Bestla Quilt

 I can't quite believe it, but it is time to release my 4th quilt pattern into the world. I think I might be the most excited about this one too!

The design is so versatile that I really struggled to pick my favourites to include on the inspiration page in the pattern. You can also see some of these on the Instagram reel I created for the release.

The main bonus of the pattern, and the whole reason it exists, is that there is a large star to feature the larger print fabrics. It always seems such a shame that there aren’t more quilt patterns to showcase the bigger prints. It also helps to speed up the making process with less piecing and larger blocks. The pattern is written with directional prints in mind, as all my patterns are, and you can use yardage, fat quarters or scraps to create your quilt. 

You can buy the pdf pattern on my Etsy store now, so you can start making your own. Don't forget to share your quilt and use #bestlaquilt and tag me @craftylilmouse so I can see them!

Mx

Adventureland Quilt

 

Here is my spring time Adventureland quilt. 

I chose to make a throw size as a gift for a relatives big birthday. I found some beautiful fabric for the back and built a fabric pull, all in these soft pastels to coordinate.

The pattern is by suzy quilts and you can buy the pattern from her website. She was hosting a sew along on Instagram and I couldn't resist joining in. It is a really easy to follow pattern and quick to sew. I found trimming it square a little difficult but it was ok in the end. Since I did the throw size, it was a little bit harder to quilt on my machine but I picked straight lines with my walking foot, to give me the best chance of doing a nice job of quilting.  I have added all the fabrics names I could and the Aurifil thread colours I used, if you are interested. I'm quite happy with how it turned out and I am excited to send it as a special gift.

Mx 

Fabrics Used:

Moda Apricot & Ash corey yonder of coriander quilts (peach floral)

Roadside flowers Stoffabrics (blue floral)

Windham fabrics 'knit n purl' by Whistler studios (green)

Sevenberry (lilac spot)

Dashwood twist (peach colour)

Spiced garden by Maryjane corey of hollyhill quilt (green check)

Camelot fabric (lilac)

Honey bunny by sleeping bears press for Michael Miller (blue)

Moda Apricot & Ash (peach gingham)

Riley Blake blossom by Tattooed quilter (lilac blossom)

Windham fabrics Botany by Kelly Ventura (floral backing)

Aurifil threads: 2021 pieceing & 4093 quilting

Ersa Quilt Pattern- Testers parade

 Hi I'm Lolly from Birmingham, UK. I've only been quilting for about 3 or 4 years now with only 4 quilt finishes under my belt (and 3 in progress haha). I still consider myself new to quilting but becoming more and more confident in my quilting skills so I signed up for being a tester for this pattern! 

I had so much fun stitching the Esra pattern together mainly due to the rainbow that it created and the rainbow of scraps it created also when trimming the blocks! 

It was such a quick fun make in the baby quilt size!

The solid fabrics used are from Libs Elliott Phosphor collections and the background fabric Is Zoltar White from Libs Elliott Beguiled collection with the rainbow details on the print, from far away it judt appears white but up close you can see the details which adds to the solids!

Hi, I'm Rebecca from Ireland. I learnt to sew mostly from internet classes and videos and started to quilt in 2018, now I just can't stop!

Find me @spinningwheelquilts on Instagram.

Here in the quiet mountains of North Carolina, quilting has kept me company over the last couple years. I see everyday no matter what with my fur babies at my feet.

Testing the Ersa quilt was such a treat! The pattern and instructions were so easy to follow, it went together very quickly. I decided to go outside my comfort zone with Tula Pink solids in bright colors and am so happy with the results! I definitely will be making this again and the color choices are endless. Thank you for allowing me to test for you!!

Lisa Visel

@mountainviewquilts

Www.mtnviewquilts.com

Hi, I'm Kerry - a quilter, longarm quilter and fabric rescuer living in Kent. I'm also a wife to a long suffering carrier of fabric bolts and pawrent to Snoopy a 6 month old miniature sausage dog and Ronnie a 2 year old tabby cat.

I've been making quilts for almost 11 years now and in my 3rd year of being a longarm quilter. I help to run the Great British Quilter Instagram account, am the current website editor for Region 2 of The Quilters Guild, am a proud Pfaff brand ambassador and product tester for Groves, I love to talk about quilting and share my passion to anyone who wants to listen so I'm very grateful to have these wonderful platforms. I recently launched my new website, a very steep learning curve but an achievement I'm proud of, you can sign up to my newsletter Diagnosis Quilter - written by a quilter for quilters and find out more about my workshops, talks and trunk shows. 

I made my version of the Ersa Quilt using a range of rainbow scraps and created an ombre effect with the background going from black to white, from some of my favourite designers/collections including Alison Glass, Helen Steele, Ruby Star Society, Moda and Sarah Ashford.

Website: www.thatssewkerry.com

I’m Nicky, contemporary quilter from Essex, UK. I’ve been quilting for 6 years, my first quilts were made for my twin niece and nephew! I love using bright and bold fabrics and creating things that make a statement! When Stacey asked me to pattern test for her I knew I wanted to create a bold rainbow 🌈 so I used my hoarded Libs Elliott that I had been saving for the right project and the Ersa quilt was just that! Being a EPP lover, I’m pushing myself to make more machine pieced quilts, the Ersa pattern is so beautifully well written that it’s perfect even for a beginner or a non confident machine sewer like me.

Hi, I'm Kelly and live in the UK in the south west. I enjoy sewing in my free time and definitely have a bit of a fabric addiction. I loved testing this quilt pattern. It came together really quick and looks so effective. The instructions are fantastic and great for all skill levels. I used my stash of Libs Elliot fabric that I have had for a while I didn’t know what I would use them for but when I saw Stacey’s pattern I knew straight away it would go perfectly. It created a really pretty rainbow version of the Ersa Quilt. I made the lap size and plan to quilt it myself, on my domestic machine. I cannot wait to make this pattern again and use my endless stash to create more!!

Hi, I'm Aislan Hoffman. I really enjoyed testing this pattern. It came out great and was rather quick to put together. I'm @aislanhoffman on Instagram.

I Hope you like all the testers quilts, I do! If you would like to make your own, you can buy the pattern from my Etsy store here.

Mx

Eris quilt pattern

 

I recently made my Ersa Quilt pattern (available to buy on Etsy). I used some Alison Glass fabrics but didn't have a large piece for the quilt backing. Instead I decided to make a patchwork back using the left overs. When my sister saw it, she thought it was another quilt top, so I have decided to share it as a free quilt pattern for you.

You can save the picture above and print as a full page to colour or just open on your device to see measurements. You can easily change the size of this quilt too. For example if you want your quilt 6" longer just make the 12 1/2" to 13 1/2" instead. 

 Here is a full view of my Eris flimsy before I quilted and trimmed it. 

I hope you like the Eris quilt pattern and make one, I cant wait to see it if you do, please share it on Instagram using #erisquilt and #craftylilmousepatterns so I don't miss them.

Mx

Ersa Quilt Pattern

 I'm so excited about my second pattern release! 

This time it is a really nice simple quilt made from half square triangles and squares. There are instructions for yardage or using scraps and some colour inspiration to help you choose.  My favourite is the rainbow colourway, although ombre or single colour look fabulous too. The pattern is beginner friendly, but if you're new to patchwork, you might want to check out my free trimming tutorial here for those perfect points.

You can buy the Ersa quilt pattern from Etsy here.

Check out the upcoming testers parade blog post for more inspiration. Also check out the #ersaquilt on Instagram. I can't wait to see your versions !

For my quilt I used Alison Glass Chroma Fabrics and Dashwood Pop solids in pearl. I used Aurifil 50wt thread in shade 2026. I quilted this myself using a walking foot and tried to compliment the fabric design. I am so happy with my rainbow quilt.

Mx

Trimming Half Square Triangles

I have released a couple of quilt patterns now and it's got me thinking about beginner quilters. I am in no way an expert, however, I would like to share some experience and try to help if you are just starting your quilting journey. My quilt patterns (as well as many other patterns and blogs) have good instructions for making half square triangles (HST). They are a nice easy and very versatile block, but they need to be trimmed properly to line up. Many instructions don't show trimming though and if you are new to patchwork you may be wondering how to trim your HSTs. 

Here is a quick little tutorial...

1. Press your seam open and lay your HST block onto a cutting mat. Place a quilting ruler on top, with the 45° angle line running along the seam.

2. Use a rotary cutter along the edge of your ruler to trim away the excess fabric. Make sure that the remaining block is big enough for the size of square you are trimming. In this photo the HST is to be trimmed to 3".

3. Once trimmed, turn your block so the trimmed edges are lined up against the measurement you are trimming to, with the 45° angle line running along the seam. 

4. Trim away the excess fabric, leaving a perfectly trimmed HST block.

5. Repeat for all of the other HSTs in your project.

I hope you find this helpful and keep checking back for more quick tutorials I'm hoping to add soon.

Mx

Quilt pockets

 

I have been looking for a way to hold up larger quilts for photos, and came across the great idea of pocket corners. It’s so simple and works perfectly!

After a a couple of tries, I found a great size to make so thought I’d share it.

Cut a 5 1/2” x 9” rectangle of fabric,  I used a calico, which was sturdy but not too thick. 

Fold in half, so the short sides meet. Sew along the top edge.

Open out and fold down to create a point. 

Trim off the bottom to make a neat triangle.

Fold and press up a 1/4” seam allowance.

Top stitch to hold in place.

Top stitch the other 2 sides, leaving the opening for a pole.

Use safety pins or basting stitch the pocket to the quilt. I did large stitches on my machine, close to the binding which was secure and easy.

Now insert a pole into the pocket to make holding up for a photo easy. 

Simply remove after your photos and reuse on others quilts.

 I found some extending mop handles in the supermarket which was perfect. These worked great as they wasn’t as long to travel for a quilt in the wild photo too. Hopefully this come in useful to someone.

Mx