What life looks like now.

It's been a long while since I have shared my thoughts.  The world of Facebook and Instagram are so impersonal. It's quick and easy to share posts, but I really do miss the world of writing down my thoughts. While I value privacy, I think since we live in a world that is full of discontent because of social media, a lot of comparison happens.  I hope that by writing down what life looks like, it will help others to realize we are all on this journey called life and there are ups and downs for all of us. 

17 years ago Clint and I made the decision to sell our home, move away and start our little business, Green Fairy Quilts. I had already done a bit of traveling and tinkering with the ideas of writing my own quilt patterns and selling them to stores. We had the website, something I had figured out with my mom. After one particularly successful quilt show, Clint and I talked about risking it all to be able to work for ourselves. I was pregnant with our 3rd child, so naturally I said, "yes!" to all those things. How hard would it be to uproot our little family of five and move 400 miles away from everything? 

Honestly, looking back I can see why so many people in our lives thought we were nuts. Who does that?  Quit work, sell the house, have a baby and 3 days later move away from family..... We were desperate to make it on our own and in our own way.  Not answering to anyone but God. It was a beautiful dream and something that I will always look back on with fondness. 

This life has become our reality and the only reality that our children know. My oldest was only 3 years old when we moved down to Saint George, Utah. Both mine and Clint's families are still up in the Salt Lake City area. We miss family, but we don't regret for one moment the life we have built together. 

It's weird to think that there are still people around us that think that Clint works for me and that I just have this little "sewing company." Nothing could be further from the truth.  Clint and I are equal partners and while he runs the business, doing the work of at least 10, I am lucky enough to be able to create (when I am not needed to help ship orders of course). We have a system that works, but can be overwhelming at times. We work as a family now.  Over the years we have had a few independent contractors who have helped ship out orders, but now it's just the six of us. That will all change when the kids take off and create their own lives, but for now, it's a beautiful thing to be able to work together. 

I usually start the day around 5:30-6:00 am - I wake up naturally, so thank heavens I don't have to listen to an alarm. I first go to our office where all our inventory is, thankfully it's close, lol (home). I work shipping orders anywhere from a few hours, up to 10 hours, depending on the time of year. The kids do school in the morning and then come in and help after lunch.  We are teaching them the ins and outs of running a business.  They learn, we get help, and of course they get paid.  They are all old enough to have a job. Clint does all the computer work: customer service, ordering inventory and office supplies, adding inventory to the website, social media marketing, creating and sending newsletters. In addition to all that he is in charge of finances and making sure everything works out. The stress he takes on is something I know I would never be able to do.  It works that he is a super organized person. Not every day looks the same, but we make it work so there is time for God, us, and the business.  We eat all our meals together as a family and talk about our day together. 

Right now I am trying to figure out who I am again.  Our kids are older and getting ready to fly out of the nest.  It's a weird concept to think about and one part of life that I was definitely not prepared for.  I keep thinking about everything I have done as a mom over the years and my role in their life is changing. In a good way, I know, but all the same, it's weird to have a quiet house because they are content to do their own thing. Am I prepared for a silent house?  It's probably a good thing I am loud and can entertain myself a lot of the time. I think it's hilarious that my husband is so quiet and reserved, yet he married a crazy loud mouth.  Oh, but the joy we have together is abundant.  It's a good thing we like each other still after all these years, soon to be 23. Yay!!

In the midst of all of this chaos called life, I make time for my quilting and designing.  For years I built up this following of quilters watching and looking out for my quilting style.  I shared that style for years, traveling around the world and getting to know so many quilters.  It was a blessed time. It's different now in the sense that I haven't left home to travel to teach since 2020.  The last several years have been insane for us.  When the world shut down, everyone needed quilting supplies. So, we have been busy.  It's been a huge blessing and one that I will never take for granted, but it's been tough on me.  During the shutdowns Clint and I were working 13-15 hour days 6 days a week just to keep up.

I find myself being selfish sometimes because I really want to do my own thing.  It's hard to do when I am balancing other things, like shipping orders. To be fair, Clint and I have decided together that we are happier when it is just us and the kids running the business.  I have a couple sisters who help out when I am out of town, but we don't want to just let anyone into our home to work, even if it would lessens our load. Our home is our sanctuary.

I just want to design, make my own things, and share it softly on Instagram and Facebook and the people who follow me actually see it. I have found out that the algorithms on these platforms make it soooo difficult to be seen. It is so hard to keep up with the fast moving pace; making reels, adding music, making each post something that people "want" to view.  You have to boost posts just to have them seen, and I have pushed back against that on my own pages.  I think it's ridiculous that the people who follow my page won't see my posts unless I pay for it.  I guess that comes with a "free" platform, but it's anything but free if you want to keep your business going.

So, I make time for the things that I want to do.  Last year I made time to take a class that would help me become a fabric designer.  I wanted to be able to take my drawings and create the repeating designs myself.  I have a slight issue with control I guess, but that comes with the territory of being a designer. I didn't realize that some fabric designers have help making their prints, not that there is anything wrong with that, but I wanted to have control over my designs. I wanted them all to be my own design and layout.  So, I am thrilled that Curated Blooms were all my designs and Juju's Petals will be as well. I am currently writing the patterns for Juju's Petals, which ships out in September this year.  I am sooooo excited about this line. Make sure you tell your local shops to get their orders in by April 2025. 

Anyway, thanks for listening.  It's a crazy time for me, but I wouldn't change it for anything.  I have learned a lot about prioritizing what is important and I am trying to keep it as balanced as I can.

God bless! 

 

 

January 15, 2025 by judi madsen

Blooms!!

I am so excited to share with you my newest finish, Blooms!! This quilt features my first fabric line, Curated Blooms, so well!  Let's take a closer look..

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

When designing the quilt, I  had so much fun taking the blocks all the way to the edge. This layout is new for me, but wow, the impact is stunning. It is almost as if there is a secondary design going on with the sashing being used as "blocks" as well. 

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

 One thing I have had to learn to juggle is writing and planning my patterns to go along with my fabric designs well in advance of the fabric actually coming out.  Once the fabric comes out, then I make the quilts.  

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

 I found with this quilt in particular that I was a bit off on the fabric requirements.  That has been corrected on my pattern page, here.  But just so you know, the 67 x 67 inch quilt will definitely need at least 2 of my fat quarter bundles if you are going for a scrappy quilt and not doing the exact fabric placement as my own quilt. 

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

 What I love most about this quilt are the sashing blocks.  My word, the blocks just came together so great.  The piecing is not for the faint of heart, I can promise you that.  This is one of the most intense piecing quilts I have ever designed and pieced. However, the instructions are done well and you will be able to make this.  The pattern is recommended for intermediate to advanced quilters.

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

 I really wanted to showcase the fabric as well as the piecing in this quilt. For that reason I kept the quilting "simple." At least my kind of simple....  It was almost more challenging for me to keep it simple because I had to do the same thing over and over again. 

In the blocks I simply added straight lines with a little bit of free motion.  I really love how the blocks turned out.  It definitely shows the fabrics well, which is another bonus, especially with it being my own designs!  Woohoo! 

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

As you can see, I incorporated the sash blocks with the Blooms blocks. I drew out and quilted a line to mimic the shapes of both, shown in the picture as a 1/2" spaced line. 

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

 In the background space, I quilted a tight and loose bubble/shell/swirl filler. Every other block got the tight filler, as well as the loose one. 

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

Here's a close up of the tight filler. This takes a lot of time, but I love the effect it has.  I used cream 60wt thread for both the top and bobbin, including in the dark fabrics. I don't like changing my thread colors, lol! 

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

 The back!  Oh, isn't it so beautiful?  I love how it turned out. I used two layers of batting, which helps with thread tension as well as showcasing the detailed quilting. 

The pattern is available in paper and PDF format. I cannot wait to see your version of this beautiful quilt. 

Blooms quilt by Judi Madsen featuring Curated Bloooms fabric line.

 I had to take a picture of my helper, Micah, my oldest son.  He is such a joy to me, so grown up at 17, yet such a tease. He is so great to help me whenever I need to hang up my quilts and anything else I ask of him. He's my little buddy who is 6'3" - where did the time go?  He's leaving on a mission for our church in June - so I am definitely soaking in all the time I can with him.  

Happy Quilting y'all! 

 

 

January 06, 2025 by judi madsen

Introducing Curated!

I have it on good authority that Curated Blooms is shipping out to fabric stores right now! This is such great news!  It's time I introduce to you another fun pattern, Curated, that I designed to go along with my fabric.
 
Curated by Judi Madsen
This quilt is super fun to piece. It is an easy, traditionally pieced quilt top that is perfect for showing off those fun fabrics you have in your stash. In this case, the quilt is showing off Curated Blooms fabric just perfectly. 
Curated by Judi Madsen
I love the frame blocks setting the stage in front with the sashing being used as another area for placing blocks. It really creates a fun look.
Curated by Judi Madsen
I pieced this with a light background, not my traditionally white background, and I really like the look of it. I feel it gives the quilt a softer feel.
 
Curated by Judi Madsen
Speaking of soft, I used minky for the back and I love it. It is the perfect cuddle quilt. The quilting was done by me, using the Whisper edge to edge design. 

 

Curated by Judi Madsen

 Pattern is available now in paper and PDF versions. 

 

 

November 15, 2024 by judi madsen

REALM - it's finally finished.

I would like to introduce to you, Realm.  This quilt is epic!! It has been a project in the works for a very long time. The project itself has been finished for a while, but writing a book and self-publishing takes time. 

 

Realm

 

 This quilt took a while to piece, mostly because of all the on-point squares in the Realm blocks. It was fun though and I had a great time building these individual blocks. The ombre fabric by V and Co. was perfect for this quilt.  I love the look of the cool and warm colored blocks. 

R1

 The quilt was stitched entirely with a 60wt cream thread and magna glide bobbins. I enjoy stitching with one color because I love to showcase the quilting.  This also creates an incredible canvas for the plain square blocks.  Most of these square block quilted designs are included in the book

This quilt is free-motion and ruler work quilted on my A1 longarm quilting machine.  No computers were involved in the making of this quilt, lol. 

R2

 I believe the best part of quilting is enjoying the texture of the quilt.  When I quilt densely like this I use two layers of batting.  It doesn't matter what high quality cotton (cotton/poly) batting you use, as long as there are two layers, you will have these same results. 

R3

Is the quilt heavier, yes, but it isn't that much heavier and I think the quilt is more stable when it has the two layers and the thread tension seems to work better for me with the two layers of batting.  

R4

 I think the greatest part in quilting Realm is the star theme.  I love being able to add secondary designs to my quilting, especially when it pairs nicely with the piecing design of the quilt. The background fabric is my play area and I really love how the stars turned out in these blocks. All of these star designs are included in the book as well. 

R5

 I  have a very special lady who helps me with the digital drawings of my books, and I  am so grateful for her.  Thank you Lynda! 

This time around I wanted to learn how to do the layout myself. My books: Creative Chaos and Serenity were laid out and designed by me in Adobe Illustrator, but then sent to Lynda to do the final layout in inDesign. This time around I bought the inDesign program and was determined to do the final layout.

R7

I was so excited to learn inDesign, that I sent off the file to the printer and it came back with the print blocks in each fold of the book. Whoops! I only had them print off 4 books, the minimum, to make sure I didn't mess up - I clearly needed something else to learn.  

So, back to the drawing board.  This is why it has taken me a bit longer to get the book finished. I really have a very small team, mostly me, that write patterns and books. I have two gals who read over my patterns, but the writing and layout are me.  Thankfully the gal at the printer gave me a call and walked me through inDesign and the settings that I had wrong and we fixed the issues with the layout of the book. I  understand one more thing and my skillset for another Adobe program is getting better.  The book is at the printer and will arrive to me by the end of this week. I  thank you for your patience with me, especially all of you who have pre-ordered the book. 

R6

 I took the quilt out yesterday to get some shots in the sun with the book. I  really love this quilt so much.  The book is so beautiful as well.  The digital drawings as well as the photos will really help you make your own version of Realm

R8

 This border! It was so fun to quilt up. I  love how the sun captures the dimension of the quilting. I used my QuickMarkRuler, QuickMarkCurve, and my A1 ruler to draw out and stitch the designs. I use a purple air soluble marker for the markings, it easily comes out with water, or in high humidity, it disappears quickly.  I live in the desert, so the air soluble marker is perfect for me.

R9

The time and effort it takes to make a quilt like this is very rewarding. I'm hoping that you will enjoy the process as much as I did. The book is available now in paper as well as PDF versions for those of you who are out of the US and don't want to pay shipping.  

Happy Quilting! 

 

 

 

November 13, 2024 by judi madsen
Tags: Quilting

REALM available for PREORDER - releasing mid-OCT/NOV 2024

This quilt has been a labor of love and I am so excited to share it with you soon! When it comes to self-publishing, there is a lot of self-motivation that has to happen, as well as a lot of uninterrupted focus time. I seem to have moments of super focus, and other times when I do not because so much of my time is being spent running a household, as well as a business.  Life is crazy!!
I  do not have the luxury of ghost writers when it comes to my books, but I  do have two amazing ladies who help me with layout, pictures, and corrections.  The rest is up to me.  So, by making this book available for pre-sale, it will ensure that the book will be finished very soon. It will be my focus for the next little bit and the motivation that I need to push me to complete this incredible book.  I cannot wait for you to see it in person, the layout of the book is absolutely beautiful! 
I am offering all the REALM books that are preordered as a signed copy from me. Thank you so much for your continued support to me and my art.  It means the world to me.  
September 11, 2024 by judi madsen
Tags: Quilting

16 years

Honestly, it feels surreal thinking about our journey as a family. 16 years ago we had a little bundle of big baby boy, he is our 3rd child, wrapped up and ready to move far away from any family or friends. He was only 3 days old when we moved, now he is a strong and handsome teenager.

We sold our home and Clint quit his job, we had the sell of our home and the equity we earned to get us going on Green Fairy Quilts. We were going to make it work, no matter what.  We worked hard, but always had God with us. To Him we give credit for the impeccable timing of it all. 

 The kids were too young to know if this adventure would turn out badly and now, this is the only life they've known. I recently read a journal entry from before we made this big move and it said that I dream of a day that I can work and be with my family all of the time.  That dream has definitely come true. We work, learn, and play together each day. The fact that these kids are getting closer to leaving the nest is breaking my momma heart, but I am so grateful for the people they are.  

So many things have happened in 16 years, too many things to count, but more blessings than I can even imagine. Clint and I have figured out a system that works for us. Clint is an incredible entrepreneur and natural at owning a business.  I feel so blessed that we have been able to work together all of these years.  

I am also so grateful for the times I get to be creative. I crave it. Recently I picked up my Tillie pattern again, it is time for another quilt.  This time I will be changing the size of the blocks to make a fun, 4 block quilt. It is off to a great start.  

You can see that this block is quite large, but it's going to be so fun to quilt! I  cannot wait to share my progress. 

I  have also added a new goal this year of running a half marathon.  I know I could never commit to a full marathon, but a half will be great.  Jonah, the young man pictured above is also training with me.  St. George, Utah is an incredibly beautiful place and it's been home for us for these past 16 years.  What an incredible journey we have had.  Here's to many more years. I am looking forward to the future. 

 

August 20, 2024 by judi madsen

Stars N' Bobbin Quilt

All New Quilt Pattern, Stars N' Bobbins featuring my new fabric, Curated Blooms, releasing November 2024.
August 06, 2024 by judi madsen

The Story of Serenity.

It has been a long time since I have made an effort to keep up my blog.  There are so many reasons why it's easier to just leave it alone, but I do miss writing about my projects.  I will have my blog posts on my website from here on out. The posts used to be on a blogger account, but trying to get these posts to connect between the two sites seems impossible for me right now.  In the end, this will be easier for me.  

The instant gratification of Instagram and Facebook have made my posts seem so impersonal to me, so for those of you who are looking for more info on my quilts, then this is the place to be.  I  will go back over the quilts I have missed writing about and share the info on the projects on this blog.  I hope you will enjoy the posts as much as I will enjoy writing them. 

First off is Serenity. This quilt is epic and has a lovely story to go along with it. 

Untitled

In October 2018 I was teaching to a quilting group in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This group of ladies were so fun and engaging. This trip was my 4th and final time teaching in Canada when I was traveling to teach quilting.  While I was there I mentioned how much I love quilting needle turn appliqué quilts. I don't love doing appliqué myself, but I love quilting them. 

Sometime during the workshop a lady by the name of Tammy gifted me her needle turn appliqué quilt. I couldn't believe it, but quilters really are the sweetest people. She genuinely wanted me to have this quilt and wanted me to be able to "play" with the quilting. I certainly did just that! 

Serenity by Judi Madsen

I  have since learned the quilt top is a from the pattern, Calendar Basket by Brandywine Design. Tammy did not do the extra bit of appliqué in the border, but left those empty which made for a perfect empty space for a secondary quilting design.

Serenity by Judi Madsen

As you can see, I took advantage of the empty space and filled the border with an incredible geometric quilting design.  I cannot tell you how much fun and time consuming it was to come up with this quilting design, all of which is explained in my book, Serenity

Serenity by Judi Madsen

The large negative space quilt blocks that were in between each of the basket blocks made an area for a beautiful quilting design as well.  I  based my design on my "Clover block" from a quilt named "Serenity" I  made back in 2010 or so.  That specific design has been turned into a digitized design, but I did not do any computerized work on this quilt. 

Serenity by Judi Madsen

I used two layers of quilt batting to make the quilting designs stand out. I also used a 60wt glide thread to quilt the entire top.  I really like the 60wt thread because it is the perfect weight to do dense and detailed quilting without looking too heavy. 

Serenity by Judi Madsen

The quilt top took me over 100 hours of quilting to complete and once I was finished with it, I realized I needed to make a book with the quilting instructions. So, I  took the clover design block, and turned that into an appliqué block.  The quilt then became Serenity and the options to make several sizes are available in my book

Serenity by Judi Madsen

Serenity (wall hanging) is just the right sized quilt for those of you looking to amp up your quilting skills without taking on a huge quilting job.  I know several of you have already made this quilt, since I released this book in 2023. In addition to the large border quilting designs, I included the fun curved border design and curved quilting designs in the blocks for the smaller quilt. 

Serenity by Judi Madsen

I used my QuickMarkRuler, my QuickMarkCurvedRuler, and my A1 longarm straight ruler to get all the lines just right in this quilt. I used a purple water/air soluble marker to mark all the lines, but any marker that works for you will do the trick.

Serenity by Judi Madsen

This project was a labor of love for me.  I enjoyed the designing, quilting, and finally writing of the book.  It is a very detailed and colorful pattern that will help you bring your free motion quilting to the next level.  I  hope you enjoy making the quilt as much as I did. 

Isn't it amazing what a gift can do?  Thank you Tammy for helping me push my own quilting to the next level by gifting me an incredible quilt.   

May 09, 2024 by judi madsen

It's official! I am finally a fabric designer. Introducing Curated Blooms!

Welcome to my part of the Riley Blake Virtual Quilt Market. 
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
  I feel like this post has been a long time coming; sixteen long, but dream filled years. With any dream it takes hard work, persistence, and determination.  I have loved being able to quilt for the past 20 years and creating a unique quilting style that has been mimicked throughout the quilting world, as well as designing patterns and writing books. This dream of designing fabric has always been in the background - until now.
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs About a year ago, I finally made this dream a reality by taking a class on Adobe Illustrator.  I have used the Adobe Illustrator program for years for writing my patterns and it's a little, okay, very - difficult... 
Taking this class gave me the courage to draw up my designs and make continuous patterns for fabric printing. I am happy to say that I am so much more confident in digital design, but still learning. 
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
I now had the courage to turn my drawings into digital patterns. I just needed to submit my designs to a manufacturer for a possible partnership.  Riley Blake Designs happened to be the perfect fit for me, so it was a pleasure to submit my portfolio to them.  Their team absolutely loved my fabric designs and the quilt patterns I designed to go along with each line.  
I signed a contract with them in August 2023.
Best day ever!
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
So, without further ado, I give you "Curated Blooms." This collection is a fun and beautiful combination of hand drawn flowers, swirls, and all things pointy. The colors of blues, greens, auburns, and creams are so delightful together. 
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
Each one of these swirls, flowers, and pointy things were meticulously drawn out and manipulated by hand to make a digital image version of my pencil drawings.  I now have full appreciation for the amount of hours it takes to bring a fabric line together. The above fabrics are the "main prints" in the Curated Blooms Collection
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
It is hard to choose a favorite grouping in a fabric line, but I REALLY love the leaves. This fabric will definitely be a beautiful low volume option.  
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
The auburn, cream, and midnight damask prints are also a favorite. 
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
 
These are the "Dance" prints and I love them as well.  With my advanced cuts, we missed the "blush dance" print.  However, it will be with the fabric line when it releases in November 2024. 
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
The "on-point" and "mosaic diamonds" are perfect filler designs. 
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs  
 What is fun is that I've designed 6 patterns to go along with the fabric.  All of the designs will release in November with the fabric. CrissCross is one of the designs that I have quilted up already.  It was difficult for me to quilt without a lot of detail, but I love how It turned out.  
 Once I have all of these designs pieced and quilted up, I will be able to get these patterns available, so stay tuned. I will keep you updated through this blog as well as my social media pages - @judi.madsen
Curated Blooms by Judi Madsen for Riley Blake Designs
I love sharing the backs of quilts, and this is no exception, even though it's a bit scarce on the details, lol. 
Exciting things await and November cannot come soon enough!  Please let your local quilt shop know that you want "Curated Blooms" with my pattern designs available. Also, I have the precuts and yardage available for pre-order at Green Fairy Quilts here
Thank you so much for your love, support, and encouragement throughout the years. I'm thrilled to be able to share my journey with you. 
April 29, 2024 by judi madsen

Flower Patch Revamp Final Reveal!

Ok, this is going to be a long post.  I have not blogged in quite a while, but I feel like this project deserves the time and attention that only a blog can accomplish.
This quilt is 6 months in the making, not because I am that slow, but because life can be busy at times. While I love to quilt in heavy detail,  I do other projects at the same time, like writing my book Serenity.
This project is based on my Flower Patch quilt pattern.  I made a lot more blocks, and changed out the layout, which I will include at the end of this blog. You can get the original pattern here and that goes over the sizing and piecing instructions for the Flower Patch Block. 
This quilt is for my bed.  I  have changed my bedding several times over the years, but this one had to be made because I recently purchased a king size bed. It also answers the question of whether or not I use the quilts I spend so much time on.
  I fell in love with the fabric immediately when it came into our shop. The fabric is Chickadee by Create Joy Project for Moda Fabrics. I added some Moda Bella Solids for the sashings and pillows, I always love using solid fabrics when I quilt. 
My son still gives me flowers, he's 12 and he left this paper flower for me as a surprise.  It was the best surprise and one I had to share. 
This is the pillow backing, isn't it gorgeous?  It is a shame to cover, but at least I  have the picture for memory. 
I had 4 pillows that needed to be covered, so I decided that an exaggerated Flower Patch block would work the best!  I made two pieced blocks and quilted some fabrics to make the other two pillows.
 
It was really fun putting these pillows together and compliment the large quilt perfectly.
 I love the 60wt Glide thread because it's the perfect weight for high density quilting.  I  use white thread throughout because I want to showcase the quilting designs in the solid fabrics. I share a video on how to quilt this border design, you can see that here. I used my QuickMarkRuler and my A1 longarm ruler to draw and quilt out these designs.
This magenta corner is fabulous; seriously, it turned out so perfect. This corner is different than the top corner (pictured below) because of how the design lays out, but I love having different design elements in a quilt. It definitely gives it more character. 
The hardest part of the quilting process was seeing the marker on the darker fabric, but I like to use the purple disappearing marker for that. I have a large bright light that I use while I quilt and as long as that light is on, then the marker comes through perfectly on the darker fabrics. 
Here you can see the different corner design. Both are beautiful and give an awesome feel for the quilt. 
Here is a shot of the sashing.  I think my favorite part of designing the quilting is looking beyond the quilt blocks and incorporating the background of the pieced blocks to become part of the sashing.  It just changes the whole look of the quilt. 
And, the back! Oh my word, it's so amazing. I could easily use this as the front of the quilt for a bit of a change.
These last two pictures show just how amazing the fabric and the quilting designs work in unison to make an incredible quilt. Sometimes it is all about placement. I  must admit I am a bit nutty about fabric placement. Also, I am a bit nutty about line (stitch) placement because it does make a difference on a project. 
So, grab the original Flower Patch pattern here, then come back for the different/new layout listed below.
The above layout is the one I used for this new quilt. I have a 2 inch finished scrappy square border just beyond the sashing, then a 1/2 inch finished break border. After that a 2 inch border followed by the finished 9 1/2 inch border. For the large border I used a fabric with a large print and I love it, but if you don't want to make your quilt this large, you can eliminate the large border. The width of quilt that I made is 100" wide with all the borders.
For the quilt make 30 blocks. Instructions for this block is available in my pattern Flower Patch. Get that pattern now. The revamped layout is 5 blocks across by 6 blocks down.
  • 1/4 yard) Sash Squares - cut 3 strips 2 1/2” x WOF (width of fabric) strips, from these strips cut (42) 2 1/2 inch squares.
  • 1 3/4 yards) Sash Strips - cut 5 strips 12 1/2” x WOF strips, from these strips cut (71) 12 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch rectangles.
  • Squares border - cut (204) 2 1/2 inch squares from jelly rolls/scraps
  • 1/3 yard) 1/2” Break border - cut (12) 1” x WOF strips 
  • 7/8 yard) 2“ Border - cut (12) 2 1/2” x WOF strips
  • 3 1/2 yards) 9 1/2” Border (12) 10” x WOF strips
For the borders - sew three strips end to end for each side and the top and bottom. I used a 1/4" seam allowance for all seams in this quilt.
Have so much fun sewing this quilt top together!
July 19, 2023 by judi madsen