Sewing Machine Dust Cover, Version 4
This version features a flange on both sides of the accent strip. Of the four sewing machine dust covers I’ve made, all shown directly below, I like this one the best.
I made it while on a retreat in March with my quilt group, the Quisters. You can read about it here. 2013.
Sewing Machine Dust Cover, Version 3
Version 3 in my experiments with sewing machine dust covers features a better way of attaching the binding — attaching it to the side panels first and then finishing with one strip around the bottom.
To read my post about the making of this dust cover, click here. 2013
Sewing Machine Dust Cover, Version 2
My second attempt at a sewing machine dust cover yielded this version, accented by contrasting strips and a flange.
I rounded the corners on this one, another departure from the first version shown below. To read more about this dust cover, click here. 2012.
Sewing Machine Dust Cover
After making a quilted cover to transport my sewing machine [see the entry below this one], I decided to make a dust cover to put on my machine when I’m done sewing for the day. Instead of using boring old muslin, I picked a pretty floral fabric and bound it in a bright green:
My prototype was a keeper! To read my blog post about the making of this dust cover, click here. 2012
Sewing Machine Cover
The pattern for this quilted sewing machine cover, designed by Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts, was published in the Aug 2012 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine:
I wrote about the construction of the sewing machine cover in my Sept. 2 post, Sewing Machine Cover . . . Done! Clicking here will take you directly to that post. 2012
Rotary Cutter Case
This rotary cutter case was made for my friend Vivienne’s birthday. The design is a riff on one I saw recently in a magazine. It looks like a little coat, doesn’t it? I added buttonholes before binding the case all the way around and then fusing the bottom together with ¼”-wide Steam-a-Seam. I found those buttons last year at the Scott Antique Market in Atlanta, Georgia while visiting my twin sister. The antique market is open the second weekend of every month, which has something to do with the timing of my visits. 2012
Into the Woods
This little quilt is based on a block design, Urban Deco 9-Patch, by Jenny Pedigo of Sew Kind of Wonderful. I left off the outer pieces of the block so that my quilt would be curved on the outside edges, and then I bound it in a dark fabric to really set off those curves.
- 17 ½” x 51″
- Pieced and quilted by Dawn White
- 2012
Billie Bag
Billie Mahorney, who designed this quilter’s tote, calls it “The Take It All With You Bag” but every quilter who has ever made one simply calls it her “Billie Bag.” Each bag is unique because the maker can put whatever she wants on the front and back, and the inside pockets are customized as well. This is actually my second Billie Bag. My first one measures 20” x 20” x 7”, following Billie’s original design. The one you see above is slightly smaller, measuring 14½” x 17” x 7”, and it has both a short and long set of handles. Both bags hold an amazing amount of supplies, including a 6” x 24” acrylic ruler, thanks to the 7” width of the side panels. 2011
In the Doghouse
I was teaching a class on folded log cabins at the Pine Needle Quilt Shop when I spotted this fabric with several kinds of dogs on it. It’s from the Fifi and Fido line by Anna Griffin. The little hound dog looked like he needed a home — a folded log cabin home. A folded log cabin doghouse, to be precise. I think some of his canine companions need their own doghouses, too, don’t you?
- 6” x 10½”
- Designed and made by Dawn White
- 2011
Fractured Flower
In the summer of 2010 I took a class on fractured images from Johanne Gibson in Sisters, Oregon. I love the ripples-in-a-pond effect. Since then I’ve fractured several images, including this one, and taught how-to classes at the Pine Needle in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
It’s always interesting to compare the original fabric image with its fractured cousin.
- 17” square
- Pieced and quilted by Dawn White
- 2010
Full Moon Rising
Is it a wall hanging? A table runner? A skinny quilt? Whatever you choose to call it, it’s the piece that launched First Light Designs. I wanted to design something using a technique I had learned for making set-in circles without having to sew concave and convex seams. Dale Fleming (Pieced Curves So Simple, C&T Publishing, 2004) is the genius behind the method, which involves sewing around a freezer paper pattern. Although my method differs from Dale’s in a few ways, I never would have thought of it myself, and I thank her, for Full Moon Rising has proved to be my best-selling pattern to date. I also thank Geri Grasvik for encouraging me to publish a pattern of Full Moon Rising and bringing me into the cadre of teachers at her quilt shop, the Pine Needle, in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
- 16” x 57”
- Designed and pieced by Dawn White
- 2010
Pattern available: Full Moon Rising.
This pattern has undergone some revisions. If you purchased a pattern before March 2012, please click here to email me so I can provide you with an updated pattern at no charge.
Prairie Moon
After making Full Moon Rising first in batiks, I wanted to try it in fabrics that would give it an entirely different look. I chose small prints in deep red, gold, and black. The gold of the moons reminds me of waving wheat. Although I think of the American west when I see this quilt, some people have told me it looks Asian.
- 16” x 57”
- Designed, pieced and quilted by Dawn White
- 2010
Pattern available: Full Moon Rising.
Full Moon Rising II
I love angles. Many of my quilts are set on point or feature strong diagonal lines. Full Moon Rising II, my second pattern, is a riff on the first (Full Moon Rising), using the same basic idea but replacing all of the squares and rectangles with angled blocks.
- Size 16½” x 60”
- Designed, pieced and quilted by Dawn White
- 2010
Pattern available: Full Moon Rising II.
This pattern has undergone some revisions. If you purchased a pattern before March 2012, please click here to email me so I can provide you with an updated pattern at no charge.
Purple Haze
The moons are made of dupioni silk.
- 16½” x 59”
- Designed, pieced and quilted by Dawn White
- 2010
Pattern available: Full Moon Rising II.
Triple Decker
The hanger came first. When I spotted this vintage weaver’s spool for sale at an old mill, I knew right away that it needed a little quilt to hang from it. I decided to make separate folded log cabin blocks and join them with grosgrain ribbon. A few strips of dupioni silk and shot cotton added a bit of shimmer.
- 5½” x 22”
- Designed and made by Dawn White
- 2010
House #1
This was my first folded log cabin project after taking a class in 2009 from Sarah Kaufman, author of Folded Log Cabin Quilts (C&T Publishing, 2010). I envision House #1 as part of a series called There Goes the Neighborhood.
- 6” x 15”
- Designed and made by Dawn White
- 2009
