Firelight Quilt

Firelight Quilt

Firelight quilt by Sharon Holland

Firelight quilt by Sharon Holland

Hello, and welcome to my first blog post of 2021 where I introduce my first new quilt pattern of 2021!

I know it’s been two months since my last post—sorry about the gap but I’ve been busy creating new quilt designs and doing some secret sewing. I’ve got plenty to show and tell with you very soon and there’ll be new blog posts showing up in your inbox on a regular basis—you can count on that!

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Right before Christmas I’d received a bundle of Little Forester Fusions from AGF and knew instantly this is the collection I’d use to make my grandson a quilt for his upcoming third birthday. The Little Forester collection is a fusion of beloved prints from several AGF designer, recolored and grouped into a new collection under the Fusions division of AGF offerings. FUSIONS are bite size collections featuring prints from AGF designers arranged in conceptual themes and as the name suggest, this is a playful, nature-themed collection.

Little Forester Fusions

Little Forester Fusions

Above is the entire Little Forester Fusions collection. I did not use every print from the collection but instead selected five of the prints and paired them with AGF Pure Solids and a couple prints from my Spirited collection below.

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The Firelight quilt pattern comes with three quilt sizes: Crib, throw, and twin. The pattern cover quilt is the throw size. Quilt kits, just like my sample quilt, are available at Midlife Quilter and include the fabrics listed below. See the PDF pattern listing on my SHOP page for material requirements for all three sizes.

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Photo courtesy of Midlife Quilter

Photo courtesy of Midlife Quilter

Photo courtesy of Midlife Quilter

Photo courtesy of Midlife Quilter

I’ve labeled this pattern an intermediate level pattern because there are a lot of pieces per block and the need for accurate cutting, sewing, and trimming will be necessary for maintaining all those points. There are also many pieces to keep track of for orientation as well but the end results are really worth slowing down a bit and taking a little extra care.

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The pattern has step by step instruction for making Half-Square Triangle (HST) units and Flying Geese units with no-waste piecing techniques. Units are purposely made oversized to allow for trimming and squaring so your blocks go together effortlessly.

For tips on trimming and squaring these types of units, read my tutorial HERE.

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I love that this pattern is fat quarter-friendly and encourages mix and match, scrappy blocks. I preplanned my fabric pairing before I started sewing block so I could distribute the fabrics and make each block different.

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My grandson really loves the quilts his Mimi (that’s me) makes and he’s a snuggle bug! So, to make this quilt extra special for him I added Shannon Minky in Cappuccino to the back of the quilt and quilted it myself on a diagonal grid by stitching in the ditch. It was a breeze to quilt on my domestic machine and oh, so snuggly!

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I used Hobbs Heirloom 100% Cotton Batting inside and it was the perfect thickness with a thick Minky backing but still quilted like a dream. The quilt has some heft to it but still has a lovely, traditional drape and feel to it.

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But wait, there’s more!

I wasn't the only one making a Firelight quilt these last two months. My amazing pattern testers have been stitching away on their own version of this pattern and I can’t wait for you to see these quilts!

Meet the Testers

Pattern tester Brittany Tunison

Pattern tester Brittany Tunison

Brittany Tunison is a talented quilt designer in her own right and an amazing maker. Brittany curated Art Gallery Fabrics from several different designers and included AGF Denim in her quilt and the result is this stunning denim, blush, and gold throw quilt. See more of Brittany’s own work as a quilt pattern designer and blogger at White Plains Quilts . You can also find Brittany on Instagram @brittanytunison

Pattern tester Elaine Satterfield

Pattern tester Elaine Satterfield

Elaine Satterfield chose to make a crib size Firelight quilt and it’s incredible! Elaine also backed her quilt with Minky but rounded the corners which is brilliant idea since the corners of the quilt are created from large background triangle and don’t interfere with any blocks. I love the soft shades of mint, gold, gray, and peach in these assorted Art Gallery Fabrics used in her quilt. You can follow Elaine’s quilt adventures on Instagram @elaines14 .

Pattern tester Joyce Ulm

Pattern tester Joyce Ulm

I’m crazy over Joyce Ulm’s Firelight make! Joyce stitched the twin version of this quilt and used AGF Pure Solids and my Kismet prints—a feast for the eyes! See more of Joyce’s work on Instagram @evamaecustomquilts, Etsy shop, and on her Facebook blog HERE, she’s are real dynamo and does her own quilting as well!

Pattern tester Megan Eckroth

Pattern tester Megan Eckroth

Megan Eckroth of @cartellastudio on Instagram is a new member to my tester group. I was instantly smitten with Megan’s work and have enjoyed getting to know her and know you’ll love her, too! Megan made the throw size Firelight and it’s a beauty. The dark background is inspired and sets off the sage, clay, putty, and peach solids and spring-colored prints from Art Gallery Fabrics. Follow Megan on Instagram, FB, and her Etsy Shop.

Pattern tester Mary Gove

Pattern tester Mary Gove

I wait with anticipation to see what Mary Gove will create next. Her Firelight throw quilt version is stunning and is only rivaled by the equally glorious landscape settings she uses as backdrops to her quilts. This beautiful fabric pull of Pure Solids, Homebody prints and Kismet prints is delicious and feels so fresh. Follow Mary’s quilting adventures from her Instagram account @thecurlyquilter.

Pattern tester Terri Neil

Pattern tester Terri Neil

I was real excited when I heard Terri Neil say she was going to make an all AGF Pure solids Firelight throw quilt and beyond thrill when she sent me the reveal photos! Have you ever seen a prettier color palette? The juxtaposition of bright, muted, and jewel tone colors blow away all color theory conventions yet it utterly works and reminds me of museum-worthy antique Amish quilts. Terri on Instagram @quiltingrubies and you’ll be in awe of all the beautiful quilts she makes and quilts for others from her long arm business called Quilting Rubies.

Pattern tester Tracey Taber-Perry

Pattern tester Tracey Taber-Perry

This gorgeous jewel-toned Firelight throw quilt was made by Tracey Taber-Perry. Tracey used the AGF Marrakesh Fusions collection for the blocks and background and I love the big, bold geometric print background to add even more energy to the quilt design. This quilt looks like a beautiful spring bulb poking out of the snow. To see more of Tracey’s beautiful work and you can follow her feed @ttabes80 on Instagram.

Pattern tester Victoria Newmyer

Pattern tester Victoria Newmyer

Victoria Newmyer is the genius behind the Midlife Quilter shop where you can find beautiful AGF fabrics and get personal help curating your next bundle for a quilt project. I love this spring-fresh bundle Victoria pulled for her crib size Firelight quilt. The addition of Chenille-It Just Peachy faux chenille binding is the perfect finish and a product she stocks in her shop as well.

Don’t forget that Victoria is stocking kits for the Firelight cover quilt and you can find all the details on her online quilt shop Midlife Quilter and beautiful Instagram account @midlife_quilter.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this virtual quilt show and have been inspired to discover new Art Gallery Fabrics you may not have seen yet or new color combinations to spice up your life and energize your creativity. Be sure to stop by my testers social pages and say “Hi” and tell them how amazing they are!

Find the PDF pattern for the Firelight quilt in my SHOP and happy sewing!

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Trapeze Quilt

Trapeze Quilt

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Pattern Release

There’s a new quilt pattern in my SHOP and it’s called Trapeze! The name may not imply it but this quilt design was inspired by the geometric patterns found on wool blankets.

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The Fabrics

In keeping with wool blankets, I purposely kept the number of prints/fabric controlled and instead of every block being different I went with an every block being the same to create an overall pattern.

I chose a completely different color palette then I normally work in and selected Art Gallery Fabrics Denim Blue Pure Solid for the background and prints by Maureen Cracknell’s Soulful and Garden Dreamer collections mixed with my own prints from Spirited and Signature to create the Trapeze - Sky palette.

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The Block

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The Trapeze quilt pattern is labeled as an Intermediate skill level because there’s a lot of moving parts and some squaring up and trimming involved—but don’t let that intimidate you. All the steps are broken down into manageable sections with fully illustrated instructions. I’ve also created a helpful tutorial on this blog and included the link in the pattern for how to square up half-square triangle and Flying Geese units if you don’t have specialty rulers like these Bloc_Loc rulers.

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The large quilt block is beautiful on it’s own and would make a great toss pillow but the real magic happens when the blocks are combined and make the overall quilt pattern.

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The Quilt

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The pattern comes in two sizes: 75-1/2” x 87-1/2” which is labeled as a Twin/Full size but I’ve put this on my queen-size bed with the length running the width of the bed and it covers a queen nicely! The other size is a large crib or throw size at 51-1/2” x 56-1/2”. You’ll see examples of the crib-size in the Meet the Testers showcase further in this post—keep reading.

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Kinda nice to actually see a quilt on a bed, right? I’ve not got one of those super thick mattresses so that also gives me more drape over the sides of a queen bed. This will also give you an idea of scale of the block design.

I love how this looks on my bed but I can’t keep it because it’s a wedding gift to my oldest son who just got married on October 13th! My new daughter-in-law loves the color blue and my son’s always loved the look of woodsy wool blankets so it’s a perfect marriage of their styles.

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And, here’s the full view of the quilt and how much fun this repeating pattern is! The secondary geometric designs created is the reason why I call this pattern Trapeze. The diamond rings look like they’re floating on the background and the name fit the airy feeling of space between the geometric shapes.

Brooke at Lady Belle Fabric has Trapeze quilt kits available for the same Trapeze - Sky palette and fabrics used in my blue and cheddar quilt. Order early because these kits always go fast!

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The beautiful quilting was stitched by Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric and I used my favorite Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting inside.

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Meet the Testers

I’m so lucky to have talented quilt testers to work with. These ladies give their all to create gorgeous quilts from my patterns and give valuable feedback so you can have the best quilting experience when working with one of my patterns.

All my testers use Art Gallery Fabric in their quilts and decide on their own fabric pulls and color palettes. There were nine testers for this quilt because it was so popular with my pattern testing group and the results are astonishing. Most stitched the small version of this quilt but you’ll notice 1/3 of the quilts are the large size like my own. You’ll also notice many of the testers finished their quilts using the Chenille-It binding method as shown on my video tutorial.

The following collages are just a peek into the incredible quilts made by these ladies. You’ll want to use the links provided in their captions to learn more about each maker and their quilt makes.


Brittany Tunison

Meet Brittany Tunison pattern tester for Trapeze quilt

This is Brittany Tunison’s second test quilt for me and she once again wows us with her fabric selection and color play. Brittany has used prints from several AGF collections that include prints by Maureen Cracknell, Amy Sinibaldi, and myself (Sharon Holland). I love her style and you can read more about Brittany’s own work as a quilt pattern designer and for more about her Trapeze quilt make on her brand new blog White Plains Quilts and you can read more about her tester quilt HERE. You can also find Brittany on Instagram @brittanytunison


Christine Trotta

Meet Christine Trotta pattern tester for Trapeze quilt

Christine Trotta has also pattern tested for me before and I love her enthusiasm for everything quilting and sewing. She’s an amazing addition to my tester group and so supportive of all the makers. Christine’s all ready for the holidays with this Trapeze version made with prints from Maureen Cracknell’s new Cozy and Joyful collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. Her addition of Chenille-It binding on the edges instead of traditional binding is the icing on the cake! Follow Christine’s Instagram account @serendipityinlovecreations and for even more fun, stop by her blog HERE.


Elaine Satterfield

Meet Elaine Satterfield patter

This is the first time I’ve gotten to work with Elaine Satterfield for testing one of my patterns and let me tell you, she’s incredible! I’m in love with her AGF Terra Kotta fabric pull and these colors! Such a beauty of a quilt and made in the small crib/throw-size quilt. Perfect look for fall. Elaine lives in northern California wine country and dreams to longarm and quilt for others someday and maybe even have a little fabric shop. You can follow Elaine’s quilt adventures on Instagram @elaines14


Eleri Kerian

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When Eleri Kerian signed up to test Trapeze for me she couldn’t decide which palette to use because at that time she didn’t know if she was having a girl or a boy—so she made two quilts! Both her makes are the crib/throw-size but one is more decidedly a boy quilt and the other more suited as a girl quilt. Both quilts use an assortment of AGF collection fabrics. Both are finished with Chenille-It binding, and both quilts are spectacular! Which is your favorite? Follow Eleri on Instagram @elerihandmade for daily inspiration and quilting goodness along with the answer if it’s a boy or a girl!


Joyce Ulm

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This is Joyce Ulm’s third test quilt for me and another stunning example of this talented lady’s work. She made this crib/throw Trapeze quilt for her new granddaughter and I love that she selected AGF fabrics in non-traditional colors for a quilt to grow into! Just look at that quilting that Joyce does herself. Here’s another example of Chenille-It binding finish that’s sublime. See more of Joyce’s work on Instagram @evamaecustomquilts, Etsy shop, and on her Facebook blog HERE.


Marija Vujcic

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Another all-star pattern tester is Marija Vujcic. Marija has so much sewing experience and is so kind to share it with the testing group, on her Instagram @mvquilts, and on her blog Mara Quilt Designs. Marija made the full-size Trapeze quilt and I’m obsessed with it! She used my AGF Spirited prints with AGF Pure Solids for a bold and beautiful quilt. The gorgeous quilting was all free-motion quilted my Marija and you can see her process by following her Instagram and blog pages.


Mary Gove

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There’s just something about Mary Gove and her fresh, modern take to quilts that is so exciting! Believe it or not, Mary is very new to quilting and tackled the full-size version of Trapeze in this scrumptious palette of AGF Terracotta Tile Pure Solids and AGF Terra Kotta collection prints. She just got her top back from being long arm quilted and didn’t get it bound and photographed in time for this post so be sure to follow her progress and stunning photos on her Instagram account @thecurlyquilter. There’s more amazing things to come from this quilter—I just know it!


Sara Marie Gardner

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It’s with great pleasure that I had a chance to work with Sara Marie Gardner on a test quilt. A nicer person you just couldn’t meet and her beautiful quilt reflects her beautiful style. Sara Marie chose AGF Trouvaille collection and it’s a show-stopper! Here’s another new comer to the world of quilting and she’s taking the world by storm with her stunning work. See what I mean when you visit her Instagram account @sewlucille and her blog at Sew Lucille Handmade and Etsy shop by the same name, HERE.


Terri Neil

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It’s a real treat to work with quilters like Terri Neil. Terri recently returned to quilting full time and surprised herself with purchasing a long arm machine then surprised herself again and started a long arm business called Quilting Rubies. Terri quilted her Trapeze quilt made in adorable AGF Pacha prints, Pure Solids, and blenders. The stunning black Chenille-It edging is the perfect finish to this baby quilt. Follow Terri on Instagram @quiltingrubies and you’ll be in awe of all the beautiful quilts she makes and quilts for others.

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Are you inspired? I sure am and have plans to make this quilt again with my new fabric collection, Kismet coming any day now to shops. Brooke Becker at Lady Belle Fabric will have Trapeze - Kismet kits available once she has the fabrics in stock. So be watching for that and I’ll also make sure to post about Kismet and quilt kits on this blog and my Instagram account @sharonhollanddesigns.

I can’t wait to see your Trapeze quilt makes popping up on social. If you’re on Instagram and use my fabrics or make something from my patterns, be sure to tag me @sharonhollanddesigns so I see your lovely creations!

Happy sewing,

Sharon

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Trimming HST and Flying Geese Units

Trimming HST and Flying Geese Units

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As a pattern designer I strive to make my patterns as easy as possible for all level of quilters to follow and for each maker to finish their quilt with true to size blocks and sharp points on units like Half-Square Triangle units (HST) and Flying Geese Units. Tips and tutorials make for better patchwork and in a recent discussion with my quilt testers group I realized many newer quilters are unsure of how to trim up units like Half-Square Trangkes and Flying Geese.

You’ll find many tutorials on this blog about how to make these different sort of units but I’ve not addresses directly on how to trim these units down to size if you don’t have specialty rulers like my favored Bloc_Loc Rulers. This seemed the perfect time to add this lesson as I’ve a new quilt pattern coming out in October that utilizes several different types of units.

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Half-Square Triangles are the easiest units to trim to size and can be done without any specialty rulers. I’m using a left over HST unit from making Sweet Home roofs as an example in this tutorial.

Stitch two triangles together using a 1/4” seam allowance or make HST units according to a pattern instructions. Press unit open.

For this example I’m using a 6-1/2” square Creative Grids ruler that has a 45° diagonal line marking as well as the normal grid line markings. A square ruler works best for HST units.

In the above left image, use the ruler to size up the HST to see what usable size can be made by lining up the 45° marking with the seam line and making sure there’s at least a 1/4” seam allowance on all side. As you see, a 4’’ square or smaller can be made from this HST unit.

With the ruler in position, trim the top and right sides of the HST with a rotary cutter as seen in the above right image. Reverse these instructions if you’re left handed.

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If working on a rotating mat, rotate everything 180° without disturbing the HST. If on a stationary mat, turn the HST so the trimmed sides are opposite of their starting point.

Slide the ruler down so the diagonal marking still aligns to the seam line and the 4” markings line up with the newly trimmed edges. Trim the two remaining sides to square the HST.

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The image above uses the same method to trim a HST unit to 5” square using a regular 6-1/2” square ruler and a 6-1/2” square Bloc_Loc ruler.

Trimming Flying Geese Units

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Flying Geese units take just a little more care when trimming and squaring to size. A regular square ruler is still the best tool for this job if you don’t have a specialty Flying Geese ruler for trimming.

I happen to have a square ruler the same width as what’s needed for my Flying Geese unit but a larger ruler would be just as useful but require a few more passes to cut since you could only cut up to two sides at once with a larger ruler.

Determine the cut size of your Flying Geese unit. In this case I need to trim my unit to 3-1/2” x 6-1/2”. Subtract 1/4” from the height of the unit. Example: 3-1/2” minus 1/4” is 3-1/4”. This is well marked on my ruler as it’s the center of this 6-1/2” ruler. Place the measurement mark (in this case 3-1/4”) on the point of the Goose. The point of the Goose is used as the reference point and will help establish the 1/4” seam allowance. Note how the 45° marking on the ruler lines up with one seam line on the unit and there’s enough fabric on all sides of the Flying Geese unit for trimming.

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Trim both the sides and bottom edge of the unit as shown. If your ruler is larger, trim bottom and one side of unit.

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Rotate the unit or mat so the Goose now points down. Align the 3-1/2” mark (or the cut size needed) with the trimmed bottom edge of the unit (now located at the top).

Trim the Goose point edge and remaining side, if necessary so all outside edges have been trimmed as needed to size which includes the 1/4’’ seam allowance.

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Above shows the no-measure needed trimming of a Flying Geese unit using a Bloc-Loc Ruler.

There are other rulers on the market that are considered specialty rulers and cover more than one size of unit. I’ve only used the Bloc_Loc rulers but have heard good things about the Wing Clipper ruler from other quilters. Here are some examples available on Amazon using affiliate links:


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Having all your units true to size will make patchwork assembly a breeze and no more fudging or wrestling your pieces into place. There’ll be no more clipped points, or wonky blocks. Taking time to trim and square up units is all part of the patchwork process and since you’ve already put in so much time and money into your beautiful quilt It’s well worth the extra effort to assure it’s made as well and as near perfect as it can be!

Happy trimmings!