Reading 1820 Blogs Daily!


July 15, 2026
Mini TUTORIAL: Full Hearts Quilt from Wedding Dress Blue

This goes to the soon-to-be-born first baby of a young couple in our circle. I can see it being built in many color options and sizes. Enjoy!

Full Hearts Quilt

36″ x 36″

MATERIALS

Fabric in at least two different colors for the heart and strip blocks. I used scraps. You will need a total of 54 strips 2-1/2″x-1/2″. I did 18 of each color (pink, yellow, blue). You will need 36 pieces 3-1/2″ x 6-1/2 (12 of each color).

1/2 yard background fabric. Cut 72 1-1/4″x1-1/4″ squares. Cut 36 3-1 ...

read more
July 10, 2026
Many Hands Many Hearts from Wedding Dress Blue

Consider joining me, and many others, in making blocks for Many Hands Many Hearts.

These are a truncated version of the potato chip block. Fun use of scraps. Go together quickly.

Mine will be in the mail very soon–24 blocks.

read more
June 30, 2026
Green Bow Ties from Fret Not Yourself

What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.
~Colette

We traveled across the eastern US this spring for a delightful family wedding. So good to see the next generations growing up, becoming responsible and still fun! Then a second trip to the west coast. Wow. Now we are home resting up… in the heat. But lovely memories of people and places. 

Quilting

There were extra fabric squares from the Fireworks quilt. Loads of them, of course. I’d cut extra black-and-white squares and many green squares that hadn’t been used at all ...

read more
June 25, 2026
Double Four-Patch Update from Wedding Dress Blue

It has been one month since I shared my newest leader-ender project: The Double Four Patch.

I have completed 84 blocks. As Gretchen said, “They add up.”

read more
June 18, 2026
Mini-TUTORIAL: Stars Surrounded Mini-Quilt from Wedding Dress Blue

Because I wasn’t thinking of writing a step-by-step process tutorial as I started playing with leftover bits of fabric, I don’t have everything needed to be a true TUTORIAL. But I do have this, and maybe it will inspire you to build something similar yourself.

Stars Surrounded

19-1/2″ x 19-1/2″

MATERIALS

64 high contrast HST 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2 (you can use cutoffs from a previous quilt, or create to order from 2″ squares)

41 background squares 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″

16 colored strips 1-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ (I cut mine in pairs ...

read more
June 8, 2026
Playing With Leftovers from Wedding Dress Blue

A sort of pinwheel star block made with 1-1/2″ cut off HST.

Mini!

read more
June 4, 2026
Topper Quilt (And Pillows) COMPLETE from Wedding Dress Blue

Why is it called the Topper Quilt? Because it started out as a TUTORIAL from Free Motion by the River. Great use of Mini Charms (one per block, or a bunch of scrap-cut squares.) AND, if you get carried away, suddenly you have a quilt top. With pillows.

NOTE: This is the front yard of my home. And you are seeing my locally-famous front yard garden. Keeps me honest about weeding…

I love how each block came together and how I was able to use fabric I had on hand. If you have mini charm packs without a purpose, each ...

read more
May 25, 2026
A New (Big) Project: Double Four-Patch from Wedding Dress Blue

When I am sorting scraps, or cleaning up after projects, I cut likely pieces into standard sizes: 1-1/2″, 2″, 2-1/2″ squares. They are so handy, sitting there in their little tubs just waiting for a project to come along.

And here it is! Double four-patch.

A large (queen? king?) size quilt made out of 4-1/2″ blocks. Yes, it is a lot, but I have a lot of squares. And I am not in a hurry. And, I already have 11 blocks. Only something like 550+ to go.

read more
May 17, 2026
Divide & Dash Quilt Along – Week 6 | Final Row Assembly & Quilt Finish from Sister Of The Divide

 Divide & Dash Quilt Along - Week 6 The Final Row Assembly and Quilt Finish!Welcome back to Week 6 of the Divide & Dash Quilt Along! This week we are assembling the final row of the quilt and bringing all of our carefully pieced sections together into one beautiful finished quilt top. From the playful Flying Geese units to the bold Churn Dash blocks, this quilt has truly come to life

read more
May 4, 2026
Economy Baby COMPLETE from Wedding Dress Blue

This is truly an Economy Baby Quilt–the block is an 8″ economy block, and it was built entirely of hand-me-downs and scraps.

The feature fabric is adorable (not sure of line). And the quilting echoes the theme.

Finished size is 40″x40″.

It goes in the donation pile.

read more
April 20, 2026
Lucky Hearts Baby Quilt COMPLETE from Wedding Dress Blue

A coworker is having a baby soon. When asked about a quilt she said that she liked teal-aqua and the room would have a farm animal theme, “You know, like elephants!” I am not sure how many elephants the average farm (outside of Asia) has, but this quilt does have them.

The block is a modified version of Scrappy Log Cabin Heart block. It is a great pattern and highly recommended.

Because of the elephants, I selected a quilting design with that theme. AND, because I am super lucky, found fabric in my stash that has both the right colors ...

read more
April 7, 2026
Variable Star Wall Quilt from Fret Not Yourself

Only the weakest of people believe that love is the weakest of weapons.
Governor J. B. Pritzker

Quilting

My daughter called last week wanting two wall quilts to reduce the echoing of their stairway. The one from the second to third floor. They have an old house and the stairs are as steep as the pulldown ladder we use to access an attic. How did women get up these in long dresses?

Variable Star wall quilt

She likes very quiet colors like taupe. This one almost fits the bill and the top was ready to go. [plus, my granddaughter loves ...

read more
March 18, 2026
Pull. Cut. Piece. from Wedding Dress Blue

Pull.

Cut.

Piece.

I love the start of a new project!

read more
March 10, 2026
Long Time, No See, but Finally Finished from Fret Not Yourself

We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires, 
but by the absence of poverty, the prevalence of health, 
the efficiency of the public schools, and 
the number of people who can and do read worthwhile books.
~W.E.B. Dubois

Quilting

Two years ago I sent this top to a longarm quilter. It's too large for me to handle anymore. She is a talented quilting designer but her machine had tension issues halfway through. Lots of tangled threads on the back, arcs of skipped stitches, etc. It seemed a mess. I cried and ...

read more
February 25, 2026
MINI TUTORIAL: Fringe Benefit Block from Wedding Dress Blue

Looking for a way to use up surplus Half Square Triangles (HST)? This might be just the thing you are looking for. Gather up all the HST you have laying around, pick a size, add some low volume scraps, and, before you know it, you have a beautiful quilt to share.

I built my quilt without sashing, and the quilt sizes below assume that. You will likely come up with variations, and I would love to see them all.

NOTE: The quilt above is a 2-1/2″ HST variation using 36 blocks and finishing at 72″x72″.

Fringe Benefit Blocks ...

read more
February 24, 2026
Quilting My Stash of Tops from Fret Not Yourself

Freedom is not a state; it is an act.
~Representative John Lewis

Quilting

Since I haven't quilted in a while it seemed smarter to start with one of the smaller tops. This used the last of my shirt fabric. It looks good but the fabric stretched a bit so I needed a quilting design that doesn't cross any threads. Baptist Fan fits the bill although I haven't sewed it in a while. Good practice to get back in shape. 

Smaller Blue Cross quilt

The back is a yard of a paisley print extended with some blue from ...

read more
February 21, 2026
Heart Throw COMPLETE from Wedding Dress Blue

This started off as a little bundle of three floral print fat quarters. I found some friends for them and, using my favorite Heart Block Pattern, started sewing.

The 6″ size made best use of the fabric I had available. When trimmed to 2-1/2″ the HST cut-offs became the border.

The backing matches beautifully and came from stash, where it had been for a long time. Don’t you just love it when fabric finds its purpose?!

I have another heart quilt in mind and hope to start it in the next few weeks. I need to get the ...

read more
February 18, 2026
Good Idea. Poor Execution. from Wedding Dress Blue

I had seen something similar (without a pattern I could identify) on Pinterest . It turned out to be a good idea that didn’t work.

I am very pleased with the solid flying geese blocks. But, the background…If it had all been the flowers, or the other bright print. But, mixing the two with some leftover scraps…Not successful.

That said, I am going to try again with a single print. The idea deserves a second chance.

ps–I have been calling it the Ugly Geese Quilt, which isn’t fair, because the geese aren’t ugly at all.

read more
February 10, 2026
Starting with the Sashing from Fret Not Yourself

Before mass leaders seize the power to fit reality to their lies, their propaganda is marked by its extreme contempt for facts as such, for in their opinion fact depends entirely on the power of the man who can fabricate it.
~Hannah Arendt

Quilting

Determined that those discarded yellow sashing pieces from the previous top are NOT going into the scrap bag. I decided to make a simple baby quilt. The sashing is very pale. In addition to soft yellow, it has pale pink and tan. 

I pulled what I had and it wasn't much. Most of the pale ...

read more
February 9, 2026
Scrappy Sampler Sew Along: Blocks 5 And 6 And 7 And 8. from Wedding Dress Blue

I got a little behind due to…well, life! But, I am caught up with the  2026 Sew Along: Scrappy Sampler.

Week 3 and Week 4 are available on YouTube.

I changed to using the red, white and blue color patterns. They work better with my scrapp-ier plan. I am very pleased at how blocks 7 and 8 went because of that.

I was also glad to use some of the pre-cut items that Debra included in the mystery kit she sent me. No, those are not going to waste.

Looking forward to the coming blocks this week.

read more