Missed Connections, Featured in Quiltmaker

I’ve got a new pattern out in the world, and I’m so happy to share it with you today. Missed Connections is a quilt I designed to work with precuts. You know I love precut bundles – they make me a happy scrappy quilter. I tried to say that 10″ bundles are my favorite, but that isn’t true. Mini charms are my favorites – those itty bitty cuties drive me wild. 10″ precuts do hit a sweet spot for me, though. They are more affordable than fat quarters, they give me the entire line of fabric, and you can make a good sized quilt from just one set.

I spent some time last year designing several quilts that utilize precut bundles. This is the first one to make it into a print magazine. Yay! This one was inspired by my growing love of improvisational piecing. I like the idea of taking baby steps into improv. For me, it was easier to try improv within a framework, before jumping in with curves and wildness.

So, here I present to you, a beginner improv pattern. Straight line slashing with narrow strips gives you some room to explore, but the simple structure of the quilt gets you finished quickly. Plus, if you use a stunning fabric line, like Jewel Box from Island Batik, you simply cannot go wrong.

I called it Connections when I submitted it to the publisher. I had envisioned more of the slashes meeting up when assembled. When I actually made the quilt, I realized how few of my slashes met up, so the name changed to Missed Connections. If I were to enter it into an art show, I would talk about the people we meet in life, and we don’t realize how closely our paths come to intersecting with others who might have influenced our choices.

One cause of the missed connections is that I wanted to distribute the colors. Attempting to both match up the white lines and keep the same fabrics from touching was too much. In the end, color distribution won out. I think my next version will allow color bleed and emphasize the white paths.

You can find this pattern in the May/June edition of Quiltmaker magazine, which you can purchase at your local quilt shop, bookstore or here. They called it “Cut Loose” and also spelled my name wrong. C’est la vie.

If you absolutely MUST get your hands on some Jewel Box, ask at your local quilt shop. They are on the shelves and waiting for you to rescue them!

I spent a lot of energy on this quilt with my longarm and rulers, quilting the life into it. It has been hanging in my living room since the day it came back home to me, and it makes me smile. This pattern has added it to my class listing page – I can’t wait to help people take some gentle steps into improv piecing.

Missed Connections is currently on the class schedule at Gotham Quilts in early June. I don’t have a lot of confidence that things will be back to normal by then, but I’m definitely crossing my fingers. If not, I will be exploring the world of live online classes. I need to rearrange my studio a bit for filming, but if you are interested, let me know.

Want to see what else I can do with a 10″ bundle?

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
Good for the Gander
Trill

How about you? Do you find yourself working with precut bundles, or do you prefer to pull together your own fabrics?