Really? I have MORE? Ha, ha. You don't know me, do you? I shared on Day 1 a lovely, fussy cut cardinal. Remember? Because I'm not afraid of weird numbers, I decided to make this the center of a 15" finished Twisted Hexagon block. That meant that the center is half that (7-1/2" finished), so my template is cut 8" high. Fussy Cutting this awesome cardinal motif And I shared the lovely half-hexagons I cut to surround this lovely creature. I got carried away with cutting so many, but I was able to pick and choose my fabrics from this pile. Next week I will share what else I made with the leftover half-hexagons. Hint: it will be Half Hexagon Week! Half-hexagons cut from 4-1/4" strips Huh? Where did that number come from? A half-hexagon is half the finished height of the whole hexagon it surrounds. Half of 7-1/2" = 3-3/4". Add 1/2" for seams = 4-1/4". See what I mean about not needing a set of templates? You can get ANY of this usin...

Today I'm going to use the new collection by the fabulously talented Laura Heine called Potpourri . And, yes, it is a mix of many things - all of which are beautiful and happy and full of flowers and dragonflies. It is due to be in your local quilt shop in June . As I was working with these fabrics I realized that Laura's fabrics are "low value." Sort of a "blendy" way of working together. You will see this as I share just a few pics. Do you remember the fabrics I shared in early March? I'm going to continue my theme of Twisted Hexagons with these. Potpourri by Laura Heine for Windham Fabrics I ran out of time to do decent photos because I was busy stitching the quilt, so you'll have to come back on Thursday! Here are a few steps of the four Twisted Hexagon blocks that I was ready to stitch. Cutting the whole hexagons (for a 5" finished height). I used my own 60 degree ruler, though any multi-sized triangle ruler will do WITH A BLUNTE...

I teased you with my Festive Chickadee Twisted Hexagon block yesterday and I got the borders on yesterday. I used 2 different prints because I didn't want the chickadees to fly sideways! 9 Little Chickadees: 10" blocks. No set-in seams Yesterday you saw the whole hexagon at the center of a Twisted Hexagon block. You can cut any size whole hexagon using your 60 degree triangle ruler. That info is always included in my patterns and when I teach these workshops. It's not something I came up with; some mathematician discovered it. I'm just happy to pass it along. Just a hint: it all depends on the finished height of the center hexagon; you add 1/2" for seams and cut a strip, fold the fabric and cut with the ruler. The finished height of the half-hexagons is based on the size of the center hexagon. This is a Twisted Hexagon using English Paper Piecing. You can see the individual 6 half-hexagons lined up to join with the center hexagon. This is sewn all by han...

I made one more Twisted Hexagon quilt this week using some leftovers from my Technique Tuesday collection of Festive Chickadees. I couldn't resist. Here's that one little block I shared last week. I'm putting the borders on the quilt today and will share that tomorrow. Twisted Hexagon Chickadees . 10" high block block I have probably made well over a dozen quilts and placemats and coasters using this very simple pattern. Sometimes I let my rotary cutter do the cutting. Other times, I fussy cut the center hexagon motif. Do you remember some of these steps? Here are some of the parts, beginning with the center hexagon. To "fussy cut" means to center a motif within a patch shape. I like to use freezer paper for this as it's easy to trace and see through and I can iron it onto the fabric for ease of cutting out the shape. These motifs are from my 12 block Twisted Hexagon quil t using some motifs from a Kaffe Fasset print. Fussy cutting by using...

Who says my free pattern day has to only be on Fridays? I'm in charge and I was reminded of this pattern I designed for Windham Fabrics a few years ago (2017). I don't think I ever shared it and it's about time I did. This is a nod to Cinco de Mayo (that means "The Fifth of May" en Español). No margaritas for me; just some great fabric! The quilt size is 52" x 52". The center blocks are 12" and the Greek Key border blocks finish to 6". Olé using South of the Border fabrics by Windham Here is a picture of the first set of blocks I proposed. As you can see, we settled on just the cactus in the center and changed up the coloring of the pieced blocks. Those border corner blocks are paper pieced Greek Key units. Draft blocks The quilt uses a block I designed for Quilt Magazine in 2007. It was time I brought it out again! You can see the steps using real fabrics from Benartex in an older post here: Cinco de Mayo . It's really helpf...

Yes, I have more quilts! These were pieced in recent years and have been hanging in my studio closet. I do a lot of teaching and believe in having a LOT of class samples: blocks, block parts, rows, etc. Then I look at my bulging boxes and see that those quilt parts just want to be put together! The first is my Textured Leaves quilt made using my Princess Feather pattern. I blogged about this last year.  And I gave a link to the first quilt I made for Windham Fabrics - it's a FREE download! I also quilted this on my Handi Quilter - 17, 282 stitches! Textured Leaves Princess Feather Quilt: 35" x 42" Here's a look at the plumes up close: Princess Feather plumes If you visit that link above, you will see a few other quilts made using this pattern. Another finish for me has been my class sample for the Flying Swallows quilt . Traditionally this is stitched using y-seams and templates. Not me! That's why it's a fun class to teach. Also quilted on my ...

It's Friday. That means that Part 3 of the Kaffe Fassett Field Notes is here. But I also want to share a quilt I designed and finally finished this last Saturday. My Card Trick blocks are simplified from the vintage/traditional version. I've shared about this before. I also wanted to use two different background prints. It is a real scrap buster! No Tricky Card Trick There are 4 fabrics in each of the 9 blocks (plus the background solids). It was fun to select all sorts of prints and my only criteria was that there be strong contrast. Check it out in my Etsy shop . Now here is the designer himself. This first appeared in February 2009! An Upscale Quilt An Upscale Quilt Field Notes: Kaffe Fassett Having made a name of sorts in many different mediums, I’m often asked by audience members around the world what I’d like to try next. “Scale” is always my answer: I envision covering a large building in tiles, mosaic, or fabric. Last November I fo...