I’ve been quilting for 20 years, and I didn’t hear about 3-yard quilts until about 5 years ago. Facebook Live was becoming a more popular way for companies to sell and I began working with a shop that was looking for new designers to showcase. As I began watching their shows, I saw all these beautifully packaged bundles of fabric that they called 3-yard kits. It was three 1-yard cuts of fabric all coordinated together and partnered with a 3-yard pattern. They were fun, but not really my style at the time.
Then I had my second baby and suddenly, I had a lot less time to sew. (My Mikey was born February 27, 2020 – just two weeks before everything shut down for Covid!) With a second baby and raging pandemic and all the uncertainty of the future, I really began craving quick and easy projects (I never got very good at making masks, though I did sew some of those). I remember vividly lying in bed one night, baby asleep in the cosleeper next to me, and a few 3-yard quilt patterns popped into my head. Even better than inspiration randomly striking – I remembered the ideas when I got to sit down at my computer the next day. Truly a miracle.
These patterns opened up a whole new world for me. Easy to make, but challenging in their own right to design – making sure everything looks balanced, you’re using fabrics to their fullest, etc. I was in love. All the little things I dislike about quilting – ironing miles of fabric, cutting endless strips and squares – vanished. One yard of fabric is much easier and enjoyable to iron than three, at least in my opinion. It’s easier to manage on my (admittedly very messy) cutting table. All the prep work steps just go much quicker and I get right to the fun – sewing!
In the past four years, I’ve designed dozens of these 3-yard quilt patterns. Last year, I even opened a membership in which I mail a new 3-yard pattern to my members each month. I’ve got some new big projects in the works (always more ideas that hours in a day!) I’m so glad you found me here and I hope you stay tuned for more excitement in the future!