That’s right the Lucy Quilt Pattern is now available for free for all of our newsletter subscribers!  If you are interested, make sure to read the full post for the story behind the Lucy Quilt.  The Lucy Quilt is a brand new FREE pattern that we were so lucky to collaborate on with Rachel of Wren Collective.  Lucy is the first ever Cottoneer quilt pattern, and it will not be the last!  We’ve been so blessed to be able to bring you this quilt for free. All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter and it’s yours!  You can sign up here.

The Lucy Quilt is recommended for the “experienced beginner”.  It’s definitely beginner friendly, with all straight lines.  An experienced beginner is what I would call somebody who has made a quilt before but who might want to try their hand working with smaller piecing.  If you can sew a straight 1/4″ seam, you can make this quilt!  We think this design will stand the test of time with it’s simple lines and shapes.

OUR LUCY PATTERN TESTERS

We’re so grateful for our pattern testers, who gave us their notes and even made Lucy Quilts too!  Make sure to follow the hashtag #thelucyquilt on Instagram to see all of the gorgeous Lucy Quilts and their process photos.  Below is a roundup of their fabulous quilts.  See credits and links to each Instagram page of every Lucy tester noted beneath the pictures.

1. by @porcupinestew_threads  /  2. by @alderwoodstudio  /  3. by @sarah_made  /  4. by @threebirdsnstitches

  1. by @maeberrysquare  /  2. by @littleonemodernquilts /  3. by @finleyfabric
  1. by @one_stitched_heart  /  2. by @quilts4days  /  3. by @hillside.stitches  /  4. by @quiltyjl
  1. by @marmalademoodquilts / 2. by @wren.collective

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THE STORY BEHIND THE LUCY QUILT

The story behind our Lucy Quilt is actually one that brought me to tears in the summer of 2019.  As most of you may already know.  We are a very small business, it’s basically me and my sister who run the entire operation.  (My sister has been with us part-time since the fall of 2019 and has helped us out tremendously!).  It’s a lot of work, a lot of overhead, but we do it because we love it and there is just nothing else I’d rather do.  I feel truly blessed in that way.

But back to Lucy.

We received a call in the Summer from Lucy, a local who makes purses and pouches in her spare time while also caring for her husband.  She called to tell us that she was moving and had a studio full of fabric she needed to get rid of, and she asked if we would we be interested in it.  Well of course I was excited to go look at some fabric!  A fabric sale from a collector’s personal stash is what I was expecting and fully excited to go see.  You know those kinds of sales… tubs full of fat quarters, 1-2 yard pieces, vintage fabrics, and the like.

We took her up on her offer to come out to her house and have a look at the fabrics.  With my checkbook in hand I told the kids to hop in the car.  “We’ve gotta go look at some fabric kids!”  When we got to Lucy’s house, we were greeted with such kindness that I’ll never forget.  With the kids and Patrick in tow, we all made our way to Lucy’s sewing studio.  When we entered the big bright beautiful studio, my eyes went starry.  This was not just a collector’s sale.  These were full bolts of fabric.  And all kinds.  Japanese, linen, canvas, and apparel fabrics too.  This was going to be a much more expensive trip than I thought.

I recognized all sorts of gorgeous bolts, some still wrapped in plastic untouched.  I immediately noticed Lucy’s style.  It was geometric, simple, beautiful, natural fibers.  As I walked through the shelves of fabrics I took out my notebook, noting which ones we’d be interested in purchasing.  I noticed Lucy getting somewhat emotional.  She looked right at me, and right at Patrick.  And what she said next was something I was utterly unprepared for.

She said, “I don’t want to make either of you uncomfortable, but I would like it if you’d let me give you this fabric.”  I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, because I was completely shocked.  And to be honest I wasn’t even sure I believed it.  She continued, “You have such a sweet family, and a young business, and it would bring me so much joy to give you this fabric.  Think of me as your fabric fairy godmother.”

Immediately my eyes welled up and the only words I had were “No, no, that’s far too kind, please, let us pay you for these fabrics”.  We told Lucy that her offer was way too generous and that we could never accept that kind of gift.  She told us she needed it gone, and that it would bring her so much happiness to give it to us.

We went home that day without any fabric.  I had to think on this.  Was it the right thing to do?  Was it even okay to accept such a gift?  We prayed, we talked it over with family and friends.  The next day, we called her to accept the most generous gift we have ever been given.  I wracked my brain.  How can you possibly thank somebody for such generosity.  No words, nothing I possess could ever come close to an adequate thank you.

That’s when I realized that our first quilt pattern would be a dedication to Lucy and the gift she gave us.  I hope you like your namesake pattern Lucy.  Thank you for blessing Cottoneer and my family so greatly.  You truly are our fabric fairy godmother.

We hope you enjoy the pattern!

xo,

Andrea

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