Black and white Irish chain quilt by Color girl Quilts Sharon McConnell
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06 Sep
Black & White Quilt, Quilting Interest, Work in progress, YouTube Video Links, YouTube Videos

Planning Failure, Creative Success!

So, I write this post feeling a bit sheepish. I had such a good intentions of finishing up my black and white quilt to submit to Curated Quilts for their black and white challenge and hopefully to be featured in their black and white issue. Well, a few things converged to thwart my success. I LOVE that some of you did it, though! More on that later. Time constraints aside, I was well on my way to finishing my quilt when I hit a speed bump in the creative process. When I had all the blocks sewn up and I laid...

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irish chain quilt block by Color girl Quilts with tutorial
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28 Jun
Color Girl Challenge 2019, Free Quilt Blocks, Quilting Interest, Work in progress, YouTube Video Links, YouTube Videos

How Sew Irish Chain Blocks: Video Tutorial

Two color quilts (specifically black and white) are better than I expected! I thought it was going to be more challenging for me to avoid using ANY color but black and white in a WHOLE quilt. I suppose that my love of pattern and the amazing variety of super cool B & W fabrics made up for the lack of color. I've seen a few projects come up for the Color Girl Challenge 2019 (#colorgirlchallenge2019 if you're on Instagram or FB). What do you think? could you make a quilt with only two colors? Sadly, I had planned on having my...

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Lava beach quilt by Sharon McConnell, modern curved piecing orange peel quilt
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17 Dec
Finished Quilts, Lava Beach Quilt, Published Work

LOVE Quilting, A New Quilt

It seems I have waited a long time to share this quilt! I am extra happy that it is my first quilt in the UK magazine, Love Patchwork and Quilting issue 42. The magazine is now available in the UK and digitally, and we will have it in the U.S. in January. I am calling this quilt Lava Beach because I made it last summer right after my family and I had a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. One of our favorite spots on that island is a black lava sand beach where the kids play in the...

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31 May
Finished Quilts, Polka Dot Bikini, Polka Dot Bikini QAL, Quilt-Alongs, Sponsors

A Finished “Bikini” and Polka Dot Giveaway

I am so thrilled that my mom came to town to visit and we are going to Camp Stitchalot next week in Michigan! She also has her finished Polka Dot Bikini Quilt to show. I have mentioned this quilt before during our Quilt Along. She made a variation on the pattern by splitting the backgrounds into black and white. It creates such a neat, three dimensional design. The fabrics are all from her stash, she collects black and white prints and loves to pair them with bright colors. The binding is a funky print by Lakehouse fabrics with cupcakes printed on...

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03 Apr
Polka Dot Bikini, Polka Dot Bikini QAL

Bikini Quilt Along Progress

Happy April! For our Polka Dot Bikini quilt along schedule, you should have four more border blocks and the last of the center blocks sewn up. How did you do? Today I want to share some great inspiration: the finished Bikini top made by my mom, Marian. I showed you this as a work in progress back at the start of the quilt-along. Didn't this turn out stunning? Marian made her blocks by piecing the setting arcs with half black and half white, this creates the neat pinwheel where the blocks come together. I like how this makes the individual blocks disappear and...

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