Whirl Pattern

Recently, I've been asked about the kaleidoscope quilt I made from my CSDs fabrics. I just finished making a pattern for the quilt and decided to call it Whirl. The pattern is in PDF format and you can download it for free right here! I’d love to hear how it works out for you.

Haute Tote

I just stumbled upon the Haute Tote, designed by Sue Marsh. It is featured in the March/April issue of Quiltmaker Magazine (better late than never), and I am delighted, not only because is it a cute tote but because it is made from Cold Spring Dreams and RJR’s Supreme Solids fabrics.  The bag uses 2 1/2” fabric strips, so the project is ideal if you have pre-cuts or left over scraps. Sue is also an RJR designer and her fabrics are wonderfully whimsical.  Check out her work at wpcreek.com.

Whirl

For some time, I had been meaning to create a quilt made from octagonal blocks. So finally, I gathered my Cold Spring Dreams fabrics, took out my Kaleido-Ruler and got to work, (of course it might have been helpful if I had paid more attention in geometry class).

I am not sure what I was thinking when I decided to hand quilt it, but now that I’m finished, I am glad that I did. I have been machine quilting for so long that I forgot hand quilting could be so enjoyable and relaxing. After a little experimentation, I ended up using Pearl Cotton no. 8 with a number 24 chenille needle.

I love working with octagons because if you squint your eyes, you loose sight of the individual blocks and a larger circle in the quilt design becomes more apparent.

Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden

It’s a sure sign that Spring is almost here when the annual Orchid Show comes to the The New York Botanical Garden. When you walk into the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, you are immediately transported from a late winter day in the Bronx to a lush tropical rainforest.

This is the 11^th annual exhibition and as usual, the orchids are stunning and are artfully arranged. This event is equally enjoyable for the orchid enthusiast as well as the casual observer. Strolling through the tropical rainforest, you are surrounded by over 7,000 orchids representing 3,075 different types. More details and photos are available at the New York Botanical Garden’s website.

An Afternoon at the Bookstore

Winter in New York is a great time to visit the local bookstore. On a recent afternoon, while perusing the quilting magazines, I found a number of quilt projects featuring Cold Spring Dreams fabrics, some of which are available as kits.

The April/May issue of Quilt magazine includes the pattern, Twist and Shout by quilt designer and quiltmaker, Diane Nagle. I love the way Diane combined the prints and solids to create a fresh, modern look. The fabrics are available as a kit, online at fernhill.net.

Another fun quilt by Diane Nagle, Jacks for Jill is featured the March/April issue of McCall’s Quilting. McCall’s says “Girls of all ages will love the cool fabrics and creative piecing in this cheerful lap quilt.”  A kit of fabrics for the quilt top and binding is available at the McCalls website.

Generation Q’s Spring 2013 issue, includes a quilt pattern named Stranded by Christine Stainbrook. The article describes the quilt as giving “the illusion of squares hanging in space”, but when I look at it, I imagine a cool, colorful beaded curtain. Take a look and see what it brings to mind for you.

"Beyond the Bed, The American Quilt Evolution"

A fantastic quilt show has just opened at the Katonah Museum of Art, located in Westchester County, NY. The exhibit is appropriately named, Beyond the Bed, The American Quilt Evolution, as it spans two hundred years of American quilt making. I was lucky enough to show up in time for an awesome tour with Nikki Alexander who walked us through the highlights of the exhibit. The show is divided into two parts: examples of historical quilts on one side of the museum and modern art quilts on the other.

Some of the traditional quilts include: a detailed crazy quilted coffin cover (upper right), a meticulous Baltimore album quilt, an intricately quilted Amish quilt, and a Hawaiian flag quilt.

The art quilt portion of the show features works by some of today’s finest art quilters, many of which are included in the collection, “One of the Top 100 Quilts of the Twentieth Century”.

There was a beautiful kaleidoscope quilt (upper right) by one of my favorite quilt artists, Paula Nadelstern.  Her amazing geometry is enhanced by pieces of silk that shimmer and make her quilt look like glass.

 Nancy Crow’s quilt is a brilliant interpretation of a traditional double wedding ring design.

One of the most unique “quilts” was an enchanting, three dimensional, free standing installation (upper right) by Dominique Ehrmann. The piece is constructed of four quilted layers and is like an illustrated, tunnel book.

These are just a few of the many incredible quilts in the show. If you live anywhere near Katonah, NY, I recommend that you stop by and enjoy the exhibit.

ORBIT Quilt Along

Lindsey Rhodes of LR Stitched is hosting a Quit Along starting this week.  Lindsey has designed a lovely quilt named Orbit and will be sewing along using Cold Spring Dreams fabrics. 

The free pattern is now available for download at her website. Detailed weekly instructions will be posted through the end of March. You can submit your finished quilts or tops, and on April 1st a winner will be randomly selected to win a fat quarter bundle of Cold Spring Dreams. Details are available at lrstitched.com/orbit-quilt-along.