Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August + September/October 2024 i McCall's Quilting

Let Your Creativity Bloom! Aren’t we lucky to have such an abundance of creative inspiration from nature? When the warmer weather rolls around, it’s such a joy to not only revel in the balmy breezes and sunshine, but to also bring the beauty of the natural world into our quilting space and dream up new designs based on the loveliness all around us. With this super-sized issue, we’re celebrating the neverending flowering of ideas that nature’s bounty can inspire. Beautiful flowers, blooming with color and fragrance, attract our attention and admiration, and our imagination begins to buzz like bees in a field of wildflowers. Those busy, buzzing bees inspired some brilliant quilt patterns as well! The Busy Bees Table Runner by Linda and Carl Sullivan is a fabulously fun project…

SKILL LEVEL Easy FINISHED SIZE 14¼" × 21" Note: See end of pattern for appliqué templates H–J/Jr. “The background of this ginkgo leaves wall hanging is made up of miscellaneous 2½ " strips of various purple fabrics,” Connie said. “The ginkgo leaves are made from a variety of yellow and gold fabrics and are raw edge appliquéd. This is a very quick and easy project!” Planning Connie is right. Her design can be made quickly without much effort and will beautify any space. It would be such a thoughtful housewarming gift! It’s also perfect for using up fabric scraps, and the bright gold ginkgo leaves will glow gorgeously against any color you use in the background (except yellow!). As an added benefit, this project gives you the opportunity to practice…

Maria’s clever quilt features a series of potted cacti blocks, each a little different from the next. Bring a bit of sun, fun, and color into your life when you make this darling design. A single block with a border would make a cool wall hanging, ideal for a summer celebration or a quick gift! SKILL LEVEL Intermediate FINISHED SIZE 48" × 69" FINISHED BLOCKS 1 Block R 10" × 17" 1 Block S 10" × 17" 1 Block T 10" × 17" 1 Block U 10" × 17" 1 Block V 10" × 17" 1 Block W 10" × 17" 1 Block X 10" × 17" 1 Block Y 10" × 17" 1 Block Z 10" × 17" Note: See end of pattern for appliqué templates X, Y, Z,…

SKILL LEVEL Intermediate FINISHED SIZE 82" × 82" FINISHED BLOCKS 2 Block E 10" × 10" 2 Block F 10" × 10" 3 Block G 10" × 10" 3 Block H 10" × 10" 1 Block I 10" x 10" 1 Block J 10" × 10" 3 Block K 10" × 10" 1 Block L 10" × 10" 1 Block M 10" × 10" 1 Block N 10" × 10" 1 Block O 10" × 10" 2 Block P 10" × 10" 1 Block Q 10" × 10" 1 Block R 10" × 10" 2 Block S 10" × 10" 5 Block T 10" × 10" 1 Block U 10" × 10" 1 Block V 10" × 10" 1 Block W 10" × 10" 1 Block X 10" × 10"…

SKILL LEVEL Intermediate FINISHED SIZE 30" × 30" FINISHED BLOCKS 2 Block U 8" × 8" 2 Block V 8" × 8" 1 Block W 8" × 8" 2 Block X 3" × 3" 1 Block Y 3" × 3" 1 Block Z 3" × 3" Note: See end of pattern for appliqué templates B/Br, C, D/Dr, E, F /Fr, J/Jr, K, and L/Lr. “The sun is shining, the grass is green, and the flowers are blooming,” Jenny said. “It gives me such joy! Whenever I start designing a quilt, I go to nature. You just can’t do color better than nature! When you look at a leaf, it is not just one shade of green; no! It’s also lights, brights, and darks. A flower is not just pink; it…

1. Join 2 A’s right sides together along one edge as shown, backstitching at the narrow end to secure the stitching. 2. Press seams open as shown. 3. Continue adding A’s until you have 6 blades to make a half Dresden. Make 2. Join two halves together to make full Dresden. 4. Lay right side of Dresden on top of fusible interfacing (bumpy side up) as shown. Attach Dresden to interfacing by stitching ¼" away from curved edge of blades all the way around the Dresden. 5. Trim away the interfacing and Dresden approximately 1/8" away from the curved seams. Gently clip interfacing at the intersections between the blades, being careful not to cut through the seam. Gently turn right side out through the Dresden center opening and smooth the…

“I designed this in Electric Quilt 8,” Susan said, “using the Garden Patch and Thrifty blocks.” With just two easy-tosew blocks in a sunny color palette, this project is simple, sweet, and speedy. SKILL LEVEL Easy FINISHED SIZE 60" × 60" FINISHED BLOCKS 13 Block Y 12" × 12" 12 Block Z 12" × 12" Note: See end of pattern for foundation section. Planning It doesn’t take much to create a dazzling, dynamic quilt like Susan’s twoblock stunner! Some strip piecing, a bit of basic foundation piecing, plus easy patchwork make assembly a breeze for this delightful project. If you want your version a little scrappier, try different prints and values in the same color families as Susan used to add more depth to the composition. Or substitute a black…

The unique and intricate-looking blocks in Midnight Garden recently caught my eye. These blocks incorporate easy-to-piece common units, but the way they are combined creates a sparkling star design. Oversized at 20”, nine blocks make quick work to create a bed size quilt. Because I love to see how quilts change when they are presented in completely different color ways, I chose to swap the calming and classic blue fabrics in the original quilt for the fresh, springlike palette I found at Moda Fabrics, Kindred by 1 Canoe 2. The fabric colors have nature-inspired names—meadow, sunshine, coral, cloud—how fun! I think the large-scale floral will make a beautiful border, too. I like that the original design is scrappy but stays within the same color family, however, with this fabric line…

Kristine Lundblad Managing Editor, Quilting Arts and QuiltCon Magazine I will only admit to the two most important projects that are still unfinished: the wedding quilts for my daughter and son-in-law and for my son and daughter-in-law. I’m too embarrassed to tell you exactly when each of these couples married—but it was several grandchildren ago! Over the years, my daughter’s quilt has been up on the design wall, covered up when they visited, and then taken down when I went on a quilt retreat and brought the project with me. To be clear, it is massive (king+ size) and somewhat self-designed, so there was lots of math, trimming, and fiddling around to do. It is now neatly packed away in a very organized fashion—and, yes, as I write this I…

SKILL LEVEL Intermediate FINISHED SIZE 14" × 36" FINISHED BLOCKS 3 Blocks 12" x 14" Note: See end of pattern for appliqu é templates F, G, and Gr. Gr is the reverse of template G. Settle into summer by sewing this lovely, lively table runner buzzing with beautiful bees! Try out some wonky improvisational piecing to give your bees plenty of personality. With rawedge fusible appliqué enhanced with decorative stitching, this project comes together quickly and easily; your finished piece will look sweeter than honey! Planning Keep this pattern in mind for a quick, fun project or a gift for someone special. It’s not clear at first glance exactly how it’s made, but trust us when we say it’s easier than it looks! After the appliqués ar e fused in…

SKILL LEVEL Intermediate FINISHED SIZE 80 " × 80 " FINISHED BLOCKS 4 Corner Blocks 20" × 20" 4 Edge Blocks 20" × 20" 1 Center Block 20" × 20" Three dramatic star designs twinkle on this gorgeous bed quilt. The simple color scheme allows the piecing to really pop, and the floral border is the perfect, elegant finishing touch. Planning Gerri designed this quilt using lovely florals and tonals in blue and brown. Gerri made 2 sets of 2 matching stars for her Edge Block centers and arranged them symmetrically when assembling her quilt; do likewise if you wish. The dark blue print in the pieced border was also used in 1 Corner Block and 1 Edge Block. If you wish to do the same, purchase extra of that…