Trade Winds Pillow by Amy Friend

We love the modern lines + the bold and neutral colors of Amy Friend’s Improv collection. Released in partner with Benartex/Comtempo at International Quilt Market this past Spring, Improv was Amy’s debut collection and she hit it out of the park. She has been posting inspiring projects showcasing both the fabric and the thread all year and we love each new one more than the last.

If you’d like to learn more about the collection, don’t miss our Summer announcement. If you’re interested in purchasing Amy’s fabrics or her coordinating Aurifil thread collection, please check in with your local quilt shop.

We’re so thrilled to have Amy as a guest here on Auribuzz today. She is sharing a brand new FREE project, perfect to stitch up as a holiday gift for a loved one. Thank you, Amy!!

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DOWNLOAD THE TRADE WINDS PILLOW PATTERN
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I wanted to design a simple project that showed off this bow print from my Improv fabric collection.  I drafted a simple paper pieced template and used my Wafer lightbox to position the fabric just so within each triangle so each triangle was identical. I love little details like this in an otherwise simple project!

I quilted the pillow with lines that echo the center row of triangles but extend to the outer edges of the pillow, about a half inch apart.  Within the triangles, I quilted more densely.  The directionality of the triangles in this project suggest wind to me so I am calling this pillow Trade Winds.

This pillow is a great project to accompany my Paper Trail quilt.  The pattern for the quilt can be found in my book, Improv Paper Piecing.

Of course both projects are pieced and quilted with Aurifil 50 weight thread from my designer collection.

I hope you enjoy this free pattern!

ABOUT AMY
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Amy Friend is a former museum collections curator turned designer and modern quilter. She has authored two books published by Lucky Spool Media: Intentional Piecing and Improv Paper Piecing. Improv is her first fabric collection, newly released with Contempo, a division of Benartex. Amy enjoys lecturing and teaching in hopes of spreading her love of paper piecing and modern quilt design!

ABOUT IMPROV
100% Aurifil Cotton, 12 Large Spools, 50wt (1422yds/spool)
Colors included:
1147 – 2455 – 2452 – 6723 – 2420 – 2600
2610 – 1246 – 2125 – 2021 – 2315 – 4060