Innholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2022 i McCall's Quilting

Coming Full Circle With the busy cheerfulness of the holidays behind us and as the cold chill of winter begins to thaw, it is time to think about springtime and new growth, both within and without. The changing of seasons, particularly with the burst of new life in spring, reinforces the constant growing, changing, developing, and learning. While I always get great satisfaction from using familiar quilting skills and techniques when making my quilts, it’s even more fulfilling to overcome the challenge of learning something new and developing that new skill to become proficient, then adding it to my ever-expanding quilting toolkit. And speaking of new beginnings, I am so thrilled to be writing this as the (relatively new) editor of McCall’s Quilting. You may have seen me pop up…

Vivika DeNegre Director of Content I’d really love to make a charm quilt with a piece of every fabric in my stash—just a simple quilt, but there are oh-so-many memories represented by each of those lovely fabrics. I’d choose a simple triangle and go from there. When I took up quilting in the 1990s, one of my first projects was to make a charm quilt for my daughter’s baby doll. Full Circle! Valerie Uland Editor of Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting I will begin by pulling out all the bright and cheerful fabrics from my scrap bins, the ones that make me feel like spring. Then, I will pour myself a refreshing glass of iced tea and pore over my stockpile of magazines for inspiration. Once I settle on…

Quilt Designed & Made by Becky Rico Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 80" x 80" Finished Blocks 50 Block X 8" x 8" 26 Block Y 8" x 8" 24 Block Z 8" x 8" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for templates E and F. Planning Becky’s two-color quilt has movement, style, and sparkle, thanks to her dynamic block combination. “The variable star block is one of my favorites, and I enjoy seeing how it plays with other blocks,” Becky said. “The drunkard’s path blocks add a lot of movement and interest. While this makes a striking two-color quilt, I think it also lends itself to a diagonal layout or possibly a totally scrappy design.” The E’s and F’s are cut from templates. To prepare templates, trace on template plastic,…

Quilt Designed & Made by Shannon Arnstein Machine Quilted by Christy Bowman Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 68¼ " x 68¼ " Finished Blocks 36 Blocks 9" x 9" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for templates A and C. Planning “I love a Dresden quilt, they just make me so happy!” Shannon said. “I often think about the ladies in the 1930s making this quilt design and the tools they would have used versus the tools we use now. The retro fabrics make me smile and are perfect for a Dresden quilt. It’s like a double dose of happy and cheerful! Make it for your very own and tag me on Instagram—I cant wait to see your quilt!” Whatever fabrics you choose, your quilt will be lovely and bring a…

Quilt Designed & Made by Ramona Sorenson Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 80" x 80" Finished Sections 1 Section 1 36" x 36" 1 Section 2 36" x 36" 1 Section 3 36" x 36" 1 Section 4 36" x 36" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for templates A and B. Planning These pretty, modern-looking flowers come together by reimagining the layout of the traditional drunkard’s path block. “I like curved piecing,” Ramona said, “but I don’t get much chance to do it. One day, I ran across a block for a clamshell quilt. I got to thinking, 'Could I arrange the blocks to make rounds? And how would I make the corners?' It didn’t take long for me to realize that I could use the drunkard’s path block to…

When I look through old issues of McCall’s Quilting, I am always struck by (1) the creativity of our quilt design contributors and (2) the endless possibilities for making each pattern in a new way, so I can follow a pattern but still make a quilt that is totally unique. I love the delicate simplicity of Celestial Waltz, designed by Gerri Robinson for McCall’s Quilting March/April 2011, and I knew I could find a way to explore this pretty pattern and make it my own. I chose fabrics that were completely different from the original quilt to make it look a bit more modern and edgy. The BioGeo-2 collection designed by Adrienne Leban for FreeSpirit Fabrics is bold, graphic, and has a bit of a psychedelic vibe, which is a…

Shannon Arnstein Shannon has a lot of creative outlets, but nothing has matched her passion for quiltmaking. She is a sample maker, pattern tester, and quilt pattern designer. Jen Daly Jen is a quilt designer, author, and Etsy shop owner who lives in New Hampshire. Susan Deshensky Susan is an award-winning quilt pattern designer, a life member of the American Needlepoint Guild, and the Embroiderers' Guild of America. Abigail Dolinger Abigail enjoys sharing her love of quilting with children and is the Children's Ministry director at her church. Charisma Horton Charisma is a wife, mother of six, and a prolific quilter, designer, and longarmer. Pam Nourse Pam has been quilting for over 30 years, and creating her own designs for almost as long. She divides her time between Massachusetts and…

Quilt Designed & Made by Elaine Theriault Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 66" x 78" Finished Blocks 30 Block Y 4" x 4" 20 Block Z 8" x 8" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for foundation section. Planning “The Storm at Sea block is filled with curves!” Elaine said, “Yet there are no curves! It’s one of my all-time favorites.” And one of ours too! We’ve separated the block into a center block Z with pieced sashings and sashing posts completing the look. The combination of shapes creates gentle, undulating curves across the surface without any curved piecing or applique. You may want to starch and press your fabric before cutting, as this quilt has lots of bias edges to handle during construction. Starch will prevent excessive fabric distortion, but…

A pillow wrap is ideal, quick to make, and easy to pack away until next season. Plus, you can tailor it to any pillow you already have. (Fig 1) This project took just an afternoon and a few supplies. I picked my pillow, measuring around the middle to find out how long to make it; I added 4" to have an overlap in the back. Pillow wraps can be just about any width—how much of the pillow do you want to show? For my pillow, 9½" would be perfect. To make it even easier, I wrapped the backing fabric to the front as a faux binding. This is achieved by cutting your backing 1¾" to 2" wider. I designed the center using the Janome Artistic Digitizer software. Repurposing a quilting…

Quilt Designed & Made by Charisma Horton Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 18" x 18" Finished Sections 4 Section 1 4½" x 4½" 4 Section 2 4½" x 4½" 4 Section 3 4½" x 4½" 4 Section 4 4½" x 4½" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for piecing templates B–F. Planning Charisma designed a lovely springtime décor piece with clever piecing and curved seams, a pattern that will sharpen both your skills and the look of your space! It’s got a real floral vibe, thanks to the colors and composition, but in a very abstract, modern sense. The creative piecing, along with appliqué, makes it a very satisfying project to sew and to admire. The B’s, C’s, E’s, and F’s are piecing templates. To prepare templates, trace patterns on template…

• trends • tools • cool stuff Square-in-a-Square Foundation Paper Pad Set Get perfect square-in-a-square units every time with these handy foundation papers from It's Sew Emma, exclusively available at Fat Quarter Shop. Avoid tiny patches and sewing on the bias, while getting precise units every time. The papers come in bound pads and are available in multiple finished sizes, from 1" up to 4 ½ ". Use the square-in-a-square units for any pattern that calls for them, or use them in place of fabric squares to elevate an existing pattern. fatquartershop.com Tula Pink Rotary Cutter 45mm Bring beauty to every step of your quilt making! This gorgeous iridescent rotary cutter from Tula Pink is ergonomically designed for both left and right hand cutting and is presented in a lovely…

Center and pin border strips to sides, top, and bottom of quilt. Strips will extend beyond quilt top. Starting and stopping ¼" from quilt corners and backstitching to secure, sew strips to quilt top. Press seam allowances toward quilt center. Fold quilt on diagonal, right sides together. Align border strip raw edges and border seams at the ¼ " backstitched point; pin together. Align ruler edge with fold, extending ruler completely across border. Draw line at a 45° angle from the backstitched point to the border raw edges. Stitch on drawn line, backstitching at both ends. Press seam open. With quilt right side up, align 45° line of square ruler on seam line to check accuracy. If corner is flat and square, trim excess fabric to ¼" seam allowance. Repeat…

Quilt Designed & Made by Jennifer Thomas Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 66" x 66" Finished Blocks 13 Block Y 12" x 12" 12 Block Z 12" x 12" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for foundation section. Planning Jennifer’s dramatic two-block patchwork quilt creates the illusion of circles with clever color placement. Though there are no curved seams, you do get a nice variety of other techniques, like pieced rectangles and foundation piecing. “I was playing with blocks and loved the suggestion of circles in this design,” she said. “Circles are a favorite design element in my quilts.” Handle bias edges carefully to avoid distortion. Use an accurate ¼ " seam throughout to ensure all elements of the quilt fit together well. Fabric Requirements Fabric yardage assumes 40" usable width…

Quilt Designed & Made by Abigail Dolinger Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 74½" x 74½" Finished Blocks 86 blocks 4½" x 4½" Planning Friends, colleagues, and contributors came together to make signature blocks dedicated to our beloved former McCall’s Quilting editor Lori Baker upon her retirement. Everyone who worked with Lori loved her, and she worked with a lot of people over the years! Lori's favorite color is purple, so that was the obvious choice for her gift, though this quilt would be gorgeous in any color combination. You could even make each border a different color! Whether you make the blocks yourself and get people to sign the quilt at a party, or you ask people to contribute blocks, this is a beautiful, versatile design that makes a gift…

Quilt Designed & Made by Pam Nourse Machine Quilted by Pat Harrison of Ocean Waves Quilting Company Skill Level Beginner Finished Size 60" x 72" Finished Blocks 3 Block V 12" x 12" 7 Block W 12" x 12" 10 Block X 12" x 12" 7 Block Y 12" x 12" 3 Block Z 12" x 12" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for appliqué templates B–E Planning Bright, bold curves and circles dance across the surface of this super fun quilt, recalling the fluttering streamers and flying confetti of a fabulous party. “I worked to create a fun, whimsical collection of circles, wedges, and arcs dancing across the surface of the quilt,” Pam said. “The controlled colors in the diagonal processions of arcs give the design enough structure to keep…

Quilt Designed & Made by Susan Deshensky Machine Quilted by Erin Byrne Skill Level Intermediate Finished Size 40" x 40" Finished Blocks 4 Block W 6" x 6" 4 Block X 6" x 6" 1 Block Y 6" x 6" 4 Block Z 9" x 9" NOTE: See Pattern Pull-Out Section for foundation sections and appliqué templates E–H and J. Planning Susan wanted to design something spring-like, using seasonal colors, and came up with this cheerful design that can be used for a baby quilt, lap quilt, or wall quilt. “I see bunnies on my lawn at night and thought of them,” Susan said. “This quilt is smaller in size but has different techniques to try: foundation paper piecing, appliqué, and strip piecing.” There is also a bit of embroidered…

Designed by Gerri Robinson Machine Quilted by Rebecca Segura of Zeffie’s Quilts Skill Level Confident Beginner Finished Quilt Size 90½" x 90½" Number of Blocks and Finished Size 36 Celestial Waltz Blocks 12" x 12" Planning This pretty quilt was made with fabrics from the Wild Rose collection by Blackbird Designs for Moda. The secondary pattern that emerges when blocks are sewn together creates a sense of movement and energy. Select an assortment of gold, blue, red, green, and tan prints to duplicate the look of Gerri’s quilt. Enough patches are cut from each fat quarter to have the print appear in 4 different blocks. You may wish to match up pairs of block fabrics in advance to assure good color balance throughout the quilt. Fabric Requirements • 18 assorted…