Comfort - Table Runner/Wall Quilt - featuring Piecemakers by Kathy Schmitz 2013.
Those of us who quilt and sew love our sewing machines. Kathy’s Piecemakers’s fabric line was designed with a sewing theme so it was the perfect group to create an ode to my machine. This pattern has been a solid seller over the years and it is FabSwitch compatible so you can play with the fabric to customize the pattern to match your sewing room!
Color Burst - Wall Quilt - featuring Canyon by Kate Spain 2015.
Color Burst is 48” square and uses a charm pack (5” squares) I love how the white background makes Kate’s beautiful fabrics pop. This pattern was recolored in 2020 with Flower Power by Tina Leto for Clothworks and it was also the inspiration for Bliss. Easy piecing and a little bit of appliqué so you don’t get bored. Perfect project for fusible web.
Collection - Lap Quilt - featuring Refresh by Sandy Gervais 2015.
I was really into adding pieces of furniture in quilts for a while and this pattern was a result of that. It was not a great seller. Since then I have been asked many times about photo quilts and I think this would be a great way to set some photos. It would be like carrying around your bedroom wall of family portraits with you.
Coffee First - Lap Quilt - featuring Brew by Deb Strain 2018 I didn’t start drinking coffee until I starting practicing law in the 1990’s. It just seemed that when a colleague said, “Let’s go for coffee” that I should drink coffee instead of tea. With the boom of Starbucks on every corner in downtown Vancouver where I was working, it was an inevitability. I am now a coffee as soon as I get out of bed person. I wanted to design a pattern that did not use the Brew panels so this quilt was the result. It has since been re-colored with “Coffee Shop” by Sue Zipkin for Clothworks under the name Always Coffee First and will be reappearing later this year with an adorable coffee line from Michael Miller Fabrics under the name Perk Me Up.
Coast to Coast USA - Wall/Small Lap Quilt - featuring Metropolis by Basic Grey 2018.
This was a very interesting fabric line which included prints featuring a map of the US and names of states as well as a map of Canada and names of provinces. I designed Coast to Coast Canada first which included two projects: a country version and a city version, both beginning with the west coast in the top row and ending with the east coast on the bottom row. Because the characteristics of Canada and the US with respect to the topography and lifestyle are very similar from coast to coast, the only difference between the Canada and US versions is the map in the center.
Circled in Warmth - Lap Quilt - featuring Collections for a Cause - Compassion by Howard Marcus 2017.
This quilt uses a Fat ⅛th Pack and I think it is the only one I have designed using a Fat ⅛th Pack. Pre-cuts are such a great way to get the full flavor of a complete fabric line. Given the traditional nature of the fabric, I tried to design something with an 1800’s feel to it. Because I can rarely suppress my need for appliqué, the pattern comes with instructions to make a version of the quilt with or without appliqué.
Christmas to Me - Lap Quilt - featuring Winter Village by Basic Grey 2018.
I really like the look of lettering on quilts especially when it is a combination of different fonts. This pattern is a “go big or go home for lettering” pattern as I tried to incorporate all the words that Christmas makes me think of. Normally I would use my Freeze Paper Method for the appliqué because of the size of the quilt and the assumption that it would be used as a lap quilt. The Freezer Paper Method is much more durable for a quilt that will be washed many times. However, given that this is seasonal quilt and could be used more for decoration, I used fusible web to make the letters.
Christmas Sampler - Lap Quilt - featuring Through the Winter Woods by Holly Taylor 2014.
Sampler quilts are a great way for confident beginners to try out some classic blocks. Of all the blocks used in this quilt, the Ohio Star is the most challenging. I took lessons when I first started quilting and we made a sampler quilt. I learned: a lot of skills, that I didn’t like doing classic needle turn appliqué, and that I didn’t like my chosen fabrics by the end of the class. I never finished the quilt and I am pretty sure I donated the quilt blocks.
Christmas on the Farm - Lap Quilt - featuring Meet Magnolia by Hoffman Fabrics 2019.
I love the soft colors on this fabric. Many of the pieces are accented with gold or silver, giving it a really elegant look. This pattern was included in the Winter 2019 edition of Simply Vintage by Quiltmania and I have included the picture from the magazine. They did such an awesome job of staging it. If you do not have the Quiltmania publications at your local store, check them out online. Their magazines are Simply Moderne, Simply Vintage and Quiltmania.
Christmas is Coming - Lap Quilt - featuring Christmas Countdown by Deb Strain 2012.
This is a fun Christmas quilt if you like appliqué. The pieces are nice and big and easy to work with. I can’t remember what inspired me to include the nutcracker. He makes a bold statement with his big eyes and mustache. I actually think that nutcrackers are kind of scary looking. I can envision an army of them chasing me down a dark alley with their wooden mouths chomping. Anyone else feel that way about nutcrackers?
Christmas in the North - Lap Quilt - featuring Juniper by Kate & Birdie 2020.
This pattern was new for 2020. It was originally offered just to Canadian shops and I was late finishing my sample so it did not get much exposure. Juniper is such a pretty Christmas line. Start your Christmas project for Christmas 2021!
Christmas in the Country - Lap Quilt - featuring Nature’s Gift by Deb Strain 2011.
This was definitely one of my better selling and long lasting patterns. Originally shown in Nature’s Gift by Deb Strain for Moda, it was recolored in 2019 for Merry & Bright by Sue Zipkin for Clothworks. This pattern shows well in all Christmas fabric and you can play with it on my free app located at app.fabswitch.com.
Christmas in Paris - Lap Quilt - featuring Fa La La La La by French General 2011.
Fabric by French General was an obvious choice for Christmas in Paris. My inspiration for this pattern was the poinsettias on the fabric combined with the elegance of and history of French tapestry. Oh I am having a flashback to almond croissants, chocolate croissants, pistachio croissants...
Christmas in New York - Lap/Wall Quilt - featuring Flurry by Kate Spain 2011.
I have a lot of Christmas patterns and they tend to be my best sellers. My Christmas patterns for each year always have a design theme, whether it is a concept or a repeated block or appliqué. The theme in 2011 for this pattern and the patterns for the next two days are “Christmas in...” My vision for Kate’s fabric was New York because it was stylish, bright and a modern. As you can see, my Christmas tree for this quilt was far from traditional. The two constant Christmas themes for New York are the tree at Rockefeller Center and shopping so I put the tree in the middle surrounded by Christmas gifts.
Christmas Fun - Lap Quilt - featuring Snow Day by Stacy Iest Hsu 2018.
Not only is Stacy Iest Hsu an amazing fabric designer, she is also such a lovely person. Quilt Market is of course a casualty of Covid-19 and I am really missing visiting with my friends in the industry. Aside from the great opportunity to meet with store owners and show my new designs, Quilt Market always recharges my creativity batteries. It is inspiring to see all the incredible projects from designers all over North America, all in one place. Quilt Market is a wholesale trade show and only open to the industry but the fall show in Houston every year is followed by Quilt Festival which is open to the public. There is also a Quilt Festival in the Spring which changes venues every year across the US. If you love to quilt and you are itching to travel when the pandemic is over, Quilt Festival should be on your bucket list.
Christmas Door - Lap Quilt - featuring Holiday Lodge by Deb Strain 2018.
One of the greatest things of finally getting your first house is decorating the front door for the holidays. The size of the panel blocks in Deb’s Holiday Lodge line were perfect for a door. I included options for each of the panel color ways so customers could choose the one that best suited their home.
Christmas Bears - Wall Quilt - featuring “Holiday in the Pines” by Holly Taylor 2012.
Holly Taylor’s fabric always has a lovely outdoorsy theme to it. This is the first quilt that I designed with these roaming bears. This pattern is nicely balanced between the pieced background and border and the appliqué. Like the three bears in the woods, “just right!”. Goldilocks and the third bear are having porridge back at the cabin.
Christmas at the Cabin - Lap Quilt - featuring “Holiday Lodge” by Deb Strain 2018.
This pattern design tells you 4 things about me: I like white backgrounds, I like to include lettering in my patterns, I like houses and cabins and I like this particular bear and dear who have appeared in several of my patterns. Also for every line that I work with that has a panel, I like to design at least one pattern that does not use the panel. This give shops another opportunity to keep selling the coordinates when the panels are no longer available.
Celebrate Family- Lap Quilt - featuring “Modern Farmhouse” by Barb Cherniwchan 2021.
I love star blocks. The large center showcases the fabric and the block itself signifies joy and happiness. They are easy to make and look great when you combine them in different sizes. It is not surprising to me that this has been the most popular pattern for my new fabric line which was released this month! The pattern uses the Modern Farmhouse panel so there is no appliqué required!
Candy Stripes - Lap Quilt - featuring “Aspen Frost” by Basic Grey 2013.
Basic Grey has the cutest Christmas Fabric every year if you are looking for something a little less traditional. On point settings like this one look more complicated than they are, especially when they have a pieced sashing between the blocks. The red and white sashing reminded me of peppermint candy so that is where the quilt pattern got its name. Moda has just released pictures of Basic Grey’s Christmas fabric for 2021, called Hustle and Bustle (super cute), and it would work really well with this design.
Candlelight - Table Runner - featuring “Delightful December” by Sandy Gervais 2016.
Remember when the trend was to fill your old wood burning fireplace with candles? Lots of home dec shops sold all sorts of candle holders and this table runner was my version of that. It was published in the October 2016 edition of Fons & Porter quilting magazine.
Canada Travels - Lap Quilt - featuring “True North” by Kate & Birdie 2018.
It is always fun for me when I get to design a pattern with a Canadiana theme. This design features Highway 1, the main highway that travels from east to west across Canada. True North was so successful that True North 2 by Kate & Birdie was introduced in 2020. I have also shown a FabSwitch version of Canada Travels to show how different a design can look in different fabrics.
Campin’ - Lap Quilt - featuring “Smore Love” by Eric & Julie Comstock 2013.
One of my favorite quilts. I love the owl, car and trailer which are appliqué versions of the artwork on the fabric. This was not a big seller. Maybe it was the color and not many people are into teal quilts. I definitely have to get this on FabSwitch so that you can play with different fabrics. Every quilt show and trunk show I attend, I bring this sample and lots of these patterns and I always bring most of the patterns back home. What do you think?
Cake Blooms - Table Runner - Layer Cake 2010 This is the Layer Cake version of the 3-D Blooms table runner which I showed on Day 36.
I like the colors on this runner better and the scrappy look of it created by using a Layer Cake. ( A Layer Cake is a bundle of 42 - 10” squares and contains at least 1 piece of each fabric in a fabric line.) There is enough fabric in the Layer Cake to build the front and back of the table runner. The first photo of the runner is from 2020 and the second photo was used as my cover photo for the pattern which I took in 2010. I like to think that my photography skills have improved a little bit. The key for me now is taking photos outside with natural lighting and using my phone instead of trying to figure out how to work my husband’s camera. Like yesterday’s quilt, this pattern also lives in the discontinued box.
By the Fireplace - Lap Quilt - featuring “Aspen Frost” by Basic Grey 2012.
I thought that this quilt was really cute with the teddy bear and gifts under the tree that just comes in the on right side of the quilt. I put a fireplace in the back center and built in some perspective with the gifts coming out to the sides of the quilt. Unfortunately it was not a great seller and now lives in the discontinued box.
Buzzin’ Around - Lap Quilt - featuring “Bee Grateful” by Deb Strain 2020.
Deb is known for her beautiful bee inspired fabric lines and Bee Grateful is the most recent group. This fabric is in stores now so if this pattern inspires you, buy your fabric now while you still can. This is the first quilt I have designed with the half bees as borders around the blocks and there is no appliqué. There are three other patterns using Bee Grateful on my website and on Etsy - Sweet as Honey, Honey Cakes and Farmer’s Market.
Buzz Buzz - Lap Quilt - featuring “Bee Joyful” by Deb Strain 2018.
This cute lap quilt features Deb’s beautiful artwork in the framed panel blocks surrounded by pieced bees in the sashing. Moda made this into one of their boxed kits and it sold pretty well. Yay! Writing this now, I look back on 2018 as a pretty good year with all of us naïve to the upcoming pandemic. The fabric is named Bee Joyful. I believe we all need to be joyful when we can because you never know what is around the corner.
Butterfly Summer - Lap Quilt and Table Runner- featuring “Woodland Summer” by Holly Taylor 2013.
I can’t remember the first group that did it, but it was around this time that started putting out fabric lines which combined regular cotton prints with batiks. Batiks are great for appliqué because they do not fray as easily as regular cotton. As a result, you can use batiks with fusible web on larger quilts without worrying about them looking as worn around the edges after washing. Holly Taylor had incorporated butterflies into her fabric design so that is how I ended up with blue and red butterflies which I must admit, I have never seen. It was also around this time that I started including multiple projects in one pattern to give customers extra value.
Butterflies in the Meadow - Twin Quilt - featuring “Meadow Friends” by Deb Strain 2011.
Meadow Friends was a really cute juvenile fabric line. I designed two quilts with it with the 3 to 8 year olds in mind. This one with pink, green and blue butterflies and flowers and Turtles in the Meadow with green, yellow and blue turtles and dragonflies. It would be cute to appliqué the name of the child on one of the rows and brighter if you changed the brown to white. I use a lot of white in my quilts now because I like the way it showcases the prints and allows the block and appliqué detail to stand out.
Bunnies in the Park - Large Lap Quilt - featuring “Bluebird Park” by Kate & Birdie 2013.
Just like real bunnies in the wild, you have to look hard to see the bunnies hiding in the grass. This was such cute fabric and the design of the quilt was inspired by the artwork on the fabric. It would be a really cute quilt for a young girl and would look totally different if you made the bunnies in white or black so they stand out more.
Box of Chocolates - Lap Quilt - featuring “Modern Farmhouse” by Barb Cherniwchan 2021.
This is the first of 8 patterns that I designed for my very own fabric line! Woot Woot! (Thank you Clothworks!) Box of Chocolates uses a 10” square pack and the Modern Farmhouse Panel so there is no appliqué! This pattern is currently available for purchase as a paper pattern, or a digital PDF pattern, and you will see the fabric show up in stores this month!
I will be breaking my no fabric rule on my website and putting together some kits with my fabric! I will keep you posted when they are available!
Bouquet of Irises - Lap Quilt - featuring “Audra’s Iris Garden” by Brannock & Patek 2014.
Irises are beautiful and this fabric was beautiful and this quilt was not. Say no more - the pattern is discontinued.
Bon Voyage - Lap Quilt - featuring “Printemps” by 3 Sisters 2013.
This pattern was inspired by a display in an outdoor fashion mall just outside of Paris and it began my design fascination with trunks and vintage suitcases. The quilt is shown in three different fabric combinations. I think they illustrate really well just how different a quilt can look when you switch the fabrics from the original. In 2013, I launched my free app “FabSwitch” which is located online at app. fabswitch.com. It allows customers to “switch” out the original fabrics in many of my patterns with their own choices and then print out a color picture and new fabric requirements list. You can upload fabrics from your stash or use the preloaded fabrics in the app. Check it out!
Blue Rhapsody - Large Lap Quilt - featuring “Spa” by Deb Strain 2012.
This is the first quilt that I designed with really large appliqués. It was inspired by an area rug we used to have by our front door until the cat decided to destroy it. Blue and white is such a classic combination and Deb’s fabric really made this design. Well its Day 40 and we are still on the “B” Quilts! Lots more quilts to show.
Blue Door - Lap Quilt - featuring “Towne Square Quilts” by Kathy Schmitz 2011.
I have always had a fascination with doors and have designed a few quilts featuring doors or inspired by doors. Whenever we travel, I always end up with a bunch of door photos including this one showing me in front of this other blue door. The picture was taken on March 18/18 in Howth, Ireland which is just outside of Dublin. It is the entrance to Balscadden House where WB Yeats lived from 1880- 1883. We were shown the door on a walking tour given by the man with the red beard and leprechaun hat that my husband and I met at a hotel bar next to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin.
Blue Christmas - Lap Quilt featuring “North Woods” by Kate Spain 2016.
I fell in love with this beautiful Christmas fabric by Kate Spain. The colors were so soft and soothing and a nice contrast to the hectic Christmas season. I wanted to design something that had a traditional theme but with cleaner lines to give it a modern look. I think this pattern would look pretty with blacks and silvers.
Blossoms Lap Quilt - Fabrics from Michael Miller Fabrics 2008.
This is my very first commercial quilt pattern. It includes pin tuck borders, cathedral window details, a border flap and appliqué. I put so much effort into the design and then I quilted it on my regular sewing machine and ruined it. I stitched in the ditch and it pulled the fabric in the direction of the sewing for each seam. I was too embarrassed to include it on my website and too frustrated to pick out the quilting. Maybe one day I will remake it. (Probably not)
Blooms Table Runner featuring “Fresh Flowers” by Deb Strain 2010.
This table runner is another example of me trying to do something different! Not a big success but it sold over 100 patterns so some people liked it! There are two versions of this pattern - this one using yardage in two color ways and another version using a layer cake which sold twice as many (Cake Blooms is coming up on Day 48) The petals are made with fusible fleece and the center of each flower is a covered button.
Bliss Wall Quilt featuring “Various Batiks” 2017.
This pattern was developed for Elephant’s Walk by Printfresh Studios for Clothworks but I do not have a photo of it in those fabrics. The sample shown was made from my stash as an example for my free app, app.fabswitch.com. I will get more into that in few days. The appliqué mandala is a larger version of the center of another quilt I designed in 2015. I have also made Bliss in black, white and grey which is hanging on the wall at my daughter’s apartment.
Birds in the Garden Lap Quilt featuring “Noteworthy” by Sweetwater 2016.
I love the bright fun colors in this fabric group. The prints are crisp and look great with a white background which gives the design more a modern yet folksy look. Perfect combo to brighten up your home for spring and to welcome in the summer sun. I definitely think this is a happy quilt...it makes me happy.
Billboards Lap Quilt featuring “Explore” by Deb Strain 2017.
The first thing that I thought of when I saw Deb’s Explore panel was vintage travel posters and then billboard signs. If you haven’t had the chance to explore the mountains, then you must put it on your bucket list. You don’t even have to get out of your car to see deer, bears, elk, moose. The tranquility of waking up next to a lake, watching the fish jump and the birds fly is one of the most calming experiences I have ever had. And the stars at night...amazing.
Best Time Ever! Wall Quilt featuring “Oak Grove Lane” by Kathy Schmitz 2017.
These are the last two projects included in this pattern. The first is a wall hanging which you can personalize for your family or place that you visited. The second is Kathy’s embroidered pillow which she designed to help me support the Red Cross. So cute for your cabin or RV! The “Woody” and canoe shown in the wall-hanging are showing up tomorrow in a different setting with new fabrics. Stay tuned.
Best Time Ever! Runner featuring “Oak Grove Lane” by Kathy Schmitz 2017.
Table runners are great projects for gifts. Celebrate that memorable camping trip with friends or family with a personalized version of this runner. Gift a runner to make a promise to go on a trip together when the world returns to normal. Mountains, trees, lakes, family, friends...best time ever.
Best Time Ever! Coasters featuring “Oak Grove Lane” by Kathy Schmitz 2017.
These coaster were really fun to make. The appliqué shapes were fused on and then the whole circle covered with iron-on vinyl to make them waterproof. No sewing around the tiny shapes required!
Best Time Ever! Lap Quilt featuring “Oak Grove Lane” by Kathy Schmitz 2017.
In the summer of 2017 there were terrible wildfires in my province. One of the fires raged around our cabin which has been in our family since the 1940’s when my grandpa bought the property for 50 cents an acre. Many cabins and buildings on the lake were destroyed but our cabin was spared despite the fire coming within 100 meters of our front door. I designed Best Time Ever! as a fundraiser for the Red Cross and 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the pattern is donated to the Red Cross in Canada or the US, depending on where the customer lives. There are 5 projects in the pattern including a cute embroidered pillow designed by Kathy Schmitz. The next few days will be devoted to showing Best Time Ever!
