First Gift Quilt Pattern
It's here! First Gift Quilt pattern is now available! This pattern is a bit unique, because it's the first quilt in a collection of quilts that I will be designing. The Lois Quilt Collection is inspired by the quilts that my grandmother created for me and my family. While she was a very skilled traditional quilter, I am adding a modern spin to her traditional style. First Gift is the first installment in the collection.
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As many of you know, I was inspired to learn to quilt by my grandmother. I (regretfully) didn’t really show any interest in quilting while she was alive, but when she passed away in 2013, I inherited all of her quilting and craft supplies. I was then inspired to learn how to quilt in memory of her. In fact, she is the "Lo" behind "Lo & Behold Stitchery". I wish, more than anything, that I could show her how much I now love her special hobby. She is the reason why I do what I do, and I love carrying her memory with me while I create.
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A few months ago, I found a hand drawn sketch of my baby quilt that my grandmother created. You can see her little doodles of quilting ideas scattered throughout the design. I can imagine her giddy with excitement as she planned these gender neutral colors, anxiously awaiting to see if I’d be a boy or a girl. I knew that this quilt was special, but holding this blueprint in my own two hands gets me choked up. You see, my grandmother was one of the most important people in my life. I was her only grandchild, so you can imagine, our bond was pretty strong! I spent my early years at her house while my parents worked. Then, when I was school age, I spent all of my summers with them. My favorite past times are crafting Christmas Ornaments, eating Lunch-ables with Sunny Delight on the picnic table in the back yard, and watching all the Disney movies ever created with my "Granny & Paw-Paw" by my side.
I stared at this new-found sketch for several weeks before I figured out what I wanted to do with it. I researched the design and learned that this traditional block combination, called “Celtic Twist”, or “Round the Twist”, dates back to the 1800s. I decided to name this quilt "First Gift" because it was the first of many gifts that she gave to me, including the gift of creativity.
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I then hit the drawing boards. How do I modernize this quilt? If you've known me for any amount of time, you know that I LOVE two color quilts. You also know that I don't like to use borders in my quilts (except for Christmas Joy). So I got rid of the borders, and made it so that there were only two colors in the quilt. I also added several blocks and rescaled the size of the blocks. I LOVE the end result.
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I decided to back this quilt with a gorgeous print from Art Gallery Fabrics. I love the balance of the bold front of the quilt with the soft, feminine backing. I did straight line grid quilting on this quilt, and I'll have a tutorial for that soon!
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Then I decided to add a little extra flair by introducing a third color. I love how this quilt has a very geometric/tile aesthetic, and the third color really plays off of that!
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The quilting on this quilt was done by Jill at J-Coterie. She did such a beautiful job, and even chose the quilting for me! I used Kona Creamsicle, Cedar and Lingerie.
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I also wanted to offer the traditional version of this quilt to anyone who wanted to make this pattern. In the traditional version that my grandmother made for me, there are 2 colors in the "rings" of the design, plus the background. I decided to mix that up a bit, and have 4 colors for each edge of the "ring" plus a background. The colors are spread evenly throughout the quilt, which I really like. This is a fun design that looks more complicated than it actually is! I love it!
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Jill also did the quilting for this quilt. Isn't it just GORGEOUS?!
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I decided to make the traditional version my cover quilt, so I made a throw size (in the exact same colors because they're just so good!). Speaking of colors, I've gotten LOTS of questions about which colors I used for this quilt. In the smaller version, I used Robert Kaufman Kona Solids: Amber, Tangerine, Nectarine, Creamsicle, and Ice Peach. In the cover quilt, I used the same colors, except I used Lingerie instead of Ice Peach.
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This pattern wouldn't be possible without the help of my wonderful pattern testers! They have created beautiful interpretations of this pattern and I'm so excited to show them to you!
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First up is Emily of Homemade Emily Jane! She made not one, but TWO First Gift quilts! It's amazing how different they both look! Beautiful job, Emily!
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Nicki of @wovenandwoolly created a stunning traditional First Gift quilt. And just look at her pup!
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Coby of @lifewitheleanor created this TWIN size masterpiece! She used Prima Cottons, and the colors are: Butterscotch, Tan, Pearl, Tigerlilly and Crimson. Gorgeous!
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Kristin of @watersidehearth created this gorgeous vibrant blue and linen quilt! Just look at that texture!
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Brittany of @hopscotchcotton created this beautiful and delicate traditional First Gift quilt. I love these colors!
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Rachel from @quiltsforallsparrows really flexed her creative muscles and created THIS gorgeous quilt. And the best part is that the quilt is going to be an auction item for breast cancer survivors. Beautiful!
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Next up is Steph of @beansyquilts. I don't know how she does it, but she always comes up with the MOST CREATIVE quilting ideas! And she does it all herself! It's truly amazing!
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Check out this beautiful baby quilt that Sarah, from @thecraftyseashell, created! I love the subtle variances in the colors and the beautiful floral background!
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I love this quilt that Katie, from @katesmakesandcreates made! This fabric has me ready for swimming weather! Beautiful!
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Kara of @hollandhomesteaddesigns created this adorable modern baby quilt! So sweet!
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As you can see, there are SO many variations of this design! I'm so excited to see how you all decide to use this pattern! Be on the look out for the next quilt in the Lois Quilt Collection, which I will be announcing soon. :)
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Happy quilting!
Brittany
