December 3, 2016
Night of the Dragonfly
Night of the Dragonfly is leaving my collection to hang at my close friend Carol’s cabin. This quilt is, and I’m guessing, about 15 years old. I made it around the time I wrote my two books, Machine Stitched Cathedral Windows and Machine Stitched Cathedral Stars.
It represents the more complex range of my Cathedral Window technique and was never published.
I told Carol that I wanted to photograph it so I could show if off before it didn’t live at my house anymore. The Dragonfly fabric that I used is one of my all time favorite fabrics. Enjoy!
April 11, 2016
Lost in the Storm
Late last year Robert Kaufman Fabrics asked me to make this quilt using their Artisan Batik line of fabrics featuring their Floriculture 2 and Prisma Dyed Batiks.
It’s a Cathedral Window Storm at Sea based on a quilt I designed and made that was featured in Joen Wolfrom book “Color Play”. http://joenwolfrom.com/books/
I was thrilled to get the opportunity. Well, the Free Pattern is available on their website. i hope you enjoy working with the line as much as i did!
The link is here: http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/lost_in_the_storm/
March 13, 2015
Elegant Asian Fans
An easy introduction to the Machine Stitched Cathedral Window technique, Elegant Asian Fans uses the simplest element, a simple square folded diagonally. The base of each block is a foundation paper square with just thee pieces. Two folded squares are then basted on top. The curves happen during the quilting process.
I love Asian prints and have quite a few. This was a perfect opportunity for me to use some of them.
I just added this pattern on Crafty for those of you that like to download your own patterns. Of course you can contact me directly if you would like to buy the paper pattern.
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/elegant-asian-fans/135687
August 21, 2014
Sunflowers and Cathedral Windows
This one is for Throw Back Thursday. I came across the picture of my “Sunflowers” quilt that I made for my daughter, Sybill. It’s not a very good picture but it seems to be the only digital one I have. I think I made it around 2000. She loved Sunflowers so much that as soon as it was finished it became hers. The petals of the Sunflowers are three dimensional like I use in the Cathedral window process with four folded sides.
The two inner sides of the points are rolled and stitched into curves. I think the blocks are 15″ each so the quilt must be around 60″ square.
“Sultry Sunflowers” is the same idea but with 9″ blocks and only 8 petals as opposed to the 12 petals in “Sunflowers”. It’s probably 40″ square.
Enjoy!
August 28, 2013
Enchanted Garden Cathedral Window Quilt
“Enchanted Garden” was made around 2000 in the style of the quilts in my first book, “Machine Stitched Cathedral Windows”. It used the templates in the book but the layout is different. It belongs to my daughter, Valerie, so it doesn’t go to lectures. I came across a rare photo of this quilt and wanted to share it. Click on the quilt and it will take you to the hi-resolution version. It has always been one of my favorites.
August 26, 2013
Shelley Swanland has Patterns on Craftsy
Romantic Reflection
I have started to put my patterns on http://www.Craftsy.com . Berries Jubilee, Romantic Reflection, Parchment & Black Lacquer and Sparkling Stars are now available for purchase and download as PDFs at my Craftsy store. I appreciate all the support I have had through the years for my technique and hopefully this will make the technique available to more quilters all over the world. I will be adding more patterns as time goes on so if you have a favorite you’re waiting for just let me know.
January 6, 2013
Cathedral Window Quilt – Layers of Lavender
Woo Hoo!! I just finished this quilt on consignment. I think it looks pretty nice. I used my pattern, Layers of Lavender. It’s a variation of the traditional Cathedral Window in that it is stitched with a diagonal grid and where there would be a singe curve there are two curves. That forms a chain design between the windows. It took 100 hours to make and will be sent off to it’s new owner next week.
June 12, 2012
Hearts and Flowers
Click on Twilt to see high res version on flickr
“Hearts and Flowers” is my latest Twilt. It includes paper piecing, a little Cathedral Window stuff, silk ribbon embroidery, a copy of a vintage flower silk, some crazy quilting and gathered silk in some of my favorite fabric colors.
Enjoy!
For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page.
May 4, 2010
Sunflower Twilt
Summer is getting closer and to celebrate it’s coming I found this block in my UFO box and make it into this Tuesday’s Twilt, “Sunflower”. The petals of this completely template based design are three dimensional and only the inside folds are rolled.
Enjoy!
For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page.
April 27, 2010
3D Bowties Twilt
This happy little Twilt isn’t a Cathedral Window but surprisingly everything I do, relating to Cathedral Window quilting, is based on this block. The 3D Bowtie has been around for many years.
I used bright batiks and miniature asian prints to make the twelve blocks. Each block uses five squares exactly the same size, three from one print and two from the other. The center square is folded and stitched into the sames of the four patch. When pulled flat you have a three dimensional bowtie knot. It goes together in the same manner as the 3D Spool Twilt.
For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page.
Snips and Bits from Shelley's Studio 