Shots and Stripes by Kaffe Fassett : book review and Giveaway!

~The Giveaway is now closed ! Thank you to everyone who entered. The winner will be drawn at random and will be announced tomorrow, Friday, April 12 !
The 2013 book Shots and Stripes: 24 New Projects Made with Shot Cottons and Striped Fabrics by Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy is the newest of the books that showcase Kaffe's fabulous fabrics. We practically jumped at the chance to review this gorgeous, hardbound book. Here's the news: STC/Melanie Falick Books has donated a copy of the book to one lucky reader!

This latest book is unlike any other Kaffe Fassett book in our collection.  First, the focus here is on quilts made with solids and stripes, rather than Kaffe's signature prints. Whereas quilting fabrics are first woven and then printed or dyed with a color and/or pattern, shot cottons are woven using two different colors of hand-dyed cotton thread: one color is used for the warp, and another color is used for the weft.  This combination of fibers gives these fabrics a soft, almost iridescent look.

Kaffe Fassett shot cotton bundle at Form and Function

The Indian-woven cotton stripes, below, come in regular and irregular width designs with the same rich colors. These fabrics are more loosely woven than traditional cotton fabrics which means that they ravel more easily; however, the looser weave gives them a smooth hand and makes them perfect for hand quilting.  The book recommends washing and starching the fabric before cutting.

Kaffe Fassett woven stripes seen at Hawthorne Threads

In Shots and Stripes, Kaffe and Liza show how to use these luscious fabrics in 24 different projects that are inspired by Kaffe's worldwide travels and by ethnic textiles. The book features some beautiful photography by Debbie Patterson (we snapped a photo of this page next to some of our own woven stripes).

Inspired by the vintage "chimney sweep" design, this project shown above features large areas of each color on a gray ground, which gives the quilt a modern appearance and helps the shot cottons to glow.  We appreciate the use of gray and neutral tones as backgrounds, rather than the bright white which is common in modern quilts.

The project shown below is a contemporary take on the traditional "Lady of the Lake" pattern; this traditional design also looks wonderful in shot cottons.  As Kaffe says:  "The sashing with the two-toned cornerstones made those chalky colors sing."

While almost all of the projects in the book involve piecing, here is an applique quilt featuring Kaffe's famous "Rice Bowls", which has been re-done here in shot cottons and stripes.  The stripes provide a realistic "tablecloth" for each of the bowls to sit on.

There are many more intriguing projects in this book, including a quilt inspired by Japanese rag or "Boro" cloths, which is made by hand quilting raw-edge strips onto a fabric foundation.  These fabrics are perfect for hand quilting with a utility stitch (it's like quilting through butter!)  As in all of Kaffe and Liza's books, the quilts are beautifully designed; the staging and photography also makes this a book you will be proud to display on your coffee table.

If you would like to win a copy of Kaffe Fassett Quilts: Shots and Stripes, please post a brief comment in the comments section below the prize list, and we'll enter your name in the Giveaway. The Giveaway ends at midnight, Thursday, April 11 and winners will be announced on Friday, April 12.  Please make sure that we are able to contact you via e-mail, and we'll mail out your prize free of charge.  Many thanks to each reader who writes a comment below!

All Sewn Up: Wedding Ring Quilts

For the past few weeks we've been focusing on our favorite Double Wedding Ring Quilts.  Here's a wrap-up of the Best of Wedding Ring Quilts at Quilt Inspiration !

Above, Row 1: Jeweled Wedding Ring pattern by Karen Earlywine and Kay Connor, from: Link to the 30's: Making the Quilts we Didn't Inherit (Martingale); Jeweled Wedding Ring by Robyn Tischner at Bolo Heads ; Bachelor's Wedding Ring by Eric Gunson at Pieceful Expressions ; 10 Years and Still Over the Rainbow by Michèle-Renée Charbonneau at Quilt Matters. Row 2: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, 2013 Raffle Quilt by the River City Quilters Guild (California),  photo by Quilt Inspiration, adapted from Jennifer Chiaverini’s Caroline’s Wedding Quilt pattern;  Rings n' Things by Karen Earlywine and Kay Connors, from:  Link to the 30's: Making the Quilts we Didn't Inherit (Martingale); Single Girl Quilt by Denyse Schmidt at Denyse Schmidt Quilts; Bali Wedding Star by Judy Niemeyer Quilting . Row 3: Flowers for my Wedding Ring by Judy Niemeyer Quilting; Diamond Wedding Ring by Diana Simkins for Judy Niemeyer Quilting ; Grandma's Wedding Ring by Judy Niemeyer Quilting . Row 4: Glowing Wedding Ring, Dresden Plate Wedding Ring, Crazy Wedding Ring and Broken Pickle Dish patterns by Virginia Robertson Designs . Row 5: Jewel Tone Wedding Ring and After The Wedding by Debby Schnabel at Debby Quilts ;  Double Wedding Ring Quilts by Bonnie Hwang and Mary Pona at Fun Easy Designed .


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

Wedding Rings part 8: Fun Easy Designed

For our 8th and final post in our Wedding Ring series, here's something completely different ! Fun Easy Designed is a modern pattern company owned by Bonnie Hwang and Mary Pona in British Columbia, Canada.  Bonnie is an innovative designer,  teacher, and award winning quilter; Mary has a degree in Interior Design and a love of fabric and quilting.  Mary says: "We use an easy free-hand cut curve technique on many of our quilts. You may notice when looking closely at the photographs that nothing truly lines up. It really is quite easy and the results can be stunning."

Double Wedding Ring Quilt, approximately 52 x 60", by Fun Easy Designed

This quilt is a fresh, modern take on the traditional double wedding ring; it is shown above in colorful African-inspired fabrics with a pieced border. The description says:  "This non-traditional design is faster and easier, using freehand cut techniques. No matching required ! You can achieve a beautifully detailed quilt without the time-consuming traditional methods."  The same Double Wedding Ring pattern would look great in a wide variety of fabrics; it is shown below in gorgeous batiks, with a solid batik border.

Double Wedding Ring Quilt, approximately 57.5 x 57.5, by Fun Easy Designed 

We asked Mary Pon to explain the method of construction a bit further.  She says:  "Although all of the patterns come with a paper templates, they are included mainly as a guideline. Squares of fabric are stacked, the curve cut, the pieces paired and stitched using an 1/8" seam allowance. The resulting blocks are re-stacked and this procedure is repeated. The blocks are then stacked again, rotated 180 degrees and cut again. For some blocks this will be the last cut. Some get cut a fourth time." This does sound like fun!

Leaves, 39"w by 17"h, by Fun Easy Designed

In "Leaves", shown above, the freehand cut curve technique produces a contemporary free form leaf with flowing lines. The offset contrasting background adds a dynamic quality to the quilt. The slender stems that separate the coordinating leaf fabrics add a little challenge, making this quilt an intermediate level project.

Curve Play, approximately 40 x 40", by Fun Easy Designed

Bonnie Hwang grew up in Taipei, Taiwan; she studied with Quilt Studio Tokyo before relocating to Richmond, British Columbia in 1997.  Her background in Asian design shows up in this simple yet elegant quilt. Bonnie and Mary recommend choosing an exciting feature fabric and multiple coordinates for best results. As with the Wedding Rings, this pattern uses an easy freehand technique to form the curves; lining-up is not required or desired!  "Curve Play" can be made in three different sizes, from wall-hanging (shown) to a queen size quilt. We also like "Feng Shui", a contemporary version of the traditional “Drunkard’s Path”.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Mary Pona. For more fun  patterns, check out the whole collection at Fun Easy Designed.

Double Wedding Rings part 4: Collaged quilts !

One thing we love about quilt inspiration is that it can strike when you least expect it.  While contemplating this series, we came across the ingenious quilts of fiber artist Debby Schnabel. Debby's fabulous wedding ring quilts are made with raw-edge collage. She says: "This is a technique I came up with after several dismal attempts at the double wedding ring pattern. After staring at the modern pattern for a while, I thought, why wouldn’t this work?"

After the Wedding by Debby Schnabel at Debby Quilts

Debby Schnabel has worked in various types of fiber arts her whole life – from spinning and knitting, through cross stitch and needlepoint, rug hooking, and now quilting (her byline reads: "Quilting is NOT my life, but it comes close) !   For this quilt, Debby made a set of 12 inch background squares and little 2″ squares to form the “rings”; she pinned the squares in place to form the rings and then stitched the raw edges in place with a zig zag stitch.

Close-up, After the Wedding by Debby Schnabel at Debby Quilts

Debby says: "This is the first one I made.  After it was finished, I had the thought: 'After the Wedding.'  After the wedding, the reality of married life starts. Its kind of messy, from what I hear. So I decided to ‘mess up’ my double wedding ring quilt.  I ended up putting words on top of the sheer silk circles."   As shown above, the quilted words include "forgiveness" and "compromise"; for more examples, see this post. The spirals on the quilt are skinny strips of fabric which were zig zagged onto the quilt. Debby also added broderie perse flowers and bits of lace, "Because every wedding includes a bit of lace, doesn’t it?"

Double Wedding Ring by Debby Schnabel at Debby Quilts

Here is a Double Wedding Ring quilt done in a classic style, with colorful floral patches in pastels on a white background.  This reminds us of a traditional quilt from the 1930's, but look again:  this quilt is made with raw-edge collage. This is the quilt that Debby pieced during her carpal tunnel surgery; she says that it was a perfect recovery project. You can read about Debby's raw-edge collage methods, and get how-to tips, at Debby Quilts.

Jewel Tone Wedding Ring by Debby Schnabel at Debby Quilts

Here is a fantastic Double Wedding Ring Quilt done in bold and bright colors on a dark background. Debby explains: "I decided that these jewel tones went well with a beautiful large floral print that I had, and I cut those flowers out and fused them in place (even though I don’t like fusing that much!)"  She is in the process of creating a Rolling Stone quilt with raw-edge collage; see the work in progress at her February 6, 2013 post.

Housetop Quilt Project by Debby Schnabel at Debby Quilts

 
Last but not least, we are blown away by Debby Schnabel's Housetop Quilt Project, which was the subject of a gallery show this year (2013).  Inspired by the quilters of Gee's Bend, Debby created a series of contemporary housetop quilts and then quilted them with Biblical verses.  You can read the story here and see the whole collection at Debby's photostream on Flickr ; check out the glorious hand embroidery on many of the quilts.

Image credits:  Images are shown with the generous permission of Debby Schnabel. In addition to Debby Quilts, she offers diet and cooking tips at Debby Weighs In .

Wedding Ring Quilt Inspiration and Free Pattern Day!

The Double Wedding Ring is the most popular pattern in the history of quilting. Here are some inspiring quilts and free patterns!  To go to a pattern: Scroll down the page until you see the quilt you like, then click on the words "CLICK for PDF download" (or the hyperlinked website name) in the title above the quilt.

Note: Please check out our eBay shop for great bargains on quilt patterns, fabric, and unique vintage jewelry ! 

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, 2013 Raffle Quilt by the River City Quilters Guild (California);  photo by Quilt Inspiration

First place winner for "Best Group Quilt" in their 2012 quilt show, this is the RCQG’s Opportunity Quilt for 2013. It is adapted from Jennifer Chiaverini’s Caroline’s Wedding Quilt  (a Double Wedding Ring quilt embellished with floral appliqués, a cherished gift for a very special bride). The quilt was made by 25 applique artists and 4 piecers. This quilt has four gradations of red and green fabrics, creating an elegant luminous quality.  You can see the detail of the blocks in the close-up photo:

Bachelor's Wedding Ring by Eric Gunson of Pieceful Expressions

Shown above is Eric Gunson's "Bachelor's Wedding Ring". We first featured this stunning quilt in a 2011 Blue Quilt series called The Blues. Eric Gunson is the lead designer at Pieceful Expressions, which is his family's business in Sisters, Oregon.  To our knowledge they are no longer producing patterns, but you can sometimes find individual patterns on eBay or Etsy.

Double Wedding Ring design

The diagram below shows the pieces which form the rings in a basic Double Wedding Ring quilt:

In this diagram there are 6 fabric wedges in each arc, but there may be as many as twelve or more. The wedges can be cut from templates and pieced traditionally, or they can be foundation paper pieced. Once the arcs are constructed, they are attached to the melons (B) and center shapes (A) with curved piecing; alternatively, the finished arcs can be appliqued on a background block. In addition, the arcs can be made from a single fabric, without any piecing, as in the auction quilt shown below:

The Double Wedding Ring design - first published in 1928 - is believed to be a variation of an even older pattern called Pickle Dish (see the article by historian Barbara Brackman).  Barbara explains that a wedding ring quilt has four-sided patches in the arcs, whereas a pickle dish quilt has triangular pieces as shown below.

Pickle Dish Quilt, c. 1930, seen at Ebay (January 2013)

  Kaffe Fassett's Pickle Dish Quilt

Just when you thought the naming was straightforward, on the cover of Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance there is a hot pink quilt which looks like a cross between a fat wedding ring and a Dresden fan.  This is Kaffe Fassett's Pickle Dish Quilt. Whether you call it a Pickle Dish or a Double Wedding Ring, we love Kaffe's brilliant, vintage-inspired design !

Golden Wedding Ring, 1940's, seen at Ebay (January 2013)

This beautiful and unusual vintage quilt from the 1940's features a design known as a Golden Wedding Ring.  We love the sunny orange and yellow stars:

We can hardly wait to show you some more fabulous Wedding Ring quilts. In the meantime, here are some free patterns for your collection!

Forever Yours quilt, ~53 x 70", free pattern at Tilda's World (CLICK for PDF download)

Forever Yours pillows, free pattern at Tilda's World (CLICK for PDF download)

Beach Day baby quilt, ~33 x 43", free pattern at Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Jot Dot quilt, 72 x 84", free pattern by Denise Russell for Blank Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

Lovey Dovey quilt, 52 x 52", free pattern by Marsha Evans Moore for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Viennese Waltz quilt, 85" square, free pattern by Natalie Crabtree for Michael Miller Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Blue Jean Baby quilt, 48 x 48", free pattern at Robert Kaufman (CLICK for PDF download)

To Have and to Hold, free pattern designed by Kathryn Smith for McCall's Quilting (CLICK for PDF download)

A Graceful Wedding, 70 x 83”, free pattern by Shelley Pagliai for Quilt Alliance (CLICK for PDF download)

Modern Love quilt, 43 x 43”, free pattern by Victoria Findlay Wolfe for Quilt Alliance (CLICK for PDF download) 

Garden Rings quilt, 84 x 96", free pattern at Robert Kaufman (CLICK for PDF download)

Double Wedding Ring Quilt, ~54 x 54", free pattern by Marsha Evans Moore for Free Spirit Fabrics (CLICK or PDF download)

Double Wedding Ring quilt, 61 x 75", free pattern by Debby Kratovil for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download) (designed for fusible applique)

Double Wedding Ring quilt, 54 x 70", free pattern by Kathy Hall for Andover Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Flea Market Fancy quilt, 97 x 106", free pattern by Lucy A. Fazely for Free Spirit Fabric (CLICK for PDF download)

Ophelia Wedding Ring quilt, 84" square, free pattern by Konda Luckau for Timeless Treasures (CLICK For PDF download)

Farah Flowers quilt, 60" square, free pattern by Debby Kratovil for P&B Textiles (CLICK for PDF download)

Three Ring table runner, ~21 x 42", English paper pieced, free pattern at Connecting Threads (CLICK for PDF download)

Dill Pickles quilt, 60 x 72", free pattern by Christine Stainbrook for Windham Fabrics (CLICK for PDF download)

Bright Pickle Dish wall hanging, ~48" square, free pattern at All People Quilt (CLICK for PDF download)

Pickle Dish quilt, 60 x 60", free pattern by Michael Michalski for Fons and Porter (CLICK for PDF download)

Image credits: Note: this post was updated on November 21, 2024.  All images are copyrighted by their owners. Please respect their generosity in sharing their free patterns, and the restrictions they have placed on the use of these designs. Complete information can be found at the designers' websites provided in the links.  Some of these are tutorials while others include downloadable (.pdf) patterns; we have tried to note which is which in the titles.  We update our links every 6 months as needed; however, websites may change their pages in between updates.  If any link is broken, we'd love to know so we can fix it; email us at quiltinspiration {at} gmail {dot} com.

Color Play by Joen Wolfrom: Class review and giveaway !

~The Giveaway is closed... read on for our class review ! ~
We're here with a review of Joen Wolfrom's new online class,  Color Play for Quilters, and we are thrilled to be able to offer a free class to the lucky winner of this Giveaway.  As you may know, Joen Wolfrom is one of the most respected teachers on the subject of color and design.  She is a quilter, author, designer and photographer, and the owner of JWD Publishing.   We have admired Joen's work for a long time (in addition to her books, we love her Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool).  We also have been intrigued by Craftsy, which is a wildly popular new craft learning site.  We discovered that taking the class is like taking a 2-day quilting retreat, except that you can do it on your own schedule, from the comfort of your own home ! 

Northern Lights by Meredith Annett (Nova Scotia, Canada)

One of the things we like about Color Play for Quilters is that it does involve "play". There are 13 different lessons, and each lesson involves some aspect of playing with color and/or fabric. For example, Lessons 2 and 3 are devoted to creating your own color wheel and exploring the four color scales in the world of color: the pure color scale, tint scale, shade scale, and tone scale (you'll learn what these are, why they are important, and how to create them in paint and with fabric). Meredith Annett’s quilt "Northern Lights", shown above, provides an example of how shades enhance a design with their deep, dark beauty (a shade is created when black is added to a pure color).

Coriolis by Judy B. Dales (Vermont)

"Coriolis" by Judy Dales, shown above, is one of the quilts which Joen Wolfrom discusses in Lesson 4 (Value/Gradation).  Joen says that "Coriolis" is one of her favorite examples of the use of value gradation (moving the value of a color very gradually from light to darker or from dark to lighter). Joen shows how Judy has moved a wide range of values throughout her quilt, from light to dark to light across the surface of the quilt. This keeps the eye moving across the quilt, creating an exciting design !

Blue Ginkgoes by Norma Schlager (Connecticut)

In Lesson 5, Joen discusses color plans that work, and how to use them.  For example, in "Blue Ginkgoes", Norma Schlager has used a lovely complementary color scheme of aqua blue with orange-red.  In the class, Joen explains that what we learned in school may need some adjustment ! Do you remember learning that orange/blue and red/green were complementary pairs ?  Thanks to Joen's classes and books, we now know that orange is complementary to turquoise, red is complementary to aqua green, and orange-red is complementary to aqua blue.  These subtleties can make all the difference between a quilt that is simply OK and one that is truly stunning. 

Memories of Monet by Joen Wolfrom

In addition to color and value, Joen explains how to create certain illusions in your quilts, including Depth (Lesson 7). For us, one of the 'aha' moments in this class is that you can create an illusion of depth - such as you would see in a landscape - in a pieced quilt. Fabrics that are lighter and grayer ("toned") will recede, while fabrics that are darker and purer in color will advance. "Memories of Monet", above, is a deceptively simple design which Joen created by combining two historic nine-patch blocks, Summer Winds and Storm at Sea. The marriage of these two blocks, and the careful application of color and value, creates four-pointed stars and softly-colored diagonal lattices set inside illusionary circles. Joen explains the illusion; she also has created several different sample quilt blocks so you can test the principles with your own fabric stash.

Reflections on the Pond by Joen Wolfrom

This beautiful quilt uses harmonious (analogous) colors of garden and water, moving from soft yellows to alluring violet. This is also an example of a visual illusion which Joen covers in Lesson 9: Luster. In "Reflections on the Pond", Joen uses value - a gradual shift from light to dark - to create luster. In the class, you will learn the difference between Luster and Luminosity and how to create these effects in your own quilts  !

In sum, we think that Color Play for Quilters has something for everyone.  For those who are left-brained, as we are, there is enough color theory to explain why different color schemes work, and to explain how to analyze fabrics that will produce a desired effect. For the right-brained among us, the class is filled with beautiful photographs of flowers and landscapes, as well as quilts, which Joen uses to illustrate the take-home points; another section of the class covers Visual Coloring, which is an intuitive approach to color in design.  In terms of the Craftsy platform, we loved the interactive nature of the class. For people who would rather learn "hands on" than by reading a book, Craftsy is the way to go. You can skip around if you want, fast forward or repeat sections, and ask questions as you go. For the serious quilter who wants to make more beautiful quilts, this class is a great value (only $39.99). We learned a lot, and we highly recommend this class!

~This Giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to everyone who entered!  The lucky winner of Color Play for Quilters will be announced tomorrow,  December 20, 2012. ~
How to enter this Giveaway: Under this post is the Comments section (click to expand if necessary). Leave us a brief comment there, explaining why you would like to learn more about color in quilting, and we'll add your name to the list of contestants ! Please make sure that we are able to contact you, either by your blog, website, or e-mail address. The Giveaway closes at noon EST on Wednesday, December 19. One winner will be drawn at random and will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 20. The lucky winner will receive a free class registration to Color Play for Quilters by Joen Wolfrom.

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