Quick+Easy Quilts February/March 2022

We have two adorable heart-inspired quilts to get us through Valentine’s day. Jennifer McClanahan made a lovely heart quilt in beautiful Liberty fabrics. The quilt is called Love Notes and it is as sweet as can be. Kisses for Baby by Andi Stanfield is an “X’s and O’s” quilt with a twist. Lending by Rachelle Craig is the perfect quilt for the bibliophile in your life. Find some fabric that reminds you of leather or quilt the names of your favorite literary works on this bookish quilt! Let the Fabric Shine by Patti Sparks is a fat-quarter friendly pattern that definitely fills the “Quick + Easy” bill. She loves quilts that are easy to sew, big enough for the bed, and not too dear that your furry friends can’t enjoy them too. Speaking…

Emily Bailey auntemsquilts.com Emily is a quilt designer and author who especially enjoys designing for scraps and precuts. She aspires to make the world a softer, more loving place by sharing her skills, pattterns, and knowledge. She resides in Centerville, Utah. Carolyn Beam Carolyn is a former editor for several of our magazines and is currently the Editor of Quilter’s World. She lives in Longmont, Colorado. Rachelle Craig rachellehandmade.com Rachelle is a civil engineer by trade who enjoys the entire process of quilt making—from the spark of inspiration to the tangible quilt. She lives in Wonewoc, Wisconsin with her husband and two cats. Abigail Dolinger abyquilts.wordpress.com Abigail is the Children’s Ministry Director at her church and enjoys sharing her love of sewing with the children. A lifelong quilter, Abigail is from Lillington, North Carolina. Michelle Freedman @stitchwellandprosper Michelle is a quilt day-dreamer and…

Once you have been quilting for a while, you inevitably have scraps or leftovers from your projects. Perhaps you stare at the leftover bits and weigh whether or not they are worthy of saving. Then once you decide to keep said scrap, then what? Do you shove it in a basket or bin? Well, we are about to give you some ideas of what to do to turn those unused scraps into a usable stash. Evaluation It’s time to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself a few important questions. • What type of yardage do you usually use for your quilts? • Do you curate yardage specifically for a quilt pattern? • Do you buy a fat quarter stack and figure out the pattern afterward? • Do you even like scrappy…

There are several quilters online who have very active systems for organizing their stashes. Author, fabric designer, and pattern designer, Lori Holt, brings home fabric and almost always cuts it immediately into patches and strips. She has a large closet where bins hold scraps sorted by size—from 1½" up to yardage. This system works well for her scrappy quilt style. (https://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2013/08/from-myquilty-studiohow-i-save-my.html ) Author, designer, and quilt-retreat center owner, Bonnie Hunter, has a “Scrap User’s System” that works with her rulers and patterns. She sorts in 1½", 2", 2½", 3" and 3½" sizes, though she does save strings as small as 1½"-wide that she can’t throw away. She also sub-sorts into light and dark. This system is what works best for her, and her followers love it! ( https://quiltville.com/scrapusersystem.shtml)…

finished size: 16" × 44" finished blocks: 3 (12") BLOCKS A dark background helps the intense color of the batiks stand out in the fresh, happy colors of spring. When displayed on my dining table, it reminds me of the bright flowers that will soon bloom in my garden and along the roadsides. Vibrant color emerging from the past dark days of winter. The Paddle Star block lends itself to a scrappy quilt design; a constant fabric or color for triangles and cornerstones would offer cohesiveness. The Four-Patches in the design support the spinning illusion of the triangles, adding interest to the simple Friendship Star. I enjoy designing within the size parameters of pre-cuts; I am happy to find that this block can be quickly and easily made from 5" squares plus background…

finished size: 56" × 56" finished blocks: 46 (8") BLOCKS The idea for this quilt was inspired by the colorful friendship bracelets that kids make in summer camp. During the pandemic, I thought a lot about how we were connecting with each other in different ways and how those bracelets always symbolized a friendship connection. When I drew the initial block, I noticed it was the same any way it rotated. I played with the layout of the quilt and was delighted when I discovered that if I offset the blocks every other row, that it created a diagonal line. This is a fun quilt to make in a weekend—it’s fast! Strip sets can be sewn, subcut, then chain piece the pairs together. Before you know it, you have a quilt top! It’s easy…