Oh, calm down. Not THAT kind of rattlesnake. Why would I do that to you? I rarely use anyone else's pattern (I don't get paid to do that), but I took a class 20 years ago with the Karen Stone paper pieced Rattlesnake pattern as the feature. I made a quilt out of flannels and it somehow fell into the hands of my daughter who used it for the dog to snuggle in. Want to see that? Original Rattlesnake quilt I used this pattern, published in 1996: Karen Stone's Rattlesnake pattern I have made a variety of units since that first quilt, some made with batiks. These will be stitched into background units to become 10" blocks: Batik paper pieced units This is what the unit looks like from the paper side after trimming: Single foundation Here are some of the batik blocks on my design wall. 10" Rattlesnake blocks being auditioned on my design wall As you may know, I've been sewing a lot with Kaffe Fassett prints in the past year. I thought i

Here is another set of calendar blocks created by Patricia Bryant of Australia. This is Week 13 already! March 26: Honor Badge March 26: Honor Badge, 12" March 27: Square Deal March 27: Square Deal, 12" March 28: Sweet Gum Leaf March 28: Sweet Gum Leaf, 9" March 29: Twenty Triangles March 29: Twenty Triangles, 8" March 30: Whirling Five Patch March 30: Whirling Five Patch, 9" March 31: Windblown Square March 31: Windblown Square, 12" April 1: Fool's Puzzle (Happy April Fool's Day to you!) April 1: Fool's Puzzle, 12" Hope you enjoyed seeing these vintage patterns updated with today's fabrics. See you next week!

Here we are again with new ideas for today's quilters. Benartex has created another issue of Modern by the Yard . Take a look at this cover! Modern by the Yard, Spring 2017 Yummy colors. Five projects. Free. Can't get any better than that! Well, maybe for me - I have an article inside. It's my simplified version of the Winding Ways pattern using the Kismet Collection by Paula Nadelstern. Let's see, huh? Modern Winding Ways from yours truly. Let me show you those yummy fabrics up close: Kismet Collection by Paula Nadelstern And some of the patches I made for the Winding Ways project: Winding Ways patches and background square Go take a look at the FREE eMagazine: Modern by the Yard , for this and four more projects featuring Benartex fabrics.

Thank you for joining me for Week 12 of the Quilter's Block a Day Calendar by Patricia Bryant of Australia. I am just as awed as you are at how Patricia created not only the blocks, but also staged and photographed them for us! March 19:  Millstone March 19" Millstone, 12" The first day of Spring! March 20: Moving Star (don't they all move, or is it us on Planet Earth that move around? Not sure!) March 20: Moving Star, 12"  March 21: Patches and Leaves March 21: Patches and Leaves, 12"  Can I show you my own Patches and Leaves? Why not? It's my blog, right? Patches and Leaves Table Runner March 22: Kaleidoscope March 23: Kaleidoscope, 15"  March 23: Baby Bunting March 23: Baby Bunting, 12  And a Baby Bunting quilt from years past: Baby Bunting Quilt from "Paper Piecing Perfect Points" book March 24: Hill and Valley. Hey! The ants are back! And they brought their neighbors. Better check my

I like sewing with bold prints. I let the fabric do the talking. Let me show you a few of my recent (and not so recent) creations. This first quilt is an updated version of my Dogwood Blossom pattern. I used some solid/blenders from Benartex and the wild and crazy prints of Kaffe Fassett. Such an eye opener! Dogwood Blossom My elephant pattern from several years ago. Updated with an older Kaffe Fassett print (which was waiting patiently in my stash). Just needs to be stitched down. This was part of a Windham Fabrics pattern I wrote called Safari Adventures . The pattern is FREE on the Windham site. Elephant applique from Safari Adventures pattern Get your sunglasses! This pattern was taken from another one I wrote for Windham. I used Kaffe Fassett fabrics and some bold orange and purple batiks. Basically a simplified version of Double Wedding Ring. Those purple melon shapes are raw edge appliqued to the orange and then to the floral underneath! Mambo table runner

. . . as in Crazy Quilt! (Though my family might want to put that label on me at times!) I came across these bookmarks buried in my batting closet. Batting closet, you say? Yes, I have a very narrow closet in the hall bathroom that I keep all sorts of extra batting samples in. I was cutting batting for an upcoming machine quilting workshop and these were hiding in there. Maybe because it was so soft and cozy, huh? Crazy pieced bookmarks using scraps of batiks These were part of a class I taught (I think). They were pieced on paper and then backed with a single piece of fabric, all stitched together with a button hole stitch on the edges. Book Mark backs And a postcard I made over 10 years ago. Again, batiks with a feather stitch and some glitzy gold ricrac! Aren't scraps fun when they're used this way? Crazy patch postcard How about an amazing vintage quilt! A giant star with crazy pieced squares surrounding it. What a strong statement of color! An

Another week, another set of beautiful blocks by Patricia. Get ready to put your Irish Green on, because this week celebrates St. Patrick's Day with Irish themed blocks. March 12: Four Tulips March 12: Four Tulips, 9" March 13: Good Luck (isn't the number 13 unlucky?) March 13: Good Luck I actually made a quilt (more than one, in fact) using the Good Luck pattern , but I used a quick cutting technique that eliminates these odd shaped templates. Check it out on my Craftsy pattern page. Good Luck Quilt with 13-1/4" blocks. 79" x 79" quilt size And a smaller version made with juvenile prints which I gave away to a charity that donates these to children in hospitals. Pattern for BOTH of these quilts is in my Craftsy shop: Good Luck Quilt Four Block Good Luck Quilt March 14: Rocky Road to Dublin Variation March 14: Rocky Road to Dublin Variation, 12" March 15: Shamrocks March 15: Shamrocks, 6" March 16: Lucky Clove

I love yarn; almost as much as I love fabric. I love the texture, the colors, the multitudes of things I can create. And I discovered that I can collect yarn as quickly as I collect fabric. Who says I have to have a plan to buy it? It just looks so pretty sitting on my shelves. And my coffee table. And the stool in my kitchen. And . . . Sometimes I'm given samples and that's the case with this set of four skeins of Fair Isle . I'm not sure how they found me (I'm a quilter, OK?), but I am a serious crocheter and you can't crochet without yarn! Four skeins of Fair Isle yarn This is not the high end yarn you find in specialty yarn shops (though I truly love that, too). This is quality yarn that feels good in my hands, plays nice with my hooks, and is very affordable (which means I can buy more of it!) Let me show you what I made with that green and gold variegated Barclay  (195 yards). The color is called " Surf ." (Surf? It's the middle of wint