Turning 60 - Diamonds from Windham

Update: My contest for 3 giveaways in the "Leafs Me Happy" blog hop closed at midnight last night, October 10. I am out of town teaching until Saturday, but will select and notify the 3 winners by Sunday. Many thanks to all who shared such nice comments!

I blogged about the Addison Collection a few weeks ago by showing a step by step tutorial for Garden Maze units.

Some of the Addison Collection by Windham Fabrics

Aren't these beautiful?

I asked a quilting friend and fellow teacher, Nancy Bills, to help me with an idea. She is an awesome designer using the AccuQuilt cutters. She thinks like I do (yes, a little crazy at times, but always with a new quilt in mind) and realized that she could get extra patches from the cutter if she loaded larger pieces of fabric. She took home my box of these fabrics and used the 60 degree template/die and cut a huge stack of beautiful diamonds.

Accurate, beautiful 60 degree diamonds cut with the Go Cutter

But what do I mean by getting extra patches? She cut larger than needed rectangles of fabric and the outside excess gives me half-diamonds to use in setting these diamonds in a variety of blocks.

Two diamonds cut per rectangle with extra fabrics for half-diamonds

Now, what am I going to do with them? Am I really up to setting in those y-seams? It's time for me to grow up and do the hard stuff. Yes, I am up to the challenge.

A basic Baby Blocks block

Notice how the seams are pressed and the center "twirled" to stay flat on the front

This will be a continuing theme for the next few weeks. I am off to teach in Kansas City today through Saturday, and when I get home I will pick up where I leave off. But, first, let me show you my Texas Star almost finished. I have discovered another way to piece it, so I have to take the center seam out. But for now, here she is:

Texas Star Block forms a larger hexagon shape

Now, let me show you what Nancy did with her collection of the Addison fabrics. She bought another piece of the beige floral and then cut birdhouses, birds, hearts and created baskets from other wedges, all using the Go Cutter. She will be putting the border on later this week, so I'll update with a better picture by week's end.

Nancy's Baskets & Birds

Basket created by sewing together wedges

What kinds of quilts does Nancy Bills make and teach from? Well, look at this!

This two fabric Pineapple has almost 200 antique buttons sewn on the border.

Nancy has an awesome gallery of quilts. Visit the page that shows all her Pineapple Quilts.

Well, I'm done for the day. I'm packing and getting ready to teach 5 classes in Kansas City. I hope you enjoyed seeing some more of this Addison Collection. I'm not done with it, so stay tuned!