If it's Wednesday then it's set aside for Windham Fabrics. I received a fat quarter bundle of their April line, Sashiko . What do you think? Sashiko Collection by Windham Fabrics I have so many ideas. I also have a few real sashiko samples I've been working on for 20+ years. I'm trying to think up a way to incorporate these fabrics and my sashiko sample. 12" square Sashiko sample with fat quarters I had an Asian Delights club that I taught in Atlanta in the mid-2000s. I designed the patterns and we stitched a variety of Asian themed projects. One of those is this string pieced kimono. She has finally gone to live in a new home (last week). She is so happy to be out of the closet! String pieced kimono: 32" x 40" Here's a picture of the back of the kimono. You will notice that the hanging rod runs between the layers in the photo above. The string pieced blocks are 8" square. This is a great scrap buster! Kimono back I will ...

Familiar words to many of us from our childhood: Hey diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle. The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed To see such sport, And the dish ran away with the spoon. Windham Fabrics took the prints from the old nursery rhyme and made the sweetest collection, Cat and the Fiddle . They asked me to create something and I used one of my cow patterns and had her jumping over the moon. First the cow: The Cow Jumping Over the Moon I also made a Moon Block, but I couldn't fit it in the quilt. But I'll show it here: The Moon and Stars Block I let the fabrics do all the work in the blocks. There is a Cobblestone block and a Snowball block. The blocks are 12" and the quilt, as shown, is 51" x 51". The Cow Jumped Over the Moon You can check it out and see the prints up close by clicking on the links. I hope you enjoy it! The Cow Jumped Over the Moon FREE pattern

Don't think Christmas! Just because you see Frosty the Snowman doesn't mean he only comes around at Christmas time. When there's snow, there's Frosty! This is a delightful 1930s print that is Winter themed (ok, I know you see gingerbread houses and Christmas stockings and candy canes - what can I say?) This is Frosted Blocks . Frosted Blocks : 56" x 65" This uses my tried and true pattern which I call Tilt. I first made this style of quilt in 2002 when I looked at the Tri-Recs ruler and figured I could "tilt" some charm squares. I called it "The Talking Quilt" because the squares are novelty prints that would get the interest of a child and get them to "talk" about each one. Don't use this for nap time - they won't go to sleep! The Talking Quilt Then I made it again for Windham in 2007: Tumbling Dice  - FREE pattern Then I made it again using another Windham Fabrics collection called "Cream and Sugar...

Whoa! Do I have my days mixed up? Or was I just slow about posting? Neither. I am in the process of a local move and I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes and packing and all the stuff you have to do to move in America. And I'm totally exhausted. Scotty - beam me up!! Now, what do I have for you today, Cyber Monday? A few quilts that incorporate black - some with a little and some with a lot. First out of the box is one you've seen here before. But it remains one of my favorite quilts and was the start of my Cookie Cutter Bonanza workshops. Hearts on Fire : 46" x 63" Hearts on Fire  is 46" x 63".  The hearts are raw edge appliqué and I used batiks throughout. The background black sets off each of the half-hearts in the border. The 10" x 11" blocks are created in halves (rectangles) and when you trim away the fabric from behind each heart, you get the bonus half-hearts that I used in the border (both big and little). Pretty clever, huh? Absol...

Winter Games  is a collection I blogged about last summer. It was about a new collection by Amanda Murphy. I love her colors and her prints SO MUCH! Just to remind you of the 8 fat quarters Benartex sent to me. They knew that the fabrics would speak to me and tell me what they wanted. It also meant that I would make something small because my fabrics were limited - no king sized quilt from these! 8 fat quarters of  Winter Games Benartex asked me to make mug rugs. I revisited one of my frequently used pattern called  Coffee Cups . First, here's the original pattern as it appeared in the Kansas City Star in the 1930s: Coffee Cups pattern using a lot of odd shaped templates I made a 9 block quilt about 20 years ago and it was published in Quilt Magazine. I gifted it to a friend several years ago. Nine Block Coffee Cup Quilt I also made about a dozen using a Windham Fabrics Collection called Mimosa: 10 of the dozen or so blocks I made with this colle...

Got scraps? Matching scraps? Well, this is the perfect way to use up those scraps to make lovely gifts for teachers, friends, stocking stuffers, and just about any occasion to say "I care." Yes, I shared these before, with a TUTORIAL . Remember? 7 little tissue holders made with Windham "It's a Hoot" Collection Then I made some with my Kaffe Fassett scraps. And I have a LOT of them. Here they are: 4 little tissue holders using my Kaffe scraps Now for some quick steps (which were shared in more detail at that previous post using the What a Hoot collection): Two rectangles. The outside (wavy print) is cut 6" x 7". The inside lining (dots) is cut larger at 6" x 8-1/4". Start with two rectangles  Sew the two short sides together as shown. Yes, the rectangles are not the same size. There's a reason for this! Sew the two rectangles together  Press with right sides out. The larger lining rectangle folds over and for...

Sometimes I just want to sew. I upsized some Dogtooth borders for foundation piecing and got to work using some 2-1/2" strips of Kaffe Fassett fabrics that I had on hand. What are my plans? I really don't know. Who says I have to have a plan? Foundation Pieced Dogtooth strips What size are they? 4" wide and about 12" long (finished). Dogtooth strip before trimming  And can we see the front? Trimmed. Can you see those 1/4" seam allowances? Then I had a thought to add these to my Pickle Dish quilt center. This is a new class I am teaching and is based on a pattern from American Patchwork & Quilting (yes, I asked permission). I tweaked the pattern in so many ways so that it is teachable and for my students to be able to stitch it. Here are my steps: Three of the fabrics  I always make a cutting template for odd shaped patches, rather than use squares or rectangles, which can result in a LOT of fabric waste. Cutting Template  These a...