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Since their first trip to Wales and the Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Centre, Jutta and Johann have been huge fans of Welsh quilts and their striking quilting patterns. The celtic heritage and the rich texture created by the overall designs make Welsh Quilts a feast for the eye....

The Lighthouse block is a very busy block with lots of individual pieces. All the pieces are triangles, most of them half-square triangles with some quarter-square triangles thrown in...

As with the Spitzenstücke quilt, the name of its quilting pattern is also a play on words in German. Herzstück could be interpreted as “heart piece”, but usually denotes the core of something. The inspiration came from the patterns on the fabrics we used in the quilt which were created by Sunprinting. The faux lace created very interesting contrasts on the fabrics and by outline quilting them, this contrast was even more emphasized resulting in a 3D effect...

We included this challenging feather swag for advanced hand quilters. Feathers are a challenge for every quilter, no matter how much or little experience she or he has, simply because they are a lot of work and require patience and endurance. The feather swag for the Martha Quilt is particularly demanding because the border is narrow. The pattern becomes very intricate and requires small and even stitches... (26 July 2011)

The idea for this project was born while contemplating the many beautiful quilting stencils we have acquired over the years. We have always considered quilting stencils a fairly inoffensive item on a quilter’s shopping list: Quilting stencils are comparatively inexpensive, very durable and can be used for years and years.

However, very often a shop-bought quilting stencil just doesn’t fit a new quilt’s requirements exactly and “own designs” take centre stage. Of course, being creative is a good thing, but what about all those lovely patterns sitting around quietly waiting to be used... (21 June 2011)