Flutter Pattern Revisited

I just updated Flutter just wanted to share the newly redone pattern.  I created the Flutter pattern back when I was working on promoting my first book Modern Plus Sign Quilts.  

Grab your digital copy of Flutter

I combined the plus sign with Drunkard's path blocks and they reminded me of butterflies so that is how it got its name.

Flutter originally was published in Modern Quilts Unlimited (which is not longer published) as just the throw size and I expanded it into a three size pattern: baby, throw, and twin.

Flutter is a great first curves pattern because the curved blocks are a nice, large size which makes the curve more gentle and easier to sew.

Here are renderings of all three sizes:

COVER QUILT

I made my version of Flutter using Kona Cotton solids in flamingo, lipstick, navy, and white by Robert Kaufman. The batting was Warm & White by the Warm Company and Aurifil thread was used in the piecing and quilting. I matched the quilting threads to the Kona colors.

I quilted each Drunkards Path block using butterfly looking ruler design which I posted a tutorial on the blog about right here.  I quilted the plus signs in a dense back and forth and the white background in a tiny stipple.

I hope that you enjoy it the pattern and I would love to see your versions of Flutter (make sure you share them on social media with #FlutterQuilt).

Marble Mystery Quilt-Along Announcement!!!

I am very excited to announce that the next mystery quilt, the Marble Mystery Quilt, will begin on Thursday, July 4th! 

This is my tenth annual mystery quilt along!  The Marble Mystery joins the Foothills, Midnight, Meadow, Magnolia, Mosaic, Morewood, Macron, Melodic, and Malted mysteries.  How many have you sewn along with?

The Marble Mystery Quilt is a free quilt-along that will run from July 2024 through March 2025 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 4th 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:

Open the blog or main Marble Mystery Quilt Page on the first Thursday of each month. 

Visit at the Facebook Group

Subscribe to the Meadow Mist Designs Newsletter.

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 4th.

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 12,000 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.

 

Malted Mystery ++ My Version

The Malted Mystery is wrapping up and I am happy to share my version of the quilt.

Just a reminder...if you have made a Malted Mystery quilt (quilt top or finished quilt), the deadline to submit your quilt for prizes is May 2nd.  

You can use the linkup or you can email me your picture at MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com and I will upload it for you.

MY VERSION

I was originally going to go with some Tula Pink prints but I was not happy with some of the contrast between the prints so I dug into my stash and found some solids plus an old red Moda print. I used the same Moda print for the binding and a pink Grunge print for the backing.

I knew that I wanted an allover design for the Malted Mystery, but I wanted a very regular repeat pattern so I sent the quilt off to my good friend Delia Dorn of Willowlark Quilt Studio for some longarm quilting.  We picked out a kind of Baptist fan design and I think gives great texture while not taking away from the design. 

Did you know that Delia has opened up a new online fabric shop?  She carries tons of fabric, pre-cuts, patterns, and kits (lots of kits of Meadow Mist Designs patterns).

QUILT ALONG INFORMATION

You can find all of the information for the Malted Mystery quilt on the main Malted Mystery Quilt Page.  This page contains links to each set of instructions, how to link up, the Facebook group, and more.

MALTED MYSTERY QUILT PATTERN

The Malted Mystery quilt instructions will always be available on the blog, but if you would like a single pdf of the entire Malted Mystery pattern, it is now available in my shop for only $10 ($4 off the regular $14 price) through April 18th.

Are you looking for a good mystery quilt for your guild or other quilting group?  

Quilt Guilds and Non-Profits: Purchasing one copy of the Malted Mystery pattern allows the entire guild to use it, you do not need to purchase a copy for every member. You are free to give out hard copies of the pattern and/or e-mail the pattern to members, but are not allowed to post instructions on the internet (such as on a blog or other website).

Full Malted Mystery Quilt Pattern

Malted Mystery ++ Reveal Link Up Reminder

Just a reminder that the deadline to enter your Malted Mystery quilt top or quilt into the reveal parade to be eligible for prizes is  Thursday, May 2nd at midnight ET.

There are no instructions this month, it is a working month to finish up your quilt top and/or quilt your quilt. Below are the instructions on how to be entered into the reveal parade and be eligible for prizes. 

The Malted Mystery quilt linkup deadline is Thursday, May 2nd at midnight (EDT).

Remember, you can always find all of the information and pattern instructions on the Malted Mystery Quilt Page.

On May 2nd, the pdf instruction links will be removed from the blog (the instructions will remain in the posts).  

If you would like a single pdf of the entire Malted Mystery pattern, it is now available in my shop for only $10 ($4 off the regular $14 price) through April 18th.

LINKUP YOUR QUILT BY MAY 2ND 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 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.

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 Malted 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 Malted Mystery variations are eligible for prizes.

Click here to enter your quilt top and/or quilt into the linky party

 

Malted Mystery ++ Link Up Directions

 Malted Mystery Quilt Along - Reveal Parade Linkup Instructions

I am excited to already been seeing some fabulous Malted Mystery quilt tops!  Below are the instructions on how to be entered into the reveal parade and be eligible for prizes. 

The Malted Mystery quilt linkup deadline is Thursday, May 2nd at midnight (EDT).

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

The Reveal parade (and prizes) post will be posted on Thursday, May 16th.  

On May 2nd, the pdf links from the posts will be removed.  The instructions will always be available in the blog posts and a full, easily printable version of the pattern will be available in my pattern shop.

LINKUP YOUR QUILT BY MAY 2ND 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 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.

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 Malted 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 Malted Mystery variations are eligible for prizes.

Click here to enter your quilt top and/or quilt into the linky party

 

 

Just Two Charm Pack Quilt Along - Parade!

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Just Two Charm Pack Quilts quilt along!  Seeing so many versions of the designs is so much fun.  And so many of the participants made two or more quilts from the book!

The parade is still open so you can add your quilt to the parade anytime over the next year (you can also email me a picture at MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com and I will upload it for you).

Here is the Quilt Parade, such beautiful finishes :)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 Prize winners (winners have been notified by email):

• Longarm quilting from Quilted Ever After - #102 Jennifer Y.
• Prize Pack #1 from Meadow Mist Designs of a charm pack, thread, and patterns - #75 Elysia A.
• Prize Pack #2 from Meadow Mist Designs of a charm pack, thread, and patterns - #89 Beth F.
• Digital book from C&T of winner's choice - #31 Sherry S.
• Digital book from C&T of winner's choice - #25 Stacey L.

Malted Mystery ++ March Instructions

Welcome to the March set of instructions, the final instructions for the Malted Mystery Quilt! 

It's Quilt Reveal Time! 

I hope that you love the design! The reveal parade is not until May so there is plenty of time to get caught up or even start. 

You can find all of the information about the Malted Mystery, including schedule, past instructions, links to the Facebook group, sneak peek, and more in the Main Malted Mystery Quilt Page.

The Malted Mystery Quilt is a free quilt-along that runs from July 2023 through May 2024 with a set of directions revealed the first Thursday of every month. Be sure to join the Facebook Group to share your progress or share on social media using #MaltedMysteryQuilt.

Easy to Print PDF Instructions

I have set up two ways to get the easy to print pdf mystery quilt file:

1. Direct Download - Malted Mystery Quilt - March - Easy to Print Version
2. Download from my Pattern Shop - Malted Mystery Quilt - March - Free Downloadable PDF

Third Pieced Section 

1. Sew together the following blocks, pressing the seams open or away from the pinwheel blocks, to make a row 4 ½" x 54 ½".

2 pinwheel blocks 4 ½" x 12 ½"

2 T blocks 4 ½" x 9 ½"

1 I-beam block 4 ½" x 12 ½"

Note the orientations of the pinwheel and T blocks.

2. Repeat to make a total of 4 rows.

3. Two of these rows will be used as side rows 4 ½" x 54 ½".

4. Sew a plus block 4 ½" x 4 ½" on either end of a row from step 1 to make a top/bottom row 4 ½" x 62 ½".  Repeat to make a second top/bottom row.

5. Sew a side row 4 ½" x 54 ½" onto either side of the quilt top 54 ½" x 54 ½", pressing the seams open or away from the side rows.

6. Sew a top/bottom row 4 ½" x 62 ½" onto the unit from step 5, pressing the seams open or away from the top/bottom rows.  

The quilt top, after the third pieced section is added, should measure 62 ½" x 62 ½".

PIECING TIP: If your rows are too large or too small compared to the quilt top, you can use the illustration below to add or take away length to the rows.  

THIRD PLAIN BORDER SECTION

1. Cut 8 fabric D strips 2 ½" x WOF.

2. Sew together 2 fabric D strips 2 ½" x WOF and trim to 62 ½" to make a side border 2 ½" x 62 ½".  Repeat to make a second side border.

3. Sew borders onto the sides of the quilt, pressing seams open or towards the borders.  

4. Sew together 2 fabric D strips 2 ½" x WOF and trim to 66 ½" to make a top/bottom border 2 ½" x 66 ½".  Repeat to make a second top/bottom border.

5. Sew borders onto the top and bottom of the quilt, pressing seams open or towards the borders.  

The quilt top should measure 66 ½" x 66 ½". 

Finishing

1. Make backing: Remove selvages from backing fabric, cut into 2 pieces approx. 76" x WOF and sew backing pieces together along the trimmed selvage edges using a ½" seam, pressing the seam open. Trim backing to approx. 75" x 75".

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 #MaltedMysteryQuilt and #MeadowMistDesigns.

The instructions to link up your quilt top / finished quilts for the reveal parade will be posted next week.

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

Many thanks to our generous sponsors!

Backside Fabrics | Quilting by Anne-Marie | My Sew Quilty Life

Busy Hands Quilts | Quilting Jetgirl | Aurifil

Fat Quarter Shop | Sew Colorado Quilting LLC | Meadow Mist Designs

Any questions? Leave them in a comment below or post them to our Facebook group page. I look forward to seeing finished quilt tops!

 

 

 

QuiltCon 2024 ++ My Favorites

I'm back from QuiltCon 2024 and had such a blast!  This was my first time not teaching at QuiltCon in 5-6 years so I had plenty of time to catch up with friends, take my time through the quilt show, and do a little shopping.  

It was very interesting seeing quilts in person that I had only seen as small pictures on my phone and computer.  I loved some more in real life and some did not strike me as much.  There were some absolutely enormous quilts that took me by surprise because in my mind they were much smaller.

So here are my "Cheryl's Choice" quilts.  The information about the quilt and its maker are in the pictures right below the quilt pictures.  Did any of my favorites match yours?

I'm going to start with my friend (and QuiltCon housemate) Yvonne's quilt.  It is absolutely stunning and worthy of its Best Machine Quilting Award.  I am happy to have a picture of Yvonne and I together in front of her Cloudy Night Sky quilt.

The next quilt is Shadow by Scott Culley.  I first saw this quilt from just a few feet away and could not tell what it was.  As I stepped back and took a picture the face emerged.  So cool.

 

Next up is FISH by Marianne Knops.  I just smiled when I saw this quilt.  So fun and bright.

Next up is Quilter's Workout by Tania Tanti.  The binding she used was sparkly like used for a child's dance costume.  I think that I need more sparkle in my life.

Next is Into the Wind by my good friend Michelle Bartholomew.  The piecing is so impressive!

I am including It's a Trap because of its fun design and wonderful piecing.  Plus it had a bonus that when you used a flash, a secret part of the quilt glowed adding another dimension.  The photo with the flash was taken by Yvonne Fuchs.

I have to include the Greenville Modern Quilt Guild's charity quilt.  I really liked the design and quilting (note - I was not involved in the design or creation of the guild quilt).

And finally, I picked for my Best of Show, I picked Live Stream (What lies beyond the physical world) by Emilie Trahan.  It had everything for me, a stunning design, improv that I would love to be able to do, great quilting, and bright colors.

If you attended QuiltCon, what was your favorite?

Board and Batten ++ Ruby Star Society Version

I have a quilt finish to share with you today :) I released the Board and Batten quilt pattern in late 2022 and hosted a quilt along for the pattern in the beginning of 2023. I made a quilt top during the quilt along, but due to the craziness of getting ready for my book launch, I never quilted or finished it.

I am happy to report that the Ruby Star Society version of Board and Batten is officially complete and has already been snuggled with (the cats really seem to like to shed on it).

If you are interested, you can grab a copy of Board and Batten in my pattern shop (digital and print) and on Etsy.  ** The pattern is on sale for $2.22 off in my pattern shop through Feb 20th, no coupon needed **

Fabric Choices

For this version of Board and Batten, I used some charm packs of Honey by Alexia Abegg for Ruby Star Society along with Kona Cotton in Pepper.

The binding choice was a happy accident, I had originally planned on using a navy solid or print, but when the quilt top was hanging on my banister, I happened to have my leftover Fabric C from my Malted Mystery quilt next to it.  It looked perfect and I had just enough.

For the backing, I went with a yellow herringbone Joel Dewberry print that complimented the design and colors (and I happen to have a bunch of yardage of).

Quilting Design

Because this is a simpler pieced design, I wanted to keep the quilting more simple too, but I really did not want light thread on the navy sections or darker thread on the lighter prints so I came up with some free motion back and forth lines quilting the dark and light sections separately.  

The quilting did take some quilt rotating as I quilted each part, but I was able to quilt continuously from one side to the other (yeah for no thread burying!).

Here is the quilt back to see the quilting more easily.  If you would like me to do a tutorial on this design, I would be happy to do so, please let me know.  

For my first version of the quilt, I used an "ele" quilting design that you can find here.

Pattern Sale

If you want to make your own Board and Batten, you can get a copy in my pattern shop (digital and print) and on Etsy.  

In honor of my quilt finish and QuiltCon starting on the 22nd (so 2/22), I am offering $2.22 off the digital and print versions of Board & Batten in my shop (note this coupon code is only good for my shop, not in Etsy).

Get your copy of Board & Batten:

My Pattern Shop - Digital Version

Etsy - Digital Version

My Pattern Shop - Printed Version

About the Pattern

Board and Batten is a super fun and quick pattern based on half square triangles to make a modern herringbone-like design. 

The pattern is perfect for your pre-cuts or scraps you have in your sewing room being charm pack, layer cake, fat quarter bundle, and scrap friendly.  Board and Batten contains instructions for baby, throw, twin, and queen sizes.

If you love half square triangles (HST), then this quilt is for you! 

Once you make a Board and Batten quilt of your own, you can share it via social media using the hashtag #BoardandBattenQuilt and #BoardandBattenQAL during the quilt along.

Quilt Along

There was a quilt along for this pattern in early 2023, you can see all of the 35+ versions of Board and Batten here.