National Sewing Month

Wow! A whole month dedicated to sewing. But, wait! I sew all year long; doesn't that count? September is National Sewing Month and I have been thinking about what I will be featuring on this blog in the next few weeks.

A section of my Dancing Pots Quilt featured in my 2014 wall calendar of quilts

I have been going dotty sewing up a pile of blocks and small quilts featuring DOTS. This is for the Dots on Dots Blog Hop that begins September 10. My day for revealing my creations is September 14, so if you're not on my email list and want to see all the blocks (birds, birdhouses, maybe an owl - I'm not saying anymore) - go sign up! I always include FREE patterns for these things, so there's always something new in your list of things to sew.

Paper Pieced Cardinal

This paper pieced cardinal was featured in Quilt Magazine several years ago. I hope I can find the pattern for this in the next few days. Where are you Cardinal?

But what's a bird without a birdhouse? I have been upsizing several of my paper pieced birdhouses (I have 25+ that are included in my "Best of Quilter by Design" CD) and it's been fun to sew them in a larger size (10" height). Then I had a thought last night: Why not have a Birdhouse Quilt-a-Long? Well, WHY NOT? And that's what I'm going to do! A FREE paper pieced Birdhouse Block every month, sewn up in today's luscious fabrics. These are not teeny-tiny blocks (you can get those on my CD).

So, what do they look like? Here are pictures of the patterns:
Birdhouse Set #1
Birdhouse Set #2

Here's a Sneak-Peek at the first block I super-sized (pattern coming September 14). I used some blenders from Blank Fabrics. Don't you love that swirly print?
From 3" x 6" to a larger 6" x 12" (all foundation pieced)

First Apartment Birdhouse© - 6" x 12"

I have a great love for antique blocks, their history, and antique quilts. I have many quilts inspired by those blocks and plan on sharing them here. National Sewing Month is a good time to do that.

Giant Rose Block

This quilt appeared in Quilt Magazine several years ago. I received it from my editor, who found it in an antique shop and didn't want to do anything with it. How big was it? 36" x 36"! I gave it a simple 9 Patch border treatment and here she is. She no longer lives with me. I gifted her to an admirer, but I will have the pattern for that sometime this month.

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to come back a few times this month, ESPECIALLY ON SEPTEMBER 14 when my DOTS ON DOTS blocks are revealed. In the meantime, remember to take time for sewing every day!