I taught my Modern Vortex class last Saturday and really wowed my students when I showed them how they can use their dresden wedge ruler with border prints to create some fabulous blocks. Here is a quilt I made a few years ago and since have given it away to some little girl. The border print fabric has to be at least 20 years old! Dresden wedges and border print Because you have to flip-flop the ruler, you are cutting for two blocks to get one. What did I do with the remaining four units (four quarter units = a full circle)? Another fun quilt, that's what! Five units for a swirly quilt center Wait a minute! Where did that extra 5-wedge quarter block come from? I honestly can't remember, but it sure makes for a fun quilt! Here's my Modern Vortex quilt. We strip piece the 18 degree wedges. Modern Vortex quilt One more quilt using my dresden ruler and some border prints. I had made these blocks over 10 years ago and then finally put them together in my "When 4 Becomes

This is a repost from 2016. Worth seeing again, especially since I'm currently working on another Block a Day Calendar. Maybe I can get John to do this again . . . I received an email last week from John of Maryland. He wanted my permission to display his quilt in a county fair this summer. That was super courteous of him and not necessary. Of course, I said YES! He used 99 of my 366 quilt blocks from my Quilter's Block a Day Calendar for the quilt center. He resized them all to a uniform 6". Quilter's Block-a-Day Calendar (out of print) His inspiration was the Dear Jane Quilt (patterned from an historic quilt made in 1863: The Jane Stickle Quilt). He created some of his own outside triangle patterns and used some from the book by Brenda Papadakis. His sizing is unique (the Dear Jane blocks finish to 4-1/2" square). Let's see the Dear Jane quilt ( made by Jane Stickle in 1863 with 169 five inch squares, 52 border triangles, and 4 corner triangles) : Original D

Looking through my Block a Day Calendar with Martingale (desktop perpetual version) I see the Fruit Basket block for today. As you know, Patricia Bryant sewed every single one and staged a lovely shot of them several years ago. 10" Fruit Basket block by Patricia Bryant I eat some fruit every morning. I put it on my yogurt/cottage cheese/cereal. Usually there are blueberries underneath and some other yummy fruit on top (ie, apple, orange, pear or sometimes leftover pineapple from making a pineapple upside down cake!) Here are photos of before and after for the cake my granddaughter and I made for Easter. Yummy fruit waiting for the GF cake batter Baked and ready to be devoured You can have the Fruit Basket block by clicking on the link. Make one and put it near the fruit in your kitchen. I swear it will make them happy!

 My Block a Day Calendar with Martingale has the Fool's Puzzle Block for today. It's a Drunkard's Path design. Take a look: Fool's Puzzle sewn by Patricia Bryant of Australia It is 12" in the calendar. I simplified the piecing by appliquéing the quarter circle to a background square cut to 3-1/2". Then the excess is trimmed away from under the curved patch. VERY easy!! I have made several Drunkard's Path quilts using this technique that I simplified over 30 years ago! Here is a basket block I made by machine about 25 years ago. She still waits to be made into something. Here's another from 25 years ago. I still own it. Authentic feed sacks in some blocks and the outer border. Feed Sack Love Ring Here's another one that I call Hawaiian Love Ring: So, no fooling! You can conquer these traditional curved blocks with simple raw edge appliqué. One more made with feed sacks. One of my absolute favorites and lives comfortably up in my closet. This is a Tr

I traveled to New York and back this weekend to celebrate my father in law's 99th birthday! We drove through Rising Sun, Maryland. I said to my husband: "You know. I have a quilt with that name." (No surprise there!) My paper pieced rendition of the traditional Rising Sun block (14", composed of four 7" units) I have made this several times and it even was a popular workshop. It also appears in my 3rd book, Paper Piecing Perfect Points. I call it "Casablanca Sunrise." That was also the name of the fabric collection I used at the time (well over 10 years ago!) Casablanca Sunrise quilt using the Casablanca Collection by Blank Fabrics  Well, what happens when you make more than one block? Let me show you. (Sorry that the picture isn't as bright as a sunrise, but I think you get the idea). This quilt uses FOUR blocks, but because of the way I have turned 1/4 of each block, it creates the illusion of FIVE blocks. Neat trick, huh? And will you look at th

I'm working with another publisher to create another quilt block a day calendar! I have thousands of blocks from 18 different calendars (can you believe it?) I hope we can avoid templates and just stay with rotary cutting of the patches. But, as you can see from the next block, little leaves add some interest to a simple 16 Patch on point! Patches and Leaves is the March 21 in my Block a Day Calendar (Martingale, 2007-2017). It is a 12" finished block  as shown here created by Patricia Bryant of Australia. Patches and Leaves by Patricia Bryant and this digital quilt finishes to 56" x 68"! I had this as a project in the Calendar CD version. Patches and Leaves: 56" x 68" Here is a smaller quilt made by a participating quilt shop several years ago: Six block Patches and Leaves And how about a table runner? I made this using only three blocks: 3 Block Patches and Leaves Table Runner I'll keep you posted on the progress on the new calendar. Maybe rolling out

Hooray! It's National Quilting Day! Why not a FREE pattern? I designed this for Windham Fabrics several years ago and if you have any special people playing a musical instrument (it's recital season), this is for you. Musical Stars : 57" x 57" I also made a variation of it for a special young man who led the youth music at my church. This used another music themed collection by Windham. Opus One  (43" x 55") made using Type Band fabrics by Windham Yes, I know, not everyone plays the piano. Just grab the notes and stars, and of course, the piano key border is universal. Enjoy!