Today is June 13 and we're one day early for Flag Day. We learn a lot about our history in school and the American flag plays a big part. I drafted a block several years ago and called it Old Glory Star. I used some red, white and blue fabrics by Windham. Here she is in all of her glory (I couldn't help myself there)! Old Glory Star It is the block in my New Quilters Block a Day calendar for today, too! It's a lovely 18" size. This was also in my 2007 block a day calendar and here is the block as created by Patricia Bryant of Australia. I designed it in a 12" size. Old Glory Star by Patricia Bryant Don't you love those American Girl dolls, too? So - well - American! This block is part of my 3 block banner. I've shared it here before. You will see the other two blocks as they show up on the calendar. Thanks for stopping by, and remember, if you want to be notified of blog posts via email, let me know! kratovil@his.com . Blogger no longer gives you that cho...

Well, actually Bordered Puss in the Corner! This is a block made by one of my Calendar Girls, Leslie P. She chose the lovely Noteworthy Collection by Windham Fabrics. Here's the bundle I got from Windham: Noteworthy Collection by Windham Here are the fat quarters Leslie chose: Leslie's fat quarters She chose the Bordered Puss in the Corner block which appears on June 9 in my calendar. She wanted to sew something that didn't have points (ie, triangles) so that she could encourage newby quilters. I thought that was a great idea! Yes, there are some challenging blocks in my calendar, but also some that don't make you want to pull your hair out! Leslie's block in Noteworthy - 12" Many thanks to Leslie for making such a happy block. I'm not sure why this is called Puss in the Corner. I guess some kitty cat got time-out for misbehaving, do you think?

 Goose in the Pond . Duck and Ducklings . And now we have Geese in the Air! What's with all these birds? I'm just kidding. Birds chirping and tweeting are my favorite sounds, especially as they chirp their way to new life in the height of Spring. Today is June 8 and I have two versions of the Geese in the Air block. The first is by Kathy G. Here is the Windham collection she is working with: Under the Canopy . Fat quarters of Under the Canopy by Windham Fabrics And Kathy's block - don't you love how she fussy cut that deer in the center? Geese in the Air: 10" The next block is by Diann C. She used a Windham collection called Tempest : Fat quarters of Tempest by Windham And Diann's Geese in the Air block: 10" Geese in the Air I made a list of all the blocks in my Block a Day calendar that use the word "geese." There are 18, with 10 of them appearing in October! I have a plan to stitch all of them and hope to make a quilt. The sizes range from 8...

(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.) Oh, not really! But the name of this block for today, June 7, is Windblown Square. I'm just saying . . . My friend Julia R. chose today's block to stitch using the Duchess Collection by Windham Fabrics. It's in quilt shops right now! Fat quarters of Duchess by Windham My calendar has the block in a 12" size. Here is Julia's: Windblown Square by Julia R. Windblown Square by Linda D. uses Insectarium and Watermark by Windham: Fat quarters of   Insectarium  and  Watermark  by Windham And Linda's block: Windblown Square: 12" I had this as a project in my 2010 desktop calendar. Here is the digital quilt using 20 blocks. Isn't this great how the blocks create a secondary pattern when they are sewn block to block without sashing? Little pinwheels appear. I guess they're blowing in the wind, too! Win...

Oh, this really quacks me up! (Sorry - I couldn't resist). Today is June 5 and the featured block in my new calendar is Duck and Ducklings, 15". Here is one done by Patricia Bryant of Australia from my 2007 Block a Day Calendar: 10" Duck and Ducklings How about a vintage look at the pattern? Can you believe the templates? It's what we did before the magic of rotary cutting. I asked my Calendar Girls to create monthly blocks from my new calendar using some beautiful, current collections from Windham Fabrics . Here's one made by Susan B. She used the Moonlit Collection . Here is Susan's fat quarter collection: 13 fat quarters from the  Moonlit Collection And Susan's block: Duck and Ducklings by Susan B. Here's the one I made using Moonlit and Solstice. First, some of the group of 13 skus and their "partners." My grouping And now my block, Duck and Ducklings: June 5 block: Duck and Ducklings, 15" I still have lots of fat quarters remainin...

Not sure why this block has this name, but, that's the way it's been for about 100 years. Here it is from the early 1920s as shared by Ruby McKim for the Kansas City Star (newspaper). Goose in the Pond is the June 3 block in my new Block a Day Calendar and it is 15" square. First, the fabrics I chose: Windham Fabrics: Moonlit and Solstice Those 9 patch units are small! I did a lot of piecing, but sometimes you have to change your mind as you go. I didn't like the center square to be the light green. So, yes, I took it apart! 5 horizontal sections of the Goose in the Pond Variation Here is my finished block. Whew- what a lot of pieces! But, I do like that center better with one of the Solstice prints, don't you? Goose in the Pond Variation: 15" block I had a similar block in my 2007 calendar and this is how Patricia Bryant photographed it: Goose in the Pond by Patricia Bryant I really like combining the Moonlit with the Solstice. The colors are so happy toget...

 I do a lot of sewing, but didn't want to stitch all the blocks in my new calendar. Then I had a great idea: how about I ask some local quilting buddies to become my Calendar Girls? I would give them one of my new calendars and new collections from generous fabric companies and they could stitch blocks every month! They use their own same collection for each month. Of course, they said yes! All I asked is that they choose whatever block they want to sew from each of the month's lineup. They don't have to tell me ahead of time. It doesn't matter if more than one chooses the same block (and they already have!) They send me photos of each month's block. They get to keep the end result. They have enough in their collections to end up with a good sized quilt. They can keep it or give it away. Here's what I'm working with - for now! Half of the full collection of Moonlit by Windham Fabrics . Another Calendar Girl has the other half. This is going to be a fun ride....

Christmas in June. Christmas in July. You know the drill - Better get ready, Santa is coming! Quilters like to play with holiday fabrics early because if you wait for December, it's too late. Yes, I know it's only May but the fabrics are in the store NOW. Jolly Christmas  is a new collection by Windham Fabrics: Step back in time with our vintage-inspired  Jolly Christmas . Delight in a Santa toile, elegant wreaths, lush fir trees and twinkling stars. In a classic palette of red, ivory and green, the festive prints capture childhood nostalgia and warm holiday cheer. I have the collection and am trying to think of something fun to make with them. They came as half-yard cuts and I turned them into fat quarters. I'm going to ask my quilting buddies to work with some, too. Jolly Christmas  by Windham Fabrics I may revisit this quilt that I designed for Windham in 2018. It is very fat quarter friendly (all but the binding). The block is a whopping 30"; notice the borders are...

A vintage, traditional block is the Antique Album. My friend and former magazine editor, Jean Ann Wright, made this quilt and it appeared in my second book ( Supersize 'Em Quilts, 2009 ). It's not hard to piece, but you have to pay attention to the cutting if you want it to be the size you want! They are tricky cutting sizes because everything is stitched along the diagonal. Secret Garden Album: 16" block. 72" x 72" quilt I include this block in my new calendar and it appears on May 22 (today). Antique Album: 16" block I've made this block before but I'm going to make it again. Maybe 4 of them for a lovely quilt center. Notice that Jean Ann used cream sashing strips between the blocks to make them float. With 4 blocks and 2-1/2" sashings, the 4 block quilt center would be 38" x 38"! And don't you just love her pieced borders? They are 8" wide x 16" high! And they work, don't they? You may own a copy of this book (no...

I received 26 fat quarters of the latest Moonlit fabrics by Windham . Actually, I gave half of the collection to a quilting friend who is going to stitch some blocks from my upcoming calendar for me. I have 13 of them for myself. Now - what to do? Half of the Moonlit Collection by Windham Fabrics These say "blenders" to me and I wanted to combine them with some busy prints. I pulled an older Windham Collection from my stash called Solstice by Sally Kelly . Yes, they're from 2020 but they're still gorgeous and still want to be used! I told them that it's time for another round of quilt play. Here's the first quilt I made using Solstice. This way you can see many of the prints. She's still waiting to be quilted. Solstice Spiroglyphics: 40" x 40" I paired a few of the fat quarters from each collection to see what I like: Solstice and Moonlit fat quarters Here's the block I made the other day using the older Solstice and the new  Moonlit . This ...

I like to help orphans - the fabric kind! I had 5 paper pieced birdhouses made several years ago for some workshops I taught. Here they are. (Scroll to bottom to see the quilt I made!) Efficiency Birdhouse : 5" x 10" and Room for One birdhouse: 6" x 10" (there are two in my quilt) Room for One birdhouse : 6" x 10" and the 60s A Frame - 7" x 10" 60s A Frame - 7" x 10" Two Door Cottage: 7" x 12" Two Door Cottage : 7" x 12" There are 5 orphan birdhouse blocks, one panel @benartex_fabrics in the center ("Welcome") from long ago, 3 birds cut out as hexagons - all needed a border. Yes! Modern Vintage: Treasured collection by Benartex was a perfect fit. Can't wait to quilt and finish this. For the Birds quilt: 43" x 49" I really like seeing such beautiful orange. It's not a typical color I use, but this is awesome with the blues. Here is a group of charm squares from the collection. I'll ...

I came across a photo of a quilt I made in 2000 and had published in Quilt Magazine in 2001. It's the result of an AOL quilt bulletin board block swap! Do you remember those? I participated in several. House Sampler from 2001 You can see my house block in the center, 3 blocks down (it has my old address on it). I made 12 of these for the swap! I can hardly believe I did that! I think they were a uniform 12" x 12", though I have no way to know - I can't find the directions. I wanted something more than just setting the blocks in a 3 x 4 assembly. I had fun with that border, for sure! Stars at the top; trees on the sides (with some checkerboards); and mountains on the bottom (sort of hard to see in the photo). I gave this away LONG ago and  can't even remember to who; but I hope it is still bringing joy to them! My upcoming calendar has a lot of star blocks and a few tree blocks. One of the quilts a calendar owner made with my first perpetual calendar was made with...

I like to be challenged with limited amounts of fabric. Fat quarters. Jelly rolls. Charm squares. And even Layer Cakes. I was asked to work with "pre-cuts" for the new Benartex Collection by The Modern Quilt Studio called 2025 LTD . I chose a Layer Cake and some fabrics for borders. A set of 10" squares from the 2025 LTD collection I decided to make 3 blocks from my upcoming calendar , but I had to fudge on the size. But you never would know by looking at them. My upcoming Block a Day Calendar by C&T Publishing That's ok - like I said - challenges are fun! I call them Colorburst Squares (#1-3). The centers of these simple Cobblestone blocks move around based on how I cut the side fabrics. Block 1 is a simple Cobblestone block Here is Block 1 in the calendar. My blocks will be smaller than the calendar blocks (due to the seams). And Block 2 has that center square floating more toward the edge than Block 1. Colorburst Squares Block 2 And Block 3 has that center squ...