Monsoon

"It looks like giant raindrops", said Lesley, when I showed her a picture on my phone. Hence, I named him Monsoon.

Work in progress

Working on improvisational piecing helps me destress. The process is the focus - making small decisions - color, shape, size, and setting - keeps me in the moment. The destination will reveal itself.

The first block

For background, I used a white fabric I purchased several years ago from Mook Fabrics in Pennsylvania when Mari and I went to the Lancaster Quilt Show.

Eye-popping price :-D

Working with scraps from a long time ago, I pieced triangle leftovers with white background. Then "tried" matching those very fiddly points, in the base of the triangles. Similar shapes were easy but pairing a long skinny triangle with a lumpy one was challenging.

Decisions, Decisions

Columns of Diamonds

I celebrated well-matched points and accepted those that misbehaved, giving myself permission to just be. Combining small blocks with bog ones and skinny ones with wide ones, I assembled similar sized units into columns, using coping strips to bring them to size.

The batting is Thermore. The backing is scrappy and pieced. I quilted in one direction with squiggly lines. The binding matches the white background.

Monsoon finished at 47" by 60". Time for pictures!

Thank you, Bob

It was a busy day at Lake Anne and I could not get exclusive time with Bob. 

Thank you, Paul

Thank you, Wooden Horse

Monsoon

If there is a mirror-like surface, let there be a reflection.

Mirror Image

Good Picture, Bad Resolution

Easy Being Green :-)

Let get closer.

Get the Point?

A Pointed Discussion

Tall & Short

Small Points

Labelled

Whatever tiny scraps I did not use, I discarded.  This is new for me. I am certainly past the mid-point of my life and I have begun to carefully examine what I need vs. what I need to lose.

In other news, I resigned from my stressful job.  Paul's unwavering support gave me the courage to cut loose. On my last day, I received this card from a sweet co-worker (she understood my reasons).

Yes, Kristen. We are!

I have joined a Yoga class. It is time to focus on my health and well-being. I am anticipating more quilting, blogging and commenting :-) And of course, more cooking for Paul. All's well in this household.

Two quilts of mine were published in two different magazines. That blogpost is next. 

Rainbow Sprouts Quilt

Rainbow Sprouts is a multicolored, beginner-friendly, scrapbuster quilt pattern that was first published in Make Modern Magazine's Issue #68.

Rainbow Sprouts

Rainbow Sprouts is now available as a standalone pattern in my Etsy Shop.

Made with Island Batik's Basics, Rainbow Sprouts is the answer to the question - Why do leaves have to be (mostly) green?

Yellow, Orange & Red

Each leaf has a dark and a light fabric and the number of those combinations is only limited by your imagination.

Teal and Green too

Finishing at 61" by 84", Rainbow Sprouts uses 16 fabrics (8 light and 8 dark) plus Solid Black (Stems) and Egg White (Background). 

It is an excellent way to showcase your favorite fabrics. I am showing off Island Batik Basics including Chambray & Harbor (Blues), Flamingo & Candy (Pinks), Banana & Taxi (Yellows), Chameleon & Parakeet (Teals), Mystic & Caribbean (Aquas), Ballerina & Rosewood (Reddish Purples), Marmalade & Flame (Oranges), and Pistachio & Apple (Greens). 

Love these Colors

To make Rainbow Sprouts, you need 4.5 yards of background fabric and the rest can easily come from your stash. Make it scrappy with many fabrics or control the chaos with a monochromatic color scheme. 

Thank you, Paul

I had fun making this quilt and these hues are yummy enough to eat. The pattern is super simple but that is not all.

Glaze (Island Batik Neutral) Backing

Let me show you the Bonus Project. The off-cuts make a smaller quilt that is cute as a button.

Bonus Project

I am calling it Rainbow Seeds. We went to the children's playground to take some fun pictures.

Rainbow Seeds, 44" by 55"

Island Batik fabrics are wider than most fabrics, so I still had some leftovers. I used them to piece a fun backing, making sure to use every bit of the gorgeous fabrics.

Fun Backing

The Rainbow Sprouts Quilt Pattern is detailed with step by step guidance and colored graphics for each step.  I am offering it at a 25% discount till Sunday, 5/10/26. 

Yes, of course there is a giveaway too.  If you'd like a copy of the Rainbow Sprouts Quilt Pattern, leave me a comment on this post answering any of the following three questions.

What is the best Mother's Day gift you have received? What is the best Mother's Day gift that you gave? What is the best book you've read in 2026?

If you don't want to participate in the giveaway, leave me a comment anyway but mention the no giveaway thing. I will announce the winners next week.

Update - The two winners are #1 and #14. Emails have been sent.

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. 

Niko

Have you met Niko? 

Niko

He is handsome and stylish. He is friendly to jelly rolls and he can be yours!

Niko was first published in Make Modern Issue 62, published in January 2025.  

Published

Designed in EQ8 and made with the Island Batik collection Shadow Blooms, Niko finished at 60" by 84", making him suitable for TV time and naps on the couch. He is a perfect picnic partner and just as happy to go on car rides.

Finding Happiness

But Niko isn't just fun and games. He is also just right for charity quilts including Quilts of Valor.

Since Niko is jelly-roll friendly (which you already have) all you need is 2.5 yards of background fabric and you are in business. The step by step directions and colored graphics for every step ensure success.

Jelly-Roll Friendly

But what I like best about Niko is this - simple blocks come together to make a fun secondary pattern. Dancing Pinwheels remind me that we are better when we are together. The elongated Granny Square like negative space also offers room to show off your quilting design.

Dancing Pinwheels

Niko is now available as a standalone pattern in my Etsy Shop. Marked at $12, Niko is on sale for just $9 till May 8, 2025.

Labelled

But wait there is more. Leave me a comment on this blogpost to be entered into a giveaway contest for a downloadable PDF copy of the Niko Quilt Pattern. I will announce the two winners on May 8, 2025.

UPDATE - The two winners are #7 (Jocelyn) and #27 (Jan). Emails are on the way.

What are you waiting for?

What is happening on May 8, 2025? 

Island Batik and Accuquilt have teamed to sponsor the Irish Chain BlogHop and Challenge beginning May 5 and I will be posting on May 8. I will be using this gorgeous collection - Fusion  by Jerry Khiev for Swan Amity Studios.

And one more thing. Angela has announced the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for May. It is green and here is my fabric pull. All gorgeous greens are from Island Batik.

Island Batik Greens for May RSC

I will be sharing with Quilting Jetgirl's Favorite Finish and all my favorite linky parties including Angela's. See full list on the sidebar.

The Color of Valor

Island Batik's April Challenge requires us to make a lap-sized (or larger) quilt using the timeless Drunkard's Path Quilt Block, making sure that the technique used is curved piecing and not applique.

Naturally, many ideas were considered and discarded. I am saving them to a very long list of possible future quilts.

In the end, I chose the quilt block - Moon Over the Mountain. I have been fascinated by this quilt block for a long time. I looked for tutorials and found few but none of them appealed to me.

It was time to design it myself.

Thank you EQ8

Next, I auditioned a few different fabric collections, also in EQ8.

Petal Poetry (I have a huge crush on this one)

Botanical Dreams

Shadow Blooms

They all looked lovely. But I wanted more than that. I wanted energy and passion. I decided to go for yellow orbs over rust/orange/red mountains.

Fabric Pull

I ended up using fabrics from Modern Opulence, Celebrate, and Fire & Ice collections.

Block Construction

Design Wall

Basting

And here is my first finish named Rising Suns.

Rising Suns

The background and binding is Island Batik Solid Black. I used Black Heirloom Batting from Hobbs and Schmetz 80/12 Needle for both piecing and quilting. I used Walking Foot to quilt squiggly lines. The variegated thread adds to the sizzle.

Walking Foot Quilting

Variegated Thread

The bright orange shades made me think of Saffron, one of the colors in India's national flag. India's national flag is named the Tricolor, so named for the three major colors. Saffron for sacrifice, White for Peace and Green for Prosperity. Saffron is symbolic of renouncement - giving up everything for the one cause, making the ultimate sacrifice for the country.

Labelled

Now that I am an American, I associate Red, White and Blue as the colors of valor. Is there a universal color for valor? Or does it mean different things to different people?

As I was mulling over colors, an off-color incident made me seethe. Not that I could do much, but I channeled my thoughts into prayer while I busied my hands to make another quilt.

Pinned

Work in Progress

I chose nine different  yellows and nine different blues. The background and binding is Solid White. I used Hobbs Bleached White 80/20 Batting. I used Schmetz 80/12 Needle for both piecing and quilting. I used Walking Foot to quilt squiggly lines. 

Backing is Frosting, Labelled

Here is my second finish. I have named it Doblest, which means Valor. 

“Any fool can fight a winning battle, but it needs character to fight a losing one, and that should inspire us." 
_William Butler Yates

Both quilts finished at about 53" by 51". I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. Should you have any thoughts about color, valor or this block - Moon over the Mountain, I'd love to hear from you.