My First Quilt with Ange Wilson

It's time for another My First Quilt interview! This month Ange Wilson of Gnome Angel shares the story of her first quilt.

In her own words, Ange is "a self-confessed fussy cutter, lover of patchwork and a proud fabric fondler. I design quilt patterns (specialising in traditional patchwork and samplers), host a podcast (Fussy Cutters Club) and run the annual 100 Days 100 Blocks event. I can talk for hours... sometimes it's even all about fabric!"

You can connect with Ange at her website, her shop, and on Instagram. 

And now, here is Ange's first quilt!

What year did you make your first quilt? What prompted you to make it?

2011. My Nana was moving into a care facility and so she gifted me her Janome sewing machine (which I still have). I don't know why she did it, but it changed my life forever. I grew up in the tropics of Australia and so quilts weren't really a "thing". However, for as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by them in American culture. I used to love seeing them in film, in books, on the internet. I was just enamoured with the idea of being able to make something and have that thing be passed down through the family. To be able to still be a part of your family for generations. It's an amazing concept to me and still gives me comfort to know that if anything were to happen to me my son would have a hug from his Mum in quilt form whenever he wanted it. 

What techniques were used in that first quilt? Did you quilt it yourself?

It was super simple squares and rectangles. Super basic. Ha! No. I'm not a quilter, I'm a patchworker. I haven't quilted any of my quilts. My bestie, Raylee of Sunflower Quilting quilts all my creations. 

Who taught you to make the quilt?

The pattern I brought had basic instructions and then I winged it. It was shocking. I used a 1/2" seam! I had no idea. I ended up making another quilt after it before someone recommended I take a beginners class at our Local Quilt Shop. It was a game changer. 

Are the colours you chose for your first quilt ones you would still choose today?

Probably... I still use a lot of blue and green, but I think I'd likely fussy cut the prints if I was to do it over and be more conscious of tonal differences in the fabrics I used.

Did you fall in love with quilting right away? Or was there a gap between making the first quilt and the next one?

I was in love before I started. After my 3rd quilt I challenged myself to make a quilt top a month for 1 year. The rest they say is history...

Where is the quilt now?

In my cupboard. My Nana passed and she wanted me to have it back, so I have it here. I'll pass it on to my kiddo when I go and pray that he finds someone he loves to pass it on to. 

Is there anything you wish you could go back and tell yourself as you made that first quilt?

Nope. I think I'd just smile knowingly and tell myself I'm about to go on an amazing adventure. 

Anything else you want to share about your first quilt?

My quilt photography has gotten a LOT better since I made this quilt! LOL

Thanks for sharing your first quilt with us, Ange!

Sparkler Baby Quilt in Modern Vintage: Treasured

I'm part of a FB group for quilt pattern designers, where invitations are sometimes posted asking if anyone wants to take part in a blog hop sharing projects with a new fabric line. When Rachel Rossi posted her invitation for the Modern Vintage: Treasured blog hop, I quickly jumped on board. This beautiful collection blends nostalgic charm with a fresh, modern palette and I knew these fabrics would be perfect for a new Sparkler baby quilt!

I love how the quilt top turned out! Yes, it's only a top at this point. It's way too hot in my sewing room lately to be quilting anything, plus my parents and Aiden are visiting, so we've been busy hiking, searching for sea glass, and watching for whales (they've all been hiding, though).

For all my other Sparkler quilts, the sashing has been a neutral colour, but this time I decided to use the gorgeous Etched Glass print in dark teal. The Etched Glass is my favourite print in Modern Vintage: Treasured, so I used it in the sashing and for two of the blocks, in Earth and Terracotta.

The Treasured Poppies print is beautiful in both Natural and Turquoise, but it's definitely a larger scale print than I normally use. I'm a blenders and basics kind of girl. I love looking at these larger prints, though, so it's fun to incorporate them into a quilt sometimes!

I used the Loopy Lace print in Natural for the secondary sparklers, the ones that kind of recede into the background when you look at the quilt as a whole. It's a great basic print! There's a bit of pattern and colour, but it's all low-volume and perfect for playing a supporting role in the quilt.

I'm looking forward to getting this one quilted, whenever it cools down in the sewing room. I always used to say we didn't need air conditioning in Newfoundland, except for maybe 2 or 3 days a year, but that has been changing in recent years. Now we seem to have more and more hot days each summer, which is a struggle for this girl who does not enjoy the heat.

I also find it seems to get windier every year, which can make it hard to get quilt pictures, especially when it's only a quilt top. Without the added weight of the batting and backing, a flimsy quilt top billows and blows in even the slightest breeze. Paul came to my rescue this time and made a form to hold the quilt top. He taped together panels from a dishwasher box to make it large enough for the quilt, then added a handle to make it easier to hold. I pinned the quilt top to the cardboard and we headed out to a local trail. Even though it was quite windy, this worked like a charm! It might not be pretty, but it works 😊

If you'd like to make your own Sparkler quilt, the pattern is available in my shop.

That's what I made with Rachel's beautiful fabric, and all of the designers in this hop have made something unique using Modern Vintage: Treasured—from quilts and bags to garments and home decor. Follow along to see all the inspiring ideas AND to win some excellent prizes!

Meet the Designers & Their Projects

Devoted Quilter – Sparkler Baby Quilt (you are here!)

Ember Craft Company – Girl’s Dress

Snapdragon Quilting – Louise Quilt

Around the Bobbin – Essential Tote Bag

@dragonflysquiltingdesginstudio – Pillow Featuring a Panel + Modern Vintage: Treasured

Katie Mae Quilts – Baby Quilt

Quilty Zest – Placemats

Rachel Rossi – This link goes to a blog post with ALL the projects!

 

Find this fabric collection in a store near you: Modern Vintage: Treasured Store Locator

Cross-Stitch Heart

Welcome to another TGIFF party! It's time to celebrate our finishes and this time I have a finish that has been waiting a long time for its turn to come. The actual making didn't take long, but I've been thinking about making this new version of Cross-Stitch Heart for years.

I first made Cross-Stitch Heart for Make Modern magazine back in 2018. When I designed it, I was on a bit of an asymmetry kick, so this is how that original version looked. I gave this quilt to my Nanny for her 80th birthday, and it came back to me this spring after she passed away.

Almost immediately after making that version for Make Modern, I wanted to make another version using a different fabric for each block to emphasize the X shape that gives the quilt its name. Using different pinks makes it look so much more like a heart made of cross stitches.

Then, about a year ago, I decided that when the time came to make a new version, I wanted the heart centered and more prominent. And then a few months ago I realized that a scrappy version would fit perfectly as a Stash Artists pattern, so it made its way into the line of quilts to be made. Now it has finally been made!

In this version, the blocks are bigger, the heart is centered, and the quilt is a 72" square. I enjoyed going through my stash of pink fabrics to select the ones that would become part of the heart. 

I pieced together many pieces of my scraps of Warm and Natural for the batting, using fusible batting tape for the joins for the first time. While the batting tape was easier than zig zag stitching, it was also more expensive, so I'll probably stick with stitching the pieces together in the future.

As you've probably noticed in the pictures already, I quilted it with a loop and heart meander, which is the same motif I used for the first Cross-Stitch Heart quilt. I love having that extra layer of echo between the two quilts. I debated between a teal thread that almost matched the background or a pale pink that would stand out more (both were Aurifil 50 wt). I asked for votes on social media, where the results were as split as my own thoughts. I was going to play it safe with the teal, but at the last moment I switched to the pink. It stands out a bit and I love it!

The back is a solid bright pink, so the pale pink thread stands out on that side, too.

I went with a scrappy pink binding to finish it off.

Cross-Stitch Heart is the new Stash Artists pattern for July, so members can login to their account to access the pattern. If you love stash-friendly and scrappy patterns, too, get on the waitlist to be notified when the Stash Artists doors are open again.

That's my most recent finish, what is yours? Link it up below and be sure to visit some of the other links to celebrate their finishes, too.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter