Quilt Theory Blog Hop: By Your Side Quilt

Finally!

 The day has finally come when I get to tell you all about the By Your Side quilt.

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This one holds a special place in my heart.

When designing this quilt, the Quilt Theory tagline “Where can your quilt take you?” kept ringing in my ears. But instead of thinking about a physical location, I started pondering how the quilts we make for people draw us deeper into their lives.

I am very fortunate to have a group of four ladies in my life who are forever friends… they are really more like family. The five of us have celebrated together as well as weathered the toughest of storms. Birthdays, adoptions, parents being sick and passing away, raising kids, vacations, holidays, family drama, trips to the ER, job promotions, calls to say, “I think I might be going crazy… I need to talk to someone”, and texts just to say “Good morning”…. we’ve been through it all together.  We walk through life together.

Ironically, between the five of us, we couldn’t find one picture with all of us in it…. too busy chasing children when we get together!  (We have 20 children altogether ranging in age from 16 to newborn!)

Those of you who are very observant may have noticed by now that the the By Your Side quilt consists of five Cotton + Steel prints…. one to represent each of us. And of course, there are the solid links that keep us bonded together… shared history, common ground, but most importantly love for each other.

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So, five of us, all linked together…

But as I continued on with this design, it didn’t feel complete. Although it started with those relationships, I didn’t want this quilt to be about just the five of us. I have many other amazing ladies in my life who have supported and encouraged me.

And through this awesome adventure that is Quilt Theory, I’ve made six more friends that I cherish dearly. Through our shared love of quilting and design, we’ve gotten to know each other, encouraged each other, learned to work together, and grown as artists and people.

Beyond all that, there are the friendships I’ve developed with many of you. Through social media, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know so many new friends from all areas and walks of life, all bonded together through our love of making beautiful things. It was this online community that taught me to sew and who has encouraged my efforts along the way.

So, in order to honor those friendships, I added in one more element to the quilt- the second row of squares and links to represent all those relationships in my life.

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For all those wonderful friends in our lives who support, inspire, or encourage us to grow- the By Your Side quilt was made to celebrate the people that walk beside us in life.

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I’m so glad to finally share where I was coming from when creating this quilt. I hope my words will encourage you to honor those relationships in your life and let those friends know how much they mean to you!

If you are currently at Quilt Market, you can see By Your Side in person at the Checkers booth!

Now, a little more about Quilt Theory and how you can get your hands on this collection of super cool patterns:

Our goal at Quilt Theory is to create simple and modern quilt patterns, and we design collections of patterns printed on small cards and one-page PDFs. As a group, we have become a strong team as we worked through writing, testing, editing, and quilting the patterns in our collection.

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For our second collection, we challenged ourselves to write patterns that utilize precut bundles of fabric. We hope you find a lot of inspiration in our collection to make quilts from your favorite bundles in your stash.

PDF patterns are available now through our website QuiltTheory.com.

Pattern cards coming soon to a local quilt shop near you! Let your local quilt shop know you want them to carry Quilt Theory patterns.

If you are a quilt shop and want to carry our patterns, set up a wholesale account here, or order through Checker Distributors, EE Schenck Company, or Erie Quilt Art for Canadian shops.

Giveaway Time!!

To celebrate the launch of Quilt Theory, I am giving away a PDF copy of my pattern, By Your Side. To sweeten the deal, I’m including a Fat Quarter bundle as well. I’m obviously a big fan of the C+S Basics, so I’ve gathered five of them in a bundle for you!  

No. 11 - By Your Side

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To enter, simply leave me a comment here! Anything will do, but if you want a suggestion, tell me a favorite memory you have with one of your friends. 

For extra entries, leave a comment for each way you follow me (e.g. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin’, WordPress, etc)

The giveaway ends Monday, May 22 at midnight eastern time and a random number generator will select the winner. Giveaway open to participants 18 years or older and international participants are welcome. 

*If you buy my pattern and then you win it, I’ll refund you or let you pick out another free Quilt Theory pattern!

Be sure to visit Yvonne tomorrow and the rest of the Quilt Theory designers if you missed their posts this week.

Quilt Theory Release Blog Hop Schedule

Friday 5/12 – Quilt Theory

Saturday 5/13 – Kitty @Night Quilter

Monday 5/15 – Michelle @Michelle Bartholomew

Tuesday 5/16 – Daisy @WarmFolk

Wednesday 5/17- Stephanie @Late Night Quilter

Thursday 5/18 – Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs

Friday 5/19 – Lorinda @Laurel Poppy and Pine  (<= <= YOU ARE HERE!)

Saturday 5/20 – Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl

Monday 5/22 – Quilt Theory

 

If you make the By Your Side quilt, be sure the tag me on Instagram and add the hashtag #ByYourSideQuilt so I’m sure to see it!

Happy Sewing! ~L

107 comments

  4. Love the story of your quilt. The transparencies of the links that connect the squares is such a cool effect, and add another layer of meaning.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Your pattern is great on its own, and the metaphor behind it makes it so much more meaningful and beautiful. I would love to make it and share it with the people I am blessed to be linked to. Thank you for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. I have walked with a friend for over 35 years. We have solved all the world’s problems a dozen times over and along the way, kept our sanity. The adventures we’ve had outside of walking have been wonderful. Love her so much. Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  20. That’s such fabulous inspiration! I am lucky enough to have a close-knit group of friends from my undergrad days. We are scattered around the globe now, but we get together as often as we can, be it all together or in smaller groups. This Thursday, my closest girlfriend had a 3-hour layover in my city’s airport, so we had an airort picnic and got to spend some time together.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. i have made several lifelong friendships with people I have met through 2 of my hobbies, knitting and square dancing. A saying in square dancing is square dancing is friendship set to music. I love the way you placed the squares on your quilt.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  32. You are so fortunate to have close friends like that!! I have my husband who is my best friend, and we have had our share uf ups and downs over 20+ years!! I love the idea of creating a quilt that celebrates and symbolizes a friendship.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  34. 3 friends and I taught together 18 years ago and have since move to different schools/retired. We still get together once a month for dinner and catching up.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  35. Lovely quilt and bundle. Its funny that the quilts I make to give others have to have that certain feel, special fabrics that have meanings beyond color and quality. I find it very difficult to sew up a quilt for someone without it being just right. Thanks for the giveaway chance!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  36. What wonderful sentiments to go with this pattern! Goodness!!! I have one special friend that lives in another country, but the bond is still there 💟

    Liked by 1 person

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  37. Hanging out at the mall with my best friend in high school, we were goofing around and tried on the ugliest gold and silver shoes, died laughing. Years later, we both showed up at our class reunion wearing gold and silver shoes, not purposely. We were officially old, lol!

    Liked by 1 person

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  45. I have a great friend who is 89. She has been like a mother and she has taught me all she knows about quilting. Loved your story and your quilt!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  48. Pingback: Blog Hop Wrap Up for Spring 2017 Collection – Quilt Theory
  49. Pingback: Layered Diamonds {Quilt Theory Collection 2} – Quilting Jetgirl

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