I realized I had begun a Pinterest board  a few years ago that featured a few dozen of my charity quilt finishes. I checked it out the other day and then I added a few more dozen and still have some catching up to do! Currently there are 70 quilts sewn and donated with another 2+ dozen to go. These range from 2018 - 2023. Retired workshop sample = happy child's quilt! Remember, I have sewn for a living for 30 years. I'm swimming in fabric and several fabric companies have been very generous to me during that time. I belong to a local quilt guild that makes it very easy on me. For example, this next quilt uses last season's Merry and Mod Collection by Windham Fabrics. Arrowheads class sample with fun letters border print: 40" x 40" How does my quilt guild make it easy? I just sew the top. Jeanne C. finds a backing and longarm quilts it. I put the binding on and it's done! Can you say EASY? This next quilt was begun over 10 years ago and was a class sample. It w...

As I mentioned on Monday, if I love the prints in a particular collection I will sew until I have nothing left! That was the case with Windham's Bella by Lotta Jansdotter (2012). Look at these fun prints! Bella fabrics by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham These modern, free-form images were a very new concept to me in 2012. No matter where you cut, you were slicing off some part of a motif! It was a little scary. The first thing I created was a house. I built it from the windows outward! I just pieced until I was done. I had been hoping that Modern Patchwork Magazine (now out of print) would pick it up. Very modern looking, right? But I got pink slipped. I was shocked until I realized that it wasn't that they didn't like it - they wouldn't be able to pattern it! Too improv. Bella's House outside celebrating with the flowers Then I made some trivets for my daughter. I used strips and cut them using my 60 degree triangle ruler. I made 4 separate trivets, lined them and the...

Thanks to all of you who let me know I'm not blogging into the air and that you really are reading what I share. This makes my quilts SO happy. They like being Block Stars! The winner of the 4 fat quarter bundle of Lotta Jansdotter's Follie fabrics (orange and gray) is Sherry B. from Greensboro, North Carolina. Congratulations, Sherry! 4 fat quarters in orange and gray And the winner of the 5 fat quarter bundle is Melanie T. from Oregon. Congratulations to you, too, Melanie! 5 fat quarters in blue, pink and gray They will be mailed out today or tomorrow. Congratulations ladies!  I'm thinking of doing this again with a simple contest. People love giveaways and I have a LOT of beautiful fabric just waiting to be used. I have one other collection by Lotta Jansdotter called Bella. No fabric left because I stitched up all of it. I'll be sharing some of those projects later this week. I'm binding one of the quilts I began back in 2012 with leftovers from another quilt! He...

This is a repost from when it was shared on the Benartex blog site (no longer working). It's a technique I come back to again and again. Liberty Garden is a beautiful collection of flowers and colors from 2017. I received all 33 of the skus, but I narrowed it down to just six for the project I had in mind.  Six fabrics chosen from Liberty Garden For this mini project, I decided to revisit some of my 3-D hexagons, yo-yos and prairie point flower leaves. First, let's see what I mean for the folded hexie! Then I think you'll understand my steps. 3-D Folded Hexagon Other techniques begin with circles. Who can cut a perfect circle? Not me! Plus, there aren't any points of orientation with a circle. I like to start with a hexagon. These are easily cut using a multi-size 60 degree ruler. This is my Creative Grids ruler. I like to practice with construction paper. That way, if I make a mistake, it's only paper! (The pattern for this will folded hexagon be included at the en...

Next to a hexagon, I love circles the best! They have so many possibilities for quilt design. And I've combined the hexagon and circle for some new blocks using the Sashiko Collection (Windham Fabrics). I blogged about this fabric last year.  Sashiko Fabrics by Windham Here is some REAL hand stitched sashiko by yours truly. I've been working on this, off and on, for about 15 years. Hand stitching some sashiko More sashiko Now for my circles. I used a cottage cheese lid (the same size as a CD) for the circle. I interfaced it (with a used dryer sheet!) Easy interfaced circles Then I turned them right side out and centered them on a 6-1/2" high fabric hexagon. I machine zigzag stitched them using monofilament thread. Invisible. Beautiful. No handwork! Sashiko circle and hexagon block Now it's time to clip away both the interfacing and the background fabric (to reduce bulk). I made 16 blocks (and need one more). Here is my idea: It's a slight variation on my  Big Block...

 It's been awhile since I've had some giveaways and my reason for this today is two fold: I want to hear from you I need to destash! I never know how many of you actually read my blog. Google blogs have changed the way they keep me informed and I honestly don't want to talk to the air! So, I figured I would have a chance for you (USA only, sorry) to win some fabrics. INTERNATIONAL folks - you can win a free pattern from my Etsy shop! What am I offering? Two bundles from the Follie Collection from Windham Fabrics that have waited in my closet for way too long! Bundle #1: 5 fat quarters in the pink and blue and gray Bundle #2: 4 fat quarters in the orange and gray How do you enter to win? Either leave me a comment here on the blog and tell me that you do read my posts from time to time OR send me an email (because I know some of you can't get into the blog to do that: kratovil@his.com). If you leave a comment here, make sure Google knows your email or I have no way to con...

Fairy Frost and Gingham Play are fabrics from Michael Miller. I had two large sets of these and had a project in mind. I pulled coordinating fabrics from each line and began cutting to make some awesome English Paper Piecing blocks.  Gingham Play and Fairy Frost I used 2" hexagon papers and 1" (2" on the long sides) jewels to make the hearts I've shared these blocks before. The large background squares (15" x 15") are also cut from fat quarters. Grandmother's Flower Garden with Hearts, pinks Here is one in orange. I used a soft print for the backgrounds. GFG in oranges I made 9 blocks and thought about how to put them together. I wanted more color and added sashing around each block.  Bright rainbow fabrics for sashings Boring. So, I added the corner triangles and that made me happy. Adding corner triangles to each block And here are the 9 blocks for my quilt center: Grandma's Garden quilt in the garden: 56" x 56" I still have more Gingham...