Tag: Hoffman California Fabrics (Page 1 of 2)

Image of Tropical Sunset

Sketches to Patterns

March 5, 2021 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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Tropical Sunset fabric is available!

Quilt shops everywhere are opening boxes of Hoffman California’s beautiful “Meet Me in Paradise” fabric used to make the Tropical Sunset quilt pattern!

Before I started designing patterns, I had no idea how short the window is for designing and making quilts for fabric companies. To get the fabric produced and shipped takes much longer!

Sometimes I’ve had less than a week to open a box of fabric, design and make a quilt, write the pattern, photograph the quilt and ship the quilt from Missouri to California. Whew!

Image of Tropical Sunset Quilt

Of course, many quilt designers use digital software to “build” their quilts. Fabric companies have digital swatches to download for designing. They can plan the quilt and insert the fabric without taking a stitch. However, fabric companies don’t make swatches of the REVERSE side. Enter the need for real fabric!

For this design, I used my Ipad and the app called Procreate. This is a great drawing and painting app that’s easy to learn and fun to use. In Procreate, you can also make clippings masks of objects (in this case, the photo of the fabric). That’s how I “drew” the bouquet. Here’s the sketch I send to my representative to “pitch” my quilt idea:

SHOP Tropical Sunset Quilt Pattern HERE.

Image of Sketch of Tropical Sunset

As you can see, there’s quite a difference from the sketch to the actual quilt. Things don’t always work like you picture them in your head, right? Sometimes, they are much better in real life and real fabric!

I love that the “wallpaper” border made from the reverse of one coordinating fabric. If you’ve made a #usebothsides quilt pattern before, you know it’s important to audition both sides of fabric with itself (focus) and with surrounding (background, border) fabrics to know if they will actually have enough contrast. That “wildcard” is what makes getting a box of fabric a whole lot exciting and a little bit scary! This is one line that is PERFECT for using both sides!

See more about Tropical Sunset Quilt Pattern HERE.

As orders for patterns come in, I’ll be sharing links to the shops so you can do some online paradise shopping!

Until next time, enjoy YOUR quilting journey!

See Treasures made with Hoffman California Fabrics in New Fabrics in this One Block Quilt Pattern.

Image of a Quilted Treasure
Treasures for Hoffman

A Quilted Treasure

September 28, 2020 /

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This new quilted treasure is an explosion of value differences that take your eye through it like a treasure map!

treas ure trezh’er

Treasure can be defined as a collection of precious things; something of great worth or value.

When naming the original quilt pattern, I chose the word TREASURES because your eye has to search through the subtle pattern to find a single block. I was also using sea-life fabrics of sea horses, coral, and seashells, so the idea of a treasure hunt made sense. Lastly, the secret to this quilt is value – it’s just a treasure chest of FUN!

Image of Quilted Treasure

The quilted treasure you seek in this pattern is all made using one-block – the Contrary Wife block. See the two versions of this one block in the original post: Introducing…Treasures HERE.

Image of Quilted Treasure Block

Last week I introduced you to a quilt and fabric designer, Kathy Doughty, whose quilts you can get lost in. Click HERE to read more. Treasures is a quilt that reads like that to me. In fact the secondary design is easier to see than the individual blocks. And yet, it’s a surprisingly simple quilt to make! Simply make two versions of one block, lay them out to make the design and sew them together. This quilted treasure has a flange for an accent.

Using a different value for the diamond pattern makes them sparkle.

Another reason why Treasures is an easy quilt to make: you only need four fabrics for the whole quilt! Use BOTH beautiful sides of three fabrics with one background fabric. It’s that simple!

Use both beautiful sides of three fabrics.

Treasures made with Hoffman California Fabrics is a special treat! It’s made with their line, Bohemian Blenders, which look like fireworks on display. See Treasures in the Hoffman Projects Catalog.

Since Treasures is one of six designs made for Hoffman California Fabrics I can say with confidence that they have lots of great fabric with both beautiful sides!

Watch Creative Bee Studios on YouTube!

Image of Tropical Sunset

Tropical Sunset Quilt Pattern

September 7, 2020 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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Use both beautiful sides of your fabric to make a super fast quilt that will keep you feelin’ warm all year long!

Use both beautiful sides of Hoffman California Fabrics to make Tropical Sunset!

See Tropical Sunset featured on YouTube.

Image of Use Both Beautiful Sides of Fabric
Tropical Sunset Quilt Pattern by Karla Kiefner of Creative Bee Studios for Hoffman California Fabrics

What is Tropical Sunset?

Firstly, this quilt features a window scene. Fused strips are used to make window panes. Easy, right? On the sill is a tropical bouquet of flowers in a woven vase. Beyond the window frame is a dark trim (stop border). Beyond that is the “wallpaper” and, finally, the binding.

Tropical Sunset was designed for Hoffman California Fabrics using “Meet Me in Paradise”.

image of quilt made with both beautiful sides

Therefore, you begin with your window scene, add the panes, one strip for the window sill, and three borders. Your window is ready for you to arrange your own bouquet!

How do you use both beautiful sides of fabric?

Basically, the RIGHT side of a tropical floral focus fabric is used to make the bouquet. The technique is a simple Broderie Perse. Notice the lighter woven vase? It’s made from the REVERSE of the same fabric. You’ll use the full-size template to make the vase shape.

The Tropical Paradise quilt pattern includes instructions for making your own background panel. Furthermore, as in every pattern, I’ll teach you how to audition BOTH sides of fabrics.

Moreover, consider the possibilities for your own window view! You might like a country meadow out the window with a vase of sunflowers on the sill. You can customize your quilt by the fabrics your choose!

Discover the nuances of value as you learn to use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

Below is PHOEBEE, made using Hoffman California Fabrics “Electric Garden”.

Image of use both beautiful sides for Phoebee
Phoebee Goes to Market!

Another quilt designed for Hoffman using Floral Rhapsody!

You only need to use both beautiful sides of only THREE fabrics for VariLovable Star – shown below using Hoffman California Fabrics Floral Rhapsody.

VariLovable Star is made using one block and three fabrics. Therefore, you’ll start with a small Variable Star block and use the reverse of the fabric for the background “light” pieces. Then you nestle that star by using it as the center of the next largest star. The center star and the largest, outer star are matching. The quilt is bound with the fabric of the third (orange) star. This quilt goes together quickly and really makes a statement…or you might say, splash!

Image of Use Both Beautiful Sides Quilt
Varilovable Star using Hoffman California Fabrics!

See more than 50 patterns that use both beautiful sides in my Etsy Shop: Creative Bee Studios!

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Enjoy YOUR quilting journey!

Treasures Quilt made with Hoffman Fabrics

New Fabrics in this One-Block Quilt Pattern

June 12, 2020 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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Discover the beauty of new fabrics in this one-block quilt pattern! Bohemian Blenders by Hoffman explode with color throughout the Treasures quilt pattern!

Hoffman California Fabrics Bohemian Blenders are another new fabric line that explodes with interest and delight – using both sides of three new fabrics that explode in this one-block quilt pattern!

First, do you recall the two new quilts made with “Floral Rhapsody”? Click HERE to see Dash About and HERE to see VariLovable Star in these fabulous new fabrics!

Once again, here is a quilt made with both beautiful sides of Hoffman fabrics in this one-block quilt pattern.

Treasures is shown here using only three new fabrics on “solid” background in this one-block quilt pattern!

Image of Treasures quilt pattern using three new fabrics in this one-block quilt.
Looking forward to quilting this girl soon- then she’ll ship to California!

How does this work?

Specifically, each Contrary Wife block is made with two sets of half-square triangles (made using the reverse sides of the fabric for a lighter value) and five simple squares – and that’s it! The “light” blocks are made using the background fabric squares and the “dark” blocks are made with one of the three prints. Therefore, placement and the use of value (by using the reverse sides) gives the added interest of a secondary pattern.

Image of Contrary Wife quilt block made with both sides of Hoffman's new fabric.

The three colorways of Bohemian Blenders are Peridot, Palomino, and Multi.

The Hoffman version of this pattern lists the fabric details to make it easier for quilters and shop owners to find these exact fabrics.

See the Hoffman California Spring Projects Catalog HERE!

See the original Treasures quilt below. Learn more about the original Treasures HERE.

The original Treasures is made with both sides of QT fabrics on a "solid" background.
A tropical themed Treasures made with QT fabrics by Dan Morris – complete quilt kit available HERE!

To summarize, seashells, sea horses, and coral are the seaside motifs in these fabrics by Dan Morris for QT. Both sides of the three fabrics are combined with a soft white background. There are limited quantities of this complete quilt kit in my Etsy shop (while supplies last).

Shop “Treasures” Quilt Patterns and Kits
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Finally, thank you for visiting my blog! Enjoy your quilting journey!

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Read Sketches to Patterns and Designing Quilts with Panels to learn the process of designing for Hoffman California Fabrics!

Image of quilt made with three beautiful fabrics

Choose Three Beautiful Fabrics for Your Next Quilt!

June 1, 2020 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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When you only need to choose three beautiful fabrics, deciding on what to use for your next quilt can be fun and easy!

Sometimes choosing and collecting fabrics for a quilt can be a daunting task. It can even take longer than making the quilt itself. Therefore, to make things easier, use BOTH beautiful sides! Make this quilt with only three beautiful fabrics!

Introducing the NEW VariLovable Star, using Hoffman California Fabrics “Floral Rhapsody” line!

Use three beautiful fabrics in this quilt called VariLovable Star!
VariLovable Star before quilting.

These happy fabrics are a part of Hoffman California Fabrics line called Floral Rhapsody!

Three beautiful fabrics!
Floral Rhapsody by
Hoffman California Fabrics

Firstly, I’ve recently shared a new Dash About quilt, also made using this line by Hoffman. You might recognize this line – and their beautiful reverse sides! For both one-block patterns, you use the reverse of each colorway as the background fabric.

Using both sides of fabric does a lot of the work for you when choosing fabrics.

Secondly, you get the added sparkle of a soft design and hue showing on the background of each block.

image of quilt made with three beautiful fabrics
VariLovable Star Quilt Pattern

Additionally, you can see, the quilt is made of nestled variable star blocks. The smallest and largest stars are made with both sides of the blue fabric. Each larger star is made using the previous star for it’s center. The binding will be the orange of the third star, pulling your eyes from the center star on out to the edges.

These quilts and patterns are featured in the Hoffman California Fabrics Spring Projects Catalog.

Designing VariLovable Star Patterns for Hoffman
VariLovable Star using Hoffman California Fabrics

Most importantly, by using both beautiful sides, your eyes discover the soft patterns and colors of the backgrounds of each star. The difference in value causes you the pause and let your eyes linger while you figure out that the background of each star is actually its reverse! The use of the reverse adds a level of interest to the quilt you couldn’t achieve with an unrelated fabric as the background.

Shop more than 50 quilt patterns that use both beautiful sides!

See another “VariLovable Star” quilt.

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Image of Dash About Quilt

Use Both Beautiful Sides of This New Fabric

May 14, 2020 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Table of contents

Use both beautiful sides of Hoffman California Fabrics “Floral Rhapsody” with the Dash About pattern!

This classic nestled churn dash quilt is getting a whole new look when you use both beautiful sides of three fabrics from the Floral Rhapsody line!

These Hoffman California Fabrics fabrics are whimsical florals in three brilliant colorways. Floral Rhapsody will add a whole lot of sparkle to your quilts when you use BOTH beautiful sides.

First, a look at the original quilt.

Below you see the original Dash About quilt, a nestled churn dash quilt made with three very different styles of fabrics. The first, innermost churn dash is made from a small traditional blue print. It is a mystery fabric, as I inherited it from my mother-in-law and there was no selvage edge. The middle churn dash block is “Raindrops Poppies” by Anna Maria Horner; the super large block is made from an oversized floral backing fabric by Kaffe Fassett. The results make a stunning quilt. For instance, there is added interest by using both sides of varying motif fabrics. Learn more about the original Dash About quilt.

Image of Quilt showing how I use both beautiful sides

Now, take a look at both sides of these fabulous fabrics from Hoffman California Fabrics!

Image of how to use both beautiful sides of Hoffman Fabrics
Splash, Light Bright, and Summer

Now let’s use both beautiful sides of “Floral Rhapsody”!

Do you see the layers of patterns including vines, feathers, flowers, leaves, swirls and more? Can you can see the faintest hint of movement and color on the reverse side? Using the reverse side for the “background” of your churn dash blocks adds a dimension of interest to your quilt. In other words, your eye will hover over the quilt as your brain determines the subtle surprise of using the reverse.

I just love it when a quilt draws me in for more!

Image of Dash About for Hoffman Quilt Pattern, showing another way to use both beautiful sides
Image of Dash About Pattern Cover

Notice the sparkle of this whimsical line? Quilts sparkle with interest when you use both sides. See this quilt in Hoffman California Fabrics Spring Projects Catalog.

In conclusion, you’ll add a little spark to your quilts when you use both beautiful sides!

Learn more about how to use BOTH beautiful sides of your fabrics.

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Nature’s Color Wheel

November 25, 2019 /

Choosing colors for quilts doesn’t have to be difficult. While it might not be simple, using Nature’s Color Wheel can help!

Being a quilter who likes to have more than one quilt idea going at a time, I like to use nature to help guide my color choices for a quilt.

If you are in a time crunch or have run across a line of fabrics you adore, choosing fabric and colors for your next quilt can be a simple, quick process. I find that every now and then I need to grab a kit and make it up, quick as possible.

Most often, though, I like to have a longer process for choosing my quilt colors and fabrics. It’s a process. A dance, actually. You know, it involves colors, value, hue, and tints. But also, this requires a careful consideration of how each fabric interacts with one another, based on its placement. And sometimes the fabrics and the project need to…age.

If you like to have more than one quilting iron in the fire, like me, maybe you cherish this process, too!

When choosing my own fabrics for a quilt, there are two concepts I often rely on: color in nature and value.

First, let’s look at color. Nature just doesn’t get it wrong. Start observing natural settings, plants, animals, bugs, everything around you. Take pictures, or pin ideas to an idea boards. This might be in the form of photos in an album on your phone.

Nature's Color Wheel Christmas Cactus

There are many variations in the blooms above. These petals aren’t the truest red of the color wheel, but variations to the left and right. Shades of pinks and oranges grace these blooms. That’s why they look so beautiful with the very TRUE green!

Observe nature to choose colors and you can’t go wrong. I like to think of it as Nature’s Color Wheel.

Image of Nature's Color Wheel

The excitement in the photo above is partially from the vibrancy of the colors, but also the difference in value.

This beach sunset below may be dark, but even it has many colors in it, if you look carefully. Notice the purples, greens, pinks, coral, and blues? The values in this photo are more similar. Notice the calming effect?

Image of Beach and Sky
How many colors do you see here?

See more about value HERE.

Nature's Color Wheel
VariLovable Star Quilt Pattern

I challenge you to look around you today and collect some fabulous fabric ideas from the nature!

Most of all, enjoy your quilting journey.

Image of Wreath Quilt Closeup

Designing Quilts with Panels

January 15, 2019 /

To the tune of “On the Cover of the Rolling Stones”, I feel like singing! At the close of 2018, I happened onto my pattern, “Holly”, featured on the cover of a Hoffman California Fabrics’ catalog!

It began with an email asking if I (along with four or five other designers) would like to try our hand at designing with a new Christmas line of fabric. It’s my understanding that other designers use digital fabric swatches and their computers to design patterns. But since I use BOTH sides of the fabric, I need the real thing!

Click HERE to see the Winter Projects 2019 Catalog by Hoffman California Fabrics.

We had a week for the deadline – but since I needed the fabric shipped to me and then I needed to ship the finished quilt back to California, I had less than that to design and make the quilt!

Frankly, I was in a hurry! Add to the mix that it was Thanksgiving weekend, I was driving six hours on Saturday, attending our daughter’s show, driving four on Sunday, and staying in a hotel (with terribly inadequate lighting) until Tuesday AND, until I could see and audition BOTH sides of the fabric, I had no idea if my idea would work!

Working with both sides of fabric means lots of value-checking. You can’t tell from the front of fabric if the reverse will work. Some fabrics have great reverses and some just don’t. Click HERE for “The Tricky Traits of Value”.

The Christmas tree panel is gorgeous on its own – who would want to cut that apart? I certainly wouldn’t cut it to make another tree. I was also pretty certain that other designers would be designing borders around the whole panel, so mine had to be different.

I started to focus on the fat-quarter panel they sent. I had received a whole box of fabric to choose from and I knew if I wanted to use this panel, I couldn’t just use one fat-quarter of it or even half of them- I needed to use the whole panel. After auditioning many combinations, I decided I could use the panel – BOTH sides of the panel!

So…once again, it all comes down to fabric values. In classes, I have quilters audition many background fabrics and take lots of black and white pictures to see how their background fabrics “play” with their focus fabric. The smaller accents strips are allowed to be a bit “louder”, but the larger pieces need to provide interest as opposed to distraction. So take a look at this picture of the panel. Lots of dark fabric, right? Really pretty fabric…but more darks than lights.

Now look at a close-up of the quilt. Do you recognize those fabrics? …same fat quarters from the panel – just using the other side! Most of the accents strips are made from the front side. The bows, bells, stripes, plaid, and Christmas words make this an exciting background for the Holly wreath. One of the fat-quarters had two stockings printed on it. I used the one on the wreath and I embroidered the second stocking for the quilt label.

Image of Quilt Close Up
See the candy canes made from the reverse stripe?
Image of Back of Quilt
You can see the quilting, the extra stocking as a label, and the prairie point hanging method here.

The wreath is made using fused holly leaf shapes from the Christmas tree panel. Being a digital print, the fabric has a sparkle of light to it, making the wreath sparkle as well.

You might notice I didn’t have time to take great pictures – and apparently I borrowed my husband’s house shoes that day!

Even the pieced binding is made from the fat-quarter panel!

This is a fun quilt to make and so easy to shop for if you use the two panels! While I have no official timeline, my guess is that these fabrics will be in shops by summer!

If you have Christmas yardage in your stash – you can use it! I wrote this pattern to work with the panels as shown OR using your own choices of fabrics. The same method applies to both – it’s all about the value!

Here’s how Holly look inside the catalog!

I designed Phoebee 2.0 using BOTH sides of Hoffman California Fabrics “Electric Garden” as the focus fabric -it’s available in shops now!

Image of Electric Garden

Shop all my patterns at my Etsy Shop: Creative Bee Studios (Click HERE)

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Image of Closeup of Quilt

Christmas and Quilts and JOY!

November 27, 2018 /

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for fun Christmas cheer!

“Holiday Revue” is our youngest daughter’s current fun Christmas dinner theatre gig at the Myers Dinner Theatre in Hillsboro, Indiana.

Our first stop in the quaint town was a visit to the old-fashioned soda shop!Image of Hot Fudge Sundae

Image of Myers Dinner Theatre Logo

Everything about the dinner was delicious and the Christmas “variety” show featured every fun Christmas genre: we heard beautiful spiritual music, classic carols, and youthful tunes. Featured guests included Mary and Joseph, Elvis, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Frosty, a cow girl, a giant blue bear, Linus, and a stage full of life-size toys. Image of Raggedy AnnImage of Cow Girl

And there was lots of audience participation! Yes, that is my husband on stage and dancing to Santa Baby! I got a little hug from Elvis!Image of Matt DancingImage of Karla and Elvis

The show ended my favorite way- with a wonderful White Christmas finale!

Image of Matt on StageImage of JacquelynImage of Singers

Oh, the weather outside is frightful…

It’s the most wonderful time for quilts! Do you include quilts in your fun Christmas decor?

You might recall JOY, made with Hoffman California Fabrics All Aglow on a scrappy background. The tree, topper, and binding are made from the front of the focus fabric and the gifts are made from the reverse.Image of JOY Quilt

Now see JOY made with Hoffman California Fabrics Supernova Seasons panel for the tree, topper, gifts, and  binding! It’s a fun Christmas quilt pattern that makes a great gift for a quilter friend, a quick quilt to gift, or to add to your Christmas decor.Image of Blue Christmas Tree QuiltImage of JOY Quilt Hanging

Shop HERE for the JOY Quilt Pattern.

Also, learn about Pepita (named after the poor Mexican girl in the Legend of the Poinsettia who had no gift to give the Christ Child on Christmas Eve) HERE.Image of Poinsettia Quilt

Silver bells…silver bells…

Yes, I’ve been listening to Hallmark Christmas music the whole way to and from Hillsboro, Indiana!

I love the classic big band sounds of the holidays and Hallmark has a great variety. Sirius XM has Free Listen – so check out the Christmas channels!

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: Isaiah 11:1

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For more winter fun, read Warning…Controversial Topic Ahead and Add a Little JOY.

image of bee quilt

Phoebee Goes to Market!

November 12, 2018 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

This is the story of how Phoebee for Hoffman began.

Phoebee, designed for Hoffman California Fabrics, was my first experience designing a pattern for a fabric company. I’d wondered for a few years what it would be like to collaborate with a fabric company. I never dreamed it would be this fun!

Starting on August 3, at 3:47 p.m., I opened two packages of 21 fabrics  from Hoffman California Fabrics company. 

Image of fabric to make Phoebee for Hoffman
Fabrics from Hoffman California Fabrics.

First and foremost, for the next six hours, I auditioned “Phoebee for Hoffman” fabrics trying to get just the right mix of color, contrast, values, and feel that would be worthy of this new line by Hoffman California Fabrics.

Well, Electric Garden rocks! Vibrant color with a soft, contrasting reverse side was just the recipe I needed. I flipped several backgrounds to their reverse as well, so they wouldn’t compete with the bee or flowers. The next step was cutting out Phoebee and her flowers.

Image of Quilt on Clothesline
Image of Phoebee Quilt
Image of Phoebee for Hoffman

I slept on this mix so I could get a fresh look the next morning. Yes!

Immediately, I began fusing and quilting (on my Handiquilter Avante) right away. Next came the prairie point hanging method, binding, label, photos, writing and producing the pattern, and Phoebee was flying to California on Tuesday, August 7th!

Image of Quilt in Frame
Image of Back of Quilt

My new friend in California let me know Phoebee for Hoffman arrived safely!

Image of Phoebee at Quilt Market
Phoebee 2.0 in the Hoffman booth at market!
Image of Electric Garden
Phoebee 2.0 pictured in the Projects Catalog

Quilt Market in Houston was a big debute for Phoebee. I was fortunate that several kind quilter souls saw her hanging in the Hoffman California Fabric booth and shared their pics with me on Instagram! Thank you, friends! 

In addition to quit shops across America, I am shipping Phoebee 2.0 patterns to a very fun quilt shop in Canada!

See more quilt patterns designed for Hoffman California Fabrics HERE!

Original Phoebee and Phoebee 2.0 quilt patterns are available in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Image of Bee Quilt
Phoebee Quilt Pattern

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Enjoy your quilting journey!

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