Jera Brandvig - Quilt As-You-Go Made Clever: Add Dimension in 9 New Projects; Ideas for Home Decor

Publisher: Amy Barrett-Daffin

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Acquisitions Editor: Roxane Cerda

Managing Editor: Liz Aneloski

Editor: Karla Menaugh

Technical Editor: Debbie Rodgers

Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek

Production Coordinator: Tim Manibusan

Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi

Illustrator: Mary E. Flynn

Photo Assistants: Lauren Herberg and Gabriel Martinez

Photography by Jera Brandvig, unless otherwise noted

Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

Dedicated to my husband, Benjamin Brandvig. Thank you for reminding me to make time for whats important, not only for our family but for myself as well. I feel like anything is possible when were in it together!

This photo was taken after a long week of virtual school and working from home amidst the lockdown/pandemic. What better way to spruce up our sweatpants and long, fluffy hair than a quilt?

Also, thank you to my boys, Ethan and Simon, for always telling me my blankets are beautiful! Your compliments come at the perfect moments when Im feeling unsure or too tired to keep going. My favorite kind of crafting will always be when Im making things with the two of you.

Acknowledgments

Thank you so much to my quilty friend Lisa Garber (a.k.a. @TheCurvyQuilter on Instagram) for your excitement and enthusiasm for this book and for contributing your talents to share your beautiful quilts with the world!

Introduction

HOW IS THIS BOOK DIFFERENT?

If you have followed my creative journey, you may have heard of my first two books, Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern and Quilt As-You-Go Made Vintage, in which I teach how to apply the quilt as-you-go (QAYG) technique to both modern and classic-style quilts. My quilty journey continues with this book, where I expand on QAYG by showing completely new ways to use the technique, while adding creative embellishments to your projects such as ribbons, buttons, and lace.

Similar to my other books, my intention for this one is for it to be more than a book of patterns. This book will teach you fresh techniques to expand your quilting repertoire and, most importantly, spark creativity in your inner artist. My hope is that you will be excited to start a project as well as expand on these techniques later on. Think of this book as an anthology of undaunting projects assembled using various techniques, including fabric origami, quilt as-you-go, hand stitching, embellishing with ribbons and lace, as well as traditional quilting.

START SMALL, THEN GO BIG

Ive always strived to keep it simple yet creative, and Ive stayed true to that. If theres ever a project that seems daunting, we will start small so that you learn the technique, and then you can choose to go bigger when youre ready. Also included are home decor ideas on how to display your quilted minis in your home.

A SHORT MESSAGE FROM JERA

My goal is to spark creativity for you and most importantly to have fun! While a lot of people see quilting as a hobby of precision and following patterns to a T, Ive always tried to look at it from a different angle. (In Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern, you can see the evidence of this in my improvisational quilting methods!) Being creative means taking risks and doing things outside of the normif people werent creative, everything would look the same. If youre a seasoned quilter, I hope this book lets you see quilting from a creative and new perspective. If youre a new quilter, welcome! I hope this book makes quilting not seem so daunting; but most importantly, I hope this book gives you the quilting bug.

Decorating Your Home with Quilts

What made you decide to start quilting? Maybe you learned how to quilt from a loved one or a friend? Maybe you follow a crafter who inspired you on social media? Or perhaps like me, youre obsessed with beautiful fabrics?

Its always been about the fabrics for me, which has come full circle now that I design my own fabric collections. I decided to learn to quilt because I was hoarding fabric. Id go into my local quilt shop, ogle the fabrics, pick up a fat quarter and charm pack here and there, and display them in my crafting room. My husband thought I was nuts, as I didnt even know how to sew. What better way to display fabrics than a quilt? And so I taught myself and here we are.

Ive always seen quilts as an art form, where textiles are my medium and the batting is my canvas. I presented this line of thinking in Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern, where I got really creative with improvisational quilting as-you-go.

I love making smaller quilts, not only because you can complete them in a weekend or two, but also because I love to decorate my home with them.

QUILTS FOR THE WALL

is the perfect size to hang on your wall behind a console. When I choose fabric for a quilt that I know Ill be displaying in my home as art, I tend to lean toward classic and mature color schemes that are tried and true. My favorite color is red, so I couldnt resist a red and white quilt for this pattern. Traditional blue and white is next on my list.

I wasnt kidding when I said my favorite color is red, as I have an entire red-and-white dish collection! Draping a small quilt on an open cabinet door, whether it be in your living room, dining, or guest room, adds a beautiful pop of color.

Theres a lot to see in this photo! Can you spot Port Townsend displayed prettily in my sewing room?

Welcome to my cozy sewing room! Its tiny, but many beautiful quilts and lots of creative inspiration happen right here! Thats why its a must that I surround myself with beautiful projects and pretty fabrics to help keep the creativity flowing.

hung on a small hand-towel rack

Find a pretty iron towel rack or mini hand-towel rack to easily display your quilts and add beauty to your walls!

draped beautifully on a towel rack in my sewing room

looks gorgeous hung in my living room.