More squares, more patches, another quilt. Take a good look at the texture created with the tiny specs of gold and mottled color. This really is such a clever way to make a blender! If you click the link for Uncorked , you will find several FREE patterns to make! But, let's see one of my quilts made using some blues. Disappearing Dresdens 18 degree dresden ruler and Uncorked I still teach my Modern Vortex workshop and I made some blades using the blue and light grey in Uncorked. But I ran out of the blue (sort of - another story)  and decided to take a cue from a few other quilts that feature parts of a block "disappearing." Click that link ( Disappearing Dresdens ) and you'll see a few steps to this quilt. It's almost a magic trick, but much easier! Yes, that's another border using fat quarters. I've done this so often that I almost prefer it to a slab of a single fabric. Why not try it yourself?

What? Is that the sound of a bottle being opened? Isn't that what we do to get the contents out? Well, not THAT uncorked! I'm talking about a gorgeous set of fabrics released a few years ago that are still going strong. Uncorked Collection by Windham Fabrics  I have made several quilts and projects using these lovely blenders and have posted here before (I think). This next quilt used some simple squares: Uncorked squares ready to become a quilt They became this quilt which is an updated version of one I made in 2002. Check out that border - when you only have fat quarters to work with, you have to get creative and piece a border. I followed the lines of the blocks in the center. 98 Dancing Squares: 5" blocks This is a remake of a quilt I made long ago for my first book (Bold, Black and Beautiful Quilts, AQS 2004). It first appeared in Quilt Magazine, 2002. 98 Dancing Squares I used some basic solids for that quilt with gold metallic thread to zigzag around the center pa...

My Snow Crystals quilt was a hit Monday night when I spoke with a local guild, sharing my tips and tricks and quilter's shortcuts. Most of my quilts are vintage inspired and this was no exception. Take a look at the pattern page from the Kansas City Star in 1930. Would you like to use those templates? And sew y-seams? NO, not me! Page from the Kansas City Star Also notice that this is NOT four blocks but one. There are what seem to be 4 stars, but what's with the fifth star in the center? How did the designer think this up? Very clever, right? I made my own Snow Crystals quilt about 20 years ago - again, vintage inspired. Snow Crystals  - 24" block; 33" x 33" quilt Yes, these star units are paper pieced, but they can easily be rotary cut. I created a photo lesson for Quilt Magazine to go along with the quilt. (Yes, it says Windmill Star, which is another name for the star block). Here is the coloring chart which is a MUST for this pattern!  Snow Crystals  found...

Today is June 26 and the month is winding down. The calendar block for today is Tuscan Trails. Not sure about the meaning of that, but I'm thinking there is one! Should I do an internet search to see what I come up with? My friend Diane L. used the Grounded collection by Maria Carluccio (Windham Fabrics) to make her Tuscan Trails block. Grounded Collection Here is the Tuscan Trails block as it appears in the calendar: Tuscan Trails: 12" Yes, there is a rotary cutting size for that "A" square on point! I love math - it works every time! And here is Diane's beautiful block using Grounded : Tuscan Trails by Diane L. As we go through the calendar months, I will be sharing not only the current blocks but the blocks that each Calendar Girl has made throughout the year. This way you can get an idea of how she may be thinking of an assembly. Or maybe not! We'll have to wait and see.

 It's June 25 and our month is almost gone! The block today in my new Block a Day Calendar is the Scrappy Puss in the Corner. Here's how it appears: Scrappy Puss in the Corner: 12" My friend Barb R. used the Watermark Collection by Windham Fabrics. (It reminds me of the blender collection called Bedrock .) Two other Calendar Girls are using the Watermark Collection: Karen B and Linda D. Here are their fabrics: Linda's Watermark fabrics mixed with Insectarium Karen's Watermark fabrics (in back) with her Insectarium Watermark doesn't even come to your local quilt shops until August; this is just to tempt you and have you put the fabrics on your "to buy" list! But here's a look at all the luscious colors. They are blenders with some definite personality! 30 skus of Watermark Finally, here's Barb R.'s block, the Scrappy Puss in the Corner. I really like her pink and green choices and there is good contrast so it's easy to see the simpl...

Christmas (and more) in July All the fabrics are coming out and ready to strut their stuff! This FREE event will feature 11 different 2025  Sewcial Ambassadors for Benartex (me being one of them). I will be featuring Jackie Robinson's A Winter's Day Collection AND I will also have some Hanukkah blocks from my new calendar! Christmas and Hanukkah both appear in December and we want to be ready. A Winter's Day  by Jackie Robinson And here's a sneak peek at the 3 prints I will be working with for my Hannukah blocks (Elegant Keepsakes and Harvest Keepsakes): Navy, cream and Gold prints for my Hanukkah blocks You can attend by clicking this link:  https://zoom.us/webinar/register/5517500818522/WN_Ble6B64YST-k5zZuGpW32w . (This is how you can reserve your spot ahead of time, too.) Christmas (and more) in July T his will be Tuesday, July 15 with six Ambassadors in the first slot (I'm one) . . . And five Ambassadors in the second slot . . . This is a virtual fabric show an...

 Today is June 19 - Juneteenth, to be exact! A federal holiday and a day to celebrate freedom. My friend Kathy M. chose today to make her Calendar Girls block, the Scrappy 4 Patch. Here is her fabric collection by Benartex: Find Your Way by Lisa Ruble Find Your Way by Benartex Here is the calendar block: Scrappy 4 Patch: 12" And Kathy's Juneteenth block, Scrappy 4 Patch: Scrappy 4 Patch: 12" I still have a few more calendar blocks for June. Stay tuned, and remember: If you want to be notified of what shows up here on my blog, send me an email and I'll get something out to you once a week. kratovil@his.com

Today is June 18 and the block featured in my new calendar is Glorious Blooms. I've made this many times because it's a super way to feature an awesome print in the large, 11" center! Here is how it appears in the calendar: Glorious Blooms: 20" Here's my most recent block stitched in three fabrics by Windham: Glorious Blooms: 20" in the Solstice and Moonlit Collections Here is the first quilt I made. It appeared in the Fabric Trends magazine many years ago: I also put it in my book, Supersize 'Em Quilts (2009, Martingale): Glorious Blooms with four 20" blocks I made another quilt and gave it to my guild for our local charities: And just a few more blocks to show you how fun those centers can be: Glorious Blooms with lots of prints! And the single block I made using an older Anna Griffin collection: This is a great way to get to a good sized center quickly! As you can see, I love making this block and think you will, too.

  (NOTE:   If you would like to be notified about my blog posts, send me an email:  kratovil@his.com . Blogger no longer gives you that choice automatically.) Today is June 17 and the block is Alaska Homestead. It's a simple block in a 10" size. This block was chosen by both me and  my quilt guild buddy Karen B. and she used two collections by Windham: Insectarium and Watermark . Note: these two collections don't ship to quilt shops until the end of the summer! Fat quarters of Watermark and Insectarium Here is Karen's block: Alaska Homestead by Karen B: 10" And here is my block, which I made with the Benartex blenders called Equinox: Alaska Homestead by Debby K: 10" I'd like to know the history of this block and why it's called Alaska Homestead! If you know, please tell me, won't you?

She sat quietly for many decades. She was tenderly put together, hexagon by hexagon - all by hand. They're 1" hexagons, btw. She was passed from family member to family member, made by an anonymous quilter, but I recognized her glory and rescued her from the Free Table at my local quilt meeting. Free? Really? Vintage quilt top: 65" x 76" The bottom was unfinished and I needed to square it up. I put Kona Snow under those wobbly edges and appliquéd the hanging hexagons onto it to straighten the edges. I straightened the hexagon side by slicing them - yes I did! I had plans and the quilt was SO excited to know it was going to be finished and loved. After quilting and before binding Go ahead - compare those two photos. They're upside down, but you get the point. Now let's look at the gorgeous quilting done by a master longarm quilter, Ada Gosser of 2 Tubs Quilting . She was so delighted to get to work with this quilt top. She knew what pattern to use, but also ga...