Make Modern Issue 71

Make Modern is your ultimate guide to quilting joy, written by quilters who understand the magic of fabric and thread.

Make Modern Issue 71 brings pretty and practical quilts, inspiring makers, and sewing success tips to your inbox. MEET Tamsyn Armstrong from Perth + Lisa Fuller US-born quilter living in Norway. MAKE ten beautiful patterns – a rainbow dazzler, broken hearts, bold geometrics, scrappy skies, and an Aussie native appliqué cushion. MOTIVATE yourself with articles on creating a calm sewing space, quilting through low-energy days, taming creative block, setting yourself up for sewing success, and choosing the right needles and threads for free motion quilting. Delivered to your inbox instantly!

MEET Tamsyn Armstrong of Brave Little Buckaroo in Perth, Western Australia, who started out designing cross stitch, then patchwork bags, and eventually quilts … and she never looked back. Her business has grown into exactly the one-stop quilting shop she dreamed of: patterns, fabric, and longarm services, all wrapped up with her infectious enthusiasm for colour and design. And long-term Make Modern designer Lisa Fuller, originally from Maine now living in Norway, her move across the Atlantic Ocean in 2019 sent her diving headfirst into quilting and pattern design. Lisa’s business, Millie & Bun Designs, named for her cats Millie and Bun, is built around modern geometric quilts that are as beautiful as they are achievable – inspired by brutalist and mid century modern architecture, Norwegian forests, and the quiet joy of pressing a perfectly flat seam.

MAKE ten fabulous quilt patterns that run the full spectrum of pretty and practical – a show-stopping rainbow cover quilt, a bold heart quilt, a city-map-inspired design that’s a perfect scrap buster, a circus-bright delight, a blue prism play that proves the simplest blocks can be the most effective, a graphic purple and gold design, a modern negative space quilt with colourful dashes across a sea of white, a vibrant charm pack quilt, a scrappy rainbow baby quilt, and a sunshine-bright appliqué cushion inspired by the Summer Star flower of Western Australia.

MOTIVATE yourself with Sarah Ashford’s practical guide to creating a calm, creative sewing space – covering lighting, scent, music, and ergonomics. Eva Saunders gets honest about artist’s block and shares why the best remedy might just be getting beautifully, productively bored. Malgorzata Banjo offers compassionate, practical strategies for keeping your quilting practice alive when life is hard and energy is low. Jane Kelly walks you through every stage of the quilting process – from setting up your space to finishing your quilt – with the tips that will save your sanity and your seam ripper. And HollyAnne Knight gets to the pointy end of needles and threads for free motion quilting, sharing her takeaways from a brand-new Fabric & Fiber Craft Festival.

And because Make Modern is 100% digital, you can start reading (and sewing!) instantly – no postage delays, no clutter, just inspiration at your fingertips, wherever you are in the world.

📌 Inside this issue you’ll find… 

• 10 Must-Make Modern Quilts – Rainbow brights, broken hearts, geometric gems, scrappy skies, and an appliqué cushion to brighten any room. Something for every quilter and every skill level.
• Quilty Wellbeing – Create a Calm Sewing Space – Sarah Ashford shares her practical tips for getting the lighting, storage, ergonomics, music, and scent just right, so your sewing space becomes the sanctuary it’s meant to be.
• Meet the Maker – Tamsyn Armstrong – From nervous child to Brave Little Buckaroo, Tamsyn shares her quilting origin story, her love of colour and design, and wisdom from a recovering perfectionist.
• Art Inspired Quilting – Inspiration Is a Fickle Thing – Eva Saunders makes a surprising case for boredom as the best creative block remedy, and shares what relaxation, time, and vulnerability have to do with making great quilts.
• Adapting Your Crafting to Your Energy Levels – Malgorzata Banjo offers gentle, encouraging strategies for keeping creativity alive through chronic illness, menopause, and the demanding pace of everyday life.
• Meet the Maker – Lisa Fuller – The Maine-born, Oslo-based designer behind Millie & Bun Designs talks architecture, Norwegian colour palettes, and how a difficult international move led to her dream quilting career.
• Get Set for Sewing Success – Jane Kelly walks through every stage of the quiltmaking process, from setting up your space and reading your pattern through to binding and labelling, with the prep tips that make all the difference.
• Quilt Like a Rockstar – Needles and Threads for Free Motion Quilting – HollyAnne Knight shares her takeaways from a passionate expert discussion on the most overlooked notions in quilting – and why getting them right will transform your FMQ.

Pattern List:

• Cover: Crystal Shimmer Quilt by Tamsyn Armstrong (@bravelittlebuckaroo)
• Broken Hearts Quilt by Staci Wendland (@craftystaci)
• District Quilt by Ashelyn Downs (@urbandwellstudio)
• Circus Quilt by Corinne Sovey (@corinne.sovey)
• The 4161 Quilt by Lisa Fuller (@millieandbundesigns)
• Dashing Quilt by Kelli Marshall (@simplymackbeth)
• Prism Play Quilt by Hilary Jordan (@byhilaryjordan)
• Triple the Charm Quilt by Solomae Stoycoff (@cuddlecatquiltworks)
• Summer Star Cushion by Anita Lorimer (@breakawaydesign)
• Stripey Sky Quilt by Amanda Jane Ogden (@amanda_jane_textiles)

Article List:

• Quilty Wellbeing – Create a calm sewing space by Sarah Ashford (@sarahashfordstudio)
• Meet the Maker – Tamsyn Armstrong (@bravelittlebuckaroo)
• Art Inspired Quilting – Inspiration is a fickle thing by Eva Saunders (@gingerlyquiltco)
• Quilt Life – Adapting your crafting to your energy levels by Malgorzata Banjo (@polaquilting)
• Meet the Maker – Lisa Fuller (@millieandbundesigns)
• Quite Quilty – Get set for sewing success by Jane Kelly (@janekellyquilts)
• Quilt Like a Rockstar – Needles and threads for free motion quilting by HollyAnne Knight (@stringandstory)

Modern magazine is your ultimate quilting companion – ready to guide you from planning to piecing, whenever and wherever creativity strikes. 💖 Grab your copy now and let’s create something beautiful together – or treat yourself to the All-Access Pass and download all 73 issues of Make Modern before we say goodbye in 2027.

If this is your first issue of Make Modern, welcome – we’re so glad you’re here. Dive in and discover the creativity, innovation, and joy that quilting brings. Make Modern is a digital modern quilt magazine available worldwide. Each magazine is over 100 pages, packed with modern quilt patterns suitable for beginner quilters to advanced, and articles guaranteed to make you smile, inspire you to stretch your skills, and spark your creativity. Independently published by a team of quilters, it’s delivered as a PDF to read on your computer, tablet, or phone – easy to take fabric shopping or print if you prefer paper. See answers to frequently asked questions, and our refund and returns policy here.

🌍 A Note to Our Quilty Friends in Canada, the UK, Europe & Beyond! 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺

We’d love to offer sales in every currency, but as a small (but mighty!) team, that’s a bit beyond our quilting hoop. Instead, we ask you to select Aussie dollars (AUD) at checkout – this usually works out best for your conversion rate, and your bank will do the magic of switching it to CAD, GBP, EUR, or whatever lovely currency you use. Thanks for understanding, and happy stitching from Down Under! 🇦🇺✨