Category Archives: Patterns

Stitches From the Heart

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Happy New Year! I think we have all been anticipating the arrival of 2021 since…. March. While circumstances around the globe are not as we had all hoped, I am really hopeful things will take a turn for the better this year.

To start off the year on a happy and positive note, I am excited to share a free quilt pattern and cross stitch pattern from The Fat Quarter Shop called Stitches From the Heart.

You can access the quilt pattern here: https://www.fatquartershop.com/stitches-from-the-heart-quilt-free-pdf-pattern

You can access the cross stitch pattern here: https://www.fatquartershop.com/stitches-from-the-heart-cross-stitch-free-pdf-pattern

The quilt pattern comes in two sizes, one that finishes at 35″ x 35″ and another at 12″ x 12″. I chose to make the 12″ size along with 1″ half-square triangle (HST) triangles on a roll papers. I have a love for tiny pieces, but I know that not everybody understands that or has the same love. I used 5 different shades of V and Co Ombre and I love the fun effect it gave this mini.

The lovely folks at Fat Quarter Shop have put together a quilt kit for their Bella Solids version of the 35″ quilt. I love kits because they take the guess work out of making a quilt. It is really fun to just open it up and get going.

I hope your 2021 is off to a safe and healthy start and that we can all focus on things that bring us joy this year.

Confetti Cotton Half Dash Quilt

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When I designed my Half Dash pattern, I knew I wanted to make it in a variety of ways to showcase how versatile the pattern really is. No matter your personal quilting style, this pattern works. I promise! Today I am so excited to share a version I made using Riley Blake Confetti Cottons.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE making quilts using solids. They are one of the best fabrics to use, in my opinion. They can be the star, or they can be a supporting role. You can add in a fun basic (like Swiss Dots, Blossom, Pin Drop) or just go for all solids. You can use solids with a funky print and add a different dimension. If you haven’t been using solids much in your quilts, start and I promise it’ll change your quilting life.

Confetti Cottons by Riley Blake Designs are among the softest solids out there. They are so soft, yet they have a wonderful feel to them and they provide a heft that other solids don’t. I’ve used almost every single brand of solid that is out there and Confetti Cottons are among my very, very favorites.

Riley Blake has been really smart as they’ve introduced different basics. Often you can find a basic that is the exact same color and has the same color name as one of their Confetti Cottons. This makes pairing a basic with a solid really foolproof.

This particular version of Half Dash uses 1/3 yard cuts of a confetti cotton plus a coordinating swiss dot in 10 different pairings. I loved this quilt so much that my good friend Jessica of Simply Love Fabrics is offering kits! You can find her kit HERE.

The colors of confetti cottons are as follows:

Riley Raspberry, Peony, Sunshine, Vintage Crayola Melon, Clover, Sweet Pea, Scuba, Riley Teal, Denim, and Riley Lilac

The colors of swiss dots are as follows:

Raspberry, Lipstick, Orange, Yellow, Clover, Lime, Scuba, Teal, Denim, and Lavender

As always, the Riley Blake 1/4″ black + white stripe is a perfect binding choice for this quilt. (Is it ever NOT the perfect binding choice? I don’t honestly think so!) I hand quilted this quilt using Aurifil 12 wt thread in color 2024 and it added the perfect softness I was going for.

If you are interested in purchasing my pattern, you can find it HERE and once again, Jessica’s kits for this quilt are available HERE.

Half Dash Quilt Pattern Release!

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It’s here!!! My next pattern (and probably my favorite… don’t tell the others!) is available now in my Etsy shop!

This quilt pattern came about because of a graphic my husband made for the Dashalong that Kairle Oaks and I hosted almost 2 years ago.

Kairle was making her Churn Dash quilt with crossweave and Swell Christmas fabric by Urban Chicks. I was making my quilt with white fabric and Panorama by Cotton + Steel. He took our finished blocks and made this awesome mashup graphic for our promotional materials. I could not get it out of my head. I LOVED the dark and light backgrounds coming together. I LOVED how different the main fabric looked together.

I have since made 3 different versions of Half Dash, trying to showcase a few different ways this quilt can be made. It literally works for ANY quilting style. Modern. Traditional. Two toned. Funky. Whatever style of quilter you consider yourself to be, this quilt will work.

My husband and I have worked hard to make sure this pattern is consumable. For that reason, it is literally two separate patterns in one. When you download it from my Etsy shop, do not panic. Yes, it is 19 pages. However, once you choose your own adventure (Two Color blocks or Four Color blocks in either throw size or twin size), you don’t have to flip back and forth and read needless information. You get to stay within the context of only thinking in Two Colors or Four Colors.

If you are choosing to make the Four Color Version (which is patterned after the photo mashup above), it will only work if follow my one main suggestion:

Throw the notion to make things “match” out the window.

This might sound simple, but trust me, it is something you must truly decide to do with every single block. I almost feel like the pairings that were the funkier are the ones I like most.

I have one more version I’ve hinted at on Instagram and I will be giving it its own blog post tomorrow! I also will have kits for this rainbow version available via Simply Love Fabrics and I can’t wait for you to see it all!

In the meantime, please head to my Etsy shop and use the coupon code HALFDASH for 20% off any PDF pattern from my shop from now (3/2) through Saturday (3/7)!