Roundabouts - The Pattern

It's been a very long time in the coming, but my Roundabouts pattern is now available on Craftsy. This advanced beginner pattern goes together quickly and easily. It is a great way to showcase special fabrics or to make a small dent in your scrap bins. I like to think it's well-documented with clear diagrams and helpful tips. I think my pattern testers agree.

Many of you might remember this as the quilt that got me through an uncertain time. My hands were tingling, my brain wasn't working right and I wasn't sure if I'd come out on top of things or not. Some readers have inquired about my health now; thank you for checking in on me. I'm happy to say that I am good. It's been six months since I've fell ill and things are now mostly back in order. I struggled for a bit with residual effects from the steroids and posture changes that constricted nerves. I'm good now. I'm happy. I'm enjoying life. I'm as loud and as boisterous as ever.

I have a strong personal connection to this quilt, because I worked on it when I was sick. It isn't my best work technically; but due to the personal relationship I have with it, I decided it was the one I wanted to enter it in Australia's Modern Quilt Show. Those of you traveling to Kiama this weekend will get to enjoy it in person - crooked stitches and all. For those who can't make it, I wrote this for the description card:

Flawed, but ok: After receiving a very roughly cut stack of miniature charms squares, I created a simple design where playful pops of color co-mingled with well-defined background shapes. The scraps were awkward and often not square. From the beginning, it was an exercise in accepting imperfection. I added fabrics from my stash and moved onto hand-quilting. A few lines in, I fell quite ill. Undeterred with tingling hands, I continued putting needle to fabric. I find comfort in this quilt. Much like the wonky fabrics I started with and the uneven lines of quilting, I was flawed, but ok.

If you are going to the Modern Quilt show and see me there, please stop me and say hello.

Rather than call the pattern Flawed, but ok; I went with the simpler name of Roundabouts which alludes to the circles within the layout. It's a great one for scraps or special fabrics. One of my pattern testers made a version is Liberty and shot cotton - a perfect pairing for this pattern. She's just putting the finishing stitches in the binding now. I hope she'll let me show it to you soon. I can think of a number of great ways to make this quilt. One day, I'd like to revisit it with a saturated colorwash sweeping from corner to corner. I'm sure you've got clever ideas for the pattern too.

Getting this out the door took a bit longer than expected, but it is ready to go now. Pop on over to Craftsy to get the pattern at the introductory price of $6.50 USD.


happy making.
--amy at badskirt