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.

Sweet Home Quilt + Fabric Giveaway

Sweet Home Quilt + Fabric Giveaway

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Hello friends. I’m back with more Sweet Home quilt news as well as a brief review of my personal growth since my last post.

National events such as COVID-19, George Floyd’s wrongful death, the Black Lives Matter movement, and educating myself on the injustices to Black rights in this country have been upper most on my mind these last few weeks. You can follow my day-to-day journey of discovery and learning on these issues along with my regular quilt, fabric, and artwork posts in my Instagram feed @sharonhollanddesigns so I won’t get into any of that here and reserve this space for what you signed up for—quilting and sewing.

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This week I added over 100 new fabric masks to my Fabric Masks shop page and will be adding additional masks over the next couple weeks because I’ll be donating 50% off all my masks sales sold from June 7 through July 7, 2020 to the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Because equity and justice is part of the mission of UWGC I’ve chosen this organization close to home to contribute to on a local level.

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Along with 50% of mask sales durning this one month period, I’m donating 100% of my PDF pattern sales as well to the United Way of Greater Cincinnati as well. If you’ve been eye-balling some patterns, this is a great time to make a purchase!

“COVID-19 is a long-term problem that requires our long-term commitment. We will help our Greater Cincinnati community respond, recover and revitalize over the next two years. But there is another “pandemic” we have been fighting for years, and this requires more from us, a greater, longer-term response. That pandemic is related to racial equality and justice.”  —UWGC

Fabric Stork Sweet Home Quilt Kit

I’m so excited to announce a collaboration with Nuria Elkins of Fabric Stork in bringing you this colorful and playful Sweet Home quilt kit. Nuria has curated a beautiful bundle of Art Gallery Fabrics prints and Pure Solids for this kit. Find the kit in her Etsy shop HERE and the pattern in my SHOP here. Order early because these are sure to go fast!

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Prints in this quilt are designed by many of your favorite Art Gallery Fabrics designers including myself (Sharon Holland), Maureen Cracknell, Amy Sinibaldi, Bonnie Christine, and AGF Studio.

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

How perfect is that binding!!??? It’s so good! The print used for the binding is a diagonal stripe by Amy Sinibaldi so it gives a bias look from regular WOF (width of fabric) binding strip cuts—brilliant!

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Nuria has already made a sample quilt from her kit and here’s the full view of this adorable neighborhood—I love it and it makes me smile just looking at this photo! This quilt design inspires new meaning for me with every quilt I see made!

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

Photo courtesy of Fabric Stork

The fun quilting design of clouds and storks (upper left corner) is spot on for this quilt and expertly stitched by Tawny Oland. Find Tawny on Instagram at @tawnyoland and consider her for your next long arm quilting needs!

Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway!

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The generosity of small business owners like Nuria is astounding and as part of our collaboration, Fabric Stork is giving away a 10-piece fat quarter bundle to match the 10 fat quarters used in this quilt kit. That’s a great addition to your stash or puts you well on your way to having most of the fabrics needed to make a Sweet Home quilt the the one made by Nuria—either way, you’ve got to love a fabric giveaway!

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The giveaway for this pretty bundle of prints will be held on my Instagram account @sharonhollanddesigns. Just look for the June 12th post with the beautiful Sweet Home quilt made by Fabric Stork and qualify for chances to win by leaving a comment and following both my feed and @fabricstork feed on Instagram.

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Thanks for stopping by my blog! Don’t forget to head over to my Instagram feed @sharonhollanddesigns for a chance to win a 10-piece fat quarter bundle from Fabric Stork. Follow the easy entry steps given in my Friday, June 12, 2020 Instagram post. International entries welcome. Enter often to up your chances of winning!

The winning comment will be randomly selected around 4pm Eastern on Monday, June 15th. Winning entrant’s IG handle will be posted on the IG giveaway post once the giveaway closes.

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.

Sweet Home & Faux Chenille

Sweet Home & Faux Chenille

Sweet Home quilt by Sharon Holland

Sweet Home quilt by Sharon Holland

Last week I released my newest quilt pattern called Sweet Home and shared images of one of the two Sweet Home quilts I’ve made from this pattern.

This week I’ll be showing the second quilt in a completely different fabric pull and color palette plus I’ve an awesome Chenille-It Blooming Bias giveaway to tell you about at the end of this post.

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I love these quilts so much that I knew my two grandkids would love them too and have fun snuggling and playing on them. The first quilt with the Boho-Chic vibe of pinks, blush, and aqua was made for my granddaughter and her baby brother needed an All-American boy version. At two years old, he’s already showing preferences and one of them is his love for stripes!

Art Gallery Fabrics Sweet Home quilt fabric pull

Art Gallery Fabrics Sweet Home quilt fabric pull

Since this pattern is made for digging into your stash and using lots of prints that’s exactly what I did! I pulled a mix of Art Gallery Fabrics from lines I’ve designed and added in AGF prints from other lines and designers to come up with this American Summer palette.

With all the fabric shortages right now I’m not sure all these prints will be easy to find but, if you’d like to duplicate the American Summer version I’ve made the pattern supplement into a PDF download. Simply click on the graphic above and print it out for your reference when using the Sweet Home pattern.

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The print used as the backing on both my Sweet Homes quilt is Lillium from my very first Art Gallery Fabrics collection. I used each of the color ways and in the fabric pull photo, I’ve listed the sku info for the color way used in this American Summer version.

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The geometric quilting design on this quilt was long arm quilted by Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric. Brooke did the quilting on both of my Sweet Home quilts and has a large selection of quilting designs and styles to choose from. I highly recommend her long arm services and as a fabric shop. Brooke’s quilting is perfection and the service incredible!

Sweet Home quilt kits available at Lady Belle Fabric

Sweet Home quilt kits available at Lady Belle Fabric

Find Sweet Home quilt kits at Lady Belle Fabric in a beautiful Art Gallery Fabrics fabrics curated by Brooke. Don’t delay, she sold out of kits last week but has reordered and restocked—they’re sure to go fast!

How to Apply Faux Chenille

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The number one comment or question I’ve had about this quilt is about the chenille binding. So, this week it’s all about adding faux chenille to a quilt! I’ve put together a You Tube video to show you just how easy it is to attach Chenille-It Blooming Bias to a quilt to get this amazing faux chenille finish to the edges. Click video below to watch!

Easy-peasy, right!??! I’ve already ordered more Chenille-It 5/8’’-wide binding for my next new quilt pattern! Visit the Chenille-It Faux Chenille website and check out all the beautiful colors and project ideas! Keep reading till the end for a chance to win Blooming Bias tape for you and a friend!

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I no longer have the Sweet Home quilts here and as soon as I took as many photos as I thought I’d need, I shipped both quilts out to my grandkids. This little guy set right to work servicing the town!

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The quilts couldn’t have been made at a better time because my daughter and her family just this week closed on their new house and can get out of the rental they’ve been in since the beginning of the year. The kids have been sharing this room in a janky little turn-of-the-century house. My daughter painted the room and although it’s not got one straight wall, it was still a fun room to get these “in use” photos of the quilts. They’ll all be happier once settled into a house they can call their own.

Enter for a chance to win some Chenille-It Blooming Bias!

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This week’s giveaway will be held over on Instagram. Visit my Instagram feed @sharonhollanddesigns for a chance for you and a tagged friend to win faux chenille Blooming Bias from Chenille-It. Follow the easy entry steps given in my Friday, May 22, 2020 Instagram post. Thanks to my sponsor, Chenille-It there’ll be 3 winning comments chosen! The randomly selected comments (with a tagged friend) will be picked at random around 4pm Eastern on Monday, May 25th. Winners IG handles will be posted on the IG giveaway post.