In the Autumn of 2017 I was contacted by a quilter that I had met at the Dutch Modern Quilt Guild. She asked me if I would be willing to quilt for a charity she was participating in. The charity is called Verdanda which donates quilts to people with a disability. If you Dutch quilters … Continue reading
Filed under FMQ …
Little ones.
My colleagues are having babies again… ha ha ! I had asked the mother-to-be what color they had used for the baby’s room as an inspiration for this quilt. MINT! Seems like mint is extremely popular here. I added a dash of pink as I love that combination for little girls. I used my tried … Continue reading
Mandala Love
Over 6 months ago a friend of mine was diagnosed with a life threatening illness. At this moment she is doing relatively well with a mayor operation in her near future. She has all the support of her family and friends. As she is doing so well, I felt it was a great moment to … Continue reading
Christmas decorations
The first Christmas celebration in my new house was a big event! The family came to my house on Christmas Day. This year we organized our family celebrations a bit differently in the ‘dinner-department’. Everybody had brought something to eat, which made putting dinner on the table for a large group of people so much easier. … Continue reading
Charity quilts 2018 – part 1 – Gold, diamonds and orange peels.
Doesn’t that just sound like a description of a luxury fragrance or scented candle for the the holiday season? The title actually refers to a quilt top that I was entrusted with to quilt for a local charity. In November I was able to put the top on the longarm. It is a gorgeous golden … Continue reading
3 Months ago, Wow!
Yes, it has been 3 months last my last blogpost. WOW! I didn’t even realize it was that long. I will need several blogpost to share everything with you. One of the most important things that happened these last 3 months, is that my longarm machine arrived! I have been wanting a longarm from the moment … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 22 – it’s a WRAP!!
Can you believe it? This is the last official post on the 100 FMQ patterns. Really! We made it to 100 different patterns based on a square grid, orange peel, clamshell and a triangular/hexie grid. YAY! I am so glad I partook in this challenge and also kept going when things got a bit difficult … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 21
The countdown to Summer vacation is on; just two more weeks of school! 14 Days until Summer and 16 patterns left on my set of 100 patterns. 3…2…1… let’s get to it! Number 84: pattern CLAM ECHO. Based on the classic clamshell design. The inside of each clamshell is echoed in an spiral toward the … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 20
The 100 Days project is now officially at the three-quarters mark. I really never imagined to be able to reach 100 different patterns and more than a few tutorials to go with them. There are still 23 patterns left in the set of 100! That is a little over 3 weeks of patterns left… Number … Continue reading
Dazzling orphan
While rummaging for more scraps I found this old orphan block from 2013 hiding in a box. That year I designed this foundation paper piecing pattern called Dazzle and I tested the block in different fabric combinations. I don’t think this particular block ever made it to the blog that I had just started that … Continue reading
Any and all!
My oldest friend just had her first baby. The little boy is so incredible wanted, I can’t even tell you! When I asked the mother about what colors she would like for a baby quilt, she told me “any and all color!”. I emptied my precious fabric scraps bin and put several economy blocks together … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 19
This pattern must be my new favorite… Pattern WARPSPEED. Stitched on an 1 inch grid with a pre-marked 2 inch orange peel. Pattern TUMBLE; leaves tumbling through the air on their way down to earth. Stitched on an 1 inch grid with pre-marked 2 inch orange peels. Pattern CROSS STAR. Stitched on an 1 inch … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 18 TUTORIAL
This week’s tutorial is based on a zentangle drawing tutorial I found on Pinterest. The specific drawing pattern is called Clem and is designed by Erika Bonham Kehlet and can be found on the Pattern Collection website. I am in love with this flower! . Stitched on an 1 inch grid; the flower totals 2 inches. … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 17 – TUTORIALS
What a lovely weekend it has been! Spending time with the people you love, doing the things we love. And too boot extra time to sew! Can’t beat that, right? So let’s start this blog post with the two tutorials!!! Pattern DANDELION. The golden thread made me think of the dandelion flower. Stitched on an 1 inch … Continue reading
Baby, baby, baby! Sudoku Quilt TUTORIAL
One of my all-time favorite ways to create a baby quilt is to use a sudoku puzzle answer key. I have described my technique before, but as so many new followers have signed up, I will explain again. This tutorial will explain how to make a baby quilt, finished size 36 x 36 inches. I believe this … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 16 – TUTORIALS
After finishing the Hot Green quilt top last weekend, I am happy to return to the 100 Days Project with my Free Motion Quilting patterns. This post starts the second half of the 100 patterns. BUT FIRST… BUT FIRST, I have to ask you to go over the No Hats in the House to cast … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 15 – dense fillers
It feels like summer has arrived! The weather is getting warmer and warmer. The national exams of our senior high school students have passed and the grading has begun. While the seniors are waiting for the results to know if they have passed or not, the other students are still going to regular classes. Our … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 14 – more ORANGE PEEL variations & TUTORIALS
In my last blogpost I posted a turorial for the pattern FANTASY (below). Lots of people liked it but also wrote that they thought it was too comlex for them. Today’s new tutorial of the pattern GREEK is based on the same principle but with less flourishes like curls and feathers. You could try this one … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 13 – ORANGE PEEL variations
This Spring is my first as a home-and-garden-owner. In my previous houses I only had a balcony and now I have a decently sized garden with flowering plants. The gorgeous blooms inspired this pattern which I have called FANTASY. The red sample above shows the elaborated version of the pattern shown in the tutorial in blue … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 12 – tutorial Orange Peel
Hello all my quilty friends! It was a fantastically beautiful day today with bright sunshine and dramatic dark clouds. The garden is coming into bloom and the bulbs I planted a few weeks ago are starting to show their first leaves. Tomorrow we will celebrate Mother’s Day and certain nephew’s 5th birthday… I forsee lots … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 11 – tutorial BAPTIST FANS / CLAMSHELL flourishes
Hello everyone! A special welcome to all the new followers! It was quite a suprise to see about 50 quilters signing up this last weekend to receive my blogpost by email. I was wondering how you new followers have found my blog. Was it through Quiltersblogs? Please do tell! This blogpost is the 11th already … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 10 – tutorial MOD POMME
Today’s set of patterns and tutorial reminds me of a cross section of an apple with its seeds. So here is a seventies-style apple design , which I have named MOD POMME because using some French instantly gives something style, right? 🙂 (Pomme is French for apple) When you combine This MOD POMME with a partial orange … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 9 – Orange Peel variations
Four beautiful Orange Peel variations today! For each of these samples I have pre-marked the Orange Peel pattern using a craft ruler I found in a hobby & art supply store in Aachen, Germany. It has circles in various sizes. I believe these rulers are supposed to be used for paper crafts, but it is one of the best … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 8 – tutorial TWIST and play
Last two blogposts gave you several variations of the TWIST pattern. Here are some more ideas using the same pattern elements. I have called this pattern ‘ONION FLOWER’ as the curves in each grid remind me of a quartered onion. Thinking about the onion helped me to keep the shapes uniform while stitching. The pattern is stitched … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 7 – tutorial TWIST some more
This tutorial will focus on the more complex possibilities for the TWIST pattern. The next set of ideas is based on stitching the TWIST pattern and on your way back, you add in the flourishes. Here is the stitch path again for the basic TWIST pattern. As you can see, the first pass (from left to … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 6 – tutorial TWIST
Let’s twist! This is one of my favorite grid patterns out there. I have called it TWIST. I have seen it many times on people’s quilts and I am always struck by the energy it brings to the patchwork. Even though it looks difficult, it is relatively easy to do. The pattern is stitched out … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 5 – tutorial SLINGSHOT
I have been playing with a FMQ pattern that I have decided to name SLINGSHOT. The pattern is created by stitching a curl/spiral and then slingshotting your way out. In the tutorial above I started in the top left corner, but you could of course start in the top right. The next picture shows you what you … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 4 + tutorial
It is time to revisit the orange peel pattern. For those of you who would like to know how to stitch the orange peel, there is a great video by Karen Miller on YouTube. She uses a square grid which is on point. In my sample in the picture above I used a regular grid (like … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 3
Every day I try to work on the FMQ-filler samples. Some days I just draw the grids on the fabric, other days I just stitch a part of a pattern and on happy days I stitch out two or more. I am still using the 1 inch grid, but this time I used the SewLine retractable … Continue reading
FMQ samples – part 2
Thank you for all your comments on my last post. Your ideas for other markers are great. I have so far tried the SewLine retractable pencil with the ceramic pencil leads. I have worked with them for a little bit and so far I think they are great. I haven’t worked on larger areas with … Continue reading