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Holly Clarke Design

Holly Clarke Design

Quilter, pattern designer, maker, sharer

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Folk Festival Quilt Pattern

This is the ultimate skill builder quilt pattern for adventurous quilters! The Folk Festival quilt pattern is now available for purchase in my shop. 

See pattern Details

Juicy Hearts Quilt

Juicy Hearts Quilt

Posted on Posted onNovember 22, 2021November 22, 2021By admin_holly

You’re going to “Fall in Love” with how I sew Drunkard’s Path curves without using any pins for my Juicy Hearts Quilt … Read More >Juicy Hearts Quilt

Great Expectations Quilt

Great Expectations Quilt

Posted on Posted onSeptember 30, 2021September 30, 2021By admin_holly

What is a girl to do for some relief from the heat but start thinking about Christmas… ahh, when the weather outside is frightful but the [quilts] are so delightful … Read More >Great Expectations Quilt

Ice Cream Soda Quilt

Ice Cream Soda Quilt

Posted on Posted onSeptember 10, 2021September 10, 2021By admin_holly

In 2018 I stitched my first Ice Cream Soda quilt block. I was instantly hooked! Read about my process on this long-term project and see the pretty results … Read More >Ice Cream Soda Quilt

Once Upon a Dream — Free Quilt Tutorial

Once Upon a Dream — Free Quilt Tutorial

Posted on Posted onAugust 6, 2021August 9, 2021By admin_holly

My latest quilt is truly dreamy! This free tutorial will teach you how to make a magically easy beginner Sleeping Beauty quilt … Read More >Once Upon a Dream — Free Quilt Tutorial

Folk Festival Quilt

Folk Festival Quilt

Posted on Posted onJune 26, 2021November 21, 2021By admin_holly

I designed this quilt to reflect my feelings about the spirit of folk music festivals — community, colour, ties to nature, good times, fun people, and of course, live music … Read More >Folk Festival Quilt

Little Quilt of Horrors

Little Quilt of Horrors

Posted on Posted onApril 22, 2021April 23, 2021By admin_holly

This Halloween quilt uses curved seams to create sparkly moonlight stars and the fabric is so seriously adorable that it will delight trick-or-treaters of all ages! … Read More >Little Quilt of Horrors

Mod Log Cabin Quilt

Mod Log Cabin Quilt

Posted on Posted onApril 14, 2021August 8, 2021By admin_holly

I decided this delicate floral fabric deserved to be made into a traditional block quilt so this was the perfect time for me to to try log cabin blocks, Holly-style … Read More >Mod Log Cabin Quilt

Quilt O’Clock

Quilt O’Clock

Posted on Posted onMarch 4, 2021March 6, 2021By admin_holly

Have you always wanted to make a quilt clock? Neither have I. But I made one. And then I made some more. Read how I did it and download the free template so you can make one too. … Read More >Quilt O’Clock

Rebel Girl Quilt

Rebel Girl Quilt

Posted on Posted onFebruary 17, 2021April 22, 2021By admin_holly

I designed a quilt pattern using Lysa Flower’s Rebel Girl fabric to show off her fun prints and connect to the music and culture that inspired the collection … Read More >Rebel Girl Quilt

Bee Cross Stitch

Bee Cross Stitch

Posted on Posted onJanuary 14, 2021April 14, 2021By admin_holly

Next up on my work table is a fun project using a new basic fabric called Bee Cross Stitch designed by Lori Holt … Read More >Bee Cross Stitch

Tsuro Quilt

Tsuro Quilt

Posted on Posted onJanuary 12, 2021February 17, 2021By admin_holly

The name of this quilt, and inspiration for the design, is based on the board game of the same name which is taken from the Japanese word tsūro (通路) meaning “route” … Read More >Tsuro Quilt

2020 Fussy Cutting Sewalong

2020 Fussy Cutting Sewalong

Posted on Posted onJanuary 10, 2021January 10, 2021By admin_holly

Here is my finished quilt top for the 2020 #focuscuttingsewalong which was hosted by @naomialicec. Massive thanks to her for … Read More2020 Fussy Cutting Sewalong

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Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to my little corner of the internet. My name is Holly Clarke. I’m a designer, quilter, fabric junkie, coffee drinker, and flower smeller. I live in Winnipeg, Canada and I love how the World Wide Web connects me with quilters from all over the world. If you want to reach out to me, email me here.

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Once the Christmas quilt gets put on the couch and Once the Christmas quilt gets put on the couch and Jovie claims it we officially declare it the Christmas season in my house. Normally we wait until December but we got a huge dump of snow a few weeks ago so it’s been really hard to hold back on getting into holiday mode. #christmasquilt #quilting #modernquiltingcommunity #catsonquilts #jovie
Ta da! Here is a full reveal of my latest Juicy He Ta da! Here is a full reveal of my latest Juicy Hearts quilt. If you haven’t seen it already, I wrote a blog post about this quilt and specifically a tutorial about my process for sewing curves without pins or glue. Feel free to hop over to my website to read all about it. Fabric: Falling In Love by @dmogstad @rileyblakedesigns Backing: Blossom by @the_tattooed_quilter Batting: @hobbsbatting #fallinginlovefabric #rileyblakedesigns #fatquarter #precutfriendly #quiltingcotton #modernquilting #canadianmqc #juicyheartsquilt #quiltsofinstagram #modernquiltingcommunity #holdmyseamripperpatterns #hollyclarkedesign
Are you shopping or sewing today? 🪡 🛍 Or sho Are you shopping or sewing today? 🪡 🛍 Or shopping during breaks from sewing? You gotta relax those tense sewing muscles somehow. 😆 #quilting #quiltinprogress #juicyheartsquilt #pfaffsewing #fallinginlovefabric #rileyblakedesigns #curvedquilting
Here’s another WIP photo of my “Falling in Lov Here’s another WIP photo of my “Falling in Love” Juicy Hearts quilt. I looooove seeing a quilt come together on my design wall. I think that’s my favourite part of the process. The Falling in Love fabric collection by @dmogstad for @rileyblakedesigns will be in stores soon so start thinking about your Valentine’s sewing plans now. I absolutely love all the little romantic Valentine’s Day details in this fabric collection — from the hearts, roses, X’s and O’s, dainty plaids, soft florals and whimsical love notes. #fallinginlovefabric #rileyblakedesigns #fatquarter #precutfriendly #quiltingcotton #modernquilting #sewingcurves #valentinesquilt #canadianmqcwip #juicyheartsquilt
Here are a few WIP shots of my latest project. As Here are a few WIP shots of my latest project. As @lynsavenue guessed, it’s going to be a new Juicy Hearts quilt! This upcoming fabric collection is called Falling In Love by @dmogstad for @rileyblakedesigns. I absolutely love all the little romantic Valentine’s Day details in this fabric collection — from the hearts, roses, X’s and O’s, dainty plaids, soft florals and whimsical love notes. #fallinginlovefabric #rileyblakedesigns #fatquarter #precutfriendly #quiltingcotton #modernquilting #canadianmqcwip #juicyheartsquilt
Thank you to all who supported my Folk Festival ac Thank you to all who supported my Folk Festival acrylic template kit launch yesterday! It was my birthday so your support and kind words truly made it a special day. 🎉🎂🎁 In case you missed yesterday’s post, here’s a video showing my printed pattern. These acrylic template kits will make cutting your fabric for the Folk Festival quilt a breeze, just line up the templates according to the pattern instructions and easily cut around the templates with a rotary cutter. The templates are made of clear acrylic so you can fussy-cut the fabric motifs to make it even more unique! There are two options: you can buy the templates on their own or with a full-colour, 8.5”x11” 36-page printed pattern. Click link in bio to purchase. #folkfestivalquilt #quiltsofinstagram #modernquilt #modernquiltdesign #quiltingcommunity #canadianquilters #quiltpattern #quilting #quiltpatterndesign #modernquiltpattern #millenialquilter #modernpatchwork #quiltpatterncommunity #quiltsofinstagram #drunkardspath #curvepiecing #quiltingtemplate #quiltingacrylics
Big news! Have you already purchased the Folk Fest Big news! Have you already purchased the Folk Festival Quilt pattern but were hesitant to make it without the use of acrylic templates? Or were you holding off on trying this pattern because the fabric cutting seems intimidating? Well, good news! My acrylic template kits will make cutting your fabric a breeze, just line up the templates according to the pattern instructions and easily cut around the templates with a rotary cutter. The templates are made of clear acrylic so you can fussy-cut the fabric motifs to make it even more unique! There are two options: you can buy the templates on their own or with a full-colour, 8.5”x11” 36-page printed pattern. Click link in bio to purchase. #folkfestivalquilt #quiltsofinstagram #modernquilt #modernquiltdesign #quiltingcommunity #canadianquilters #quiltpattern #quilting #quiltpatterndesign #modernquiltpattern #millenialquilter #modernpatchwork #quiltpatterncommunity #quiltsofinstagram #drunkardspath #curvepiecing #quiltingtemplate #quiltingacrylics
May I interrupt your IG feed full of Christmas qui May I interrupt your IG feed full of Christmas quilts and Black Friday ads to bring you an explosion of Valentine’s Day loveliness? Riley Blake Designs sent me this stack of fat quarters to play with and I can’t wait to share the full reveal with you. (Head on over to my latest blog post for spoilers if you’d prefer). This new collection is called Falling In Love by @dmogstad for @rileyblakedesigns. I absolutely love all the little romantic Valentine’s Day details in this fabric collection — from the hearts, roses, X’s and O’s, dainty plaids, soft florals and whimsical love notes. Swipe to see all my cut pieces and let me know if you can guess what quilt they’re going to be. #fallinginlovefabric #rileyblakedesigns #fatquarter #precutfriendly #quiltingcotton #modernquilting #fabricpull
ICYMI, my FREE Clock Watcher quilt pattern is avai ICYMI, my FREE Clock Watcher quilt pattern is available on the @pbsfabrics website. Search for the super fun fabric collection called “9 to 5” by @lysaflower to download the pattern. For this quilt I fussy cut Lysa’s motifs of vintage office supplies and decor including rotary phones, time punch cards, typewriters, retro florals, groovy coffee cups, and motivational pencils. How awesome is that!!! #clockwatcherquilt #lysaflowerfabric #pbsfabrics #quiltsofinstagram #modernquilting #freequiltpattern #quiltpatternlaunch #holdmyseamripperpatterns #aquiltpatternby #canadianmqc #modernquiltingcommunity #modernquilt #midcenturymodern #modernpatchwork
Time’s up… My Clock Watcher Quilt is finished Time’s up… My Clock Watcher Quilt is finished and the best part is you can download the pattern for FREE on the @pbsfabrics website. Search for the super fun fabric collection called “9 to 5” by @lysaflower to download the pattern. For this quilt I fussy cut Lysa’s motifs of vintage office supplies and decor including rotary phones, time punch cards, typewriters, retro florals, groovy coffee cups, and motivational pencils. How awesome is that!!! #clockwatcherquilt #lysaflowerfabric #pbsfabrics #quiltsofinstagram #modernquilting #freequiltpattern #quiltpatternlaunch #holdmyseamripperpatterns #aquiltpatternby #canadianmqc
Here’s a pro tip when making binding with a geom Here’s a pro tip when making binding with a geometric print such as a plaid or stripe... When cutting your strips, use scissors ✂️! (Gasp!) I know this is a hot take - quilters don’t like to part with our rotary cutters for anything - but stay with me here. You see, printed inks don’t always follow the grain of the fabric so if you use a rotary cutter and straight edge (ie. ruler) to cut them them, you’ll end up with a wonky looking design on your binding. However, if you use your scissors to cut along the straight edges of the printed design you’ll get a nice clean geometric design that looks even throughout your binding. Swipe for videos. Fabric is from the 9 to 5 collection by @lysaflower for @pbsfabrics #quiltbinding #quiltingtips #quiltingtipsandtricks #9to5fabric #lysaflowerfabric #pbsfabrics #quiltersofinstagram
This photo of my Clock Watcher quilt is a commemor This photo of my Clock Watcher quilt is a commemoration the last quilt I will ever quilt with my Pfaff Classic Style Fashion which I have used and loved for the past 14 years. It’s a fabulous machine that has served me well on an almost daily basis for my baby clothing business as well as my quilting obsession. I only took it in for servicing/cleaning ONCE. It never broke down, almost never gave me any issues, and always gave me beautiful results no matter what I forced through its feed dogs. If you’re looking for a good sturdy used machine, look up this model, I highly recommend it. (This one is not for sale.) I’m looking forward to making my next project on my brand new Pfaff Creative Icon. 🥰 Fabric: 9 to 5 by @lysaflower for @pbsfabrics #pfaffsewingmachine #pfaff #clockwatcherquilt #sewing #sewingmachine #9to5fabric #pbsfabrics #modernquilting
While rummaging through my sewing room “junk dra While rummaging through my sewing room “junk drawer” I found this old tool which I can honestly say I’ve never used before (or even known what it was meant for). Turns out it’s a great quilt marking tool. Same idea as a Hera marker but because of its thin disc, it leaves a finer mark on the quilt than a Hera. I love that a vintage sewing tool helped me out on my vintage office themed quilt. Let me know in the comments if you know what it’s meant for. 👇 #9to5fabric #lysaflowerfabric #pbsfabrics #quiltingtools #modernquilting #modernpatchwork #clockwatcherquilt
Working 9-5! What a way to make a quilt top! 🎶 Working 9-5! What a way to make a quilt top! 🎶 Here’s a peek at the clock blocks I designed for the pattern I wrote for @lysaflower’s new fabric collection called “9 to 5”. I fussy cut Lysa’s gorgeous retro office-themed prints to create the 9am to 5pm clocks. What fun!! Stay tuned for details of the pattern launching really soon. To see close-ups, check out my previous post. @pbsfabrics #9to5fabric #pbsfabrics #lysaflowerfabric #quiltingfabric #clockwatcherquilt
How incredible is this stack of fabric??? @lysaflo How incredible is this stack of fabric??? @lysaflower asked me to design a pattern for the launch of her brand new fabric collection for @pbsfabrics called “9 to 5” so I’ve been giddy with excitement playing with the fabric. The prints in the collection feature retro-inspired office supplies and decor and all the little details are so much fun. Hop on over to her feed to see her reveal. And stay tuned for details of the pattern launching really soon. #9to5fabric #pbsfabrics #lysaflowerfabric #quiltingfabric #clockwatcherquilt
My Blue Ribbon quilt is finished and here is the f My Blue Ribbon quilt is finished and here is the full reveal. I started thinking about this quilt while participating in #quiltcontogether in 2020. I thought about how nice it would be to earn a ribbon of excellence for one of my quilts. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that while it’s nice to win a ribbon it’s even better to feel proud of your own work and so I decided to make this quilt as an award to myself in honour of everything I have learned and accomplished in just a few years. I entered this quilt to QuiltCon this year but whether it gets accepted or not, I am pleased to have this blue ribbon quilt up on my wall. Font pattern: Quilt it like Futura by @madeinyambaironsandcraig #blueribbonquilt #quiltsofinstagram #yellow #quiltitlikefutura #celebratemyquiltsubmission #modernquilting #modernpatchwork #quiltingcommunity
I have learned quite a few new skills while making I have learned quite a few new skills while making this quilt. The final new (to me) skill I tried was “facing” a quilt. Rather than binding, you sew a strip of fabric - the same width as binding - to each edge of the quilt, press it completely to the back and hand stitch it in place. I learned how to do it from the full tutorial that my quilty hero Audrey @cottonandbourbon wrote for her website. Facing gives the front of the quilt a clean finished edge and makes the quilting stitches look like they’re running off the sides. #quilting #quiltfinishing #quiltingtips #patchworktips #yellow #quiltingdetails #konacottonsolids #quiltfacing #quiltingcommunity #quiltsofinstagram
For anyone who was wondering why a quilter would g For anyone who was wondering why a quilter would go to the trouble of burying threads (see my previous post), here’s a close-up of my results. The point of burying your threads is so that you you will end up with a nice clean finish with no visible back-stitches or micro stitches. If you quilt various sections of your quilt differently you will go through lots of stops and starts as you come to the edge of a section or start a new colour thread. In this case, I not only used different coloured threads for my blue sections and yellow sections, but I also had yellow stitching that was horizontal and blue stitching that was diagonal so there was lots of stopping and starting at the edges of each section. In order to deal with all of the thread “tails” that come as a result of the stops and starts, you knot the ends and use a needle to bury them below the surface of the fabric and into the batting. I also left my letters as “negative space” meaning I didn’t quilt over them because I wanted them to puff out a bit. I buried the threads adjacent to each letter so that look as neat as possible. Font pattern: #quiltitlikefutura by @madeinyambaironsandcraig #quilting #buryingthreads #quiltingtips #patchworktips #yellow #quiltingdetails #konacottonsolids #buryafriend #buryathread #quiltingcommunity #quiltsofinstagram
Oh hi there 3/8” quilting! I’ve never quilted Oh hi there 3/8” quilting! I’ve never quilted anything this densely before but I am loving the texture. I usually quilt much more loosey goosey because I enjoy snuggling under a drapey and soft quilt but I have no plans to snuggle up under this one, it’s going up on my wall. #quilting #quilttexture #walkingfootquilting #yellow #konacottonsolids #modernquilting #modernpatchwork
I love lining up all my basting pins in an orderly I love lining up all my basting pins in an orderly fashion and then powering through them with a knitting needle or chop stick to close them all up in record time. I highly recommend this time saver if you haven’t already tried it. UPDATE: I added a quick video to my Reels to demonstrate how I use a knitting needle to close the pins. #pinbasting #quiltingtips #patchwork #modernpatchwork #yellow #konacottonsolids #quiltwip #quiltinprogress
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Did you know…

I'm also a graphic designer by trade. You can check out my website here Waterloo Design House.
And my other business is Small Potatoes where I make handmade baby clothing and gifts.

Holly Clarke Design

Quilt making, quilt design, fabric appreciation, sewing tips and tricks, and all-around crafty inspiration.

Want to share my photos?

I’d love to collaborate. To share photos, please email me here for permission. All photos © Holly Clarke, 2021.

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