Today's the day. Today, my debut magazine pattern is out in the world. It's equal parts exhilarating and nervewracking.... and I'm here to tell you more about this fun modern quilt pattern. In this post you'll hear about how the Desert Angles quilt pattern came into existence and my creative process. You'll learn where to find this pattern, and where to find the fabric for it. You'll find resources to help you on your quilty journey, and how to connect with other quilters.
This weekend only, you can get issue 23 of Make Modern for AUD$6, which is about $4.44 USD if you use the coupon code "23for6".
About this issue:
Issue 23 text from www.makemodern.com.au/issue23: Let's talk about fabric. It's no lie that in the MM offices, we frequently have conversations about our fabric stashes. Sometimes it's guilt over how much there is. Other times, it's along the lines of needing that new fabric collection, STAT. Or it might be pondering how to tame that ever-growing collection of scraps (which breed on their own, I swear!). Sometimes the word 'stash' has negative connotations and feelings of guilt, like your fabric collection is something that should be squirreled away, hidden from view. Which is perfectly feasible if you're talking about protecting it from light and bugs, but not if you're talking about hiding it from your family and friends. Personally, I think the most important thing when it comes to your fabric collection is honesty and being true to yourself and your style of quilting. Keyword: yourself! Not what your partner thinks is a reasonable amount of fabric, or what everyone else is buying. For me, that means no shame that there are plenty of boxes of fabric tucked up on my shelves just waiting for the perfect project. In Issue 23, we continue the fabric discussion, with tips and tricks for how to shop your own stash and we ask our makers - which comes first, pattern or fabric? We MEET Aussie quilter Colby Radcliffe from The Authentic Stitch who shows us her spectacular bias applique quilts and EPP work, the very awesome Robyn Shapiro from The Strawberry Thief, the Australian distributor for Liberty of London fabrics, and author and designer, Jenifer Dick from 42quilts.com. We MAKE abstract, geometric and pixel quilts. And we MOTIVATE you to sew your stash and save the planet with a wealth of DIY projects and ideas to make eco-friendly gifts and things to help you reduce plastic waste in your home. ︎ Our math expert Alyce helps us with how to slice and dice your layer cakes to perfection and for those of you in the quilt business, our resident The Hustle columnist Angie chats about how important it is to diversify your business in order to ride out the storm that currently seems to be hitting our quilt world. And just for fun, we bring you an entire gallery of pets on quilts - because who doesn't love a cute pic of our four-legged friends sitting on quilts! All this, plus 12 stunning modern quilt projects is bound to get you rearing to sew!
PROCESS
If you've been reading this blog for awhile, know me in person, or follow me on social media... you'll know that I'm obsessed with the American West and that I'm constantly dreaming of the desert. I'm fascinated by the geology and topography of these dry landscapes; how water and wind have eroded these gorgeous canyons and rocky buttes. It's amazing, to me. The Desert Angles quilt pattern was born out of a conversation with my husband. One night we were talking about all the places we'd like to visit together, and scrolling through my pinterest travel boards. Photos of Monument Valley, Arches, and Bryce Canyon really caught my eye. I love how these parks are dominated by a deep red-orange sandstone.
When we can, we like to sit side by side and work on various art projects. He will doodle or whittle or carve stamps, I'll paint or sketch or embroider. It's a rare thing to spend time like that together, sitting still, since we have a very jubilant, active toddler, so these moments together always stick in my mind. Using the color palette of the desert, I started playing with watercolored triangles in my grid-paper sketchbook. Before I knew it, I had designed a quilt. The Desert Angles quilt pattern was born.
The next day, I sent the sketch over to Make Modern magazine, and they replied within an hour that they wanted to feature the pattern in their July issue. As a relatively new quilter, I assumed that any magazine feature would be way far into the future, you know, when I'm more established in the industry. However, a lot of my favorite podcasters and quilty influencers (Emily Dennis of Quilty Love, Jenna Kutcher of the GoalDigger podcast, Kate Toney of The Creative Women's League, Julie Solomon of the Influencer Podcast, Johnna Holmgren of FoxMeetsBear, the list goes on...) all say that you need to create your own opportunities. Manifest what you want from the universe. No one is going to hand you anything unless you make yourself available for the opportunity. If there's something you want to do, just ASK. The worst that could happen is that you're turned down. So I reached out to Make Modern and Robert Kaufman fabrics to work with me on this project. I am so humbled and honored that they both said yes!
Over the next few months I worked to develop the pattern. Part of the creative process, for me, includes creating a mood/inspiration board. You can find + follow the Desert Angles mood board here.
As with most projects, I shared my progress on social media with a custom hashtag, #desertanglesquilt
Funny tidbit: I finished the quilt only a day before I had an appointment at a local photography studio to take some professional photos... and the appointment was a day before Make Modern's final submission deadline. As I was quilting, my sewing machine decided to leave these long grease trails all over the WHITE sections of the quilt. I thought for sure I had RUINED the quilt. These trails were allll over the quilt... but with a deadline overhead, I couldn't just stop topstitching. I figured my best bet was to hurry up and finish the quilt, and then wash it and hope all the grease came out. It took six washes with shout color catchers and tide color-safe bleach... but all the marks finally came out. Plus, all the washing gave the quilt a gorgeous crinkly cozy texture.
In hindsight, I found out that you are NOT supposed to add oil to the machine before quilting with the walking foot, despite what the manual says. Live and learn! I haven't had the problem since, and this has been the only issue I've had with my beloved Juki TL-2010Q.
you can see this quilt in-person at my next event, along with a ton of other unique products. Upcycled clothing, embroidery, zipper pouches, etc.
MAKE YOUR OWN
You can find the pattern here, in Make Modern Magazine Issue 23. This weekend only, you can grab this issue at a hefty discount if you use the code '23for6'. If you share on social media, please tag me! I would love to see your version. There are so many possibilities for this pattern.
If you'd like to make this exact quilt, the kind folks at Fabric Bubb are carrying a bundle! Fabric Bubb will also work with you to create any combination of fabrics to create the quilt. The owner, Kristina, has an eye for amazing color combinations... If you have something in mind, just ask!
If you're new to quilting, this pattern is perfect. The cutting instructions require a bit of attention and labeling, but the block construction itself is pretty simple. Below are some resources to help the new quilter... or any quilter, really. You can always learn something new! That's what I love about quilting.
This weekend, all classes at Craftsy.com are $20 or under. I always learn something new. Craftsy offers professionally-produced online courses in quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, paper crafts, cake decorating, cooking, gardening, photography, art, jewelry and more. Students can interact with their award-winning instructors and each other in the online classroom and watch their classes anytime, anywhere. They have thousands of courses, and I've loved every single one I've tried.
Looking for tools? Besides thrifting and local marketplaces, my favorite places to shop for supplies are createforless.com, fatquartershop.com, craftsy.com, and connectingthreads.com.
If you're looking to take the time out of curating your arsenal of fabric and notions, Quilty Box is a great subscription service. Packed with premium fabric, supplies and projects, each month's Quilty Box is curated with the top designers, bloggers and artists from around the world.
Check out the "Related Posts" on the sidebar to find more of my supply recommendations.
CONNECT
What's your favorite way to connect with inspirational people? Most of the artists that I love and are inspired by, some of which I'm even able to call IRL friends, now, I originally got in touch with on Instagram or Pinterest, or even Tailwind.
Join me on Tailwind! I've started a group called "Calling all Stitchers" where fiber + textile artists, quilters, sewists, and embroidery artists can get together to share their makes and patterns.
Below are a few pinnable images. They're all sneak peaks of the pattern... if you'd like to see the full quilt, check out the magazine!
Until next time!