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 You 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...

A patch related to Monday's post is the half-square. What I showed on Monday was a square cut into fourths using two diagonal lines. This is only one of those cuts (yes, a small difference but a different looking project). I taught this as a workshop for a year or so and called it Pixie Sticks. We started with 5" charm squares and measured in 1-1/2" at the top and 3-1/2" at the bottom. Then we sliced once and swapped with another charm. Simple Pixie Sticks: 35" x 41" I added the bonus striped strip to give it some personality! Then, my students learned how to set blocks on point. Check out Carolyn's book with SO much inspiration for making one-patch quilts. 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster

Back to squares. They can be cut into triangles, rectangles and now in half along an angle. Think of a square that is divisible by 3. Ie, 6". Draw a line from the top (at 2") to the bottom (at 4"). Do the same with the sides. Here is my quilt made about 20 years ago, but I also inserted thin black strips between the patches. I call this my Stained Glass Pickup Sticks : Stained Glass Pickup Sticks : 54" x 54" My blocks are larger than charm squares. I actually started with 10-1/2" squares, but you can make this with 9" squares, which is perfect for those Layer Cakes you have hoarded in your sewing room! Here is how I did it with larger 10-1/2" squares (which ARE divisible by 3): Carolyn calls this shape an "Offset Square." She provides the odd template on page 30 or you can use the simple cutting I've described above. And she shows a few design ideas, too! 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn F...

Let's talk curves! How about the Apple Core? I've only had one Apple Core quilt and I cheated! I bought the top already pieced (whew!) and added a border and had it quilted. This was published in our magazines about 25 years ago. Every patch in this quilt is the same. Let me show you. Apple Core quilt: 70" x 70" We patterned it in one of the 2001 issues. Here is some of the art: Notice how every seam is CURVED! Yikes!! But, if you're a hand stitcher then you shouldn't be afraid. I had some card stock Apple Core shapes that I let my granddaughter play with. She made some funny "people" using them. Apple Core people by Eva Garcia Carolyn Forster introduces the Apple Core on page 57: 20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster Maybe you have an Apple Core quilt. If so, I'd love to see it! Send a photo to my email: kratovil@his.com.

The block got here on time but I was distracted! My friend Dora L (one of my Calendar Girls) sent this Square and Star, which appears on September 1 in my calendar. Square and Star: 12" Dora used the Noteworthy Collection by Windham Fabrics . It truly is a awesome grouping and is in your local quilt shops NOW! Here is the set of fat quarters she's been using: Dora's set of fat quarters from Noteworthy Since I made such a BIG boo boo in not posting her block on Monday, here's more of her beautiful work from previous months so you can see how lovely everything is going with her blocks. Shoefly Block (July 7) And another from July: Pineapple (July 9) She actually stitched a third one for July! Ribbon Star (July 2) And Double T from August (using her own stash): Double T (August 21) Thank you, Dora, for such lovely blocks. If you have a copy of my calendar by now and are stitching any of the blocks, I'd LOVE to see them and post them here. Just let me know (kratovil@hi...

 I'm back with another charm quilt made with a different shape. Carolyn Forster (author of 20 To Make One Patch Charm Quilts) moved on to triangles. We all use triangles in our quilts: half square, quarter square, 60 degree, 45 degree - and so on. I'll move on to triangles later.   20 To Make One-Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forste r. One Patch Quilts by Carolyn Forster What's half a square? Yes, a triangle. But, also a RECTANGLE! And a rectangle is a fun shape to use in a One Patch Charm Quilt. I featured these in a some posts a few years ago. I began with 5" charm squares. 5" charms I cut them in half (and also trimmed them) and stitched them with white. They made the Criss Cross block. Two Criss Cross blocks using rectangles: Unfinished 8.5" I stitched them together for this 56 blocks (8" finished) - 56" x 64" I made a small quilt using 16 more of the blocks: Criss Cross blocks So now you can see what fun you can have with just a rectangle. Carol...