The Houston Quilt Market is always an exciting event, and this year was no exception. I had the pleasure of visiting the Benartex booth, where my quilt, "Forest Light," was displayed. Crafted using Quarry Hill Batiks and utilizing Foundation Paper Piecing,

"Forest Light" is a quilt that holds a special place in my heart. It reminds me of walks in the beautiful New Zealand bush, where ancient trees create a stunning overhead canopy. Occasionally, you come across a clearing where the light shines through to warm the earth below. Here is where I put a quilt down on the ground, get out my little camping stove and make myself a cup of tea. Lying down and listening to the native birds is one of my favourite ways to relax.

My original version of this quilt was made using my stash, where I grouped fabrics by colour and mixed and matched fabrics within each block. I quilted it on my Janome 9400, using a mixture of walking foot and Free Motion quilting.

For this new version, I used the beautiful Benartex Quarry Hill Batiks. These have a great texture which brings interest into the quilt, rather than using a flat solid.

This has made it possible for me to write the pattern in full and to get it out into shops. 

My lovely friends Adie and Sue did all the grunt work on the new version - Adie completed all the piecing in just a few weeks, and Sue of Busy Bee Quilt Shop did the beautiful quilting, using patterns by Sharon Perry of House of Creations, a New Zealand designer who has longer quilting patterns available on her website, 

The pattern for "Forest Light" is now available in my online pattern shop and from the Quilters' Lane online shop. Local quilt shops in the US and elsewhere will also be stocking it soon.

Click on the image to go to Forest Light in my pattern shop.