Welcome July with me as we welcome the second block in the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian's Quilt-a-long . It is designed by Cissy Serrao who is a Hawaiian native and has created many beautiful Hawaiian quilt designs for many years. You can also have the FREE pattern for this block by clicking the link under the photo. This will take you to the Smithsonian site; scroll down, look for Cissy's photo, then you can download the 16 page pdf pattern with LOTS of great details about making the block. Block 2: Kanani O Ka Home (10") I have been thinking of my own Hawaiian inspired designs and many that were featured in our magazine pages over the years. So, I will be sharing those throughout the month of July with several of them FREE! But, first, let me show you (again) some authentic Hawaiian fabric squares that were scraps from making Hawaiian shirts. These are over 60 years old and my grandson Matteo helped me separate them into piles of matching prints. 300 Quilt...

Yes, I have closets full of unfinished quilts - aka, tops. And they are sad, so I told them they could be quilted and given to some folks who need some tender, loving care because they're sick. You should have heard all the yelling and singing and clapping from those closets! Here are a few I've finished recently and are destined to go to Hopes and Dreams which then gives them to folks with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). They were beautifully quilted by Kathy Gray of Manassas, VA.  Bubbles and Hexagons  is the first. These are half-hexagons which are cut from 10" layer cake squares, but are easily cut from 4-1/2" strips. NO y-seams! This was a popular workshop for several years. Bubbles and Hexagons : 60" x 64" The next one is my Sweet Baby Logs quilt using black, white and red prints. If you click that link, you will see it in several colors. Yes, I made them all. The log cabin is a favorite of many quilters! Baby Logs : 56" x 56" I'll shar...

More quilts to go with my 3 Colorburst Squares blocks in the calendar this week. The most recent was made using some Brandon Mably houses and some blenders called Bedrock from Windham Fabrics: Mabley's Houses: 40" x 50"  Here's the first quilt I made with this pattern using batiks Colorburst Squares: 62" x 72" Another one using a Windham collection from years past (Meadow Whispers): Meadow Whispers: 50" x 60" One more with the same fabrics! Yes, I squeezed a lot from that line. All these blocks are the same (from Wednesday - Blocl #1). And the last one is a digital image I did for a fabric company: Check out my pattern in my Etsy shop . And, don't forget to get your calendar (if you don't have one already) - C&T Publishing shop .

Today is April 16 and I resized one of my Kimono patterns to 12" x 14" - not a square! Why? Well, because it looks better that way! Here is the block as I made it last year using a blender collection by Benartex called Equinox. Kimono: 12" x 14" Let me show you my 3 kimono quilts - yes, three! But, first, a tiny postcard I created about 20 years ago where I actually cut out those fabric shoe motifs and added them to the front. Isn't this cute? Tiny kimono postcard Here is the first quilt I stitched with the very simple Kimono block (12" x 14"). I created this for a class I taught in Atlanta almost 20 years ago! Bamboo Garden Kimono quilt : 43" x 56" Then I used a wonderful Asian inspired collection by Windham Fabrics called Sashiko: Four block Kimono quilt Then I made nine blocks using some Kaffe Fassett fabrics. I was stumped on how to make my fabric stretch for those borders and then decided to add those squares on point! No piecing! 9 Bloc...

Lucky you! Today is an easy block in my New Quilter's Block a Day Calendar . This is a 9" block Four Patch on Point: 9" Here is a quilt I made about 15 years ago with a much larger Four Patch on Point. I called it Peacock Garden and the blocks around 11 - with four together at 21-22""! It apppears in my second book, Supersize 'Em Quilts (2009). I still own the quilt and it's actually on top of one of my beds! Peacock Garden : 72" x 86" When you have a gorgeous print as shown in Peacock Garden , you don't want to chop it up into little, tiny pieces. It likes to strut its stuff. (Pattern is for sale in my Etsy shop for only $5.00!) I had a leftover block and turned it into a lovely little table topper: Peacock Garden mini: 31" x 31" Do you have a copy of my calendar yet? Check your local quilt shop for my calendar. It's also back in stock with C&T and other retailers! on  Amazon at  C&T Publishing and in  Barnes & ...

The beauty of living on the East Coast is getting to experience the four seasons. Watching Nature change her clothes several times a year has given me a new appreciation of the steps involved in quilt making. A few years ago a catalog bulb company made an error in my order. Instead of one bushel of daffodil bulbs (200), they sent three!   Wild daffodils in my yard I went feverishly to work that November planting 600 spring bulbs, not knowing the wonderful surprise I would receive come March. The breathtaking display of yellow in all its glory was only enhanced by the spring green background. It was a welcome sight after a long, hard winter of gray, white and dull brown. It reminds me of the Daffodil Block from the Memory Bouquet quilt I made with my quilting friends from Atlanta 25 years ago. The Daffodil block from the Memory Bouquet quilt Here's the whole quilt in all its beauty! The blocks are 9" x 12" and the whole quilt is 63" x 63". Memory Bouquet Quilt ...

The block for March 3 (today) is Circling Hearts. It's also known as Card Trick. The math on the block is in fiddly numbers in order to please my publishers and make it a "normal" 12" size. Here's how the block was made by Patricia Bryant of Australia. She was working from my previous calendar (2007). Card Trick Kathy M. made the Circling Hearts block using the Finding Your Way fabrics by Lisa Ruble for Benartex. Circling Hearts by Kathy M. - 12" There are 4 distinct hearts there. I call my adaptive version " No Tricky Card Trick " and made a fun quilt using some Kaffe Fassett fabrics. Easy to cut triangles and squares and rectangles, though it does create an "odd sized" block. Who cares if they all go together into one quilt?! No Tricky Card Trick : 54" x 54" The quilt pattern version is an alternate path to the traditional block (which is in my calendar). Let's see: Center of the Card Trick block All I need to do is add th...

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...

What a crazy thing to ask! 2015 is long gone. But I have discovered that the days of the week correspond with the 2026 calendar. So, January 1 in 2026 falls on a Thursday. So did January 1 in 2015, so you can enjoy the blocks and quilt patterns again! 2015 Block and Pattern a Day Calendar There are almost 250 quilt blocks for 68 quilting projects! That is a BIG wow, don't you think? I began creating these block a day calendars in 2006 and my last one (like this) was 2020. Of course, I've just released my 19th block a day calendar with C&T Publishing and that is what's called a perpetual calendar. That means it is not tied to any one year. The one pictured above is - but now it's being recycled for 2026! There are several projects that were created by my former senior editor Jean Ann Wright. We did this together for a few years and then I went solo again. The first quilt "out of the box" is the Kaleidoscope. It's one I designed for Benartex fabrics and ...

Today is December 14 and is the first day of Hanukkah (which starts in the evening). I've made several Hanukkah quilts over the years and, as you've already seen, I have several Hanukkah blocks in my Block a Day Calendar. Let me show you a few of my Hanukkah themed creations: This is a variation on my Seven Sisters pattern. Star of David table topper : 24" x 28" I made some paper pieced dreidels and turned them into coasters. But, the first ones were made into little drawstring bags and were published in Modern Quilting Magazine. Dreidel gift bag Two gift bags using very old Hanukkah fabrics! Here are 3 coasters I made: 6" Paper pieced dreidels for coasters I made these dreidels into blocks for a quilt using some Michael Miller prints: And one more using Hanukkah fabrics and my Starfish pattern : Festive Starfish quilt: 44" x 44" Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

There's nothing like hearing that an orphan has been adopted into a loving home! And for us quilters, we can rejoice when a block, that was left out of a quilt, finally gets to be surrounded by other lovely fabrics. This is the 3rd orphan paper pieced birdhouse that I was able to feature in the center of the Meals on Wheels placemats. I call it " First Apartment " and I see by my computer files that I first designed it in 2002! First Apartment: 6" x 12" I made one and put it with a few others into this VERY old quilt. You can see it at the bottom left. Isn't this so cute the way my senior editor staged it for photography? She found some well loved birdhouses to hang out with! Birdhouse mini quilt, published in 2000! I added the simple strips to make it a placemat: First Apartment placemat: 14" x 18" I can just imagine the smiles when the recipients get these birdhouse centered placemats, can't you? You can see all of my Big Birdhouse Bonanza p...

Double Perch is a block I designed about 20 years ago and included in various bundles of paper piecing patterns. I taught workshops and this little block was used as a sample for my steps. Here is a photo of the back of the block in progress from 2013! Double Perch wrong side After paper piecing the main birdhouse, I still needed to machine appliqué the "doors" (circles) and perches. Block size: 5" x 10" Doors and perches before appliqué I finally got around to that little bit of stitching and finished the block. But, alas, it sat alone in the block orphanage for 12 years! Then, upon hearing about the need for Meals on Wheels placemats, I knew this little birdhouse could have a loving home after all! I grabbed my box of batiks and pulled some cheerful prints and finished this in no time! Double Perch placemat: 14" x 18" This is one of 10 large birdhouses in my 22 page pdf pattern in my Etsy store. No tiny, little birdhouses - these take advantage of a s...