It happens to all of us quilters - we come upon a quandary in our quilt making and we just don't know how best to cut our fabric to make it do what we want. We don't want to experiment with our precious (and expensive) fabric, so we just muddle along. The best tip I give my workshop students is to practice on paper first! To help them feel confident in learning a new technique, I bring along construction paper so they can practice first, or second or third - until they get it right. It's only paper! Here is a block that uses a directional print. It's the center of my Stacked Hearts pattern. That navy Kaffe Fassett fabric is out of print and I didn't want to make a mistake. I didn't want the fans to go sideways when I cut my squares. So, I practiced on scrap paper first! Let me show you. I cut two squares of paper (probably 4"; I didn't take note of that part - it doesn't matter). I drew vertical lines on the squares. Then I cut them as shown in a ...

My publisher somehow let the months slip by without making another order of my calendars RIGHT UP TO CHRISTMAS! Uh - that's when people look for calendars, right? They tell me it will be back in stock maybe by the end of February. It's sold thousands before Christmas, so were they not sure about holiday sales? But, I digress . . . I overlooked my friend's January block and so here it is today - better late than never! Barb R.  did a lovely job with the January 20th block. What do you think? She is working with Watermark and Insectarium (both by Windham Fabrics). Shoofly Mosaic: January 20th block Some of her fabrics are directional (ie, those stripes) and when they are cut into triangles, there really is a trick to make them all go in the same direction! I'm going to give you a demo on that next week. Stay tuned! If you want to be notified of all new posts, just sign up at the top left of this screen and you will be notified by Follow It! Google has disabled their noti...

We've gone from a Dove (Thursday) to a Snail (Sunday) and today we feature a duck!!! Is this Animal Week? Today's calendar block is Duck's Foot. Not sure why it's called that other than the pair of colored triangles appear to mimic the feet of a duck! Kathy G. is one of my Calendar Girls and she has been using a lovely group of Windham Fabrics called Under the Canopy. She has be very creative in her use of the sweet animal motifs. Under the Canopy by Windham Fabrics Let's see the 12" block she stitched for today: Duck's Foot: 10" Thank you, Kathy. Those animal prints are SO sweet and I know you're having a great time with them.

This is the latest quilt made using my Pickup Sticks pattern . It's 49" x 49" and it's been in the works for several years. (That means it was a UFO all that time . . .) Pickup Sticks using the Shoreline Collection by Windham Fabrics Here's a photo of the blocks on my design wall. It's a simple pattern that uses 10" squares in sets of 4 prints. NO TEMPLATES! (Hint: a freezer paper guide helps.) They're stacked, sliced and then shuffled. Thin strips of 1" inserts are added. Some tilt left and some tilt right. Pickup Sticks blocks I ran out of fabrics along the way. My thin inserts are not as uniform as I wished! I first made this about 15 years ago with a set of batiks: Stained Glass Pickup Sticks : 54" x 64" I went on to make several others. Click those links and you'll see them. I'm going to get this quilted and donated to my local quilt guild's charity endeavors. The fabrics are full of fun prints of crabs and beach chai...

This is a block that I have used many times in quilts. It's almost like a vortex in that the arrangement of the colored triangles is very clever to create a "swirl" movement that draws your eye to the center of the block. Let me show you the block from the calendar: This is a set of four blocks that I made for Creative Grids rulers several years ago. I was designing some patterns for their Square on Square Trim Tool by Jean Ann Wright . Four Snail's Trail blocks We decided that I should use a different coloring. Here is some of the art that accompanied the pattern. Can you imagine trails left by snails? Not sure if I do, but it is an interesting block! Here is the final quilt I made and published for Creative Grids. The blocks are 8" and the quilt is 42" x 42". The block in my calendar is a whopping 16". That's because I don't like working with tiny pieces. Snail's Trail Quilt: 42" x 42" I think having the 16" blocks woul...

Well, they're probably hiding out to stay warm with all these piles of ice and snow. But, we can look at some doves stitched up into blocks! This is the January 29 block in my calendar. It is a whopping 18" size, but that makes it easier to sew. Here it is done by my sister Janet, who is one of my Calendar Girls. Dove at the Window: 18" I also made not one, but TWO of these using the Solstice and Fantasy Collections from Windham. And the blenders are from their Moonlit line. Dove at the Window #1 And my second one: Dove at the Window #2 Notice those "diamonds" which are really two half-square triangles in the same fabric. This block is a close cousin to the vintage Carpenter's Wheel. Yes, Dove at the Window is also a vintage block, only I simplified the piecing as you see here. If you compare the block made by Janet and my two, you will notice that she doesn't use as strong a contrast between the units. Hers is a bit more "blendy." I hope to...

Sometimes it's not that important to have a lot of pieces in a block. That's the case for this block from earlier in the month. The January 2 block is the Turnstile. A traditional block made with 2 sizes of triangles. Linda D. used her collection of Insectarium and Watermark - both from Windham Fabrics - to make all of her blocks so far. Beautiful fat quarters of Insectarium and Watermark   Here is the block she made: Turnstile: 12" Thank you, Linda, for letting the butterflies take charge! What fun collections she has been working with, too. Click the link above to see all the fabulous Insectarium prints !

Today is January 27 and the featured block is Prairie Flower. This also appeared in my 2007 quilting calendar and I had several students make theirs in the larger 16" size. But first, my 4 block quilt in the 8" size as shown in the Quilter's New Perpetual Block a Day calendar: 4 block Prairie Flower quilt in Fossil Ferns  Don't you just love how those Fossil Ferns seem to glow? Here's a digital image I created and patterned for my Calendar Girls program in 2008. This uses 16 blocks in sets of 4 blocks each! 16 block Prairie Flower quilt Now for 2 more student quilts using the pattern above: What fun to put all these blocks together. They are simple and let the fabric do all the work! If you don't have your calendar yet: Check your local quilt shop for my calendar so you can have your own  Prairie Flower   blocks. You can find my calendar here, also: on  Amazon at  C&T Publishing and in  Barnes & Noble  stores

It's always fun to see blocks made up in different fabrics and that's what the focus is today. The block for January 22 in my Quilter's Block a Day Calendar is Underground Railroad and I shared my version on Thursday. Here is another one made by my friend Kathy M. Underground Railroad by Kathy M. - 12" She is using the Find Your Way collection by Lisa Ruble for Benartex Fabrics. Compare it to the one made by Diann C. with the Holly Jolly Christmas fabrics by Windham that I featured back in the Fall: Underground Railroad by Diann C. And remember the one I made in reds and blues using tiny 4-1/2" blocks? Thank you, Kathy and Diann for making such lovely blocks. This is a vintage, traditional design that has a lot of possibilities - and history, too!

The calendar block for today is the Autograph Block. It is a vintage design and has been used for signature quilts for well over 200 years. The calendar size is 14" and here is how my Calendar Girl Diann C. made it: Autograph Block: 14" Note the center light "cross" section. That's where the signature would go. Diann has staged this with pens at the ready! She's been working with the Tempest Collection by Windham Fabrics. Aren't they lovely?! Thank you, Diann, for sharing your block with us today.

Today is January 22 and the block for today is the Underground Railroad. So much history to this block! So much mystery and intrigue and secret places for safety. Yes, I'm referring to the dark days of slavery here in America and the paths out of bondage into freedom. Lots of stories about the Underground Railroad and so there, naturally, is a quilt block! Underground Railroad: 12" (in my calendar) I made a really small set of blocks for this quilt because I wanted to use a tiny panel in the center. This was made 25 years ago. I still have this sweet quilt. Underground Railroad with 4-1/2" (finished) blocks! - 35" x 35" I also used the block in a digital quilt I designed and published in my 2006 desktop quilter's calendar. It is the same layout as the quilt above, except I added some half-square triangles and stencils. Underground Railroad This timeless block has so much history behind it. And it creates so much movement when the blocks are arranged in a zig...

Today is January 21 and the calendar blocks for today are Crowning Glory. It's a 12" block and my Calendar Girls Karen B. and Julia R. AND Diane L. have been using Windham's fabrics to make their series of blocks. Yes, I had 3 of my Calendar Girls select this block and they didn't conspire to do it! Fat quarters of Insectarium and Watermark are used by Karen Here is Karen's Crowning Glory block with a fantastic butterfly in the center: 12" Crowning Glory block by Karen B. Karen also took a photo of the blocks she has made so far. 7 of the 8 are the same size. The top center one will need a few spacer strips around the outside so it can fit in. Julia R. also made a Crowning Glory block using her Duchess Collection by Windham Fabrics: Crowning Glory by Julia R. Here are some of Julia's fabrics: And the third block by Diane L. is being admired by a sweet doggy in his tuxedo! Crowning Glory by Diane L. And her fabrics are Grounded by Windham. Thank you, ladies...

Today is January 20 and the block is Shoofly Mosaic. Kathy G. is one of my Calendar Girls and she used the Under the Canopy fabrics by Windham to make it - and is having fun at the same time! Under the Canopy Collection by Windham I would be having fun, too, with these various forest critters scattered around. What do you think? 12" Shoofly Mosaic by Kathy G. If you do a search here on the blog for "Under the Canopy" you will come up with more of Kathy's blocks. I look forward to her final quilt made, inspired by my calendar and these fabrics. If you don't have your calendar yet: Check your local quilt shop for my calendar so you can have your own  Shoofly Mosaic   blocks. You can find my calendar here, also: on  Amazon at  C&T Publishing and in  Barnes & Noble  stores Of course, you may have received it for a Christmas or Hanukkah gift. What are you waiting for - go make your own Shoofly Mosaic block!

Yes, it's still January and I put a Double Hearts block in this month and not in February! Why? Have no clue. Double Hearts: 16" (not 8" - that's a draft copy) I used a collection by Benartex Fabrics called Hugs and Kisses. Hugs and Kisses fabrics by Benartex But, just think: if you make it in January, then you are ready for Valentine's Day in February! Let's see how I made it. First, the center (which measures 8"): Center of Double Hearts Then I moved on to the outer heart. When I was finished, my hot pink crochet project insisted it be in the photo! Double Hearts: 16" x 16" This would make a sweet pillow or the center of a larger quilt. I have a good bit of those fabrics remaining. I think I will pull this block out and hang in my sewing room as I get ready for Valentine's Day (whatever that means, right?)

. . . and they're NOT from my calendar, but inspired by Katja Marek's "The New Hexagon Perpetual Calendar." I don't have a photo of her block, but it's fairly simple with triangles, diamonds and half-hexagons. For me, it was easy to convert this to rotary cut and machine piece! I decided to make it in a 12" (high) size. Here are some units before the final seams: January 17 Block  I stitched them all together and then made a small table topper using another set of fabrics. I had still one more block in mind, this time in browns using the Sgrafitto Collection by Benartex: This was an orphan block for several years and I turned it into another one of those Meals on Wheels placemats the other day. Here it is: Placemat: 15" x 17" Now I'm on the hunt for the block at the top of the page. It would make another lovely placemat, right?