Category Archives: update

Website Woes

If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in more than two weeks, I have two words by way of explanation:  Website Woes. If you’ve visited First Light Designs lately, perhaps you’ve noticed that some of my blog posts and website pages have had weird changes in formatting. To wit: extra spaces between the heading of a blog post and the beginning of the text, weird symbols in place of fractions or other symbols, photo fragments at the top of pages instead of my logo, and random posts where spaces between words have suddenly disappeared. That last one is especially vexing because I was a professional proofreader in a previous life, and it galls me to think some readers might think I’ve been sloppy in editing and proofing my posts.

I contacted my website host (GoDaddy) who convinced me I needed to engage its marketing team who would fix these issues — at a cost, of course — in 24 to 48 hours. That was almost three weeks ago. Not only have the issues not been fixed, they seem to be multiplying! The last marketing team member I spoke to last Monday promised to call me on Tuesday with an update. It didn’t happen, of course. I’m still fuming about that. Tomorrow I’ll set aside another two hours to talk to someone at GoDaddy and see how far I get. Although I’m an optimist by nature, it’s hard to be hopeful at this point.

And it’s not just the website. I keep putting chores and other duties ahead of sewing, so precious little is happening in my sewing room. I did manage to complete a couple of quick projects for a very dear friend and I also sewed all of the rows together on my Berried Treasure quilt top, based on my 4-Patch Wonder quilt pattern:

This may look a lot like the photo on my last post but there’s a difference. In that photo, the blocks were arranged on my design wall but not sewn together. In this photo the blocks have been joined into rows and the rows sewn together. I do love the drama of this quilt top!

I have three sets of strips cut for the outer borders but am now questioning one of my fabric choices. Tomorrow I plan to audition a couple of other pieces in my stash and will show you the final combo in my next post.

I hope you will stick with me as I navigate these vexatious website issues!

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 1 Comment

“No Contest”

The two fabrics I was auditioning for the side and corner triangles on my 4-Patch Wonder quilt were pale yellow and dark blue. I feared the blue would be too strong but friends, it was immediately apparent that blue was the way to go. In other words, “no contest.” The pale yellow fabric I was considering was so understated I didn’t even bother photographing it. The blue fabric — the same fabric used in the wider sashing strips in the interior of the quilt — was the obvious choice. See for yourself:

Pretty dramatic, right? This photo was taken at night in artificial light so the resolution isn’t terrific but the effect certainly is. I’m now in the process of sewing the rows together. My name for this quilt, Berried Treasure, feels “spot on.” Do you agree?

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 6 Comments

Coming Right Along . . .

. . . on my current 4-Patch Wonder quilt. The second set of sashing strips has been added to my blocks, and here the blocks are arrayed in their final position ready to be sewn together in diagonal rows:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundI moved only two blocks — switching the second and third ones in the third row — before proclaiming the setting complete. Now the big decision is what fabric to use in the setting triangles — the ones that go around the entire quilt to make it rectangular.

My two top candidates are the yellow fabric I initially chose for the wide sashing, which I think may draw out the yellow background in the 4-Patch Wonder blocks very nicely, or the royal blue used in the wider sashing strips. My fear is that the blue will be too strong. I’m going to sacrifice a 15″ square of each fabric and cut them into four triangles to audition them side by side, and then I’ll report back. Do come back to see what I chose!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 1 Comment

Playing with the Layout of My 4-Patch Wonder Quilt

It didn’t take very long at all to lay out all 32 blocks for my current 4-Patch Wonder quilt made with the blue colorway of Lakehouse Dry Goods’ “Raspberries and Hydrangea” fabric line:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundBack in 2011 when I was working on Framboise, my version with the pink colorway, I spent hours and hours moving the blocks around on my design wall before settling on a layout. What was different this time? I had the pink version as a reference! The blocks are not the same in the two quilts but there is enough similarity that the process of sorting blocks with differing levels of value and pattern and then arranging them on the design wall went very smoothly the second time around.

Here are the first four rows with the second set of sashing strips added:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundNow you can really see it taking shape.

Once I have all of the sashing strips added, I’ll review my block placement choices. There will be opportunity to make changes before sewing the blocks together.

 

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 8 Comments

The Last 4-Patch Wonder Blocks

Here are five of my final eight 4-Patch Wonder “faux-kaleido” blocks, bringing me up to the 32 blocks needed for my current Work-in-Progress:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundThe other three blocks got mixed into the ones I had already made and I didn’t want to take the time to identify them. You’ll see them soon enough in the final layout.

All 32 blocks now have the first set of sashing strips around them:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

I have to determine the final layout of the blocks before adding the second set of sashing strips because 12 of the blocks are sashed with one fabric and the remaining 20 with another. If you look at Framboise, the pink version I made in 2012 . . .

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background. . . you can spot the 12 blocks sashed in that bright pink fabric and see how they are surrounded by the other blocks sashed in pale green. Essentially the odd rows have four blocks sashed in one color and the even rows have three blocks sashed in the other.

Now comes the enjoyable (but somewhat nerve-racking) task of arranging the blocks on my design wall. You can see that some of the blocks have very little light background color and others have a lot so I’ll be looking for that perfect balance as I arrange them.

This is really where my obsessive-compulsive nature kicks in. Not only do the blocks in each horizontal row have to look balanced, I also have to be pleased with the way the blocks look in the diagonal rows. Am I up for the challenge? You bet!

 

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 4 Comments

More 4-Patch Wonder Blocks

Here’s another group of 12 faux-kaleido blocks, set on point as they will be in my finished 4-Patch Wonder quilt:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundI’m going to make one more set, even though I only need eight more blocks. I can then pick my favorites and put the leftovers on the back.

The fabric I ordered online for the outer borders has arrived and it’s just a skosh darker than the piece I had in my stash. The larger piece in the picture below is the darker:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundCan you even tell?

I’m still pinching myself over my good luck in finding this 2½-yard length of fabric. I’ll be able to cut my outer border strips on the lengthwise grain, avoiding the necessity of seams which would be unavoidable with border strips cut on the crosswise grain, i.e., from selvage to selvage.

The fabric came quickly from an Etsy seller in California. It was neatly wrapped in tissue paper and sported this cute little sticker:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundI’ve already decided on a name for my current Work-in-Progress: Berried Treasure.

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 5 Comments

Just My Luck

Just my luck . . . as in the good kind! If you read my last post, you know that I’m playing around with four-patch kaleidoscope blocks (what I call “4-Patch Wonder” blocks) in the making of another quilt from my pattern of the same name, using a different colorway from one of the versions I’ve made from the pattern.

Instead of making the next set of 4-Patch Wonder blocks, I started playing around with possibilities for the narrow and wide sashing strips that surround the blocks. My pattern calls for two variations. I had already decided on the first combination of a medium green leaf design for the narrow sashing and a vibrant dark blue dot (“Spin Dot” by Timeless Treasures) for the wider sashing. I made a couple of test blocks.

For the adjacent blocks I was considering the same green leaf for the narrow sashing and a pale yellow blender that matched the background yellow of my focus fabric. Here are the two blue test blocks with the yellow test block:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundOkay, the yellow blender is very pretty . . . but it’s not sensational. I was hoping for something with a little more pizzazz, especially because the yellow background of the focus fabric is slightly metallic with a lovely subtle scroll design. I looked at my pink version, Framboise . . .

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

. . and thought, “Wouldn’t that pale green print in the wider sashing strips be sensational in the blue version?” Of course I had no hope of finding it after all these years. After all, I made Framboise way back in 2011.

But wait! Didn’t I have a bit of that pale green fabric left over from the pink version? I started digging in my stash and was amazed to find a large remnant measuring 32″ x 54″ — enough to make the wider sashing strips. Oh, but wouldn’t it be nice to have enough for the outer border, too, like I did in Framboise? Just for fun, I made a test block. And I loved the combination:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundThe product info was on the selvage; what did I have to lose? With very little hope in my heart, I googled “Sweet Dreams by Robyn Givens for SSI Quilting” — and was absolutely astounded to see a 2½-yard piece for sale on Etsy. Friends, what are the odds? Of course I bought it on the spot and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. Even if the dye lot is somewhat different from the piece I have, it will be enough to make the outer borders without having to piece them.

Although it was my plan to have these two versions of 4-Patch Wonder share the same focus fabric in two colorways, I didn’t expect to use some of the other companion fabrics as well. It will be fun to compare them when they are done. Fraternal twins! I can relate.

 

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, update | 4 Comments

A New Project for the New Year

Perhaps I should have titled this post “An Oldie but a Goodie.” You see, I’ve started on a quilt made from a pattern I wrote 15 years ago using fabric that has been in my stash for 10 years — and I’m duplicating a quilt I made 14 years ago from a different colorway of the same fabric that most likely was first released during the first decade of this century. Whew!

Anybody remember the beautiful fabrics designed by Holly Holderman for Lakehouse Dry Goods? How about the fabric line called “Hydrangeas and Raspberries?” It came in a pink version and a blue version. I initially bought the pink-hued fabric and created this quilt:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background
Framboise, 69″ x 84″ (2012)

As you can see, I named the quilt Framboise (the French word for raspberry). Out of all the quilts I have made, it remains one of my favorites.

The pattern was 4-Patch Wonder, one of my own:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

It features a four-patch “faux-kaleidoscope” design made by stacking four fabric repeats, cutting them into squares, and rotating each set of four squares to create a pleasing symmetrical design. The contrasting sets of sashing give the blocks an elegant mat and frame effect, and setting the blocks on point adds visual interest.

In 2015 I was the lucky winner of a large piece of the blue version of Hydrangeas and Raspberries at a meeting of my quilt guild, the Metropolitan Patchwork Society:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

When I say “large piece,” I mean over five yards. Seriously!

Over the last 10 years I’ve often thought about making another version of 4-Patch Wonder with the blue-hued fabric for the simple reason that I already know it would create striking faux-kaleido blocks.

See for yourself! Here are my first six blocks:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

Check out what these squares look like set on point:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

Aren’t those spectacular?

Here’s my second set of six blocks . . .

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

. . . and here they are on point:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundRight now I’m auditioning fabrics for my narrow and wide sashing strips. And I’m getting ready to stack my next set of four fabric repeats to create some more faux-kaleido blocks. Am I having fun? You better believe it!

 

 

 

 

Posted in 4-Patch Wonder, faux-kaleido quilts, kaleidoscope quilts, Metropolitan Patchwork Society, update | 7 Comments

Tutorial: Folded Flap Hot Pads from First Light Designs

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundHere’s an easy and fun tutorial to get your New Year off to a crafty start.

With six squares of fabric plus one square of insulated heat-resistant batting, you can quickly assemble and sew a sturdy and stylish hot pad. You probably wouldn’t guess from looking that the design is created with four folded triangles, each of which creates a flap that is folded back to reveal a contrasting fabric diamond in the center.

My tutorial results in hot pads that finish about 8″ square but you can make them larger or smaller. See my “Notes” at the bottom of the tutorial.

These hot pads make great gifts — but don’t you want to make a couple first for your own kitchen?

Supplies
Sewing machine with walking foot, open-toed if possible
Standard sewing supplies (scissors, thread, seam ripper, etc.)
New needle — 90/14 sharp or jeans needle, as you will be sewing through multiple layers
Rotary cutting equipment – mat, cutter, rulers (4″ x 14″ comes in handy)
Wonder Clips (small size)
Gently pointed instrument, such as a bone folder, to poke out corners

Fabric
For one hot pad you’ll need six 9″ squares of 100% cotton fabric: one for the “diamond” fabric in the center of the hot pad, four for the triangles (made from folded squares) that go around the center diamond, and one for the back.

You’ll also need one 9-inch square of Insul-bright*, an insulated heat-resistant batting.

(*Insul-bright is made of polyester fibers needled through a reflective metalized polyester film. According to the Warm Company, maker of Insul-bright, the fibers “resist conduction while the reflective metalized polyester film reflects radiant energy, hot and cold, back to its source.” You could use two squares of 100% cotton batting as an alternative to Insul-bright but they wouldn’t have the reflective property.)

Choose at least three fabrics that go well together and offer good contrast. The fabric for the center diamond should be fairly bold, as you don’t see much of it. The fabric for the back can be any of the three that show on top or a completely different fabric. Because these hot pads are meant to be used, I advise steering clear of light-colored fabrics. Choose fabrics that are medium to medium-dark in value. Just being practical!

This design is fat-quarter friendly. One fat quarter yields four 9″ squares. A regular or long quarter (9″ x width of fabric, usually about 42″) also yields four 9″ squares. A fat quarter of three different fabrics yields enough 9″ squares for two Folded Flap Hot Pads.

Cutting and pressing the fabric
Cut four 9″ squares for the top (two each of two different fabrics. We’ll call them Fabric A and Fabric B.)

Cut one 9″ square for the center diamond (Fabric C).

Cut one 9″ square for the back (Fabric A, B or C — or another of your choosing).

Cut one 9″ square of Insul-bright.

Press the squares of Fabric A and B in half, wrong sides together, to form triangles.

Putting it together
1. On a flat surface start layering the fabrics in this order:

Fabric C (center diamond fabric), right side down
Insul-bright (it does not have a right or wrong side)
Back fabric, right side up:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background2. Next come two triangles of Fabric A, with folded edges meeting in the middle, forming a diagonal line across the square from upper right to lower left. These are Triangles 1 and 2, with Triangle 1 being the one in the upper left side:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background3. Now layer the two triangles of Fabric B, with folded edges meeting in the middle, forming a diagonal line in the opposite direction:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundMake sure raw edges are aligned all around. These are Triangles 3 and 4, with Triangle 3 being the one on the upper right side. With all your layers in place, Triangles 3 and 4 are the only ones you see.

4. Pull back the upper top left corner of Triangle 3 to expose the two pieces of Fabric A underneath:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background5. Pull back the upper right corner of Triangle 1 (Fabric A) and tuck Triangle 3 underneath it. It should look like this:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background6. Pull back the lower bottom right corner of Triangle 4 to expose the two pieces of Fabric A underneath:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background7. Pull back the lower left corner of Triangle 2 and tuck Triangle 4 underneath it.

You now have an X design, with two triangles of Fabric A opposite each other and two triangles of Fabric B opposite each other:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundIt may seem a little vague as you’re reading it for the first time but when you are actually arranging the triangles, it should become very clear.

8. Use Wonder Clips around all four sides to hold the layers in place:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundCheck the back to make sure the fabric is smooth with no puckers:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background9. Using a walking foot, start in the middle of any side and stitch a 3/8″ seam around the entire square. Stop just before the corner where the folded edges meet, pivot, and take two stitches diagonally across the corner, pivoting again to stitch the next straight side. Sew a few stitches beyond the original starting point:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundClip the threads.

Here’s a close-up of one corner showing the two diagonal stitches:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background10. Using a rotary cutter or sharp scissors, trim 1/8″ from the stitched edge. Clip across corners. I trimmed from the back for the simple reason that I could see my stitching lines more easily:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

11. Insert fingers through folded edges of the center and turn hot pad right side out. Carefully poke the corners with a bone folder or other gently pointed instrument. Because of the bulk, you’ll get softly rounded corners:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundPress the hot pad.

12. Turn back the folded edge of each triangle in the center to form a flap, with the widest part of the flap at the center (about ¾”), tapering to almost nothing at the outer edges. Press all four flaps down, exposing the center diamond shape of Fabric C:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

Optional: Stitch around the flaps through all thicknesses, using a straight or decorative machine stitch, to permanently anchor the flaps:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundI strongly recommend this extra step, as it helps keep the shape of the hot pad if it is machine washed and dried.

Here’s a look at the back:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundIt looks good enough from the back to be reversible!

This hot pad looks right at home in my kitchen:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundThe only thing it’s missing is a mate.

Notes
1. Use the same fabric for all four sides of the top – or four different ones for a scrappy look. It’s up to you!

2. The hot pads can be made larger or smaller. For example, if you have a stack of pre-cut 10″ squares from a single line of fabric, you can make Folded Flap Hot Pads that finish at 9″ — or cut the squares down to 9″ so they finish like mine at about 8″ square. Just remember that the finished hot pad will be 1″ smaller than the starting size of your cut squares.

3. The center “diamond,” cut from a square, is the focal point of the hot pad. Think about the possibilities for fussy-cut centers! Perhaps you are wondering if the bright yellow blossom in the center of my sample hot pad was fussy-cut. Why yes, as a matter of fact it was.

4. For a look at a pair of Folded Flap Hot Pads I made years ago and finished just last month, see this post.

 

 

 

Posted in folded flap hot pads, home dec, hot pads, tutorial, update | 1 Comment

It’s a Wrap: Wonderful World

Happy New Year, friends! The year 2024 is a wrap and so is my final finish of the year, Wonderful World, so named because the text print in the quilt contains the lyrics to “What a Wonderful World,” first recorded and made famous by Louis Armstrong:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white backgroundTruth be told, I didn’t finish hand-stitching the label to the back until today but I hope you will indulge me and let me count it as a finish for 2024.

The photo above and the following ones were taken late this afternoon as the weak winter light was waning but I think you can get a good idea of how my third version of the free Ribbon Box quilt pattern turned out.

Here’s a flat shot of the front . . .

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background. . . and of the back:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

It measures 51″ x 64½” and contains six prints from the “Gingham Foundry” line of fabrics by Riley Blake that came out in 2021.

Even though I was in a hurry to finish this quilt, I took the extra step of adding a contrasting ring to my trademark round quilt label:

A pattern of green and yellow colors with white background

And where is Coco, my photobombing cat who can usually be found lounging on a newly finished quilt? She has spent a good part of the afternoon on the Dear Husband’s lap while he watched college football games on TV.

I’ve already decided that Wonderful World is going to be my new go-to lap quilt so you can expect to see a photo in the near future of Her Majesty — Coco’s full name is Princess Cordelia — in slumber and/or repose.

Thank you all for continuing to follow me at First Light Designs! It cheers me so much to see your kind comments and spurs me to keep creating with fabric and posting about it.

All the best to you in 2025!

 

 

 

 

Posted in cats, family, update | 7 Comments