Disappearing Oranges - MGQ Pattern of the Month for July

I am so happy to show you my newest quilt, Disappearing Oranges which is the July pattern of the month for the Modern Quilt Guild (free to all MQG members)!

You can find the pattern on the MQG website right here.

For quilters coming over from the MQG, welcome! I hope you have a chance to take a look around my little blog including some of my recent finishes and my fifth annual mystery quilt called the Mosaic Mystery quilt which just started a few weeks ago. You can also find me over on Instagram as MeadowMistDesigns.

Disappearing Oranges was made using my Subcontracting for Minimalism technique starting with an orange peel design.  I am excited to be teaching this technique again at QuiltCon 2020.

Many thanks to:

• Hoffman Fabrics for the Indah Batik Solids
• The Warm Company for the Warm & White batting
• Aurifil for the thread for piecing and quilting

Photo by the MQG

For the quilting, those that know me well know that I prefer to do free motion quilting over straight line quilting.  But looking at the design, I really thought that a cross-hatch pattern would be the right choice.  I used random spacing of the quilting lines (guiding off of previous stitched lines with different parts of my walking foot) to have spaces between ¼" to 1 ½".

I used a 50 wt white (2021) Aurifil thread for the quilting.  The thread was great for adding texture and not standing out too much on the high contrast dark blue and orange fabrics.

Photo by the MQG

A fun light blue Me + You batik from Hoffman Fabrics completed the quilt as the backing.

I want to give a special thanks to Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl for her super pattern review skills!! 

Pocket Full of Change ++ Quilt Pattern Tutorial

I have a fun finish and free quilt pattern tutorial to share with you today...Pocket Full of Change, perfect for using up larger scraps and left over bits of layer cakes.

This pattern is really more of a formula and general guidelines so feel free to change up the design and sizes to make the pattern fit your scraps and needs.

When designing this quilt I wanted to make a lap sized quilt for my co-worker's new foster child (I make each of her foster children a quilt), about 50" x 60".

Pocket Full of Change

For my version I used scraps from my pink/red scrap bin along with some extra layer cake slices I had lying around.  I really liked being able to use larger sized scraps in the design so I could use fabric with larger scale prints.

To design the quilt, I started with some notebook paper and figured out the dimensions...

Material Requirements

       Scraps: a bunch of scraps 10" wide, I used about 26 scrap pieces 4 ½" to 12 ½" tall x 10" wide
       Outer stripe for middle areas (white in quilt): ⅝ yard
       Inner stripe for middle areas: ½ yard
       Binding: ½ yard  (6 strips 2 ½" x WOF)

Scrappy Columns

1.  Lay out scraps into 3 columns of about 58"- 60" each.  When you lay out your scraps, they will be longer than 60", but when sewn together each fabric piece will shrink ½" in height due to seam allowances.  My scraps were between 4 ½" to 12 ½" tall and I had between 8 and 10 fabric pieces per column.

2.  Sew scraps into the three columns, pressing seams in your favorite direction.  I like to press my seams open.

Middle Columns

This is where the 58"-60" height of the scrappy columns is helpful.  With that length, the stripes within the middle columns can be made using a full width of fabric (WOF) sewn to a half WOF strip so the fabric is used very efficiently with little waste.

1.  Cut 6 strips 3" x WOF of the outer stripe fabric (white in the cover quilt).

       a.  Cut 2 of the strips in half to make 4 half strips and sew each half to a full width strip to make 4 outer stripes, each about 60" long.

2.  Cut 3 strips 4 ½" x WOF of the inner stripe fabric (dark pink print in the cover quilt)

       a.  Cut 1 strip in half to make 2 half strips and sew each half to a full width strip to make 2 inner stripes, each about 60" long.

3.  Sew two outer stripes and one inner stripe together such that the outer stripes sandwich the inner stripe.  Repeat to make 2 middle columns.

Quilt Top Assembly

1.  Sew the three scrappy columns and the two middle areas together to create the quilt top.  Trim the top and bottom of the quilt top even and your quilt top is finished!  Super easy, a great design to use up some scraps, and no seams to match :)

For my quilt, I quilted the scrappy columns with a stipple, the white stripes with am elongated swirl design, and the middle dark pink strips with a gentle back and forth design.

For the backing, I used a Loominous print from Anna Maria Horner.  It is super light weight cotton fabric, just a little heavier than a gauze.  I was worried at how it would work for the quilt back, but it gives the quilt such a great, soft feel.

I hope that you enjoyed the Pocket Full of Change quilt pattern tutorial :)  If you decide you make your own Pocket Full of Change, I would love to see it!  You can share on social media as #PocketFullofChangeQuilt and be sure to tag me!

I'm linking up to the Finished or Not Linky Party hosted by Busy Hands Quilts.

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!

Cookies and Cream ++ Pattern Release

I am excited to announce that my pattern, Cookie and Cream is now available as a stand along digital quilt pattern in two sizes! You can now find the pattern on Etsy and Craftsy.

The pattern is on sale half off for one week (through Monday September 4th at midnight) for only $5.00. (You can use coupon code TWOPATTERNS for $2 off two patterns or THREEPATTERNS $4 off 3 patterns in my Etsy shop for even more savings.)

Cookies and Cream is a fun and easy fat quarter friendly pattern with blocks that resemble sandwich cookies. All you need is 5 fat quarters and a yard of background fabric to make the baby quilt top!

The cover version of the quilt was made using prints from the Garden Dreamer collection by Maureen Cracknell for Art Gallery Fabrics and a white background from Needle and Foot Fine Fabrics.

For the quilting, some simple outline quilting and a bit of hand quilting finished the quilt.

Many, many thanks to Paige of Quilted Blooms and Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl for their awesome tech editing and reviewing!!

Just a reminder, you can find Cookies and Cream at Etsy and Craftsy for $5.00 for the next week :)

Vintage Star {Pattern Launch}

I am excited to announce my second pattern release this fall, Vintage Star, is now available! You can find the pattern in my pattern shop:

Digital PDF Vintage Star

Printed Vintage Star

I actually made this quilt back in January 2014 (I can't believe that it was so long ago!).  The cover quilt was made using the Scrumptious fabric collection by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

The pattern was always on my to do list but always seemed to pushed down the list for another project.  I am so happy that I can finally cross it off my list :)

Vintage Star is an intermediate-level, layer cake friendly pattern.  The blocks contain a bunch of flying geese and are not the quickest to make, but I think that they have a really cool look to them.  The pattern contains instructions for baby and lap sized quilts.

Each star block uses 2 layer cake slices (10" x 10") and some background fabric. I really like how this design is made from a layer cake but does not look like a typical layer cake pattern.

I want to thank all of my pattern testers and reviewers, their suggestions and edits have greatly improved the pattern!  Some of my reviewers are offering giveaways of both Vintage Star and Check Plus (released yesterday).  Click the links marked as giveaway for a chance to win!

Paige of Quilted Blooms (giveaway)

Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl

Lisa of Sunlight in Winter Quilts

Stephanie of Quilt'n Party (giveaway)

Tyler (tnhouser8184 on IG)

Jan (jankaye on IG)

Ange (angesullivan on IG)

Cara (sew_colorado on IG) (giveaway)

Emilee (amelialoveskat on IG)
Shauna of Shauna's World (giveaway)

Here are some of the wonderful tester versions:

Cara (sew_colorado on IG)

Tyler (tnhouser8184 on IG)

Jan (jankaye on IG)

Ange (angesullivan on IG)

Paige of Quilted Blooms

Just as a reminder: You can find the pattern in my pattern shop:

Digital PDF Vintage Star

Printed Vintage Star

Check Plus {Pattern Launch}

I am excited to announce that my pattern, Check Plus, is now available! You can find the pattern:

Digital download version: Etsy, and on Craftsy

Printed version: Etsy

The pattern (in both formats) will be on sale for $7.50 until October 4th. 

 (You can use coupon code TWOPATTERNS for $2 off two patterns or THREEPATTERNS $4 off 3 patterns in Etsy for even more savings!)

The lap size version of Check Plus was originally published in the November/December 2014 issue of Quilty Magazine and used the April Showers fabric collection by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

I have received numerous requests for alternative sizes over the past couple of years so I am happy to be able to release the pattern with 4 sizes.  Check Plus is beginner-level, fat quarter friendly and is now expanded to include baby, lap, twin, and king sizes.

I want to thank all of my pattern testers and reviewers, their suggestions and edits have greatly improved the pattern!  Some of my reviewers are offering giveaways of Check Plus (and Vintage Star which will be posted about tomorrow).  Click the links marked as giveaway for a chance to win!

Paige of Quilted Blooms (giveaway)

Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl

Shauna of Shauna's World (giveaway)

Beth of Cooking Up Quilts (giveaway, plus Beth is releasing her wonderful new pattern Stack O'Bubbles today!)

Tish of Tish's Adventures in Wonderland (giveaway)

Dave of Dave the Quilt Engineer (giveaway)

Anna of Fresh Dew Drops

Here are some of the wonderful tester versions:

Anna of Fresh Dew Drops

Dave of Dave the Quilt Engineer

Just as a reminder: The pattern is now available on Etsy and Craftsy for $7.50 until October 4th.

Come back tomorrow for the release of Vintage Star :)

I'm happy to be linking up to Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts's linky party Main Crush Monday

Plus Plus Quilt Pattern - Two Tone Version

Yesterday, (in this post), I highlighted the multi-color version of my new quilt pattern Plus Plus (along with a huge fabric giveaway!). Today I would like to show the second version of the quilt pattern, a two-tone version with an accent block made using yardage and strip piecing.

For the two-tone version, I made the baby size using Kona white and Kona silver and a red print from Maritime Modern from Riley Blake for the accent plus. I originally was going to use a dark gray binding but when went I to use it, it just did not look right. I tested many, many other prints and colors until I tried this new Lotta Jansdotter print (from her new collection at JoAnn's). The mustard yellow print worked perfectly.

You can find the Plus Plus pattern in my pattern shop in both digital and print versions:

Digital PDF Pattern

Printed Pattern

I really had fun with the quilting on this quilt and went with some really dense quilting.  In the background, I quilted swirls using white Aurifil thread.  For the plus signs, I used my longarm ruler for the first time on my domestic machine (which actually was easier and more fun than I thought it would be).  I designed the line pattern to be continuous so I only had one start and stop per plus sign and used matching color Aurifil threads for the quilting.

Shelley who blogs over at The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts tested for me making the two-tone version of Plus Plus in the queen size using browns and oranges.  She is a super speedy quilter, I think she made all 121 blocks for the queen size in about two weeks, please go check out her awesome version of Plus Plus.

Plus Plus is actually two complete patterns in one, containing full cutting and piecing instructions for both versions in baby, lap, and queen sizes.  The two-tone version of the quilt uses yardage and strip piecing for quicker piecing of the blocks with alternating sized plus signs on a background fabric.
Please check out the multi-color version of Plus Plus posted yesterday.

You can find the Plus Plus pattern in my pattern shop in both digital and print versions:

Digital PDF Pattern

Printed Pattern

You can pin this quilt for later...

What Shade Are You? Blog Hop: Plus Plus Quilt Pattern and Giveaway

I am so excited to be part of RJR's What Shade Are You Blog Hop today! When I was invited to participate in the What Shade are You Blog Hop by RJR fabrics, I jumped at the chance. I just love blog hops and the chance to play with some wonderful fabric.

I have had a pattern in my head for a good while and was slowly collecting fabrics for it. Along came this hop and I knew that the bright and saturated colors of the RJR cotton supreme solids were perfect for it. I used color numbers 366, 361, 301, 355, 289, 159, 358, 354, 86, 356, 292, 127, 339, 357, 353, 221, 128, 249, 108, and 049 to create a fun and bright plus quilt.

I am calling the pattern Plus Plus and it is an alternating pattern of large and small plus blocks. I made the lap size version which finishes to about 63" x 63".

You can find the Plus Plus pattern in my pattern shop in both digital and print versions:

Digital PDF Pattern

Printed Pattern

I quilted the quilt using a light cream Aurifil thread echoing the seam lines of the blocks and going diagonally across the quilt.

I was originally planning on using a solid red as the binding, but once I put the quilt together it seemed like it needed something different so I decided to instead use a black and white striped binding.

In an effort to use up all of the beautiful fabric, I improv pieced the trimmings from the solids from the quilt top and combined them with the red solid that was originally going to be the binding and some metallic printed Cotton & Steel fabric.  The improv was a lot of fun and I am happy at how the quilt now a dual sided quilt :)  

This was the first time I had the chance to try the RJR Cotton Supreme fabrics and they were really great to work with. The Cotton Supremes have a wonderful saturation with a great hand and drape to them (The Cotton Supremes have a medium weight, a little lighter than a Kona and a little heavier than a Cotton Couture).

I had seen others write about how RJR solids resisted unraveling and I have to agree with them. From handling the cut pieces during the block construction all the way to sewing the binding on the quilt, the fabric stayed much nicer and had many fewer unravels that I had to trim off than usual. I am definitely planning on adding some more Cotton Supremes to my solids stash.

The Plus Plus quilt pattern is actually two complete patterns in one containing baby, lap, and queen sizes in a multi-color version using 1/4 yard cuts and fat quarters and a two-tone version using yardage with an accent block using strip piecing. You can see a sneak peek of the two tone version in the pattern cover below and I will be showing more pictures and details tomorrow.

You can find the Plus Plus pattern in my pattern shop in both digital and print versions:

Digital PDF Pattern

Printed Pattern

And now onto the giveaway!  

How would you like a chance to win a huge bundle of RJR Cotton Supremes?  Up for grabs is a bundle of 27 of the colors I used in my Plus Plus quilt!!  *The giveaway is open to the US and Canada. Sorry, no PO Boxes.

You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each entry.   (Leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger.)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment with your favorite color combination right now.

ENTRY 2 - All Meadow Mist Designs followers (new and old) can have a bonus entry, just leave a comment here of how you follow.  

(Here are some links for different following options: Bloglovin, Email, Instagram )

The giveaway will be open until next Friday, May 1st at 8pm EST.

** Giveaway now closed, thanks for entering! **

Pin this quilt pattern for later...

Nordic Playlist - Quilt Finish and Tutorial

I am excited to share another finish with you today! The Bear Creek Quilting Company has such wonderful fabric, I was so excited to when Shari sent me a fat quarter bundle of Paradiso by Kate Spain for Moda.  I used the bundle to create a queen sized quilt called Nordic Playlist which is now living on my daughter's bed and she loves it :).  

Nordic Playlist finishes at about 90” x 90”, a nice double/queen size.  Each 18” x 18” (finished) block in the quilt uses a fat quarter of a print along with some background fabric, so the size of the quilt is easy to scale up and down.   The free quilt pattern is now up on the Bear Creek Quilting Company's blog! 

I used a horizontal looping pattern for the quilting and just followed all of the seam lines for virtually no marking.  It still took a really long time to quilt and I will posting some tricks I learned soon for horizontal quilting a larger quilt with a domestic sewing machine easier.

I backed the quilt using a 108" wide Robert Kaufman print that was perfect for the Paradiso line (with the added bonus that I did not have to piece the backing).  Instead of using yardage for the binding, I used three of the left over fat quarters from the line for a matching, yet scrappy binding.  

 

Taking pictures of the queen sized quilt proved to be quite a challenge, anyone have tips on getting good pictures of a quilt that large?

Once again, here is the link to the free pattern :)

I am linking up to Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story, Sew Cute Tuesday @ Blossom Heart Quilts, Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, and WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced, Link a Finish Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday, Finish It Up Friday, Fabric Frenzy Friday, and Show Off Saturday @ Sew She Can.