Red Hot Flash is a quilt I designed for Blank Quilting in 2012. It's perfect for sets of 2-1/2" strips in two colors or several. The technique goes back 10 years before that when I first began making my Gretchen Quilt - no templates, of course! This quilt as shown is 59" x 70". (Yes, I shared the pattern again in 2019, but there are always new folks to this blog.) Red Hot Flash  by Debby Kratovil for Blank Quilting This is what I said in 2012: Well, I guess it's the nature of my age, that I would name a quilt after how I feel all the time. Why doesn't my husband understand that I need to have the AC turned down to 50 degrees? This pattern is for a brand new quilt I designed and sewed for Blank Quilting using ONLY one set of 2-1/2" strips. One set of 40 strips (2-1/2") Their sets of 40 strips are called Fabrications and other than the binding and a black and white swirly background print, I used all of the 40 strips for this 59" x 70" quilt...

I always say: "The fabric makes the quilt!" If you sew with beautiful fabrics, you will end up with a beautiful project. I have always delighted in working with Benartex fabrics and have sewn with them since 2000 when I worked with Quilt Magazine. Why am I talking about that today? Because I have been chosen to be one of their Benartex Ambassadors for 2025! Oh, I get to be a STAR! I love to sew. I love to share my quilts. And Benartex is going to send me some beautiful fabrics to make it happen. (Well - they've been sending me fabrics for almost 20 years, so they're just going to keep it up!) I will keep you posted on how that works out. For now, my first date to share one of their 2025 collections is January 6. I've chosen one (and it was SO hard to narrow it down to one). For now, my brain is spinning on what to do. I remember when I got to sew with their Fossil Fern Collection in 2002. The fabrics told me to make an updated version of the vintage Royal Star...

I emptied another workshop box a few weeks ago and found some fun border fabric to set my last 16 blocks/units together. I amazed myself to find that the leftover blocks would make a pleasing center, even though they are not all of the same fabrics! Red, green and blue prints for those backgrounds around the spiky paper pieced blocks. Sunflower Garden: 47" x 47"  The first quilt I made appeared in my last book (Paper Piecing Perfect Points, 2013). I called it Katie's Garden. Katie? A friend or relative? No. Just the name of the fabric collection from Benartex! Easy enough! I made a smaller quilt using 4 units (for one block). This uses the Gazebo Collection by Windham. Simple workshop sample I added some borders and quilted it and gave it away to some little kid. Side borders are chickens. Top and bottom borders are cats. I sure hope they get along and don't fight in front of the little kid! Gazebo Garden quilt: 40" x 40" Now, let's see the first quilt I...

Yes, another "vintage" quilt from my quilting vault. This has been back and forth across the USA. I made the quilt in the early 1990s and then decided to give it to my step mother (who lived in California with my dad) in 1994. It's a Double Irish Chain. Double Irish Chain: 30" x 30" I hand quilted this one, too! I used a stencil for those cream blocks. I can't imagine how much time it took! Obviously, I just quilted diagonal lines along the squares. And notice that border - it's a beautiful piece of home dec fabric.  Close up of hand quilting I loved those pre-printed quilt labels with pretty flowers and unique shapes. I did NOT turn those curvy edges under; I simply interfaced it - stitched and turned and sewed it down. No handwork on the turning! Closeup of quilting and label For some reason, I ended up with this quilt when my dad passed away in 2004. I treasure it and it still amazes me that I did so much hand quilting! I need to put this out on displ...

Yes, there are quotations around that word vintage. That's because it is something very old in my quilting history. I bought a fabric panel that mimicked a double wedding ring quilt sometime in the early 1980s. That puts it very close to 40 years old! The panel measures 32" x 42". I wonder what the quilt inspiration was for this! Double Wedding Ring printed panel quilt: 40" x 52" I started hand quilting it because that's what you did back then! I never heard of machine quilting, but soon discovered it and that's how I finished it. And I did some serious quilter's gymnastics with the backing and borders that I can't even figure out! Here's a closeup of the quilting. I actually hand quilted around all the melon shapes and little pink squares and hearts. I used my sewing machine to fill in the centers. Yes, I probably paid $1.99 for that center panel. And another $2 for the borders and backing. It's faded from all the years I've had it i...