My Best of 2017

Hi and welcome to my stop on the Best of 2017 blog linky party!  I had such fun going through my posts from the year to figure out which 5 posts I would be highlighting today.  It was a great way for me to review the year and revisit some finishes from earlier in the year that I had forgotten about.

I picked my top 5 posts by the posts with the most views (minus any giveaway posts).  Click on any of the titles to be taken to the actual blog post for more details and pictures.


1.  Magnolia Mystery Quilt

The Magnolia Mystery quilt is my current 2017-18 quilt along and has had several of its instructions be my top viewed posts.  The quilt top was just revealed earlier this month and the reveal parade will be in March (so there is still plenty of time to join in)!

2.  Meadow Mystery Quilt

Another of my top posts was for the Meadow Mystery Quilt.  This mystery quilt finished up in the spring with over 250 versions of the quilt design! I had such fun quilting along with everyone and seeing their different versions of the mystery quilt. You can see all of the finishes here: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3.

3.  Modern Plus Sign Quilts Book

My book, Modern Plus Sign Quilts, that is coming out soon (early February!).  I am excited to have the book publishing soon and will be having a book hop and other events to celebrate its release.

4.  5 Tips for Ruler Quilting on a Domestic Machine

My top viewed tutorial this year was on tips for quilting with a ruler on a domestic machine.  I included some tips about rulers, moving the ruler and quilt together, ergonomics, hand position, and pressure.

5.  Up the Ladder

Up the Ladder was my quilt pattern for the 3rd pattern collection of Quilt Theory. The quilt design was inspired by traditional quilt ladders used to showcase and store quilts and is a lap sized, jelly roll or mini charm pack friendly pattern.  

Photograph by Michelle Bartholomew

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  I hope you will consider linking up your favorite posts from 2017 or stopping by to see other blogger's best of 2017 posts!  You can visit the Best of post right here.

Best of 2017 Linky Party!

Welcome to the Best of 2017 Linky Party!  This is the third annual "Best of" blog party to share your and read others top 5 posts of 2017.

To take part in the link party, simply write a blog post highlighting your "best" 5 posts from 2017 and linkup. There is no set way to pick your best, you can pick your posts anyway you would like, some examples include:

• Posts with the most views
• Posts with the most comments
• Posts that provoked the best discussions
• Posts showing your favorite 2016 finishes
• Posts of your best tutorials
• Posts that are simply your favorites

The link party is open now and will remain open for 1 week, closing on Tuesday, January 2nd.

I invite you to grab a cup of tea, coffee, apple cider, or your favorite blog reading beverage, relax, and have some fun reading the best blog posts of 2017 :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Cloud 9 Block Hop Charity Quilts

At long last, I have finally finished the charity quilts made from the 2016 Cloud 9 New Bloggers Block Hop!  I apologize to all of the hop participants for the delay in getting these quilts finished.

I used 24 blocks to make 2 baby quilts, each 36" x 48" and they will be donated to through the Greenville Modern Quilt Guild to the Greenville County Hospital System for children that have been removed from the parents and homes.

Under each picture is a listing of block/designer names and a link to the block tutorials.

Row 1: Star Thistle (Twiggy and Opal), Steady On (Night Quilter), Crossing Stars (CrafTraditions)
Row 2: Berry Fields (Granny Can Quilt), Diamond Fusion (Alice Samuel's Quilt Co), Barcodes (Smiles from Kate)
Row 3: Snowflake Swirl (Sevenoaks Street Quilts), Double Pinwheel (Woodberry Way), (Fenced In (Yellow Cat Quilt Designs)
Row 4: Pinwheel in a Snowball (Kathy's Kwilts and More), Frosted Windowpane (Lighthouse Lane Designs), Abstract Cabin (Brown Paws Quilting)

Row 1: Pointed Star (Said With Love), Urban Intersections (Irene Grimes), Geometric Transparency (Sarah Goer Quilts)
Row 2: Add it Up (This Mom Quilts), Berry Patch Path (Trials of a Newbie Quilter), Improv Star (Orchid Owl Quilts)
Row 3: Mazarin (Hilltop Custom Designs), Berry Patch Plaid (The (not so) Dramatic Life), Star (Adventurous Applique and Quilting)
Row 4: Bordered Square (Handwrought Quilts), Off Hours (Laurel, Poppy, and Pine), Four Square in a Nine Patch (Stitches Quilting)

I wanted to use these quilts to try a new-to-me machine sewn binding technique. 

If I sew the binding on totally by machine (I usually sew them on by hand), I typically sew the binding onto the front of the quilt, glue baste the binding to the back, then sew in the ditch between the quilt top and the binding on the front to (hopefully) catch and stitch down the binding on the back.  I made one of the quilts this way (shown above as the first method).

For the other quilt, I sewed the binding onto the back of the quilt, glue basted the binding to the front of the quilt, then stitched the binding down right at the edge of the binding (second method).  

I found the pros of this second method to be that I did not have to worry about catching the binding on the back like in the previous method.  The one con would be that I like how the corners look more in the first method.

Do you bind your quilts entirely by machine?  Which method do you prefer?

I am linking up with Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and 

Finish it Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts.

QuiltCon 2017 Submissions

I loved how Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl shared all of her QuiltCon submissions. I had been meaning to post about mine but did not have a chance until now.

QuiltCon acceptance e-mails were sent out last week so now I get to not only show you the quilts I submitted, but also let you know if they got accepted.

You can click on the quilt title to learn more and see additional pictures of the quilts.

1. Pop Rocks - Accepted!

I made Pop Rocks for the Michael Miller Challenge Quilt category. The challenge was to create a quilt using at least two of the prints from the Our Yard collection by Sarah Campbell for Michael Miller Fabrics along with any Cotton Couture solids. My idea was to create a "pop" with the Our Yard prints on a monochromatic, minimalist black and white quilt.

2. Curated Cabins - Accepted!

I made Curated Cabins as a submission to the new magazine called Curated Quilts (it was not accepted into the magazine). The magazine was looking for mini Log Cabin quilts 10"x10" up to 16"x16" using their color palette of 5 colors.


3. Taste the Rainbow - Rejected

Taste the Rainbow really had three purposes. The first was as an entry in the Greenville Modern Quilt Guild's challenge quilt, which was to create a modern quilt based on the Birds in the Air block (Taste the Rainbow won first place). The second was as an entry into the flying geese challenge quilt category for QuiltCon. And the third was for a new decoration for my son's room (he loves bright colors and rainbows). Two out of three is not bad and new my son gets the quilt hung in his room earlier than planned. (If you would like to make your own Taste the Rainbow, I have the templates for sale here.)


4. Arrow Point Path - Rejected

I really like the design of Arrow Point Path (available as pattern on Quilt Theory) but I predicted that it was not modern enough to make the cut for QuiltCon. I was not surprised it did not make it in but I am glad I at least tried submitting it.


I will be attending QuiltCon 2018 in Pasadena so I am very excited that two of my quilts will be hanging.  If you are going to be at QuiltCon I hope I get to see you there!

2017 Goal Review and 2018 Goals

I can't believe that 2017 is almost gone!  It seems like it was just the summer and yet we are just a few days away from Christmas.  

My wonderful bloggy friend Yvonne, who blogs are Quilting Jetgirl, hosts an annual planning party to layout goals for the upcoming year.  I thought that I would use this post to first go back to my 2017 goals to see if I had actually accomplished them and then post my 2018 goals.

2017 Goal Check-In

• Design and host the 2017-18 mystery quilt

Done! The Magnolia Mystery Quilt started in July and I just posted the quilt top reveal and instructions.

• Submit some quilt proposals to magazines

Done! I submitted 3 quilt proposals to magazines and they each were accepted.  They will be publishing in early 2018.

• Make at least 4 charity quilts 

Done! I have made at least 7.

• Take at least one multiple week long blogging vacation

I did not take an official blogging vacation, but I gave myself permission to take time off when I felt I needed it.  I had many weeks, mostly in the summer, where I did minimal social media.

• Host the Best of 2017 Linky Party 

This will be done soon.  The Best of 2017 Linky Party will kick off on December 26th.

• Learn needle turned applique and make the Rin quilt by Carolyn Friedlander.

Done!  I hosted the Rin Along with Cindy @ Hyacinth Quilts over the summer and had a great time learning the new technique.

2018 Goals

My main goal and word for 2018 is going to be BALANCE.  

2017 was a very busy year full of deadline after deadline and I would like to strive for a better balance between deadline sewing & fun sewing and sewing in general & other aspects of my life (family, work, house, etc.).

I am intentionally setting less goals for myself this year to help bring more balance and a smaller to-do list.

• Launch of the Modern Plus Sign Quilt book (including a book hop, Quilt Market, guild lectures/workshops)
• Host the Modern Plus Sign Sampler quilt along.  This is going to be a fun quilt along that combines almost all of the plus signs from the book into a lap sized sampler.  The QAL will kick off in July.
• Host a twice yearly Tips and Tutorials Festival with Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl.
• Make at least 4 charity quilts 
• Host the Best of 2018 Linky Party 

Yesterday ++ Pattern Release

Today I get to show you my third and final pattern release of 2018...Yesterday.

Special Introductory Pricing

Yesterday (and the other new patterns) will be available for a special introductory price of $6.50 for one week (ending 8pm on the 22nd). (note: further coupon codes will not work with these patterns.) 

You can find Yesterday on Craftsy and Etsy and all of the new patterns in my Craftsy and Etsy shops.

Yesterday was first published in the spring of 2015 in Make Modern magazine and was juried into QuiltCon 2016.

The design is a modern interpretation on a classic quilt block dating back to the late 1800’s, the “double hour glass” block which is also sometimes referred to as the “wondering lover” block.  I modernized the quilt top design by enlarging the block so that the block became the entire quilt top.

For my version of Yesterday, I used Kona Cotton Solids in White and Black by Robert Kaufman. The batting used was Warm & White by the Warm Company and Aurifil thread was used in the piecing and quilting.

Many, many thanks to Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl and Paige @Quilted Blooms for their help with tech editing this pattern!

As a reminder, here are the 3 new Meadow Mist Designs patterns launched this week, they are each available for $6.50 until 8pm on Friday, December 22nd:

Craftsy: Ruby Roads, Cake Slices, Yesterday

Etsy: Ruby Roads, Cake Slices, Yesterday

Cake Slices ++ Pattern Release

You can now find Cake Slices in my pattern shop and Etsy:

Meadow Mist Designs Pattern Shop

Cake Slices - digital pattern

Cake Slices - printed pattern

Etsy Shop

Cake Slices - digital pattern

HOW CAKE SLICES CAME TO BE

I designed Cake Slices, a layer cake friendly pattern, for the very first Quilter's Planner over 2 years ago. 

The quilt was made using a layer cake of Hello Darling by Bonnie and Camille for Moda and Kona Cotton solid by Robert Kaufman in navy. The batting used was Warm & White by the Warm Company and Aurifil thread was used in the piecing and quilting.  

ABOUT THE PATTERN

Cake Slices contains instructions for 3 sizes, baby, lap, and queen. The pattern also contains a coloring diagram of the quilt top to audition possible color schemes.

ADDITIONAL COLORWAYS

I love to play with coloring quilts, so I played around with Cake Slices to see how the quilt would look with a light background instead of the dark blue.

Many, many thanks to Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl and Paige @Quilted Blooms for their help with tech editing this pattern!

You can now find Cake Slices in my pattern shop and Etsy:

Meadow Mist Designs Pattern Shop

Cake Slices - digital pattern

Cake Slices - printed pattern

Etsy Shop

Cake Slices - digital pattern

Ruby Roads ++ Pattern Release

Hi Everyone, I hope that you are all staying warm, we actually had a snow storm (2 inches!) here in South Carolina on Friday.  We usually get 1-2 snow storms the entire year so to have one so early in December is very unusual.  My kids had a blast playing in the snow and making a snowman.

As we approach the end of the year, I am happy to be able to mark off one of my 2017 goals, releasing patterns for Ruby Roads, Cake Slices, and Yesterday.

You can find Ruby Roads in my pattern shop (digital and print versions) and on Etsy.

A little reminder of how Ruby Roads came to be...

My local traditional guild, the Foothills Piecemakers Quilt Guild, hosted an annual quilt challenge back in the spring.  This year, we had to reach into a bucket, pull out a random letter, and make a quilt based on a block starting with that letter.  I picked the letter "R".

I pulled out my favorite quilt block book, "The Quilter's Album of Patchwork Patterns: 4050 Pieced Blocks for Quilters" (affiliate link) by Jinny Beyer. From there I just went page by page skimming the blocks starting with the letter R until a block called Ruby Roads caught my eye.  Ruby Roads is an older block dating back to the early 1900's.  I altered the block some and set it on point to give it a different look.

About the pattern...

Ruby Roads is a intermediate level, modern quilt and contains both baby and queen sizes (the layout of the quilts are the same, the blocks and sashing are scaled up for the larger size).

The baby sized version of Ruby Roads is fat eighth friendly and the queen version is fat quarter friendly.

I made the cover quilt (baby sized) using the Les Fleurs collection by Rifle Paper Co. for Cotton + Steel on a white fabric background.  I used my favorite soft white (2021) Aurifil in 50 wt for the piecing and quilting and used Warm & White batting by the Warm Company.

When I initially posted about the Ruby Roads finish I asked if there might be interest in a pattern for the design.  I was blown away at the positive response.  I am sorry it took so long to get this pattern finished, I hope that you enjoy it and I would love to see your versions of Ruby Roads (make sure you share them on social media with #RubyRoadsQuilt).

Many, many thanks to Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl and Paige @Quilted Blooms for their help with tech editing this pattern!

Remember, you can find Ruby Roads in my pattern shop (digital and print versions) and on Etsy.   Thanks!

Best of 2017 Link Party Coming Soon!

It is no secret that I love blog link parties.  One of the main reasons I started my blog was so that I could take part in the sharing of knowledge and inspiration through the parties and so I am very excited to announce that I am hosting my third annual blog linky party, the Best of 2017 Linky Party!

To take part in the link party, simply write a new blog post highlighting your "best" 5 posts from 2017 and linkup.  There is no set way or rules to pick your best, you can pick and highlight your posts anyway you would like.  Some examples include:

• Posts with the most views
• Posts with the most comments
• Posts that provoked the best discussions
• Posts showing your favorite 2017 finishes
• Posts of your best tutorials
• Posts that are simply your favorites

The link party will open the day after Christmas, Tuesday December 26th and will be open for one week ending on Tuesday, January 2nd.

I hope that you will consider writing a post to highlight your best of 2017 and link up!  Here is a button for your blog if you would like:

<div class="meadow-mist-designs-button" style="width: 200px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://meadowmistdesigns.blogspot.com/p/best-of-2017-linky-party.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqYwuV12wQZVirWyhML8G0adIieMV2G6u5iTDpbOkSjH2KGE9TtppW4qBf3jtUUeSb0DgYl8SW-P4iXs3uZcMPi6NWgU4-53F9dKKh2Scj8cEluiNmpzVhxk34JnYrkDX3jvAwoV_JeU/s320/Best+of+2017+jpg.jpg" alt="Meadow Mist Designs" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div>

While you are waiting for this linky party to start up, you can take a look through the Best of 2015 and 2016.  Thanks!

Magnolia Mystery Quilt ++ Important Dates and FAQ

Yesterday, the quilt top for the Magnolia Mystery Quilt was revealed.  Here is information relating to the prizes and reveal parade...

Important Dates:

• February 15th - Submissions to the quilt parade due (quilt tops and completed quilts)
• March 5th-7th - Magnolia Mystery Quilt reveal parade (the parade will be split into multiple days due to the number of quilts)

How to Submit Your Quilt to the Reveal Parade and Be Eligible for Prizes:

• E-mail a picture of the quilt top or finished quilt by Thursday February 15th. 
• Address e-mail to MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com
• Name your photo with your name as the file name, if possible, such as "Cheryl Brickey.jpg". 
• (optional) Include in your e-mail your location (city, state and/or country) and/or a web address for any related blog posts you would like linked to.

Frequency Asked Questions:

• Do I need to finish my quilt (quilted and bound) to take part in the parade and be eligible for prizes? - No, you can enter pictures of completed quilt tops or finished quilts.

• I posted my quilt picture to Facebook / Instagram / my blog, am I entered into the parade? - No, you must e-mail your picture to MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com to participate in the parade.

• I changed up the design (ex. changing up the arrangement of blocks, resizing the quilt, adding border etc), can I still take part in the parade? - Yes, all are welcome and we look forward to seeing your take on the design!

• Do I need to keep my quilt top/finished quilt secret until the reveal parade? - No need to keep the quilt tops and finished quilts secret, share any and all pictures of the quilt tops and finished quilts (Facebook, Instagram using #MagnoliaMysteryQuilt, blogs, etc).

Have any other questions?  Leave a comment here or send me an e-mail at MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com.

Prize Reminder:

Many, many thanks to the generous sponsors of the Magnolia Mystery Quilt!  Here is the list of sponsors once more...

Quilting Jetgirl | Fat Quarter Shop | Sew Fresh Quilts | Aurifil | Make Modern | BuzzinBumble | Owl Quilt it | Busy Hands Quilts | Quilter's Planner | Bear Creek Quilting Company | Whims and Fancies | Honey, Bunny, and Doll | Quilting Among the Groves | Cooking Up Quilts | Meadow Mist Designs |

I am looking forward to an awesome parade!!

Magnolia Mystery Quilt ++ Blocks and Quilt Top Reveal

Welcome to the December Instructions for the Magnolia Mystery Quilt, this is the last month of instructions!

You will be getting both the block instructions and the quilt top finishing instructions this month (I joined the two together because once the blocks are made, I felt the design would become obvious).

You will have until February 15th to finish the quilt top or quilt to be entered into the reveal parade and for the giveaways (I will be posting tomorrow more information about this).

You can find all of the Magnolia Mystery Quilt information and posts can be found here.  We are having such fun, please join us!

Now that the Magnolia Mystery Quilt Along has been completed, you can get the instructions as part of the instruction blog posts or you can go to Etsy for a full set of easy to print pdf instructions for sale:

Magnolia Mystery Quilt - Full pdf Instructions on Etsy

The Magnolia Mystery Quilt contains instructions for both Lap and Queen sizes which are both included in this post:

Full Magnolia Blocks

Arrange and sew together the following fabric pieces and units as listed and shown below, pressing all seams open.  Each full magnolia block should measure 14 ½” x 14 ½” (lap), 21 ½” x 21 ½” (queen).  Repeat to make a total of 7 full magnolia blocks.

4 full flower units

1 fabric C square: 2 ½” x 2 ½” (lap), 3 ½” x 3 ½” (queen)

4 fabric D rectangles: 2 ½” x 6 ½” (lap), 3 1/2” x 9 ½” (queen) 

Partial Magnolia Blocks

Arrange and sew the following fabric pieces as listed and shown below, pressing all seams open.  Each partial magnolia block should measure 14 ½” x 14 ½” (lap), 21 ½” x 21 ½” (queen).  Repeat to make a total of 4 partial magnolia blocks.

1 full flower unit

1 right partial flower unit

1 left partial flower unit

1 fabric C square: 2 ½” x 2 ½” (lap), 3 ½” x 3 ½” (queen)

2 fabric D rectangles: 2 ½” x 6 ½” (lap), 3 ½” x 9 ½” (queen) 

Trimming the Partial Magnolia Blocks

The 4 partial magnolia blocks need to be trimmed leaving a ¼” seam allowance past the seam intersections.  

When you trim the partial magnolia blocks is a personal preference, you can trim them after the partial magnolia blocks are made, after the quilt top is pieced together, or after the quilt is quilted.  My personal preference is to trim the blocks after the quilt top is sewn together but before quilting.

The enlarged view below shows the actual trim line.  Note how the trim line does not go right through the seam intersections but leaves a ¼” seam allowance.  The trimmed partial magnolia block is illustrated without this seam allowance for ease of drawing (even though it is there).

Background Blocks and Setting Triangles

The Magnolia Mystery Quilt is assembled on-point.  Below are listed the exact measurements for the  setting triangles. I prefer to add a full inch to these measurements for my setting triangles then trim to size after the quilt top is sewn together.  If you would like to increase the size of your setting triangles, add about one inch to the measurements with a *.

LAP SIZE - CUTTING REMAINING FABRIC D

Note: if your fabric is at least 42 ½”, then you only need to cut 1 strip of 21 ⅛” x WOF and 3 strips of 14” x WOF.

1.  Cut 2 strips* 21 ⅛” x WOF.  (setting triangles)

         a. Sub-cut 2 squares* 21 ⅛” x 21 ⅛”.  

2. Cut 4 strips 14” x WOF. (border)

QUEEN SIZE - CUTTING REMAINING FABRIC D

1. Cut 2 strips* 31” x WOF. (setting triangles)

         a. Sub-cut 2 squares* 31” x 31”.  

2. Cut 5 strips 18” x WOF. (border)

         a. Sub-cut 1 strip into 2 half strips 18” x 20”.

         b. Reserve remaining 4 strips.  

SETTING TRIANGLES

Cut the squares 21 ⅛” x 21 ⅛” (lap), 31” x 31” (queen) in half twice on the diagonal to form 6 setting triangles (you will have 2 extra triangles).

Quilt Top Assembly

Arrange the blocks as listed and shown below.  Sew blocks into diagonal rows then sew rows together, pressing all seams open.  The quilt top should measure approx. 60” x 40” (lap), 89 ½” x 60” (queen).

7 full magnolia block

4 partial magnolia blocks

6 side setting triangles

Borders

LAP SIZE

1. Sew 2 fabric D strips 14'' x WOF together end-to-end. Repeat to make a total of 2 pieced top/bottom strips. 

Note: if your fabric was at least 42 ½” wide and you cut 3 strips, then cut one of the strips in half and sew 1 full and 1 half strip together end to end. Repeat to make a total of 2 pieced top/bottom strips. 

2. Measure the average width of the quilt top and trim the 2 pieced top/bottom strips to fit (approx. 60'').  Attach the borders to the top and bottom of the quilt top.

QUEEN SIZE

1. Sew 2 fabric D strips 18” x WOF and 1 fabric D strip 18” x 20'' together end-to-end. Repeat to make a total of 2 pieced top/bottom strips. 

2. Measure the average width of the quilt top and trim the 2 pieced top/bottom strips to fit (approx. 89 ½''). Attach the borders to the top and bottom of the quilt top.

Finishing

1.  Make backing:

LAP SIZE

Remove selvages from backing fabric, cut into 2 pieces (approx. 68” x WOF) and sew backing pieces together along the trimmed selvage edges using a ½” seam, pressing the seam open.  Trim backing to approx. 68” x 75”.

QUEEN SIZE

Remove selvages from backing fabric, cut into 3 pieces (approx. 98” x WOF) and sew backing pieces together along the trimmed selvage edges using a ½” seam, pressing seams open.  Trim backing to approx. 98” x 103”.

2.  Layer the quilt top, batting, and backing.   Baste and quilt as desired.

3.  Cut the binding fabric into 7 strips (lap), 10 strips (queen) 2 ½” x WOF.  Trim off selvages and sew together end-to-end to make the binding.  Bind and enjoy your quilt!

Share Your Quilt

You can share your in-progress and finished pictures of your mystery quilt on the Meadow Mist Designs Facebook group and on Instagram and other social media using #MagnoliaMysteryQuilt and #MeadowMistDesigns.

I will be posting instructions for entering the reveal parade and for the giveaways tomorrow :)

Quilting Jetgirl | Fat Quarter Shop | Sew Fresh Quilts | Aurifil | Make Modern | BuzzinBumble | Owl Quilt it | Busy Hands Quilts | Quilter's Planner | Bear Creek Quilting Company | Whims and Fancies | Honey, Bunny, and Doll | Quilting Among the Groves | Cooking Up Quilts | Meadow Mist Designs |