Category: Fusible Applique Quilts (Page 1 of 3)

Image of Fusible Applique QuiltsMake fast fusible applique quilts with both beautiful sides of one focus fabric!

First find a focus fabric you love for your fusible applique quilt pattern. Next, audition both sides of it. Likewise, choose background fabrics, auditioning them with your focus fabric. It’s that easy to make these fun quilts!

Fusible applique quilts from templates.

Unlike the broderie perse quilt patterns, these quilts are made using only paper drawings, or templates, of the featured subject. It’s as easy as first tracing the templates onto the paper side of your fusible and pressing it to your fabric. Next, cut the fabric drawings and position them on your scrappy background fabrics. Quilts from templates are the fastest way to use both beautiful sides of fabric.

Auditioning both sides of fabric.

Surprisingly, it often takes longer to choose your fabrics for these fusible applique quilts than it does to piece the backgrounds and press on your design. Of course, it all starts with a great focus fabric. In the quilt photos above you’ll see fishbones for the baby octopus, camouflage for the deer, pink floral for the flamingo, and a snowy red for the Merry quilt pattern,  the Christmas truck. It’s fun to find interesting focus fabrics. In each pattern, you will have a guide for auditioning both your focus and your backgrounds fabrics. They key to using both sides is in testing the values of your fabrics. Once you know how, you can apply your new skill to all your future quilt projects.

Discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition both beautiful sides of fabric for fusible applique quilts.

Fusible applique quilts make the best gifts and seasonal decorations. They are easy to make and whip up in a jiffy. Learn more about using both sides of fabric to add sparkle and interest to your quilts!

A Little JOY – Mini Christmas Tree Applique Quilt

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

This Christmas tree applique quilt pattern is cute, fast and easy! It’s the perfect DIY holiday project!

Christmas tree applique quilt

In addition to the time-busting fusible applique technique, the mini tree quilt is also made with both beautiful sides of one focus fabric! The RIGHT side of the fabric makes the tree, the tree topper and trunk, and the binding. Use the REVERSE side to make the gifts, ribbons and bows beneath the tree.

Use BOTH beautiful sides of one focus fabric for this Christmas Tree Applique Quilt.

For instance, the focus fabric used for this Christmas tree applique quilt is called “Mini Plaid with Snowflakes – Blue Spruce”, from my Be Merry Collection at Spoonflower. You can choose from lots of Christmas or winter motifs. Your tree can be whimsical, snowy, or filled with ornaments and can be any color you choose! Chances are you have a fat quarter of Christmas fabric just waiting to be made into a beautiful, little tree!

It’s all about value.

In addition to the convenience of using only one fabric for focal points of the quilt, the subtle change in value between the RIGHT and REVERSE sides adds interest to the quilt. While the tree is the main focus of the quilt, your secondary focus is shown with the similar, but slightly different value of the reverse.

Learn more about The Tricky Traits of Value!

Background Fabrics for A Little JOY.

Furthermore, you’ll only need five small pieces of fabric with winter or Christmas themed motifs for the mini Christmas tree applique background. These small pieces can be easily chosen from stash or a variety of fat quarters, if needed. I like to use a variety of motifs or styles of fabrics. In this quilt, you’ll find a deep red with miniature Christmas motifs, a strip of my dear mother-in-law’s “white on beige” Christmas trees motif, a light blue and green fabric with vintage cars and trucks hauling trees, and a colorful blast of whimsical Christmas symbols. Lastly, a strip of silver on white snowflakes runs across the quilt top.

As well as using a variety of fabrics in the background, notice that I used miniature fabrics with miniature motifs. However, my focus fabric is not miniature. Consider having a contrast in the motif sizes you use. You’ll know when you have the right mix when you audition your fabrics, as explained in the pattern instructions.

Mini Christmas tree applique quilt pattern

You’ll find A Little JOY pattern in my Etsy Shop. When available, I offer the Pattern and Focus Fabric Set shown above.

Moreover, this pattern is available as a digital pattern. With this instant download, you can print it out and go through your stash today!

SHOP Creative Bee Studios on Etsy!

Watch Creative Bee Studios on YouTube!

Pinky, the Baby Octopus

Home » Quilt Patterns » Fusible Applique Quilts

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Miniature quilts are fun to make!

This miniature quilt gives you a burst of happy for a baby’s room or even coastal decor!

Pinky Mini Miniature Quilt Pattern

Firstly, her name is Pinky Mini. She’s the same baby octopus as the original Pinky (see below). However, this Pinky is a 12-inch square quilt.

Secondly, like the original, Pinky Mini is made using BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

Watch PINKY on YouTube!

Fishbone Dance Fabric

Furthermore, both quilts shown above are made using a fabric I designed called Fishbone Dance. This fabric features little curved fishbones swimming around sand dollars with tossed starfish. See Fishbone Dance here on a bubblegum pink background. However, there are several colorways available, including dark blue, lime, and aqua (see products below). These designs are printed on the exquisite Spoonflower fabric called Organic Cotton Sateen. Learn more about Spoonflower.

In addition, you can find matching merchandise and home decor with all my fabric designs, including this one! Be sure to check out my shops at RedBubble, Zazzle and Society 6, too!

Seasonal Decorating with Miniature Quilts

These pint-size designs are great for seasonal decorating, too, because they fit perfectly on a 12-inch table-top quilt stand.

See the additional miniature quilts made with patterns using both beautiful sides of fabric:

Felicity features a tea pot and lid (made with the reverse) with a bouquet (made using the right side). You’ll also make the binding with the focus fabric! This makes choosing fabrics fun and easy! This is a simple broderie perse technique.

Finally, quilting friends say that sometimes they like to make miniature quilts because of space, cost, and the fact that they’ve made more large quilts than they know with what to do!

See more fun ways to use both sides with Seven Ways to Use Both Sides of Fabric!

Old Barns, Red Trucks, Mercantile and More

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Nostalgia at Christmastime

There’s a nostalgia that happens at Christmastime for me more than any other time of year.

Nostalgia at Christmastime includes food, music, and decorations.

Does everyone have vivid memories from childhood? From an old rendition of a Christmas song (Time Life Collection) to “holiday” foods we made when I was a kid (Pizza Fondue), Christmas brings back strong and warm memories for me. Sometimes I wonder if everyone reminisces their childhood and feels strong nostalgia at Christmastime as me.

For instance, one display in my dining room this year holds a host of happy and varied memories. I’d like to share these with you. Some are from long ago and some are very recent.

Simply put, some things we have are more than just things when they spark memories of loved ones, here and gone, and things we’ve experienced throughout our years.

image of plaster water wheel mill

Let’s start with this water wheel mill. Oddly enough, I painted it (probably during finals week) when I was in college. My aunt’s family owned a plaster shop. My friends and roommates and I would walk down to the shop on Broadway to pick out affordable gifts that we could paint for family. I suppose it was also a form of procrastination from studying, but let’s say it was a “break”!

The trees are made from the old red barn to add to the nostalgia at Christmastime.

See three wooden trees? These are made from an old red barn at our family farm. The barn is no more, but here, in it’s place, is a pavilion and cross. Notice the roof line of the pavilion mimics that of an old red barn?

image of pavilion and cross
Image of Lighted Church

Next up is this lighted church. This belonged to my mother-in-law, Pat. It plays “Silent Night” and the lights blink.

As the video scrolls, you can see a wool-wrapped candle with a snowflake made of fringed cotton fabric. Only a few years old, I made this wrap to add another texture to my Christmas decorations.

Image of P.Town

Behind the candle comes the lighted P. Town. and Mercantile. These are two buildings in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) renovated these buildings (and more), making the town a tourist and vacation destination.

In addition, my daughter Paige and I spent her spring break on a “creative getaway” here and had a blast. We ate pizza in the corner of the balcony shown here! See Watercolor on a Whim to read about our adventures and the creation of “Watercolor Whimsy” fabric and more! These decorations will spark new memories in years to come.

image of mercantile
Pioneer Woman Mercantile

At the very least, click on the link above to shop for this lighted Mercantile building and see more items fun things from Pioneer Woman!

Crafty nostalgia at Christmastime.

Do you notice how many of these memories are connected to crafts and creativity?

Lastly, you find Merry, the good ol’ red truck quilt. One of my favorite pattern designs and, of course, made with both beautiful sides of fabric, she’s sure to be a part of our decorations for years to come. Merry reminds me to stay focused and never give up on goals, dreams, and creativity.

As always, you can learn more about quilt patterns, fabric, and merchandise at Creative Bee Studios.

See more Christmas fun at Coastal Christmas Decor and Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

Old Friends Fare Well

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Old friends might not be those you’ve known the longest.

Old friends might be those you connect with instantly. Or maybe its someone you haven’t seen in a while but you pick up right where you left off, not missing a beat or…a word!

That’s what I mean by “old friends”. Not age. Not how long you’ve known them. It’s those people who connect with your soul. Who KNOW you. Really KNOW you!

Actually, old creations can be old friends, too.

When you’ve work on something so long that it becomes a part of you, it becomes a friend. It’s like when you know every inch of a quilt, or a drawing or a garden or whatever it is into which you pour your heart and hands and time.

You might not always like your this creation of yours. But a good thing rarely comes without hard work, glitches, and maybe the need for a seam ripper…right?

In the end, when you have accomplished what you set out to create, you can take stock in that process and friendship. Like when you see an old friend in passing and you both talk “a mile a minute”. When you turn to walk away, you are smiling. Old friends truly are the best!

All of this talk leads me to announce the culmination of a long creative process for one simple thing: this guy.

image of whale quilt
BUBBLES the Baby Whale Quilt Pattern

I know you’ve seen BUBBLES before…but now he’s sporting his very OWN fabric!

It’s called Bubbles Geometric and it’s part of my Seashore Friends Collection!

Read “Uncork the Bubbles” if you want to take a look at the original guy, made with Kaffe Fassett’s Paint Pots,

To review, the whale and binding are made from the RIGHT side of the fabric. His under-belly, blowhole, and the floating bubbles are made from the REVERSE.

The real fun was choosing fabrics from the collection to help make the background for BUBBLES. In addition to seven fabrics from Seashore Friends, you’ll find batiks, ombre, and white on white stash fabrics.

AND…(drum roll)…how fun will it be for quilter moms and grandmoms to be able to choose little extras to go with their quilts?

image of quilt and onesie
A BUBBLES Onesie!
image of wallpaper
Peel and Stick Wallpaper
image of pillow
A pre-made pillow – because you just made a quilt!

I’ve been waiting for the day when I could share this with you all – my “old friends”. (Even if you don’t know me in person, I think you KNOW me by now.)

BUBBLES is an old friend of mine. I hope he’ll be yours, too.

A Great Blue Quilt

Introducing…Lord Stanley.

This guy is hot off the quilt pattern presses. But why call this a great blue quilt?

(And what’s with that name, you might ask?)

Of course, Lord Stanley is a Great Blue Heron. I met this guy on the beach over a year ago. He was hanging around the fishermen and didn’t mind a bit that I got close to him. That’s when I started sketching a heron quilt.

Image of a great blue heron

To understand this “blue” thing, you gotta know a bit about my family. We used to live in Pensacola (twice). My husband, a former Marine fighter pilot of F/A-18 Hornets, introduced me to air shows and the Blue Angels thirty years ago. The “Blues” do a beach air show every year on Pensacola Beach- the best air show EVER. So the beach and the Blues are a thing for us.

Do you get the feeling this could be like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon? See It’s a Bear Out There.

Enter Lord Stanley. Last year while I was creating this beach bird quilt using BOTH beautiful sides of one feather focus fabric, the St. Louis Blues hockey team were in the playoffs for the coveted prize…the Stanley Cup.

When the Saint Louis Blues WON and I needed a name for this guy, well…”Lord Stanley” stuck!

The traditional prized cup now known as the Stanley Cup was purchased in 1893 by Canada’s governor-general Lord Stanley of Preston.

Now anytime my family sees a Great Blue Heron, they tell me they’ve seen Lord Stanley!

Use both sides of one focus fabric for Lord Stanley (bird body), his throat details (reverse), the borders (reverse), and the binding! Make an easy, scrappy background beach scene for this guy and he’ll be right at home, wherever he’s hanging.

Image of a great blue heron quilt at poolside
Image of a great blue quilt

SHOP more than 50 quilt pattern designs that use both beautiful sides of fabric!

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The Marine Behind the Quilts

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Sometimes we all need a little help.

Who do you turn to when you need advise, ideas, or help? Friends, family, or neighbors?

I’m going to say, “all of the above”! When I need a little help with my projects, I find that most people are happy to lend a hand, especially my quilter friends.

My next door neighbor has helped me with photo shoots and quilt advise. Another neighbor comes up with pattern names. Several great friends have helped me fold and stuff patterns for orders. There was even a quilter who help me do a photo shoot on the beach! (She was wearing a quilting tee shirt so I struck up a conversation. It turned out we’d met before – we had a blast!)

My Silent Partner when I need a little help.

That being said, when I need a little help I most often turn to my self-acclaimed “silent partner”. My husband, Matt, calls himself this when he names a new quilt pattern (“Phoebee” and “Bubbles” come to mind) or offers business advise. While that’s not exactly how “silent” works, it’s still helpful!

Since I happen to live with the guy, he’s easy to tap for additional help – like holding quilts for photography! While I appreciate the advise and names, holding quilts is where he excels. Except for the occasional tired arms, Matt doesn’t complain or moan or rush me to get the perfect shot. He’s been known to dive for a falling quilt so it doesn’t touch the ground and he’s saved more than one quilt from a crashing wave (see Salty Marine Saves Quilt)!

When you need a little help saving Bubbles
Saving Bubbles

It doesn’t take a Marine to hold up a quilt…but it sure is nice to have one.

During the summer, we visited the Rocky Mountain National Park for our oldest daughter’s quaint wedding at one of the most beautiful natural venues God created, Sprague Lake.

While technically this wedding was “plan b”, it was nothing short of perfect. This was especially so for Paige and Trevor who love national parks and All Things Hiking. After the ceremony, toasts, and celebrations ended, my husband said, “Let’s go get those pictures”.

You see, I’d made a wedding quilt for Paige and Trevor out of National Parks fabrics and the design was “mountains ranges” (name still pending). Matt knew I didn’t want to leave the beautiful mountains without a photo shoot of that quilt first. But I knew he had been in his dress blues since about 6 am that morning. By 3 in the afternoon, he was hot, tired, and uncomfortable.

We found a spot to pull over where there was a rushing creek with mountains in the distance. I noted that the quilt would drag the ground and he said, “Give me the pole”. He proceeded to walk on the small platform on the edge of the bridge. When he was confident he could hold the quilt there, we slid it onto the pole and he held it up while I took about ten minutes of photos and videos.

When you need a little help holding quilts in the mountains.
Matt holding the quilt in the mountains.
Sneak peek in the mountains…

Jack’s turn!

Additionally, I had brought Jack along for the trip! Jack (buck) is made with both camouflage sides of one focus fabric! While you can’t see my Marine, he faithfully helped me by patiently held Jack at a distance for the whole shoot with nary a complaint.

deer quilt in mountains
Jack Quilt Pattern

A few snapshots from the wedding:

image of wedding photo

Note that this blog post would not be possible without the help of my Silent Partner.

Much love to you, deer, I mean, dear!

Creative Bee Studios is now on YouTube!

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The Quilted Aria – A New Song

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

This little vintage machine quilt is singing a new song!

This vintage machine quilt is getting a makeover! Check out this incredible fabric from RJR! It’s a Digiprint called Arcadia “Secret Garden”. It makes a fabulous focus fabric for this vintage machine quilt pattern!

Why Aria?

Aria ahr-ee-uh: expressive music often heard in opera – she’s a singer!

Image of Fabric

If you are familiar with my designs, you know you’ll use BOTH sides of the fabric. Use the front side for the machine and binding. Use the reverse to make the stork scissors, thimble, and pennants.

As you can see above, this vibrant digital fabric has a hand-painted look of bouquets of flowers, three different birds, and a soft shadow design throughout.

Using BOTH sides of a focus fabric provides a subtle difference in value that makes your quilts sparkle (or in this case, “sing”)!

Image of Focus Fabric Pack

It’s a valuable skill.

In the pattern, you learn how to audition both sides of fabrics to choose your focus fabric for your vintage machine quilt. Next, you’ll audition both sides of your focus fabric with your possible background choices. It’s all about value and what catches your eye first. It’s easy to do, once you know how. Additionally, its a skill you can apply to all your future fabric choices!

Read more about this quilter t-shirt!

In summary, once you’ve learned the nuances of value, you can apply that skill to all your quilt projects.

First, I drew this pattern from my own little machine. Next I drew my favorite “stork” scissors and my late mother-in-law’s thimble. I enjoy using sentimental tools when stitching. As you can see, there’s something special about Aria. This pattern has a piece of my heart in it.

SHOP patterns and kits.

Below is the original quilt and a “Tula” version, which had to be PINK (also available as a focus fabric kit)!

Image of Vintage Machine Quilts

See Popular Vintage Machine Quilt about my opera-singer daughter.

Image of Paige in Our Town

Read the debut of Aria at “Vintage Machine Quilt Pattern

If you like vintage, see both beautiful sides of this focus fabric used to make Merle’s Bouquet! Use an easy modern broderie perse technique to make your bouquet in a vintage watering can.

Are there florals in your stash?

Image of Watering Can Bouquet Quilt
“Merle’s Bouquet”

Pull them out and turn them over! You might be surprised!

WATCH Creative Bee Studios on YouTube!

Have a great day and enjoy your quilting journey!

Read more at Remember “Merle’s Bouquet” Quilt? and see some fun sewing stations in Where We Stitch.

Meet Pinky…The Baby Octopus

The Pinky Quilt Pattern is another fun way to use BOTH beautiful sides of your fabric!

As with most of my patterns, it all starts with the fabric – the focus fabric!

Image of Fabric for Octopus Quilt

When I saw this darling fish-bone fabric by dear Stella, I immediately imagined a cute octopus – but first, I had to google: Do octopus eat fish? Well, deep water ones do and this little gal has enjoyed her fill!

Meet Pinky the Baby Octopus miniature quilt!

So, here is the Pinky Quilt Pattern! Keep in mind, if you find a great blue or purple fabric or even the blue/gray fish-bone by dear Stella, you can call her/him “Inky”!

Image of Octopus Quilt.

There are lots of nautical or coastal motifs on the market that would work well for the Pinky quilt pattern!

In case you are new to this concept, these easy quilt patterns are designed to use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric to achieve an interesting balance of values. The patterns teach you how to audition BOTH sides of focus fabrics to choose just the right one AND how to audition BOTH sides of your focus fabric with your scrappy background fabrics. In the process, you learn the nuances of value – a great skill to apply to all quilt planning.

Learn more about auditioning both sides of fabric here: The Tricky Traits of Value

The top of Pinky’s body and the binding are made using the front side of the focus fabric and her under-side and bubbles are made using its reverse. Gather up some fun beachy and “water-y” background fabrics and accent strips for a delightful mix.

Image of Pinky Quilt Pattern by Pool

The Pinky Quilt Pattern comes with a full-size paper template and detailed instructions.

Pinky and all her friends are available at my Etsy Shop: Creative Bee Studios.

Want to learn more about using both sides? See information about classes, programs, and workshops HERE.

Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram where I regularly share quilts from classes and customers!

Next time you are shopping for fabric, at a LQS or in your own stash, turn it over and #usebothsides !

Introducing…Merry!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Image of Truck Quilt

It’s beginning to look (and feel) a lot like red truck Christmas quilt season!

Merry is a red truck Christmas quilt that’s easy and fun to make! You can start your holiday decorating with a fun Christmas wall hanging OR make one for a favorite friend!

Use BOTH sides of one red Christmas fabric on a snowy bed of winter fabrics to make this quilted wall hanging.

This little red truck is dashing through a snowy lane. On a background of winter trees, various sizes of snowflake motifs, cardinals on lighted lines, and glitzy deer, this red truck Christmas quilt is made with both sides of one focus fabric. So toss a tree in the back, add the mirrors, tires, license plate, and reversed details to “trim out” your truck. Pull out your winter/Christmas stash and start auditioning your fabrics!

Image of Merry in Snow

Shop the “Merry” quilt pattern in my Etsy shop: HERE

Merry Red Truck Quilt

Below are the current Christmas quilt patterns available. For each you will use both sides of at least one fabric. With each #usebothsides pattern, you’ll discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition BOTH sides of fabric. I teach you HOW, like what to look for and how to use value to your advantage.

Look at each picture below and notice where the reverse side is used. Look carefully because you’ll see that the reverse is often used in the background as well. Chances are you have fabric in your stash that will work, with beautiful reverse sides. So pull out some stash and turn it over! Once you learn about what makes reverse sides work, you’ll never look at one side of fabric again! It’s almost like doubling your stash (without taking up any more room). Plus, it’s fun and makes choosing fabrics easy!

You can learn more about value HERE.

SHOP more Christmas quilt patterns in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Have yourself a wonder-filled quilting journey!

Quilts at the Beach

Give me a good beach quilt in the midst of winter!

Why do I love a good beach quilt? We lived in Pensacola, Florida – twice! The first time (as newlyweds), my husband was a student pilot. The second time, with two little ones, he was a flight instructor. When he left the full-time USMC life, we moved to Missouri. We’ve spent many vacations going back “home” to Pensacola (also home of our favorite: the Blue Angels).

Location, location, location. It’s the key. As you can see in these pics, Sally, Sandy, Fiona, and Bubbles are right at home on the beach!

This weekend we attended a wedding to attend in Baton Rouge, so we decided to grab a couple of beach days on the tail end of the trip. I debated whether I should even bother to take quilts along to photograph…I’m SO glad I DID!

Image of Sandy Quilt on Sand.
It’s Sandy on the beach. 🙂

My favorite name for a beach quilt has to be this: Sandy! Doesn’t she look happy in the sand?

Image of Sally Quilt at Beach
Sally

Sally the seahorse was flying high in the morning light. She’s made with both beautiful sides of one of my all-time favorite KFC fabrics: Shell Bouquet by Philip Jacobs.

Image of Fiona Quilt at Beach
Fiona

Fiona the friendly flamingo helped me spot a friend at the beach:

It’s hard to spot another quilter at the beach. Therefore, when I passed a gal on the walkway who was wearing a MSQS shirt, I HAD to speak to her! It turns out she’s from Missouri, too! She had just bought fabric from the pharmacy (now A & E Fabrics) to make some #usebothsides quilts! See my blog about her guild HERE: Inspired Quilters Inspire

Image of Karla and Cheryl, quilters at the beach.
Cheryl helped me take evening pics. Quilters are so nice!
Image of Bubbles on deck.
Bubbles

My husband came up with the name “Bubbles” for this happy guy! See The Marine Behind the Quilts to learn more about his role (my husband’s, not Bubble’s).

You might wonder how those quilts just seemed to hover in the air above the beach…You can see in this blooper: thanks to his quick reaction, my hubby saved Bubbles from a big one! I thought he hid quite well on that little beach chair behind the one-yard square quilts!

Image of blooper photo.

Patterns for each of these quilts and MANY MORE are available in my Etsy shop: Creative Bee Studios

Read more at Summer Books & Quilts.

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