As you may know, I have published several Block a Day calendars - 15, to be exact (yes, that's right!). One of them is my perpetual calendar published by Martingale . That means that it can be used year after year (no day assigned; just a number). Here is the block for today, February 15: King's Crown. This real block was sewn by Patricia of Australia. King's Crown Block: 16"  I have made several quilts using this traditional block. Allow me to share them with you! The first one I made was in 2007 and published in Quilt Magazine. I used a collection of Asian inspired fabrics. There are four blocks in this quilt and a fun triangle inner border which creates a secondary design. King's Crown quilt The second was made using some Kaffe Fassett Fabrics and was the basis for a workshop back in 2005. Four 16" blocks with the placement of the pink and dot fabrics creating another secondary design. King's Crown Quilt: 50" x 50" Then I created one in 12...

This is an update on a post I shared last year. I am using an Ana Griffin design from her Chinoiserie Collection (2012-13). All I'm doing is taking a lovely block and building outward with strips and squares. I made a pentagon wreath using 2" pentagon papers for English Paper Piecing. Then I centered it over that wonderful pheasant motif.  Peacock Pentagon Wreath quilt center (in process) I first blogged about this collection in 2013. Can you see that regal peacock in the 3rd fabric down?!! Chinoiserie fabrics by Ana Griffin Here is that center block in process. I fussy cut/centered the peacock motif and then surrounded it with 10 2" pentagons (fabric wrapped around 2" paper pentagons). I machine stitched the center of the wreath to that peacock fabric (papers have been removed). Now it's pinned, ready for stitching to the 13-1/2" green background square. Centered and stitched Then it's time to trim away that green background. This reduces bulk and also ...

My local library in Herndon, Virginia has a display case that is available for anyone to share a particular collection for a month. It was empty in November and I asked if I could share my Autumn themed quilts. They said, "Of course!" Here is what I put on display. It's hard to see all of them, but in my 30 years of sewing for the camera I've made MANY small quilts that fit perfectly for this. November 2021 display of my small quilts in library I had a display of Hanukkah and Christmas quilts for December; Winter themed quilts for January and figured I'd be done. Nope! The case will be empty for February and I thought of all my Valentine's quilts - but also of my improv quilts which were inspired by the Gee's Bend quilts I patterned in 2009 with Windham Fabrics. I had given away ALL of the improv samples and larger quilts and had nothing to show. I got to work on Friday and made one using the Lazy Gal quilt as my guide. Here is my mini. Different colors fr...

Wow. Every 4 years we get to enjoy the beauty of skilled athletes at the top of their game! This time they are in China. This made me think of the Winter Games collection by Benartex that I featured here a few times in the past. It made its debut in 2017. I was sent 8 fat quarters and I went to town.  I wanted to capture the special motifs of the skiers, snowboarders, and even the hot  chocolate and coffee mugs. What better way than to center the motifs in - you guessed it - mug rugs ! Paper Pieced Mug Rug : 7" x 7" I captured some of the skis and skates in the center of the cup: Paper Pieced mug rug  #2 And I was able to get one with the snowboarder in the center. One more mug rug I had some leftovers from another collection that would "play nice" with my leftovers and so I pieced my small quilt of 6 hexagon blocks. They are surrounded by 30 degree triangles which gives a different look to the block. There are no y-seams, but you do need to begin with a partial sea...

I designed a workshop class based on some digital patterns I had published in Quilt Magazine. Just a simple heart shape could dance across a large, plain background piece of fabric. This was a popular class in 2009 and 2010 for the Sewing Expo. I actually made kits for my students! The hearts were backed with fusible webbing and the students could decide how they wanted to express themselves based on a few ideas I gave them. This first one is what I call Dancing Hearts. Dancing Hearts with 16 heart appliqués The next one was a sample I showed with the same 16 hearts making four little groups. I had white and black backgrounds. This was on black. Added borders and gave it to some lucky child. Dancing Hearts: 20" x 29" Then I used some 1930s fabrics for a table runner. I cut out a LOT of these hearts! I used them to make some cards. Then I used some for two runners: And more hearts and a longer table runner which uses 32 hearts. What looks like a border is actually extra wide b...

What's inside my Valentine's Vault? I've been quilting for 30+ years and have made a lot of quilts with a heart theme. Here's an oldie that I made using some soft wool plaid scraps. Published in one of our issues of Quilt Magazine in the early 2000s. Hearts of Wool and Plaids Hearts and Swallows was made for a friend's daughter many years ago in Atlanta. I love this quilt for all of the techniques used: appliqué, 8 pointed star, prairie point edges on those fence posts on the outside border. This was also published in Quilt Magazine. Hearts and Swallows Paper pieced Slashed Hearts is about 20 years old and has since gone to live with someone. Can you believe that awesome Rick Rack appliquéd to the black sashing? I think I'll try some of that with some kids' quilts I have coming up. Paper Pieced Slashed Hearts - I wonder who owns this now? I designed the block in 2002 (when I think the quilt was published). Could that REALLY be 20 years ago?! I packaged it o...

I've made a lot of quilts with hearts. In fact, the very first quilt I made was a kit I bought from Family Circle magazine that featured hearts and 9 patches. Do you remember those kits that were advertised in the back of the magazines? I think I paid almost $50 for this kit back in the early 1980s! I was choking on the price, and then I saw how easy it would have been for me to have gone to the store to buy the little bits of fabric! NEVER AGAIN HAVE I BOUGHT A KIT!!! My first quilt from a kit (and last quilt from a kit!) I hand quilted it and I still own it. Faded but well loved. Here's a recent quilt block I made using a pattern from 2012. I pulled some Kaffe Fassett prints and supplemented with some blenders. The center Stacked Hearts block (the rectangle) is raw edge appliqué. Stacked Hearts mini: 21" x 21" Here is the first one I made (the original pattern was digital and in my 2012 desktop calendar). Stacked Hearts : 21" x 21" Let me show you some o...