Happy Scorpio season y'all. Today you'll be reading about a pattern I've been admiring for awhile, The Pine Falls Quilt by The Blanket Statement, written by a quilter I've been admiring for awhile, Michelle Collins of Meesh Quilts.
Before we dig into Michelle's review and gorgeous quilt photos, some announcements below for the wild sweet pea biz!
The last two weeks have been extra busy, as I've taken the leap from some occasional freelance graphic design work to making it an official part of the Paige Anderson Home Goods + Design "parent company" or whatever. I've been doing some work with the Olympia legend Kathryn Coffman of Fashionably Frank Marketing to create print media + branding for local businesses. You can find out more by emailing me or following on instagram, while I get the roots for this side of the biz up and running. Oh-- and it's called Ponderosa Design Co., a nod to the landscape I love and the topic I wrote about for the candidacy paper in my master's degree program at The Evergreen State College way back when. (seems like a long time ago but it was only back in 2016 when I was studying ponderosa pines and fire regimes). Referencing pines is also a nod to the last time I was doing graphic design consistently-- when I was working in the environmental field doing community outreach for the seven years of my career before moving into the art scene.
Back to the quilty world-- On October 27, I will be releasing 3 beginner friendly, modern quilt patterns. The trio is a collaboration project with the watercolor artist Carrie Chan of A Perfect Something.
Here's a peek at the cover of my favorite of the three, with Carrie's original painting on the front.
You can preorder the booklet style quilt patterns now! Digital downloads will be available on the release day.
One last thing-- Gallery Boom in Olympia is hosting a big 'ol party and popup on November 15th. Every third Thursday of the month, the city of Olympia has basically a huge arts party romp-around-ish thing. Come by for the mimosas, stay for the rad home goods.
And before I forget to mention it, yes this post has affiliate links. That means that if you click on any of the underlined text here I may make some spare change at no extra cost to you. There's regular links too, so if you want more information on anything, click the link!
Annnddd here we go, our main event:
A review of The Blanket Statement’s “Pine Falls Quilt” by Michelle Collins of Meesh Quilts
I recently had the immense pleasure of getting to pattern test Erin’s (@theblanketstatement) Pine Falls Quilt pattern. I have admired Erin for a while. I have loved her unique style, branded aesthetic and outdoorsy, geometric quilts. So when she announced that she would be releasing her very first pattern ever and needed testers, of course I immediately reached out.
On September 14th, 2018 Erin released the Pine Falls Quilt pattern and just as I expected, the quilting world ate it up! There was something about the simplicity as well as the visual interest that created a clean and beautifully unique pattern design. The thing I loved about this pattern was its freedom in pulling fabrics and making it your own. There were so many different and exciting versions created by just the pattern testers alone.
I feel like there is a traditional way to make this quilt, as the original green hue version by Erin suggested. She used a variation of shades of green to create an optional illusion of stacked arrows or triangles popping out of the quilt. I feel like the longer I really look at it, I think it looks like something else, which is such a hard thing to accomplish with just a 2D fabric medium. It’s the most interestingly simple pattern I have ever seen.
It’s simple in the fact that it is really just a compilation of HSTs (Half Square Triangles).
The Pine Falls Quilt pattern is a fast finish but also a fun finish. Because Erin has created a pattern that is easy to read, follow along, and feel confident throughout the whole process. What I just love about patterns like this is you can really turn your brain off and enjoy the making process. Erin does all the math for you for all the sizes! (wall hanging, baby, throw, twin, queen and king).
The other thing that I love about Erin’s HST process is that she leaves enough room to trim up the HST to their exact sizes. For me, this is seriously clutch, as there is a little room for error and you can then create perfection in your trimming process. And I may just be a weirdo, but I secretly really enjoy trimming blocks. Her visuals throughout are very helpful and pleasing to the eye. Everything about the assembly process was so clear. The best part was laying out your HSTs and starting to see the larger design come together. This is one of those quilts you could make so many versions of and never get tired of. It’s modern, clean, fresh, and so fun!
When I made my version, I decided that I would shop my stash, after going through numerous different combinations; I decided to stick with all solids. I picked a grouping of solids that were a little different for me and also gave me a warm and modern fall vibe. I chose to pick two main hues and then find a different shade in the same temperature to be its partner. In Erin’s original quilt, she has a light side and dark side of the quilt that adds dimension and depth. I wanted to mimic this same affect so I partnered a darker red on one side and a mustard on its opposite. I used a deep gray on the same side as the red and a light sea foam on its opposite. I chose a warm white in the background to really let the main visual pop off the quilt.
All the solids were Kona Cotton (Snow, Seafoam, Ochre, Shale, and Cayenne). Click the underlined fabric names to shop!
And the binding, well, you know I had to add a pop of print in there somewhere. So the classic thin black and white stripes came in clutch! I loved the possibilities for quilting as well! I chose to really enhance the design and quilted straight lines parallel to the lines of the arrows about 2 inches apart. In the negative space I quilted ½ inch horizontal lines that added just the yummiest texture.
Oh, and for the batting, I tried out Hobbs Batting 100% wool and it was such a win! It has the squishiest texture that added the cozy feel I was going for. I just loved how this quilt turned out and I will more than likely be creating more in the future. Truth is, I have nothing bad to say about this pattern, its just simply a must have in your pattern collection!
Erin is also releasing her second pattern that is no less amazing called the Spruce Woods Quilt on October 26th. This girl in on fire and out to make your quilting dreams come true.
Michelle Collins is a Georgia based quilter and toddler mom.