Category Archives: Quatrefoil

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”

by Dawn Posted on December 31, 2024

Do you know that lovely song written in 1947 by Frank Loesser? If not, you owe it to yourself to listen to the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald’s lush rendition. You can do that right here. This New Year’s Eve I’ll be putting the finishing touches on my final quilt finish of the year, Wonderful World. It will be the subject of my first post of 2025.

In the meantime, here are a few images of our decorating at the Portland White House to keep the holiday vibe going. I love seeing the elaborate decorations some of my fellow quilters have posted on their blogs and Instagram pages, especially because my decorating seems to get more minimal every year. We do keep our decorations up until Twelfth Night (January 5 in 2025) so we have a few more days to enjoy them.

I bought this lovely wreath at Trader Joe’s in early December and added the clusters of red bells:

We had the exterior of our house painted this year. The door and mailbox were painted a lovely shade of green. The lights you see reflected in the door and windows are icicle lights on the curved arch on the front porch. From the sidewalk you can see our tiny tree and my little round quilt, Holliberry Circle:

Here’s a closer look:

From her perch a very relaxed Coco has a view out the front door:

My other Christmas quilt, ‘Tis the Season, is currently on rotation on the sofa:

The Dear Husband and I wish you all a safe and Happy New Year. I’ll be back in 2025!

Posted in cats, family, home dec, Quatrefoil, Ribbon Box quilt, update, wall hanging, wonky Dresden neighborhood | 5 Comments

First Light Designs: Best of 2021

by Dawn Posted on December 26, 2021

For the sixth consecutive year, Cheryl at Meadowmist Designs is hosting a “Linky Party,” inviting quilt bloggers to share their top five posts of the year. It’s a fun way to look back on the past 12 months and identify some of the high points as well as see what marvelous things other quilters are creating. So thank you, Cheryl. I’m delighted to join the 2021 party!

Clicking on the links below will take you to the original posts where you can read more about the finishes and see more photos.

Number 1. Best Tutorial:Â Oven Mitts that Fit

I’m still waiting for the quilting and crafting world to discover my tutorial on quilted oven mitts. I worked really hard on writing this tutorial and loading it with pictures. So much so that the tutorial is in two parts with a prequel!

Oven Mitts that Fit: the Prequel gives the background for my taking on this project and shows you how to make your own pattern based on the size of your hand.

Part 1 covers fabric requirements, instructions for downloading and printing the pattern, assembling the layers, and quilting the resulting â€œquilt sandwich.â€

Part 2 covers the sewing of the mitt and contrasting band around the cuff edge as well as the final step of tacking the band down before turning the mitt right side out.

These mitts make great gifts for friends and family. I invite you to take a look!

Number 2. Best UFO Finish

Okay, I confess:Â This is the only UFO (UnFinished Object) I busted this year. It’s an updated version of the traditional pattern Grandma’s Surprise. I started working on this quilt in 2015 in a class taught by Joyce Gieszler. Her bookÂ Then and Now Quilts (Kansas City Star Quilts, 2014) had come out the year before and Grandmaâ€™s Surprise was one of the quilts featured in the book.Â My version of this design is called Currant Affairs (there’s a pun in that name).

Number 3.Â Best Quilt Made for a Car

You read that right. I made this quilt for my 2019 Subaru Forester aka the Green Goddess. I’d been wanting to make a car quilt for some time and was prompted to do so when I discovered the line of “Jungle Paradise” fabric designed by Stacy Iest Hsu and the free (and very easy) pattern State Fair by Melissa Corry. This isÂ my Green Goddess Car Quilt.

Number 4. Best Quilt Made from a Jelly Roll

I don’t use precuts very much, mainly because I like to prewash my fabrics. But in my stash was a Jelly Roll (2Â½â€ strips) of “High Street,” a line of fabrics by Lily Ashbury for Moda Fabrics. I used the Jelly Roll in a free pattern called Tea Time in BaliÂ and wound up with a quilt I named Tea Time on High Street.

Number 5. Best Red and Green Quilt

It’s a tie! I made two quilts this year using red and green fabrics. First up is ‘Tis the Season:

It’s actually my first quilt finish of 2021 but I saved it for the fifth slot because we’re still celebrating the season. ‘Tis the Season was made using the Missouri Star Company’s pattern QuatrefoilÂ and Corey Yoder’s fabric line called “Holliberry.”

My second red and green quilt of 2021 is the very recently finished Winterwood, based on my pattern Season to Taste:

It can be a wall hanging or a table runner. I gave it to my sister Diane for Christmas so now we know: it’s a table runner:

With five days left in the year, there’s a good chance I’ll be able to add a third red and green quilt to the mix. (You may see it in next year’s Linky Party.)

Be sure to check out the top five posts of the other quilting/blogging partygoers. If you’re a quilter, you can join Cheryl’s Best of 2021 Linky Party, too. The link is open until January 2. Thank you for visiting First Light Designs. All the best in 2022!

Posted in home dec, kaleidoscope quilts, oven mitts, Quatrefoil, single-fold binding, State Fair quilt pattern, table runner, tutorial, update, wall hanging | 8 Comments

First Finish of 2021

by Dawn Posted on January 2, 2021

First things first: Happy New Year, friends! May 2021 exceed your expectations in every way.

Now on to the next good thing: ‘Tis the Season, my quilt made with the Missouri Star Quilt Company’s Quatrefoil pattern, is a wrap! Take a look:

The quilt was officially completed on New Year’s Day but it was dark by the time I’d stitched the label on so I had to wait till today to take photos. Indoor shots only, I’m afraid; it’s January in Portland (need I say more?).

There was never a doubt in my mind what fabric I would use to bind this quilt: it absolutely had to be the green diagonal stripe in Corey Yoder’s “Holliberry” line. I tried a new-to-me way of applying the binding: it’s single-fold rather than the traditional double-fold. I’ve been wanting to try this method since hearing my friend Pam Raby of Loved to PiecesÂ sing its praises when she was on the Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson last July.

Oh my. Mitering the corners was a breeze! There’s much less bulk, and the corners lie nice and flat. Feel free to inspect mine:

For the label I made an inset circle and then enclosed it in another circle:

Here’s a look at the back of the quilt:

Since I love the crinkly look and feel of a laundered quilt, ‘Tis the Season went into the washer and dryer after these pictures were taken. Now here it is, still warm from the dryer, on the back of the couch, where it will take up residence for the time being:

‘Tis still the season as far as I’m concerned!

Posted in mitered corners, Quatrefoil, quilt labels, single-fold binding, stitch-and-flip corners, update | 12 Comments

My Quatrefoil Christmas Quilt — Quilted!

by Dawn Posted on December 29, 2020

My Quatrefoil quilt is back from the quilter already! Take a look:

Because of all the straight lines and angles in this quilt, I had already decided on “something with loops and swirls” for a quilting motif. After consulting with longarmer Sherry Wadley, we went with “Retro Heart,” an edge-to-edge pattern by Anne Bright Designs. I just love how it turned out!

Of course Coco decided to make an impromptu inspection, as she is wont to do:

Here’s a look at the whole quilt:

After trimming, it now measures 57″ x 71″ — a good size for a throw.

I made a simple pieced back using some of the leftovers from Corey Yoder’s “Holliberry” layer cake (10″ squares) and a larger piece of the grey floral:

That light fabric at the top is something I pulled from my stash, and it just happens to have loops and swirls on it, too:

I’ve decided to name this quilt ‘Tis the Season. That pretty much covers Christmas, the holidays, and winter, doesn’t it?

If I don’t dilly-dally, I can get it bound and labeled before the end of the year.

On the other hand . . . wouldn’t it be great to start 2021 with a finish?

Posted in cats, Quatrefoil, stitch-and-flip corners, update | 8 Comments

Border Patrol: Quatrefoil Christmas Quilt

by Dawn Posted on December 20, 2020

The borders are on my Christmas Quatrefoil quilt and I couldn’t be more pleased:

The inner border is a 2″ finished strip of background fabric to float the blocks. For the outer border I auditioned this red focus fabric and the same print in the light grey background. The grey print is lovely but it just wasn’t bold enough. I was initially concerned that the red focus fabric would overpower the interior of the quilt but happily the individual blocks hold their own.

I think of this as my Christmas Quatrefoil quilt but this line of “Holliberry” prints by Moda is not overtly Christmas-y. The holly leaves and the pointsettia blossoms give it a Christmas vibe to be sure but the prints speak more to me of winter than holiday. What that means is that when it’s quilted and bound, this quilt can take up rotation on the back of my sofa all winter long. I leave my outdoor icicle lights up until Valentine’s Day, after all!Â I love the way they light up the porch and are reflected in the glass door and windows:

And you can also see my little tree on the sideboard by the front door. Here’s a close-up:

Princess Cordelia aka Coco is on her best behavior.

Tomorrow I’ll make a pieced backing for my quilt top using some of the yardage I bought along with a set of precut 10″ squares. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could get this quilted and bound before Christmas? I might reach out to a couple of my favorite local longarmers to see if they are working their magic this coming week. . .

Posted in Quatrefoil, stitch-and-flip corners, update | 14 Comments

Quatrefoil Christmas Quilt: An Update

by Dawn Posted on December 19, 2020

I didn’t just decide on a final layout for my 12 Quatrefoil Christmas blocks; I sewed them together with the sashing strips. Oh my, I am loving this quilt top!

Behold:

Right now it measures 40Â½â€ x 52Â½â€; the next step is to add a strip of background fabric all around to float the top and then add a border (or maybe two). I have yardage in the large red and the large light grey floral prints. I’ll audition both fabrics before deciding.

As for binding, I could go with the green diagonal stripe or the small red print used in the corners of each block. It really depends on the outer border. Decisions, decisions!

Posted in Quatrefoil, stitch-and-flip corners, update | 8 Comments

Quatrefoil Quilt Blocks: Second Set of Six

by Dawn Posted on December 17, 2020

. . . and here they are:

These join the six blocks, shown below, that I wrote about in my last post:

All the fabrics except the background are from Corey Yoder’s “Holliberry” line for Moda Fabrics. The background is from Lori Holt’s “Seasonal Basics” line for Riley Blake Fabrics.

Now that the second set is done, I’m playing with all 12 blocks on my design wall to get just the right distribution of color and value. Each time I think “This is it,” I take another look and start moving blocks around again. Am I obsessing? Yes, but it’s what I do.

Well, tomorrow is another day. With any luck, I’ll arrive at a final setting and post it right here for all the world to see.

Posted in Quatrefoil, stitch-and-flip corners, update | 4 Comments

Building Blocks

by Dawn Posted on December 7, 2020

Building Quatrefoil blocks, to be specific. You saw Block 1 in my last post. Here are a few more:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background — Quatrefoil Block 2

Do you have a favorite? I like every block but confess I’m partial to Number One:

The pattern I am using is Quatrefoil from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. It’s available as a paper pattern and also as a pdf download. I bought it in pdf format for a mere $3.95 and was able to print the pattern almost immediately.

These blocks finish at 12″ square. I’ve decided to make a throw-size quilt with 12 blocks. With sashing strips and borders added, my quilt will finish somewhere around 56″ x 68″ — a good size to display on the back of a couch or over one’s lap.

Here are the first six blocks stuck up on my design wall with some sashing strips:

You can see how the sashing strips and the four-patches in the corner of each block combine to create an Irish chain effect. That’s one of the reasons I like this Quatrefoil quilt pattern so much.

I need to pay careful attention to how I put the fabric combinations together in the final six blocks so that the over-all effect is balanced. Isn’t it funny how hard we quilters work to make a scrappy quilt look effortlessly planned?

Posted in Quatrefoil, stitch-and-flip corners, update | 8 Comments

A Quatrefoil Christmas Quilt

by Dawn Posted on December 3, 2020

Oh, I know I am going to enjoy working on this new project! This is Test Block #1 of a quilt I’ve started with a festive line of holiday fabric called “Holliberry” designed by Corey Yoder for Moda Fabrics. The block is called Quatrefoil, which means “four leaves” in French.

When I first learned about “Holliberry” a few months ago, I knew I wanted to make something with it. Not knowing what to make, I decided to buy a Layer Cake (a package of 10″ squares featuring the entire line) and a few pieces of yardage. I already had my background fabric: a polkadot print from another designer, Lori Holt of A Bee in My Bonnet. I love how the green and red dots are scattered randomly over the white fabric.

The fabrics got packed up last month and hauled to Atlanta so I could work on the quilt while visiting my twin sister Diane over Thanksgiving. I keep a sewing machine there, along with a complete set of accessories, because I always do some sewing while I am at her home.

This year my sewing experience was especially enjoyable because Diane had her handyman make a “Big Board” that sits on top of her ironing board to increase the ironing surface.Â This Big Board is BIG! Check it out:

My own Big Board is 22″ x 60″, which suits me (and my small-ish sewing room) just fine. Diane’s Big Board measures 26″ x 68″. I had sent her a king-size cotton batt, unbleached muslin, and fabric for the cover beforehand. She and her handyman wrapped three layers of batting and one layer of muslin around the frame and stapled them in place. Then they stretched the top layer of fabric over the surface and held it in place underneath with large 2″ T-pins I had ordered from a wig shop. Because the top layer is pinned rather than stapled in place, it will be easy to take it off for laundering or replace it when the time comes.

My Christmas Quatrefoil quilt will be what I call “controlled scrappy.” I’ll be using different combinations of prints from the “Holliberry” line:

The stacks of squares on either side of the block can either be the four leaves of the quatrefoil or the centers of four blocks.

Despite the wonderful addition of Diane’s Big Board, the block you see at the top of the post was the only one I made on this visit. Diane and I were too busy celebrating a big birthday — our 70th! — and let’s just say that it’s not a good idea to drink champagne and sew at the same time.

After making Test Block #1, I determined I needed to make one change but I didn’t getÂ to it until after returning home earlier this week.Â Here is Test Block #2:

Can you see the difference?

I’ll give you a hint:Â look at the four small green blocks with the diagonal print.

Here are the blocks side by side (I wish the colors were the same but the photos were taken at different times of day in different light):

I replaced the four-patch units in each corner so I could change the orientation of the diagonal green lines. The green lines on the right block form a diamond shape that echoes the diamond shape of the red print. The change might not be noticeable to some but I find the revised block much more pleasing to the eye.

Now that I’ve finished the first block, I can hardly wait to make some more!

Posted in family, Quatrefoil, update | 6 Comments

Half a Lifetime

by Dawn Posted on November 21, 2020

Hello from Atlanta, where my husband Charlie and I are visiting my twin sister Diane and her husband Ed. Itâ€™s our annual Thanksgiving trip. We arrived earlier than usual this year for a special reason: Diane and I turned 70 on November 16th and we wanted to celebrate the big 7-0 together. We werenâ€™t going to let Covid keep us apart.

Charlie and I took extreme precautions on the trip here from Oregon, including wearing safety goggles in transit that made us look like very large insects. Two days after we left Portland the governor of Oregon announced new statewide restrictions because of the alarming increase of Covid cases. We will self-quarantine for two weeks on our return.

In the interim, we are having an absolutely wonderful time doing not very much at all. Lots of Scrabble games, brisk walks outdoors in the fresh air, reading, watching movies, making favorite recipes and trying out new ones. On our actual birthday we got all dressed up â€” Diane and I in our Little Black Dresses â€” and went to an early and very properly socially distanced dinner at a lovely French restaurant.

As fraternal twins Diane and I were never dressed alike by our mother but half a lifetime ago, when we turned 35, we bought matching sweaters and posed for this photo:

Fast forward another 35 years. We decided to recreate the photo with new matching sweaters:

Who says you canâ€™t be silly at 70? Of course we can never go out in public wearing these outfits at the same time!

Here’s Diane in her Little Black Dress (which is actually midnight blue) . . .

. . . and here I am in mine:

I whipped up masks for us to wear with our LBDs:

I’ve taken to adding neck straps to my masks after hearing from a fellow quilter, Linda B. No more needing to stuff a mask into a pocket or leave it dangling on one ear. (Thanks so much for the idea, Linda!)

That’s the extent of my sewing on this trip to date but I hauled a bunch of fabric all the way from Portland to start on a new quilt. Here’s hoping I have a couple of test blocks — Quatrefoil blocks, in fact! — to show you real soon.

Posted in face masks, family, Quatrefoil, Scrabble, update | 12 Comments

First Light Designs