I never felt liberated enough to just grab random fabrics and colours and casually place them wherever in a quilt design. I have always admired colourful and scrappy quilts, but found them overwhelming to try and create myself. And when I tried anything similar in the past, those projects felt like huge flops to me.
But that day, this approach felt exciting and fun. So, I went through and picked out 18 different colours that I loved without having a clue what I was going to do with them once I brought them home!
Then it hit me! Why not challenge myself to create a pattern design that feels like a scrappy quilt, without the need for improvisation, AND includes all 18 fat quarters? And that’s how the Paint Lake Quilt Pattern was born!
While designing the pattern, the words “curated random” consistently directed my thought process. I began by creating a simple square of each colour in Illustrator. Then, I started grouping similar colours into sets of three, changing the shape and placement to create some curation.
I tossed around some design ideas with my husband, including these original concepts:
After playing around for a while, I finally felt good about the design and created the pattern’s cover quilt using all 18 fat quarters!
The Kona Cotton colours I used were:
- Navy
- Dresden Blue
- Cadet
- Sienna
- Raisin
- Deep Rose
- Ice Peach
- Terracotta
- Cantaloupe
- Banana
- Caramel
- Ochre
- Hunter Green
- Green Tea
- Old Green
- Teal Blue
- Spruce
- Sage
Starting from a young age, I was always very interested in interior design. I had supportive and encouraging parents who gave me permission to redesign and redo my bedroom pretty much every year! They would give me a strict budget, but I would add some of my own allowance to get what I needed. I did a lot of the work myself, including spray painting, decoupaging, recovering and upcycling thrifted furniture.
One of my favourite stops along my redecorating journeys was the wall of paint chips at the hardware store. I don’t know how to explain it other than it felt like a wall of endless possibilities! I would stand and stare at the chips, choose my favourite colours, and pair unlikely combinations together to see how they made me feel. It was SO exciting!
To me, the Paint Lake pattern feels a lot like looking at that paint chip wall at the hardware store - lots of colours, with different shades in between!
So, why the name “Paint Lake”? Paint Lake is a provincial park just outside Thompson, Manitoba. It has countless islands and bays, with colourful views of the grand northern landscape around every corner. I went camping there with my family a fews years ago on an incredible road trip!
I made a second version using an Essex Linen bundle put together by Cottoneer Fabrics and hand quilted it.
Next up, I made a mini-wall hanging version from my scrap bin!
Once again, I had the privilege of working with pattern testers for the Paint Lake Quilt. Look at their stunning versions!
From Tiffany @villageboundquilts
From Claire @thestitchsaloon
From Kasie @marmalademoodquilts
From Jennifer @penelopehandmade
From Coby @lifewitheleanor
From Sarai @sarai_hobbies
From Robin @seamedtobe
From Rachel @quiltsforallsparrows
From Emily @lemonyquilts
One day, my son Everett came to me and asked if I could make him his very own quilt. I agreed, of course, and he chose the Paint Lake pattern! I let him choose the colours he liked - with a little guidance from me! However, it's important to note, that my son is colourblind. So, when he began to choose colours from my fabric stash, it was no surprise that he chose only colours that he could see!
He sure lucked out, because most of the fabrics he chose were the softest Pure Solids from Art Gallery Fabrics.
I was supposed to attend QuiltCon 2020. I had registered for multiple lectures and workshops, including one with Carolyn Friedlander.
But in the fall of 2019, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer that required major surgery. Because of my recovery after surgery, I sadly wasn’t able to attend QuiltCon. So, I took my refund money and purchased a half-yard bundle of the newly released Collection CF by Carolyn Friedlander fabric from Studio 39 Fabrics.
Once I was recovered and able to sew again, I made myself a Paint Lake Quilt using those gorgeous fabrics. I sent it off to Ma Tante Quilting to be longarm quilted. This special quilt now lives on my couch and we use it almost every single day!
Check out the hashtags #paintlakequilt and #blanketstatementpatterns on Instagram to see hundreds of creative versions of the Paint Lake Quilt!
Have questions about this pattern or any other ones in the shop? Please reach out to hello@theblanketstatement.ca and we’ll help you out!