It's finally here! Carolina Lilies has made it through the supply chain obstacle course and arrived in quilt shops! Yay! I'm so ready to do some more sewing with those peach, ruby, green, aqua and teal colors. What to do? Well, my dear Mother asked me what I would recommend if she wanted to make Criss Cross Kisses in Carolina Lilies. So of course I had to mock it up!

I've mocked these up in the 63 1/2" lap size quilt. These first ideas use Fat Eighths of fabric. Carolina Lilies has a sweet little print of tiny vines in a white on cream which would be lovely as the background. But the Thatched Cream is a great match too.

I've kept the idea of the red Xs and doing a split light and dark outline X with the inside halves in teals and the outsides in the lighter green/cream colorways.

The fabrics I've used here in the Fat Eighths are the Carolina Lilies main prints 48700-11, 14, 21, Boho Blooms 48701-11, 12, 21, Ferns 48702-11, 12, Little Drawings 48703-13, Vines 48704-11, 13, 17, 20, Dashed 48705-11, 12, 14, 21, Thatched 48626-191, 193, 199.  I also think this looks nice on a dark background and using Thatched Soft Black would be very dramatic. The same colors are in the top image on dark. The bottom image uses more greens and aquas from the collection with only a red interior and outer triangles.

But what if you are using a Layer Cake? The mix of fabrics is a little more varied and there are not as many reds to do all red Xs. But it still looks great with a scrappier red/green/aqua look. On the bottom of the Layer Cake mockups I flipped the teal and red families so the solid Xs are green/teal and the surrounding outline Xs are reds. Subtle differences but fun to see.

What IF we tried a background color that is unexpected? Here is Thatched Green Curry 177 and it gives this such an interesting vibe! Colors and their combinations give such strong personalities to quilts.

Have fun exploring Criss Cross Kisses with a new fabric grouping! Check your local quilt shop and happy sewing!
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Criss Cross Kisses Quilt pattern can also be found at my online shop RobinPickensInc.com

I had not shared my new quilts yet on this blog that I designed for Tulip Tango! The rush of November swirled into the holidays so quickly and with deadlines for fabric lines and calendar artwork added in, I somehow overlooked that. So it is the New Year and time to get back to some more sharing!

The Xs on this quilt make me think of cross stitch and a criss cross motion. And x's and o's make me think of hugs and kisses. So Criss Cross Kisses it is! This quilt is a fun play of both solid and "outlined" Xs with a variety of fabrics making up each X. 

There are a lot of opportunities to play with the groupings of color or light and dark with these blocks. I liked separating the Outlined Xs below into cream/linen and gray halves. I then wanted the grays all grouped around the center X. I kept all my Xs in the Red/Pink families. By grouping light and dark halves, you create interesting shapes (like a chunky plus sign) within the overall layout.

In contrast, the Queen bed sized (and it is shown here on a king so you can see it can also work on that size mattress) is made with more random placement of colors. But again, I kept Xs within a color family each for this one.

This quilt can use Fat Eights (for lap) or Fat Quarters (for Queen) of fabric to make the pieces or you can use a Layer Cake(s). I used the Fat Eighths/Fat Quarters instead of Layer Cakes so I could group my colors specifically (the Layer Cakes will give you a slightly scrappier look).  On the lap sized quilt (which is 63 1/2" square) you need 20 F8. I used 10 in red fabrics, 4 in linen fabrics, 4 in gray fabrics, then another 2 from the gray family for the outer border triangles. On the queen sized quilt you need 27 Fat Quarters and I selected 13 red, and a mixture of black, linen and green for the other 14 for the outline Xs and border triangles. If you use a Layer Cake, one will work for the lap and two are needed for the Queen. You can even use Fat Sixteenths on these- double the number of F8 or 4x the number of FQ to do so.

For this pattern you are using stitch and flip corners on those outline Xs and reusing parts for the corner backgrounds. Similarly, the big sold Xs cut those corners off but I didn't want them wasted. I challenged myself to think of ways of integrating the leftover corners that were cut off. That is how the little arrow heads that play in the sashings work their way into this quilt. They give more direction and size contrast within the quilt while adding little pops of those big X colors throughout in little ways.

With the strong diagonal directions of the pieces, I thought the border including arrow heads of a larger size was a nice balance. On the lap quilt, it reminds me of a compass of North, South, East and West.

This pattern design idea was actually started back when I first designed my Dear Mum patterns. It has been rumbling around in my head for awhile and I'm happy to see it finally come to life. Sometimes things need to develop over time and this is one of them.
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The lap quilt was pieced by Susan Strumpf and the queen by me. I longarmed both and used the Leafarama pantograph by Keryn Emmerson and Whirlwind by Wildflower Quilting/Karen Farnsworth.

Criss Cross Kisses is up in the shop in digital pdfs and printed patterns.

​Tulip Tango fabric should arrive in shops in approximately May 2022. 
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Check the next blog post if you are interested in seeing it mocked up in Carolina Lilies (thanks Mom for your special request for that!) 

I am often a "transitional" quilter (or you could call it modern traditionalism)- relating to sewing between traditional quilters and modern quilters. I love to make more traditional quilts, but I also enjoy how modern quilts can allow you to express your creativity in a different way!

For some people, modern design can be a bit intimidating. They may only know of more improvisational modern quilting and not have comfort with improv. However, modern quilting doesn't have to be difficult or intimidating. You also don't have to use a complicated pattern to get that modern look. To help you embrace the modern quilter that is within you, I am sharing one of my easy modern quilt patterns which creates a stunning quilt with tools that you have on hand and no matter what fabric you choose to use!

I enjoy a modern quilt design that is not overly complicated. In fact, I often feel a simpler, pared down design will have a more modern feel. I wanted to come up with a modern quilt that would allow you to easily create with fabrics you may have on hand, utilizing scraps, yardage, or even precuts (and precuts as small as a 5" square Charm Pack). I combined curves and squares into striking modern blooms in this geometric garden. This is Mod Flower Box, ready to bloom upon your wall!

I'm showing two versions of this modern quilt in these photos. You can see how it still has a striking composition whether done in all solid fabrics or a combination of prints. This version on the chair is made with Carolina Lilies. This collection is scheduled to ship to shops in November 2021 and features spotted lilies, paisley prints, vines and ferns. Rich teal and green colors mix with spicy reds and peach tones reminiscent of my Painted Meadow collection. I chose to keep the background a dark soft black so there is high contrast with the colors and they really pop! I like to see the different ways that light and dark colors change up a quilt (keep reading for a lighter version below).

There are two different sizes of Mod Flower Box. The wall/lap size is 51" square with borders. If you choose to not have borders for a smaller wall quilt, the inner part is 34 x 34". The large quilt sized 78" square, uses 4 units of the rotated Mod Flower Boxes.

Depending on which quilt size you choose, the Mod Flower Box pattern can be made with a Charm Pack or Fat Eighths for the wall/lap size or with a Layer Cake (or 4 Charm Packs) or Fat Quarters for the large size. 

I am planning on starting this lighter color version of Mod Flower Box, probably with a Washed Linen background or maybe Sandcastle 157 flipped to the backside and accent corners for curves in Blizzard 150.

Speaking of colorways, this is actually one of my favorite things about this quilt design! You could create your own quilt top in almost any color scheme! For instance, you could use solid colors, different styles of fabric within a particular color palette, ombre fabrics, or simply your favorite colors. Color always gives me a new way to look at modern quilt designs.

Needless to say, the color choices you have are absolutely endless!

I've made lots of quilts with curved corners and I DO include a paper template you can work from in the pattern (or pattern downloads if you buy the pdf file version). I do prefer to use a specialty ruler for doing curves and know of a number of them. I usually go to my trusty Creative Grids Circle Savvy Ruler since it has every size I want and I know I will get a really good result cutting with these! I note which slots in the pattern if you have this ruler too. ​

Since we are talking about curved corners, many beginner quilters stay away from modern quilts due to ''sewing curves''. I took this fact into consideration, so if you are new to curves, this is a great pattern to try since it only uses quarter circles vs half or full circles!

Quarter circle curves are not very hard and I'd suggest making a practice quilt block or two first and then go for it! I love the look of curved blocks- so soft and curvy and gentle. They are a fun thing to experiment, plus, it will make you more confident in your quilting skills!

So, if you are ready to take a break from traditional quilts and want to create your very first modern style quilt, then the Mod Flower Box is a great place to start!

Above I have included additional information on quilting materials and specifications. However, since this is only a blog post, I highly recommend that you check out my shop to learn more about this fun quilt pattern!

If you are interested in the pattern, it is up in my shop at RobinPickensInc.com!

I am so happy to announce that the last of the new patterns that accompany the Cottage Bleu fabric line have finally arrived! To celebrate, I am releasing my brand-new quilt designs which are called Wind Drifter and The Collector!

First, let's talk about Wind Drifter!

If you are a beginning quilter and are wanting to make your first half-square triangle quilt, this pattern would be a perfect place to start. This is because Wind Drifter is an easy quilt pattern that uses half square triangles (or HST blocks) paired up and stacked in lines to make pinwheels of motion! They remind me of rows of flying geese blocks but with more dimension by using the two fabrics of the HST.

When designing Wind Drifter, I wanted to combine rows of triangles, basic blocks, and individual triangles, to create a fun quilt design that looked complex but was still easy to put together. I JUST finished putting the binding on the small version of Wind Drifter and have been trying it out around the house. I intended for the small one to be a wall quilt but I think it also makes a lovely table topper! I think you could add large borders and make a lovely baby quilt or crib quilt as well.

When it comes to the size of the quilt, Wind Drifter can be made in two different sizes. The large quilt size is 65" square and the small is 32 3/4" for the small. Below you can see the finished quilt in both sizes.

For the larger version, I've used the same color palette as I did in the smaller version. The biggest change that I made was using the white/cream tonal Floral Fling print as my background fabric. Using this particular print, gave such a nice, subtle texture in those open spaces.

Both of these quilt directions are written for using Fat Eighths. However, when it comes to fabric choices, the possibilities are endless! You could easily make different variations of this quilt using solid colors, prints, or even textured fabric. Plus, I love the idea of using a larger, scrappier mix of different fabrics for the half square triangles. If you have a stash like mine, you can imagine making the entire quilt top as a scrappy triangle quilt!

Since we are on the topic of fabric and triangles, I did want to point out one thing about this pattern. If you are looking for a great way to show off bigger prints within this pattern, try placing them in the sections which have the larger triangles or arrows. They create a balance between large and small. The combination of arrow directions leads your eye around the quilt and to the center where the Quarter Square Triangle Block lives.

Moda Fabrics is kitting Wind Drifter in the large size with the cream background. The kits will have triangle paper on a roll, which makes the paper piecing of the small half square triangles so fast! I love triangle paper. There is less trimming and they are so accurate. You do not need to make a drawn line on the backs of your squares. Just follow the sewing lines. They also make creating a half square triangle quilt such a breeze!

My other new pattern, The Collector, was a really fun project with vases, jars and bowls to show off pretty prints. I went with a chinoiserie feel with my vases, thinking of lovely blue and white ceramics. but I also think these would be super cute in novelty fabrics like cookies and pickles and crackers in the pantry...just flip the wide vase angled top upside down and you have a wide jar with a lid instead of a vase. Is your collection of sewing items? Fill your vessels with buttons, thimbles and threads. Or maybe you like toy airplanes, marbles and jacks? So many different ways to show your treasures in these collector jars. 

These vessels are arranged into sets of 2 or 3 units, then repeated. I had sewn together one strip and put it on the dining room table. Wouldn't that make an interesting table runner? ​

And I used a couple extra blocks I made to make a coordinating pillow with my quilt.

The quilts shown here are using Cottage Bleu, which should be shipping from Moda Fabrics in April. This quilt also goes well with English Breakfast mini quilt with tea cups. I enjoyed a little home decor theme with this collection and had fun with those big hydrangeas in bursts of blue splendor. I hope you have as much fun as I've had with these patterns and I'll share more as other versions are done with new fabrics. I've been gathering fabrics to make one like jam jars (so fruit themed fabrics) and one with sewing notions (I'm still looking for the perfect buttons!). And I might even do a spooky Halloween one with curiosities in the jars! Stay tuned for that one!

Happy quilting!