(Please do not pass these patterns on to your friends. Invite them to come get their own copy from this blog site. Once my Ocean Breezes series is finished, these WILL NOT be available for free. These will be in my Etsy shop for sale. Thank you for respecting my copyright!) Another Wednesday, another Ocean Breezes block. Today I share the Whale. There are two blocks in the quilt and the whale points in two different directions. Let's see one of them. Ocean Breezes  Whale Block : 8" finished (make 2) I used raw edge appliqué for the two simple patches. I used the blue sea fabric to audition my machine zigzag stitch. Background fabric is different, but I wanted to make sure that my thread matched my fabric. I used freezer paper to trace my whale templates. First, the one who faces West (ie, left). Template traced from full size pattern Then, I needed to make a mirror image of the template for the one who faces East. The waves templates are also mirror images of each other. My fa...

Now it's time for an easy block! This is simple rotary cutting and machine stitching with 1/4" seams. But you really must pay attention to those 1/4" seams! This week's block is the Square in a Square - also called a Four Patch Variation (which I used in the calendar). Four Patch Variation Here are the parts for two blocks as I cut them, based on what you will see in the calendar page. The other side of this page has the cutting sizes (which you'll see in the pattern you will download). You will cut squares and triangles. You need to make two of these. Four Patch Variation parts, cut and ready to stitch. I sewed the center green and white four patch together. Then I added the red triangles (which are first cut from squares.) Here's where they will be sewn. Notice that the tip of the red triangle aligns with the center 4 Patch seam. The little triangle tips MUST extend over the sides as shown. Two sewn and pressed toward the red. Adding the 3rd red triangle. No...

This is Block Three of the six blocks in the Blue and Gray Sampler. The Right Hand of Friendship is a vintage block that isn't very hard to construct. Let's see it in my original quilt: Right Hand of Friendship Block (12" finished) Here are the three colors I chose to remake this in the Uncorked Collection from Windham Fabrics. These fabrics are so beautiful with the little flecks of gold throughout. Uncorked Fabrics And a few of my steps: The various patches cut (the free pdf has the sizes for you) Lay out the corner patches as shown. We need two corners using the blue and two using the red. Then we pin the quarter square triangles to make the corner units: Join these with the small corner squares and then with the larger triangles. Make 2 in blue and two in red. One of 4 units And here are the four block units before sewing into the Right Hand of Friendship block: Four 6-1/2" units All sewn and pressed! Right Hand of Friendship Block You can find the Right Hand of ...

The second of my blocks for the Blue and Gray Sampler is Louisiana. Not sure where or why it came to have that name, but it's fairly easy to cut and stitch together. If you look closely, there are Flying Geese (green) with two different sky patches (red and cream). Louisiana Block: 12" I am working with Windham's Uncorked Collection and I just didn't want a boring cream for the background. I chose a light pink and I hope I will have enough to make all my blocks. If not . . . The fabrics I chose for my Louisiana blocks This is stepped out in the single page pdf pattern (link at bottom of page). There also is a diagram of how to cut your patches. Making Flying Geese my way involves accurate cutting of the two different triangles. I don't subscribe to the new "sexy" ways that people have devised in making this unit. If you don't like my method, by all means, use your own! Cut the following: Four 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" pink (or other light of your choi...

As you know, I designed this quilt for Windham Fabrics using their Blue and Gray Collection . It was offered in the Keepsake Quilting Catalog (2016). There are six 12" blocks and one 24" block! Here's the quilt that is our Block of the Month: Civil War Sampler using the Blue and the Gray Collection: 72" x 72" This was beautifully quilted by Connie Gallant and now lives in her home. These are her favorite types of fabrics! That whopping center block is 24" x 24". But it's really not that hard to make if you use machine appliqué. Of course, you're welcome to use hand appliqué! I based it on some of my sampler patterns from one of my many Quilter's Block a Day Calendars! This is from 2015. Yes, there are a LOT of blocks! Civil War Sampler from my 2015 Calendar Here's another set of reproduction fabrics that I have in my stash, though I won't be remaking this quilt using these. But, just to give you an idea of the sorts of personality o...

BOM? What's that? Initials for "Block of the Month." Do you remember me sharing this quilt made a few years ago for Windham Fabrics? They wanted to create a quilt kit and pattern that could run in the Keepsake Catalog. Why am I showing it here? I'm toying with the idea of offering a FREE Block of the Month series here on my blog. I selected various traditional blocks (many used in my 2016 Civil War Sampler pattern) named after famous people and places from the Civil War era: Order No. 11, Fredonia Oak Leaf, Lincoln's Platform, etc). These are 12" blocks with the center Fredonia Oak Leaf at a whopping 24"! The Blue and the Gray quilt is 72" x 72". It was beautifully quilted by Connie Gallant (who also now owns it). The Blue and the Gray Sampler: 72" x 72" Would you be interested in the patterns and following along? I will be remaking the blocks in bright colors (for those who don't like these muted reds and blues and greens). Here...