Charming Nine

Charming Nine

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

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.

Maureen Cracknell Charming Nine.jpg

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

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.

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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.

Sharon Holland Charming Nine Blocks.JPG

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!

Sharon Holland Charming Nine Strip Sets.JPG

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.

Sharon Holland Charming Nine Flat.JPG

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.

Sharon Holland Charming Nine_Details.jpg

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.

Sharon Holland Charming Nine Styled 3.JPG

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!

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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.

Sharon Holland Charming Nine on Chair.jpg
 
Sharon Holland Charming Nine Styled 1.JPG
 
Sharon Holland Charming Nine_Details 2.JPG

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

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.

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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.

Home, Sweet Home (Quilt)

Home, Sweet Home (Quilt)

Sweet Home by Sharon Holland

Sweet Home by Sharon Holland

Wow, I know it’d been a bit since I last blogged but, I had no idea it’d been this long! I’ve really been so busy these last two months (which incidentally is also the amount of time I’ve not left my house) and the time’s flown by for me.

Just to fill in the gaps between the last post and now I’ve done some more paintings, finished a new fabric collection for fall (October release if all goes according to shipping plans), stitched 244 masks—70+ of which I’ve listed for sale in my new FABRIC MASKS page. I’ve also designed, wrote the pattern, and stitched two quilts in my new Sweet Home quilt pattern, and am working on a new fabric line for 2021.

Sweet Home quilt by Sharon Holland photo and long arm quilting by Lady Belle Fabric

Sweet Home quilt by Sharon Holland photo and long arm quilting by Lady Belle Fabric

Today it’s time to show you the newest pattern in my shop and it’s quilt pattern release day, hooray! You can find this PDF pattern on my SHOP page HERE. This adorable, beginner-friendly design is the perfect scrap quilt and a way to show off all those prints you’ve been collecting.

Sharon Holland Sweet Home Fabric Pull 2.jpeg

I’ve made two Sweet Home quilts but for today’s post I’ll just show the first one since I have a bunch of beautiful photos and don’t want this post to get too epic. I’ll show the other quilt next week along with a new giveaway. See end of this blog for this week’s giveaway.

The fabrics for this blush and turquoise quilt are all Art Gallery Fabrics and use prints from several different AGF collections: Spirited, Ballerina Fusion, Marrakesh Fusion, Rosewood Fusion, and Pure Solids.

I love how you can mix between AGF collections and curate an entirely new look!

Sweet Home Quilt Cut Pieces.jpeg

When I was designing this quilt pattern, I was creating it for a Quilt Along (QAL) to be co-hosted with myself and Maureen Cracknell. Unfortunately, with COVID-19, lockdowns and shipping issue headaches have all played havoc on the fabric availability coming into Art Gallery Fabrics and going out to shops. Even though I pulled the most current fabrics for my quilt, many are already out of stock! My Spirited collection is being reprinted and is probably in a container somewhere waiting to be unloaded.

Until more normal business resumes and shops can get restocked we’re tabling our QAL for now. I’m very disappointed but will be ready with two quilt already made and loads of video tutorials to prepare, sponsors lined up—all to make a sew along extra enjoyable when the time comes.

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The nice thing about a pattern release ahead of a quilt along is that you can start planning and gathering your materials early! I love how different colors and fabrics give this quilt an entirely new look and vibe and have included a coloring sheet of the quilt in the PDF pattern. Did you know you can download virtual fabric swatches from the various Art Gallery Fabrics collections and play around with different looks? Yup, just look for the Download JPEG Swatches button on every collection and start planning.

This Shabby-Chic Boho palette is what I put together for my first quilt and is my happy zone for colors and florally prints! It’s very girly and with the Daisy Chain long arm quilting design stitched by Brooke Becker of Lady Belle Fabric and the chenille edge finish—it’s the perfect finish to this sweet quilt.

Lady Belle Fabric - Sweet Home Quilt Kit

Brooke has curated a beautiful bundle of Art Gallery Fabric to make her own version of the Sweet Home quilt and has kits ready for you to make a quilt too!

Photo and quilt kit by Lady Belle Fabric

Photo and quilt kit by Lady Belle Fabric

All your favorite Art Gallery Fabric designer’s prints are mixed together in this soft and sweet palette with shades of dusty mauve, mint, navy, coral, and terra cotta that’ll look right at home in your decor all year round.

Photo and quilt kit by Lady Belle Fabric

Photo and quilt kit by Lady Belle Fabric

Visit Lady Belle Fabric to find this Sweet Home quilt kit, fabrics, and long arm quilting services. Brooke is the best and genuinely a fabulous person. I love helping support small businesses and quilt shops—especially during these tough times.

Sweet Home Quilt Chenille Binding.JPG

Let’s talk about the Chenille-It Blooming Bias edge treatment to replace traditional binding to add an additional layer of Boho-Chic to this quilt. This stunning look couldn’t have been any easier to create with a double-layer of 5/8”-wide Blooming Bias and took half the time of traditional binding. Instructions for adding chenille binding to your quilt are included in the PDF.

5/8”-wide Chenille-It Blooming Bias

5/8”-wide Chenille-It Blooming Bias

I’m absolutely in love with this chenille binding and have another new quilt pattern in the queue that’ll be finished in this same technique. But, if you’re not feeling adventurous, there’s also traditional binding information/yardage included in the PDF pattern.

See materials list on the Sweet Home pattern listing in the SHOP.

Sweet Home Quilt Folded.jpeg

For both my Sweet Home quilts, I’ve filled them with Hobbs Tuscany Silk Blend batting. This is my very favorite batting for many reasons. The drape of a quilt with silk batting is luxurious and vintage-soft. Tuscany Silk is lightweight, resists wrinkling, and has better insulating properties than traditional cotton batts. It handles much like cotton batting for hand or machine quilting and has less shrinkage when laundered. Oh, and great quilting definition, too!

Sweet Home Quilt on Bed.jpeg

Staying at home never looked so good, right? I hope you like my new quilt design and check it and my other patterns out in my SHOP.

I mentioned a giveaway earlier in this post and a new pattern release wouldn’t be complete without a giveaway or two! Read below on how to enter for a chance to win my new quilt pattern…

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to: Jennifer Lewis, Laura M, and Anne!

Comment to Win a Sweet Home PDF Pattern!

* Note * This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment--you can't win if I can't get a hold of you!

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (Counts as first comment entry).

2. My followers get a second entry! If you follow via subscribing to my posts, with Bloglovin (or another service), or follow me on Instagram, just let me know by making a separate comment. (Counts as second entry). Note: I'm no longer on Facebook.

3. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Spread the word about this giveaway on YOUR instagram, facebook, tweet, pin, blog post, etc... (Counts as a third entry). 

That’s THREE possible entries and three chances to win! Enter now through Monday, May 18, 2020. I’ll be drawing names for three winners. The winning comments will be picked at random around 4pm Eastern. I’ll post the name of the winners on this post once they've been notified and responded to my email.

Be sure to visit my Instagram feed @sharonhollanddesigns for a chance for you and a tagged friend to win PDF patterns from my SHOP. Winners can pick a substitute PDF pattern if desired for the blog and IG giveaways.

Stay home and sew,

Sharon

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.