Tag: Use Both Sides (Page 7 of 8)

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Simple Designs for Stunning Quilts

February 26, 2018 /
Image of Grace Quilt Pattern

Introducing…Grace, a simple design for a stunning quilt.  First, take a mason jar shape. Next add a broderie perse bouquet. Finally, construct a fun, scrappy background to make a sweet quilted wall hanging.

You first pick your floral focus fabric for the mason jar (reverse), bouquet, and binding! Add scrappy background fabrics and you’ll be set. 

You’ll discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition BOTH sides of fabric! Each #usebothsides patterns teaches you how to audition your fabrics. Value is the key to success! Learning to measure value is a skill you can apply to all your future quilt projects.

Your focus fabric determines the style of your bouquet. 

I’ve had a large room full of quilters make this design at their annual retreat and the results were, well, stunning! Each quilter had a guide for how to choose both focus and background fabrics before the retreat. They also brought extra fabric for last-minute changes. This pattern is a great classroom or workshop project because the results are incredibly different. Even if two quilters choose the same focus fabric, their background fabrics and bouquet arrangement makes their quilts unique. It truly is a simple design for a stunning quilt.

How do you know if a fabric has a great reverse? You learn through the auditioning process. After looking a few reverse sides, you’ll soon have a good feel for those fabrics you can audition. It’s also a great conversation starter at quilt shops when they see you looking at BOTH sides. Some of my friends say they never look at one side of fabric anymore. In a way, it’s like doubling your stash without losing any space!

 

Learn more about modern Broderie Perse! 

SHOP HERE
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Image of Four Grace Bouquets
SHOP Creative Bee Studios Quilt Patterns HERE
Image of Kate's Bouquet Simple Design Stunning Quilt
Kate’s Bouquet is another way to use BOTH sides of fabric!https://www.etsy.com/listing/720564306

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Image of Cat on Quilt

The Quilting Forecast

February 19, 2018 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

An interesting quilting forecast abounds when raindrops on Rose, quilted umbrellas,  and Mary Poppins connect.

This quilting forecast is looking good. Fortunately, rain doesn’t usually dampen a quilter’s spirits. In fact, a little forced inside time can do wonders for sewing production, right?

Traveling to my home town to introduce my patterns to the local guild, I am careful to keep the raindrops off of Rose! I’ll be teaching a large workshop for the Memory Makers Quilt Guild soon. This is their first look at what’s ahead!

The Quilting Class Forecast

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Rose Quilt Pattern

Six or more quilt designs are the choices for the large workshop.

The quilters get to choose from a number of designs, including Phoebee, Belle, Lilly, Rose, Kate, and Emily. The quilting forecast for this group is creativity!

The Memory Makers may have a small membership, but they are large on participation and creativity.

A memory maker for me.

Born and raised in this small town, I have fond memories of simpler times. We rode bikes all over town (sans highway 61- not allowed). I worked summers at the swimming pool, start as “bag girl”, becoming a life guard, and even managing the pool one summer. As teenagers we “rode around”. There were homecoming snake dances around the square in route to the big bonfires. The cracked sidewalks and uneven pavement I rode over and over seem etched in my mind.

Moreover, I am honored and fortunate I can go back to my home town to share my quilts with friends.

However, with the wet weather forecast for this week, I’ll be doing my best to keep the raindrops off of Rose and all her friends!

Umbrella Table Runner

It seems fitting to break out the umbrella table runner today with the forecast of a rainy week ahead. This quilting forecast is CUTE!

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Undoubtedly, this is a fast, fun project. We are talking about a single background fabric, just a few cuts of scrap Kaffe Fasset fabric, and the Accuquilt umbrella die! Coupled with pebbled quilting and you’ve got a perfect table runner for a wet forecast. See Raindrops on Roses to see a few of my favorite things from the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah.

Furthermore, umbrellas always remind me of a favorite book, movie, and musical:

Mary Poppins, of course! Like shifts in the wind, the music, the magic, and the meaning of this beloved story is a favorite. The umbrellas in the runner above seem like they could be pulled right out of Mary’s carpet bag!

Quits and Musicals

Our youngest daughter, Jacquelyn, played the role of Mrs. Banks in her final college show. Apart from the Mary Poppins show, I’ve made a number of quilts to commemorate her various roles in musical theatre. One such quilt was for her role as Laurey in OKLAHOMA!, shown below.

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See OKLAHOMA! Backroads in South Dakota.

Click HERE to see  “Sweet Dreams…of You” and the quilt commemorating Jacq’s role as the legendary Patsy Cline and  Click HERE to see “One…Singular Sensation” which features a fantastic quilt binding tip and Jacq’s role as Cassie in A Chorus Line.

SHOP more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

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Pensacola Dreamin'

One Easy Way to Conquer Color

January 29, 2018 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Table of contents

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Tropical Trip by Karla Kiefner, Quick Trip Pattern by Eleanor Burns

Choosing color for quilts can be a daunting task.

Color for quilts is a common theme in the quilting book industry. Without a doubt, there are countless books on color theory.

Access to books on color for quilts isn’t my problem.

Unfortunately, wrapping my brain around the content in those books IS my problem! I wish I knew how many books there are which explain how to use color in making quilts. I also wish I knew how many times I looked at the color wheel. I know it, read about it, and studied it. However, going from page to fabric doesn’t seem to work for me!

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Color for quilts is in the details.

Many books about color go into great detail explaining the principles for mastering color for quilts. You can learn about:

  • hue
  • color
  • intensity
  • warm and cool
  • harmonies of triadic, analogous, split-complimentary, double-complimentary
  • complementary colors
  • and MORE!

Summarily, there are whole books of very small print, explaining everything you’d ever want to know about color for quilts!

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But they don’t work for me.

Likely, the reason is because I’d rather be making a quilt! But there is one thing I have learned about reading about choosing color for quilts: I have never been inspired by what I’ve read!

Look around you.

For me, I do better by “studying” nature. Sometimes its from a picture and sometimes it’s from real life. Either way, I find that nature, whether its a single flower, a landscape view, or a beach at sunset has perfect coloring. Furthermore, its inspirational!

Monochromatic by Nature

Read more about using nature as you color guide in Monochromatic by Nature.

Check your self with color charts and books.

Nevertheless, I am not recommending throwing color theory out the window. Instead, I prefer to use it to evaluate my choices AFTER I’ve been inspired with a color scheme. Color theory for quilts is obviously good and important information. I just want to learn about it while holding fabric!

SHOP more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

I will admit I am very much a color person. Color can evoke emotions in me that seem just a little over the top — I REALLY, REALLY love some and REALLY don’t care for others. Maybe you are like that, too? 

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Mysterious Values

January 22, 2018 /

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Table of contents

Learn how to overcome the mysteries of value. It’s easy!

Value can be a head-scratcher. Learn the simple tip for how to conquer fabric value!

To begin, you need to come to terms with the fact that fabric values change, depending on what is next to them. Initially, I was resistant to this!

When separating your fabrics for a new quilt project, you might wonder how to know which fabrics go where!

Image of Fabric Stash How to determine fabric value
Darks, mediums, and lights.

Undoubtedly, it’s about more than piles of darks, mediums, and lights. The key is to learn how to measure their value.

I learned a valuable (wink) lesson when I stumbled upon the nuances of value when using both sides of fabric. See my design story HERE.

Up to this point, my method for separating values didn’t account for what those fabrics were next to. Consequently, two very cool Bonnie Hunter quilts I made (and still love) never displayed the secondary pattern her designs are known for. What did I do wrong?

Test your values.

How can a fabric value change, you ask? While the value of the fabric itself doesn’t physically change, how you see that value is affected by what is near it. Let me explain and then give you a simple way to test your values…

My Light looks too dark when I use that light of a Medium!

confused quilter
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Click here for link to Introduction.

The three piles of fabrics shown above are my selection for the free River Heritage Mystery Quilt Pattern I am designing for my quilt guild. Darks, Mediums, Lights. This should be straight forward.

However, when you place, for example, a darker Light and a lighter Medium next to each other, they suddenly look similar in value. Color can make it difficult to determine value.

So how do you remove color from fabrics you are auditioning?

Take black and white photos. I learned this by testing values of both sides of fabric. Each pattern I design that uses both beautiful sides of fabric comes with a detailed guide for auditioning fabrics for that quilt project.

Also, read more here about The Tricky Traits of Value!

The best way I have found to truly see the value of a fabric is to take a black and white picture.

How to use black and white image
Check your values by taking a black and white picture.

If you are in one of my classes, you see that I don’t give any opinions about fabric options without seeing a black and white photo first. Even with years of experience looking at both sides of fabric, I can still be tricked by color! Quilters seem to have lots of fun with the process of auditioning and choosing fabrics. Oftentimes, they help each other and end up trading fabrics to get just the right mix for their project.

So grab your stash and your camera !

Now you know the how-to tip for determining value. Why not have fun practicing on a quilt made with BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

How to use both sides of fabric in bouquet quilt.
Kate’s Bouquet is made with both beautiful sides of two fabrics. It’s all about value!
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More than 45 patterns that use BOTH sides – SHOP HERE!
Image of Quilt with Bee.
Phoebee was designed using both sides of a focal fabric.

As you can see above, Phoebee’s focus fabric is strong enough to accommodate even medium background fabrics.

Have fun playing with value and enjoy your quilting journey!

Image of Seahorse Quilt Closeup
Click for link to Sally Quilt Kit.

Meet Sally…a Sassy Seahorse

January 15, 2018 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Table of contents

Here is Sally, the seahorse quilt.

This seahorse quilt is extra special because she’s made with BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

Why is Sally the seahorse quilt special?

Fabrics for this seahorse quilt are easy to choose!

Firstly, Sally is made with both beautiful sides of fabric! This makes noticeable contrast in value which adds interest to your quilt! Notice here that the seahorse and binding are made with the RIGHT side of one focus fabric. The “seashell coral” and floating bubbles are made with the REVERSE.

Discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition BOTH sides of fabric! The pattern teaches you how. Learn more about How To Audition Both Sides here.

The Templates and Broderie Perse

Secondly, your make the seahorse for this quilt from all one piece of fabric. She’s cut from a large, full-size paper template. The seashell coral are cut from the fabric motif. There are several template drawings in case your focus fabric doesn’t have sea shells. Finally, Sally needs lots of bubbles. They are easy to cut by hand. Even better, use a cutting machine, like a Cricut or Accuquilt to make your circles!

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Sally Quilt Pattern

The Background Fabrics for the Seahorse Quilt

Of course, your focus fabric is the focal point of this quilt. However, the background behind this seahorse quilt, which includes a wide variety of fabrics, is also important. Find ombre, beach words, batiks, white on white, blue sea shells, batik bubbles and more! Ultimately, it’s the variety of fabrics behind Sally that really make this quilt sparkle with interest!

Kaffe Fassett Collective Fabrics

Finally, there’s something magical about using both beautiful sides of Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. They are especially fun for the coastal quilt patterns, like Sally, and floral bouquet quilts.

Sally the seahorse quilt is shown here made with Philip Jacob’s Seashell Bouquet fabric on a scrappy background.

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Learn about the Sandy quilt pattern.

Additionally, see more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric HERE .

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Pepita, the Legendary Quilt Pattern

November 19, 2017 /

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

The Legend of the Poinsettia is about a little girl named Pepita.

In addition to The Legend of the Poinsettia, Pepita is the name of this Christmas quilted wall hanging. You’ll learn more about the Pepita Quilt Pattern below.

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Pepita Quilt Pattern

Pepita was a poor Mexican girl.

Summarily, the story that became The Legend of the Poinsettia goes like this. Pepita and her cousin Pedro were walking to church on Christmas Eve. Pepita was sad because she had no gift to give the Christ Child. However, Pedro tried to console her by saying, “Pepita, I am certain even the most humble gift, given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes.”

So she picked a bouquet of weeds from the side of the road.

Therefore, Pepita gathered up a bouquet of weeds from the roadside to give as her gift. Her spirits lifted as she entered the chapel and approached the alter. She laid the weeds at the feet of the Christ Child. Suddenly, Pepita’s common weeds burst in to brilliant red blooms! This was considered a miraculous event. Consequently, it was named the Flores de Noche Buena (Flowers of the Holy Night).

As she laid the weeds at the feet of the Christ Child, they burst into brilliant red blooms!

Today we call these flowers poinsettias, after Dr. Joel Poinsett. Dr. Poinsett was the first ambassador to Mexico. He first brought the bright red star-shaped flower to the United States.

While The Legend of the Poinsettia is not as widely known, the plant has become a very popular traditional Christmas decoration.

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Pepita Quilt Pattern

The Pepita quilt is made using both sides of one poinsettia focus fabric on a scrappy, fun background.

This quilt pattern is fast and easy to make using simple fusible web and an easy broderie perse technique.

First, you’ll discover the nuances of value as you learn to audition both sides of your fabrics. Then using easy fusible web and broderie perse techniques, you’ll build your bouquet. The blooms are made with the RIGHT sides of your focus fabric; the pot is made from the REVERSE.

Add fun, scrappy background fabrics.

Moreover, you’ll learn how to add a sparkling interest to your quilt by combining a variety of background fabrics. You might choose snow-y motifs, cardinals, red trucks, Christmas trees, batiks, Grunge, etc. The more variety of background fabrics you choose will make your quilt more interesting!

The Pepita Quilt Pattern or quilt is great for gifting because the fast technique and stunning look!

And now you know The Legend of the Poinsettia.

Unfortunately, I used to avoid poinsettias plants, because I thought they were poisonous for pets. However, in my recent research about them, I’ve learned they are only mildly toxic, causing a stomach upset if ingested. But if you are concerned, make up this beauty and you can have poinsettias in your Christmas décor every year!

Image of Poinsettia Quilt
Pepita Quilted Wall Hanging

Click HERE to see other Colorful Petals series quilts!

SHOP more than 50 quilt patterns that use BOTH beautiful sides of fabric!

Learn more at How to Use Both Sides.

Watch Creative Bee Studios on YouTube!

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JOY Quilted Wall Hanging Pattern

November 6, 2017 /

JOY is a quilted wall hanging pattern which uses both sides of one focus fabric on a wintery background.

Joy: cheer, glee, gladness, festivity, jubilance, exultation

This #usebothsides pattern was one of my first designs. See more than 40 patterns now in my Etsy Shop: CreativeBeeStudios.

See Christmas Quilts in July for a smaller quilted wall hanging pattern made with broderie perse and one focus fabric!

There are many, MANY Christmas fabrics which would make a great JOY quilted wall hanging.

You can choose modern circles, snowflakes, poinsettias, cookie cutters, etc. Each gives a different feel to this Christmas tree wall hanging. The trick is to find a focus fabric you love whose reverse side sparkles -but with a lesser value.

I happened to find one that gives a vintage flair to the quilt. These vintage glass ornaments sparkle on both sides of the Hoffman Digital Spectrum fabric called All Aglow Christmas.

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Now take a look at this focus fabric!

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Make this JOY with Hoffman’s Supernova Seasons panel!

This version features a lighter, snowy background. You’ll see cardinals on a lighted wire and little red trucks. Both accent strips are reversed to let the focus fabric shine.

Shuffle through your Christmas stash and make up some JOY to make the Christmas season bright!

Give a little JOY this Christmas season!

What kind of fabric would you use for a JOY tree? When do you start your Christmas decorating or festivities?

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Spooky Quilts A-Brewing

October 31, 2017 /

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Table of contents

Creativity abounds in these Halloween quilts made by workshops and by pattern customers!

View the variety of background and focus fabrics used in these Halloween quilts.

Creative Cauldrons

First, each quilter chose a focus fabric for their individual cauldrons, auditioning BOTH sides of the fabric.

There are lots of fun Halloween fabrics on the market every year. When choosing one for your cauldron, be sure to audition BOTH sides! You learn how in the Something’s Brewing quilt pattern.

Image of Cauldron QuiltsImage of Cauldron Quilt

These quilters use BOTH spooky sides to stir up trouble!

While the focus fabric is key, background fabrics play a key role in providing interest and sparkle to the quilts. Secondly, these cauldron creators auditioned their possible background fabrics. Variety of fabric genre adds interest to the background. The accent strips are used to pull your eye through the quilt.

If the value is right, use it in your Halloween quilts!

I encourage students to check their values when auditioning fabrics, but be bold with their choices!

If you like a fabric and the value is right, use it! Don’t worry if it’s a little wild or out of your norm.

Karla
Image of Halloween Quilt

As well as checking the values of the backgrounds fabrics, students watch how those fabrics work with their focus fabric. Notice that the lower half is a lighter value and the cauldron really stand out.

Black and White Image of Cauldron

Quilt-makers of these Halloween quilts evaluate the value of their background fabrics as they relate to the front AND back of their focus fabrics using black and white pictures.

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Something’s Brewing from Memory Makers class in their quilt show.

SHOP Something’s Brewing  Quilt Pattern.

Bubble-making is easy when you use Accuquilt or Scan N Cut to make them! Here is the sheet from bubbles made in record time – less than 7 minutes–on the Scan N Cut!

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Learn more about the Something’s Brewing Wall Hanging.

See Sweet Pumpkin Applique Pillow for another fun fall project!

Need a yummy meal for busy crafting days? See A Delicious Quilting-Day Soup for You!

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Fabulous Quilting Tools

October 18, 2017 /

Here are the three best quilting tools!

Are these the three best quilting tools EVER, in the whole world? Okay, maybe not. However, if you are making quilts using fusible applique or even broderie perse, THESE ARE THE THREE BEST

Anyone who quilts knows you gotta have tools…and the right tools can really make quilting fun!

I’ve been sharing  tips of the trade when it comes to working with value and auditioning fabrics for my latest patterns, which use both sides of one focus fabric.  Now I’m going to share the three top tools I’ve found and grew to love while making these patterns.

(drum roll)

Karen Kay Buckley Scissors

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They cut like a dream. The edges are serrated which makes them seem to grab and hold on to the fabric as you cut, rather than pushing it away from you. I have made many of these #usebothsides quilts and cut many, many paper-fused appliques with them – and quickly, too. They cut today as well as the first day I bought them. I highly recommend them. They make cutting enjoyable, even under deadlines. I use the blue handled size.

Soft Fuse Premium

A few years ago, I wandered upon Misty Fuse. I liked that it looked almost like a spider-web and, once fused, it felt like it wasn’t even there. It works great for projects where you use rulers or die cutters and you don’t need to trace patterns–because there’s no paper on which to draw.

Image of Logo

Enter…Soft Fuse Premium , a paper-backed, but thin, web-like fusible which quilts like a dream. Soft Fuse  doesn’t make your applique stiff or hard to manage and it quilts like a dream (kinda like Karen’s scissors cut). I highly recommend it.

Roxanne Glue-Baste-It

Temporary Basting Glue

Image of Glue Bottle

Last, but not least, Glue-Baste-It with this micro-applicator tip is the bomb–and life-saver when it comes to whipping out quilts! This has saved me many times! It gets into tiny places, dries clear (really, it does, except maybe on Lame – but how often do you applique with that?), and it  lasts forever! I still have a teeny, tiny bottle from 15 years ago (from the Sewing Basket) by my machine and it still works great (but doesn’t have this fancy applicator tip).  So, why do I need this product? When I’m cutting flowers for Colorful Petals or Colorful Wings, I don’t cover  my entire piece of fabric with fusible but I might see a flower I really want in my quilt. Rather than set it aside, I keep it in my pile and put a dot or two of Glue-Baste-It on it when I place it on my quilt. It holds the flower in place just as though it was fused, until I quilting it down. Likewise, if I’m quilting a long the edges  of my applique and find a spot not adhered fully, I don’t plug in the iron and wait for it to heat up to reheat the fused fabric -I just dab a dot of this glue and keep on stitching! It really is a great product to have on hand.

Do you NEED these products to make #USEBOTHSIDES quilts?
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Colorful Petals Quilt Patterns
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Patterns available at etsy.com/shop/CreativeBeeStudios
Image of Cauldron Wall Hanging

Nah, but having cool tools is part of the game of quilting, right? If nothing else, put them on your wish list for Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas…the countdown is on and a new pattern is coming SOON! Stay Tuned.

What’s your favorite quilting tool or product? Let me know!

Never miss a post or a new pattern reveal! Sign up below. Visit: www.etsy.com/shop/CreativeBeeStudios today!

Outtake:

Image of Cat
This is Mungojerrie (named after a cat in the musical, CATS), checking out the Roxanne’s.
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New Quilt Pattern Using Both Sides

October 10, 2017 /

Meet sweet Emily. She is the second pattern in the series called Colorful Petals. Emily is made both beautiful sides of one focus fabric.

This lively sunflower fabric makes a great autumn art quilt.

Like Rose (click here), Emily’s “primitive pottery” vase is made from the reverse side of the floral focus fabric.

Choosing one focus fabric for the vase, bouquet and binding and stitching a scrappy background is a fun way to use up stash while making a fast, easy quilt for decorating or gifting.

It warms my heart to see some of my mother-in-law’s chicken wire fabric  (circa 90s) in this quilt.

The four colorful accent strips used in the #usebothsides line of patterns make it a great way to use some bold, maybe even eccentric, fabrics from your stash that might otherwise might be too wild for a calm quilt like this.

Colorful Petals – Rose, Emily, and Kate (more on her next week) –  will be taught at The Golden Needle (click here) on November 15th in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Image of Sunflower Bouquet Wall Quilt
Emily uses both sides of one focus fabric i this sunflower bouquet.

These quilt patterns are a lesson in VALUE as you learn to audition your focus fabric (front and back) with a variety of background fabrics and accent strips — and their reverse sides.

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Colorful Petals Quilt Patterns
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Shout out to my Colorful Wings class – here is the cookie recipe I promised you, compliments of Nancy Kester:

Shop the whole line of patterns at my Etsy Shop (click here).

Sign up below so you never miss a post!

Do you use both sides? Tell me how in the comments below!

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