Today I want to share a quilt that is kind of special to me!

I made it at the end of 2025, but just barely finished the binding.

This is my Lulu quilt pattern, which is based on an antique quilt I once saw.

I designed it in 2016 and have made a few Lulu quilts since then.

It may just be one of the simplest patterns I've designed.  It's perfect if you need a quick make!

It comes with 2 size options - lap and twin.  This is the lap size.

It finishes at 48" x 64".

It's Jelly Roll (or 2-1/2" strip friendly).

The reason why this particular quilt is so special to me is that it's made with

fabrics that I designed!  I had a lot of partial 2-1/2" strips and scraps

leftover from other projects so it felt good to put them to use.

99% of the fabrics are from my two collections with Riley Blake Designs,

Feels Like Home and Honey Locust.  It's fun to see how well both of the collections

work together.  I think there are also a few pieces in it that I designed for

one or two of the Hush Hush (low volume) collections for Riley Blake.

I backed the quilt in the main print from Honey Locust called Gigi's Garden in the color Blush.

The binding is from Feels Like Home.  It's called Alpine Meadow in the color Rose.

Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah, quilted it for me.  This time, I let her pick the panto

which was a fun surprise!  I don't do that very often, haha.  But I love Jen, and I trusted her

to pick something I would like.  And she did not disappoint!   This panto is called Chip by Leisha Farnsworth, and I like that it added some curve to this very square/rectangular quilt.

Of course, I added one of my favorite labels from Ever Emblem.  They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!  I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.

If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their

basic cotton labels and customize it from there.  I machine stitch my binding

down around it because it's hard to hand stitch through it).

I hand-bound the rest of the binding to the back of the quilt and that was nice to slow down for a bit.

Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy that process.

I love that this has a bit of a scrappy look to it.  Please don't be afraid to mix fabric

collections and use what you have!  It makes a quilt unique and oh, so charming, don't you think?!

This pattern is so versatile.  It will be great for any age, occasion, gender, and colorway!

If you would like to make your own Lulu quilt,

you can grab the paper pattern HERE.

Or the PDF pattern HERE.

I'd love to hear what you think about this very simple quilt!

Thanks for stopping by!

Honey Locust Checkered Spools Quilt

 I recently finished a new quilt called Checkered Spools.

I designed this pattern to go along with my new fabric collection

with Riley Blake Designs called Honey Locust, which is in stores now.

All you need for the quilt top is a Rolie Polie (a bundle of forty-two 2-1/2" x 42" strips),

background fabric and some yardage for the tops and bottoms of the spools.

I used this sky daisy print for the background.

I used the brown and blue hydrangea print for the binding.

And the other two browns (posies and patchwork) were used

for the top and bottom of the spools.

It was fun mixing and matching different prints for the checkerboard units.

I really wanted Honey Locust to have a curated, scrappy feel so it has

a total of 24 different sku's.  There are 9 unique prints and 8 colors.

Leftover checkerboard segments are used in the fun, patchwork border.

Since I was planning on using the brown and blue hydrangea print for the binding,

I debated about these 3 prints for the backing fabric.  I thought each of them

would compliment the front of the quilt and binding.

I ended up using the navy floral print called Gigi's Garden.  I love using

large-scale prints for quilt backs, so it was perfect.

I think the brown and blue hydrangea print for the binding tied it all together!

I usually hand-stitch my binding but was in a hurry this time so I machine bound it.  

It takes some practice but I think I've finally got my method down.  In this particular case,

I used two different color threads - blue on the front and brown on the back.

Jen Ostler quilted it for me with the Interlocking Orange Peel panto by Karlee Porter.

It's one of my go-to pantos; I've used it many times over the years!  Some other

pantos I considered were the Baptist Fan and Crosshatching.  I guess I wanted something

classic and timeless with a little bit of a vintage feel.  I landed on the Interlocking

Orange Peel and am really happy with it!

Checkered Spools comes with instructions for 2 different quilt sizes.

This is the bigger version, the full version that finishes at 80 1/2" x 96 1/2".

I turned it sideways and it fits perfectly on this queen-size bed!

This was such a fun project!  And I'm not gonna lie, after I made this,

I started dreaming of having a quilting retreat center

with all the beds adorned in Checkered Spools quilts!

If you'd like to make this pattern too you can get the

paper pattern HERE,

the PDF pattern HERE,

or I have 1 kit available HERE.

I also have some of the sky daisy fabric listed in my shop as well.

You can get that HERE.

I also thought this would be adorable in red, white, and blue!

Check out that version HERE!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Vinyl Project Pouches in Honey Locust

Hi friends!  Today I'm popping in to share a quick project idea

that any crafter, sewist, or quilter will love - a Vinyl Project Pouch! 

I had never made one before.  But I had received one as a gift and loved it!  They're so cute and handy!  So I knew I wanted to make some with my new fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs called Honey Locust.  They're kind of addicting to make, and I can definitely see myself making more in the future.

I started with the cheater print from Honey Locust.  I quilted it on my domestic machine

with diagonal lines that were the same distance apart as the small triangles on the cheater print.

I used a walking foot and seam guides so I didn't have to mark anything.

It was actually really easy and fun to quilt the panels!

I know, putting in zippers can be intimidating, but I promise it's really not that hard, especially on a project like this.  It's actually really satisfying!  And if I can do it, anyone can!

I got the zippers from a local quilt shop and the vinyl from Walmart.

Each pouch uses about 4 different fabrics so it's fun playing around with different fabric combinations.

And you can make these for any occasion, so the possibilities are endless!

I got these fun zipper pulls from an online fabric store years ago.

(Unfortunately, I can't remember which one - sorry!)

The tutorial I used for these pouches is by Ann from The Bobbin Jar blog.  It was really well done and she offered several size options!  I highly recommend it!  Click HERE to check out Ann's tutorial.

I definitely want to make more Vinyl Project Pouches.  They would make great gifts for all my quilty friends!

Honey Locust Ironing Board Cover

 Now that my new fabric collection, Honey Locust, has shipped to stores, I am busy making all the things!  The first project I made was a quick one using the Echelons Cheater Print.

I whipped up a new ironing board cover (I know, I know, I just made one with my last cheater print), but I couldn't help myself!  It's such a quick project, and I thought these softer colors would go beautifully in my sewing room.

THIS is the tutorial I use to make ironing board covers.  I've shared it many times before.
It just takes an hour or so to make, and I often have all the supplies on hand.

It's such a sweet, happy print and oh so quilty, don't you think!!??

This little ironing board cover is bringing me a lot of joy right now.  

I also really love my Oliso iron.  I love the color, the weight, the heat, the long automatic shutoff feature, and the extra-long cord!  This is my second Oliso iron.  I had my first one for 7-10 years and knew I would be getting another one when the first one broke en route to a quilting retreat!

Anyways, if you're interested in making one of these covers too, I've got just the amount of this cheater fabric you need to make one just like it, listed in my Etsy shop HERE.

I would also love to make a quilt coat and a tote bag with this cheater print.

What would you make with it?

Honey Locust - My New Fabric Collection!

 About a year and a half ago, I began working on my newest fabric collection with Riley Blake Designs.  It's called Honey Locust, and I am happy to announce that it has finally shipped to stores! 

Honey Locust is an homage to my grandparents, who lived in a cute little house on Locust Avenue in Pleasant Grove, Utah, for many years.  Before that, they lived in Laie, Hawaii for 25 years.  My grandpa was a cowboy and a history professor.  My grandma was a quilter and a homemaker.  Their home in Pleasant Grove was on the historic registry, and it was full of learning and love (as well as lots of quilts and antiques!)  I have many memories of riding horses, learning skills such as quilting and canning, working alongside family while painting their picket fence, and singing songs while my grandpa played the guitar and taught us about our heritage.  We worked together and played together at that sweet little house on Locust Avenue, and I miss my grandparents dearly.

In this collection, you'll find cozy colors such as grove green, sky blue, berry pink, honeycomb yellow, lead navy blue, petal pink, saddle brown, and linen.  The names remind me of Pleasant Grove, picking cherries and grapes on my grandparents' property, Utah (the beehive state), my grandpa - the teacher and cowboy, and fresh linen sheets hanging on a clothesline. 

The large floral print (bottom fabric below) is called Gigi's Garden.

The grandkids called my grandma Gigi (she is the namesake of my company!)

There are 9 different prints plus one "cheater" print.

I'm kind of obsessed with the cheater print and want to make "all the things" with it!

The cheater print was inspired by a quilt I made several years ago (and that was inspired by several antique quilts I had seen around).  I kept meaning to write a pattern for the quilt, but it just never happened!  When it came time to design a cheater print for this collection, I knew I wanted to recreate the quilt on fabric!  I love that design, and I love that the blocks are even smaller than the ones in my quilt.  Everything is cuter when it's tiny, right!?

Honey Locust Rolie Polies, 5" Stackers, 10" Stackers, and Fat Quarter Bundles are available.

I hope you're seeing just how scrappy this collection is!

So many prints and colors!  It's been a blast to work with!

I've designed 3 new patterns to go along with Honey Locust.  First up is one of the first patterns I ever designed - with a major update!  I omitted some outdated appliqué and included one more size option.  It's called Square Root and it's 2-1/2" strip-friendly.

Next up is a row-style quilt called The Locust House Row Quilt.  Again, it was inspired by my grandparents' house.  My grandma also had a few row-style quilts that I admired greatly so I knew I wanted to design one for this collection.  It finishes at 62" x 81" and would make a great block of the month program for any shop!  Or a great scrap buster project if you want to make it on your own!

And finally, Checkered Spools.  In honor of my grandma, who taught me how to quilt!  It comes with instructions for two size options and is 2-1/2" strip-friendly!

I can't wait to share more with you soon!  I am busy making all the samples for these quilts (and more!) so stay tuned!  For the most up-to-date info, follow me on Instagram (@gigis_thimble) or check-out my Etsy shop for new patterns and fabric by clicking HERE.

I'd love to hear what you think of Honey Locust and the patterns I've designed to go along with it!

And if you really want to do me a favor, please tell your local fabric store about this collection!  I would appreciate that so much!  Let me know if you have any questions and thanks for stopping by today!