Growing and Changing, Hopefully For the Better

Last year around this time I renovated a haunted house quilt. This year, I’m remaking another quilt, Christmas in the Campground.  Here is the original quilt, designed in 2011:

A few weeks ago I decided to make a pattern of the quilt to sell in my shop. I thought it would be an easy project. The quilt was already made, writing the pattern should be a snap. I’ll just make another version of the first one, taking pictures and writing the pattern as I go.  But then, as I looked at the quilt, ideas came to me. I thought, what if I just did this, added this, changed this, moved this, took out this, and pretty soon I had a completely renovated Campground quilt. It is taking me weeks instead of a couple days to complete and I’m not done yet.

Here is the new 2015 version of Christmas at the Campground, in progress:

Here is a detail:

I hope to have the quilt and pattern done by next week.

Advertisement

Do You Know Where You’re Going Next?

Sometimes I look too closely at the individual stitches in a quilt and forget to consider the design I’m creating. A good quilter keeps her eye on the details but always considers the entire tapestry. That’s not bad advice for living life, either. I don’t want the consideration of small tasks to keep me from seeing the big world around me.

Do you want help remembering the big world?  Here is a quilt to remind you to look at the world from a bigger perspective:

The mini quilt will fit on a counter top or hang on a wall. The completed quilt is available here The pattern  is available here.

Giving Away a Rabbit, a Raccoon, and a Snail.

I feel a bit guilty about the last blog post. All I gave you were old TV memories. Today I will make it up to you.  I chose yesterday’s three most popular free downloads from my Craftsy pattern store to share with you.

You can download this rabbit for free on Craftsy right here.

You can find this raccoon for free on Craftsy right here.

Here is the link to the free snail pattern on Craftsy.

There are 101 patterns in my Craftsy pattern shop. Come check them out on Craftsy. (Search Marylandquilter)

Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Hoppin’ Down the Bunny Trail….

Why is it every time a major holiday rolls around, snippets of silly songs from my childhood pop in my head? I think of Christmas and all of sudden I’m humming “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”.  Halloween brings to mind the scary drumbeat soundtrack from The Wizard of Oz when the witch says, “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!”.

Today I was deciding the title for this Easter blog post and, naturally, I started singing the Peter Cottontail song. So, my Easter gift to you are old TV memories. In the classic words of Porky Pig, “That’s all folks”.

Are you looking for a sweet spring quilt to make or give? Here’s one with pretty flowers and Peter Cottontail:

This is a very fun quilt to make. It goes together fast, is full of colorful fabric and, best of all, it’s guaranteed to look great! Here is the pattern and here is the quilt .

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  In honor of the patron saint of Ireland, here are a few green items available at Maryland Quilter:

The dragon above reminds me of another famous saint, St. George, who slayed the dragon and rescued the princess. My green dragon is part of a quilt, the pattern and quilt are available in the shop, here.

Wouldn’t a green kitchen set of 2 pot holders and 2 tea towels be the perfect way to welcome spring in your home? You can find them here

What a lucky baby or grownup if they get a blanket like this one! Beautiful green and so so soft. It’s available at Maryland Quilter.

All You Need is Love

Sometimes life is really hard. It’s cold winter here in Maryland. Not a lot of daylight. The bad news seems to overshadow the good. But spring will come. Flowers will bloom. As Taylor Swift says, “Shake it off”. And when you shake off the bad, don’t forget to put love in its place. Because, really, all you need is love.

Want to send this message on a quilt? Buy any Maryland Quilter quilt or baby blanket and I’ll applique “I Love You”. Just tell me you need love and I’ll put it there, for free 🙂

Fear Is a Liar

It’s bitter cold this morning in Maryland, wayyyy below average. I looked out my window and the birds are slow to come to the feeder because of the cold. For an instant I was afraid for them, that they would freeze on the branches. But then common sense took hold. They have been cold before and will be fine. God takes care of them.

What are you afraid of?  Whatever you fear, it probably won’t happen. Fear is a liar. I tell myself that and have a poster to remind me.

Here is a quilt and pattern I made awhile back. It features some of the chilly animals I care about:

The quilt and the pattern are available in the shop here .

Frog and Toad and Bats

What is the best size for a baby blanket or quilt?  I’ve been asking myself that question for a couple years and I have the answer:  Babies need some of every size. When they are newborn and need swaddling, bigger is better so their feet don’t stick out.  When they are in the stroller, smaller is better so it doesn’t drag on the floor. When they start to crawl, any size works.

I have many large baby blankets in the shop. Now I’m stocking the virtual shelves with smaller stroller quilt blankets. Here is one of the newest and cutest, with Frog and Toad fabric:

And since I’m still stuck on Halloween, here is a bats quilt:

Frog and Toad is available here

Halloween bats quilt and the pattern are in the shop here

When Less is More

One of the hardest parts of designing a new quilt is knowing when to stop. It is so easy to think, if I add this it will be better, just a little more of this fabric, one more flower, another border, a bit more color. Then if I’m not paying attention the quilt is busy, really busy, with way too much going on. Then I have to take away, take away, until finally it is just how it should be.

My newest baby quilt is a great example of the less is more battle.  The fabric itself is a beautiful pattern called “Mind Your P’s and Q’s” by Keiki for Moda fabrics. It is a great example of a modern vintage style. It has the alphabet, animals, flowers, balloons.  It has so much interest that really, not much more needs to be added to make a great quilt. So I started the quilt design with a few balloons, added some more flowers, thought about an accent border, considered a scalloped edge. Then I let it sit awhile. Then I took off the flowers, most of the balloons, and the border. Now it’s just right.

Here is finished quilt called, “Old Fashioned Fun”:

The quilt and pattern will be available soon at Maryland Quilter

Here are some great blogs I’m going to try to link up with this week. Check them out!

Show and Tell Tuesday at I Have to Say
Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River
WiP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced
We Did It! Wednesday at Sew much ado
It’s A Party at Creative Princes
We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
I Quilt at Pretty Bobbins

Your Baby Is One of a Kind. Her Blankie Should Be, Too.

A Modern Baby Needs a Retro Baby Blanket. Why pigeonhole her in the current style when the world is her oyster, past and present!

How about a hippie style baby blanket like this one:

Or maybe a Tutti Frutti one like this:

And for that baby boy, how about some teepees and a canoe?

Or whatever happened to bowling? So fun and retro:

All these really cool blankets are available at Maryland Quilter .