Sadie and I took a field trip this week to view the fall foliage and visit one of my favorite quilt shops up in the mountains. On display was a quilt kit that I’d admired online. It was one of those one block wonder quilts featuring all of the fabrics in the designer’s newest line. As is often the case, the pattern was designed specifically for the kit and was not available for sale as a separate pattern. Tip: If you are willing to wait, designers often release exclusive kit patterns a season or two later as an individual pattern for sale.
Or do what I did. I challenged myself to create my own version of the block. If you look closely, you’ll see it’s a a traditional 9 patch block with a little more pizzazz from the HST and FG units. It took a little while to do the math, but I pieced my block at my Friday sew day. I’m very happy with the result:
When I got home this evening, I pulled up EQ8 and designed a throw size quilt using this block. I have a lot of scraps, so I’ll be making mine scrappy!
That’s the beauty of quilting and crafting. You can be inspired and create something lovely using the tools and resources you already have on hand. In fact, when I set limiters on a project, I often find it’s more fun and challenging. Limiters can be time constraints, certain colors, certain fabrics, orphan blocks, UFOs only, no spend, etc. Retirement has meant more time to create The current economy dictates the need to be more mindful with how I spend my quilty dollars.
We are bombarded with new collections, tools, machines, patterns, books, etc. in our email and social media feeds on a daily basis. Appreciate the beauty of the new collection or the innovativeness of the new gizmo, but you do not need that new item to make a quilt. Take a deep breath and look closely. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? The 2024 collection and project previews from different companies feature “new” patterns and projects that are essentially updated versions of previous releases. Nothing wrong with this, but don’t think you automatically need to buy that pattern. You may already have it in your stash or even better – bet you can figure out for yourself!
Come Stitch With Me 