from a stack of pretty prints ...

This quilt top started out like many do around here, as a stack of pretty prints sitting on my bookcase ...

some were multi-coloured florals

a few were geometric

others had been waiting for a few years

... and now they’re all part of the same colour story.

The colour story (or theme if you like) for my 'checkered garden' quilt was a vague idea around a delightfully tangled summery garden. I chose colours & prints to visually represent my focus fabric, a peachy/pink floral - Anna Maria's Perennial Borders candlelight Beata's Garden 🡓

I also had 1xmetre here of Beata's Garden in the caramel colourway, just enough to frame everything beautifully. Use the good stuff✅.

I used Ashley @Film in the Fridge’s free tutorial 'Checkered Garden'

- so easy to change up & personalise the look of your quilt!

until next time, Linda

mixing & matching

This checkered garden quilt might just be one of my favourite makes yet. It’s such a simple, fun pattern, and it's given me heaps of room to play, mixing and matching fabrics until every block feels just right.

It's not all small-scale itty-bitty prints, 

I'm also adding in a few busy multi-coloured florals to help create a delightfully tangled garden look ...

love this next one

a super mix of Anna Maria, Kaffe, Karen Lewis & Ruby Star Society ...

Making the blocks?  Simple, Ashley @Film in the Fridge’s tutorial is excellent.

Choosing a colour palette? Easy, I simply picked 5 different fabrics per block, then cut and sewed the blocks up one at a time ... Actually, that's sew not true!

For those interested, I've tried to sort out my colour framework for you. I started out going for an overall *harmony vibe, using LOTs of soft blush pinks through to smokey plum with a few peach/coral prints mixed in too. And caramels that go from honey through into the warm browns.
And then I couldn't help adding in some subtle *contrast with my few bright pops and some dark value blues. (I did try to add in some green prints too, but they just didn't flow quite as nicely for some reason).

From my scrap baskets & stash - all the pinks, peaches, plums & caramels I could find. It's scrappy, warm, a little bright, a little vintage, and perfectly imperfect … really, everything I want a quilt to be.

It's all still laid out on the 'design floor'. No time to get it stitched together just now, but I will have to make time soonish 'cos my sewing room really really needs a vacuum!

* For more on the harmony & contrast colour theory check out this link here at shannonbrinkleystudio

checkered garden. again

I've been revisiting Ashley @Film in the Fridge’s free tutorial 'Checkered Garden'. Again.
I do enjoy making these blocks, can't help smiling each time I finish a block.  It's the kind of pattern you can make your own, in your palette made from your fabrics. I'm pretty sure no two 'checkered gardens' look alike!

My framework is simple - soft blush pinks & caramel for the centers, light-medium low volumes for the outer corners, everything else? well, a bit of a surprise as I go really.
You can see my mix of print styles is all over the place, different designers & collections, old & new - but hopefully the colours will tie everything together in a way that feels warm, slightly muted and yet still bright.

And few busy floral fabrics thrown in will help create a delightfully tangled garden look.

and on the "design" floor ...

... that's as far as my WiP got today

Linda

daydreaming

I've been daydreaming about this colour palette for a while now, 

lots of pink, peach & caramels, with maybe a few darker blues & muted greens.

... I just needed to figure out what to make with them. 

 trial block done✅ 

After scrolling around waiting for inspiration to hit, I suddenly had The. Perfect. Idea ... making me want to drop everything and start on this immediately! I think I'll use Ashley @Film in the Fridge’s tutorial 'Checkered Garden'. 

Again. 

Yes, I've made this a few times now - pop back here to see more - it's a super fun free pattern and works so well in lots of different colourways & fabric combinations. 

This time my framework is simple - soft blush pinks & caramel for the centers, light low volumes for the outer corners, everything else? well, a bit of a surprise really. 

Linda

WiP #2: baby checkered garden quilt

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been working on a few WiPs.

🩷💙🩶💜🩷

Sometime back in November 2024, I fell down the #checkeredgardenquilt rabbit hole. Again! These 14" blocks began as a bit of a side project to use up my somewhat limited stash of solids, pop back here for more early details, checkered garden quilt. I know the pattern (from Ashley @ filminthefridge) so well now, it’s such a fun one to play with mixing and matching.

I went with a scrappy palette from my stash in pretty pinks, purple and blues, a few rogue oranges & yellow/golds, along with a mix of shadowy greys for those background corners. Super happy with the contrast of the pretty shades against the grey tones. Oh, and despite starting out thinking this would be an all-solids project, I ended up slipping in some prints along the way!

I couldn't remember my original plan for these blocks - like how many blocks? whether to add borders or not? etc - so today I simply joined them up, added a zappy pink border... et voila ... WiP #2 is now ready for some quilting. 

How are your WiPs shaping up this week? 

finishes for 2025

Can't believe it's the end of the year. 

Here's a quick review of my finished *quilts for 2025. 

Boardwalk quilt 

- my favourite finish! 

Vintage Diamonds quilt

 Farm & Folk Sampler quilt 

- a sampler quilt was so not on my radar, but I really enjoyed making this one!

16-patch & Sawtooth Star combo quilt

Marjorie quilt 

Le Moyne Star quilt

Star hollow & 9-patch quilt

Checkered Garden quilt no.2

It was fun looking back over the year, I certainly started more than I finished!

Looking forward now to more quilting in 2026.

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and for all the encouragement throughout the year!

Wishing you all a very happy New Year.

* For more details about any of these quilts, 

simply head to the search bar at the top L) hand side of my blog, key in quilt name, hit search, et voila.

another finish

Between starting another small scrappy quilt and working on another ufo, 

I finished another quilt this weekend. 

- a party in the quilt back!

I loved making this 2nd version of the 'checkered garden' quilt. I used the free pattern from Ashley @filminthefridge, such a fun block to assemble. There's something so joyful about turning small pieces into a cohesive delightful quilt.

I used a colourful whimsical mix of fabrics, loosely channeling my inner vintage granny chic with a touch of modern. All from scraps & stash, add a little contrast from the darker teals & bright pink, et voilà!
Backing: I pulled out a small log cabin quilt top (see back here) in pink, brown & green leftovers, and then just started building around the log cabin center with my chunky strips to bring it up to size. Hm-m-m - this quilt has a real two-sided appeal thingy happening!
Quilting: Leeanne @quiltmekiwi added some quilting goodness, using an e2e cone flower panto.

I finally added the binding this weekend. I settled on a moody teal/green with a small floral print on it for my binding, 'Handkerchief Helga' by Nathalie Lete for AMH's Conservatory. 

Happy weekending, 

Linda

party in the quilt back

Most of the time I really prefer piecing to quilting…just want to make tops forever! But a month or so ago, I pulled out a few recently finished quilt tops and began working on backings. 

I tend to make my backing decisions after my quilt top is finished. And this year my focus has been on using up mainly what I have here on hand really ... any larger pieces neglected in my stash, a group of leftover fabrics or blocks from the front, maybe a vintage sheet or two.

I love a scrappy look, and I'm finding that the back of a quilt is the perfect way to use up more scraps & leftovers and perhaps add an extra little surprise. 

It took me a few days to sort my backings out and then I sent everything off to Leeanne from quiltmekiwi for some quilting goodness. My quilts have come back home now, and they all have that 'party in the quilt back' vibe happening. 

*Warning: photo overload!

'checkered garden #2' - the flower power version!

Backing: I pulled out a small log cabin quilt top (see back here) in pink, brown & green leftovers, and then just started building around the log cabin center with my chunky strips to bring it up to size. Hm-m-m - this one has a real two-sided appeal thingy happening!

and a few other details about the quilt front:
Fabrics: Definitely channeling my vintage granny chic with modern twist vibe here! I selected blending florals in light - medium values from my stash, in a variety of old & new prints, in peachy pinks, rosy pinks, primrose yellow, green, & teal/aqua. Add in a little contrast from the darker teals & bright pink, et voilà!

Quilting: edge-to-edge 'coneflower' panto, a favourite of mine at present!

'Margorie' 

Backing: I used two vintage sheet strips and inserted three leftover blocks. I think the back complements the front of the quilt nicely with those extra blocks tucked in there. Best of all, it's a little surprise when the quilt is turned over!

and a few other details about the quilt front:

Quilt pattern: #Marjoriequilt by Penelope Handmade

Fabric: various pink/peach/lilac/blues from my stash.

Quilting: My 'Margorie' quilt is finished with 'peeling good' quilting. 

This is my 'Positivities' quilt

It's certainly a happy day when you make good progress on a yearlong project. 

 

Backing: a great way to use up some mixed size, leftover vintage sheet pieces. 

and a few other details about the quilt front:

I joined in with the sew-a-long this year with Rachel of @stitchedincolor.  

Fabrics: I opted to use a constant soft minty-green solid as my background and I used a selection of scraps from my stash. I appreciate how Rachel creates these sampler quilts with so much negative space. It allows the blocks to flow and our individual colour choices tie the whole thing together.

Quilting: simply quilted in edge-to-edge straight lines by Leeanne who by now knows my taste so well!

And finally, 'Le Moyne Star

Backing: I had one leftover block, so I used that as my starting point. Next, I added a pink & orange mishmash from my stash, strips & chunks set in an improv log cabin style until it all came up to size. 

and a few other quilt front details:

Fabrics: It was fun making these fussy cut blocks. I decided the Anna Maria Horner peach/pink 'Cathedral' print would be my unifying element, and I used it for the sashing & borders. I also repeated a couple of other fabrics in different colourways, to help with a calmer & more cohesive look. 

Quilting: edge-to-edge 'coneflower' panto, it works so well with all those AMH fabrics! The bulk caused by the piecing of the stars, added to the bulk of a pieced back, meant that this was going to be best handled by long arm quilting.  Leeanne from quiltmekiwi outdid herself on this one. 

A little pile of happiness💕

Thank you, Leeanne for quilting my quilt tops and turning them into quilts, they have come up a treat.

If anyone needs me, I'll be busy binding! 

Linking up my "finishes" with Michelle here 

I'm curious, what’s your take on making pieced backings? hate them or love them?

Linda