Yes, I have closets full of unfinished quilts - aka, tops. And they are sad, so I told them they could be quilted and given to some folks who need some tender, loving care because they're sick. You should have heard all the yelling and singing and clapping from those closets! Here are a few I've finished recently and are destined to go to Hopes and Dreams which then gives them to folks with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). They were beautifully quilted by Kathy Gray of Manassas, VA.  Bubbles and Hexagons  is the first. These are half-hexagons which are cut from 10" layer cake squares, but are easily cut from 4-1/2" strips. NO y-seams! This was a popular workshop for several years. Bubbles and Hexagons : 60" x 64" The next one is my Sweet Baby Logs quilt using black, white and red prints. If you click that link, you will see it in several colors. Yes, I made them all. The log cabin is a favorite of many quilters! Baby Logs : 56" x 56" I'll shar...

This is June and there are all these fun blocks in my Block a Day Calendar. Today's block is Irish Puzzle. It also has an alternate name of Delectable Mountains. Irish Puzzle (10" x 10") Here is my version of the Irish Puzzle. I used Equinox fabrics from Benartex. Irish Puzzle: 10" I created a digital quilt using this block (and 2 others) for my 2010 Block a Day calendar. I had given the Irish Puzzle an alternate name (Delectable Mountains). The appliquéd butterfly is a vintage pattern. Wanna see my digital rendition? Delectable Mountains quilt : 66" x 78" Here's the sweet Mountain Butterfly block (also 10"): Mountain Butterfly Block - appliquéd For those who own my New Perpetual Block-a-Day Calendar (C&T Publishing), the pattern is yours by clicking those links above. You have to own the calendar to know how to cut the patches for the 2 pieced blocks. All yardages are given for the whole quilt. The Butterfly Block is included, of course!

Today is June 5 and the calendar block is Duck and Ducklings. Why it got that name, I don't know! Here is the block I made last year using the Windham Moonlit and Solstice Collections: June 5: Duck and Ducklings, 15" I also had this block in my first perpetual calendar by Martingale (2007) and it appeared on January 9. This was made by Patricia Bryant from Australia. Duck and Ducklings by Patricia Bryant Susan B. is one of my Calendar Girls and she made one also: Duck and Ducklings by Susan B. This is a vintage block and look at how it was published long ago! This appeared in the Kansas City Star with Ruby McKim's signature. Lovely blocks made with lovely fabric!

 . . . is having a five month Quiltalong and it's provided free to all. The NMAI is reflecting on our 250th anniversary and . . . "This five-month, mystery-style quilt along invites quilters and anyone interested in quilting to sew along. You don’t need to be an expert quilter to participate." Here is the first block designed by Lauren Good Day. The blocks will finish to 10". I realized that I didn't want to make 5 little bison, so I enlarged one of them by 200%, made my templates (freezer paper), pulled my fabrics and tested my sewing machine stitches on my scraps. I also wanted the bison to be grazing on grass, so I added some green: My fabrics for the NMAI Quiltalong Here is my bison. Yes, she faces west! Now I need a name for Lady Bison. Any suggestions? Bison block #1 Click that link and you will read about the 5 contributors to this wonderful Quiltalong. I can't wait for the Hawaiian designer (Cissy Serrao) to reveal her block in July. I have a suspic...

This is a repost from last year, but I love this block so much!  Not sure why this block has this name, but, that's the way it's been for about 100 years. Here it is from the early 1920s as shared by Ruby McKim for the Kansas City Star (newspaper). Goose in the Pond is the June 3 block in my new  Block a Day Calendar  and it is 15" square. First, the fabrics I chose: Windham Fabrics:  Moonlit  and Solstice Those 9 patch units are small! I did a lot of piecing, but sometimes you have to change your mind as you go. I didn't like the center square to be the light green. So, yes, I took it apart! 5 horizontal sections of the Goose in the Pond Variation Here is my finished block. Whew- what a lot of pieces! But, I do like that center better with one of the Solstice prints, don't you? Goose in the Pond Variation: 15" block I had a similar block in my 2007 calendar and this is how Patricia Bryant photographed it: Goose in the Pond by Patricia Bryant I really like com...

Here is another vintage block updated with today's fabrics. I ran this block in my first perpetual Block a Day calendar (2007, Martingale). And I certainly wanted to include it in my new version. Steps to the Altar: 12" by Patricia Bryant of Australia  But, hey! Wait a minute! That's not how it appears in my NEW calendar after all! There is another block with the same name and that is shown in today's calendar page. Lots of squares and triangles in each block, but they certainly aren't in the same place! This goes to show you that just because blocks have the same name, they do not always look the same. Either way, this would make a lovely quilt for a wedding.

I have revisited many of my first quilts and it brings me happy memories. I hand quilted the early ones and then moved on to machine quilting for speed (to get published). This was the early 1990s. One that falls between the two methods is this machine embroidery quilt I made using some leftovers from a kids' class I taught one summer in Vacation Bible School. I can't remember what we did, but my daughter Hilary helped me as we worked with 5 different classes of kids in one day - whew! These lovely bright print strips were leftover and I combined them with my new Pfaff 7570 designs: 5" blocks; 1/2" sashings; 33" x 44" quilt with 35 blocks How did I do that? I had a Pfaff card with quilt specific designs on it. These would be captured on a 6" square and would then finish to a 5" block. I used 3 layers (top, batting and backing). Each was a mini quilt. Here are some blocks up close: So many quilt blocks stitched in outline! And some more (yes, I adde...