I've made a lot of quilts with hearts. In fact, the very first quilt I made was a kit I bought from Family Circle magazine that featured hearts and 9 patches. Do you remember those kits that were advertised in the back of the magazines? I think I paid almost $50 for this kit back in the early 1980s! I was choking on the price, and then I saw how easy it would have been for me to have gone to the store to buy the little bits of fabric! NEVER AGAIN HAVE I BOUGHT A KIT!!! My first quilt from a kit (and last quilt from a kit!) I hand quilted it and I still own it. Faded but well loved. Here's a recent quilt block I made using a pattern from 2012. I pulled some Kaffe Fassett prints and supplemented with some blenders. The center Stacked Hearts block (the rectangle) is raw edge appliqué. Stacked Hearts mini: 21" x 21" Here is the first one I made (the original pattern was digital and in my 2012 desktop calendar). Stacked Hearts : 21" x 21" Let me show you some o...

 I found a photo that reminded me that I have been making these pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden (GFG) blocks for well over 10 years. And, for the life of me, I can't find this quilt! Four blocks in a staggered assembly makes for a rectangular quilt. 4 Block Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt There's a secret to these blocks. The top block is stitched like you do by hand using English Paper Piecing. Let me show you the back. I cut the six blue hexagons and then stitched them together into a round. Turned the outside raw edges under and appliquéd them to the light background square. I then covered the center hole with an interfaced yellow hexagon. Machine stitched and appliquéd GFG block The other 3 were made using that technique I shared on Monday which I call Big Block Hexagons. All cut and stitched by machine. No y-seams. All patches cut using my multi-sized 60 degree triangle ruler! Rotary cut patches (NO templates) and machine stitched Can I show you some of the bl...

Yes, I know. I never (hardly ever) sew y-seams. But this block from the desktop calendar by Katja Marek was calling my name. Here is one of the 6 blocks I stitched. I shared these before, but I also was able to finish the table topper and quilt it. This is the January 26 block in the calendar. I upsized the blocks and cut out my patches for machine sewing (and not English Paper Piecing). One of the 6 blocks I made by machine I began with cutting fabric diamonds. This was easy using my standard acrylic ruler - have you ever considered those 60 degree diagonal lines?! 18 diamonds cut for my six Baby Blocks This block is what I would call a traditional Baby Blocks. I begin with a lot of diamonds. Each block uses 3 diamonds and I will be making 6 blocks. Put on your math hat: what is 3 x 6? 18 diamonds! I am using all Kaffe Fassett fabrics for the diamonds. Then what's next? I cut 120 degree triangles from my background fabric: Oversized 120 degree triangles I join two of these odd siz...

Jamestown is a collection by Windham Fabrics released in 2017. They had asked me to design a traditional quilt that could feature their fabrics for a kit to be carried in the Keepsake Quilting Catalog. OK. I can do that! Let me show you the fabric swatch page. Yes, there are a lot of poison greens! And the chrome yellows and purple. What was I going to do? I pitched a few ideas to Windham. Here's the first: a table runner. I just based this on a previous pattern that I still carry in my Etsy shop. It's my Happy Hexie Table Runner and I've made it at least 5 times in various fabrics. It's 29" x 54" and there are no y-seams (of course!) The hexagons and triangles are all rotary cut with NO templates. They didn't want this. OK. I'm used to pink slips. So, I pitched another quilt using more hexagons. And triangles. They said I was getting closer. Then I proposed a 4-Block quilt that resembles a Grandmother's Flower Garden block BUT the patches are rot...

This New Colonies collection of fabrics came out in 2012! Yes, 10 years ago. I shared some of these photos back then (do you even remember?) New Colonies Collection by  Windham Fabrics I began making some Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks, with no plan in mind. These were made using 2" hexagon papers and then once the Grandmother's Block was finished by hand piecing, I stitched the blocks - by machine - onto background squares (12" finished). Grandmother's Flower Garden block Well, how did I cut those hexagons using my Spiderweb/60 degree ruler? Just showing the basics - you've seen this before. Fold 4-1/2" strip in half along length. Align the 2" horizontal ruler line with top raw edges of fabric (because 2" is half of 4" finished). Cut along both sides of the ruler.  *** My ruler markings are not correct in this photo, but the formula is correct. This fabric hexagon is a bit skimpy over the paper. Then open it up and you see the fabric h...

I updated my English Paper Piecing Needle Case from 1930s fabrics to Kaffe Fassett! Lots of bright colors, huh? Has batting "pages" inside for pins and needles. Pockets to hold scissors and EPP papers. Quite sassy, I think! Needle Case closed (6-1/2" x 6-1/2") The little Grandmother's Flower Garden block on the front is made using 1" hexagons. Those hexagons scattered on the side are made from 1-3/4" hexagons. I used a set of pre-cut hexagons I bought several years ago and have been stitching these off and on. No real plans yet. Back pocket holds some pre-cut Kaffe Fassett hexagons (6-1/2" x 13-1/2") There are 2 pockets and four batting "pages" to use for needles and pins. A place for scissors and papers in the pockets In case you've never seen my original Needle Case , I made it in January of 2014! It was published in Modern Patchwork the next Summer. I have the multi-page pattern in my Etsy shop. Here's the original: Ori...