Make it with Crate :: Quilt Love w/Naomi Atkins

Hello!! Naomi here with a "quilting w/paper" tutorial! I LOVE to quilt..my favorite part is the piecing, lining up all of those gorgeous fabrics into handmade beauty! So far, due to the lack of time, I have only completed two quilts..my first was a simple baby block quilt for my son, Weston, when he was born. My second project was a chevron quilt using Basic Grey's "Hello Luscious" fabric. I LOVE how it turned out! Anyway, I have this great book, 1000 great quilt blocks. :)

I pieced this one called a disappearing 9 patch. The best part about it is the technique. I love paper piecing my layouts to look like quilts. And since I love patterned paper, it's probably one of my favorite techniques. I decided to try the disappearing nine patch pattern on my layout. The best part about this layout is that it looks like it took hours to piece and cut, but it's so simple. Turns out, it was equally simple for my scrapbook page! I think this may be a technique to repeat.

The concept is simple; a grid pattern of nine blocks. I took my creative memories square punch and punched nine squares. I lightly glued them down to an old piece of scrap paper. I did this twice so I would have more blocks.

All you do, is then cut those in half, and in half again (makes four larger squares from that). The result will be different size patterned blocks that look like you spent hours cutting them.

Although I love the look of all the brightly patterned blocks, I didn't want them to 'overpower' my layout. I did a few things to 'tone it down' some. First, when I pieced the blocks around my picture, I had some odd spaces that could not be filled. I simply added some squares of burlap and/or lace to those empty spaces. I have an old lace curtain that I got from the salvation army for a $1.50 to add lace to all of my projects. I love being thrifty! The burlap ribbon, I got from Jo-Anns. It has a stiff texture, which makes it great for adhering to layouts. I added the lace over some of the very bright blocks. Also, I misted some of the blocks with Mister Huey's white and cream mists..this really helped create a softer look as well! I used a mixture of Acorn Avenue and On Trend papers, but mostly Acorn Avenue. The papers added a lovely "Fall" feel to the layout. Once I added all my squares, I sewed lines up and down them, just as I would over quilt blocks when "quilting" them. I love how it turned out!

I then embellished the page with some of Crate's deer themed embellishments and woodgrain thickers. The deer elements went perfectly with my theme of Doe Eyes. My daughter has the sweetest, soulful brown eyes, and always looks up at me with her "doe eyes" so it made the perfect page title!

I hope this inspires you to mix up your crafting. Don't be afraid to combine your love of sewing, painting, or whatever you enjoy into your scrapbook pages!!