Sometimes I just want to sew. I upsized some Dogtooth borders for foundation piecing and got to work using some 2-1/2" strips of Kaffe Fassett fabrics that I had on hand. What are my plans? I really don't know. Who says I have to have a plan? Foundation Pieced Dogtooth strips What size are they? 4" wide and about 12" long (finished). Dogtooth strip before trimming  And can we see the front? Trimmed. Can you see those 1/4" seam allowances? Then I had a thought to add these to my Pickle Dish quilt center. This is a new class I am teaching and is based on a pattern from American Patchwork & Quilting (yes, I asked permission). I tweaked the pattern in so many ways so that it is teachable and for my students to be able to stitch it. Here are my steps: Three of the fabrics  I always make a cutting template for odd shaped patches, rather than use squares or rectangles, which can result in a LOT of fabric waste. Cutting Template  These a...

I'm back with some more Winding Ways quilts. It's also called Wheel of Mystery. But, you may ask, besides buying a set of templates, how did someone think this up in the first place? How was this design formed way back in the Age of the Dinosaurs?! First, let's look at a few blocks: 10" blocks using shot cottons and Kaffe Fassett fabrics And an old quilt or two: Appliquéd Winding Ways And another one. This appears in my 2012 Wall Calendar of Quilts (which has 13 quilt patterns). But I've also added it as a single pattern for this black and white (and rainbow) quilt, too. Check it out here: EZ Winding Ways Quilt . EZ Winding Ways . 10" Blocks; 55" x 55" quilt Now let's see how this block is created: Simple Winding Ways block Take note of the colors. Each color in that picture above is part of a circle. Let's start with the first set of circles with that square. Draw a square. Now draw a circle twice the size. My square...

As you may know, I've designed quilts for publication for close to 25 years. Between my 14 years as Special Projects Editor for Quilt Magazine, my 3 books, my 13 Block a Day desktop calendars and 3 wall calendars of quilts - I honestly think at times that my brain is empty! We're not talking hundreds of patterns; we're talking thousands! Yikes! 2017 Block & Quilt Pattern Calendar So, I've been thinking of creating some adult coloring books featuring a LOT of quilts. What do you think? Do you enjoy coloring? Do you like themes, like Stars, Vintage 30s series, Civil War, Applique Baskets, etc? I've approached two of my publishers and we'll see what they say. I can always get them up on my Craftsy site. And you know that I always offer a LOT of FREE patterns. So, let's just say this is FREE PATTERN FRIDAY, ok? So, here are a few small projects you can color. They are pdf and you can print multiples of the black and white pages and color to y...

I have been working with shot cottons for over ten years. The first ones were those of Kaffe Fassett. While the colors were great, the "hand" was pretty flimsy. They were quite pricey, but so thin that I honestly didn't enjoy sewing with them. Here are a few of my quilts made with the shots. Beautiful to behold, though! My Zig Zag quilt My Cobblestones Quilt is a combination of shots (for the solids) and the bold Kaffe Fasset florals. Two easy blocks alternate using a variety of textures. You really need "solids" to showcase the beauty of print fabrics. Cobblestones Quilt And my "famous" Princess Feather (a free pattern, btw). That ochre colored background for the feathers is a Kaffe Fassett shot cotton. This appeared in my Supersize 'Em Quilts book and is a remake of one I made for Windham a few years earlier. The free pattern is on the Craftsy site and was made with the Regency Dandy fabrics by Windham. Princess Feather, beaut...