Hello there! Hope your summer is off to a good start. I've got loads of sewing projects lined up - mostly quilts, but maybe some clothing, too. I've had a lot of these roaming around in my head for awhile and now that Jane's graduation has come and gone (sniff), I finally feel as if I have some time to devote to them. One of these quilts is one that I have made twice before, but I wasn't really pleased with some parts of it. I knew that there had to be a better way. I woke up on Monday morning and my sleeping brain had figured it out. I love it when that happens! I quickly pulled the stack of fabrics above so they would be ready for cutting as soon as I had a chance. And yesterday was the day. I took my rotary cutter, ruler and the fabrics down to the family room for a cutting session in front of the TV. I pulled my extra cutting mat out from under the couch (I keep one there for moments like this!) and set up a little ironing and cutting station. I had forgotten that working somewhere other than the studio can be super energizing. It worked - I got an entire twin quilt cut out, the math bits figured out for the pattern and the pattern written up. I haven't been that productive work-wise since I don't know when.Can we talk about these fabrics for a quick second? I am just smitten with this palette - purples, pinks, oranges, golds. It's not my normal go-to (no green! no blue!), but they are calling to me so I am running with it. These are all Anna Maria Horner prints, from her latest line, Sweet Dreams. That lady does color like no other! Like the shift in my work space for yesterday, the shift in the colors I am working with is energizing me. I am excited to start sewing this afternoon!Finally, as a bit of an aside, if you follow me on Bloglovin', you have missed a number of my latest posts. So sorry! Apparently, when the blog was moved to the new platform, the feed changed ever-so-slightly and it took a little time for the situation to get corrected. Anyhow, if you did miss something, it was mostly about my new PDF pattern, Rinse and Repeat, that I launched last week. You can read those posts here, here and here. The pattern in available in my shop. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

I am very excited to release the Rinse and Repeat quilt pattern today! This quilt is a fun make and perfect for showcasing your favorite fabrics. It works well with a curated palette of prints, treasured scraps, and even all solids. I'm sure it would be equally as stunning in a monochromatic color scheme as it would in all the colors of the rainbow. No matter which fabrics you choose for the blocks, they all POP! when surrounded by the wide bands of negative space.The pattern includes four sizes (baby, throw, twin and full/queen) and is rotary cut and machine pieced. It's good for any quilter that considers themselves a confident beginner (a few projects completed) and above. My latest version, above, is a twin size and is ready for quilting. I've made it three times now and have plans for a fourth version. If there is enough interest, I might even host a sew-along later this summer. Would you all like that?You can pick up your copy of the Rinse and Repeat quilt pattern in my shop. It's a downloadable PDF that is available immediately after checkout. If you would like to be inspired by other versions of the #rinseandrepeat quilt, including those made by my awesome pattern testers, check out the hashtag on Instagram. And, please tag your photos, too! I can't wait to see what you all make.

I'm gearing up to release the Rinse and Repeat pattern next week and decided that it would be fun to make another version. I've been wanting to make something from Kim Kight's line Welsummer for Cotton and Steel since the moment I saw it and I knew that this design would be a great fit for these fun, colorful prints. I added some solids and other basics to the mix and started playing. The pattern is made up of five different blocks, each with six fabrics. I make piles of six fabrics and move things around until I like what I see. Then I cut and sew. Rinse and Repeat. (Get it? *wink*). The pattern has four different sizes: baby, throw, twin and full/queen. I am going to make a throw or a twin sized quilt - both use 14 blocks. I like to check in after sewing about 2/3 or 3/4 of the blocks to see if I need to add more of one color or take something away. Once I had these up on my design wall, I knew immediately what it needed. MORE PINK!I've got the last five blocks cut and waiting for me up in the studio. I am hoping I can squeeze in some sewing time and get them completed. Then it's a matter of choosing a background fabric. I have a few options in mind, but want to see all the colors together before deciding.Back with the finished quilt top soon! And the pattern soon after that! Just a reminder that I will be sending out a coupon code to my newsletter subscribers. Not on the list? You can easily sign up in the blue bar at the top of this page.

I'm excited to be today's stop on Melissa Mortenson's Derby Day fabrics blog tour. Not only is Melissa an amazing fabric designer for Riley Blake, but she is an avid and productive blogger over at the Polka Dot Chair. You definitely need to check out her blog as it is chock-full of great tutorials and cute ideas. And, just so you know, she took these amazing photos of my quilt with the horses! I mean, really. How cool! (The other quilts shown can be found on her blog.)

But, back to the fabrics.... Melissa and I share a hometown and, as such, it is no surprise that these fabrics hold a soft spot in my heart. They are all about the feeling, excitement and pageantry that is the Kentucky Derby and they are in the happiest shades of blue, pink and green! I am particularly smitten with the large scale florals and those hexagons that remind me of vintage bathroom tile. I can see so many uses for all these great prints.

When Melissa asked me if I would make a quilt using her Derby Day fabrics, I immediately said yes. This was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how to design a medallion quilt using one of the center medallions and a variety of blocks that are included in Make Your Own Medallion. When I decided to write this book, it was important to me that the book was more than a collection of quilt patterns. I wanted it to be a resource that you could use to create a medallion design of your very own. It's the book that I was looking for when I set out to make my first medallion quilt and didn't know where to start. Make Your Own Medallion gives you all the tools you need to mix and match blocks to come up with a unique quilt of your own. That's exactly what I did to make the Derby Day Medallion Quilt and today I am sharing the pattern so you can make one, too!

To make the Derby Day Medallion Quilt, you will need:

Make Your Own Medallion

Fabric A: 1 1/2 yards White with Navy Pindot (for background and binding)
Fabric B: 1/2 yard Floral Garland Pink (hexagon)
Fabric C: 1/4 yard or Fat Quarter Horses Navy
Fabric D: 1/2 yard Derby Main Green (floral)
Fabric E: 3/4 yard Haberdashery Blue
Fabric F: 1/4 yard or Fat Quarter Accessories Green
Fabric G: 3/8 yard Ribbon Blue (periwinkle color)
Fabric H: 1 1/8 yard Cross My Heart Pink- from Shine Bright Fabric Line

Finished Size: 52 1/2'' x 52 1/2''

Instructions:

Center Medallion: Cut and sew the Spinning Star medallion on page 82 of Make Your Own Medallion using Fabrics A, B, C and D.

Border 1:

1. Cut (2) strips 2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut these into (2) strips 2'' x 12 1/2'' and (2) strips 2'' x 15 1/2''.

2. Sew (1) 2'' x 12 1/2'' strip to each the left and right sides of the center medallion. Press the seams towards Border 1. Sew (1) 2'' x 15 1/2'' strip to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 1.

Border 2:

3. Cut and sew (16) 3'' finished Equal-Triangles from Fabrics A and E following the instructions on page 34.

4. Cut and sew (4) 3'' finished Rails from Fabrics A and F following the instructions on page 30.

5. Cut and sew (4) 3'' finished Plus blocks from Fabrics A and F following the instructions on page 31.

6. Construct the left and right borders as indicated and sew to the side edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 1.

7. Construct the top and bottom borders as indicated and sew to the top and bottom edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 1.

Border 3:

8. Cut (4) strips 2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut these into (2) strips 2'' x 21 1/2'' and (2) strips 2'' x 24 1/2''.

9. Sew (1) 2'' x 21 1/2'' strip to each the left and right sides of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 3. Sew (1) 2'' x 24 1/2'' strip to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 3.

Border 4:

10. Cut and sew (16) 4'' finished Pinwheel blocks from Fabrics A and G following the instructions on page 57.

11. Cut (4) 4 1/2'' x 8 1/2'' rectangles from Fabric B.

12. Cut (4) 4 1/2'' x 4 1/2'' squares from Fabric C.

13. Construct the left and right borders as indicated and sew to the side edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 3.

14. Construct the top and bottom borders as indicated and sew to the top and bottom edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 3.

Border 5:

15. Cut (4) strips 2 1/2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut these into (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 32 1/2'' and (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 36 1/2''.

16. Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 32 1/2'' strip to each the left and right sides of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 5. Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 36 1/2'' strip to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 5.

Border 6:

17. Cut and sew (16) 6'' finished House blocks from Fabrics A and E following the instructions on page 55.

18. Cut (4) 6 1/2'' x 12 1/2'' rectangles from Fabric D.

19. Cut (4) 6 1/2'' x 6 1/2'' squares from Fabric B.

20. Construct the left and right borders as indicated and sew to the side edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 5.

21. Construct the top and bottom borders as indicated and sew to the top and bottom edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 5.

Border 7:

22. Cut (5) strips 2 1/2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut (4) strips to measure 2 1/2'' x 42 1/2''. Sub-cut remaining (1) strip into (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 6 1/2'' and (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 10 1/2''.

23. To make the side borders (2 1/2'' x 48 1/2''): Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 42 1/2'' strip to each of the (2) 2 1/2'' x 6 1/2'' strips. Press the seam towards one side. Sew (1) border to each the left and right edges of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 7.

24. To make the top and bottom borders (2 1/2'' x 52 1/2''): Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 42 1/2'' strip to each of the (2) 2 1/2'' x 10 1/2'' strips. Press the seam towards the side. Sew (1) border to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 7.

Finishing:

25. Sandwich, baste and quilt as desired. (I used free-motion loops.)

26. Cut (6) strips 2 1/2'' x WOF from Fabric A for double-fold binding. Bind quilt in your preferred method.

If you make the Derby Day Medallion quilt, I'd love to see your version! Tag me (@houseonhillroad) and Melissa (@polkadotchair) on Instagram and use the hashtags #makeyourownmedallion#derbydayfabrics. This post contains affiliate links.