Duck Quilt Blocks and Donald Duck Day
It is impossible to live so close to a Disney theme park and to have a cat named m. mouse and not recognize Donald Duck Day! Donald Duck Day is March 13. I hear that Donald was born on Friday the 13th and that’s why he generally has such rotten luck. Donald is one of Disney’s firs ...
- Host a Charm Pack "Swap Meet"
A purchased package of Charm Squares Sure, you can go buy charm squares. There is a great selection of charm fabrics out there. You could also take a more fun approach to growing your charm collection by organizing a charm swap. The first step is to determine t ...
- Strip Piecing Quilt Patches & Blocks
If you are sewing a block together that has a simple 9 patch with alternating colors, the fastest way to sew it together is by using a technique called "strip piecing." Follow the step-by-step instructions below. The video will guide you along as well. ...
- Disappearing 9-Patch Quilt Block
Not long ago, a quilter wrote in asking about a quilt block I was unfamiliar with - which isn't all that unusual. However, this one captured my attention and imagination, because it is so simple yet offers a huge range of possibilities. It all begins with a simple 9 patch quilt block, made u ...
- Two-Color Quilt Blocks
Making a quilt should be a fun and relaxing experience, so choose fabrics that you enjoy working with. Two-color blocks have a unique appeal. To be most effective, choose colors that contrast – white with blue, red or green work well. White with pink, yellow or lavender are nice, but do ...
- Broken Star or Star of Bethlehem Quilt
Broken Star or Star of Bethlehem quilt The sun was not kind to the quilt in this picture. The colors of the quilt are blues and peaches. That aside, this quilt design is called a Broken Star or Star of Bethlehem. The Star of Bethlehem is one of the oldest and most familiar of all th ...
- Changing the Patches in Your Blocks
Have you ever looked at a block and wondered what it might look like with strips or squares in some of the patches instead of just solid patches? I'm certain that there are many more quilt block patterns today simply because quilters asked that question and then created blocks that replaced sev ...
- Dresden Plate Quilt Block
Porcelain house ware items made in the 1700s in Germany inspired one of the world’s most favorite quilt patterns – the Dresden Plate. Dresden, Germany was home to a china manufacturer in the 1700s. Based on the popularity of the china company, a quilt block was named in honor of it ...
- Easy Quilt Blocks Using Square Patches
Remember sitting through that geometry class and lamenting that you’d never use any of that information? Now, you are a quilter, working with some of the same shapes that vexed you in school. Somehow, now, it doesn’t seem so bad! If you are new to quilting and if geometry still scar ...
- Square in a Square Quilt Block
The Square in Square quilt block pattern is a very versatile one. In its basic form, the Square in Square looks exactly like its name. Another version set on point looks more like a diamond in square, but the block name is still the same. So is its construction. Like so many quilt patterns ...
- Chinese Lanterns Quilt Block
Chinese Lanterns quilt block Japanese Lanterns quilt block Chinese lanterns are popular decorating items. It makes sense that there are also quilt patterns that feature them. There are actually several styles of Chinese lantern quilt patterns. One Chinese lantern quilt block resem ...
- Irish Chain Baby Quilt
This Irish Chain flannel baby quilt is easy to make, and will be a welcome gift for mom and baby! Irish Chain quilts are easy to make, and if you use soft pastels for your quilt, you can have a baby quilt in a short day, especially if you machine quilt or tie it. In this quilt, I use ...
- Tree of Life Quilt Block
In early American days, clipper ships brought cargoes of Indian and Persian cotton prints into western Atlantic ports. When quilt designers were looking for pattern ideas, the Tree of Life design, common to Oriental rugs, was easily converted to a quilt pattern. The appeal of the block lies ...
- Easy Quilt Blocks for Beginner Quilters
If you are looking for big, easy quilt blocks, there are several you should check into. Nothing is bigger and easier than a 12 inch patch. Cut your blocks from varying colors of fabric, connect them with the sashing and that’s about all that’s required in piecing. Nine patch quilt ...
- Hollow Cubes - Those Fun Little 3-Dimensional Floating Tumbling Blocks
Periodically I get questions about how to make a hollow cube. These are fun little 3 dimensional boxes that look like the light is shining through. They are relatively easy to make. The key is the placement of the color in your patches. Lately, we have learned a lot about color and value, a ...
- Tennessee Waltz Quilt
It’s never too early to start a Christmas quilt. And this isn’t especially a Christmas Quilt pattern. It’s the Tennessee Waltz quilt block done in Christmas colors. You could just as easily do it in Halloween, fall, spring or any other colors you like. The thing about this qui ...
- Making a Clamshell Template
Once you have decided to make a clamshell quilt, unless you already have a pattern, it's time to make a template. It looks more complicated that it really is, and once you have your clamshell, you can easily make the subdivisions. You need something that will create at least a quarter circle ...
- Sewing an 8-Pointed Star
The most difficult part of sewing stars seems to be getting the center to lay flat. Yet, using some very simple techniques, eight pointed stars can be really easy to sew together. Not too long ago, I published a tip showing how to trim the ends of your triangles off so they are easier to match ...
- How do I make tumbling blocks, or baby blocks, or a charm quilt?
Quilters often ask how to make a Tumbling Blocks or Baby Blocks quilt. These quilts are lovely and can be done as a planned quilt or a scrap quilt. Years ago, quilters in my area were starting Charm quilts. A charm quilt is one where you create a quilt using only one shape in one size - a s ...
- What are the basics of quilt blocks?
Most patchwork quilts are made using a basic unit called a Block. Generally blocks are square, although they can be any shape the quiltmaker wants them to be – rectangles, triangles, hexagons, diamonds; all are fairly common. Quilts are usually made with the same shape block throughout ...
