A few months ago, we asked Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique to share her inspiration for her new Garden Variety collection.  Here is what she wrote...

The rain has fallen, seeds have been planted, and bees are buzzing as they make their way from flower to flower. Soon the garden will be in full bloom.

There is splendid harmony found in a garden bed, a juxtaposition of beauty and growth mingled with weeds and brambles. Perhaps they are not at odds in the way we might sometimes suppose, but instead, the garden is the balance of a good life. Just as in a real garden, you will find a variety of textures and sun-kissed colors in this collection…along with a few brambles too! Pick your favorites and see what you can grow in your fabric garden.

So excited to be sharing Garden Variety with you today.  The first is called Cottontail - a nickname my Grandpa had for me when I was small. Of course it features sweet rabbits and carrots all fenced in--and does not required any paper piecing or templates! It's a large quilt at 84 1/2'' x 84 1/2''. Moda will be offering this as a boxed kit.

This is the real thing, my finished Cottontail quilt.

I'm also releasing Chandelier 2, the sequel to what has been the most popular quilt from my book Charm School--18 Quilts from 5'' Squares from C&T Publishing.  Chandelier 2 uses a Jelly Roll or Layer Cake and comes together quickly--just like its sister design.

One of my favorite things about the Garden Variety collection is the green. It is the prettiest green.  (I got confirmation of this when I discovered it matches Joanna Gaines' colander at Target.) Of course I had to highlight it in one of the quilts as the background!  I used the skinny stripe in green (#5075 14) as background to Pretty Please.  It's made with 1 charm pack and a few accent bits of yardage.

Finally, no garden is complete without flowers.  Holland is my take on a two-tone tulip using beginner curved piecing technique. There are two versions of the quilt, I'm letting you get a peek at the simplified color version.  If you're new to curved piecing, this is a great project to start with.

I also wanted to mix up Holland a bit and make it with Grunge Picnic - a beautiful Navy - background.

As a parting thought, the quote I chose for the selvage:

"May good things grow."

Garden Variety by Vanessa Goertzen for Lella Boutique will be blooming in your favorite quilt shop any day now.  

Happy Tuesday!