Release day for the Floating Forest quilt pattern! It’s here! It’s now! On sale! You can get the Floating Forest pattern in my pattern shop here on the website and all patterns are 20% off through Sunday November 14th. My whole Etsy shop is also on sale for 15% off, so if you are interested in doing a little Christmas shopping, head over there too! The pattern is a better deal from here on the website, but I’ve got lots of other fun things going on in my Etsy shop.

The story

Designing and bringing this pattern to life has been really special. Growing up, one of my favorite places to go was the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and when I stepped on the UC Santa Cruz campus I immediately knew that’s where I wanted to go to college. These two places are connected by a big bay full of kelp! Surfing never seemed like my jam and I never tried it, but I did a ton of kayaking out off the wharf. Being on the water with the tops of the kelp forests swirling around is a magical experience. They are the source of so much organic movement and shelter an incredible amount of life. This is the inspiration the twisting forms that thread through the Floating Forest quilt pattern.

What comes in the pattern?

The Floating Forest pattern comes in three parts. The first is, of course, the main pattern. But there are two other documents: a bonus scrap wall hanging, and a variation.

Floating Forest is my first pattern to consciously address the scraps created during the construction process, but it won’t be the last. As a quilter, I am very conscious of using scraps and leftovers from other projects so that I don’t just throw potentially usable fabric away. It can be a challenge! This pattern in particular lends itself to creating very usable scraps during the construction process, and the pattern includes a bonus wall hanging project for each size – baby, throw, and queen – that uses the scraps created during construction of the main quilt. Quilting and sewing creates a lot of scraps of fabric, but it doesn’t have to go in the garbage! With a little creativity and just a few extra steps we can minimize our fabric waste. As a designer, this is something I will incorporate into all my patterns moving forward.

That’s not all that’s new! This is also my first pattern that includes a distinct variation: the Garland Twist. It uses slightly different fabric requirements for the same blocks to create multiple twisting garlands overlaying each other. Some of my original inspiration for this was candy canes and evergreen garlands, which…

Tester showcase

…Amanda Hornibrook brought into real life in her test quilt top!

I was so pleased that Amanda chose to test the variation, and she definitely made the cheeriest candy cane Christmas quilt I think I’ve ever seen.

Vanessa Griffin went a totally different direction with her test. Her fabric choices bring a really stark contrast with blacks and bright yellow, and her choices evoke electronics! I get a majorly digital vibe from her quilt top, and I just love that it has a completely different feel! I love love love being surprised.

Susan went with beautiful green choices, and her quilt top really evokes natural twists of greenery and vines. Her contrast fabric twist is more subtle, but really works with her color story. She’s the fastest quilter I know, and I was so happy that she wanted to test for me again!

To sum up

I have plans for a rainbow version of the Garland Twist variation – stay tuned for that! This pattern was such a pleasure to play with. That’s what designing it felt like, play! That’s just the best. My cover quilt was a joyful process, and I think I succeeded in my quilting plan, which was to emphasize the undulating nature of the pattern, and evoke movement with waves and bubbles.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this pattern! Until next time, friends.