Love Always by Elaine Armenta

Love Always by Elaine Armenta

Elaine has created yet another beauty: it was a happy day when I saw that she had uploaded three quilt images to share in the Open Gallery. I love multiple submissions - the more the merrier! Seeing how Elaine uses her gift for fabric and colour across completely different quilts offers a real perspective and is hugely motivating. To see her Diamond Hill stunner, click here now. 

Love Always offers a unique colour story: you have the vases, foliage and borders which can take you into many different directions. Elaine's is perfect! I am loving the pink tones with hints of purple balanced out with the teals and blues. I often worry about balancing teals and leaf greens but Elaine, like so many others in the Group, keep widening my perspective on what works. 

The darker burgundy / brown print of the centre is an interesting anchor and is repeated in the lower vase - it adds depth without over powering these jewel colours and the prints are gorgeous and strike a perfect balance between the flow of the design and attention of the fabric colours themselves. Yes, I've really feasted my eyes on this beauty and I love everything I see here.

Wow Elaine, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful work with us all to dream over. 

Love Always is a special quilt, I consider it to be the sister quilt of Love Entwined and it definitely has a large dose of romance and mystery about it. I love how the simple rose vines create gateways inviting you to spend time in the centre which is anchored with three large flourishing blooms. I love every last detail and it's a joy to see others  interpreting the design over and over again - each time is a new story that I can't wait to read.

'Love Always' 

You can read more about this quilt or buy this quilt pattern by clicking here now

--------------------------- Open Quilt Gallery--------------------------- 

Thanks to Elaine Armenta for sharing her quilt with us all to take inspiration from. If you'd like to see more finished quilts made from any of my patterns, visit my Open Gallery. It's a place for all quilters who make any of my quilts to show off their creations in a central online gallery. It's new and I hope you'll join us by adding your own quilt there. Submitting your quilt pics is easily done via an upload screen directly on my website. Click here now if you'd like to submit your own quilt.

Diamond Hill by Elaine Armenta

Diamond Hill 

by Elaine Armenta of Bonney Lake Washington, USA 

Oh my goodness, what an elegant quilt! I just love the colours choices Elaine has made, the purple tone with golden yellows is so attractive, I love how it frames the floral blocks. This quilt is perfectly balanced and I keep looking again and again, getting something extra each time. The centre star in deep blue is the perfect finishing touch that harmonizes with the border foliage - perfect.

If you read my blog, you already know that I love 'reading' other people's colour schemes, to me it's a real treat to see my design through someone else eyes and this beauty is a real treat.

If you'd like to read more about Diamond Hill, you can check out the Diamond Hill post archive right here on this blog by clicking the image below. 

'Diamond Hill' 

Read more about this quilt by clicking here now

------------------------ Open Quilt Gallery------------------------ 

Thanks to Elaine Armenta for sharing her finished quilt pics with us all to take inspiration from. If you'd like to see more finished quilts made from any of my patterns, visit my Open Gallery. It's a place for all quilters who make any of my quilts to show off their creations in a central online gallery. Submitting your quilt pics is easily done via an upload screen directly on my website. Clear here now if you'd like to submit your own quilt.

HOYH: My Iron Wool Mat

I'm getting lots of emails asking me what this matt is??! It's a new thing to my tool kit. I have lots of ironing mats and they all serve their own purpose, this mat doesn't replace them but I must admit that it IS my new favourite thing. 

It's a wool ironing mat

There are several brands and sizes you can buy - I love that you can pin the board which makes it perfect for using with patterns and the thickness means that I can use it everywhere without worrying about the table underneath. 

I've got this smallish one, but now that I love it so much, I will get getting it in two larger sizes for bigger ongoing projects where I iron and pin lots of motifs. 

WOW: HOYH Bias Stems..

 WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays 

I'm still working on my bias strips for Hold Onto Your Heart Part 5! It's been about 3 weeks now. These are the three fabrics I'm deciding between:

I don't know which one will make the final cut because I'm still deciding on the final fabrics and you know me -I like options, lots and lots of options.

 What's Your WOW? 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Hold Onto Your Heart: Creating Bows

I've got my heart set on this stripe fabric for the bows. Of course, I had to make things just a bit tricky for myself with this fabric option! Due to the stripes, I had to pay extra attention to the stripe directions when cutting out my fusible and positioning it on the reverse of my fabric. I had a bit of a brain freeze but got their in the end.

When finally happy with the stripe positions (it took 2 attempts!), I turned my edges.

This is what the back looks like. I'm using the pattern sheet as my guide - just like I always recommend. Don't allow your bows to grow!

Ok, I'm happy with my bows, now it's time to move onto the stems and vines.. 

 'Hold Onto Your Heart' is a paid BOM 

It's a breathtaking quilt full of meaningful symbols and beauty. The floral border is a triumph which offers an additional  pieced option - making it versatile for all skill levels. Perfect for lovers and enthusiasts of applique. 

You can start this BOM today! 

Be sure to visit my Online Quilt Group on Facebook where progress images are being shown all the time. It's a massive inspiration and I warn you, it's addictive!

Hold Onto Your Heart: Part 5

This month it's time to create the circling bows and berries that circle the Heartfelt Centre. When you construct your pattern sheet this month and take a good look at the elements, remember that you have options when it comes to the flowering heads. 

These little heads are real beauties and they're intense shapes designed to bring out the creative best in experienced applique-ers. You don't have to follow the flower heads exactly. I'll be showing you exactly how I make mine, but I wanted to remind you before you start out this month that you can create a simplified flower head instead. It's also a perfect spot for some fussy cutting or broderie perse if you prefer.

I'll be making mine as per the pattern for this gentle scheme because I love them. For my bright coloured quilt top, I'll consider a simplified head - you can easily do this by just tracing the flower outline only to create a single scalloped shape and using an interesting fabric in place of all the individual layers.

This is your quilt, so feel free to modify the shapes to make them work for you. And if you're unsure, just wait a few days - there'll be plenty of these beauties on show in the Group in no time at all.

Come back tomorrow where I'll be sharing my progress with you..

     'Hold Onto Your Heart' is a paid BOM  

It's a breathtaking quilt full of meaningful symbols and beauty. The floral border is a triumph which offers an additional  pieced option - making it versatile for all skill levels. Perfect for lovers and enthusiasts of applique. 

  You can start this BOM today!  

Be sure to visit my Online Quilt Group on Facebook where progress images are being shown all the time. It's a massive inspiration and I warn you, it's addictive!

Morning Glory by Valerie Bearfield Yeager

Morning Glory by 

Valerie Bearfield Yeager of Florida USA

What a sight! I am sinking into these wonderful coral hues that sing next to the mottled blue prints. This is such an intriguing arrangement, I love the dark background which anchors this dreamy colourscheme. It's so effective, I feel like stepping into the image, the centre pulls me in and the stunning balance of fabrics in the surrounding blocks keeps the eye moving around the quilt. WOW!

Valerie, you have created an incredible quilt and I'm so delighted to be able to set my eyes on it. I know there are many quilters out there working on their Morning Glories and this one's simply a beauty. What an inspiration!

'Morning Glory' 

Read more about this quilt by clicking here now

--------------------------- Open Quilt Gallery-------------------------

Thanks to Valerie Bearfield Yeager for sharing her finished quilt with us all to take inspiration from. If you'd like to see more finished quilts made from any of my patterns, visit my Open Gallery. It's a place for all quilters who make any of my quilts to show off their creations in a central online gallery. It's new and I hope you'll join us by adding your own quilt there. Submitting your quilt pics is easily done via an upload screen directly on my website. Click here now if you'd like to submit your own quilt.