Busy Bee Quilt

Are you looking for an easy quilt to make this summer that uses a lot of different fabrics or maybe a bundle you’ve been hanging onto for just the right pattern? The Busy Bee quilt could just be what you’re wanting!

Quilt Backstory

This new pattern release is not really a new pattern on this blog. Formally released as Honeybee Cottage in just one project size, I’m rereleasing the pattern with a new name, look, and three project sizes for the same price as the original pattern!

Above is the original Honeybee Cottage quilt designed, made, and quilted by me (before I was an AGF fabric designer) in Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids and Bonnie Christine’s Sweet as Honey fabric collection. This pattern was for a 64-1/2’’ square quilt. The pattern revision has changed the original quilt size to a 64-1/2’’ x 74-1/2’’ quilt— that’s better sized for a twin bed.

Cover Quilt

This very traditional looking quilt design is really just a vehicle and excuse to play with your stash of fabrics! I made sure the pattern is fat quarter and 1/2 yard bundle-friendly so if you like the looks of a 10-piece bundle then it’s sure to look good in this quilt. The driver behind remaking this quilt came from my Art Gallery Fabrics Designer’s Palette 1/2 yard bundle of 10 prints (above)—all I need to add for the top was the Four Leaf - Glow print from my Willow collection as the background fabric and AGF Decostitch Golden Earth for the center squares in the blocks and I had the perfect pattern to show off this group of fabrics.

The Designer’s Palette bundles can be purchased from your favorite quilt shops that carry AGF fabrics and you can source the other prints used in my sample OR you can purchase the Busy Bee Designer’s Palette kit from Lady Belle Fabrics.

I did the free motion quilting on this cover sample and used Hobbs Tuscany Supreme 100% Unbleached Cotton inside for the perfect summer to fall weight.

I love to select a backing print that can give a quilt two looks—patchwork front and whole cloth back, I used the Cut Flowers - Fortune print from my Kismet collection for Art Gallery Fabrics.

Second Busy Bee Quilt

Because the cover sample was so much fun to make, I was eager make a second quilt but this time, mix prints from several of my latest fabric collections. I stitched up the 44-1/2’’ x 54-1/2’’ crib/throw version as a second quilt sample and used prints from Willow, Shine On, Booking, and AGF Fusions collections Serenity and Rosewood.

I do love this soft color palette and much as I love the fall-inspired cover quilt version. This large crib/throw quilt was perfect excuse to go for a cottage-look—especially with using my Delicate Balance print as the background. The binding is the same Delicate Balance print but with a light blue ground.

For the backing, I used Rosewater Ballet from my Willow collection to complete the romantic mood of this quilt and pull all the colors together. You can get this same look by purchasing the Busy Bee Cottage Garden kit from Lady Belle Fabric! Brooke at Lady Belle Fabric has kitted this look in both the crib/throw size like I made for my sample as well as a twin-size quilt kit—got to love options!

The free motion quilting on this sample was done by me and I used Hobbs Tuscany Silk blend batting inside for a light-weight, heavenly drape.

Tester Showcase

A quilt pattern release wouldn’t be complete without showing off the quilts that my testers made! I know you love this part as much as I do and it offers a chance to see the same quilt in a variety of fabrics, colors, and looks. Enjoy the virtual quilt show and let it inspire you to create your own either from the additional kits offered or just to see the quilt sizes shown different ways. I only made two of the three sizes but there’s also a table runner project size in the pattern and after seeing the runners a few of the testers made, I now want to make a runner as well!

Quilt made by Terri Neil

Terri Neil chose prints from the Art Gallery Fabrics Season & Spice collection to create a crib/throw quilt that looks right at home as a summer quilt as it will be snuggled by a fire this fall—especially since she backed it with Shannon Fabrics Cuddle. Be sure to follow Terri on Instagram @quiltingrubies where you’ll see more examples of the long arm service she provides quilting beautiful quilts for her customers. Be sure to visit her website as well at Quilting Rubies.

Quilt made by Elaine Satterfield

Elaine Satterfield of Create Joy Quilt on Instagram has an eye for color and her style always shines through on everything she creates when testing a quilt or making items for her Etsy shop. Elaine made the crib/throw size and beautifully straight-line stitched it on her sewing machine, backing the quilt with Shannon Fabrics Minky. The look is nothing but perfection!

Quilt made by Victoria Newmyer

Be still my pink and peach loving heart, Victoria of Midlife Quilter does it again and creates the perfect bundle for her crib/throw quilt! That addition of two size scale check prints adds a sweet home country-vibe to the quilt. You can purchase this kit from Victoria’s shop with the link below. Be sure to follow @midlife_quilter on Instagram and see all the lovely fabric and notions she has to offer.

Quilt made by Leah Parker Bruski

This is Leah Parker Bruski of @lapinsta on Instagram’s debut test quilt for me after joining our group this spring. It’s been fun getting to know Leah through her quilts and I love the fresh take she has added to my group of testers with going all AGF Pure Solids in her bundle selection and pulling the colors from the small floral AGF print. The fabrics were purchased from Jen Cannon of Piper Autumn Fabrics and you can purchase this kit in either the twin size like Leah made or in a crib/throw size.

Runner made by Mary Gove

I’m always excited to see what Mary Gove will create! I have this Busy Bee runner now on my make list and love it so much in my Art Gallery Fabrics Shine On prints—it’s the perfect summer runner! For more marvelous and inspiring makes by Mary, follow her on Instagram as the @thecurlyquilter.

Runner made by Leah Parker Bruski

Leah Parker Bruski made two Busy Bee quilts! Here’s the runner she made with a mix of Art Gallery Fabrics collection and the Painted Prairie - Cornucopia print from my Spirited collection as the background—so good! The straight line quilting was a great way to finish this runner. See more of Leah’s quilting journey on Instagram by following her @lapinsta feed.

Runner by Marija Vujcic

Each of the Tester showcase graphics show off the personalities of each maker but none better than what Marija’s color and print selections say about her nature-loving heart. Marija chose a limited palette of greens and gold from my Willow collection for AGF and made a runner. The lovely diagonal line quilting is the perfect contrast to all the floral prints in the runner. Be sure to follow this talented lady on Instagram Marija Vujcic and on her blog at Mara Quilt Designs as she plans to be publishing her own quilt patterns soon and they will surely be amazing!

Quilt made by Joyce Ulm

Joyce Ulm used a dark AGF Pure Solid for the background of her twin-size quilt and it really makes the prints and colors pop and gives the quilt a modern look opposed to the light background quilts. There’s a mix of Kismet and Maureen Cracknell Homebody prints along with additional solids for a lovely fall palette. You can see more of Joyce’s work on Instagram @evamaecustomquilts, Etsy shop, and on her Facebook blog HERE, and takes custom orders for long arm quilting.

Runner made by Tracey Taber-Perry

This table runner by Tracey Taber-Perry is perfect for your summer table—you’ll feel like you’re on vacation every day! Tracey used prints from Katarina Roccella’s new Capris collection for AGF. She also used leftover scraps to create the cutest coasters to match! Here’s a tutorial from Quilt Piecer for Fold and Turn Coasters like what Tracey made—I’ve got to try these! To see more of Tracey’s beautiful work and you can follow her feed @ttabes80 on Instagram.

Quilt made by Jen Cannon

Jen Cannon is the shop owner of Piper Autumn Fabrics and has an eye for putting colors together. This analogous color palette of warm jewel tones is pure joy! Jen has bundled this mix of Art Gallery Fabrics and kitted the Busy Bee quilt for two sizes—the crib/throw shown here and as a twin size. Use the link below to view the options on in her shop. Don’t forget to visit Jen on Instagram @piperautumnfabrics.

Quilt made by Christine Trotta

This scrumptious crib/throw quilt was made by Christine Trotta of Serendipity In Love Quilting. Christine went bold with this expertly curated fabric pull of pink, salmon, peach, caramel, and raspberry prints mostly from different AGF collections by Maureen Cracknell. Visit Christine’s Serendipity in Love shop and follow her on her Blog as well as her Instagram account @serendipityinlovequilting.

Quilt made by Brittany Tunison

To finish up our Busy Bee Tester Showcase we have a summer-fresh, gorgeous crib/throw quilt by Brittany Tunison of White Plains Quilts. Brittany used a variety of Art Gallery Fabrics prints to create this sweet palette of honey, sprout green, peach, and cream—her make really fits the Busy Bee quilt name and looks ready for summer adventures or quiet time just reading a book curled up in your favorite chair. To see more of her work, find Brittany on Instagram @brittanytunison and see her quilt patterns and posts on her blog HERE.

Are you inspired to create your own Busy Bee quilt or runner? Maybe you have some fabric bundles you were wondering what to do with or maybe you’d like something fresh to work with for your summer sewing and plan to order one of the kits available—either way, this is a fun quilt to make! Click the link below to purchase the pattern from my shop and start planning your quilt today!

Be sure to follow my on Instagram @sharonhollanddesigns for daily postings and fabric updates!

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Lily Pad Quilt

With summer right around the corner and the great outdoors calling us away from the sewing machine, it’s nice to have a quilt pattern that’s fast, fun, and the perfect size for picnics, campfires, or play forts! Oh, and how about some awesome faux chenille embellishment—you’ll find the extra time to make this one!!!!!

Lily Pad is now available in the SHOP.

Lily Pad is a redesigned quilt pattern of a quilt I made for the Quilt Now Issue 15 (January 2015) magazine originally called, Honeycomb. The magazine version was more complex than the newly revised Lily Pad quilt but much the same overall look. I’ve always loved this pattern but never got around to publishing it as a stand alone pattern until this year when Nannette Holmberg of Chenille-It asked me if I wanted to design something for her monthly subscription boxes.

I’m all about quilts, as you know, and my newest Art Gallery Fabrics Lilliput collection just released this spring so it was the perfect platform to create a quilt that shows off Lilliput prints AND highlights Chenille-It faux chenille. The redesigned Lily Pad quilt did it all with big, quick-to-piece shapes from fat quarters and those skinny strips between the half hexagon were calling out for Blooming Bias tape embellishment!

The May Chenille-It subscription boxes have already shipped but you can still pre-order this Lilliput version as a kit from Chenille-It. Orders will be shipping in a couple weeks once more fabric arrives.

Add Chenille-It to Your Projects

If you’re wondering how to apply the faux chenille, here’s some videos and tutorials:

Handi Quilter

Sharon Holland - Chenille Pillows Tutorial

Sharon Holland - Adding Faux Chenille Binding

@sharonhollanddesigns IG Reel - Fluffing faux chenille with brush

So now comes the virtual quilt show of Lily Pad quilts—my favorite part! I made two versions of this quilt and my pattern testers created their own stunning versions so you can see how versatile this quilt pattern is. Basically if you select 8 fat quarters that look beautiful in the fabric pull you’ve got most of the work of picking fabrics for the quilt done! Add in a complimentary background and choose a coordinating or contrasting Blooming Bias from the 23 gorgeous Chenille-it colors. The faux chenille can be applied to the skinny quilt strips like in my samples and/or as the binding like some of the testers did on their quilts.

The Lilliput version photographed so beautifully I have plenty of images to share and inspire. The beautiful quilting on the Lilliput version was done by Brooke Becker at Lady Belle Fabric and I used Hobbs Heirloom 100% Bleached Cotton batting inside for the whitest whites and traditional stitch definition and drape.

GET THE KIT

Get this KIT at Chenille-It!

Quilt Inspiration

For my second Lily Pad quilt I pulled a mix of Art Gallery Fabrics from my Spirited and Kismet collections, added prints from Maureen Cracknell’s Homebody collection along with a print by Pat Bravo recolored for the Sparkler Fusions bundle, and used a printed background of Delicate Balance Serenity.

This quilt will be available as a kit from Lady Belle Fabric who not only has the kits but who also did the beautiful long arm quilting you see on this version as well as the Lilliput sample quilt.

Get the Kit!

For this version I used Chenille-It Blooming Bias in Natural which I bloomed by using a spritz bottle of tap water and a brush to selectively bloom the bias tape rather than washing and drying the quilt to bloom the chenille as directed in the Chenille-It instructions.

The batting for this quilt is Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting which has an amazing drape but looks and handles much like cotton batting with the added feature of warmth and light weight.

Get This Kit at Lady Belle Fabric

Meet The Testers

I thoroughly enjoy having testers make quilts from my quilt patterns before a quilt release so not only can we make sure the pattern is the best it can be but because the creative testers make the quilt in their unique style and fabric pulls to show you more possible quilt looks than I could possibly do on my own. Each of the following quilts have been made from Art Gallery Fabrics. Sometimes a tester will work from one collection like I did with my Lilliput version of Lily Pad or they will mix and match from several AGF collections and designers like in my second version. The beauty of AGF is from the Pure Solids to the blenders to the different collections, you know it will mix and match beautifully.

Buy the PDF Pattern HERE!

Lily Pad quilt made by Marija Vujcic

As you can see in Marija Vujcic’s mood board her color palette inspiration came from yellow iris. Marija used the new Evergreen Pure Solid as the background and a mix of yellow, sage, and aqua AGF prints and a layering of two chenille colors for accent. Follow this talented lady on Instagram Marija Vujcic and on her blog at Mara Quilt Designs. Her passion for sewing and color will inspire you!

Lily Pad quilt made by Jennifer Monroe

Jennifer Monroe selected feminine, floral AGF prints from designers Bonnie Christine, Amy Sinibaldi, and Bari J. and wanted to create a quilt perfect for curling up with a good book and daydreaming. Jennifer used pink Chenille-it for just the binding edges. This quilt feels like a summer garden in full bloom and if you want to learn more about Jennifer and all her sewing adventures find her on her blog Sunshine Selvage and @sunshineselvage on Instagram.

Lily Pad Quilt made by Joyce Ulm

I’m loving the Zen quality of Joyce Ulm’s fabric selections for her Lily Pad make. Sage green, sky blue, blush, and teal play harmoniously in a background of flocking birds. Joyce used Bahama Blue chenille on the horizontal strips and for the binding (you would need two rolls of 5/8’’-wide Chenille-it to achieve this same look) and backed her quilt with luxurious Shannon Cuddle fabric. Joyce is offering kits from her Etsy shop and you can see more of Joyce’s work on Instagram @evamaecustomquilts, Etsy shop, and on her Facebook blog HERE, and does long arm quilting as well!

Get this KIT at Eva Mae Custom Quilts!

Lily Pad quilt made by Liza Taylor

I want to welcome Liza Taylor to the tester collages. Liza has been working with our tester group since the beginning of the year but was out of the country visiting relatives for several months and this is her first chance to work on a test quilt for me. I love this Pure Solids Sage Green background and assorted peach and terracotta prints palette so much. Don’t you just want to live in that mood board!?!?! White chenille horizontal accents add to the Shabby Chic vibes of the quilt and Shannon Cuddle backing gives it that simple elegance. See more of Liza’s beautiful work @lizataylorhandmade on Instagram and her Etsy shop of the same name.

Lily Pad quilt made by Terri Neil

I’m really loving the homespun feels I get from Terri Neil’s Lily Pad quilt. Terri used Maureen Cracknell’s Homebody collection with AGF Smooth Denim as the background to create this beautiful quilt. Navy Chenille-it was used for the horizontal strips as long as the center hexagons and for binding to create a luxurious custom looking quilt. Be sure to follow Terri on Instagram @quiltingrubies and you’ll be in awe of all the beautiful quilts she makes and quilts for others from her long arm business called Quilting Rubies.

Lily Pad quilt made by Elaine Satterfield

Summer, sun, and sand is what I think of when I see Elaine Satterfield’s Lily Pad quilt make! How stunning is this quilt!?!?! Elaine used AGF Smooth Denim for the background and a mix of red, cream and blue prints from Art Gallery Fabrics along with Natural chenille accent and Shannon Cuddle fabric backing. You could feel like you’re on vacation every day of the year with this quilt. See more of Elaine’s work on Instagram @createjoyquilt.

Lily Pad quilt made by Victoria Newmyer

Victoria Newmyer drew inspiration from Paris flower markets for the color palette for her quilt. The Pure Solids Icy Mint background is the perfect match to the mood board water pitcher and the spring-fresh floral prints in teal, pink, and fuchsia create a sweet bouquet across the quilt. Victoria owns the Midlife Quilter shop where you can find these beautiful AGF fabrics and more and get personal help curating your next bundle for a quilt project. Kits are available for this Lily Pad and Chenille_it quilt HERE and be sure to visit Victoria’s beautiful Instagram account @midlife_quilter.

Get this KIT at Midlife Quilter!

Lily Pad quilt made by Tracey Taber-Parry

This gorgeous, Boho-inspired Lily Pad quilt was made by Tracey Taber-Perry and she uses jewel tones of Pure Solids Very Berry coordinated with Bari J’s 365 Fifth Avenue collection from Art Gallery Fabrics to create a sumptuous look. Tracey backed her make with Shannon Cuddle and combined two colors of Chenille-it between just the hexagon rows for the added accent—what a stunning look! To see more of Tracey’s beautiful work and you can follow her feed @ttabes80 on Instagram.

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Lilliput Look Book

Back on April 23rd, Art Gallery Fabrics released the Lilliput Look Book but between Prickly Pear and Lily Pad pattern releases and a family emergency I never wrote a blog post about my newest collection release. So, the next post you receive from this blog will be a Lilliput Look Book Review so be prepared to be inspired by projects and more detailed behind the scene looks at the projects I made for the virtual publication.

Happy sewing!

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Charming Nine

Charming Nine

Charming Nine quilt designed by Maureen Cracknell and stitched by Sharon Holland

Scrap quilts and Nine Patch blocks hold a special place in my heart. Collecting fabrics and making quilts from a stash is the core reason for me making quilts in the first place and what started my love affair with prints, calicos, and becoming a surface pattern designer.

The Nine Patch quilt block is especially meaningful to me because it was the second quilt I’d ever made and the first quilt I hand quilted. The first ‘quilt’ was actually a Nine Patch variation with sashing and tied, so technically it doesn’t count as a quilt because of the way it was finished.

To see my first quilt of a red and white Single Irish Chain quilt on my @sharonhollanddesigns Instagram post swipe through to the second slide to see a fun stop motion video.

Last week Maureen Cracknell posted images on her Instagram account of a Nine Patch quilt she was making that used 34 different fabrics from combining her 16 piece Art Gallery Fabrics Homebody collection with my 16 piece Kismet collection and 2 prints from Bonnie Christine’s Lambkin collection.

AGF Nine Patch bundle and photo courtesy of Lady Belle Fabric

I instantly fell in love with Maureen’s quilt and had to make one, too! Because I had written the free pattern for my Charming One quilt last fall, I thought it would be fun to continue the beginner-friendly series of easy quilts and dubbed this quilt pattern Charming Nine because of it’s inherent scrappy nature. Find both the patterns on my Free Projects page.

This fabric pull is a partial look at the fabrics that went into my Nine Patch version. I had just a few scraps of my upcoming Lilliput collection left and because they were light prints I decided to keep the lights and darks of the Nine Patches in the same place on each block, opposed to Maureen’s quilt that she mixed up the light and dark positions in the blocks.

By my using the light prints in the 4-patch positions on the Nine patch I could conserve my little bit of fabric and use the 5-patch darker fabrics in solids and blenders that I had more materials of. I ended up supplementing this pull with Homebody, Kismet, Spirited, Pure Solids, Decostitch, and AGF denim to get enough for my scrap quilt. I also kept the background squares of my quilt light to create a Single Irish Chain affect with the diagonal dark squares as a nod to my first quilt make.

I’m calling my quilt a Controlled Scrappy quilt because even though I used 16 different fabrics there’s an order to the light and dark placement to create an obvious pattern to the quilt design.

You will want visit Maureen’s blog to read about her quilt and see her beautiful photos. I like to think of our two versions as sister quilts, Town and Country quilts, or Controlled Scrappy and Super Scrappy quilts but however you name them they’re uniquely beautiful and so much fun to make!

Like I mentioned earlier, this scrap quilt pattern is fat quarter friendly and written using Strip Sets rather than cutting a bunch of squares. You can use as many or few of prints as you like and in whatever way to reach the total yardage required (see PDF pattern). I used a mix of scraps, fat quarters and width of fabric cuts to get the number of blocks needed. Jelly Roll strips will also be great to use on this project.

I could’ve evenly distributed the Nine Patch blocks across my top like Maureen had done but to accentuate the difference between our versions and keep more control over the look of my quilt I placed the Nine Patch blocks in diagonal lines by color or close enough color if I ran out of fabric for an exact match.

With the low volume spring-inspired palette and playful nature-based prints I was smitten by the cottage-style of my quilt and wanted to play off the vintage feeling to it’s fullest. So, to give some added texture and comfort to the quilt I used two layers of Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting! Doubling up the batting makes the quilt heavier and stiffer but has an incredible, vintage heft and feel! The machine quilt has lovely definition and the binding edge is thick and wonderful.

This quilt needed to be made and finished quickly because there was also a pattern to be written and photographs to be taken before posting a week later. I started cutting pieces on a Thursday and by following Tuesday morning put the last hand stitches in to the binding. I didn’t have time to send this quilt out to be professionally long arm quilted so I did the free motion quilting myself. Yes, it’s irregular and very organic (a pleasant word for wonky) but I’m very happy with the results and it fits the true utility scrap quilt tradition.

At first I was tempted to do diagonal straight line quilting but thought that would be pretty boring and maybe I could do something just a little better than that. I ended up with this not-so-perfect Orange Peel design that I will share with you just how easy it is to do—without even marking your quilt or using templates or rulers!

Orange Peel Quilting

1. Working on the diagonal, and eye-balling down the center of the blocks, start needle at the corner of a block and stitch an arching half circle or shallow curve that returns to the center of the block. Repeat that same arching curve, ending at the opposite corner of the block. Continue repeating the two arching curves on each block until you reach the end of the diagonal block row.

2. Turn the quilt around and repeat Step 1, arching the curves to reflect the curves made on the first pass down the quilt.

3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 creating parallel diagonal arching stitches down and back up each Nine Patch and Square diagonal rows creating loops as show in illustration 3.

4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 in the diagonally opposite direction to create Orange Peel quilting. Note that the quilting on my quilt has shallow loops compared to the nice computer generated example. If you’d like your quilting design to be more regular and closer to perfect, you may want to mark the top first or use a curved ruler when stitching.

For the backing of my quilt I used Ikat Diamond Posh from my Art Gallery Fabrics Kismet collection. My labels are made by the Dutch Label Shop and I hand stitched the binding with a running stitch for a little extra special touch.

I hope you make yourself a Charming Nine quilt and get your quilt friend involved too. You could have a Nine Patch block exchange or a virtual Sew In—a good excuse to play with fabrics and sew!

Fabric carrots by Sharon Holland

While we’re talking about scraps, I wanted to share a fast and fun project I had posted on my Instagram account—Fabric Carrots. This was inspired by burlap carrots I saw at Target and thought, “Heck, I could make those and there’s some prints in my Lilliput collection that would make the cutest carrots!”

The project is so easy I felt it didn’t need any more than a silent stop motion video to explain how to make them. You can use scraps, make them any size or length you’d like, and there’s only two seams to sew! I took my carrots and made a door decoration from hanging them with raffia. Use the link and slide through the photo like the one shown above to see the tutorial video HERE. See the door decoration post HERE.

If you’ve been wondering about this Lilliput collection I’ve been talking about in this post and the few prints you’ve seen used in my Charming Nine quilt, I’m talking about the next fabric line I designed. Lilliput is my first ever children’s collection but it’s not just for kids and has prints the whole family will love. Take a look at the collection on the AGF website, HERE.

Lilliput is my 10th collection for Art Gallery Fabrics and is slightly delayed because of all the shipping hassles happening world wide but due in any day and it wont be long before this collection starts showing up in your local quilt shop and favorite on line shops!

I’ve started a stock list for online shops carrying Lilliput and you’ll find link on my Fabrics page. Some of these shops are taking pre-orders for the collection to if you’re one who likes to have collections as they first come out and before shops sell out you’ll want to get your name on the list!

Trust me, there’ll be much more to share about Lilliput and new quilt patterns in the weeks ahead. Until then, happy sewing!

I am an Amazon Associate site and earn from qualifying purchases on the products I’ve linked below. The helpful products selected are the same or similar to materials used to make the project(s) in this blog post or related items I think you may enjoy.

Vista Quilt Pattern

Vista Quilt Pattern

Life’s been pretty exciting around here with the fall collection reveals at the beginning of the month, the Sweet Home quilt along in full swing, and a brand new quilt pattern release today! Of course, all these things have been planned for some time and created well in advance but everything’s coming due all at once and really has me hopping!

Vista quilt pattern by Sharon Holland with feather quilting and photo by Lady Belle Fabric

I’m thrilled to announce Vista as the newest PDF quilt pattern in my SHOP. Vista is a medallion-style, over-sized throw quilt. It looks complicated but is really very straightforward. Even though I have it labeled as an intermediate quilt that’s only because of the large background pieces are a little awkward to cut and handle but that’s the only reason I have it labeled that way. A confident beginner will have no troubles making this design.

The Vista quilt, like my recent Phoenix quilt use a lot of half-square triangles (HSTs) in their constructions. If you haven’t invested in Bloc_Loc rulers yet and find yourself making HSTs and Flying Geese most of the time you’ll really thank yourself for purchasing these wonderful rulers. I’ll have an Amazon affiliate link at the bottom of this post for recommended Bloc_Loc ruler sizes.

The graphic quality of a medallion quilt makes a real statement in home decor. This would look right at home draped on your favorite chair or hung on the wall like art. It uses only 6 different fabrics which makes it easy to coordinate with your homes color scheme and easy to plan a fabric pull.

For the sample quilt I used Art Gallery Fabrics from a few of my fabric collections: Spirited, Signature, and the baby blue print is a recolored Spirited print released in the AGF Rosewood Fusion collection. I love this mix of prints and colors because they have a end-of-summer feeling and boho-nature vibe.

The exquisite feather quilting on my quilt was done by Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric. Not only does Brooke have an awesome shop with Art Gallery Fabrics, she also has a long arm service. I’ve been getting quite a lot of quilts quilted by her lately and she’s so wonderful to work with.

For my batting I went with Hobbs Tuscany Silk batting inside. I love how silk batting is more crease resistant than traditional cotton and the wonderful stitch definition to show off that beautiful feather design.

In August I’d release my Phoenix quilt and for the first time, used quilt testers for a quilt release and have done so again for the Vista quilt. It’s been a wonderful experience working with these talented ladies and with three more quilt releases coming between now and November I’m really appreciating their help even more!

In case you’re wondering how to become a tester for me I’m not taking on any new makers at this time. There could be a new call for testers next year so best advice is to follow along on my Instagram feed as I would put a call for testers out via that social media platform.

Meet the Testers

The following six ladies (in alphabetical order) have done an amazing job making their Vista quilt samples. I asked that they work exclusively with Art Gallery Fabrics but to select prints or collections of their choosing— just like if they were making a fabric pull for any other quilt.

I’ve made collages of their quilt makes to bring you a virtual quilt show of Vista quilts. I highly encourage you to visit each one of their Instagram feeds or use the links I’ll provide in each of their write ups.

Enjoy the show!

Vista quilt make by Jennifer Cannon

Jennifer Cannon is the owner of Piper Autumn Designs, an online ETSY quilt shop. Jennifer has used a mix of AGF prints from designers Pat Bravo, Bonnie Christine, and AGF Studios and we’ve collaborated to bring you a kit based off Jennifers gorgeous quilt!

Vista Sunrise quilt kit from Piper Autumn Designs

The beautiful Vista Sunrise quilt kit is available at Piper Autumn Designs. Hurry, these kits don’t last long! The quilt pattern is sold separately and can be found in my SHOP here on the blog.

Vista quilt maker Jennifer Monroe

Meet Jennifer Monroe, and Ohioan who lives very close to me but because of covid we never got to meet up. Jennifer is packing up and moving any day now but still managed to complete her Vista quilt make and snap some Ohio landscape photos before she leaves. This ethereal quilt is made with Art Gallery Fabrics designed by Bonnie Christine. I love the golden color palette. Read more about Jennifer and all her sewing adventures on her blog Sunshine Selvage.

Vista quilt maker Joyce Ulm

Joyce Ulm is a life-long sewist and quilter and Etsy shop owner at Eva Mae Custom Quilts. Joyce had her Vista quilt done in no time flat so she could take it with her on a trip out west. She was able to snap some incredible photos so if you want to see more of her Vista quilt in the wild, be sure to visit her on Instagram to see it all! I adore her maroon, gold, and teal color palette and how she mixed AGF prints from Maureen Cracknell , Amy Sinibaldi, and Decostitch to make the perfect fall-inspired quilt.

Vista quilt maker Lindsey Fuessley

Lindsey Fuessley of @lindseyleemakes on Instagram, lives in Iowa fairly close to where I grew up. I get homesick every time I see photos of her holding a quilt near corn fields! I love how soft and vintage Lindsey’s quilt looks in these AGF spring-fresh prints by Bonnie Christine, and Pat Bravo, mixed with Pure Solids. Her Instagram feed is an inspiration you won’t want to miss!

Vista quilt maker Renata Auld

Renata Auld of @ciaomamaquilts on Instagram is an Aussie quilt maker who creates bold, beautiful quilts and isn’t shy to use color. I love the wow power of her Vista quilt and her photo locations! Renata deviated a bit from pattern and used only five prints, made placement changes, and didn’t add the end borders so as to keep her quilt a square. These changes are what makes quilting fun and customizable to your tastes. I love seeing how the same quilt can look completely different. The fabrics in Renata’s quilt are a mix of AGF Pure Solids, my Signature prints, and a print from Alexandra Bordallo’s Dew and Moss.

Vista quilt maker Tracey Taber-Perry

Last, but not least, is Tracey Taber_Perry of @ttabes80 on Instagram. Tracey is a relative newcomer to quilting but that doesn’t slow her down one bit! I’m in love with her fall-vibes quilt of honey and plum! Tracy used prints by Maureen Cracknell and AGF Floral Elements to create a stunner of a Vista quilt. Be sure to follow Tracey’s quilting adventures on Instagram!

Vista quilt make by Sharon Holland

I took a lot of photo of this quilt because it’s just so darn photogenic! Here’s a couple for Vista views for you…

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The backing for my Vista quilt is from my AGF Signature collection.

You have to admit that was a spectacular quilt show! Are you inspired???

Coming late October-early November time, this lovely quilt pattern will be gracing the virtual pages of the Art Gallery Fabrics Kismet Look Book. Kismet is my new fabric collection due out in October. The fabulous Nuria Elkins of Fabric Stork will be making a Kismet version of Vista AND have quilt kits available as well,—yay!!! Keep watching for that announcement.

So, grab your pattern from my SHOP and add Vista to your list of quilt makes!

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