Wow, I can’t believe Monday flew by already with barely a notice! Not to mention there was no rest for the weary at Anchor Point over the weekend. I spent a lot of time in my sewing room with my nose to the grindstone, working on unfinished projects along with some new ones. Any free time I had was spent outside, particularly in my boat house where I gave a lot of my attention to some much-needed spring cleaning. If you’ve ever had a boathouse you understand the amount of work it takes to keep it clean – particularly the windows. The biggest culprit aside from the pollen and tree fuzz is easily BUGS! It’s a chore but I know that if I want to be able to enjoy my boathouse for the rest of the summer, the time is now to get it into shape. No pain, no gain right!?

The high temp today is forecasted to be 98 degrees and muggy, so I’m glad I got outside a bunch over the last couple of days. I like the heat but when you add that kind of humidity, it’s a whole nother story! Yesterday afternoon we had some pretty heavy storms pass through the area, bringing torrential rain and lots of lighting. I’m grateful they weren’t more violent storms but even so, they caused us to cut the day short and send everyone home early due to no power. Spring, meet summer!

With the official first day of summer only a week away AND it being flag day, I’ve been thinking a lot about summer décor – which for me means a lot of red, white, and blue! A couple of weeks ago I took you on a virtual tour of The Gathering so I could show off my collection of red, white, and blue quilts that we recently decorated the retreat house with. If you’re looking for some inspiration for your own patriotic theme, this collection of quilts is sure to have something to pique your interest. Let’s take another look!

First off, I we have American Bouquet. This lovely patriotic table mat is one of the patterns featured in my American Gatherings book. This mat is nothing less than a perfect red, white, and blue addition to your summer time family dinner table. It’s a great way to add a patriotic flare to any mealtime gathering, inside or out.

This is a super fun and easy project that would look especially great displayed on a round table. American Bouquet is one of the featured projects in my book, American Gatherings – a collection of patriotic designs gathered together all in one place for your convenience. Many of the projects included in the book are pre-cut friendly, which makes it a lot easier to get the ball rolling. When finished, American Bouquet measures 35″ x 36″, and is a nice size to decorate large or small tables.

We have kits available for American Bouquet along with copies of American Gatherings for purchase on the website. Remember, in order to get the pattern for American Bouquet, you need to purchase the American Gatherings book, which you can do so by hitting the button below!

Do you love the design on the front of my American Gatherings book? If you answered yes I have great news for you. “Quilt Block Flag Pillow“ is another one of the awesome projects featured in American Gatherings. This festive pillow is a quick and easy solution to your Independence Day decorating needs!

Pillows are one of my favorite ways to decorate because they make it so easy! All you have to do is take them out of storage, put them out and bam! Decorating accomplished. I really like this pillow because it’s a little on the long side, which I think makes the flag look more realistic. Finished, “Quilt Block Flag Pillow” measures 16″ x 26″. Remember, the pattern for “Quilt Block Flag Pillow” is only available in my American Gatherings book, which you can order by following the above link!

Another great patriotic pillow is, “Spinning Star.” This is my design contribution featured in the book, Soft Spot – one of the Moda All-Stars series books. Pillows don’t require much time or fabric which is yet another reason I love using them to decorate around the house. I also like that depending on what style you’re making they offer an excellent opportunity to try a variety of techniques.

Isn’t “Spinning Star” gorgeous? This has to be one of my favorite red, white, and blue pillows that I’ve designed. I really love the motion that the piecing of the red, white, and blue elements seems to create. I also really enjoy that this dazzling pattern includes a wool star in the center! Finished size on this one is 22 1/2″ x 22 1/2″. Remember, this stunning pillow  is one featured in the book, Soft Spot and is not available for individual sale. To order Soft Spot visit our website by hitting the button below!

Pillows are always fun but now let’s talk about quilts! “American Zig Zag“ is another project featured in my American Gatherings book. This quilt is honey bun friendly and only requires two (plus some extra yardage and a charm pack to complete). I think this design is unique and fun to look at, especially when done in patriotic colors!

To make things easier for you we do have kits available for “American Zig Zag“. Of course, because this pattern is from my American Gatherings book, you will need to purchase the book as well to get the full pattern and instructions. Finished size of “American Zig Zag” is 42″ x 52 1/2″ – not too big and not too small. Perfect for hanging dècor or to drape over your front porch swing!

Next up we have “Patriot.” I”m always saying I love projects with more than one option and “Patriot“ does not disappoint! This quilt can be done in both light and dark versions. It also makes and excellent scrap buster so if you have red, white, and blue scraps left over from the O’ Say Can You Sew Quilt-Along, this is a great project to use them up!

Unfortunately we’re out of kits for “Patriot“ but you can still find the pattern for purchase on our website by following the link above! Finished, “Patriot” measures 55″ x 73″.

If you have your heart set on doing a patriotic quilt that comes already kitted, try “Birds Eye View.” This is a design I did for another one of Moda’s All-Star series books, On a Roll Again!, which you can purchase by hitting the link below (all proceeds from the All-Star series books goes to charity!).

“Birds Eye View“ keeps it fairly simple using tiny 9-patch blocks and 1/2 square triangle corners. I personally love this darling little quilt, I think it’s super cute and it was fun to make! Why not give it a try? This jelly roll friendly quilt it measures at 59 7/8″ x 66 1/8″ when complete!

Conveniently named, “America Rolls On“ is another jelly roll friendly quilt featured only in my American Gatherings book. Measuring at 60″ x 72″, this quilt only requires two jelly rolls and four yards for the backing.

I think this quilt is particularly pretty, and that it really does an excellent job of showing off all the reds, whites, and blues in the design. I like red, white, and blue quilts with a lot of white space, but I also love it when the colors are bright and saturated without a lot of white space behind them. We do have kits available for “America Rolls On“ but remember that in order to get the pattern for this project, you’ll also need to purchase American Gatherings book.

If you love my American Gatherings book, you’ll also love the Star and Stripes project book just as much! It’s collection of products, quilts, runners, pillows, pincushions, and wool mats all perfectly designed to decorate our homes and to show our American Pride. “Independence Day“ is one of the many patriotic projects you’ll find in Star and Stripes. Isn’t this a pretty quilt?

I love the way this quilt is very simple yet beautiful with its red and blue blocks set in white. It’s a nice size at 72 1/2″ x 72 1/2″, great for display on a bed or over the back of your couch! Both the project book including the pattern and kits for “Independence Day” are available now! To get your copy of Star and Stripes, simply visit our website by following the link!

Another great patriotic themed quilt that you can find in my Star and Stripes book is called, “North and South.” I did this quilt using one of my previous lines that included tan, which I really think gives it something extra. The red, white, and blue pieces are done in rows and then set in cream, giving the colors a lot of extra “pop.”

When I got the idea to implement the cream color into this design, it kind of came out of nowhere. I’m not sure why but my vision just made total sense to me for some reason. I like to think it was one of my “genius” ideas sent down directly from God. LOL! If you’d like to make your own version of “North and South“ you can get both the project book and the full kit on our website! Remember, the pattern for North and South is not sold separately, and is only available in the Star and Stripes project book.

Are you a fan of a good charm pack quilt? If you couldn’t tell, “Charming American“ is created using a bunch of red, white, and blue charm packs (appx five) along with four yards of fabric for the backing, and a binding. As you can see, light pieces of fabric are cut in half and the darks are left whole for the inside section of the quilt. A boarder is then created using whole pieces of light fabric. I love it!

Last but not least I’d like to talk about my “American Quilter’s Quilt“, which I’m sure many of you are familiar with from last summer’s Hogs for Heroes fundraiser. This stunner of a quilt is as about as patriotic as it gets, with multiple unique quilted flag blocks throughout. I don’t know about you, but I love using my talents and hard work to give back to those who have so selflessly served our country. This quilt a perfect tribute to our veterans! It makes a great gift or quilt of valor for that special service member in your life. Finished size is 67″ x 72″.

Previously, this pattern was a free download but it is no longer. In order to continue to raise funds for Hogs for Heroes with this project we are now charging full price for the pattern You can find it on our website by clicking the link!

Well folks, I feel like that was enough to throw at you for one day. Are you feeling inspired to start your summer projects yet? Let me know what you’re working on in the comments. Tell me what you love and what you’d like to see more of! If you’d like to watch the recap where I talk you through the hanging decor in The Gathering, just hit the button below! Be sure to tune in to “Stitch with Lisa Bongean“ this Thursday at 1:00PM CST. I’ll be showing off my new line, “Autumn Gatherings” and taking you through the line projects one by one. I’m super excited for this line, and you will be too! Don’t miss it… I will see you there! Take care everyone! ~Lisa