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Introducing the Trilobite Quilt and Pattern

finished quilts· quilt pattern

21 Oct

This week, I’ll be showing you the second pdf pattern I’ve been working on, my Trilobite quilt and pattern. The pattern is available here, in my shop. And until next Monday use the code  “TRILOBITE25” at checkout to save 25%!

Trilobite Quilt and Pattern

Around the time I was 10 or so, my dad took me and my brother up to the Burgess Shale. We hiked up that thing and enjoyed the breathtaking views. Naturally, being 10, I took those sights for granted. But I do remember the beautiful glacial waters and the eery trilobite fossils.

Trilobite fossils, are neat because they are one of the few fossils of soft tissued creatures, as opposed to the more usual bony dinosaur type fossils. My dad would go on and on about it in the way that fathers do, so I sure do hope that I’m right!

Trilobite Shape

The blocks are made from half square triangles (HSTs) and larger triangles. I thought that the zig zag edged shape kinda looked like the trilobite rubbings my brother and I made at the top of the trail. (My brother *almost* fell off the mountain on the way down, I swear!)

Trilobite Quilt and Pattern

Aside from the layout I’ve shown, I’ve included 4 alternate layouts you could choose from. Each layout is made by rearranging the blocks and laying the rectangular blocks vertically or horizontally. It depends on what size you want – either youth, throw, twin, queen or California King. It’s also possibly that there are other layouts using the same blocks. I wouldn’t be surprised!

Trilobite Alternate Layouts

I really love the simplicity of 2 color quilts. I used Kona Snow and Kona Wasabi, but couldn’t help having a small amount of fun with a sabotage block and a strip of mismatched binding. (It’s hard to see the binding surprise, but it’s dark green in the bottom left side in the first picture.)

Saboteur

For quilting, I used matching Aurifil thread (the white thread and #5015) to stitch straight lines from triangle point to triangle point. I wanted each line to be as straight as possible so I marked off each line with a ruler and fabric-marking pen. Aside from the marking, it was a fun and relatively quick way to get straight line quilting finished.

I've got a lot of quilting to do this week. Think I can do 3? ? First up, I get to quilt with #aurifil 5015, which I find pretty exciting. #threadnerd #colorjunky

So that’s my version of the Trilobite Quilt pattern. I should have 3 lovely pattern testers that will be showing off their versions later this week. So stay tuned because these ladies came up with beautiful versions!!

 

Previous Post: « Hexy Plus {Finish}
Next Post: The Trilobite Quilt according to Stephanie »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. amy says

    October 21, 2014 at 4:44 am

    I love this in a million ways!!!

  2. Tina Craig says

    October 21, 2014 at 11:23 am

    I love your trilobite story. I was a geology major so I remember learning about Burgess Shale. So cool that your dad took you there! Oh, yeah, and I like the quilt, too. Two color quilts create so much impact.

  3. Alexis Deise says

    October 21, 2014 at 1:13 pm

    This is stunning!

  4. Kristy says

    October 21, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Okay, I want, I need, I have got to have this right this second. Going off to buy it now. Seriously, you are one talented lady!

  5. Kathleen says

    October 21, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    What's a sabotage block?

Trackbacks

  1. Colorful Trilobite Quilt Top {Finish} – Bryan House Quilts says:
    May 6, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    […] original Trilobite version is made with just 2 color solids but I think it’s a pattern that lends itself well to […]

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I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has n I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has never been about just making quilts.

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And I think that’s exactly why so many people are being drawn to quilting today.

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I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last de I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last decade, and I’ve been quilting myself for over 15 years, and this is what I’ve learned. ⬇️

What’s stopping you from quilting isn’t that you don’t want to do it. It’s because you have already convinced yourself of something before even giving it a fair shot. 

You’re probably thinking something like...

👉 “I don’t think I’m creative enough.”
👉 “It looks too complicated.”
👉 “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
👉 “I don’t have enough time.”
👉 “What if I spend all that money and I’m terrible at it?”
👉 “I’ve never been good at sewing.”

If any of those thoughts have crossed your mind, can I let you in on a little secret?

Almost every quilter I know started with one of those ideas in their head, including me. 🤫

The beautiful quilts you see today didn’t begin as beautiful quilts, they began as just an idea and a willingness to try.

Nobody sits down at a sewing machine and automatically knows how to quilt.

You learn by just doing it, sewing stitch by stitch, and every time you enter your sewing room, it gets a little bit easier, and you start to enjoy it more and more. 

If something has been holding you back from quilting, I invite you to take my free class where you have nothing to lose and so much to gain. 

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Freezer paper piecing tip number eight is to press every seam right after sewing it. 
 
Don’t wait until later or until all of your blocks are done. Press those seams right away!

It might feel like it slows you down in the moment, but it actually saves you time (and frustration) later.

When you press as you go, your seams stay crisp, and your pieces lay flat, which makes lining everything up so much easier. You’re not fighting bulky seams or trying to “fix” things at the end. 🙌

Plus, pressing helps set the stitches and keeps your fabric from shifting as you build your block.

Think of it as part of the sewing process, not an extra step.

Your blocks will be flatter, sharper, and way more accurate… and your future self will thank you!

Comment ‘FREEZER’ for my free class! 💕

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And every once in a while I convince myself that I don’t need a test block because I’ve made this block hundreds of times or my freezer paper piecing skills are good enough to skip it... 

And do you know what happens every time I convince myself that I don’t need a test block? 🙃

I almost always regret it and end up having a nice long date with Jack The Seam Ripper as a consequence. 

Learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to learn from your own and make the test block EVERY TIME!!!

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Once you get beyond the halfway point, you start the countdown to the BIG finish! 🎉

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Experienced quilters, share what I missed in the c Experienced quilters, share what I missed in the comments! 👇

Comment ‘FREE’ if you’re a beginner quilter and want to take my free class, give quilting a try, learn a new technique, or simply improve your skills! 

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has n I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has never been about just making quilts.

It’s about slow mornings, quiet time to myself, creating something with my hands, spending time doing something textile, not scrolling on the internet, spending more time creating and less time consuming...

And I think that’s exactly why so many people are being drawn to quilting today.

You want to get offline, learn something new, and have more quiet time that is just for you and your imagination. ✨

I think we could ALL use more of that in our lives, and if you want to give it a try, I’ve got a free class you can sign up for by commenting ‘FREE’ below. 💕

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last de I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last decade, and I’ve been quilting myself for over 15 years, and this is what I’ve learned. ⬇️

What’s stopping you from quilting isn’t that you don’t want to do it. It’s because you have already convinced yourself of something before even giving it a fair shot. 

You’re probably thinking something like...

👉 “I don’t think I’m creative enough.”
👉 “It looks too complicated.”
👉 “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
👉 “I don’t have enough time.”
👉 “What if I spend all that money and I’m terrible at it?”
👉 “I’ve never been good at sewing.”

If any of those thoughts have crossed your mind, can I let you in on a little secret?

Almost every quilter I know started with one of those ideas in their head, including me. 🤫

The beautiful quilts you see today didn’t begin as beautiful quilts, they began as just an idea and a willingness to try.

Nobody sits down at a sewing machine and automatically knows how to quilt.

You learn by just doing it, sewing stitch by stitch, and every time you enter your sewing room, it gets a little bit easier, and you start to enjoy it more and more. 

If something has been holding you back from quilting, I invite you to take my free class where you have nothing to lose and so much to gain. 

Comment ‘FREE’ to sign up. 💕

#modernquilting #quiltingtechnique #quiltpattern #quiltdesign #quiltersofig
Comment ‘FREEZER’ if you want to take my free clas Comment ‘FREEZER’ if you want to take my free class and learn this amazing technique! 👇

Freezer paper piecing tip number eight is to press every seam right after sewing it. 
 
Don’t wait until later or until all of your blocks are done. Press those seams right away!

It might feel like it slows you down in the moment, but it actually saves you time (and frustration) later.

When you press as you go, your seams stay crisp, and your pieces lay flat, which makes lining everything up so much easier. You’re not fighting bulky seams or trying to “fix” things at the end. 🙌

Plus, pressing helps set the stitches and keeps your fabric from shifting as you build your block.

Think of it as part of the sewing process, not an extra step.

Your blocks will be flatter, sharper, and way more accurate… and your future self will thank you!

Comment ‘FREEZER’ for my free class! 💕

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
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