Bamboo Time Design Gallery

Featured Project - Bargello Placemats

2009-02-06T09:18:00.001-08:00

This spectacular small project requires only 1/4 yard of 11 fabrics.

Choose three colors that you want to feature, then choose 3-4 gradations of each color to achieve the bargello effect.

The vibrancy of color and movement in the prints of these Asian fabrics make a wonderful set of placemats for your counter or table AND a wonderful gift.

Ask the ladies at Blue Bamboo to make a Bargello Placemats kit based on your favorite colors.

Knock Yourself Out!

Stars In The Night

2008-10-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

At last, our very own Stars In The Night is finished and quilted beautifully. Kits and patterns are available for this spectactular wall hanging.

Linda & Liz

Prettiest Patch-No-Work!

2008-07-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

Martha Negley, along with Kaffe Fassett and Phillip Jacobs have designed some of the prettiest florals to come around. While at Blue Bamboo, I played and played with them until I was satisfied with these colorations for my fast and easy Patch-No-Work queen size strip pieced quilt. This quilt just eats up big prints and I especially can't wait to make up the Tall Hollyhocks in yellow. It is so unique. Also shown below is a color group featuring Tall Hollyhocks in pink. Enjoy, Lori Allison, Allison Quilt Designs

Kan't Get Enough Kaleidoscope

2008-05-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

If you just can't get enough of this technique, here is one of the prettiest kaleidoscope patterns to come around. Designed by Minnesota native, Marilyn Foreman, for the quilt pink event last year at the Mall of America, this pattern has wonderful possibilities, like the Asian Hyakkaryouran fabric used in this bright version.

I'd like to use one of those big beautiful Benartex Flower Show or Flower Mart prints that Blue Bamboo carries and I'd make mine bright and floral.

It's a very clever pattern.

It's A Jelly Roll World!

2008-05-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

Take a couple of color graded batik jelly rolls from Blue Bamboo and a yard or so of punch fabric, then strip piece and subcut your way into this stunning quilt. It can be sized from throw to king depending on the number of blocks.

The time honored Trip Around The World block has been given some fast new assembly methods for today's modern quilter. Pattern has jelly roll requirements and number of blocks needed for each size. Each block is like a mini quilt and makes in about 30 minutes so the real fun is seeing how each little mini quilt (block) turns out.

Quilt On.....Lori Allison

Cinnamon & Ginger

2008-04-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Who knew this would be a hot top pattern seller? I certainly didn't because after I designed it, I let it sit in my computer for six months. Finally, two weeks before fall market, I didn't have anything so I looked through my files to see if there was anything at all worth resurrecting.

Well, it just proves that none of us really knows what is going to be popular. People say this is such a warm, wonderful colorway or the geometry of the quilt is unique and appealing. I don't get it, but I know I can't get an afternoon nap without the phone ringing from a quilt shop somewhere that needs to order or reorder this pattern.

Brown might be the new black this year....but what about red? This array of fabrics from Blue Bamboo.

Quilt On......Lori Allison, Designer, Allison Quilt Designs

Blooming Nine Patch

2008-04-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

One of the most popular patterns over the past few years has been "Blooming Nine Patch" from the book, Tradition With A Twist by Blanche Young. Depending on the fabrics and fabric placement, this quilt can look like it is lit from within. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this quilt -- including me.

I just never wanted to make teeny tiny little nine patches! Lucky for me, I have a computer and quilting software and I can make them any size that I want to. This is a gift for my neice who is somewhere between traditional and contemporary and I know she likes flowers. I used a yummy rich Moda floral that I found at Blue Bamboo and a few coordinating and contrasting prints.

This quilt, with its 6" nine patches and squares, is 88" x 96" perfect for a queen size bed. Beginning from the outside with color "A" here are the fabric requirements:

Color A: 2 yards (setting triangles and binding)
Color B: 2 yards
Color C: 1¾ yards
Color D: 1½ yards
Color E: 1 yard
Color F: ½ yard
Backing 8 yards non-directional (8¾ yds directional)

Book: Tradition With A Twist

Cut your plain squares at 6 1/2" and your nine patch strips at 2 1/2" For setting triangles, cut 10 squares at 10" and cut on both diagonals to yield 40 triangles. For corner triangles, cut 2 squares at 5" and cut on one diagonal to yield 4 corner triangles.

Above is mine. Maybe this fabric combination from Blue Bamboo will inspire you.

Quilt On....Lori Allison, Designer

Candy Is Dandy

2008-04-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

I bought a new bookshelf for my fabrics and while sorting my collection of Kaffe Fassett prints into stacks of light, medium and dark, the wheels began turning for a way to use these stacks in a quilt. That's how my "Candy Is Dandy" pattern came about. I so loved making this quilt that it's practically the only quilt I made for nearly a year. This is not good for a pattern designer.

Just take 15-20 fabrics that you love -- I like to take them all from a manufacturer's collection where the coordinating has been done for me. Sort them into stacks of light, medium and dark. Then start cutting strips from each. Typical of Allison Quilt Designs, you just strip piece, subcut, sew on each side of a diagonal line, cut down the middle and start seeing your quilt artistry come together.

The Kaffe Fassett version is very pretty, BUT then I saw the Lonni Rossi collection of "Asian Harmony" fabrics and, well, here's that version in stunning reds, golds and chartruese.

Down the road abit I made this black and white version in all doggie prints and discovered this is a wonderful pattern for divergent -- high contrast -- fabric collections as well. How fun.

Later, I made a smaller, wallhanging version from ethnic Australian, African & Indonesian fabrics. Too much fun!

You'll find a rich assortment of all these fabrics at Blue Bamboo.

Enjoy. Lori Allison, Designer, Allison Quilt Designs

Patch-No-Work! in Kaffe Fassett

2008-04-12T11:40:00.001-07:00

By now you know that I'm a BIG fan of BIG pieces that use BIG prints so you won't be surprised that I've designed "Patch-No-Work" to showcase those prints.

I make this quilt whenever I have to give a substantial gift -- like a niece wedding -- because it makes a big splash. And it appeals to people from that XY generation. You know, those younger folks who don't want a quilt that looks like it belonged to grandma. They want to appear hip and fresh -- they paint their houses funky colors like red kitchens and navy blue family rooms.

Like most Allison Quilt Designs patterns, you never cut a piece. It's all strips, subcut and assembled into a giant queen size quilt that frames a bed perfectly.

The original is in the red/gold colorways, but I made a blue/gold last summer and I'll publish a picture of anyone who makes this quilt in purple and gold! How regal that would be!

Anyone for a green/magenta colorway?

Quilt On......Lori Allison, Allison Quilt Designs

Fruit Soup

2008-04-12T09:41:00.001-07:00

As I headed out the door from Blue Bamboo's warehouse the other day I saw this collection of richly printed fruit and vegetable fabrics displayed on a cute little wrought iron bakers rack. They look just good enough to eat -- really!

Recently, I'd seen a simple, but clever design in the new Kaffe Fassett book "Quilts In The Sun" that showcases big prints beautifully. It has a unique border that features a light plain fabric and a stripe fabric. I always think a plain fabric is a great opportunity to showcase some interesting quilting -- like apples or floral designs. Your long armer will probably come up with something clever and unique.

BUT, and this is a big one -- a stripe fabric just seems a little too easy(cheesy) so I suggest cutting 6 squares that measure 14 1/4 inches from a plain muslin. Then cut the squares in half on both diagonals to yield 24 triangles. (You will only use 22 of them) . Use the muslin triangles as a foundation, then start in the middle and stitch and flip various sizes of bright batiks (a jelly roll works great) and strips of fruit/vegetable prints vertically on the triangles to form a "striped" border of your own.

Fabric Requirements include

A) 3 1/2 yards assorted fruit/vegetable prints

B) 3 1/2 yards assorted light colored batiks,

C) a jelly roll of bright batiks,

D) 3/4 yard light celery batik,

E) 4 yards of backing, and

F) "Quilts In The Sun" book for pattern.

Quilt On.....Lori Allison, Designer, Allison Quilt Designs

Color My World in Kaffe Fassett

2008-04-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

"Color My World" was created especially to showcase LOTS of big, bright, bold Kaffe Fassett prints. I used black as an anchor color and to show off the prints.

The "Trip Around The World" block is practically ancient. I just updated it by making the pieces larger to accommodate the big prints that I love. Then I developed a strip piecing method that makes it infinitely more fun -- and fast -- to assemble; about 30 minutes per block and voila! you have a mini quilt. While I was at it, I included pressing directions because I just LOVE to nest seam allowances and have my intersections come out perfect! See illustrations.

The queen sized quilt that is pictured on the pattern cover takes 7 1/4 yards assorted bright bold prints and 5 1/4 yards black. I like to choose 7 1/2 yards of one of Kaffe's big prints like "Cloissone" or "Lotus Leaves" to make a dramatic backing for my quilts.

You can make the quilt larger or smaller simply by reducing or increasing the number of blocks and corresponding border squares (2 per block).

Another design option that I like is to change the anchor color from black to brown and use all the red and gold Kaffe Fassett prints. Check out how rich that would look.

Whadiyathink?

Quilt On.....Lori Allison, Designer, Allison Quilt Designs