Quilting is one of my favorite hobbies. I began quilting in the mid 1980s just as the art was experiencing a comeback. I was living in Houston at the time and was fortunate to have a quilt shop just a few miles from where I lived. While I have kept a few, most have been given away.

The quilt in the photo above is the pattern Trip Around the World. I made it for a young lady who was a frequent visitor to our house. She choose a wide variety of colors and prints which made the design process a bit difficult.

The squares are 2 inches finished and I did not add a border on this particular quilt. The hot center is balanced by the gray greens. I was fortunate enough to find a nice Bali print in my stash to use as a transition from the bright pinks and reds to the cooler tones.

Planning is key when making this pattern. I use graph paper to plot out the fabrics. The chart becomes my guide when I begin piecing. Care is needed in order to keep the pattern aligned. If you have a lot of prints as in this example, it helps to snip small pieces of each fabric and either tape or glue onto the chart in the proper order. In this case I simply described each fabric on the chart.

I wanted this quilt to be a square but you could create a rectangular bed spread by adding boarders with differing widths. I like to add my side borders first and then the top and bottom. This particular quilt took me a month to piece and hand quilt.