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Summer Moon...
Summer Moon...
Published:
Apr 2 2019 - 08:00
Now that it's April, two highly anticipated collections are in the warehouse, being rolled and readied for shipping. The arrival of Lollipop Garden and Day in Paris also means getting ready for a Summer Moon.
When I was asked about how this quilt came about, this is what I wrote... "Sharing the story or history of a quilt is often the hardest part for me... some quilts are just meant to be. While I didn't have a clear, specific plan in mind when I started... this turned out exactly how I pictured it in my head."
In the end. I did have doubts along the way. There's a funny meme-image describing the creative process for most that goes something like this...
This is going to be awesome!
This should work.
This is awful!
(I am awful!)
This isn't too bad... it might work.
This is awesome!
Since the folks at It's Sew Emma - Kimberly Jolly, Sarah Price and Jocelyn Ueng - did the work of turning my quirky quilt into a beautiful book, I had to ask them about their process.
From my perspective - they didn't need any of the middle stuff. The Summer Moon book is awesome!
What appealed to you about this quilt design? It is not a straightforward sampler quilt - you wonder how it was made. You have to really look at it to see how it comes together. With the way the blocks are made and then framed to fit together, it gives the appearance of floating sections, and no two quilts will be alike.
How did you choose the two collections for the kits? We wanted to choose diverse collections to show the range of this quilt. Whether you lean more toward classic or modern aesthetics, the Summer Moon quilt will work with any style of fabric and every color palette.
The two collections chosen for the quilts in the book are Zen Chic's Day In Paris - designed by Brigitte Heitland.
And Lella Boutique's Lollipop Garden - designed by Vanessa Goertzen.
What was the biggest challenge in writing the pattern for the quilt? It was a challenge because it is not a cut-and-dry kind of quilt. We really had to take this vision of the Summer Moon quilt, which is meant to have this unique and quirky foundation, and distill each part into instructions that still leave enough wiggle room to let quilters individualize their quilt. Not a simple feat!
For piecing the quilt, what advice would you give to quilters who might not have a lot of experience with small blocks? Having an accurate quarter-inch seam is essential. There is no shame in cutting a block larger and then trimming it down to the perfect size, either.
If you're still a bit worried, the frames on the blocks will be your new best friend. The small blocks finish at 4.5" square and if they're not exactly that size, the strips used to frame the block can be adjusted for the difference.
Do you have a favorite block? What about block size? I can’t pick a favorite, - none of us can! It’s like asking me to pick a favorite child! A colorful, well-pressed child. Seriously though, each block has a place in this quilt, they just belong together.
While the book is available now - ask for it at your favorite quilt shop - there will be a Summer Moon sew-along/quilt-along starting later this month - I think it's April 26th - so we'll be back soon with tips, tricks and a bit more about making the blocks. (There will also be a video for each block!)
A huge thank you to Kimberly, Sarah, Jocelyn, Nova Birchfield, Cheryl Cohorn, Karen Hardy, and Krystal Stahl for their great work - it was a pleasure to work with you!
And thank you to Lissa Alexander for showing a picture of my quilt to everyone - and for being so persistent about wanting the instructions for this quilt.
One last thing... why Summer Moon? It's the name of the coffee shop in Austin where we first talked about writing this book.
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