Last September I purchased two small fat quarter bundles from one of my local quilt shops, Sweetwater Cotton Shoppe. Since then, the bundles have been eye candy in my sewing room. I just couldn’t decide which pattern I wanted to sew with them. (Such a conundrum – I know you can relate!) Well, I finally decided that these soft and subdued colors would be wonderful in my Next Up quilt pattern. I quickly began cutting and stitching and I’m so happy with the results!
After I purchased these sweet bundles last fall, I hopped into my car and texted my friend Ibby. We are good about confessing to each other when we’ve purchased fabric with no plan in place. We’re also good about confirming to each other that our purchases are justifiable! (We all need those kind of quilty friends!) The top two bundles are from the Muse collection by Three Sisters, and the bottom piece is from Honeybloom by Three Sisters.
Also in September, Fat Quarter Shop surprised me by sending me two of their exclusive products, a layer cake and charm pack of Pebble Bee Cross Stitch by Lori Holt. They paired so nicely with the fat quarters I had purchased and some others I found in my stash! I snapped this photo back in September to thank FQS. Those gifted fabrics ended up being the perfect background pieces to my newest Next Up quilt!
Next Up is a layer cake or charm pack pattern that I released in 2018. The pattern includes instructions for two sizes. The large version (86” x 86”) calls for a layer cake, while the small version (38” x 38”) calls for a charm pack. I made my original samples using Fig Tree fabrics. Check out this blog post for all the details on those two quilts!
I’ve made several Next Up quilts over the years. When I’ve wanted to make the large version but haven’t had a layer cake on hand, I’ve cut squares from fat quarters instead. That is what I did for my niece Molly’s graduation quilt.
I also used fat quarters as the basis for my Next Up cozy winter quilt in 2022, which featured fabrics from several Moda designers. The highlight of this quilt was being able to cut into a Merrily panel by Gingiber and feature the winter animals on both the front and back. This quilt was quickly claimed by my daughter for her home.
I’ve also made two baby quilts by sewing the charm pack size. I made this baby boy quilt in 2020 using Stacy Iest Hus’s On the Farm collection.
And here is a baby girl Next Up quilt featuring precious vintage themed fabrics by Elea Lutz. This quilt was donated to a charity quilt drive in 2019. I hope it has been much loved by a little girl!
The Next Up pattern is versatile and quick to make! I’m cruising right along on the construction of my newest version. In addition to the fabrics I already mentioned, I’m using Moda Bella Solids in Baby Pink for my accent color. It is my absolute favorite shade of pink.
If you are interested in purchasing Next Up, it is available in both paper and PDF formats on my Etsy shop. Thanks so much for stopping by!
~Taunja
