This is a block for September 2 in my calendar. Susan B. sent it to me a few weeks ago, but it missed being posted on time. I wanted to make sure it made it in the September reveals! Golden Blooms by Susan B. - 12" Calendar is in stores everywhere. Check your local quilt shop first! Here is the fat quarter collection Susan chose to work with. It's called Moonlit by Windham Fabrics . Moonlit fabrics by Windham I have a few of these blenders myself. They are so fun with those little "v's" and crosses scattered around. Some more of the Moonlit fabrics Check out my calendar in quilt shops or these big retailers: on  Amazon at  C&T Publishing and in  Barnes & Noble  stores Are you ready for October? I am posting a lot of blocks for inspiration - and I have a few quilts that contain some October blocks. See you then!

I have a LOT of teaching samples. For 17 years I was teaching for the Sewing Expo (OSQE) and I needed to create 4-5 new workshops each year! Yes, you read that right. At one time, I had 40 of my workshop boxes in my garage and closet floor, stacked neatly with all sorts of samples. Some of my Chobani yogurt boxes of samples Circle of Stars was a variation of my larger Double Hexie Star . I used some small motifs from the awesome Paula Nadelstern Fabricadabra Collection. Circle of Stars (in center) Here's a single star of the six I made (no y-seams, of course). Fabricadabra Star I gave that center panel to my quilt guild and one of the members who works on the charity quilts made it larger with the inner borders and the dogtooth triangles. It's beautiful! Another large block that became a charity quilt is one of my samples from the Sassy Mariner's Compass workshop. I had many variations of this and it also appeared in my 3rd book. Here is my workshop sample: Sassy Mariner...

As an author with C&T Publishing, I get to see their latest books firsthand. I was intrigued by this one that popped up in an email last month: Reclaimed Quilts I wanted to do a review on this because my oldest daughter Audrey loves vintage things, in particular, quilts. She has already had me make her a jacket from an old quilt that was sold to me for $5 and was destined to be a dog bed otherwise! I rescued it and it sat in my closet for about 10 years. You can see all the worn areas where the batting is coming through. Pink cutter quilt I bought a simple jacket pattern and laid it out on the quilt, hoping to avoid those scraggly parts. It worked! This is explained in detail in the  Reclaimed Quilts  book. Taking a vintage item and creating clothing for today is giving them a second life. Vintage quilt with jacket pattern There really was nothing else I could have done with this! It truly was destined to be a dog bed. Here is the lovely jacket I made. I even had enough to...

Yes, I still have some things to share from Carolyn Forster's book. I'd like to talk a little about the Kite shape on page 38-39. While it may seem that these should be hand pieced (which is what Carolyn does so beautifully throughout her book), I am the machine queen! 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster I became enamored with the kite shape when I saw a Rose Star quilt for the first time. What's that, you ask? Look closely at my quilt in this photo and you will see only kites! Rose Star quilt But, let's see the kites by themselves. Here's a group of 4 kites. They are 90 degrees in the top left/right corners; 120 degrees in the top point; and 60 degree angle at the bottom. That equals the magical number 360! Four kite units Yes, when pieced there are y-seams. "Just get over it," I tell myself as I stitch. But, then you can do such lovely things with these patches!  Y-seam from back of patches Groups of kite...

Today is Monday, September 22 and my calendar block for today is Georgetown Circle. This is a VERY traditional block that's been with quilters for well over 100 years (maybe longer). My oldest daughter Audrey graduated from Georgetown University, so I'm partial to anything named Georgetown! One of my Calendar Girls, Diann C. made the block for today. Georgetown Circle: 10" She used the Tempest Collection from Windham Fabrics. Let's see these awesome prints: Tempest fabrics They are a step above traditional marbled fabrics. It's like they were tossed in the waves! Diann did a lovely job with the two colors and her points are perfect, too! Thank you, Diann, for such a beautiful block.

Today is September 21 and the calendar block is Memory Star. Julia R. is one of my Calendar Girls and made this using her Duchess Collection by Windham Fabrics. Duchess Collection of fat quarters Julia is a master quilter who does ALL things quilty well. She is an expert hand piecer, too (besides all of her gorgeous knitting projects). So, it surprised me when she told me that this block (she thought) was not meant for beginners. I believe her, though I never saw it that way. What do you think? Memory Star by Julia R. What she told me was that she didn't see the outside sets of Flying Geese units (blue and cream) and the red sets, too. Maybe she likes to piece Flying Geese units with a specialty ruler. That's fair, but that stuff can't make it into such a thing as these calendars. I'm old school - I cut quarter square triangles for the Geese and half square triangles for the Sky. Either way, she did a gorgeous job with this, don't you think? She loves this collect...

Today is September 20 and my calendar block is Homeward Bound. Karen B. used her Insectarium and Watermark fabrics from Windham to create the 12" block. Insectarium and Watermark fabrics She was able to capture a butterfly in that center square - and a ladybug and some grasshopper legs! Homeward Bound: 12" block I love seeing the purple and orange together to make this a lively block. Hope those bugs don't start hopping!

A goose is lost? Where? How did that happen? Who can help me locate the poor dear? As you can see in the photo below, the search party is getting briefed on how to launch their rescue! Lost Goslin: 12" Today's block is Lost Goslin. It's 12" x 12" and is composed of triangles and 4-patch units. This was made by one of my Calendar Girls, Kathy G. Kathy used the awesome Windham Fabrics collection called Under the Canopy . Here is a close look at the fabric fat quarters: Under the Canop y fat quarters And another Calendar Girl just got her version of Lost Goslin to me yesterday. SO beautifully done by Barb R. What do you think? Lost Goslin by Barb R. Check in with your own local quilt shop for both the fabrics and my new calendar. Buy a calendar for yourself and another for a friend or relative who quilts. You can check Amazon , and if you own it, please share a review! Quilter's NEW Perpetual Block-a-Day Calendar Thanks, Kathy and Barb, for such a lovely way wit...

I created a quilt for Benartex as a Sewcial Ambassador using their Modern Vintage: Treasured Collection . I call this Dancing with the Flowers and it appeared in their Fat Quarterly Magazine in April. Dancing with the Flowers: 40" x 40" I used a set of charm squares (5") for those rectangles in the center. The vertical rows are called Stacked Bricks - very traditional. I've never been a fan of orange, but I absolutely fell in love with these flowers on the blue background! The designer of this collection is Rachel Rossi. Set of 5" charm squares I had more of that border fabric remaining and I realized that a scrappy birdhouse quilt top might be the perfect place to use it. These are birdhouses leftover from teaching some workshops over the years. And those hexagon shaped bird motifs just added to the charm. I had a lonely panel from another Benartex collection that begged to be in the center. What do you think? Home Tweet Home : 42" x 49" I quilted thi...

Today is September 16 and the calendar block is Bear Tracks. This is an updated vintage block that's been around in the quilting world for well over 100 years. Two of my Calendar Girls stitched the same block. Let's see them.  Kathy M, used the Find Your Way collection by Benartex for this. Maybe the Bear Tracks was a subliminal message to the fabrics that they would "find the way" based on the tracks? Sorry - I couldn't resist. Here is the set of fat quarters Kathy used: Find Your Way fabrics And here is Kathy's Bear Tracks block (12"). Yes, a lot of triangles here, but Kathy did a super job with those points, didn't she? Bear Tracks by Kathy M. My other Calendar Girl, Diane L. not only made the block but she staged it with a teddy bear. What do you think? Bear Tracks by Diane L. Her fabric collection is from Windham - Grounded. Here is her set of fat quarters. Grounded by Windham Fabrics Many thanks to Kathy and Diane for these beautiful blocks!

Are you still with me? Are you looking at your stash a little different? Charm squares and layer cakes begging you to pull them out and stitch with them? The shape I want to feature today, Carolyn Forster calls the "tile" or "double prism." I call it an elongated hexagon because I have used this in my English Paper Piecing. Let me show you: Image of Elongated Hexagon from Paper Pieces I have been working with this shape off and on for about 15 years. I have ideas swirling around in my head. Just not sure where I'm going, but it's fun to play with these 30s prints and the elongated hexagon papers. Elongated hexagons using 30s prints I use a very unorthodox method to wrap the fabric around the papers. I cut rectangles and stitched the short ends together to create points: Rectangles with short ends stitched Then I turn them around and slip the papers in. I will fold those last ends over and stitch in place. Short ends of fabric stitched and turned Here are a f...

This is a repost because I finished the real quilt (seen at bottom of page). In 2017  Windham Fabrics  released a line called  Mesa  and they asked me to design a western theme quilt. I dug around in my thousands of digital files and rediscovered some appliqué patterns from a few years past: a cowboy boot and a cactus. I combined these with my Arrowheads Block and came up with  Arrowheads in the Desert . What do you think? Arrowheads in the Desert : 62" x 62" I love the main print and used it as the backing. Who would want to chop this up? Mesa print Let's see those Arrowhead Blocks. I think they're pretty awesome. You can make them with the templates in the pattern or, if you have a set of Tri-Recs rulers (with an 8" height),  or my own Arrowheads rulers , or even the Creative Grids triangle rulers. Just two triangles creates these blocks. (These are NOT 60 DEGREE angles!) Cut triangles and piece a "triangle in a square" block This technique is popular...