Cluck Cluck Sew

I get asked ALL.THE.TIME. which pattern is best for a beginner making their very first quilt.  Even though all of my patterns are pretty simple and straightforward, there’s only a couple I’d recommend for a very beginner… including this one, Fat Quarter Shuffle.  

I wrote this pattern last September, taught it as a class in November, then it’s sat and sat and sat unfinished.  It feels like there are already 1000 variations of this same quilt in the world so I dragged my feet to finish it, but I’ve also really enjoyed making this quick finish a few times.  So now there will just be 1001 variations of this pattern and that’s ok I guess! 

Luckily I waited SO long to finish it that Backyard Blooms became available, so it only made sense to make this quilt with it! 

This pattern uses 16 fat quarters for the Throw size, and uses an easy strip piecing method.  

Since I moved my sewing machine to the dining table, Jane will sneak up onto my sewing table and stare at the pictures on my pin board. 

I found her here after her nap today…”nap” hair and all.  

There are very few seams that match in this quilt…which is always my ultimate goal as a self-proclaimed lazy non-pinning quilter.  

You can find Fat Quarter Shuffle as a PDF pattern here, or a Paper pattern here.  

The other thing I love about this pattern is that it includes the instructions for the layouts with blocks rotated.  So you can have horizontal strips, or vertical strips, and make this look completely different.  

I have LOVED seeing photos of your Backyard Blooms fabric arriving.  It’s one of those lines that looks SO much better in person…so I’m anxious for you to see it in real life!

Backyard Blooms is available now, in your favorite quilt shop (hopefully!) and tons of places online.  

I’ll share my other Fat Quarter Shuffle quilts next week…they look so different in other fabrics.  

Happy weekend! 

After six of the longest months EVER…Backyard Blooms is starting to ship to quilt shops!  

It packs a punch of color, and it’s even prettier in person.  Since it feels like a lifetime ago when I posted about it, today I’m re-sharing some of the projects I made: 

Clover quilt, and the dress (thanks Mom!) is Simplicity pattern R10373

Brightly quilt

Jelly Weave Quilt (may or may not come with the dog…it depends on the day)

Chickens of course!

I also have a new project with it that I’ll share next week.  

You can find Backyard Blooms in local quilt shops, online quilt shops, Etsy…and it’s still shipping, so hopefully it will be easy to find wherever you shop. 

I’m not posting links so that I don’t unintentionally exclude retailers that carry it, but a quick Google search for Backyard Blooms fabric will bring up plenty of options!  

I’m so excited to see what you guys make with it (or how pretty it looks on your shelf if you’re like me and have NO sewing time lately!). 

Who knew six months ago that by the time the fabric came out I would be using it to make….face masks?! 

At least it makes some cute masks (I’ve been using this tutorial).