By the sea: Beach Cottages

In the middle of a hectic day or a dreary winter night, who hasn't thought about escaping to the paradise of a warm beach, replete with graceful palm trees and cozy, inviting cottages? Well, Beth Maddocks has designed this ultimate vacation quilt. Even when we rest our eyes on it briefly, "Beach Cottages" provides a relaxing visual getaway. Grab your surfboards and make a run from your ocean-front home for the dancing waves of this darling quilt pattern !

Beach Cottages, 57 x 67", by Beth Maddocks, at Piece by Number

The intensity of the sun at most beaches creates an outdoor scene with pure colors, such as Beth has used here. Because beach scenes are often predominated with light and deep values of cyan and cerulean blue, there is an absence of the muted, toned shades that exist when sunlight is filtered through leaves and branches, as in woodland scenes.  The striped border of "Beach Cottages" uses both clear, pure pastels and high chroma brights to provide the sun-dappled effect. Here's a good way to use up bits and pieces of your favorite stash fabrics. Use pastel sky blue fabric to create the background, just as you would in constructing a landscape quilt. At the Beach cottages pattern page on Etsy, Beth suggests: "Choose fabrics reminiscent of your favorite beach -- South Pacific batiks, Caribbean brights, Bermuda pastels, African prints, or Californian/Mediterranean white, terracotta and turquoise. Personalize your quilt with novelty fabric faces in the windows, embroidered flowers, fish in the ocean, shells on the sand, novelty buttons -- your imagination is the only limit."

Beth Maddocks is an expert in paper-pieced or foundation-pieced quilts, in which the fabric shapes are sewn onto a printed design one by one. Because the paper (or cloth) backing serves to stabilize the fabric, this process makes it easy to handle small pieces of material and create sharp corners and accurate shapes such as the roofs, windows, doors, cabanas, crests of the waves, and palm trees in Beach Cottages.

Beth makes her home in Geneva, Switzerland, where she writes about her adventures on her blog, Piece of Mind. For more of her designs, please visit her website, Piece By Number. Also don't miss the  amazing variety of free patterns on her site (it's a great place to learn and practice foundation piecing !)

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Beth Maddocks. To purchase her patterns, visit her Piece by Number shop.

Note: Do you love all kinds of "house" quilts, as we do ? Check out the following articles from 2010:  Our Town, Our Town Part 2, Our Town Part 3, Our Town Part 4, Our Town Part 5, and Our Town Part 6.

Our Town Part 6 : Waiting for Santa

Christmas is almost here, and all we are doing now is 'waiting for Santa'... (we wish !)  In any case, we've been waiting until this morning to show Lynette Anderson's delightful quilt by the same name.

Waiting for Santa, 56 x 66 , by Lynette Anderson, at Lynette Anderson Designs

This quilt is filled with everything we associate with Christmas, including angels, reindeer, trees, and Santa himself.   We love the foundation-pieced stars, and the strings of heart-shaped lights, which are carried aloft by doves. Did you notice the little face in the window of the house? That's one of Lynette's sons peering out 'waiting for Santa' to come and visit him!  The pattern for this cheerful quilt can be obtained on the Waiting for Santa page. Also don't miss Lynette's bestselling Scandinavian Christmas, which was inspired by the houses, buildings and traditions of Scandinavia.

Image credits and links: The image is shown with the generous permission of Lynette Anderson. Some of the imagery in her work draws on her memories of growing up in a small village in Dorset, England. Lynette and her family now live on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in Australia. Along with her books of designs, her patterns for stitcheries, quilts, and more are marketed under the name, Lynette Anderson Designs. To find out more about Lynette, please visit her blog.

Our Town, Part 5: Up on the Housetop

Cynthia England is an amazing designer, teacher, and author who has published over fifty patterns and two books. Her quilts have won many prestigious awards, in part due to her "picture piecing" technique, which creates vivid, true-to-life landscape scenes. In "Up on the Housetop" we see the arrival of Santa with his flying reindeer, sleigh, and his bag of toys.

Up on the Housetop, 49 x 33, by Cynthia England, at England Design

Here is a snow-covered neighborhood, steeped in the repose of an icy night, when Santa suddenly arrives and lights up the sky. The restful, monochromatic blue tones of the houses, trees, and sky complement the reds and beiges of Santa's sleigh and the bright white rooftops. This holiday quilt does not rely on a red and green theme, but instead incorporates the chilled, muted shades of winter for contrast.

A series of Quick Time videos on Cynthia's website show readers how to prepare a freezer paper pattern, iron pattern pieces to fabric, cut the fabric pieces, pin and pinch-fold the fabric pieces, then reposition and sew the pieces. This technique yields the precise, angular patterns that you see above in the houses, church, and trees.

Along with "Up on the Housetop", England Design offers patterns and fabric kits for other seasonal events and celebrations.  Cynthia's wonderful talent offers all of us the opportunity to learn or practice a vital quilting skill, as well as to create a quilt which can be a part of warm holiday memories for years to come.

Images credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of Cynthia England. We also featured Cynthia's "Cat Nap" quilt in our Best of Cat Quilts series.

Our Town Part 4 : Welcome to the North Pole !

Here's the North Pole on an enchanted, mystical winter night, as Santa takes off in his sleigh through the star-filled heavens.  This quilt contains blocks of appliqued houses that can be combined in different ways to create different designs. 

Welcome to the North Pole, 40 x 52, by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins, at Piece O' Cake Designs  

Piece O' Cake Designs is a wonderful, creative site and online shop, where Becky and Linda sell their books, patterns, kits, and craft items. They are also applique teachers, with a busy schedule that takes them around the world; you can see Becky's class descriptions here.

This close-up of one of the blocks shows an adorable house with the nameplate "Slick's Sleds" over the door.  Notice the sled-shaped roof fixture, the heart-shaped door knob, and the tree trimmed with rick-rack.

The plaid background fabric gives a cozy vintage look to this quilt. It's a perfect project for using up stripes and plaids in your fabric stash. The houses can be mixed and matched to create table runners, wall hangings, and even garments.

Dinner at Santa's House table runner, 14 x 42 (detail)

The Dinner at Santa's House table runner was first published in 1998 and it is designed to go with the book, Welcome to the North Pole. The turned-up roof top, the giant candy cane growing out of the ground, and the gaily patterned trees all contribute to the whimsical charm. We think that the deep blue backgrounds of Dinner At Santa's House and Welcome to the North Pole give a stability and balance to these works which allow them to blend into your home decor very effectively. This restful blue background works better to complement all decor colors than exclusively using red and green in holiday textiles.

Additional resources: Images are shown with the generous permission of Linda Jenkins and Becky Goldsmith. For more inspiration and a look into the lives of these two top designers, please visit the Piece O' Cake blog.

Our Town Part 3 : Holiday Houses and Decorations

When we were children, our Dad read the beloved poem The Night Before Christmas to us each Christmas Eve, so this quilt by Sue Garman brings back many fond memories. The twelve blocks are each 14 inches square, and each block illustrates a line from the poem. 

Night before Christmas, 78 x 96, by Sue Garman, as seen at Quakertown Quilts

 

The blocks are done in bright reds, greens, and blues that are spotlighted by white setting blocks. This appliqued quilt is bursting with energy and activity ! When you look at the blocks close up, you can see the many thoughtfully placed details that add so much to the overall effect of each block. Check out the carefully tied sprightly bows on each of the packages, the garland and lights which grace the trees, the bright red harnesses of the reindeer, and the miniature accessories worn by the snowmen. The curves of the mountains are mirrored in the curved pathways to each house and the rounded sleigh runners. Some of the stars are even surrounded by halos.

Here's Block 8, with a lively cheerful Santa. Notice the precise detail of his costume and his dapper appearance.

And here is Block 2, complete with a plate of cookies, even a spool of thread, and a tiny Christmas mouse down in the wall.

You can read about the design, and each of the individual blocks, at Sue Garman's blog. The patterns and kits for "Night Before Christmas" are available at Quakertown Quilts.

Image credits and links: Images are shown with the generous permission of Sue Garman. For more quilts with houses, see our earlier posts: Our Town Part One and Our Town Part Two.  The latter post includes a quilt by Pat Dicker named "Pedestrian Friendly", which was based on Sue Garman's "All Around the Town" design.

Our Town Part 2

We've decided that some of the cutest quilts in the world are the ones with houses on them. They really appeal to us, maybe because "home is where the heart is."  Part One of Our Town was posted earlier this month.  Here are some more house quilts which really caught our eye.

Schoolhouse Block, 19 x 22, from "There's No Place Like Home" by Sonya Chinn, at Sonya's Snippets

Long-arm quilter Sonya, creator of the Sonya's Snippets blog, sewed this charming applique scene as one of the blocks for a block-of-the-month quilt which she calls 'There's No Place Like Home'. Sonya has added an individualized touch by placing the initials of her children's school on the quaint schoolhouse. The quilt was based on the "Home Is Where the Heart Is"  pattern.  The entire pattern is available from The Stitch Connection, which sells an array of seasonal block-of-the-month quilt patterns.

Little Amsterdam, 72 x 72, by the North Sea Quilters

The North Sea Quilters have produced this beautifully pieced and intricately quilted work which shows the classic houses of Amsterdam, plus one of the famous canals. Owned by Maria Laza, Leslie Carol Taylor, and Marybeth Tawfik, the North Sea Quilters in The Netherlands offers long arm machine quilting, workshops, retreats, fabric, and patterns. The North Sea Quilters website sells the Little Amsterdam Pattern Book, with a full set of instructions on creating this award-winning quilt, as well as a complete kit.  They have an interesting North Sea Quilters blog where they write about the quilt shows and workshops of Europe and the United States.  Products can be ordered directly from the North Sea Quilters, who are also launching a distribution channel in North America.

Pedestrian Friendly, 60 x 60, by Pat Dicker

Pat Dicker used high-energy colors to create a lively town adapted from Sue Garman's Block of the Month Quilt,  "All Around the Town".  Pat tells us, "I named the quilt 'Pedestrian Friendly' because the original design has cars on it, and I chose to leave them out, so that the 'residents' would just walk from house to house."  The result is a fascinating "green scene",  greatly enhanced by the playful polka dots and the serene striped border.

Here's a vivid close-up of "Pedestrian Friendly", where you can see Pat's excellent applique technique (click to enlarge the image). Can you spot the people in the house?  Pat writes,  "Here I had a little fun with crowds in the window and added the poppies, since they are the California state flower."

Magnolia Quilt,   64 x 61,  by Sue Spargo, at Sue Spargo Folk-Art Quilts

The gracious old homes and flower gardens of  Magnolia, Ohio, inspired Sue Spargo to create her enchanting appliqued "Magnolia" quilt. Her accompanying book and quilt kits for "Magnolia" are sold at Sue's website, where she also offers lovely hand-dyed wool and textural fabrics, patterns, books, and embellishments. Sue writes,  "My folk-art imagery reflects my multi-cultural background and my fascination with folkart from around the world. Inspiration comes from memories collected during my African childhood with its animals and grasslands, a sojourn in the green South of England and time spent in Connecticut, Tennessee, Utah and Ohio." For great photos of the creations from her latest class,  please take a look at Sue's blog to see how well her students are doing. "Magnolia" and other projects are also in the new book called Contemporary Folk, published by Quiltmania.

Row Houses,  86 x 104, by Flavin Glover, at Flavin Glover.com

Named one of the 100 Best American Quilts of the 20th Century, "Row Houses" was inspired by Flavin Glover's fascination with landscapes and architecture. The contrasting roofs, windows, and border really help the quilt sparkle with light and dark values.  As well as teaching classes, designing, and conducting workshops, Flavin is the author of a great book,   A New Look At Log Cabin Quilts,  which gives clear, easy-to-understand directions and ideas for creating many different patchwork designs in the log cabin format. Flavin Glover's online gallery also has many different houses which are fun to look at.  Flavin is a renowned teacher; to see if she is visiting a town near you, please see her workshop schedule as well as pattern information.

It Takes A Village,  44 x 36,  by Pippa Moore, at Kitambaa Designs

Pippa Moore is a Canadian quilter whose creations are inspired by the 3 years she spent living in Lesotho, South Africa.  Pippa says,  "I love working with rich, bright, saturated colour -- from the warm and vibrant colours of Africa and Mexido, to the blues and greens of my home in Vancouver Island."  Pippa has recently launched Kitambaa Designs, which features fabrics, patterns and kits like the one above, buttons, and African art. For news about Pippa's travels, classes, and workshops with the quilters of Uganda, please take a look at her blog  Kitambaa: The Colourful World of Pippa Moore.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.

Our Town

This time of year, the school bells ring again for so many of us and our children.  While researching an article on traditional Amish "schoolhouse" quilts,  we found so many darling quilts with houses, that we decided to expand our post to include all kind of wonderful house patterns.

A house on a quilt is a symbol of our community and our lives together in society. It's no wonder that house quilts remind us of comfort and the togetherness of family, friends, and neighbors.

Welcome Home, 64 x 64, by Alex Anderson,at Alex Anderson Quilts

Here's a delightful neighborhood of cheerful houses done in russet and gold. Internationally-famous designer Alex Anderson has brightened the traditional fall quilt by adding contemporary colors of aqua blue and rose pink which make the maple leaves and houses sparkle against the dark background. Easily pieced using half square triangles, "Welcome Home" has become a classic best-seller from JWD Publishing. You can view all of Alex Anderson's books and patterns at Alex Anderson Quilts.

At The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, you can sign up for podcasts with instruction from other top name quilters, contests, a block-of-the-month program, a fabulous quilt galley, and a store full of wonderful products and DVDs. Take a look, as it's great fun to browse through all these goodies.

Little Old One Room Schoolhouse,  23 x 27, by Ruth Powers, at Ruth Powers Art Quilts

The traditional schoolhouse of the American frontier, complete with a bell tower, beckons us back to learning, as leaves swirl in the early autumn breeze.  Prolific quilt designer Ruth Powers offers this charming scene as a pattern on her website, along with so many other beautiful patterns.

Little Houses, 48 x 60, by Ruth Powers, at Ruth Powers Art Quilts

Ruth writes, "Much of my work is inspired by nature;  my daily walks fill my senses with color and design possibilities." In creating Little Houses, Ruth has done an excellent job of selecting different blues and greens for the sky and earth, while selecting the complementary colors of bright orange and orange-red for the homes. Ruth notes that this is a great pattern for using up fat quarters and scraps, so let your imagination run wild, and let the stash-busting begin ! Ruth also composes a very interesting blog, where she updates everyone about her latest projects and patterns.

Hillside Houses, 29 x 36 by Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark

We love the idea of a village of houses nestled cozily together, their rooftops peeking out from one another. Daphne Greig was very kind to give us some background on this enchanting quilt. She writes: "Bright houses perched on a hillside are the inspiration for this quilt. You will see these along the coastlines of Italy and Greece and even in Newfoundland. The piece was designed for my book, co-written with Susan Purney Mark, Simple Stained Glass Quilts, Krause Publications, 2008. Our unique "whole cloth" technique makes construction of stained glass quilts easy and less labor-intensive than other methods."  Autographed copies of the book are available through Daphne's website, http://www.daphnegreig.com/.

Wonky Houses, 44 x 60, by Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs

Wonky Houses is an irresistible quilt pattern, because the fairy-tale cottages and trees at their lilting angles provide such a whimsical, fun effect. Carol Morrissey created this quilt as an easy paper piecing pattern, with clearly understandable directions and full size paper templates. The triangles that dance through the quilt and the vibrant orange-red border against the blue sky really make this dazzling pattern "pop". What a great opportunity to use up bright fat quarters and scraps.   Carol notes that "variety is the key to success of this quilt". For more great patterns, and a fabulous gallery of photos, visit  O Carol Designs.

Firelight and Chimney Smoke, 62 x 50, by Martha Milne, at machinequilter

Martha Milne, who is based in the UK,  constructed this beautiful Amish-style schoolhouse quilt out of jewel-tone remnants. She had just completed a Jewel Box quilt for her daughter, and fell in love with the jewel tones against the black. The light and bright windows in this quilt give the inviting illusion of a warm, glowing hearth within, which beckons us inside. She writes: "I did want to create the effect of light shining in the darkness. The idea was for each house to have its own personality. I had fun playing with my fabrics to achieve this." Extensive instructions and an easy-to-follow pattern can be found at Popular Patchwork and Quilting.  Martha is renowned for her machine quilting; to see the quilting detail, click on the image of the full quilt, or the photo below.

Martha Milne is an inspiring teacher, because she believes that everyone can learn to do machine quilting; see her fascinating video on You Tube. Also don't miss her demonstration of The New English Quilter, which converts your home sewing machine into an affordable version of a professional long arm machine  (it's also available in the US !)  At Martha's machinequilter website you can purchase The New English Quilter, the first of a series of Line Dancing DVDs, and the amazing JUKI sewing machine (have you heard of it?)

Last but not least... here's Martha Milne's "Little Houses in the Big Woods".  This quilt was published in Popular Patchwork in 2007 (subscriber access).  The quilting was done with a Juki machine and the New English Quilter. The detail of the red houses, and the quilted chimney smoke, can be seen on Martha's blog.

More Houses: Teacher, author, and quilt artist Freddy Moran is internationally acclaimed for her unique and original house quilts. You can see brilliant photos and read about her designs in Freddy's House: Brilliant Color in Quilts.  In addition,  from her quilt images, Freddy has created House Party Quilts Gift Wrap, which would make a lovely gift in itself ! 

Don't miss Our Town Part Two, where we show more stunning quilts with houses.