I have just published the pattern for my fireplace mantle runner and the matching table runner and placemat. The mantle runner is shown below; photos of the table runner and placemat, plus the link to Pattern Spot where you can buy the patterns are shown on my Pattern page.
My super simple but dramatic Garden Tiles quilt, made from my guild’s charity quilt fabric stash
I am pleased to announce that I have my first quilt pattern available for download at Pattern Spot. The link to get to my pattern shop there is on my Pattern Page (see buttons above the banner photo on this page). On that page I also show another version of the quilt.
I am offering the pattern for free to the first two quilters who volunteer to test it in the next couple of months and tell me about any problems they have with the pattern. Also, I am not very excited about the name. I will also give a free pattern to the person who comes up with a name I like better than Garden Tiles. For either of these offers, just email me at shirley@mysterybayquiltdesign.com .
If you read my earlier postings, you saw some earlier versions of this quilt under the title “Quilt Pattern Tune-up”. I plan to complete the Garden Windows version of this quilt as a pattern also.
Based on some excellent comments from Charlie, I have gone back to Electric Quilt and come up with a couple of revised designs. The first just changes the widths of the sashing strips so they are all a consistent one inch finished. I think Charlie is right, it is better with the consistent width. The second, shown below, follows Charlie’s suggestion of making all the sashing strips one color. This quilt would actually be easier to make because the sashing would not have to be added to each block individually, and it takes fewer fabrics. The first version has a little more “punch” and the second is softer and emphasizes the print fabric more. I like them both.
Garden windows with all sashing the same width
Garden Windows with blue sashing only
I designed a quilt pattern a few years ago for a local shop, using a specific fabric line (Kumiko Sudo was the designer). The line included one fabric with a very large pattern. So the resulting quilt design, which I called Garden Windows, looked like this mocked up in Electric Quilt:
Garden Windows in red from Kumiko Sudo fabric line
And here is another version, using a smaller scale focal print:
Garden windows quilt in purple and green
I hadn’t actually made this pattern up in fabric, since I wasn’t getting paid for the design. I like the pattern enough to rework it, so this is my first report on the re working. I am labeling this post part 1 because I am not totally happy with the quilt yet, so I expect to change it a little.
I found another fabric with a large design at my local quilt shop, and selected several fabrics to accompany it. The fabrics are shown here.
Initial fabric choices for the Garden Window qult
The red and blue solids bring out the flower colors in the focal print. I hadn’t decided on the fabric for the borders and setting triangles at this point, but thought I would try to find a blue and black print. I couldn’t find one that worked, so I had to go another direction. I went back to the shop and bought a coordinating leaf print in the same line as the focal print. The completed quilt top is shown below.
Garden Windows red and blue flowers version
In retrospect, I think the solid blue is too bright, and I should have used a darker blue or switched to the red for the block sashing rectangles around the white/green blocks. Fussy cutting the large blocks consumed an incredible amount of fabric – not good in this day of rising fabric prices. I also think the blue sashing strips are too narrow. I will go back to Electric Quilt and mock up a new version of the pattern with wider strips — if that will work geometrically. Don’t know yet. Stand by for further developments…
Mystery Bay Quilt Design 