Welcome to April's Favorite Finish Monthly Linkup!
My favorite finish for April was my Just Two Charm Pack Quilts book launch. I was so happy to announce it to the world and offer the pre-sale bundle. I've heard that the books are on their way and might even arrive a bit early :)
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 (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!
I am very excited to announce that the next mystery quilt, the Malted Mystery Quilt, will begin on Thursday, July 6th!
The Malted Mystery Quilt is a free quilt-along that will run from July 2023 through May 2024 with a set of directions revealed the first Thursday of every month. This slow pace makes for a fun and stress-free quilt along!
We will kick off the quilt-along on Thursday, July 6th with the fabric requirements and some helpful hints to pick fabrics and colors (you will have an entire month to gather fabrics before the cutting instructions in August).
Here are some more details about the upcoming mystery quilt...
Quilt-along Instructions -
There is no sign-up for the mystery quilt. All of the mystery quilt information and instructions will be posted to this blog. Within each instructional post, there will be a link to an easy to print, downloadable version of the instructions.
To make sure you do not miss any instructions, you can:
Subscribe to the Meadow Mist Designs Blog via email (this will send all blog posts to your email address, not just the mystery quilt posts).
The Un-Mystery Quilt - Want to join in the fun but making a mystery quilt is not your thing? I totally understand and will offer a sneak peek of the design! The sneak peek will be available as a linked document right on the blog starting July 6th.
The only rule is that you have to keep the design completely to yourself as to not spoil anyone else's surprise.
Facebook Group - We have 10,000 active members in our Facebook Group (Meadow Mist Designs Facebook Group) sewing together! Join the group today so you can share and see everyone else's fabric, progress pictures, and finished quilts.
I had the pleasure of working with Callie Lynch of Callie Lynch Photography for the photography of Just Two Charm Pack Quilts. We photographed all of the quilts over two photography sessions in the Smokey Mountains.
I love her photography and I loved being able to be on set and helping direct the shots. If you see fingers holding up quilts, those are mine :)
Callie Lynch
When we were taking pictures for the front cover of the book, I took a picture of the back of Callie's camera so we could send it to the book design for some instant feedback. Can you believe that the picture was taken in a laundry room? I wish my laundry room was as photogenic (or clean).
I even convinced Callie to sit for a short interview about taking pictures of quilts. At the end, she gives a great tip for improving your quilt photography.
You can grab a pre-sale, signed book bundle right now over in my pattern shop, the sale ends on Saturday, April 22nd at midnight ET. In the $25 + shipping bundle, you will receive:
Signed copy of Just Two Charm Pack Quilts book ($25 value)
Two (2) individual Meadow Mist Designs patterns, printed and/or digital ($24 value)
Meadow Mist Designs sticker
Chance to win a purple version of Somerville Circle quilt from the book.
HOW TO PURCHASE THE BUNDLE
1. Add the Just Two Charm Pack Quilts Book to your cart.
2. Add two (2) individual Meadow Mist Designs patterns (digital, printed, or a mixture of both) to your cart. Note: Digital patterns will be available right to download right after purchase. Printed patterns will be shipped with book.
3. During checkout, the two patterns will be free (no coupon code needed).
I will add the sticker to your shipment and enter you into the drawing for the Somerville Circle quilt. If you have any questions with the listing or purchase, e-mail me at Cheryl@MeadowMistDesigns.com and I will help you.
There is also a digital bundle and offers for those outside the US.
My favorite block of all time to make are half-square triangles so you do tend to show up a bit in my designs.
I thought that today I would share some of the quilt patterns from my new Just Two Charm Pack Quilts book that use a bunch of half-square triangles. Do you like half-square triangles or do you have another favorite block?
All photographs were provided by C&T / Stash Publications.
LOVER'S LANE
Lover's Lane is one of the larger quilts in the book (finishing at about 75" x 75") that uses charm squares for the half-square triangles (HSTs) and the fabric A for some hourglass blocks.
In had one charm pack of Clementine left over from my previous book, Just One Charm Pack Quilts (Circus Stars, alternate colorway on page 66) and really wanted to use it in the Lovers Lane quilt. I was not able to purchase another charm pack of this older collection so I “expanded˝ the one charm pack into two.
The main colorway of Lover's Lane was pieced by Cheryl Brickey and quilted by Bear Creek Quilting Company.
MORE FISHIES
My first book about charm packs, Just One Charm Pack, had a quilt with little fish on it called Fishies. It was one of the most popular designs in the book so I had to make More Fishies! The fish are made with simple HSTs and then the fish blocks are placed on-point in the quilt top.
The main colorway of More Fishies was pieced by Cheryl Brickey and quilted by the Bear Creek Quilting Company.
GROWING VINES
I love how this quilt looks like it has vines growing up from the bottom of the quilt. The main colorway has a fun difference compared to many of the other quilts in the book, the solids are the charm squares and the print is the fabric A. The gingham print adds a pop to the quilt.
The main colorway of Growing Vines was pieced by Cheryl Brickey and quilted by the Bear Creek Quilting Company.
STAR RAYS
Star quilts are one of my favorite designs and I really like how these blocks are offset and placed in rows. For this design, the charm squares are right next to both the fabric A and the background so be sure to pick supporting fabrics that have good contrast with the charm squares.
The main colorway of Star Rays was pieced by Cheryl Brickey and quilted by the Bear Creek Quilting Company.
DIAGONAL JOY
When the blocks from Diagonal Joy are sewn together, the design has a diagonal look to it. Because the charm squares are cut into 2 ½˝ × 2 ½˝ squares, you could also use smaller scraps or part of a jelly roll for this quilt.
The main colorway of Star Rays was pieced by Cindy Lange.
PRE-SALE, SIGNED BOOK BUNDLE
You can grab a pre-sale, signed book bundle right now over in my pattern shop, the sale goes from April 17th-22nd. In the $25 + shipping bundle, you will receive:
Signed copy of Just Two Charm Pack Quilts book ($25 value)
Two (2) individual Meadow Mist Designs patterns, printed and/or digital ($24 value)
Meadow Mist Designs sticker
Chance to win a purple version of Somerville Circle quilt from the book.
HOW TO PURCHASE THE BUNDLE
1. Add the Just Two Charm Pack Quilts Book to your cart.
2. Add two (2) individual Meadow Mist Designs patterns (digital, printed, or a mixture of both) to your cart. Note: Digital patterns will be available right to download right after purchase. Printed patterns will be shipped with book.
3. During checkout, the two patterns will be free (no coupon code needed).
I will add the sticker to your shipment and enter you into the drawing for the Somerville Circle quilt. If you have any questions with the listing or purchase, e-mail me at Cheryl@MeadowMistDesigns.com and I will help you. There is also a digital bundle and offers for those outside the US.
I have four wonderful quilt testers that test (and get fur on) each piece of fabric, block, quilt top, and finished quilt. They are Piper, Reese, Oreo, and Turtle.
I thought it would be fun to share some of my behind the scenes shots where you could see them in action during the making of the Just two Charm Pack Quilts :)
Piper helping layout blocks for Snapdragon Cove
Piper and Reeses inspecting the quilting on Taylors Square
Reeses modeling on Process Flow quilt top
Oreo snuggling under Star Rays
Reeses chilling on Snapdragon Cove quilt top
Piper helping while I try to de-lint Abby& Katie
Turtle playing on Process Flow (Turtle was adopted after the quilts were all sewn)
Piper helping bind Somerville Circle
PRE-SALE, SIGNED BOOK BUNDLE
You can grab a pre-sale, signed book bundle right now over in my pattern shop, the sale goes from April 17th-22nd. In the $25 + shipping bundle, you will receive:
Signed copy of Just Two Charm Pack Quilts book ($25 value)
Two (2) individual Meadow Mist Designs patterns, printed and/or digital ($24 value)
Meadow Mist Designs sticker
Chance to win a purple version of Somerville Circle quilt from the book.
HOW TO PURCHASE THE BUNDLE
1. Add the Just Two Charm Pack Quilts Book to your cart.
2. Add two (2) individual Meadow Mist Designs patterns (digital, printed, or a mixture of both) to your cart. Note: Digital patterns will be available right to download right after purchase. Printed patterns will be shipped with book.
3. During checkout, the two patterns will be free (no coupon code needed).
I will add the sticker to your shipment and enter you into the drawing for the Somerville Circle quilt. If you have any questions with the listing or purchase, e-mail me at Cheryl@MeadowMistDesigns.com and I will help you.
There is also a digital bundle and offers for those outside the US.
Thank you so all so much for the warm reception of the Just Two Charm Pack Quilts book! I love being able to use my charm packs, get my stash into quilts, and share my patterns with you.
As part of the pre-sale bundle, everyone who pre-orders a book (physical, digital, or from other local shops if you are outside the US) gets an entry to win a purple version of the Somerville Circle Quilt.
ABOUT THE SOMERVILLE CIRCLE PATTERN
The Somerville Circle pattern is one of my favorites in the book. It does contain small pieces (and a lot of them), but the quilt top is pieced using mini strip pieces from the charm squares so the sewing goes quicker than it looks.
I named the quilt after the large traffic circle near my house growing up, Somerville Circle in New Jersey. It was a crazy traffic circle where 3 major highways came together and who had the right of way depending on which point you were at within the circle. I tried to avoid it as much as possible but it was really the only way to the mall growing up :)
MAIN COLORWAY
For the main colorway of Somerville Circle I used all Bonnie and Camille for Moda scraps in red as the charm squares paired with pink and white solids as the fabric A and the background. Having the prints be all of a similar tone and color I think really makes the circle pop against the supporting fabrics. The Bear Creek Quilting Company quilted this version in a swirl design. A fun stripey binding finished this quilt off.
ALTERNATE COLORWAY
The alternate colorway of Somerville Circle was made and quilted by Yvonne Fuchs of Quilting Jetgirl using Tula Pink's True Colors collection. Most of the quilts in the book have the prints spread randomly and evenly throughout the quilt top, but Yvonne organized the True Colors prints into a fantastic rainbow within the quilt top. This did take more planning and careful sewing, but the results are awesome. Yvonne used a combination of loops and stipples for the quilting. This is the main quilt on the cover of the book.
GIVEAWAY VERSION
For my giveaway version, I actually started pulling fabric starting with the background fabric. I have had this light purple Kaffe shot cotton (the warps are pink and the wefts are blue) in my stash and I thought that this would be the perfect place to use it.
From there, I added solid white fabric as fabric A and a bunch of magenta/purple scraps as the charm squares. Most of the charm squares are solids but there are a few prints as well. I actually do not have many purple fabrics so this used up most of my stash (and now I have an excuse to do a little fabric shopping :)
I backed the quilt using a fun, older Tula Pink print along with a little more of the Kaffe shot cotton, quilted it using a large stippled, and bound it using left over bits of the fabrics used for the charm squares.
Just remember - you can find all of the information and purchase the pre-sale bundle (and get an entry into winning this quilt) by purchasing a Pre-Sale Bundle from April 17th-April 22nd.
One of the most popular features of my previous book, Just One Charm Pack Quilts, was how each pattern was shown in two different colorways. I think that seeing a quilt pattern with different colors and prints makes it so much easier to imagine and plan out your own quilt using that pattern.
Because quilters found it so helpful, I had make each quilt in the book twice in different colorways (I had the help of 16 quilters making the second version of each pattern).
I'd love to do a mini little trunk show showing off some of the patterns from the book. You can also watch the video about the quilts:
The Just One Charm Pack Quilts book had a pattern in it called Fishies. It was one of the most popular (and one of my favorites) so I had to come up with a new fish design, this one called More Fishies.
The two colorways show off light blue and navy backgrounds along with different prints.
BETTY
The blocks in this quilt reminded me of granny squares so I named this quilt after my Grandmother Betty. I love how the blocks on the version on the left each look a little different depending on where the prints are placed in the block. The version on the right uses the same colors in the same areas within the block for a scrappy, but more cohesive look.
DIAMOND HASHTAG
Diamond Hashtag was made using a beautiful green as a background and a cream as a background. The fabric A that forms the hashtag pops more against the background and prints in the version on the left and blends in more with the prints in the quilt on the right.
ABBY & KATIE
This quilt was named after two of my pets that are no longer with us, my cat Abby and my yellow lab Katie. Because this quilt uses two different blocks I decided I would name it after both of them together. The cream colored background version on the left with much more subtle than the more bold version on the right.
SPECIAL SIGNED BOOK BUNDLE
Hop over to the Pre-Sale Bundle blog post to see the special deals for the launch of Just Two Charm Pack Quilts. The pre-sale kicks off on Monday!
Thank you to all of the quilters that joined in on the Melodic Mystery Quilt Along! Today is the reveal parade and prizes will be awarded.
If you would like to make a Melodic Mystery Quilt, you can start at any time, the instructions will always be posted as blog posts! Find out all about the quilt along at the Melodic Mystery Main Page.
Now that the Melodic Mystery Quilt has ended, you can find a easy to print, full version of the pattern for sale in my pattern shop.
Here are the prize winners (winners randomly selected from quilts submitted to the linkup). Learn more about the sponsors here. Winners should have received an e-mail from me.
The count down in on! The pre-sale for Just Two Charm Pack Quilts will start in just one week and the book will officially launch in late May. I am so excited!
As part of the launch, I have recorded a number of videos showing some of the quilts from the book and giving some helpful tips.
All about expanding one charm pack into two post and video.
The book, Just Two Charm Pack Quilts, stretches two charm packs into larger throw-sized quilts by adding in an additional fabric (called fabric A in the patterns) and a background fabric.
I'm back today with another video for the series for some tips on how to pick out your fabric A and background fabric. This can help with fabric selections for all of your quilts, not just ones for the book.
For some of the quilts in the book, like Taylors Square shown below, both the charm prints and the fabric A (the gray solid) touch the background fabric (the white solid). The charm prints never touch the fabric A.
In this case, you would want to pick a background fabric that has good contrast with both the charm prints and fabric A. In many charm packs, the prints tend to be medium in tone so picking a lighter or darker background works well.
Fabric A can be any fabric that has good contrast with the background fabric. You could even use some yardage of one of the charm pack prints.
Taylors Square
Pieced and Quilted by Cheryl Brickey
Photo by Stash Publications
EXAMPLE 2
For other quilts in the book, like Gift Box and Carnegie Plaid shown below, the charm prints are next to both fabric A (the white solid in both quilts) and the background fabric (the light gray in Gift Box and dark gray in Carnegie Plaid). Additionally, the fabric A and background fabric are also next to each other.
In this case, you want to make sure that the charm prints, the fabric A, and the background fabric all have good contrast with each other. When your charm pack has mostly medium tones, the easiest way of doing this would be to use a light fabric and a dark fabric (or vis versa) for fabric A and the background fabric.
Gift Box
Pieced by Jackie Callis & Quilted by Carol Alperin
Photo by Stash Publications
Carnegie Plaid
Pieced and Quilted by Cheryl Brickey
Photo by Stash Publications
SPECIAL SIGNED BOOK BUNDLE
From only April 17th - 22nd, I am going to be offering a super bundle for signed books that will include additional stand alone patterns, a sticker, and a chance to win a quilt I made from the book. More details soon :)
LAUNCH DATES
Pre-Sale Dates April 17 - April 22 - I am going to be offering a super bundle for signed books that will include additional patterns, plus a chance to win a quilt from the book that will only be available during this pre-sale. More details soon :)
Publication Date May 25th - Just Two Charm Pack Quilts' official publication date right now is May 25th. The exact date may still change a tiny bit due to printing or shipping delays.
AMAZON PRE-SALE
I will be having my signed book bundle sale, but if you prefer to shop at Amazon, The Just Two Charm Pack Quilts is available as a pre-order through Amazon (affiliate link).
BOOK HOP
In late July/early August, there will be a book hop where a bunch of quilters will be showing off their versions of the book quilts. I love seeing everyone's take on the designs and am excited to see what they make.
SEW ALONG
I will be hosting a sew along for the book starting in January 2024. This will be a super fun and easy going quilt along and I hope that you will join in! More details to come...
The Just Two Charm Pack Quilts book is launching soon! Starting April 17th, I will be having a limited time, signed book bundle. The actual book publication is tentatively May 25th.
As part of the launch, I have recorded a number of videos showing some of the quilts from the book and giving some helpful tips.
If you have a single charm pack that you would like to use for one of the book quilts you have three main options:
If your heart is set on using the charm pack collection and only that collection, you can try to find another charm pack (or layer cake) of that same collection. I have had good luck finding older collections on Etsy, Ebay, and sometimes my local quilt shop.
You can combine charm packs of different (but complimentary) collections. Many times collections from the same designer or same fabric manufacturer pair well together. You might already have the prefect pair of charm packs ready to use :)
You can use your charm pack as a starting point and pull scraps and other fabrics from your stash to coordinate with them. The video below shows how I pull fabrics based on the colors from a single charm pack.
For the alternate version for the Star Rays quilt, I really liked the Elixir collection by Melody Miller for Ruby Star Society, but I only had one charm pack.
I also had a charm pack of Camellia, also by Melody Miller, in my stash and because the two collections were made by the same designer, they went together really well.
The resultant quilt actually has a more scrappy (yet cohesive) feel than if I had only used one of the collections.
Star Rays
Pieced by Dale Hernandez and quilted by the Carolina Quilt Studio
Photo by C&T Publications
EXPANDING A CHARM PACK
For the main colorway of Lover's Lane, I started with a single charm pack of Clementine by Melody Miller from Ruby Star Society (fun fact, this was a leftover charm pack from my other book, Just One Charm Pack Quilts for the quilt on the cover). I used the colors within the charm pack to pull additional fabrics from my stash into order to "expand" the single charm pack into two.
Lover's Lane
Pieced by Cheryl Brickey and quilted by Bear Creek Quilting Company
Photo by C&T Publications
LAUNCH DATES
Pre-Sale Dates April 17 - April 22 - I am going to be offering a super bundle for signed books that will include additional patterns, plus a chance to win a quilt from the book that will only be available during this pre-sale. More details soon :)
Publication Date May 25th - Just Two Charm Pack Quilts' official publication date right now is May 25th. The exact date may still change a tiny bit due to printing or shipping delays.
AMAZON PRE-SALE
The Just Two Charm Pack Quilts is available as a pre-order through Amazon (affiliate link).
BOOK HOP
In late July/early August, there will be a book hop where a bunch of quilters will be showing off their versions of the book quilts. I love seeing everyone's take on the designs and am excited to see what they make.
SEW ALONG
I will be hosting a sew along for the book starting in January 2024. This will be a super fun and easy going quilt along and I hope that you will join in! More details to come...
Just a reminder that the deadline to enter your Melodic Mystery quilt top or quilt into the reveal parade to be eligible for prizes is this Thursday, April 6th at midnight ET.
LINKUP YOUR QUILT BY APRIL 6TH EST
Two Ways to Link Up
1. Link up into the linky party directly using the link here. If you have any problems with the linkup (can't get it to work, your image is sideways, etc.) skip to option 2.
2. E-mail me a picture of your quilt top / quilt to MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com. I am happy to load your picture into the party. Please let me know if you are outside of the US. More than half of the prizes are available for everyone around the world.
Remember, you can always find all of the information and posts about the quilt along on the Melodic Mystery Quilt Page.
The Reveal parade (and prizes) post will be posted on Thursday, April 13th.
FREQUENTLY 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 link up your picture to be eligible. I will help you if you have any problems (MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com).
How are the prizes given out?
All prizes are given out randomly to quilters who participate in the reveal parade.
I loved the mystery quilt so much I made two (or more) versions, can I link up both of them?
Yes! You can link up all of the quilt tops and/or finished quilts you made from the Melodic Mystery quilt and each quilt gets an entry into the prize drawing.
I changed up the design (added borders, arranged blocks differently, changed size, etc), can I still enter the reveal parade for prizes?
Yes! Any and all Melodic Mystery variations are eligible for prizes.
