Antique Rose Block: 10" Today I feature a lovely, traditional applique block called Antique Rose, 10" x 10". It is very similar to one of the two blocks featured in my very favorite Christmas quilt shown below. I remember beginning this quilt thinking I would hand applique. Ha! After a few stitches, I tossed the whole thing in the trash, pulled out my fusibles and happily stitched it by machine. Loved every minute. Antique Rose and Wreath Quilt This is an antique block given to me by my then editor, Jean Ann Wright, at Quilt Magazine. It is a whopping 36" square (before borders). What do you think? I added the triple border with Nine Patch to finish it out. And, of course, I machine quilted it! Antique Rose Quilt What? You don't have time to sew before Christmas? Well, just save this for those crazy January days when you're housebound with snow. What? You don't get snow where you live? OK. Just save the pattern for when you have the time!...

Antique Amish Triangles quilt I saw an exhibit at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC back in 2008 that was curated by Esprit. There were some amazing quilts on display. While this wasn't one of them, there were many that had the same personality. Isn't this just glorious in it's muted colors and exquisite quilting? I decided to design and sew one of my own. I actually made two using the newly released (at that time) Gee's Bend solids by Windham Fabrics. Here is my first one, trying to stay with the same basic design as the antique quilt above. Amish Triangles - 48" x 66" I had to simplify it because I got exhausted thinking about piecing all those triangles! I rather like the orange next to the red for an unexpected shock of color (no, I would never put those colors together in my clothing!) This quilt was picked up by Fons and Porter Magazine the following year and it appears as the October quilt in my 2014 wall calendar of quilts. Amish Class...

Constitution Oak Pattern : 64" x 64" Constitution Oak is a very old, traditional pattern. The appliques are large and easy. I designed this quilt several years ago for Windham Fabrics as a pattern to go along with their Farmer Fancy Collection in association with the National Museum of the American Coverlet. I visited this Museum a few years ago and was amazed at all the gorgeous antique coverlets they have hidden inside a rather dilapidated re-purposed elementary school. While you may not have any coverlets in your stash or find any to buy, it's easy enough to make this quilt using your favorite prints. You can download the pattern with full size templates for the applique here: Constitution Oak While you're at it, take a look at the Regal Eagle quilt I also made with a coverlet collection: Regal Eagle appears in my 2014 wall calendar Regal Eagle was picked up by a magazine a few years ago and then they went bankrupt and I was never paid (they publish...

Flower Pots and Stars, circa 1920 I have looked for this quilt off and on for years. It captured my heart over 3 decades ago. I found it in Metropolitan Home Magazine, January 1982 on a page titled: Design Portfolio, Moderne Quilts.  The caption said: "Flower Pots and Stars, circa 1920. Pieced in carnival pastels, this original quilt has the verve of early Disney animation." No kidding! The quilt was courtesy of American Hurrah of New York, which is no longer in business. I did contact a few quilt historians to see if they remember the quilt, but alas, nothing. I called it Metropolitan Home Star and used it as the basis of a quilt featured on the cover of my second book, Supersize 'Em Quilts. I wanted to call it Metropolitan Home Star, but my publisher nixed that idea. I just called it "That Spikey Thing . . . That Spikey Thing on the cover of my second book Those are 21" blocks so I could paper piece the spikes on a regular piece of paper (7" p...

School box covered in a Baby Blocks quilt pattern A visit to my daughter Audrey's apartment this week brought me up close with a few of her vintage items. She loves old things and hunts them out in thrift shops and junk stores. This school box above is quite graphic, decorated with a paper coating with the traditional Baby Blocks design. I don't think the angle is 60 degrees, but it still is a Baby Blocks motif. Rescued yo-yos repurposed into a place mat or hot mat I bought a bag of these yo yo rectangle units from a guild show sale. There were oodles of them in a brown paper sack and I grabbed them up before they even went on sale. I turned one set of 20 into a hot pad using pre-quilted cream fabric. I used invisible monofilament thread to quick stitch them onto the background (oh, yes I did!). Go ahead; call the QUILT POLICE. I dare you! Cathedral Windows section A friend in Atlanta gave me a brown paper bag full of these Cathedral Window sections. Can you bel...

Remember my puny Vortex quilt? Here is one on a grand scale (72" x 72") My fellow quilting teacher, Erin Underwood, wowed me last summer where we taught together at the MAQ retreat. ( Mid Appalachian Quilters, Emmitsburg, Maryland in July ) She had this AWESOME quilt on display and I immediately rushed over to her table and after gasping and stuttering, asked her how she did this. Remember, I have fallen in love with the red and white Vortex quilt, ca 1900, as you can see below: Vortex Quilt, ca 1900, maker unknown Erin developed her own ruler in partnership with Creative Grids (so you know it is accurate) and a pattern to recreate this historic - and mind blowing - quilt. It is all straight seam sewing - honest. I saw the seams "up close and personal." Erin Underwood's 15° ruler, 24-1/2" long for fans - and the VORTEX This companion ruler allows you to create all the wonderful patterns in the Fan-Tastic Fan series . Perfect for all sorts o...

The contest is closed and we have a winner: Wendy from Alabama. Congratulations! Today begins the "Dare to Dresden" Blog Hop and many thanks to Madame Samm and Christine of Quilt Monster Closet . As soon as I saw the theme, I jumped right in because I love, love, love Dresden Plate blocks and quilts. I have made about a dozen in various sizes, published most of them and taught classes using my simple template. Well, enough of words; let's see quilts! Authentic 1930s feedsacks for the butterfly wings This butterfly block was made over ten years ago as a result of a math mistake (did I ever tell you I used to be a high school math teacher? Go figure!) I had divided up a full circle of Dresden wedges and thought I was creating 4 equal groups, instead divided wrong and came up with THREE! What can you do with THREE sets of 4 blades? I threw them down on my table and they landed just like a pair of butterfly wings. Hence, my new design! I made another quilt using bla...

This is my favorite Christmas quilt, though it was originally made without Christmas in mind. It is based on two antique blocks: Oak Leaf (the one with the four large green leaves in diagonal position) and Rose Wreath (the four stylized applique flowers). I made this quilt at least 15 years ago and planned on hand applique. I threw the first block into the trash can and then pulled out the fusible web, my sewing machine and made the whole quilt by machine and was very happy doing it. I even machine quilted it. This quilt appeared in the Winter 1997 issue of Quilt Magazine. The blocks are 14" and the quilt is 51" x 51" Red and green quilts are historic and traditional and there have been years that this quilt hangs in my home when it's not Christmas. This year she graces my kitchen and I enjoy it all day long! Single block Rose Wreath quilt Here is another favorite, though this one has gone to another home to live in. My editor, Jean Ann Wright, gave me ...

Antique Yo Yo Quilt - 48" x 65" My friend and former editor, Jean Ann Wright (Eitel, in the olden days) gave me this antique yo yo quilt about 15 years ago after it had been gifted to her from a reader. (Can you believe someone parted with this?) All these authentic 1930s prints are phenomenal! My oldest daughter Audrey fell in love with it and begged for it and so it sat in a cotton pillowcase for years. Every so often she would pull it out and say, "Mom. I really need to get this framed." My opinion was that it would cost SO MUCH, and so it went back into the pillowcase. Last week she came over with the quilt and said, "We've got to do something. I want to hang it in my guest bedroom (in her new apartment)." I put on my thinking cap and we did the following: 1. Measured the length and width of the quilt (yes, I know, a yo yo quilt isn't really one) 2. Made a trip to Home Depot and bought a piece of foam core (the type used in insula...