I was asked to teach my Flying Swallows class again, though it hasn't been confirmed. I started thinking about those diamonds and how they appear in several other vintage inspired quilts I've made. First, my most recent Flying Swallows quilt using Michael Miller's Fairy Frost fabrics for those diamonds: Flying Swallows : 48" x 48" The diamonds are easily rotary cut from 2-1/2" strips (this shows cutting from 3-1/2" strips, but the same method). Think differently about those diagonal lines on your rulers! My first Flying Swallows : First Flying Swallows from 2000. Now let's look at the diamonds - very neat, huh? NO templates! Rotary cut 45 degree diamonds Swallows in the Window uses the SAME diamonds. The way the background triangles are arranged and the addition of a center square makes this unique. Here's the vintage pattern for a 9" block (gasp!!) And my most recent Swallows in the Window quilt (my second one). Uses the SAME diamonds. Sw...

Two vintage quilt patterns use 45 degree diamonds to indicate swallows. First, there's  Flying Swallows . (I'll be back with some Swallows in the Window quilts later this week). There seems to be a serious interest in this pattern. My Etsy shop has sold a few dozen in the past 2 weeks! Flying Swallows is based on an 8 Pointed Star, as seen here by one I created in 2002 for Quilt Magazine. Flying Swallows, 2002 I have designed a few digital quilts since then for a few fabric companies. Here's one I used for Blank Quilting in 2008: Flying Swallows using the Fun Dip Collection This is a class sample from 2020 using some lovely red fabrics by Windham. That center is a whopping 24" block! Flying Swallows . 24" center. 38" x 38" quilt Oh. Don't get nervous! There aren't any y-seams, I promise! Here is another of my class samples. I made it in bright colors. First - the 45 degree diamonds.  45 degree diamonds in bright colors How did I cut those diamond...

I have been sewing with Michael Miller's  Fairy Frost  fabrics since they first hit the market. They are still as lovely - and relevant - as the first day! They are the perfect blenders with a bit of "bling" added with the subtle metallics on top of each color. Here are two stacks (with Marble in the background) that came into my studio in June of 2021. Fairy Frost  Fat Quarters  I've shared several blog posts using these lovely fabrics. If you want to revisit them, do a Search for "Fairy Frost" or "Michael Miller" in the sidebar. Today I'm talking "diamonds", though the ones below were used for my Flying Swallows class sample. Fairy Frost diamonds for  Flying Swallows quilt I used these along with some Fairy Frost background fabrics to make my quilt center. Isn't she lovely? These are 45 degree diamonds and half-square triangles (no y-seams, btw). You can see my other  Flying Swallows  quilts in my Etsy shop. Flying Swallows  wit...

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023 with quilts and all their beauty. Diamonds come in all sizes. Those in fabric come in many different angles. I seem to prefer the 60 degree kind, though I've made many quilts using the 45 degree diamond. Oh - don't get nervous. I'm not going to launch into a math lesson! This is a simple quilt made using eight large 45 degree diamonds. Big Block Lone Star . 29" center star! 6-1/2" diamonds I have shown how I cut my fabric diamonds, both 45 and 60 degree. What's revolutionary to me is that I do not use templates. Revolutionary? Yes, because when I began quilting 35 years ago, every diamond in every magazine was cut using a template. Every. Single. One. Here is how I cut my strips - NO templates! For this next quilt I began with 3-1/2" strips. Using the 45 degree diagonal lines on my acrylic ruler, I sliced off the left side (waste) by aligning the 45 degree line with bottom of strip. Then I measured over 3-1/2" from tha...

I have always drawn the most inspiration from vintage and traditional quilt patterns. Flying Swallows is one of those. There are several variations of both pieced and appliqué blocks, but I'm talking about the one based on an 8 Pointed Star, as seen here by one I created in 2002 for Quilt Magazine. Flying Swallows, 2002 I have designed a few digital quilts since then for a few fabric companies. Here's one I used for Blank Quilting in 2008: Flying Swallows using the Fun Dip Collection This was a class I was supposed to teach in 2020 for the Sewing Expo. Nope - all cancelled! I'm sitting on all the printed patterns, but I also have them as digital pdfs in my Etsy shop. Here is one of my class samples: Flying Swallows . 24" center. 38" x 38" quilt Oh. Don't get nervous! There aren't any y-seams, I promise! Here is another of my class samples. I made it in bright colors. First - the 45 degree diamonds.  45 degree diamonds in bright colors Let's see t...