Feeling groovy? Our newest edge-to-edge design brings a healthy dose of retro rhythm and abstract movement to your quilts. Meet Modra, a modern meandering classic in the making.
 


This design originated as an interpretation of a city skyline—if you can believe it—with all rectangular shapes and mostly 90º angles. I wanted different sizes and shapes of "buildings", but when it looked very sharp and uninviting, I changed the line nodes to smooth in my software and was delighted! I loved the "ribbon candy" of it all, maintaining the irregular intervals and sizes.

I couldn't help but think it hinted at a mid-century look. It's quirky but polished, free-flowing but intentional. There are places where the stitch path overlaps slightly. 

I chose to quilt Modra on this quilt top because of the variation of the lines. I generally don't like to put simple repeated E2E designs on a quilt made of only 2" squares. I prefer some variety when the patchwork is uniform.

Modra stitches like...

As I was working on this design, I kept thinking how similar it is to the Wishbone design. It may even look more like a wishbone than Wishbone?! My husband thought I should call it Tuning Fork, which would have also been an accurate description. I decided the one-word name 'Liquid' represented the flow and drip of the design.
 


This has been one of my favorite combos of quilt pattern + pantograph for quite some time! I can't help but have favorites.



I think the simplicity of this design gives it versatility and can be used in different styles of patchwork: contemporary, modern, water-themed, you-name-it. The curvy shape gives it an element of fun and playfulness.

The Quilt

Quilt Pattern

The pattern I used for this quilt is called Amelia by Crystal Manning. Once again, I was prepping for a retreat and needed some ideas of quilts to make before leaving. I believe I found this pattern while browsing on Pinterest, and my star-loving heart pitter-pattered with joy! 

I love ...

I'll always prefer a "graphic" style of panto design over a novelty one. That's my preferred aesthetic. With that in mind, meet Lovebirds! It's a kinda-sorta, lovey-dovey (ahem) take on a novelty concept for Valentine's Day... and beyond.
 


In each repeat, you'll find two pairs of lovebirds joined in an amorous but discreet pose. Awfully romantical! 💕



The mirrored shapes, gentle curves, and circles still work together to give the design a graphically strong quality that will result in a nice texture when quilted.

The Quilt

Quilt Pattern

I hopped aboard the bandwagon and joined Quilty Love's Patchwork Hearts II Quilt Along that started a few weeks ago (January 2025). Having sewn many of Emily Dennis's patterns before, I knew this would be fast-n-fun and a great way to use the fabrics I already had instead of buying new. It is a quick-win kind of project. The original Patchwork Hearts pattern is smaller in scale and while it would take more time, it's also very cute and requi...

Boa consists of a simple, repeating serpentine shape. I designed it as an extended-width file to maintain the consistent spacing of the lines throughout each row of stitching.



If you are new to extended-width pantograph designs, I'd encourage you to visit this blog post that provides more information and help with set-up. They are different than traditional edge-to-edge designs and may require different configurations or settings with your software.

This quilting design is sure to bring whimsy to any quilt top! For that reason, I think a quilt top with bright colors, children's quilts, modern quilts, or even water or snake-themed quilts would be perfect candidates for the Boa design.

The Quilt

I used the Raspberry Kiss block tutorial from Wooden Spoon Quilts to make this quilt top.

The x-shaped patchwork requires only small amounts of fabric, which gives you a lot of bang for your buck when you pair it with a high-contrast background like I did.

I'm not quite sure what...

Always is a new digital pantograph design that is a breeze to stitch out. The curvy contours of this shape work so well in providing a pleasant contrast with the straight lines and angles of most patchwork.



There's a retro feel to this design, too, but will fit the "mood" of many contemporary or modern quilts.

The Name

You might know from reading my previous blog posts that I often use a working title for designs before they get released and need a "real" name. Well, the working title for this one was Lightdays because of the shape resembling a pad. And well, growing up I could count on that particular brand being tucked away in the bathroom cupboards, so that's what my mind went to. My sister thought this was hysterical when I texted her the design with the name, and that's all that really matters. 😂

But obviously I couldn't actually use Lightdays as a name. I didn't want it to be THAT obvious or cause anyone to avoid using the pantograph because of the name. I asked my fr...

Now that my day job is supporting the Longarm League membership and teaching new longarm quilters how to start a business, I need to be extremely intentional about setting time aside to feed my own creativity or it does not happen.

After a 4-year hiatus, my passion for piecing was reignited this year after being invited to a retreat at Stitch Supply Co. in Altoona, Wisconsin. It was glorious! The desire to plan, cut, and sew a quilt top has stuck with me since retreat. I'm drawing the distinction here between piecing and quilting because I frequently quilt samples of new digital edge-to-edge designs, but that isn't the same feeling as creating patchwork.

It's safe to say, patchwork and I are back "on" again.

The Patchwork

For this project, I started with a palette in mind. I pulled scraps from bins of pink, orange, yellow, and blue. I decided to work with the teal-y blues although I did let some darker royal shades pass through my filter.

I originally planned to make a lot of ha...