Creative Play Challenge No. 2 – Nature/Organic; Kawandi Style Quilt

I’ve partially adopted a more sustainable lifestyle since moving back to a rural area almost 20 years ago. Reduce, reuse, recycle has always been the name of the game out here in the country. And historically, quilting began as a way to upcycle or recycle and reuse bits of fabric from other projects or purposes.

I decided to add a new skill to my quilty toolbox and chose to make a Kawandi style quilt. (Check out the hashtag #Kawandi…it’s super inspirational!)

It’s an interesting technique where you hand stitch pieces on a foundation starting from the outside and working your way towards the center. Kinda like a reverse log cabin block.

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My Mini Quilt Design Process

In today’s post, I’ll be sharing my creative process behind the making of a mini quilt for Curated Quilts’ Paper Pieced Mini Quilts Challenge. 

Curated Quilts frequently hosts mini quilt challenges for inclusion in their quarterly journal. (Link to the original call for submissions and to the Issue 22 of the CQ Journal.)

The final piece was to be a square quilt, 10″ x 10″ up to 16″ x 16″, made in the inspirational color palette (shown below). A theme of SYMMETRY was also provided. 

“Power of Seasons” Collaboration

Last year, I participated in three (3) collaborations with some amazing quilt artists. I may be addicted hahaha.

Introducing, the “Power of Seasons” pattern series; another creative collaboration I initiated.

These four (4) 16″ x 26″ season panels are the result of a creative collaboration between Catalina Barceló Maimó, Cristina De Miranda, Julia Wachs, and myself.

We invite you to explore the seasons with our foundation paper pieced (FPP) design series.

Mini Art Quilts Workbook

Back in January, I decided to make a fabric postcard every week throughout the year. I’ve been sending them out on Monday of each week to one of 52 lucky recipients across the US (and a few internationally). 

Making postcards is a fun & relaxing break for me from my bigger long-term projects and it puts a smile on people’s faces. Check out my 52 Weeks of Postcards blog post for photos of the postcards I’ve been sending!

So, as I am wont to do, I started a SECRET project 9 months ago and it is finally coming to life! 

Introducing “Mini Art Quilts; 54 Mini Blocks to Foundation Paper Piece”…

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52 Weeks of Postcards

“52 Weeks of Postcards” 2021

The background story:

In early January 2021, I decided to make a fabric postcard every week this year and send them on Monday of each week to one of 52 lucky recipients across the US (and a few internationally!)

Check out the hashtag  #RachelleHandmadePostcards2021 on Instagram @rachelle_handmade. Making postcards is a fun & relaxing break for me from my bigger long-term quilty projects…and it puts a smile on people’s faces. 

I’ll be updating the gallery on this page as I send out the postcards throughout the year. I hope you enjoy following my year long adventure!

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Amplify Quilt Pattern Release

Last May (yes, I know, it seems like years ago already), on a whim, I submitted a quilt design to Make Modern Magazine. If you’re not familiar with the publication, it’s an e-magazine published every other month. I’ve subscribed to it for a couple years now, and I enjoy it because it’s primarily reader created content.

Anyhoo…I submitted the idea for my first ever quilt pattern and was asked to make the quilt and write the pattern for publication in the magazine in January 2021. WOO HOO!! So ladies and gentlemen, that’s the very short story of how Rachelle handmade was born. Now on to the pretty pictures.

The Iterate Quilt Pattern is Here

My second quilt pattern is now available! Iterate is a modern strip pieced quilt that is simpler than it looks. It’s available in two sizes, a 40″ square crib size and a 69″ square large throw.

Instructions are are included to make multi-color, 2-color, and scrappy versions.