Reneta's Alternate Routes

Reneta made this bold and beautiful version of the Alternate Routes pattern by Highway 10 Designs.  Once you get the blocks made for this quilt, there are so many possibilities for the layout that you can truly make it you own like Reneta did.

I tried my best to capture the rich purple color of the fabric, but somedays pictures just seem extra hard.

Reneta chose the Allium Pantograph and I think it compliments the design of her printed fabric perfectly.

 

Amy's Alternate Routes

This is Amy's bold and beautiful version of the Highway 10 Designs Alternate Routes pattern.  Her fabrics have such great contrast that all of the hard work she did making lots and lots of HST really stands out!

When this quilt arrived in my studio there was a note attached asking if I had any backing fabric on hand that might work.  Lo and behold my bolt of blue Crackle wide backing from Northoctt matched perfectly!  I have a small selection of wide backs on hand to make it easy for my customers if they are stuck for a backing because their "local quilt store" is a two hour drive or more.

Amy selected the Ripples pantograph and it adds a nice texture without taking away from the piecing.

The Alternate Routes pattern is a fun pattern for a group of friends to sew as the pattern contains 20 different layout options, no two quilts need to be the same.  You can find it here.

 

Dawn's Alternate Routes

I recently had the pleasure of quilting this gorgeous version of our Highway 10 Designs Alternate Routes quilt made by Dawn.  The batiks Dawn selected were vibrant and had great contrast to let all the hard work she did piecing this quilt shine.

The Alternate Routes pattern contains 20 layouts but the possibilities don't stop there.  Dawn and her son who will be recipient of this quilt decided on this layout together after she had made all the blocks.

Dawn asked for Quilter's Dream Puff batting and selected the Ebb & Flow pantograph.  The texture created by that combination is fabulous and makes you want to reach out and touch it.

The navy Northcott Stonehenge backing as the perfect fit.

Alternate Routes

 

This is Mona's version of our Alternate Routes Pattern by Highway 10 Designs.  Her beautiful fabric choices really allow the piecing to stand out.   Mona added an extra row from the original pattern to allow for her unique layout.  I have to say it does not get old seeing one of your designs made by a fellow quilter!

We decided on the Tickle Too panto and black So Fine! thread with Quilter's Dream Blend batting.

Mona selected one of my Stonehenge wide backings and I think it is the perfect compliment to the front.

 The Alternate Routes pattern is available as a pdf download or by mail in our printed version in our Etsy Store.

Alternate Routes with a New Twist

This is Sandra's version of the Alternate Routes Pattern.  Sandra came up with her own unique layout, which she referred to as "the fish version".  I can see the fish, but I love the unexpected, yet symmetrical nature of this layout.

Sandra choose the Flirtatious panto, and after much deliberation we decided that a charcoal grey So Fine thread was the answer.

Is this backing fabric fantastic?  It is a wonderful surprise when you turn the quilt over and see this cheerful modern print!

If you are tempted to make your own version of Alternate Routes, there is still time to enter to win a copy of the pattern and a Hand Dyed Infinity Scarf here.  

Let's Celebrate with a Giveaway!

Highway 10 Designs (the pattern design venture that I share with Kathy Schwartz) has a little news to share - a hard copy, printed version of our Alternate Routes pattern is now available in our ETSY shop!  

What better way to celebrate our next step than with a Giveaway?  Actually, two designers means two giveaways!  Kathy has her own surprise on her blog here. 

I am giving away a copy of the pattern as well as one of my hand dyed Infinity Scarves.  What is an Infinity Scarf you may ask?  My girls are showing a couple of the ways they can be worn.  They are seamless 60" circles of bamboo jersey with rolled edges.

I always find it tricky to capture the true colors of these hand dyed scarves - they are somewhere between these two pictures!

From left to right:

Magenta, Rust, Blue, Navy/Brown, Green or Purple

To enter the Giveaway leave a comment letting me know which color is your favorite!

The draw is open until noon CDT on Friday, September 6th.

International entries are welcome! 

Please make sure I can contact you if you are the lucky winner -  leave me your email if you are an anonymous commenter.  Also, if you enter a lot of giveaways and never seem to win, you might want to check if you are a "no-reply blogger."  If you are not sure what that is all about you can look here for the answers.

Good luck and don't forget to head on over to Kathy at Tamarack Shack for your second chance to win!

Batik Alternate Routes

This is Cheri's beautiful batik version of our Alternate Routes pattern.  I love batiks, and these were so pretty it was kind of hard to say good bye to this one.  Cheri came up with her own unique layout, and I think it is really cool.

We decided to use the Paisley Playtime panto, as the shapes in the fabric and the panto were very similar.  This is the first time I have tried this particular panto and I am very pleased with the nice even texture.

The pattern for the quilt is available on the Highway 10 Designs Etsy Shop if Cheri has inspired you with her beautiful quilt.

I know I have been fairly quiet, but summer is proving to be very busy.  Kyla was away at International Music Camp this week, so Kendra had to fly solo on girls' supper night.  I suggested that spaghetti would be a manageable idea and with just a little guidance this was the result.

And one more share before I end.  As soon as Nolan hung this birdhouse on our garage, the robins proceeded to make a nest on top of it, instead of inside.  I guess that is a good thing or we wouldn't have been able to catch a glimpse of the three hungry babies.  You can only see one in the second picture.

 

"Zig Zag" Alternate Routes

I was very excited when Karen asked me to quilt her version of our Alternate Routes pattern.  It is a special feeling to work on a quilt that someone made from a pattern you designed!  Karen choose to use the "zig-zag" layout for her quilt.

I used my "yo-yo" panto for the first time, and I really like the nice even texture that it gave the quilt.  We chose a variegated Lava thread in the "deep sea" color to add just a little more interest.

I seem to love pieced backings more and more!

Yesterday was a fun mail day!   I was the lucky winner of a giveaway hosted by "In My Sewing Room", and  I received these yummy batik 1/2 yard cuts from Sew Sisters Quilt Shop.  This is an example of what you could be receiving each month if you joined the Batik Lover's Club.  Tempting isn't it?  Can't wait to firm up a plan for these!

Introducing... Alternate Routes by Highway 10 Designs

I am SO EXCITED to finally share the latest adventure that my dear friend Kathy & I are taking together...

Kathy & I have self published a pattern called Alternate Routes that is now available as an instant PDF download in our Etsy Shop.  Kathy's version is featured on the pattern cover that you see here.

And here is my version.

The cool thing about this pattern is that it has seemingly endless layout possibilities.  We have included 20 examples in the pattern itself, but we know there are oodles more once you start playing around with the blocks.

  Kathy and I have worked on many things together in the past, but this is our first truly original design.  It was conceived as a project to use in our respective Quilt Guilds, which we did, but we knew we needed to take the next step as we felt we had something worth sharing.  We are very proud of our first-born pattern,  and (now that the leaning curve has gotten smaller) we are looking forward the next one.

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I took hundreds of pictures so I am going to share a few more....  I used the Paisley panto on this quilt with a lavender thread on top and a charcoal to match the backing fabric which I just love.

Be sure to check Kathy's blog for some beautiful photos of her quilt.  And I can't end this post before saying a big thank you to our proof readers Desley and Eileen, you ladies are amazing and helped more than you know!