June Coffee Pot for the 2018 Tea Party BOM

The 6th block in our 2018 Tea Party BOM is the Coffee Pot (OK; you can call it a Cocoa Pot).  I love this fabric from several years ago. I actually appliquéd this block in the mid 2000s for a class I taught in Atlanta.

Coffee/Cocoa Pot

As I said before, I made the background squares a variety of sizes. For this one, it is 10-1/2" square. Here is another one I made using a divided background. I don't like it and am going to take it apart. Good thing I didn't use fusible appliqué on the back! I had fusible interfacing ironed to the wrong side of the fabric to stabilize the raw edges. Double sided fusible would have made this permanent.

Coffee Pot on two color background

And here it is from the back so you can see my simple machine zigzag stitch. Little snippets of paper still attached. I often stabilize my appliqué with newsprint on the back so that "tunneling" doesn't occur. What's that? It's when the top stitches begin to scrunch together and create what looks like a tunnel because they are too close together. The feed dogs on a sewing machine are zigging and zagging back and forth and the fabric is too weak to fight back (my version of what this means!)

Coffee Pot from back

And here's the template:

Freezer paper template

I've also added an updated version of a vintage Kansas City Star block for a tea pot (or coffee/cocoa pot). I used the same fabrics as I did with the Cream and Sugar blocks from April.

Cream and Sugar Bowl made with the Mimosa Collection

 And here's my vintage tea pot updated! It's available on my Craftsy site.

Vintage Coffee or Tea Pot

I have a Facebook group where you are welcome to come and share your blocks as you make them. This block is FREE for the month of June ONLY. You can find January - June on my Craftsy site if you are just joining us.

June Blocks from my Quilter's Block a Day Calendar

Are you confused yet? Do you know which calendar I'm talking about? Sometimes I even confuse myself!

I'm talking about the perpetual calendar that was a best seller for 10 years, published by Martingale (That Patchwork Place). In 2016, Patricia Bryant made a block a day and completed all 366 of those blocks. I featured them each week in 2017. In case you missed those links, I've got them here.

June 4-10: Week 23
June 11-17: Week 24
June 18-24: Week 25
June 25-July 1: Week 26

(The links to the free patterns on those pages are no longer available - sorry.)

This group of 30 blocks in two sizes is a treasure trove of patterns! These are for the month of June. (I have to release this early since I reveal the next BOM for the 2018 Tea Party on the first of the month)

I've also included two quilt patterns and a tutorial on how to make half-square triangles quick!

Here are the two patterned quilts. One of them, Arkansas Meadow Rose, is a favorite of mine and I still own the one I made about 20 years ago.

Arkansas Meadow Rose: 49" x 49"

Here's the block. It is a traditional, vintage pattern from the early 1900s.

Arkansas Meadow Rose block by Patricia Bryant

 And my real quilt.

Arkansa Meadow Rose Quilt

And the second quilt offered in this compendium of June blocks is Idaho Beauty: 35" x 57". Big 20" blocks!

Idaho Beauty

Here's Patricia's Idaho Beauty block:

Idaho Beauty (in the center) by Patricia Bryant

47 pages of blocks in TWO sizes. All templates full size for tracing. Clear rotary cutting directions. All this for $8.00!

The last time I checked Amazon, this calendar (now out of print) sells for $325! (Ha, ha. Yes, someone is trying to sell it for that; but it's still available for $25 - whew!)

May Projects from my 2018 Quilter's Block a Day Calendar

Let's see some of the projects in my calendar that I patterned for the month of May. I think you will like them! One is for Memorial Day (today).

Gathering Blooms combines appliqué with piecing and sets 7 of the 11 blocks on point. Block Sizes: 8" and 12". Quilt Size: 52" x 73"

Gathering Blooms

Garden Paths uses 12" blocks and finishes to 58" x 58"

Garden Paths Quilt

And the last quilt in May takes center stage for honoring those on Memorial Day. Hooray, USA! has two sizes of blocks: 8" and 16". And finishes to 56" x 56".

Hooray, USA!

These projects will eventually be moved over to my Craftsy site. There are so many wonderful blocks - new and vintage. In my 26 years of professional quilting, I've made MANY of these blocks.

Here is my Americana Salute quilt made many years ago and gifted to a Gold Star mother who lost her son in Afghanistan.

Americana Salute

I hope to bring you more projects each month. Like I said, maybe I should have been doing this all along?!

2019 Block a Day Calendar is Coming!

This is my 13th year creating this calendar. It's hard to believe I still have ideas remaining in my head (I'm working on the 2020 calendar/contract right now)

Here is a sneak peek at the cover and one of the projects:

2019 Quilt Block a Day Calendar

The above link will take you to Amazon (I do NOT have any of those annoying affiliate links with $$). Just check it out.

Here is the back cover:

Back cover of calendar for 2019

And an October project that is featured on Amazon:

Autumn Colors Quilt

One of the blocks:

Autumn Blooms Block

And the cutting for making the block:

The back of the color page shows cutting

 This is where I tear my hair out: the fabric calculations for each project. I DO NOT work in Electric Quilt which would have you purchase WAY more fabric than needed. I do this the old fashioned way - with my brain and a calculator.

The yardage amounts and cutting for sashing and borders/binding

You can visit the publisher's web site and order it from there, too. Andrews McMeel is the world's largest calendar publisher, so I'm just a small fry in such a big skillet!

Visit AMM and you will find two other online links to purchase this calendar. Don't ask me why they don't aggressively market to quilt shops! I've stopped asking. If you are familiar with this calendar and buy it from your local quilt shop, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!

I hope to share multiple pictures of the quilt projects in the coming weeks. I think you'll agree: they are pretty amazing. I even got some modern quilts in there (no kidding!)

Seven Sisters Quilt for Today's Quilters

Just because you know how to - and can - sew a y-seam, doesn't mean you want to!

The traditional Seven Sisters block involves a LOT of y-seams. Did I say A LOT? Of course, there aren't any y-seams when you let the embroidery machine do all the stitching! This is over 20 years old!

Embroidered Seven Sisters

Now, what does one of those 6-Pointed Stars look like? Here is the beginning of my English Paper Pieced (EPP) Seven Sisters quilt. Each star is made using 12 diamonds. Yes, lots of y-seams.

English Paper Pieced 6-Pointed Stars

And here it is with the other "sisters."

Seven Sisters table topper (EPP)

 And here is what it looks like from the wrong side, before I removed the papers.

EPP Seven Sisters from the wrong side

I don't hand sew much. I wanted to make this quilt using my sewing machine. And NO y-seams! I took out the y-seams and created my workshop for making the Seven Sisters. Here are my classroom samples. This is made from rotary cut diamonds and two sizes of easy-to-cut triangles. Yes, some of the diamonds are made from triangles - and that's the SECRET to this pattern!

Seven Sisters in batiks

 And one that is quilted! You can get more details at my Craftsy site (where I sell the pattern).

Seven Sisters in warm browns and pinks

One of my students shared her Seven Sisters top with me. Thank you, Denese Rudolph. (Are you beginning to see my "secret" piecing?)

Seven Sisters by Denese Rudolph

I saved the best for last. One of my students in Arizona last October is also a teacher at the local junior college. She actually teaches quilting! Ann Marie Stegan ordered patterns and rulers for her students and they set out to make their own Seven Sisters quilts. A big WOW here!

Ann Marie's students with finished toppers

 And some close up:

Look at these beautiful quilts - and students!

Seven Sisters without y-seams!

 And one last pic:

Ann Marie Stegan's student quilts

Thank you, ladies. I love your work. I love your color choices. And I know you had a great time because everything was straight-seam sewing. Easy to cut; easy to stitch.

You can read more about the pattern by clicking the links above. You will need a multi-sized 60 degree triangle ruler for cutting the triangles. The diamonds are cut using a standard acrylic ruler.

Hope you enjoyed the show - and thanks for stopping by. (I read ALL your comments; my computer and browser won't let me comment on my own blog! So, if you include an email I will get back to you soon if I'm not traveling and teaching.)

Latest Issue of Modern by the Yard

Don't you just love all the color in this magazine cover? I know they chose hot pink because it's one of my favorite colors, right? Modern by the Yard is a FREE eMagazine published by Benartex and I have a block inside.

Modern by the Yard, Issue #6

You will find the link to this at the top of the SewInLoveWithFabric blog.

And what does my block look like? I was asked to create something modern using the traditional Flying Geese block. I had used this block in my 2017 Quilter's Block a Day calendar and just recolored it. I have a HUGE Flying Geese folder that includes all sorts of published blocks from my 25 years in this profession (14 years as Special Projects Editor).

Bali Dots was my designated fabric collection. Click that link to see these awesome batiks!

Day and Night Geese is my 12" block. I added the black line strokes so you could see the patches.

Day and Night Geese

And what do 4 of these look like together? Don't you love the spin?

4 Day and Night Geese taking a spin

Take a visit to the Benartex blog to see this beautiful magazine and get some free patterns and lots of eye-candy!

Hey, Hey! USA: Get Ready for Memorial Day

I created three large 18" blocks using an Americana collection by Windham Fabrics a few years ago.

U.S.A. Collection by Windham Fabrics

I created Stars and Stripes (the July BOM in my Galaxy of Stars quilt) two years ago.

12" Stars and Stripes block

 I invited my friend Jeannine to share these fabrics with me. We each took 4 fat quarters and then I split the remaining 4 fat quarters in halves. We went to our sewing rooms and came up with some fun things. Actually, Jeannine had the better ideas. To a professional quilter, EVERYTHING is a quilt. Jeannine is more broad minded and came up with some clever things. Let me show you.

Her first projects were banners, which created scraps and leftovers (banners shown further down. She also made a basket liner. She felt she needed to use up the scraps (silly girl; who uses up scraps? We just buy more fabric!)

Basket liner and star trivet by Jeannine

 Can you believe this awesome coin purse and key ring?

Scraps of the scraps from Jeannine's banner projects

She had more scraps and made a mug rug for her daughter's friend who loves all things patriotic. Jeannine paper pieced that "K."

Mug rug for a friend of Jeannine's daughter in college

Jeannine made not one, but two wall banners. Basic stars with elongated lower sections. Jeannine served in the US Army for 20 years and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Wall banners by Jeannine.

She tells me she still has scraps. What? Do you think you have to use up all your scraps? I would need 7 lives or take my sewing machine up to heaven with me!

Now, let's see what the (ho hum) professional quilter made. Surprise! A quilt!

I enlarged 3 of my blocks from my Block a Day Calendar. You can find blocks from my calendar these at my Craftsy store.

Old Glory Star is at the top of my 3 block banner. Can you see the "fireworks" quilting?

Old Glory Star: 18" x 18"

The middle block is Yankee Charm:

Yankee Charm: 18" x 18"

And, finally at the bottom, Star Spangled Banner. I longarm quilted these with swirls and stars that look like fireworks. I used my Handi Quilter Sweet 16 Sit Down machine.

Star Spangled Banner: 18" x 18"

Now for all 3 blocks together, making an 18" x 54" wall banner that is now in my kitchen for the weekend (and probably throughout July). I sewed them together, block to block, and just added binding (a blue and white stripe from Windham's Basics Collection).

Hey, Hey! USA wall banner

Take some time to try out these patterns. You will love making such big blocks!

Bubbles and Hexagons

Sometimes what's old is new again. I made this little quilt 22 years ago (1996) and it was published in Quilt Magazine in 1997. Nothing new to this even at that time.

Half Hexagon Jewel, 1996

The beauty of this is the vertical row piecing using a half-hexagon shape. This is a small quilt and my template was also small. It's one of my "oldie goldie" quilts and I treasure it.

You've seen all the tutorials around on the internet hailing a "new" way to make whole hexagons with no y-seams. As you can see, there are whole hexagons in my little quilt; they're just made up of two half-hexagons!

Here's my latest quilt that I call Bubbles and Hexagons. The Bubbles part comes from all the circles in the fabrics! I used a jelly roll (2-1/2" strips) and cut them using my new 2-1/2" half-hexagon template. I added the squaring off of the top and bottom of the quilt center so I wouldn't chop off the points of those beautiful hexagons! And can you believe that awesome border print I've had hanging around in my stash for about 8 years?!

Bubbles and Hexagons: 41" x 51"

Trust me: this was pieced in vertical rows using only half-hexagons. Just compare it with my vintage little Half Hexagon Jewel at the top. Nothing new here!

I'm teaching my Half Hexagon Braid quilt this week to a Virginia guild and they wanted to make it using 2-1/2" strips. I started to make another Braid quilt and then realized I didn't want another one! I had shared my little Jewel quilt on my Facebook page last month and so decided to make these fabrics work for whole hexagons.

Here's my Half-Hexagon Braid quilt (I've made quite a few). I've taught this close to 2 dozen times. I'm hoping this is my last time. I want to turn my samples into a real quilt!

Half Hexagon Braid using my 3" half-hexagon template. 35" x 49"

And here's the one that was published in Fons and Porter several years ago. They still sell the pattern (and I get no royalties). This was made using a 2-1/2" half hex template. There is NO trimming of the vertical sides; the short sides of the half hexagons form the left and right sides of these rows! Look closely and you'll see what I mean.

Batik Braid Quilt: 49" x 54"

I'm just finishing up another Bubbles and Hexagons quilt using 4-1/2" (cut height) half-hexagons. Of course, I cut those using my multi-sized 60 degree triangle ruler. I don't have a half-hexagon template for that. This is PERFECT for Layer Cakes. You can get two of these half-hexagons from each 10" square.  Here is the quilt center: 48" x 51". I have to think about a border.

Batik Bubbles Quilt: 48" x 51"

This will be a new class/workshop that I will offer for the Fall. I will get the pattern up on my Craftsy site. You probably don't have a half-hexagon template, but you can cut ANY size half (and whole) hexagon with a multi-size 60 degree triangle. My pattern for these quilts will, of course, include a paper template and clear instructions for cutting these shapes with a triangle ruler. I've blogged about this technique many times here. Once you see the technique, you probably don't need the pattern!

Hope you enjoyed my show. Remember, there's almost nothing new under the sun, especially when it comes to quilting. I've seen it all in my 26 years in the profession and I never get tired of seeing updates with today's fabrics!