This is a repost because I finished the real quilt (seen at bottom of page). In 2017  Windham Fabrics  released a line called  Mesa  and they asked me to design a western theme quilt. I dug around in my thousands of digital files and rediscovered some appliqué patterns from a few years past: a cowboy boot and a cactus. I combined these with my Arrowheads Block and came up with  Arrowheads in the Desert . What do you think? Arrowheads in the Desert : 62" x 62" I love the main print and used it as the backing. Who would want to chop this up? Mesa print Let's see those Arrowhead Blocks. I think they're pretty awesome. You can make them with the templates in the pattern or, if you have a set of Tri-Recs rulers (with an 8" height),  or my own Arrowheads rulers , or even the Creative Grids triangle rulers. Just two triangles creates these blocks. (These are NOT 60 DEGREE angles!) Cut triangles and piece a "triangle in a square" block This technique is popular...

A patch related to Monday's post is the half-square. What I showed on Monday was a square cut into fourths using two diagonal lines. This is only one of those cuts (yes, a small difference but a different looking project). I taught this as a workshop for a year or so and called it Pixie Sticks. We started with 5" charm squares and measured in 1-1/2" at the top and 3-1/2" at the bottom. Then we sliced once and swapped with another charm. Simple Pixie Sticks: 35" x 41" I added the bonus striped strip to give it some personality! Then, my students learned how to set blocks on point. Check out Carolyn's book with SO much inspiration for making one-patch quilts. 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster

Back to squares. They can be cut into triangles, rectangles and now in half along an angle. Think of a square that is divisible by 3. Ie, 6". Draw a line from the top (at 2") to the bottom (at 4"). Do the same with the sides. Here is my quilt made about 20 years ago, but I also inserted thin black strips between the patches. I call this my Stained Glass Pickup Sticks : Stained Glass Pickup Sticks : 54" x 54" My blocks are larger than charm squares. I actually started with 10-1/2" squares, but you can make this with 9" squares, which is perfect for those Layer Cakes you have hoarded in your sewing room! Here is how I did it with larger 10-1/2" squares (which ARE divisible by 3): Carolyn calls this shape an "Offset Square." She provides the odd template on page 30 or you can use the simple cutting I've described above. And she shows a few design ideas, too! 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn F...

Let's talk curves! How about the Apple Core? I've only had one Apple Core quilt and I cheated! I bought the top already pieced (whew!) and added a border and had it quilted. This was published in our magazines about 25 years ago. Every patch in this quilt is the same. Let me show you. Apple Core quilt: 70" x 70" We patterned it in one of the 2001 issues. Here is some of the art: Notice how every seam is CURVED! Yikes!! But, if you're a hand stitcher then you shouldn't be afraid. I had some card stock Apple Core shapes that I let my granddaughter play with. She made some funny "people" using them. Apple Core people by Eva Garcia Carolyn Forster introduces the Apple Core on page 57: 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster Maybe you have an Apple Core quilt. If so, I'd love to see it! Send a photo to my email: kratovil@his.com.

The block got here on time but I was distracted! My friend Dora L (one of my Calendar Girls) sent this Square and Star, which appears on September 1 in my calendar. Square and Star: 12" Dora used the Noteworthy Collection by Windham Fabrics . It truly is a awesome grouping and is in your local quilt shops NOW! Here is the set of fat quarters she's been using: Dora's set of fat quarters from Noteworthy Since I made such a BIG boo boo in not posting her block on Monday, here's more of her beautiful work from previous months so you can see how lovely everything is going with her blocks. Shoefly Block (July 7) And another from July: Pineapple (July 9) She actually stitched a third one for July! Ribbon Star (July 2) And Double T from August (using her own stash): Double T (August 21) Thank you, Dora, for such lovely blocks. If you have a copy of my calendar by now and are stitching any of the blocks, I'd LOVE to see them and post them here. Just let me know (kratovil@hi...

 I'm back with another charm quilt made with a different shape. Carolyn Forster (author of 20 To Make One Patch Charm Quilts) moved on to triangles. We all use triangles in our quilts: half square, quarter square, 60 degree, 45 degree - and so on. I'll move on to triangles later.   20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster What's half a square? Yes, a triangle. But, also a RECTANGLE! And a rectangle is a fun shape to use in a One Patch Charm Quilt. I featured these in a some posts a few years ago. I began with 5" charm squares. 5" charms I cut them in half (and also trimmed them) and stitched them with white. They made the Criss Cross block. Two Criss Cross blocks using rectangles: Unfinished 8.5" I stitched them together for this 56 blocks (8" finished) - 56" x 64" I made a small quilt using 16 more of the blocks: Criss Cross blocks So now you can see what fun you can have with just a rectangle. Carol...

 I came across a new book in my library that features one patch quilts. It's aptly titled: 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster This reminded me of all my own one-patch quilts I've made over the years. I asked Carolyn if I could share my journey and quilts as they relate to her book. Of course, she graciously said "yes." It seems that my enthusiasm about the book is because she also is enthusiastic about these little gems. The quilt on the cover is a quilt I've never made before. It's a Clamshell and it's always made me nervous thinking about hand stitching the curved edges. Just to let you know: I'm making one right now - I'll keep you posted. Now, let's see some of my own one-patch quilts. Carolyn has 20 lovely projects in order from simple to very challenging. The first, of course, is the simple Charm Quilt composed of squares. Here is a set of 5" charm squares from a few years ago. Any si...