Fat Quarter Stash Quilting
I’m so glad you’re here. Inspired Quilting by Lea Louise is about the joy of creating something beautiful. My intention is to share my quilting knowledge, experiences, and hopefully provide artistic inspiration to you. While you may not be familiar with fabrics and fibers, creativity comes in many forms. I love sharing and teaching what I’ve learned. Please browse my site and find what inspires you.
Stash Quilting
Watch this video tutorial for the Asymmetrical 4-Patch Quilt Pattern shown above.
Stash Quilting is what I call my style of quilting. Quite simply, I start with a focal fabric and draw the rest from my stash. This transformation began when I realized I had more fabric than time to quilt. My goal was to quilt without purchasing any fabric. Using my cherished acquisitions has been great fun. The challenge of pulling only from my stash has been totally creative. I quilted for over five years only using fabric on hand. I’m so anxious to share these quilting stories with you.
Fat Quarter Quilt Tutorial
Download your free Fat Quarter Stash Quilt Block Tutorial
for this Asymmetrical 4-Patch Block
The quilt pictured at top is one of my favorite stash quilts. It’s filled with lots of colorful fabrics yet you know it’s a blue and green quilt. It’s a simple 4-patch block. The only difference is that it’s cut into different size blocks which adds so much more interest.
The purple version shown here and in the video tutorial is the same patchwork block simply done in different colors. It’s a simple fat quarter quilt to make plus it’ll give you an opportunity to use lots of your stash fabrics!
Artfully Creating
At this writing, my site isn’t even started yet. No worries, the ideas are blooming right along with my garden. This is what I love: springtime and artfully creating with beautiful colors and fibers. Spring is my favorite time of year. I love the bright colors, sprouts reaching for the sun, the early buds preparing to bloom, and the sense of new beginnings. It’s the same way I feel about starting a new quilt. Pulling beautiful colors together to bring a new story to life. That’s my favorite way to begin a quilt.
Always Loved Using A Needle
I’ve held a needle in my hand since I was a child. My early days of stamped embroidery and crochet led to crewel embroidery and needlepoint, then to counted cross stitch and Hardanger. It was all the rage! While I’ve always loved using a needle, my sewing machine was never far from reach. My first sewing machine dates back to the late 60’s when I won it at a raffle. The National Western Stock Show and Rodeo of all places! I was thrilled. Then a couple months later I received a sewing machine table for my birthday and the rest is history. It was so exciting to set up my new machine in my mother’s sewing room. It sat across from her black and gold Singer. I’ve always owned a sewing machine ever since. At times, multiples of them!
My early sewing projects were outfits for myself. Going to the fabric store with my mother is still one of my fondest memories. I loved flipping through the oversized pattern books trying to decide what I was going to make next. Then the fabric selection began, and I was in heaven. Seeing all the gorgeous colors and feeling the various textures made me anxiously anticipate my next project. Then there were the buttons. They always caught my attention. I loved to get unusual buttons to make my new outfit unique. Ultimately, it’s the process of creating that inspires and fulfills me. I still like to add a bit of bling here and there.
My First Quilt
My first quilt wasn’t made until I was an adult. I joined a group of friends for a beginning quilt class. That small sampler turned out a bit sad, but I loved the progression of piecing bits of fabric into a beautiful, finished wall-hanging. Today, forty years later I’m still quilting!
Love All Creative Endeavors
While quilting and fabric art are my passions, I love all creative endeavors. Gardening is a favorite seasonal pastime for me, and cooking is always exciting. I love new flavors and recipes. Fortunately, I have a family willing to try new foods. I can get lost in specialty food markets! I’d love to share a bit of that in this blog, too. I’m so excited to get started. That’s a bit about me. Now I’m ready to begin a new creative journey. I want to invite you to join me. Please follow along. I’m new to this style of conversation and look forward to lots of new discoveries. Thank you for being here with me. I hope you enjoy what I share on this blog.
I want you to learn something new and be inspired to create more beauty in your life every day.
Hi Lea Louise, Thank you for your guidance and for your enthusiasm, which certainly transfers over to ‘us new quilters’. I am very new to sewing and quilt making. I retired from teaching in college in July and began a six-week introduction to sewing class in September. I knew immediately that dressmaking wasn’t for me but I was enthralled when watching my tutor pull together fabrics to create a quilted Xmas table runner
I have many plans for future quilts that I’d like to make for my family but I know I still have some developing to do. With this in mind I’ve joined a quilting club, which starts in February. Hopefully the support I receive from this group and from your website will give me the confidence to plan and design my own individual quilts
Thank you again from a Scottish quilting fan 🧵 🪡
Grace
That’s wonderful, Grace! I can’t wait to see what you’re quilting. Happy Quilting,
Lea Louise
I absolutely love the teal quilt in this article. I started sewing about 50 years ago. After several moves and with my career, I gave it up and sold my machine. Two years ago I bought myself a machine for my birthday. I just started getting the creative bug with this pandemic. I’ve made 4 super easy rag quilts that I found on You Tube. I was so happy they turned out so cute; it has built my confidence to consider something more involved. I love your inspiration! Thank you.
Thank you Marcy, I’m so glad you’ve found your way back to quilting! Have fun with all your new projects,
Lea
Hi Lea Louise, Im making a twin size quilt for a wedding gift for my nephew. They like greens, teals, aquas, blues and nautical colors etc. So i thought Batiks would be beautiful choice. If you could give me some suggestions on a pattern i would appreciate it as Im new at using batiks. Thank You!
Hi Susan, I’m excited you’re going to give batiks a try. They’ve been my favorites for a long time now because they are so gorgeous mixed together in a quilt. Asymmetrical quilt blocks are perfect for batiks. It’s easy and shows off the fabric beautifully.
You’ll see in the quilt pictured above, the block I used is a 4-patch. The simplest method to do this would be with layer cakes or fat quarters. Start with a stack of four square fabrics and make an off center cut from top to bottom so you have two unequal rectangles. Then cut each of those rectangles into two uneven blocks. You now have four blocks cut from four different fabrics that are ready to sew.
Have fun with your quilt and I know your nephew will love it!
Great to hear from you,
Lea