American Patchwork & Quilting February 2016

The February 2016 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting is on sale from December 1--February 1.

Missed it? Order a digital issue here.

On a daily basis, a love of family and of quilts intertwines for quilt designer and blogger Sherri McConnell.

Tour Sherri's home and studio here.

Get the digital issue here.

Designer: Kay Wright-Handy for Animas Quilts

Fabrics: A Mum for a Mum collection by Jackie Robinson of Animas Quilts for Benartex

Two kinds of uneven Nine-Patch blocks form ideal frames for squares fussy-cut from sumptuous florals.

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Flirty Florals

Use large florals surrounded by pretty blues, teals, and greens to make a beautiful throw. Crisp whites help the florals pop off the quilt.

Get the free quilt pattern here.

Designer: Christine Barnes

The skinny strips separating the plain and pieced units in each block subtly stir the mix of bold colors. Four-Patch units in the sashing make it easy to keep the blocks aligned.

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Sunny Skies

Cheery blue and yellow star in this sunny wall quilt. A variety of geometric prints complement the tone-on-tones for low-contrast piecing.

Get the free quilt pattern here.

Designer: Debbie Roberts of The Quilted Moose

Vertical rows of star-in-a-star blocks come out perfectly regardless of your choice of technique: Experiment with cutting in 1⁄16" increments or use foundation piecing.

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Quilt tester: Laura Boehnke

Fabrics: Blue Bird collection by Jennifer Brinley and the Brushstrokes collection by Pepper Cory, both for Studio E Fabrics

Laura Boehnke was dreaming of spring when she made her version of Stars Aligned. She used prints that have a printed background resembling a textured woven, which gives the prints a soft, soothing look. A crisp green for the block borders prevents the watercolorlike prints from running into each other too much, and a green-and-yellow border nicely frames the quilt center.

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Designer: Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life

A designer's remake of her great-great-grandmother's quilt builds on tradition. Modern fabrics and low-volume background prints look right at home in a classic fan block setting.

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Quilt tester: Laura Boehnke

Fabrics: Cloverdale House collection by Di Ford and the Itsy Bits 2014 collection by Renee Nanneman, both for Andover Fabrics

Laura Boehnke played with the layout of the fan blocks to make her wall hanging version of Fanfare. Rather than hand-stitching the fan unit edges in place, Laura used monofilament thread and a narrow zigzag stitch. The light ecru block backgrounds provide wonderful space to showcase machine quilting.

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Designer: Amy Ellis

Fabrics: Chic Neutrals collection by Amy Ellis for Moda Fabrics

Blocks fade from dark to light and back again in a neutral bed quilt that contains hints of yellow and burgundy.

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Quilt tester: Laura Boehnke

Fabrics: Luminosity collection by Blank Quilting

Laura Boehnke punched up Neutral or Not? with bright colors and standout prints. Using a balance of white and black fabrics in each block gives the eye a place to rest and lets each color shine. Laura carefully positioned colors to make a secondary pinwheel design across the quilt center.

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Designer: Marcia Harmening of Happy Stash Quilts

Ombré fabrics: Gelato collection by E.E. Schenck

Create a veritable color explosion with ombré fabrics in warm and cool colors. Believe it or not, the quilt top is made with only three fabrics!

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3D Squares Wall Quilt

Careful placement of black and red prints creates the illusion that the squares are popping off this wall hanging for a fun three-dimensional effect.

Get the free quilt pattern here.

Quilt collector: Tara Lynn Baisden of Sew Unique Creations

The LeMoyne Star, a classic block, never goes out of style. Learn to use hand stitching to replicate this scrappy treasure.

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Stars from the Past

Classic LeMoyne Star blocks in reproduction fabrics shine against a blue background. Each block showcases a different fabric combination and color placement for nine distinctive looks.

Get the free quilt pattern here.

Designer: Jill Finley of Jillily Studio

Fabrics: assorted collections, including Jams & Jellies Basics, by Jill Finley of Jillily Studio for Henry Glass & Co.

A black background and brightly colored flowers invoke the feel of Swiss folk art. Appliquéd dots and polka dot fabrics add to the fun.

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Quilt tester: Laura Boehnke

Fabrics: Graceful Moments collection by Maywood Studio

To make her brown-and-pink version of Dotted Swiss, quilt tester Laura Boehnke used fusible appliqué and zigzag-stitched around each shape with matching thread. Laura combined sweet florals, diminutive dots, and just a touch of green to create an elegant 54"-square throw with an outer border that has the look of eyelet lace.

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Designer: Pat Sloan

Fabrics: Hometown Girl Batiks collection by Pat Sloan for Moda Fabrics

In each 2016 issue you'll get instructions for one row. At the end of the year you can put the rows together to make a throw. Join us on Instagram and Facebook to see what others are sewing with hashtag #APQrowquilt.

Get more info about the Row Quilt here.

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Designer: Avis Shirer of Joined at the Hip

Fabrics: Lavender Gray collection by Skipping Stones Studio for Clothworks

Use an easy technique on larger-than-life blooms. It produces the look of curved piecing with simple-to-appliqué shapes that are first fused in place.

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Blooming Beauty

Mimic the flowers and dragonfly shapes in this appliquéd wall hanging with bright and bold florals in a trendy color palette of teal, navy, and yellow.

Get the free quilt pattern here.