Maple Twist Quilt

I'm excited to introduce a new fall quilt, Maple Twist!

 

If you haven't heard, I love fall colors! All the red, orange and yellow landing on a green background, is so reminiscent of falls leaves littering the grass, right?

The Maple Twist quilt pattern uses a single block to make up several quilt sizes, featuring the shown lap size (52″ x 64″), plus a twin (64" x 88"), and a queen size (88" x 100").

Construction is super easy, especially if cutting is done in bulk, along with stitching units in groups. That makes Maple Twist a perfect project for the beginner quilter!

As for the quilting, I got a bit creative as I couldn't find a pantograph that conveyed the feeling of floating, swirling leaves. So I decided to modify one of my favorites, Passion Fruit. Where there was a flower, I re-drew a maple leaf. You can see the new leaf in the circle in the quilting closeup. 

Turned out just the way I wanted it!

For those of you wanting to enjoy your own Maple Twist quilt this season, use the coupon code 'FALLCOLORS' at Etsy checkout for 25% off. This coupon is valid now through November 10, 2023.

Happy Quilting!

 

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Happy Watermelon Day!

Every year on August 3, a whole day is devoted to that favorite, refreshing, summertime fruit - watermelon! Yes, it's National Watermelon Day! 

It's peek season for watermelon, and last year I decided to go beyond individual slice enjoyment to taste-testing a few watermelon themed recipes. Here's a recap of our celebration!

The first dish is a refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad. 

This recipe is super easy and delicious! Who knew that chunks of watermelon, cucumber, red onion, and mint topped with an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing would combine for a surprisingly tasty salad. I know I'll be making this salad again!

Fruit infused waters are all the rage these days, so I thought I'd give Watermelon-Basil infused water a try. Another recipe that's super simple, requiring just a cup of cubed watermelon, 2-3 sprigs of basil, and 4 cups of cold water. Put into a pretty pitcher to chill and infuse, then enjoy a delightful drink topped with a few chunks of watermelon and basil leaves.

Add a few more picnic staples to feed a hungry crowd, laid out on the Watermelon Delight quilt for a picturesque watermelon themed picnic!

What a feast of fried chicken, watermelon feta salad, and carrots, all the while sipping watermelon basil water!

The day of celebration didn't stop there. Soon, we starting prepping for dinner, with more watermelon dishes of course!

For dinner, the menu leads off with a watermelon and cucumber gazpacho, a recipe I found in the Sunday newspaper. With all of the ingredients on hand, I set to work making this twist on a favorite cold soup to give it plenty of time to chill.

After a couple hours, we couldn't resist sneaking a taste - WOW! Watermelon gazpacho definitely got a thumbs up!

The main course consisted of grilled chicken-watermelon tacos. I used rotisserie chicken, warmed corn and flour tortillas, and a watermelon salsa from goodhousekeeping.com.

Just look at that mouth watering chicken/watermelon salsa taco, topped with queso fresco, and accompanied by a watermelon strawberry margarita! Yummy!!

Since this was dinner, we sat at the table, enjoying the view of the Watermelon Twist table runner. Nothing like a runner full of red watermelon slices to keep with the theme! 

What a way to celebrate - Happy Watermelon Day!

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My Favorite Patterns

Strawberry Love Runner

Here's to all the strawberries lovers out there - a new strawberry themed table runner, aptly named Strawberry Love.

 

I had so much fun making these strawberries because not only are they so easy to piece, but they made me smile after each one. Yes, it's just as good as snacking on the sweet red berries themselves AND as addictive!

 

Using different small print red fabrics for the berries adds fun variety, while the white pinwheel flowers add a nice spark. Pairing all that red, green, and white with the aqua background makes Strawberry Love a very cheerful addition to my table!

As for the quilting, I kept it simple as I wanted the strawberries and flowers to be the main focus. The background consists of stippling, the flowers are stitched-in-the-ditch, and the strawberries have a crosshatch design which follows the piecing points.

The Strawberry Love runner measures at approximately 14" x 44", a perfect table size. If you, too, have the same passion for strawberries and want some springtime fruit on your table, then Strawberry Love is for you! 

This easy, beginner friendly pattern is available now in my Etsy Shop - use coupon code 'BERRYLOVE' for 20% off now through April 30, 2023 - enjoy!

Happy Quilting!

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Beach Boardwalk

Enjoy a summer of fun with my new quilt, Beach Boardwalk! 

It's perfectly showcased on the Santa Cruz Pier, with the ocean, beach, and the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk in the background. Thankfully, I got these pictures Christmas day before all the storms came in making a mess of Santa Cruz, and especially Capitola.

My Beach Boardwalk quilt is big - 80" x 96" - queen size, as that's what was requested. Hubby did his best to hold it open while on a step ladder, as I snapped lots of pics through a slight breeze. Here's flatter, smoother picture of Beach Boardwalk we took closer to home, with no breeze though it has a couple of sags.

Beach Boardwalk has been in the works since the beginning of 2021. What started as an idea for the Salt and Sand Hop quickly grew to a large quilt. Realizing that time was not on my side for finishing numerous blocks to complete a queen size quilt, I opted for the Surfboards in the Sand block for the March 2021 hop. You can read how well that turned out on my Salt and Sand Hop post.

After making a few blocks and tweaking the quilt design here and there, life derailed my progress for at least a year. Finally, this last fall, I committed to making the blocks and writing the pattern for Beach Boardwalk. After all, this quilt is for my son, and long overdue.

You've probably followed my progress on Midweek Makers as I've posted blocks and rows, starting off with the redesigning of the palm trees in September. Love these!

With Christmas as my deadline, I cut it close, finishing Beach Boardwalk on Christmas Eve. My son, who resides in Santa Cruz, received his quilt the day after Christmas when we could all get together. I made it just in time! 

Now for some block closeups! Starting with the top row, here's the Ferris Wheel and Concession Stand, complete with cotton candy and drinks.

Next to these and to complete the first row, is the Roller Coaster, probably my favorite block!

Next up on the beach are the umbrellas and lounge chairs. This picture really shows off the quilting - incoming waves on the left; a circle/line motif to separate the ocean from the boardwalk; sand dunes; and a gentle breeze in the background.

Moving down the quilt, and closer to the shore, there's beach houses in a variety of colors. 

When my son saw these in the design stage, he asked that they be colorful, like the houses in Capitola. This was the first time I'd seen these houses, and colorful they are! If you've watched the news about our storms, these houses were damaged from the swells and debris. Very sad.

For the quilt though, it took me 2 days to decide the best color combos. And yes, I made a pink house, with teal trim and a blue roof, as both colors are seen in Capitola.

Row four, with its sailboat, windsurfer, surfboard, and hammock complete the summer fun vibe.

Here's a picture of the palm trees and hammock block cause I forgot to take one after quilting.

Overall, I kept the quilting simple, outlining all the applique and piecing, with added detail here and there. I mentioned above that the quilting involves waves in the outer border. Notice the outer border has ocean waves coming in at an angle, landing on the beach at the bottom corner where umbrellas are planted in the sand. 

The two areas of crashing wave foam (large white area) has the extra detail of circles in it to represent bubbles, while the inner border continues the bubble theme with randomly placed circles in two sizes. And the sand has dunes, at an angle to match the rest of the outer border.

For fun, I took a picture of all the thread colors I used in quilting this, though I think I'm missing the dark aquamarine used in the waves under the boat. If I include that one, that makes 14, and all do the job beautifully!

And there you have it - my summertime fun Beach Boardwalk quilt! Are you interested in making your own Beach Boardwalk quilt? The pattern is written for the Queen size of 80" x 96", as shown. Two files contain detailed written and visual instructions for constructing over 15 blocks. All Kona Solid colors are listed.

This is an Intermediate pattern level, requiring knowledge of applique, paper piecing, and the ability to enlarge pattern templates. By adjusting the borders, the Beach Boardwalk pattern also includes instructions for making a Twin size (68" x 86") and Lap size (60" x 78"). Find it in my Etsy shop for summertime fun!

Happy Quilting!

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My Favorite Patterns

Wildflower Table Runner

It's done - my new Wildflowers table runner!

I'm so thrilled with how well this turned out - one simple block with the petal appliques comes together to make a great spring runner to add to my collection!

Believe it or not, those unique applique petals were created using a circle die on my Crafters Edge Crossover II machine - easy peasy! Certainly a creative way to use those cutting dies. But don't worry, a cutting machine is not necessary to make this runner - the circle template is included in the pattern.

And how about that adorable butterfly to finish off the scene? Making them in purple really makes them pop!

Notice the quilting is fairly simple. Stippling around the flowers and straight line quilting in the flying geese and borders.

Interested in making this pretty spring runner for your table? Then you're in luck - the Wildflowers runner pattern available in my Etsy/QuiltFabrication shop at a special launch price, now through April 15. The pattern contains detailed instructions and all templates, including the very important circle template for those without a die cutting machine.

Enjoy some spring flowers!

Happy Quilting!

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Clover Placemats

After seeing all of those free clover blocks last week, I decided my runner of clovers with the Irish chain border needed some friends - placemat friends that is!

I do really like the large clover tutorial from Piece and Quilt. So much so, I pulled out the remaining bits of green clover fabric,

and whipped up a few more clover blocks.

With 2" side borders to increase the width, and loading them side-by-side on the quilt frame for some quick straight line and stipple quilting - they're almost done.

To finish them up, all that's needed is some matching green binding and I've got a wonderful set of clover placemats! For fun, I made a four leaf clover as it's very own centerpiece on my table- hope it brings me good luck!

If you want to make these placemats, just follow Piece and Quilt's tutorial for the clover blocks, and add 2" side borders. Finish with matching binding.

Now the placemats are on the table, the Irish Chain runner (using the same blocks but my paper pieced border) is on the hutch,

the Lucky Clover wall hanging on the dining room wall,

and last but not least, my Clover Field runner on the coffee table.

I think I'm all set to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Quilting!

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My Favorite Patterns