I fell in love with this new fabric line,

Kitty Loves Candy by Poppie Cotton

the moment I saw swatches of it at the

International Quilt Market last fall.

It has such a fun, unique color palette for Halloween and the prints are

sweet and whimsical.  There are so many fun details like Candy the witch, 

barns, chickens, kittens + pumpkins, pigs, stars, florals, and ginghams.  It's just darling!

I decided to use some Kitty Loves Candy fat quarters to remake

my Cross Stitch pattern.

It's a Layer Cake friendly pattern

and the quilt finishes at 62" x 81".

A nice throw/twin-size quilt!

The blocks are big - a great way to show off those cute prints!

And the scrappy binding is a fun way to finish off the quilt.

(I really can't decide which print is my favorite!)

You can snag the Cross Stitch pattern in my shop HERE.

Who said Halloween has to be dark and scary!?!

I love these bright, happy prints and can't wait to snuggle

under this fun quilt come October.

Thank you to Poppie Cotton for asking me to participate

in this fabric tour and for the darling fat quarter bundle!

Want to see more Kitty Loves Candy?

Visit the other stops on the fabric tour:

Wednesday, May 10 http://blueribbondesigns.com

Friday, May 12     http://neverlandstitches.blogspot.com/

Monday, May 15 https://www.cardinalcreekquilting.com

Wednesday, May 17     https://amerooniedesigns.com/

Friday, May 19     https://charismascorner.com/category/blog/

Monday, May 22  http://theredfeedsack.blogspot.com

Wednesday, May 24 http://www.gigisthimble.com/

Friday, May 26     https://bretquiltdesigns.com/

Monday, May 29 https://www.sewmariana.com/

My Favorite Things Fabric Tour

I have been a fan of Elea Lutz' designs since I first discovered her in 2015.  

Her first fabric line was Milk, Sugar, and Flower (which was absolutely adorable; 

I'm sad I missed out on it!)  However, I did end up making a 

Christmas quilt with her second fabric line, Little Joys.

 Today I get to share some projects I made with her

most recent fabric line, My Favorite Things.  It has that 

sweet, vintage style that Elea is known for.  And she is now a designer for 

Poppie Cotton which I think is a match made in heaven!

As you can see the line is full of soft pinks, blues, buttery yellows, creamy whites

and tans...with a little pop of red!  Such a cute color palette!  There are lots of 

different florals in various scales and one of my favorite things - text prints!  

But the main print features many of Elea's favorite

things (which I'm sure most of us can relate to.)  See THIS post

on Elea's blog for more pictures, the inspiration behind this collection, 

the darling coordinating cheater print, and a free mini

quilt pattern that Elea is offering to members of her new Facebook group. 

The first project I made with My Favorite Things

was a throw-size version of my Rough and Tumble pattern.

It comes with instructions for 5 different sizes!

I had so much fun playing with 5" squares of

My Favorite Things + a few solid fabrics 

and a tan with a white dot background fabric.

I love this pattern because the blocks go together really quickly

and there is no sashing!  So it's a very fast make, overall.

I bound it with the red Good Measure grid fabric from my fabric line, 

Treasured Treads with Poppie Cotton and backed it in a

large green gingham fabric from Riley Blake.

My friend, Jen Ostler in Highland, UT quilted it for me.

She did a fantastic job, as always!  The quilting pantograph 

she used is called Fluffy Lumps.  It's a new-to-me design

that I thought complimented the scalloped/floral print in 

My Favorite Things really well!  She also quilted a tiny heart 

on the quilt for me to find - in a little game of quilters' hide and seek.  

Can you see it?

I just couldn't get enough of My Favorite Things so I decided

to make one more project with the remaining fabric I had.  But don't

worry, it was a super fast baby quilt that just takes a couple of hours to put together.

I've had many requests for this pattern called, Big Baby.

It was originally in my book, Vintage Vibe

but it's out of print now so I decided to make Big

Baby into an individual pattern which you can find in my shop, HERE.

The pantograph is called Cartwheels and the quilt finishes at 38" square.

It's a big-block baby quilt version of my Scrap Jar Stars pattern.

It goes together so fast and looks cute in any colorway!

Perfect for gift-giving!

I love this fabric line and am so thankful that I got to be a part of

the My Favorite Things Fabric Tour.  My Favorite Things is in stores now

so be sure to run out and grab some before it's all gone!

Flora's Baskets - Scrappy Version

 Hi there!  I have been wanting to share a new

project that I started a month or two ago.

It's based on my new pattern,

Flora's Baskets. 

Flora's Baskets is a pattern I designed

based on an antique quilt I saw on 

@caravanquilts Instagram feed.

[This picture is shared with permission from @caravanquilts.]

I love following that account.  It's a great resource

if you're in the market for an antique quilt!

[This picture is shared with permission from @caravanquilts.]

[This picture is shared with permission from @caravanquilts.]

If you look closely at the two pictures above you can see that the 

"flower" part in the basket block is made with diamonds

which would've had to have been made with English

Paper Piecing or Y-seams.  My block uses

traditional machine piecing.

All of that to say,

I started a new version of Flora's Baskets -

a scrappy version and I am so excited about it!

I think it's going to be so pretty.

I'm using low-volume backgrounds and 

muted pinks, blues, and yellows for the "flowers"/

"basket tops" (what do we call that part of the block?)

Anyways, if you want to make a scrappy version like me,

you will first need to get the Flora's Baskets pattern.

You can get the paper pattern HERE.

Or the PDF pattern HERE.

And then use the following info in

conjunction with the block assembly instructions

to make scrappy blocks.  This will make 2 blocks

but you can mix and match pieces so they're both unique.

1 brown square, 5" x 5"

1 brown square, 3" x 3"

2 brown squares, 2-1/2" x 2-1/2"

10 white rectangles, 2-1/2" x 4-1/2"

1 white square, 3" x 3"

2 white squares, 2-1/2" x 2-1/2"

1 pink, blue, or yellow square, 5" x 5"

8 pink, blue, or yellow squares, 2-1/2" x 2-1/2"

And then just have fun playing with your fabrics

to make as many basket blocks as required for your chosen 

quilt size.  Flora's Baskets has 3 quilt size options.

I might make a queen size because I'm loving this

project so much.  I think it will look so vintagy 

and beautiful at the foot of our bed.

I'm even saving the cutoffs and making tiny half-square

triangles out of them.  Maybe I'll make

a little pouch or bag with them someday.

I'm super excited about all of this!

If you decide to join me on any of this

please tag me on Instagram @gigis_thimble

and use the hashtags #gigisthimblepattern

and #florasbasketsquilt.

EDIT: You can check out the finished scrappy version of Flora's Baskets HERE.

Have a great day!

Blossoms and Buds - Emily Belle Version

 Good morning! 

I've been wanting to share this quilt with you

for a while now; I finished it back in 

September of 2022, I think.

I love this quilt because

A. It's a classic design

B. It's scrappy

C. It uses lots of my favorite fabrics from my stash

and

D. The Baptist Fan quilting gives it a very vintage vibe.

This is the original version:

It's the Blossoms and Buds 

pattern from my book,

Quilt the Rainbow.

It's amazing how different this

version looks compared to the orange version!

In the orange version

the background is scrappy and

in this version the background is all

one fabric.  They look so different!

Which one do you prefer

(and disregard the orange if that's not your thing)?

I've seen several different versions online

and they're all awesome.  There are

so many ways to make this pattern your own

depending on your colors and fabric placement.

The only fabric I bought specifically

for this project was the background fabric -

Emily Belle Liberty from Riley Blake

in the color, Magnolia (a soft, buttery yellow). 

Emily Belle comes in about 45

different colors so you could

pick the one that speaks to you!

And it's such a great stash buster!

Even the binding is scrappy!

Quilt the Rainbow gives instructions

on how to make a scrappy binding

or scrappy quilt back!

There are lots of useful nuggets of 

information in it, besides the 10

versatile quilt patterns.

You can grab the book HERE.

I had this wild backing fabric in my stash

just waiting for the perfect project!

It's called Cameo by Kaffe Fassett.

It incorporated so many of the colors I used

for the quilt front so I thought

it would give this simple quilt just

the "wow factor" it needed.

I like to label my quilts with labels from Everemblem.

I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.

If you go to their site, you'll have to pick a cotton label 

and customize it from there.  They're so convenient.

Now I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!

Jen Ostler of Dry Creek Quilting

in Highland, UT quilted it with this

classic Baptist Fan pattern.  There are many different

Baptist Fan pantographs out there but I love this particular

one because it's so traditional.  It's the

Baptist Fan by Three Sisters Fabric

pantograph and I've used it many times!

Before I let you go, I just want to remind you

about the 2023 Quilt the Rainbow Challenge.

If you make any quilt (in any size and colorway)

from the Quilt the Rainbow book and 

post it on Instagram with the hashtag

#quilttherainbowchallenge

you could be entered to win some fabulous

prizes!  I'm giving away prizes quarterly

and you can enter as many times as you'd like!

All the details are in THIS blog post.

Well, I hope I answered any questions

you might have but if not, be sure to drop them in the

comment section below.  I love any interaction with you!

Thank you for stopping by today!

Positive Vibes Quilt-Along

Get ready for some fun because it's time for another quilt-along!

The Positive Vibes Quilt-Along is for one of my newest patterns,

Positive Vibes.  I designed it for my new fabric line,

Treasured Threads with Poppie Cotton, which is in stores now.

Positive Vibes comes with instructions

for 2 size options - baby and throw.

For the quilt along, we'll be making

the throw-size quilt that finishes at 71-1/4" x 85-1/2".

You can get the paper pattern HERE.

Or the PDF pattern HERE.

Positive Vibes is a fat quarter-friendly pattern,

perfect for a Treasured Threads fat quarter bundle!

You are welcome to use whatever

fat quarters you'd like, of course, but if you would like

to make the same quilt version that I'm making, there are

3 awesome quilt shops that are offering kits!

Corn Wagon Quilt Co.

LouLou's Fabric Shop

Good Vibes Quilt Shop

[This Positive Vibes block features Bloom True fabric by Terri Conrad for Poppie Cotton.]

The fabric requirements for the throw-size quilt are:

Bright Print Fat Quarters (Includes Scrappy Binding) - 20

Good Measure Natural Background Fabric - 6¼ yards

Optional Non-Scrappy Binding - 2/3 yard

Backing - 5¼ yards

Batting - 80” x 94”

The quilt-along will start on Wednesday, March 1st, 2023

and last for 12 weeks.  The weekly assignments

will be posted on Instagram every Wednesday.

Here's the schedule:

Week 1: March 1st - cutting, fabric mix and match

Week 2: March 8th - make 6 blocks

Week 3: March 15th - make 5 blocks 

Week 4: March 22nd - make 6 blocks

Week 5: March 29th - make 5 blocks

Week 6: April 5th - make 6 blocks

Week 7: April 12th - make 5 blocks

Week 8: April 19th - make 6 blocks

Week 9: April 26th - make 5 blocks

Week 10: May 3rd - make 6 blocks

Week 11: May 10th - assemble rows

Week 12: May 17th - assemble quilt top

May 24th - show the completed quilt top!

I'm so excited to announce that we have one fabulous prize 

sponsored by Katie's Quilting Co.!  Katie has so generously offered to give 

one winner - free quilting (does not include batting or shipping).

She is also offering all QAL participants: 

20% of quilting (quilt must be received 

within 30 days of the end of the QAL).

I will choose the winner at the end of the QAL from the

#positivevibesqal hashtag pool on Instagram.  

Only people that post a picture of the finished quilt top 

by May 24th will be eligible to win.

To participate, you can do one or more of the

following things:

1. Print off the schedule and follow along privately.

2. Check in with me on Instagram @gigis_thimble

every Wednesday to get the assignment for the week.

Tag me and post your progress on Instagram

using the hashtags #gigisthimblepattern and

#positivevibesqal.  This is a great way to find and

encourage friends!  I love it because I get to see your

version of Positive Vibes, too.

3. Sign up HERE for weekly email reminders.

In case you're wondering, the skill level for this pattern 

is confident beginner.

And finally, I've created a Positive Vibes Quilt-Along PDF

with all the pertinent details and a coloring sheet!

Click HERE to get the PDF. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

I can't wait to sew along with you this spring!

Treasured Threads is in Stores Now!

The day is finally here!

Treasured Threads is in stores now!

 My new fabric collection with Poppie Cotton

is full of sweet prints in varying shades of pink,

butter yellow, aqua, orange, navy, and creamy white (with a little

touch of red!)  It's bright and happy, vintage and modern -

all at the same time!

The following stores are carrying Treasured Threads:

Ace Sew & Vac

Al's Vacuum & Sewing

Cardinal Creek Quilting

Cherry Tree Cottage

Cornwagon Quilt Company

Country Sampler

Crimson Confection

El Cajon Sew & Vac

Farmhouse Fabrics, INC

Good Vibes Quilt Shop

Hunnie Quilt

Lou Lou's Fabric Shop

Mountain Stitches by Susan

Olie and Evie

Orange Quilt Bee

Precuts Quilt Shop & Craft

Quality Time Quilts

Sew It Seams

Sew Let's Be Quilty

Sweet Daisy Quilt Shoppe

Teal House Quilts

The Backstitch

The Quilted Cow LLC

The Quilting Studio & Fabric Mercantile

Thread Play Quilt Shoppe

Tilly Dee's Quilts and Embroidery

Under the Garden Moon

I've created 3 companion patterns

to go with Treasured Threads:

Flora's Baskets

A 10" square friendly pattern.

3 quilt size options 

Beginner-friendly

Sprout

A 10" square friendly pattern.

3 quilt size options 

Beginning applique

Positive Vibes

Fat-quarter friendly

2 size options

Quilt-along starts March 1st

See QAL details HERE.

You can check out all of my paper and PDF patterns HERE.

If you're a shop owner and would like to get

bulk quantities of any of my patterns at wholesale prices

please email me at gigisthimble@hotmail.com.

If you get your hands on Treasured Threads or

make anything with it please email me or tag me on

Instagram @gigis_thimble.  It would make my day

to see it in your home.  Happy shopping!