Seasons of Life Quilt by Sandra L. Mollon

 

I love applique quilts and have made several applique sampler quilts. I am always eager to learn new techniques. 

When I saw Sandra L. Mollon's Seasons of Life Quilt: Techniques and Patterns for 13 Baltimore Album Quilt Blocks it was so beautiful I wanted to learn more. I loved the seasonal blocks, the variety of patterns, the doves and vases of flowers, and how she added adorable small animals- bunny, squirrel, and hedgehog--into the blocks.

Mollon learned Album style applique, as I did, from Elly Sienkiewicz's Baltimore Beauties and Beyond books. Mollon spent two years "diligently working away on" learning hand applique and hand quilting skills. She then earned a Viewer's Choice ribbon.

Seasons of Life by Sandra Mollon

Her Seasons of Life quilt is in the permanent collection at the National Quilt Museum.

Now, Sandra offers all she has learned over her years of quiltmaking and teaching in this wonderful book. 

She explains how to use successfully use silk fabrics in applique and the tools that will aid you. Learn how to make prepared-edge applique and glue for placing the pieces.

You will find detailed instructions with photographs showing how to make pieced leaves, folded rosebuds, rickrack flowers, ruched roses, yo yo flowers, and beaded berries. I love her idea for fringed flower centers and can't wait to try it. 

Learn how to embellish your applique with embroidery stitches and how to use ink and colored pencils for added dimension.

Student quilts illustrate ways to make your Seasons of Life sampler your own. Some kept Mollon's medallion layout while others used twelve blocks for a smaller quilt.

Flora and Fauna by Lora Zamk

Remembering Mary by Judy Green

Flora, Fauna, Butterflies, and Bugs by Beth Butura

Seasons of Life by Tina McConnell

Each block pattern is presented with a photograph of her original block and a detail of the applique. She describes the fabrics she used and her method of assembly and embellishment. 

These small photos don't do the quilt justice! Visit the publisher website where you can click on the photos to enlarge them at 

https://www.ctpub.com/seasons-of-life-quilt/

Mollon's masters degree in Biology from Central Michigan University shows in her eye for detail and precision in recreating in the flora and fauna in the quilt.

These patterns are challenging. But if you follow the instructions, you will create a drop-dead gorgeous quilt! Individual blocks could also be made for pillow tops. Or, make wall hangings with the three blocks from one season, or a four block quilt using one block from each season.

I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Discover more of Mollon's quilts at her gallery on her website:

https://www.sandramollonquilts.com/quilt-galleries

Seasons of Life Quilt: Techniques & Patterns for 13 Baltimore Album Quilt Blocks

Sandra Mollon Book ( $29.95 )

 eBook ( $23.99 )

112 pages + one 16-page pullout

ISBN: 9781617459610

UPC:  734817-113966

eISBN: 9781617459627

from the publisher

Take on your next quilting feat with a champion quilt! From expert quilter Sandra Mollon, recreate the “Seasons of Life” quilt, which is now a part of a permanent collection of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Learn techniques for incorporating unusual fabrics, creating dimensional flowers, as well as shading with inks and embellishing blocks. In true “Baltimore” style, each of the 13 blocks features a different tribute to nature in highly stylized fashion: baskets, wreaths, flowers, leaves and vines, and small garden or forest animals. Appliqué each block for your very own stunning creation.

Learn tons of techniques with appliqué, embroidery, ribbon work, beading, and more!

Includes full-sized pattern and instructions to the award-winning “Seasons of Life” quilt

Make 13 unique blocks with a pieced and scalloped border encircling the blocks

Meet Sandra

Sandra is an award winning quilter living in Northern California.  She has been quilting for over 30 years, and teaching for 18 years.  

Sandra began as a traditional quilter,  specializing in hand appliqué for a couple of decades.  You can see a few of my quilts in the book, “500 Traditional Quilts” by Lark Publications. She is currently working on a book to be released in 2021 with C & T Publication for her original designed quilt, “Seasons of Life.

She has had many quilts juried into large international and regional juried shows.  Her traditional quilt, “Season’s of Life”  won a major award in 2019 both at Road to California (Outstanding Large Quilt), and at the 2019 AQS Paducah show it won a purchase award and is in the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.  

Additionally her work in art quilting has wonderful many place awards, a “Best Pictorial” award and a 3rd place award in 2019 at PIQF, a 1st Place in Wall at MQX 2019,  Best of Show Award and 1st place at the RCQG show in Sacramento Ca, 2018, and a 3rd place at Road to California in 2020.  

She enjoys teaching as well as working on her art, and loves to travel and meet new people.

Beyond Charm Quilts Show and Tell

My weekly quilt group is filled with talent and their work is inspirational. A new member is Tammy L. Porath who we discovered published a book, Beyond Charm Quilts, along with Catherine L. McIntee. I found a copy for sale online.

Tammy explained that she and Catherine decided to make quilts using every fabric in a 100 count 5" charm pack from Jinny Beyer's fabric line. They had so much fun they continued to use the same 5" charm pack to make more quilts. As the project grew and the leftover charm fabrics became smaller. Every scrap was used!

The result was 36 quilts and a book contract from That Patchwork Place!

Tammy with her quilt Cut Your Losses, 10 1/2 x 26 inches. 

Tammy brought in her quilts to share with our group. The quilts varied in size and pattern, many drafted by Tammy to accommodate her 100 scraps. Each is immaculate in construction and design.

The first quilt Tammy made she gave to Catherine, who then made this spools quilt to give to Tammy.

The quilt measures at 20 1/2 x 24 inches and uses a folded technique to create the spool top and bottom, a technique explained in their book.

Tammy's second quilt in the series was Fanatic, 22 1/2 x 38 inches.

Tammy's Grandmother's Choice is a traditional quilt pattern.

Tammy with her Grandmother's Choice, 23 1/2 x 27 inches. 

Tammy stenciled the tree for her quilt The Tree of 100 Blossoms, below. She turned rectangle scraps into yo-yos and appliqued and beaded them to this 27 x 26 1/2 inch quilt.

Tammy's quilt Snapdragons, 27 x 37 1/2", used the charms in the flowers and in the border with it's folded buds.

Starlet, below, is a 14 1/2 " diameter round quilt, drafted by Tammy to accommodate all the 100 charms.

To the right of Starlet is Fusion, 10 x 11 1/2 inches. The fused charm pieces were stabilized with an organza overlay, lending a misty look.

Tammy's personal favorite is Facets, 13 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches. She used the 100 leftover half-square triangle pieces left from making another quilt. The border is remarkable--eight hand-dyed gradated gray fabrics meticulously pieced!

Southpaw, below left, 15 x 17 1/2 inches, has fifty blocks with two charm pieces each. Time for Everything, below right, 12 3/4 x 14 inches, sets the charms in hand-dyed pastels and has a fabulous madras plaid border.

 The Chinese Coins, 10 1/4 x 15 1/2 inches, was made with the tiniest scraps!

 Diamonds are Forever, 23 x 44 inches, includes tiny fused scarps.

The snake below uses tiny scraps but as it was not a quilt (three layers sewn together) it is included in the 'mistakes' page of the book.

Everyone loves Tammy's Cuckoo Clock, 26 1/2 x 34 inches, with its paper pieced birds. Tammy printed out the clock face and used Pigma pens to trace the design onto her fabric. The carved detail on the clock was created by fussy cutting a fabric.

The quilts will be given to her family members. Tammy says its time they came out from under the bed!