Helle-May Cheney, a stay-at-home mom from Flemington, New Jersey, began designing quilts as a professional outlet for her creativity when both her sons were in school full time. Her background in engineering is influential—she enjoys creating challenging geometric designs and finding the most effective techniques to make them jump successfully from paper (or computer screen) to fabric.

We’re delighted to offer Helle-May’s intriguing new pattern Wild Daisy, designed especially for American Quilter readers, in two installments. Part 1 appears in the November 2011 issue (on newsstand October 4), and the conclusion will be published in the January 2012 issue.

The Wild Daisy block is based on the traditional Double Card Trick block. The patches give an illusion of two intersecting squares, one of which has a Sawtooth border. Choose fabrics with strong contrast for the best illusion—Helle-May’s choice of purple and lime green with a bright Kaffe Fassett print in the border is fresh and appealing.

You will use both rotary cutting and foundation piecing to construct the quilt. This pattern is rated intermediate. For general information on making quilts, including foundation piecing and mitered borders, see the AQS Quiltmaking Essentials, accessible from the drop-down menu under the American Quilter magazine tab at www.AmericanQuilter.com.

Submitted by Christine N. Brown, Editor-in-Chief, American Quilter Magazine