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Can four blocks, even fairly large ones (18″) make a quilt?

Well, they will need some help. In this case I used a simple 6″ block that could be repeated and serve as a sort of background and filler, while adding texture and interest. It uses 1 2-1/2″ square for the center and 2- 2-1/2″ squares and 2 2-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ strips to round it out. They go together really quickly.

Then a small stop border and a wider (3″ finished) outside border.

And, before you know it, you’ve got a quilt.

The minkee backing ...

Diwali Lights designed, pieced and quilted by me is in the November/December issue of the Quiltmaker Magazine.

Picture by Quiltmaker

The journey of this quilt began in January of this year, when I submitted the pattern to the Quiltmaker magazine. When I received the acceptance email, I was thrilled but realized that I won't be able to meet the March deadline (for publication in the September/October issue) due to other engagements. 

Mock-up in EQ8

Quiltmaker honored my request and agreed to delay the publication to November/December issue and I had until May to make and send ...

I have completed my Positivity 2.0 Quilt. I have named him Naman. It is a Sanskrit word meaning salutations.

On the banks of Potomac

Walking Foot Quilting

Labelled

Good use of the Picnic Table :-)

Two of the most popular motifs in quilting are hearts and stars. I’ve combined both hearts and stars in this new quilt pattern “For the Love of Stars.” It is a quick pattern to put together, using lots of heart quilt blocks combined with 9-patch stars made using the Strippy Stars Tool. The Strippy Stars […]

I have a new finish!!!  Let me show you a few process pictures before the final reveal.

Basting

A Grizzly and a Polar Bear walked into a quilt!!!

Quilting Slowly

A Round Robin quilt is the sweetest of group projects. It is passed among friends, each adding blocks or borders of their own.

And when it is finished, that quilt represents the talent and creativity of everyone involved. (I get all tingly and sentimental just thinking about it!) 

For this month’s Triple Play tutorial, Jenny and the girls stitched up one big Round Robin quilt. They named it Sparkling Stars, and it sure is a beauty! 

Jenny built the center with 9-patches and half-square triangle lemoyne stars, Misty added pretty sawtooth star blocks and quarter-square triangles, and Natalie finished ...

So happy to share (another) finished Rise Above quilt! I made my first version of this pattern last winter as

In 1820 – for the very first time – thread was sold on spools. (Before that, it was skeins or hanks. Can you imagine the tangles?!)

The spools were made by a local woodturner, and the thread was wound by hand at the Clark Brothers’ factory in Paisley, Scotland. Like old fashioned soda bottles, these wooden spools came with an extra half-penny charge that was refunded when the empty spool was returned to the shop. My, how times have changed!

This week, Jenny is whipping up a homage to the magnificent spool with a brand new jelly roll quilt.

Spool Stars and ...

The first quilt top created was the last one finished. That happens sometimes. But I am pleased with the outcome and look forward to sharing a round up of all of them (four sizes).

If you have a Star Kissed top/quilt you would like included, let me know. I would love to see how you finished yours.

The pieces in this one are SO TINY! It makes my heart happy.

For now it is staying here with the other three. I have some notion about doing a presentation of some kind on scale and setting options in quilts…I ...

3 Radiant Star Quilts, 3 Machine Quilting Options

We started another 3 quilt machine quilting comparison series. This time we are looking at my Radiant Star quilt.

The first machine quilting option uses free-motion and ruler quilting to create a beautiful surface design. 

WATCH

Watch the replay of Quilt Conversations LIVE! Episode 4  to learn how it was quilted with rulers to create space for  free motion quilting.

The second Radiant Star quilt is a patchwork of color.  This option looks at using the patchwork to contain free-motion quilting. This is perfect for practicing new quilting patterns.  

WATCH the replay ...

The 4th of July is getting close. Let’s celebrate with stars!

The original American flag had just 13 stars—one for each state, and we’ve added a star with every new state. 

Imagine those poor flag makers. Just as they mastered one design, they’d get the news: “Hold up, everyone! Kentucky is now a state! Start unpicking, and rearrange your stars!” 

(Sometimes the layout was changed every single year. That’s a lot of star shuffling!)

This week we’re stitching up a Star Sashed Nine-Patch in ...

Star Kissed 2″ quilt is complete!

I love everything about it: It is large (about 80″ square). The colors are just right. The muslin background gives a different look than the bright white I often use. The quilting is customized to the quilt and adds a dimension all its own.

Yep, it makes me happy.

Soon the 1-1/4″ version will be complete and I will have the entire happy family together to admire. What fun that will be!

You’ll see in my recent posts that I’m obsessed with learning how much mileage I can get with my Accuquilt GO!Cutter and the dies I already own.

I love the simplicity of the Sawtooth Star block and so I decided to see if I could design some pieced items with it using the dies I have.

Although I don’t own the 8” Go!Cube, I have almost all the shapes (see those in bold print on the list below). The only one shape I was missing was for the “flying geese” part of the star: the ...

The closest star in the night sky is about 25 trillion miles away, give or take. If you plan to visit, be sure to pack a lunch; it will take 75,000 years to arrive. Of course, if you’re short on time, you can create your own gorgeous stars at home!

This week Jenny is stitching together a breathtaking star quilt made with jelly rolls and the Missouri Star Equilateral 60 Degree Triangle Ruler. 

This pattern produces very little waste, and the bits of extra are used to make a fun, pieced strip for the back of the quilt!

To keep the MWM momentum going as we prepare for the next series, we decided to give a weekly glimpse into the lives of our designers each week. No kits or supplies are needed, just sit back and get to know them better by enjoying some of their most recent creative escapades…

This week’s check in with Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robison of Red Crinoline Quilts…

Paula reports: “Mary Ellen has been busy piecing the blocks for our new quilt made from my Bountiful Blues line. We chose one of our favorite patterns “Hanover Stars”. It’s a ...