When I teach workshops, I tend to over-prepare with sample steps and blocks. I certainly did that for my Rose Star class! I made 2 table toppers and then had enough samples to make 2 more! Here is my latest using some Windham fabrics called Aria. The outside border is from Benartex. Aria Rose Star : 44" x 45" I simple "squared" it up on the sides, added some piecing top and bottom and then inner and outer borders. This will be a small lap quilt for a local hospital infusion unit where things are pretty chilly for those sitting, getting their treatments. BUT - I also said in my title that there is a Rose Star on the back (or at least part of one). Samples from the block steps worked very nice for the center back: Pieced back with sample block parts Personally, I prefer a pieced back, though it truly is a bit more work. It makes it fun, especially when there are novelty prints for a little kid's quilt. Here is my first Rose Star : Rose Star table topper: 30" ...

Have you ever loved a group of fabrics that you've made more than one quilt? Here is the Norma Rose collection by Windham that I used to make 3 quilts! Today I'm sharing the second quilt which is made of basic 60 degree diamonds surrounded by strips and then set with large triangles. That luscious, bold floral print was calling to me! Large diamonds surrounded by 1-1/2" strips I use my standard 6" x 12" ruler with those special 60 degree diagonal lines to cut my diamonds. You've seen this before. You do NOT NEED any funky, specialty rulers to do this! Cutting 60 degree diamonds with a 4-1/2" measurement from flat side to flat side. I sewed until I couldn't get any more diamonds. Time to put the 8 blocks together. I did have to dip into another collection for those top and bottom center triangles. 8 Norma Rose Diamond Blocks: 34" x 39-1/2" These are REALLY tall diamonds - 19-1/2" finished (point to point). 11-1/2" wide (from point ...

Today is June 17 and my Block a Day calendar (desktop, spiral bound) features the traditional Idaho Beauty block. It's really four 10" star blocks. Idaho Beauty block by Patricia Bryant If you have the calendar, then the free pattern will make sense to you. If you don't have it, I think you can probably figure out the patch dimensions. (and yes, for a SHORT time I will have the block pattern here; then I will take it down). I created a quilt shop program called Calendar Girls and this was the free featured pattern for June. Idaho Beauty Quilt : 35" x 57" I also designed it for Blank Quilting Fabrics 15 years ago. Here's my digital rendition: Idaho Beauty using the Jessica fabrics collection Click on the link which will take you to a 3 page pdf. Here is the cutting info for the block. I used it in one of my other calendars (2018). Enjoy!

Today is June 14 and I created a block for my Block a Day Calendar and called it "Salute." It's an 8" size. Here is what Patricia Bryant did with it. It's that a regal eagle?! 8" Salute block by Patricia Bryant Yankee Charm appears later in the calendar. I made it using some USA fabrics from Windham: Yankee Charm from July And Old Glory Star: Old Glory Star And the New York Block (from my Hey, Hey, USA banner) Very much in the colors of Flag Day! I obviously upsized the blocks to 18". I gave the banner to a local friend who is very much involved in getting people to vote. I know she loves it! I hope you do, too. Hey, Hey, USA banner

Love 'em or hate 'em - we can't survive without their place in our food chain! Even when they're buzzing around your plate of food or your head, just leave them alone. They don't want to sting you. But, can you believe it? We quilters have a Honey Bee block! This is from Patricia Bryant of Australia. Honey Bee block (10") from my Block a Day calendar This block is featured in the calendar for today (June 13). I've made it once or twice in the past, though I don't have any quilts to show for it. It first appeared in the Kansas City Star newspaper in 1929. Honey Bee pattern as it appeared in 1929 And how about this sweet crocheted table topper? I found it on the internet, but didn't save the maker's name. Very clever use of these hexagons! Certainly in keeping with the bee hive shapes! Honey Bee crocheted topper Hope you enjoyed seeing these bees - and I promise, they won't sting you!

Here is another quilt created with the awesome Sashiko Collection by Windham Fabrics. I appliquéd circles to hexagon background units. Set them with red 60 degree triangles. I shared the post last July. Check it out . I figured I could quilt it myself on my HandiQuilter Sweet16 (sit down) and did just that. I had a very old border print, some binding, but had to really dig around for some backing fabrics. Here's the finished quilt: Circles of the East: 42" x 42" Here are the circles I cut from the Sashiko prints: Then I appliquéd them to larger hexagons: I had enough for the front, but I got a little creative with the backing. I had this awesome 20" square of cotton decorator fabric with a beautiful bird in a tree print. I centered it with two other fabrics, and this is what I got. Back of Circles of the East I made a 4 block Kimono quilt using these same Sashiko fabrics and shared it here before (in 2020).  Four Block Kimono Quilt: 42" x 42" I did share th...

I have made a few Carpenter's Wheel quilts over the years. In fact, one of them was in my suitcase that was stolen on a road trip in 2005! Never did get it back. If you see this, let me know . . . Carpenter's Wheel, made in 2003. 20" x 20" I foundation paper pieced the quilt above. It was a bit difficult in the way I drafted it, but it worked. NO y-seams! When it was stolen, a good friend of mine decided to make a replacement quilt so I could take it on the road teaching and lecturing (it was on loan). Joan was gracious to let me do that. Here is her quilt. She enlarged it with those extra mitered borders. Joan's Carpenter's Wheel She even allowed me to take it Spain when I visited my daughter in 2006. I arranged to have a trunk show with a local quilt shop (owned by an American married to a Spaniard). Here I am letting some ladies look at it up close. I saw a quilt online that mimicked  the Carpenter's wheel without the center star. I can draft anything, ...

Sometimes I have extra blocks from making the quilt top and rather than make a potholder or trivet (or put them into a box to languish for years), I incorporate them into the quilt backing. Here is a recent quilt finish from my Magic Triangles class. I first did the pattern for Creative Grids and then that morphed into a popular workshop. Magic Triangles using the Holiday Splendor fabric collection. 46" x 48" I had a LOT of this fabric and made several quilts from it. The first is my One Day Lone Star. This was a free pattern for Blank Quilting about 10 years ago. Here is one of the units from the quilt at the top of the page. I had a few of these left over and figured they could be much happier joining their fabric buddies than spending their later years in some box in my closet! Magic Triangles unit I had some smaller units: Magic Triangles leftover units Put two together into a vertical row (twice): I made two of these vertical units Added 30 degree setting triangles on th...

My perpetual calendar (Martingale, 2007) has the Arkansas Meadow Rose as the block for today, June 1. This is a vintage block from the early 1900s. Here's a photo of the block made by Patricia Bryant and the calendar page: Arkansas Meadow Rose: 10" block I made a quilt from that vintage block about 30 years ago. I still own it! First, let me share the simple digital art. I made the blocks in a 12" size and the full quilt is 44" x 44" Arkansas Meadow Rose: 44" x 44" And an old photo of the quilt: Arkansas Meadow Rose: 44" x 44" Yes, it's very predictable in it's assembly. But look at a copy of the page as it appeared in the Kansas City Star in 1935! That is a lot of piecing with odd shaped templates. I streamlined the entire thing. I get my best inspiration from these vintage patterns. But I have no desire to make them as they originally were executed! I hope you have a marvelous June 1 (a Saturday with the sun shining and cool breezes...