Hey makers!

I hope you’re having a swell week so far. Today, I wanted to give the spotlight to a pattern maker we recently collaborated with. Her name is Martina Latimer and she currently resides in Brisbane, Australia. She has travelled the world and explored a variety of careers but like many of us, her urge to create lead her to quilting.

Martina recently released her JOY quilt pattern and it’s all about her many experiences and  travels through life. Here’s a little bit about Martina’s journey to making the JOY quilt.

“My childhood passion for sketching shapes and my love for geometry came into my mind and only then I realized that what I did back then helps me with my work today. Who would have thought?!  New design ideas usually come at night when I am in bed and that’s how JOY started as well. I had triangles in mind, incorporated into each other. I sketched it, played with the shape a bit and then changed the perspective and the pattern was born as it is now."

Now, you’re probably wondering why she named the quilt JOY, besides the fact that it’s a joy to sew with. Believe it or not, this quilt pattern was named after one of her students.

“The name JOY comes from my time in London. I taught contemporary quilting at a College and Joy was one of my students. She always moaned in a funny way when it came to trying out new things but took these challenges on in a happy and joyful manner at the same time.”

Isn’t it fascinating how so many life experiences can inspire us to create beautiful quilts? For this pattern, Martina used Bound fabrics by April Rhodes and it's based on the foundation paper piecing technique. The pattern is for beginners and it includes measurements for a lap size quilt and a queen/king size quilt.

If you would like to bring JOY to someone’s home this holiday season, you can purchase the pattern on Martina’s website.

Happy sewing!

Stephanie