Are you looking for a new Christmas banner to display? Here’s our newest pattern, In the Manger.
The size is 20″ x 35″ and would make a wonderful weekend project!
Beginner skill level, fusible appliqués and easy blocks make this a fun project.
You can find it in our appliqué, seasonal or wall hanging sections in the online catalog.
Gardener's Delight Quilt
I am happy to show you the completed quilt of Gardener’s Delight! I’ve been working hard on it during the month of May and I finished the binding this afternoon.
The pattern is running in 8 issues of Ruby, the online magazine for women. The May issue gave the first block photo and instruction of the Tulip block. In a few weeks the July/August issue will be sent out with the Coneflower Block which represents summer. September/October will has the Aster Block and November/December will have the Holly Block. Then following in the new year will be 4 more issues covering the rest of the quilt pattern.
It’s been a fun quilt to make! You can subscribe to Ruby at the upper right corner of our blog and order past issues if you’ve missed the May block. I used hand appliqué on my version and it would go alot faster if you like to use fusible web appliqué. The size of the quilt is 47″ x 64″-nice for a throw or a wall hanging is what I will use it for.
We hope you join us!
Are you a beginner at quilting and would like to make a dramatic quilt? Shimmering Stars is our newest quilt. AND the pattern has the bonus of instructions and yardage for a pieced star banded pillowcase.
Shimmering Stars throw
Here is the throw size with yardages and instructions to make a twin too. Refer to the catalog page in the pieced designs section to see the pillowcase photo.
The beginner/intermediate will love the easy piecing of strip blocks and friendship stars in two sizes. Just pick three blue fabrics and you are ready to make your own midnight sky for your bedroom!
Are you a gardener? Maybe a patio garden or full sized estate vegetable and flowers gardens? Our newest pattern, Gardener’s Delight will be published starting in the next issue of Ruby, the women’s ezine. Each issue for the next 8 issues will feature one of the blocks starting with the tulip block. The last issue will give border instructions. It would make a great throw or wall hanging!
The subscription button is above in the right sidebar of this blog. You can subscribe for an issue at a time or a full year’s worth of issues.
The pattern features four flower blocks-one for each season! Then if you like using landscape fabrics use grass, stones, sky and woodgrain fabrics in the quilt. You can find all of these fabrics at http://www.quiltshops.com/index.html if your local shop doesn’t carry them.
In each ezine issue will be my finished block, instructions, templates and a block design. The first issue in May will have the yardage for the entire quilt which measures 47″ x 67″.
So get out your sewing machine, rotary cutter and fabrics and join us in making a garden!
Today I want to show you how to add richness to your quilts using hourglass blocks in the border. Just by moving the colors around the hourglass block can blend into the blocks it borders or stand out on its own to make the accent you want to achieve.
12" quilt block (finished size)
Here is a basic quilt block using four patch units in the corners a center square and four rectangles. By adding two 6 1/2″ (unfinished size) blocks on all four sides you add excitement to your quilt. Here is an hourglass block.
Hourglass block
See the difference when you add eight hourglass blocks and four corner blocks.
Hourglass block with red points.
Now change the color scheme to make the outside patches all dark instead of the gold print.
Hourglass block with gold print points.
A third option is to use the gold print on the outside patches again with the light flower print in the points.
Hourglass block with light red print points.
Using the light red print for the points gives the quilt a delicate or lacy look instead of the bold in-your-face green outside units or the red points.
A simple method to make a 6 1/2″ hourglass block is to cut into quarters a 7 1/4″ square of each print.
Cut a 7 1/4" square into four quarters.
Layout the triangles in your desired color scheme, sew together into a block using a 1/4″ seam allowance and press. The block should measure 6 1/2″ after pressing.
Experiment with your scraps and see what you can do with color and the hourglass block!
A quilt I designed for Clothworks using their Chillin’ collection by Barb Tourtillotte is in the winter issue of Easy Quilts and currently on the newsstands! Here’s a photo from page 70 from the magazine.
This is an easy quilt to make with 10 1/2″ navy polar bear print squares and same sized pieced squares of a printed stripe, snowflake and small mitten fabric. I loved working with the flannel-it was soft, cuddley and sooo cute! Kits for the quilt are available from the magazine for $49-not bad for a 50″ x 60″ quilt. It’d make a wondeful gift for under the Christmas tree!
