First Look: Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting March/April and May/June 2024 Double Issue

As much as I love the winter for its idyllic reasons to stay cozy indoors (by making quilts or snuggling under them!), spring is undoubtedly on its way. In this issue, we bring you a garden of colorful and engaging designs ready to breathe the fresh feeling of warm springtime breezes into your quilting projects. We’ve packed this special double issue with patterns and features! We are committed to providing the best expertly tested, skill-building patterns you can trust to make traditional patchwork quilts to be used, prized, and cherished.

Secret Meadow by Angela Huffman

To commemorate Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting’s 25th anniversary, we’re delighted to begin a gorgeous 2-party mystery bed quilt designed by Angela Huffman, cohost of Love of Quilting TV: Secret Meadow. Three staff members inspire various colorways to make it your own. Expand your skills as you explore and try multiple techniques throughout this project, one clue at a time. Please join the fun by sharing your selections and enjoying fellow reader versions on Facebook and Instagram with #secretgardenquilt!

Part 1 of 2 of the Secret Meadow 25th Anniversary mystery quilt includes fabric requirements and cutting instructions for the entire quilt, and instructions to make blocks T–Z and sections. Anxious to get started? Download the Secret Meadow Materials and Fabric Key here! The official Secret Meadow fabric kit and backing kits are available exclusively at Quilted Joy while supplies last. The fabric kit includes fabric for one quilt top, borders, and binding. Additional kits are available for the quilt backing if desired. For more information or to purchase the kit, click here.

The Pansy Waltz by Michelle Freedman

For Mother’s Day, delight her with one of the springtime quilts in this issue, like The Pansy Waltz by Michelle Freedman. This beautiful big-block quilt celebrates the intricate pansy blossom with a nod to vintage and modern design. Michelle used a handy bias tape maker tool for beautifully smooth and flat bias stems.

Blooming by Sharon Wasteney

Let your scraps flourish into a beautiful array of tulips! Designer Sharon Wasteney made use of enchanting batik scraps to create an orderly patch of blossoms in Blooming. The flower appliqués are not perfectly symmetrical, adding to the natural beauty of this design. Matched magenta blooms in the center provide a focal point, simultaneously creating a medallion effect.

Butterfly Ballet by Jen Daly

For a small, quick springtime project, select just one pack of precut 5″ charm squares and a background to make Jen Daly’s clever Butterfly Ballet, just right for little ones.

Cozy Hive and Home by Sara Gallegos

Bring a little backyard garden vibe indoors with a sweet bench pillow. Sara Gallegos, cohost of Love of Quilting TV, used a bit of improvisational piecing along with fusible appliqué and a touch of wool for this charming Cozy Hive & Home pillow.

Lillian’s Garden by Angela Huffman

Breezy techniques blossom into an airy assortment of pinwheels. Explore a fun twist on traditional Dresden Plate blocks by arranging small groups of blades around a golden center patch in Angela Huffman’s Lillian’s Garden.

Enjoy the Double Issue!

These are just a small sampling of the patterns included in this double issue! Keep up with the goings-on in the quilting world with the Community Sampler, Shop Hop, and Sew Many Tips departments. Enjoy the bounty of carefully cultivated designs that bloom with color, texture, and inspiration! And be sure to download your reader-exclusive limited-time-offer free bonus pattern — find the information on the last page of your Love of Quilting March/April and May/June 2024 double issue.

Quilt with joy!
Valerie