt design wall. I am almost done with all the blocks for the quilt, just another row to go and I’m ready to piece the blocks together with sashing and border. 

I started the quilt last summer together with a quilt along celebrating the Summer Memories Book by Susan Ache.  You can check out #summermemoriesqal to join along or to enjoy all the other versions. The book is an eye-candy filled with great projects and is sure to inspire you to pick up some red and blue fabrics to get started. I knew I did! But what really caught my eye was the basket quilt.

On my Quilt Design Wall

I shared how I made this quilt wall in the previous post here. Having this design wall inspires me to keep going little by little on quilts that I am making. The design wall allows me to see the big picture of how the quilts are coming together and to decide the final layout. 

design wall basket quilt

Here is a fun quilt I made using a  free charm pack quilt pattern in sweet lavender and green! These are not my usual colours, but they are pretty! Sometimes, I like to try out new colour pallete just to see how I feel working with these. They were surely harder to photographs as I am so used to saturated colours. But I love the finish and I have the perfect person in mind to gift this one to. easy free charm pack quilt pattern

Free Charm Pack Quilt Pattern

Back with a slow update on this English Paper Piecing Grandmother’s flower garden quilt project. I am so happy to report an update since I didn’t touch the project at all in 2024! Can’t believe that the year simply passes without me touching this project at all, not even basting any of the hexagons. O well what’s passed is passed. 

This project is on my list of projects I listed in my 2025 challenge plans HERE>  I would love to continue the momentum with this quilt all the way in 2025. Hoping to make a significant progress for this quilt. 

Grandmother’s Flower Garden Progress

My first post of this project was back here in this post where I share the free printable quotes. I still love seeing the quotes as I’m working with the hexagons. I made another full grandmother flower block. The one with a blue outer rounds. I am mixing in two different fabrics as I am running out of fabrics. The fabric is an old fabric line by Bonnie and Camille and surely are long out of prints. I did add a few more fabric from a different collection but mostly they are the fabric from the collection “Simple Abundance”.

The pattern is the English Paper Piecing Grandmother’s flower garden from the book “Handful of Scraps” by Edyta Sitar. There are so many great patterns in this book and I wish I could make them all. But if this project takes me 10 years, that can only mean I won’t have the capacity to do all the quilts in this book in my lifetime. LOL. But there are so many other projects in there that are not English paper piecing, so I may eventually get a few more quilts from the book.