Party Apron, Hostess Outfit, Wearable Art!

Turn a basic black-pants-and-top into a festive party outfit when you wear this Art Collage Hostess Apron! See 8 new aprons in my Etsy shop.

What a conversation starter too! Lots of fun images from the best of my fabric collection: sock monkeys, cakes, Dr. Suess pictures, seashells, just take a look. Lots of fun. 

Makes a wonderful hostess gift!

 

Pat Sloan is Making the Red Zinger Selvage Quilt on YouTube!

I'm so excited that Pat Sloan is making the Red Zinger quilt on her YouTube channel: The Sloan Zone! 

Pat has a daily YouTube video, a website, she's written 35 books, and designs fabrics. She does it all! And she's as friendly and energetic as she looks in the pic above. I love to start my day with her show and a cup of tea. 

If you'd like to participate in the Quilt-Along, click here: Red Zinger Quilt Pattern

Cut some selvages wide enough to enjoy a cute image, like this little monkey.

And here it is: the whole Red Zinger quilt. I can't wait to see all the versions that will come out of this quilt-along. Use #redzingerquilt on Instagram to show us your quilt.

 

New Compass Quilt Finished Today!

Make this quilt the easy way: piece the compass designs "by eye!" No hassle.

See the Compass pattern here.

 

Pat Sloan Will Make the Red Zinger Quilt this Year!

Today quilter Pat Sloan showed my Red Zinger quilt pattern on her You Tube program! She's been saving selvages that quilters mail to her and she'll use them this year to make a Red Zinger. 

Pat Sloan is a quilt designer, author, teacher, radio/podcast/YouTuber show producer and host, and fabric designer who lives in Virginia. You already knew that, right?

See the Red Zinger quilt pattern here. It's surprisingly EASY!

 Here's are links to Pat's blog, her You Tube channel, and her facebook page. Lots of good stuff!

Want to try a Cane Weave selvage quilt? This one looks tricky, but it's not. 

Take a look at the Cane Weave pattern here.

Birds of a Feather, A Mid Century Modern Quilt Pattern

Brand new today: the "Birds of a Feather" quilt and pattern. This is a mid century modern quilt that is quick to make because the triangles are made by eye, no fussy measuring or cutting. The colors have a retro vibe, think: Lucy Ricardo's dresses. And each block uses one fat quarter. Little waste. 

See the pattern here: Birds of a Feather quilt.

This quilt measures 55" x 72," a twin quilt, a little on the small side. Or a generous throw. Perfect for bird watching or reading on your porch. "Would you like some tea and cookies? Yes please." 

I quilted this on my Juki 98-Q home sewing machine (not a longarm). It's free-motion stippling using thread that matches each block. The bobbin thread is gray, matching the tiny print. The little triangles aren't quilted. That way the birds appear to fly above the surface of the quilt. I like the high contrast between the triangles and the backgrounds. 

If you make one of these quilts, show us on IG using #birdsofafeatherquilt. 

"Birds of a Feather" is the new name for the "Bungalow" quilt.

 

New Quilt Pattern: Checkmate and a Little Trick!

                                    

The little squares in this quilt remind me of castle walls or the rooks in a chess game. And this quilt is a real winner, hence the name: Checkmate. It's just a center medallion with three solid borders and three "little squares" borders. 

Take a look at the corners of the pieced borders: they're rather perfect! Haha. This isn't due to genius or great sewing skills. Just a "liberated quilting" trick: increase the seam allowances here and there between the squares until you get the perfect length. See pattern for details and photos.

See the pattern here: Checkmate Quilt Pattern. 

The colors are more accurate in these last two pics. The fabrics used are: Kona Charcoal, Kona Stone, and Kona Cream. I'm enjoying a break from the scrappy look for a while. Modern vibes here. :)

Zoom Staging with Wall Quilts!

A new modern quilt pattern with Zoom staging in mind! Create an elegant home office setting with a modern wall quilt. This throw/wall quilt measures 50" x 67." Neutral colors, or use your favorite palette. Visit my quilt pattern shop on Etsy. 

 

Quilter's Plaid - The first quilt pattern of 2022!

I love the plaid vibe of this quilt! The dark, light and medium values from my stash play well together and give a nice translucent look. This easy pattern can turn stash into gifts for loved ones fast.

You could make it scrappy or use some repeating fabric squares in horizontal or vertical rows as I've done in this sample quilt. The number of squares that are repeated vary. 

See this pattern in my Etsy shop here: Quilter's Plaid. Instant download, start creating now! 

 

This two-color scrap quilt is fast and fun to make, see pattern here: Far Horizon.

Cut a bunch of scraps by eye, using scissors. 

Trim with a rotary cutter after sewing the strips. 

This is the fast way to do it. No hassle.

Even though the scraps are different heights, it's easy to get a nice straight horizon. 

And I love that contrast line. I want to try purple and yellow next time.

This is a twin size. But a wall size for my quilt room would be nice.

And here's a tip for new quilters: When pinning, place pins out of the path of the needle so that you don't run over the pin. I've done that and have broken the needle and the pin. Broken bits fall into the machine and do some real damage. Plus repairmen are generally horrified that we'd do this. I thought it was inevitable now and then. Guess not. So now I pin like this (see below). 

 

The Bee's Knees Scrap Quilt Pattern!

 

Another scrap quilt and pattern done! See the pattern here: The Bee's Knees Quilt Pattern. I can't get used to writing "sawtooths." It feels like it should be "sawteeth," but that's not much better. It reminds me of driving through the Beartooth Mountains and seeing signs for "The Beartooths." 

I like how the two sawtooth rows anchor the sea of scraps. This quilt is loaded with little surprises in the style of an "I Spy" quilt. There's food, seashells, digitally printed flowers (below) and lots more. I'm keeping a big box of rectangular scraps near my sewing machine for when I have just a few minutes. The scrap strips pile up fast. And there are so many ways to use them. 

New Quilt: Dance of the Bowties

 

This quilt features the classic bowtie block in a whimsical layout. It’s surprisingly easy to make because there are no Y-seams! See the new pattern here: Dance of the Bowties. 

Staying home to avoid Covid has been good for quilting, but I'm so ready to get out and visit with my family and friends! In the meantime check out this new quilt. Like all my favorites, it's much easier than it looks. 

Supposed to Be Quilting

 

You're right, Bill. Haha. I'll get right on it.

But first, some serious cuteness (below). Doesn't that just warm your heart? 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

There's just something about a pink rose. 

Enjoy the day. Spring is on the way!

Yarn-Bombed Tree

A little yarn-bombing to brighten your day! I wish they included a pic as it was being decorated. They did a very thorough job! Haha.

 

Lunar Calendar for 2021!

 I just bought a copy of this awesome lunar calendar. And not just because my dear sweet niece made it and started selling them this morning on Etsy. Visit here: Amelia Sherman Designs. Please "like" it. It's exciting to watch the numbers climb! 

You can look up any day of the year and see what the phase of the moon will be. Plan your outdoor dinner party to coincide with a full moon. (Won't that be nice!) 

This calendar is a nice combination of art and science, and a useful decoration. 

Amelia is very artistic. Here she is working on a furniture-making project. 

Good luck, Amelia! 

Bunting Quilt by Sandra in Brazil!

 

This beautiful quilt was created by Sandra de Faria from Brazil.  I love how it's light and airy, but has a gentle touch of vibrant colors too. The border makes a stunning frame. Take a look at the lavish quilting too. Nice job Sandra! 

Thank you so much for sharing this photo. We quilters love to see all the different versions of these patterns.  😀

She was inspired by my Bunting quilt pattern.

The Lasagna Quilt!

Turn scraps into a Lasagna quilt, layer by layer. So much fun, it's hard to stop. 

This quilt measures 51" x 67" but its easy to make it any size you like.

See the pattern here: Lasagna Quilt.