Pattern Test - Sonnets Quilt
I was delighted to test the Sonnets quilt pattern for Amanda over at Broadcloth Studio last spring. I’d been watching other quilters dabble in improv quilting for years and thought it looked amazing, but had no idea how to begin. This pattern is the PERFECT introduction to improv quilting! It is thorough, well-written, and stunning once finished.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love showing this quilt off. It is by far one of my favorite makes of all time. My husband Stefan even said that this is his favorite quilt of mine! He’s very complimentary but with this quilt he just couldn’t put it down. Something about the design is so intriguing and yet calming. The spontaneity of the improv blocks draw your attention while the wide sashing grounds out the design. It’s definitely a pattern that I will remake in the future.
Links to the pattern and Amanda’s Instagram are at the end of this post.
I decided to be wise and pull fabrics from my ever-growing stash. I was very tempted to go on a shopping spree but knew I had what I needed at home so I “shopped” through my drawers of folded cottons. I stuck with the contemporary look of all solids and picked a bright and Spring-y palette. This quilt was made for my friend’s new baby girl and she was
I’m pretty sure that most (if not all) of these fabrics are actually from Walmart. Don’t knock it until you try it! While not my favorite for bold solids, their pastel-toned fabrics are lovely. I have made many quilts made from Walmart solids over the years, and what I’ve found is that the bright & bold fabrics tend to lose their strong colors 20 or so washes in. However, the pastels actually hold their dyes with time and many, many washes.
The key to improv quilting is that there are no rules! It was daunting at first to just combine squares at random, but it quickly turned into so much fun. It was so freeing to just sew at random, with no regard at all for perfect straight lines or super even seams.
Once the improv squares were completed, I added some sashing and then let it sit for a while while I tried to decide how to back it. I knew I wanted to give this to a dear college roommate who’d recently had a baby but I wasn’t sure how exactly to finish it off.
If you haven’t had the chance yet to test a pattern for a pattern designer, I recommend it! Testing a quilt pattern entails:
making a quilt,
carefully reading pattern for grammatical/spelling errors and other typos,
double-checking quilt math,
scrutinizing the overall readability—if instructions are clear and diagrams are easy to follow,
and providing detailed feedback about all points mentioned above.
If you’ve never pattern tested before and would like to give it a go, I recommend following the hashtag #patterntestersneeded on Instagram and seeing what designers are in need of help.
The pros of testing:
making quilty friends,
learning more about the behind-the-scenes of pattern writing,
and sometimes compensation (often designers will compensate testers with a free copy of the pattern you test).
I finally decided to do an improv backing just like the tiny improv squares on the top. I quilted it by outlining the angled shapes on the backing to highlight each individual color. It’s one of my favorite quilting jobs I’ve ever done! I love the way it looked post-wash, all crinkled and cozy. Final dimensions of this baby quilt ended up about 35x35”.
Amanda has incredible patterns that are suited for all skill levels. Her designs are flawless and the patterns are extremely well-written. Head over to Broadcloth Studio’s shop and check out her many pillow and quilt patterns. You won’t be disappointed! Head over to Broadcloth Studio to get your own copy of the Sonnets quilt pattern, and find Amanda on Instagram here.
Happy sewing!
