Before I was a quilter, I was convinced I had been switched at birth. In a family of talented, creative, accomplished quilt-makers, I needed help hemming a pair of pants.  So my first experience with quilt gifting was being on the receiving end: My three sisters made me a quilt for my 25th wedding anniversary.  Isn't this gorgeous? It includes stars from all of the states we had lived in (six, at that point) and a beautiful signature panel on the back. It was such a touching gift. I was overwhelmed with that thought that my sisters would put so much time, effort and love into something just for me. So when I started quilting in 2020, I wanted to pay it forward. I made quilts as gifts, starting with a very simple quilt for my mother-in-law, and when the pandemic hit, the quilts got more complicated, my skills got better, my fabric stash grew, and by Christmas I had made 15 quilts for friends and family -- including two cats and a French bulldog.  I've said it before and I'll

Here's what I love about making a quilted wall hanging: 1. They're small enough that I can whip one up in a weekend. 2. I can do the quilting myself, instead of sending it out to the long-arm. 3. When hung, everyone can see the quilty wonderfulness. Wall hangings are a great use for that little bit of fabric that you have . . . not enough for a full-sized quilt, but pretty enough that you want to use it. And backing fabric is no problem for two reasons: You don't need much, and it won't be seen until one of your discerning quilter friends decides to do an inspection. :) I have finished three wall hangings in the past year, and have two more waiting for me to quilt (quilting is not my strong suit, so I have to gear up!). This large anchor quilt wall hanging I made with blue batiks on a white background. The pattern is "Anchors Away" by Denise K. Bane. She is nice enough to share her pattern for free on her website, I Am a Quilter . She shows how to make this q

  Leave it to Marcia Derse to make an alphabet quilt panel that is so full of detail that you can actually spend time reading it.  The panel, part of Marcia Derse's Studio Alphabet fabric line, features colored block letters, vintage photographs and old journal entries. Each letter block is numbered and the whole thing is just full of interesting detail. When I saw this panel at Polka Dot Pincushion , one of my favorite quilt shops in Greater Cleveland, I knew I had to buy it . . . and some other stunning Marcia Derse fabrics for a border . . . and an amazing fabric for the backing. I made it with my dear friends George and Arlene in mind, and gave it to them this past weekend. They are both the most young-at-heart people I know and super creative people; I knew they would appreciate the uniqueness of this quilt. The colors are grungy, hand-dyed, rustic and batik in both bright and muted colors. Pick your favorite letter! Captivating! The backing is Marcia Derse's Art History

 A quilt is such a perfect baby gift, isn't it? Small enough to whip up quickly, and the sky's the limit on colors and design - because babies love everything! Here are some baby quilts I've made for some little sweeties. I made this as one of two quilts for twin baby girls.  For the second twin baby girl. On the back of each quilt I added one block from the other quilt; so the back of the pinwheels quilt had a heart block, and the back of heart quilt had a pinwheel block. Because 💕 twins! My Overlapping Color Bars Quilt was for my niece's baby girl. See more here . The Fancy Forest Baby Quilt was for my nephew's baby boy. See more here . Another nephew's baby boy got this "Zoology" quilt with hearts. For my next baby quilt, I would love to work with bold black and white patterns that even a newborn could focus on - perfect for tummy time. I'm thinking Tula Pink's Lineworks would be so much fun for a baby.       .      .        🦆 To learn mo

There's something therapeutic about making a modern quilt. When you are piecing simple shapes in a simple design, your focus shifts to color and detail. And for me, a white background is less forgiving - and I pay closer attention to my work and try to make fewer mistakes. This was my first quilt from designer Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft . All of her quilt designs are very modern, stunning patterns. Check out her variations of this Dot and Dash quilt in bright colors in a rainbow design, in pinks, and in soft pastels - gorgeous!  For this quilt, a gift to a BFF, I chose Ruby Star's Candlelight line of fabrics. augmented with blue and taupe solids that I agonized over, because they just didn't seem to match. I even emailed Nicole and asked her advice. (How these designers put up with me, I'll never know.) In the end, the solids I chose worked well. The quilting gods are so kind to me! I loved making this quilt so much that I am ready to make it again, this ti

I have loved Victoria Findlay Wolfe's quilt patterns and fabrics since I first discovered her shop in New York's garment district. When I saw this scrappy, boho design, I knew I had to make it for a special wedding gift.  I purchased this in a kit directly from VFW. Her kits provide a generous amount of fabric, the scraps of which have shown up in so many quilts since this! Her patterns and instructions are error-free and so easy to follow.  This quilt is not for sale, but I would make another one in a heartbeat. 💗 This quilt brightens up any room. For backing, I used Modern Patch Gray by Marcus Fabrics. Quilting is in a modern circles pattern. I love the vintage colors mixed in with the cheery bright ones. And that binding is one of my fav fabrics. 🦆 To learn more about this quilt and Diane's other quilting projects, contact her at diane.fitzpatrick@mac.com. And check out her  Instagram  page.