Sunday, February 28, 2021

Favorite Finish Monthly Linkup - February 2021

Welcome to February's Favorite Finish Monthly Linkup!




My favorite finish this month has been my Irish Puzzle quilt, I love how the Chicopee (by Denyse Schmidt) pops against the gray background.

Just as a reminder, the Irish Puzzle pattern (charm pack and scrap friendly with baby, lap, and twin sizes) is on sale through tonight, Sunday 28th at midnight EST for $9.50.





Ready for the party?  

Here is a reminder of the party details:
  • The linky party will open at 12:01am EST on the last day of the month and will be open for 5 days, through the 4th at 11:59 pm EST.
  • For instructions on how to link up blog, Instagram, or pictures from your computer (new - there is now a way to just upload a picture without a web link) to the party, click here.  
  • If linking a blog post, I ask that you please add a link back to the party.
  • Please visit at least 3 other links (and preferably leave comments) to share the love and celebration :)
I hope you join in by checking out the posts or linking your favorite finish of the month!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 




Thursday, February 25, 2021

Irish Puzzle Quilt and Pattern

I am happy to announce that my Irish Puzzle quilt is finished and the pattern is being released today!  The Irish Puzzle pattern is now available in the Meadow Mist Designs pattern shop. 

Irish Puzzle is a fun little twist on the class Irish Chain quilt and is perfect for charm packs and scraps.  My kitties have already claimed this quilt as theirs so I think that Irish Puzzle will join in the couch quilt rotation in my family room.  I love how quilts get softer and softer the more they are used and washed.




FABRICS & MATERIALS

My version of Irish Puzzle uses Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt, one of my all-time fabric collections.  I love the prints and the saturated colors within the line. When Chicopee was available (many, many years ago) I collected a number of the prints and a large number of charm packs (though the charm packs are odd because they are 6" square instead of the normal 5" square).

You can still find some Chicopee prints on Etsy here. (affiliate link)

Over the years, I have made a number of quilts and other items with my Chicopee fabric including: a lap version of Arrow Point Path, Tova Top, Midnight Mystery, and even a quilt from my new book (coming out in June).

One of the awesome things about Irish Puzzle is that for a lap sized quilt, only two charm packs and a background fabric is needed. The fabrics I used for my cover version are:

Charm pack: Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit Fabrics
Background: Moda Bella Solids in Graphite by Moda Fabrics
Binding: Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit Fabrics
Backing: Franklin by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit Fabrics

 




QUILTING PLAN AND DESIGN

When it came to quilting, I knew that I wanted a quick fun texture for the quilt top so I used an open stipple with a match gray 50 wt Aurifil thread.  

I love the texture a stipple gives to a quilt once washed, it looks like a soft and crinkly antique quilt.






IRISH PUZZLE PATTERN DETAILS



The Irish Puzzle pattern is written at a confident beginner level and while it does involve some smaller pieces, the quilt comes together quickly with no HST or complicated blocks.

The pattern contains instructions to make three sized quilts: 
Baby: 44 ½" x 52 ½"
Lap: 62 ½" x 70 ½"
Twin: 80 ½" x 88 ½"



You can find Irish Puzzle in my pattern shop and once you make an Irish Puzzle of your own, you can share it via social media using the hashtag #IrishPuzzleQuilt.

In my pattern shop, you can use additional coupons for more savings. Use the code "TWOPATTERNS" for $2 off 2 patterns and "THREEPATTERNS" for $4 off 3 patterns.




MANY THANKS

I would like to thank Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl for her amazing tech editing skills and quilting ideas.  I would also like to thank the Warm Company for the Warm & White batting (my favorite!).



ALTERNATIVE COLORWAYS

When I created Irish Puzzle, I actually was envisioning using a white background.  But once I decided on the Chicopee fabrics, I realized that they would pop so well on a medium gray instead.  The design was so fun though I wanted to see it in all sorts of different colors and prints.  Here are some alternative colorways I came up with.







PINTEREST 

I have been more and more active on Pinterest (check me out here).  If you would like to save Irish Puzzle for later on your Pinterest boards, here is a pinnable image.





In my pattern shop, you can use an additional coupon for more savings. Use the code "TWOPATTERNS" for $2 off 2 patterns and "THREEPATTERNS" for $4 off 3 patterns.


 




Thursday, February 18, 2021

Twists and Turns ++ QuiltCon Quilt Finish

 Are you taking part in QuiltCon Together?  I will be teaching four workshops on EQ8; Beginners, Modern Quilt Design, Alternate Grids, and the Serendipity Blocks.  I recorded the segments late last fall (and the MQG took those recordings and turned them into on-demand workshops).

I was also lucky enough to get one quilt into the quilt show.  Twists and Turns was juried into the Fabric Challenge category.


The challenge was to create a quilt (of any size) using 3 of the 4 challenge fabrics floral and vine fabrics from Moda Fabrics along with any solid fabrics


I decided to use the peach, checkered, and vine fabrics, leaving out the large scale floral.  When looking at these fabrics together, I felt that they were all around the same medium value so I decided to punch up the composition by adding in some bolder colors.  I added in black, some grays, turquoises, and orange.

I had this quilt designed in EQ8 for at least 2 years in the to-make list and was excited that I was able to adapt the design for these prints and colors.

To make the blocks, I made wonky strip pieced sets and then used the "two at a time" HST method to turn them into half square triangles.

For the quilting, I decided to do match stitch quilting using mostly gray thread by also included some  cream, turquoise, black, and orange thread in 50 wt, 40 wt, and 28 wt Aurifil thread.  All of the quilting gave the quilt great texture and an additional design element.


I went with black solid fabric for the binding and a light cream and tan print for the backing.  Twists and Turns wound up being about 41" x 48" finished.





I was excited for Twists and Turns to be juried into QuiltCon Together and loved seeing all of the other quilts "hanging" in the virtual show.





Monday, February 15, 2021

Lattice Vines made by Liz

 I love seeing what quilters make with my patterns!  I am excited to show you the quilt that Liz who blogs over at Savor Every Stitch has made.  I have be in awe of Liz's free motion quilting skills for years and have had the prevelidge of meeting her once in person at a QuiltCon. You should head over to her blog and check out her gallery, you will be amazed.  

Liz made a version of Lattice Vines she named Winterfresh.  She used a combination of blue fabrics and changed up the pattern to have the blocks in a grid layout instead of on-point.  The Liz used straight lines, swirls, ribbon candy, and more quilt designs to highlight each portion of the quilt.



Thank you so much Liz for allowing me to highlight your beautiful quilt!  If you would like to make your own Lattice Vines, you can find both digital and print versions in my shop.


I would love to see what you make with a Meadow Mist Designs pattern!  You can send me at picture at meadowmistdesigns (at) gmail (dot) com, share in the Meadow Mist Designs Facebook Group, or share on social media using #meadowmistdesigns.






Friday, February 12, 2021

Morewood Mystery ++ My Version

Have you seen any Morewood Mystery quilt tops or finished quilts yet?  I am enjoying seeing the first finishes with all of the different fabrics and colors each quilter used.  

You can see all of the Morewood Mystery quilts as they post in the Meadow Mist Designs Facebook Group and on social media using the hashtag #morewoodmysteryquilt.

All of the information and instructions for the free, monthly Morewood Mystery quilt can be found on the Morewood Mystery Page and I have a full pdf version of the pattern available in my shop.

Here is my version of the Morewood Mystery...




FABRICS, BATTING, AND THREAD

For my version, I used four speckle fabrics from Ruby Star on a background of Bella white, all from Moda fabrics.


I used Aurifil 50 wt soft white thread (2021) for both the piecing and quilting and the batting is Warm & White by the Warm Company.

For the backing, I used a gray Anna Maria Horner print that I had a bolt of.  I had originally picked out a navy print, but once the quilt top was together, I decided that I wanted a softer and lighter backing for the quilt.




QUILTING DESIGN

My main goal for the quilting was to add texture throughout the quilt and especially the white background so I decided to go with an allover design.

One of my favorite designs to quilt is a large paisley swirl type design.  It is larger in scale so it goes quickly, adding texture without taking away from the piecing design.




MANY THANKS

I would like to thank Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl for her amazing tech editing skills. I would also like to thank Shelly Folkerts and Tish Stemple for testing the pattern for me to make sure that the quilt pattern was easy to follow and error free.



MAKE YOUR OWN MOREWOOD MYSTERY


If you would like to make your own Morewood Mystery quilt, you can start at any time because the free pattern instructions will always be available.  All of the information and instructions can be found on the Morewood Mystery Page, or if you prefer, I have a full pdf version of the pattern available in my shop.

The reveal parade showing everyone's finished Morewood Mystery quilts will be on April 13th.



PIN IT FOR LATER

Want to save this pattern for later?  You can save the design to Pinterest using this special Pinterest friendly image (or any other image on this page).





Thursday, February 4, 2021

Morewood Mystery Quilt ++ Blocks B & C, Quilt Top Assembly, and Quilt Linkup

 It's reveal day for the Morewood Mystery Quilt!


This post is jam packed with Morewood Mystery goodness, so keep reading to find:

  1. Instructions for Blocks B & C
  2. Quilt Top Assembly Instructions
  3. Quilt Finishing Instructions
  4. How to submit your quilt or quilt top into the reveal parade
Now that the Mystery Quilt has ended, you can find a easy to print, full version of the pattern for sale in my pattern shop.

Remember, you can always find all of the information and posts about the quilt along on the Morewood Mystery Quilt Page.


You will now have 2 ½ months, until April 12th (midnight EST), to finish the quilt top / quilt and link up.  Check out the sponsors / prizes post to see the prizes (over $1000 worth) from our 15 generous sponsors!



ALL ABOUT LINKING UP

In order to keep this post from becoming too long, I have created a page that answers frequently asked questions, instructions on how to link your quilt up, and the actual quilt link up.  You can go to the page here.

Click here for more information and to link up your quilt top / quilt



MOREWOOD MYSTERY INSTRUCTIONS

Without further ado, here are the final instructions for the Morewood Mystery quilt, I hope you love the design!



Block B

Make 14 Block B.

1. Arrange the following units and pieces according to the diagram.

2 petal units 5 ½" x 5 ½"
2 B/bg HST units 5 ½" x 5 ½"
1 double Irish unit 2 ½" x 2 ½"
4 bg rectangles 2 ½" x 5 ½"

2. Sew units and pieces into rows pressing seams open or towards the bg rectangles. The top and bottom rows should measure 5 ½" x 12 ½" and the middle row should measure 2 ½" x 12 ½".

3. Sew the rows together, pressing seams open, to make a block B 12 ½" x 12 ½". Repeat to make a total of 14 block B.



Block C

Make 1 Block C.

1. Arrange the following units and pieces according to the diagram.

2 petal units 5 ½" x 5 ½"
1 B/bg HST units 5 ½" x 5 ½"
1 double Irish unit 2 ½" x 2 ½"
1 bg square 5 ½" x 5 ½"
4 bg rectangles 2 ½" x 5 ½"

2. Sew units and pieces into rows pressing seams open or towards the bg rectangles. The top and bottom rows should measure 5 ½" x 12 ½" and the middle row should measure 2 ½" x 12 ½".

3. Sew the rows together, pressing seams open, to make a block C 12 ½" x 12 ½".





Quilt Top Assembly

1. Arrange the 15 block A, 14 block B, and 1 block C according to the quilt top assembly diagrams rotating the blocks to match the diagrams.

2. Sew the blocks into rows pressing seams open or towards the block A. Sew together the rows,
pressing seams open, to make the quilt top 60 ½" x 72 ½".




Finishing



1. Make backing: Remove selvages from backing fabric, cut into 2 pieces approx. 69" x WOF and sew backing pieces together along the trimmed selvage edges using a ½" seam, pressing the seam open. Trim backing to approx. 69" x 81".

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

3. Cut the binding fabric into 7 strips 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: www.facebook.com/groups/MeadowMistDesigns/ and on Instagram and other social media using #MorewoodMysteryQuilt and #MeadowMistDesigns.

Be sure to link up your quilt top or finished quilt into the reveal party parade here to be eligible to win prizes from one of the 15 sponsors of the quilt along!

What do you think of the Morewood Mystery quilt design?




Many thanks to the generous sponsors of the Morewood Mystery Quilt!






Any questions?  Leave them in a comment below or post them to our Facebook group page.  I look forward to seeing everyone's quilts!!