I hope you had a chance yesterday to watch my Fresh Quilting Season 2 segments. When I was contacted about the opportunity, I pitched ideas for filming one design segment and one technique segment, and both were accepted!
For the design segment, I really wanted to talk about color value, transparency, and how to use those techniques to take a traditional quilt block and create a modern quilt. As a result, I created the Cross Check mini quilt which is based on the King’s Cross block.
Cross Check Mini Quilt
One thing that I was really passionate about showing through this mini quilt is how prints can be used for color value play, and these Alison Glass prints work brilliantly. If you have watched my transparency design segment, you already know this, but I even talk through what to do if ordering fabric online results in fabrics that are too similar in value. The binding was supposed to be the medium value in the quilt but it didn’t work as intended so I substituted a new light value into the quilt instead. Also, a million thanks to Renee from Quilts of a Feather for buying a yard of fabric for me so I could make step outs for filming the weekend before (I had just enough of the light value print in my stash to make the mini quilt, but I did not have enough for step outs)!
Cross Check Mini Quilt
I used my hera marker to mark the echoing lines that I quilted for the Cross Check mini quilt (using 50wt Aurifil thread, of course!). I like how the echoed lines help emphasize the pattern. The Cross Check mini quilt finishes at 24-inches square.
Single Burst Mini Quilt
For my technique segment, I wanted to discuss tips for precision piecing hourglass or quarter square blocks. I have a few pattern designs that use these blocks, and I decided to downsize and modify my Sunburst pattern and created what I call the Single Burst mini quilt. The Single Burst mini quilt finishes at 18-inches wide by 25-inches tall.
Single Burst Mini Quilt
It was in quilting Single Burst that I decided I needed to do some thinking about using my walking foot on my Juki. I think I ripped quilting lines and re-quilted this mini quilt about three times over. Just a few weeks later I purchased a Janome walking foot that works beautifully on my machine. It’s a relief to know I won’t be fighting walking foot quilting like I did for this mini quilt finish in the future!
I am really pleased to share that I am releasing Cross Check and Single Burst mini quilt patterns in a combined PDF today. As I am sure you are well aware, I am passionate about color value and transparency design, and I want you to feel confident using the technique and selecting your fabric.
If you have been hesitant to pick up any of my other transparency patterns, these mini quilts might be the perfect place to start: small projects with minimal fabric requirements might help free you from the fear of fabric selection. Both quilts only require three main fabrics (instead of 4 or more), and between the detail included in the mini quilt pattern release, my Fresh Quilting Season 2 video segments, several of my free tutorials, my Quilting Jetgirl Facebook group (where you can easily post photos and ask questions), and the upcoming Wayward Transparency Quilt Along, I hope you can find the encouragement and support you need to give transparency and color value selection a try!
Cross Check and Single Burst Mini Quilts
The combined Cross Check and Single Burst mini quilt PDF patterns are now available in my pattern shop.
I watched the 2nd segment – it was great. I really like the single burst quilt.
Lovely minis! I think the one I like best although it is a toss up is Cross Check.
This will be of interest to me . I bought a lot of kona solids earlier in the year but some of the pink
Fq are very very similar
Beautiful minis! I just signed up for your newsletter!
I love your minis! Im off to sign up for your newsletter!
Great idea to combine them into one pattern. I enjoyed seeing how you put them together and hearing more of your design process.
What a great combination these two quilts are! I love how you used the prints showing color value. Hera marker for the win…friends and fabric too!
I signed up for your newsletter but am curious as to how it differs from your blog. Anyway, I am looking forward to the Transparency Quilt-Along.
Both of these quilts are beautiful, Yvonne! They’re great transparency examples. You make it look so easy! 🙂
Both of these minis are stunning.
Congratulations on your second season with Fresh Quilting, Yvonne! That is so awesome! Both of your mini quilts are stunning and a great way to demonstrate the transparency methods. Glad to hear you found a solution for your walking foot troubles!
Beautiful little minis! Love the colors. Congrats on getting a new pattern issued.