Author: Pam Brennan

This was a crazy but fun quilt to make. I had seen similar quilts and always wanted to make one. After receiving some colorful strip sets from Island Batiks called “Punch” I knew this was the type of quilt I was going to create with them. Finished measurements of 66”x 85” for this one makes it a large lap,twin bed or a topper for a full sized bed.This quilt sold on http://www.eBay.com

With a little planning I decided the best use of the strips would be to cut them down to 2 1/2” squares, then lay those squares out in five rows of five squares which when sewn together resulted in a 10”x10” finished block.

I made a bunch of these blocks, then put them up on my design board. I moved them around until I liked the pattern they created. Once I had them all sewn together I added a narrow blue border to contain them. I ended up quilting this with an all over, edge to edge abstract design with a dark blue thread. I would make this patterned quilt again only in other colors, purple and blues maybe?

This 78” x 90” abstract quilt is made from a bunch of strips that I received in a shipment from Island Batiks. The beautiful colors reminded me of the shimmery inside of an abalone shell, and so it was named. This quilt was sold on http://www.ebay.com.

After laying out the strips to see what I had, I then trimmed them all to workable widths and lengths so I could sew them into blocks. I ended up with a good variety of striped blocks. I put those blocks into an “on point” layout to make the quilt top.

I used a pale turquoise batik for the backing and an all over edge to edge abstract design quilted with purple thread to put the quilt together.

This quilt was commissioned by an N.P. at the Breast Health Center of Lahey Outpatient Center,Danvers,MA. This is the first quilt I was asked to make for a public display!

I chose an  “awareness ribbon” design for this quilt, and I wanted that “ribbon” to speak for itself. Once I had the concept of what I wanted to do, I drew out the design full sized and laid out the shapes that the words would go on. I chose an assortment of pink batik fabrics and machine embroidered the words sized to the corresponding spaces.I ended up cutting apart the paper pattern pieces and using them as a guide to trim the fabric pieces to fit after they had been embroidered. I put all those pieces together to form the actual ribbon.I decided to piece the background out of an assortment of white on white print fabrics to add a little extra interest to the quilt. Once I had the ribbon pinned in place on the background I then hand appliquéd it in place. The quilting process on this one was “stitch in the ditch” on every seam line to highlight the individual patches. I like the over all look that achieved.

At the same time of making this quilt I was working on two companion pieces that I thought would look good flanking the ribbon quilt. Unfortunately they weren’t purchased to go with the display. They did however get purchased by one of my regular long-arm quilting customers. She was absolutely thrilled to have them! So I guess it was meant to be,kismet!

Summer heat waves are a great time to stay in and make a quilt ! This one uses an assortment of cool colors that remind me of the rainstorms that quickly passed through from time to time. After each rain the trees and plants seemed to perk back up and I wanted to make a quilt to celebrate that. This 58” x 73” large lap sized quilt was sold at http://www.ebay.com . I had the perfect set of strip colors from Island Batiks called “Lemon Grass” that I used, as well as some batiks from my stash.

I began by sewing groups of four strips side by side lengthwise, then cut them into triangles. I made sure I got a good variety in each strip set.After cutting all those triangle sets I had fun arranging them on my design wall. Once I had them to my liking I sewed them together,added a thin inner border, then an outer border of blue and turquoise. The backing reflects the colors from the front. I quilted this in an all over edge to edge abstract design to finish it off.

Going for a more “antique” look for this quilt, I chose red, white and blue reproduction fabrics from my stash. I had enough different fabrics that I was able to make a great assortment of blocks. I then decided to place the sawtooth star blocks side by side. This large lap quilt is generously sized at 53”x72”. This quilt has sold on eBay.I enjoyed making this quilt. Reproduction fabrics are among my favorites, whether they are civil war style or depression era. I did however end up quilting this in an all over edge to edge abstract design, but I think it only adds to it’s charm.