It's a miracle! I'm back with a new blog post! I made this little people quilt for my son's school. I've had several inquiries into how...

A half-finished quilt for a friend's baby. I really need to get this finished!

Now I have to warn you…….this is a very long post but so worth it! Do remember that you can click on any image to see a close up (and you can also scroll through them all). And dearest Helen from Whitecroft tours…….I dedicate this entry to you…..I wish you could have been here with me - it is truly breath taking and I hope the display can travel further afield. It would be so special if it could be in the UK with the 150th anniversary events. The quilts are absolute eye candy and I can honestly say after 30 years of quilting I have never seen such perfection……these Japanese quilters are absolute masters. They have captured all things Beatrix Potter with incredible accuracy - so much detail and nearly all entirely hand stitched. I phoned Larry this afternoon and said I was giving up on doing my own Beatrix Potter book…..you will see why! Enjoy it all (and again I have not included the maker as it was all in Japanese - check here for that info)………. Some of the quilts were small framed ones………... I do hope you have enjoyed the quilts (downloading and formatting has kept me occupied for 2 hours!). Most of these works of art were hand appliquéd, hand quilted and hand embroidered - truly grand masters of quilting…….I have many more photos I could share but blogger might shut me down! I have hand stitched a small gift from home for every one of these quilters which I am hoping I can leave for someone to pass on who actually understands me tomorrow! More of the general quilt entries as well tomorrow x

I love many different types of quilts but am especially fond of Medallions or Frame quilts, with a special weakness for the unsophisticated ones which can look a bit unplanned. I categorise them as Country Medallions and would like to share a few with you. This is the one that started me thinking - It's a fragment that was sold on USA eBay. Not sure where it's from but I was inspired by it. I am working on samples of Broderie Perse at the moment and this came up on my Google search. I love the lovely faded look of the squares and if I didn't have so many projects on the go I would love to make up something similar and extend it. Here are some more of my favourites - This one I discovered recently, it's from Weardale in Yorkshire and it has a lovely folk art look - The one below I particularly like but I don't know whether it is old or new. It was a pattern from Patchwork at Stonleigh called the Cotswold quilt. I don't know if it was based on an original old quilt or anything about its history. If anyone knows, I would be grateful for any information. Lastly here is one on a bed - This is a bedroom in the country home in the Cotswolds of Stanley Falconer, who was a senior designer at Colfax and Fowler. I found pictures of it in an American magazine and thought it was a dream house - I loved every room in that house! Now when I look at it I am not so enamoured, my taste must have changed and I now find this bedroom a bit too fussy! The quilt probably wouldn't have been made for such a sophisticated room, it is Colfax and Fowler introducing a little bit of dressing down country charm into their rather expensive decoration - something of trademark of theirs!

AN MOONEN was conservator in het Openluchtmuseum in Arnhem. Sinds vele jaren verzamelt ze zelf oude Nederlandse quilts. In 2010 zag ik een deel van haar quilts toen ze er een boeiende lezing over hield. Afgelopen maand werden er 28 quilts van haar tentoongesteld in HUIZE VREDENBURG in Westervoort. De laatste kans om ze te zien was vorige week zondagmiddag. Van die gelegenheid heb ik gebruik gemaakt. Dit maal hingen de meeste quilts languit en konden ze van top tot teen bewonderd worden. Kinderquilt van omstreeks 1835. Een tweezijdig lappendekentje uit 't Gooi, omstreeks 1815, gemaakt van Indiase sits en Franse katoendruk. Deze quilt is gemaakt in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania USA omstreeks 1870. An heeft deze quilt gekocht om het verschil tussen Nederlandse en Amerikaanse quilts te laten zien. Het patroon is de Nine Patch in schuine blokken. Op de voorgrond een tweezijdig lappendekentje voor kinderbed, omstreeks 1840, uit Utrecht. De blokken zijn aan beide zijden verschillend van formaat. Een quilt Point de Marseille, bij ons beter bekend als Zaans stikwerk.Gemaakt in Marseille tussen 1700-1725. Deze quilts werden in de 18e eeuw veel geïmporteerd. Erg fijntjes en prachtig om te zien. Een schattig babyquiltje uit Maryland in de USA, omstreeks 1900. Erg leuke figuurtjes. Een lappendeken van hexagons van omstreeks 1830. Hij was machinaal voorzien van een voering. Toen An deze deken kocht voelde het krakend aan. De achterkant was beplakt met cellotape. An heeft het vervangen door strijkvliseline. Hier zie je An Moonen, vertellend over haar werkwijze van hexagons maken. Op de voorgrond ligt het BOEK dat ze in samenwerking met Petra Prins maakte 'Promenade dans un jardin Hollandais/ Promenade in a Dutch Garden'. Een quilt van Indonesische batik, Noord Java. Tussen 1870 en 1900 is er door een Apeldoornse familie een quilt van gemaakt. Een zijden quilt met een geborduurde bovenzijde en gequilte onderzijde van omstreeks 1670-1675. Het werd gebruikt als babydekentje tijdens de kraamtijd en bij de doop. Rechts, een quilt uit Pennsylvania USA omstreeks1870. Een patroon waar An een Nederlandse afkomst in herkende, het plaatsen van de driehoeken, maar ook door de rijke variatie in stofgebruik. Tot slot nog deze18e eeuwse quilt afkomstig uit Noord Holland. Op de foto is het misschien niet goed te zien, maar hij is erg teer. An Moonen heeft een aantal BOEKEN over Nederlandse Quilts geschreven. Je kunt haar ook volgen op haar BLOG. Als je nog even tijd hebt is het leuk om deze VIDEO (gemaakt i.o.v. het Fries Museum 2008) te bekijken over An Moonen en haar quilts.

Learn how to sew easy log cabin quilt blocks with this simple step-by-step tutorial.

Do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of glorious, merciful silence. It’s the sound that children are in school and not, say, demanding to be played with or asking to be fed. This beautiful silence ensures that I will go six or seven hours Monday through Friday without hearing “Can I have iPad?” or “Rose ate a shoe!” or “Mom, he’s naked!” I have waited ten weeks for the silence to return, and I deserve some quality time in my sewing space now that it has. In fact, my first full day of quiet resulted in a finished baby quilt ... The salmon, yellow, and gray in these fabrics are so pretty. I’ve sewn this pattern, Cheryl Brickey’s Candy Circle Quilt, before, back in 2014. (See the tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop here.) I don’t usually tackle a quilt pattern more than once, but I had a single charm pack of Corey Yoder’s Sundrops, and it was all that I needed to create the lovely variety in this ring of squares. The back was a great place to use up some stashed half-yards. I quilted this project the same way I did my original Candy Circle quilt. I quilted along each side of the center seams and then quilted diagonally along the 2-inch squares. This approach required very little marking, and I love how the diagonals cross at the center of each edge. The quilting is simple, just the way I like it! This is the first of five quilt tops of mine that need to be quilted. I want to wrap up another quilt or two before I embark on something new. Time will tell if I am disciplined enough to stick to that plan! What are your sewing goals for the fall? Did you have a productive summer, or were you, like me, squeezing in sewing time while chasing after kiddos? Linking up to Finish It Up Friday ...

Hello! This is going to be a quick tutorial. I designed this block because I wanted to make a surprise tote bag for a friend of mine and she is Wonder Woman. I mean, seriously. She is amazing! The finished size of this tutorial makes an 18" finished block (18.5" unfinished), but I added a little more to the width for the tote bag so that it finished at 18" x 20". If you want to do something similar and can't figure out the sizes, just let me know. Here is the tote bag. I used my go-to tote pattern which can be found here. Cutting Instructions: Red A. Cut 1- 3.5" x 18.5" strip B. Cut 1- 1.5" x 4.5" rectangle C. Cut 2- 3.5" squares, then draw one diagonal line on wrong side of square D. Cut 4- 2.5" squares, then draw one diagonal line on wrong side of square H. Cut 2- 6.5" x 7.5" rectangles I. Cut 1- 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle Yellow E. Cut 1- 4.5" square F. Cut 2- 3.5" x 7.5" rectangles G. Cut 2- 4.5" squares, then draw one diagonal line on wrong side of square J. Cut 1- 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle K. Cut 1- 1.5" x 18.5" strip M. Cut 2- 2.5" squares, then draw one diagonal line on wrong side of square Blue L. Cut 1- 5.5" x 18.5" strip For assembly, please refer to the diagram for block orientations. Attach C to F by stitching on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach G to H by stitching on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach C+F blocks to the tops of G+H blocks. Attach one D square to E on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach second D square to E on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach B rectangle to the top of D+D+E block. Attach one M square to I rectangle on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach second M square to I rectangle on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach one D square to J rectangle on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach one D square to J rectangle on the diagonal line. Trim excess off. Attach M+M+I block to the top of the D+D+J block. Attach the block from step 6 to the top of the block from step 11. Sandwich the block from step 12 between the blocks from step 3. Attach strip A to to the top of the block created in step 13. Attach strip K to the bottom of the block from step 14. Attach strip L to the bottom of the block from step 15. Enjoy your awesome new Wonder Woman block! If you have any questions about block assembly or if something is unclear, please feel free to ask. Happy Stitching!

And a twist on paper piecing. Here I’ve pieced my scraps onto a roll of adding machine tape 2 3/4″ wide. When trimming the edges I measured an additional 1/4″ in to each side and machine basted down...

LoveKnitting | We’ve got a fabulous round-up of free patterns for you this week, for the little darlings in your life! Knitting garments in miniature is a very satisfying process – you can practise n

Originally Lovely is a site to find free knitting patterns, tutorials, and inspiration. Click here to download your own Lola Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern!

I'm going out of town with the family for a couple of days but wanted to check in with what I've been doing--making lots of baby quilts! One of my favorites lately was this super girly version of the Hot Cross Buns quilt pattern using a jelly toll of Bliss by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics. It was a really difficult one to unwrap the jelly roll and cut into as the fabric has been out of print for a long time. But what else is fabric for?!

A quilt of Emma's baby clothes

Economy Quilt Blocks also known by many other names has been around forever. My Heather Ross and Munki Munki stash has been around not quite as long but I decided the two should get acquainted an make some magic! There are numerous patterns available on the internet in a variety of sizes for this block. It is the perfect beginner paper piecing pattern. If you think you cannot paper piece, try this block! For these blocks, I chose the free paper pieced pattern from Generations Quilt Patterns. They offer the pattern for this block in four different sizes. I chose the 4 inch block for these special fussy cut centers! To help with perfect fussy cuts, instead of making a plastic template, I cut the center out of the pattern. Some of the centers are very tight with no room to spare. Being able to clearly see the fine lines ( I need all the help I can get) and placement is a must. After figuring out the best placement, I used my 3 in ruler to trim the 1/4 inch seam around the outside each side of the frame. If you feel more comfortable with a little more seam allowance that is good too! Better to have too much than too little. You cannot put it back! For the first few ( or if you are new to paper piecing) try numbering the pattern by step. This way your blocks will all match. I found I made two that did not match and so decided to number a couple until I got my groove on ;O) I use Aurifil 50wt thread for all of my piecing and paper piecing. It is a two ply thread that is both very thin and also strong. Perfect for making your blocks flat! I love 2600 but am out of stock here in the gogostudio. I have been using many different shades of the med to light gray that I have on hand and am finding they work just as well. Here are a few more of the blocks I completed yesterday and the day before! I have more center fussy cuts ready to go and a huge mess of fabrics to create more today! If you are making these and are on Instagram , I would LOVE to see yours! Please find me at gogokim and tag me with your #economyblocks. Blair from Wise Craft Handmade and Lucy from Charm About You will be making some too! I love this fun online quilting club! Let's make some Economy Quilt Blocks!

Yep, I’m a Blockhead…a Moda Blockhead. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know: Moda Blockheads is a free block-of-the-week program hosted by Moda and some of its designers. Last year was Round 1, hosted by the 6 original “Blockheads” (Lynne, Betsy, Jo, Jan, Lisa, and Carrie). Round 2 begins today with an expanded Moda designer pool of 13… I’m thrilled to be one of the newbies! Sew along with us, and eventually you’ll have a pretty special sampler quilt. It’s a surprise layout, though of course, you can set your blocks any way you’d like. Follow the Moda Blockhead Facebook page or subscribe to the Moda blog to get the weekly instructions as they are released.. I will also be posting when I can, but refer to this post for basic instructions and links to all blocks as they are released (scroll to the bottom of this post). I’m using a happy little rainbow for my quilt–scraps of several of my past and current collections: Garden Variety, Nest, Farmer’s Daughter, Sugar Pie, Olive’s Flower Market, and Little Miss Sunshine too. It’s going to be terrific. If you’re buying fabric for this project, I’d start out with a fat quarter bundle, 5 yards of a background, and go from there. Because there are so many blocks, so many liberties you can take, it’s hard to give an exact amount, but that’s a good starting place. To get started, Block #1 is Stellar Star by Lynne… (go to Lynne’s blog here for instructions). I’ve departed from suggested placement (which is half the fun). Thanks for stopping by! Here is a complete archive of all blocks, the basic instructions, and quilt-top assembly: Basic Instructions Block 1: Stellar Star by Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles Block 2: Buckeye Beauty by Me & My Sister Designs Block 3: Pennsylvania by Carrie Nelson Block 4: Roman Cross by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic Block 5: Impact by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique Block 6: Path Thru the Woods by Betsy Chutchian Block 7: Spin Cycle by Stacy Iest Hsu Block 8: Pineapple by Jan Patek —–>or Block 8 pieced alternate Pineapple by Corey Yoder Block 9: With a Plus by Laurie Simpson Block 10: Ducks & Ducklings by Jo Morton Block 11: Direction by Sherri McConnell Block 12: Jace’s Star by Lisa Bongean Block 13: Patchwork Flower by Corey Yoder Block 14: Fidget Spinner by Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles Block 15: Corner Pocket by Me & My Sister Designs Block 16: Texas Puzzle by Carrie Nelson Block 17: Big Storm by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic Block 18: MishMash by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique Block 19: Road to California by Betsy Chutchian Block 20: Go Fish by Stacy Iest Hsu Block 21: Circle and Star by Jan Patek —–>or Block 21 pieced alternate Circle and Star by Corey Yoder Block 22: Economy Patch by Laurie Simpson Block 23: Broken Windows by Jo Morton Block 24: Kaleidoscope by Sherri McConnell Block 25: Oshkosh Star by Lisa Bongean Block 26: Churndash Surprise by Corey Yoder Block 27: Mountain Climbing by Lynne Hagmeier Block 28: Lincoln’s Platform by My & My Sister Design Block 29: Courthouse Steps by Carrie Nelson Block 30: Gaudi by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic Block 31: Interstellar by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique Block 32: X Quartet by Betsy Chutchian Block 33: Star Power by Stacy Iest Hsu Block 34: Basket and Vine by Jan Patek —–>or Block 34 pieced alternate Scrappy Baskets by Corey Yoder Block 35: Gibby by Laurie Simpson Block 36: Rolling Stone by Jo Morton Block 37: Dreamy by Sherri McConnell Block 38: Anchor Point by Lisa Bongean Block 39: Bordered Granny by Corey Yoder Block 40: Ribbon Star by Lynne Hagmeier Block 41: Bella Spinners by Me & My Sister Design Block 42: Around the Corner by Carrie Nelson Block 43: Mosaic by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic Block 44: Candy Striper by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique Block 45: Twelve Crowns by Betsy Chutchian Block 46: On Point Star by Stacy Iest Hsu Block 47: Bird and Basket by Jan Patek —–or Block 47 pieced alternate Rainbow Vine Block by Corey Yoder Block 48: Ann Arbor by Laurie Simpson —–or Block 48 pieced alternate Dainty Blossom by Corey Yoder Block 49: Cups & Saucers by Jo Morton Block 50: Vintage by Sherri McConnell Block 51: Power Star by Lisa Bongean Block 52: Scrappy Checkerboard by Corey Yoder Quilt Top Assembly

Okay so here it is--my very first tutorial. Try not to judge me too harshly. Ever since I made my round 11 quilt for the Doll Quilt Swap I've had quite a few people as me for a tutorial or pattern for it. Well I didn't have one--I just figured it out on the fly. But I thought this might be a good way for me to cut my teeth as far as tutorials go, so here you have it. First of all some notes. All seams are 1/4". This tutorial is for a doll-sized quilt since most inquiries were about that size, but it could easily be translated into bigger blocks for a real quilt. Okay, here we go! Okay, now you need to cut your fabric. You will need to cut your background fabric into 42 3.5" squares. Next, cut the zig-zag fabric into 2" strips. I used Kona Ash for the background and some Good Folks scraps I've been hoarding for awhile now. The strips were various lengths but I found I didn't need much--a fat quarter of each fabric will leave you with LOTS of extra fabric. All cut out? Good. You're ready to sew. Lay a strip of patterned fabric across the background fabric at a diagonal. The exact angle isn't important, especially if you're going for a wonky look. Set your machine for a quarter inch stitch, and line your presser foot up with the edge of the patterned fabric. Sew, sew, sew. Flip the fabric over and press. Note--you will need to press the seams so that the strip is folded over, not the backing. You will need the square to stay square for a little while longer. See what I mean about the square? Okay good. Now keep it flipped over. Now it's time to trim the excess strip fabric away. Using the square as the template, cut along the edges. Flip it over and check it out!! Sorry. I feel like such a tease now. But you're really almost done! Flip the strip back over so it's like it was when you first sewed it on... ...and do what the picture tells you to. Now, repeat the process 41 more times. This doesn't take as long as you'd think, especially if you chain piece. All done? Good. You should have some nice little stacks that you can proceed to play with until you find a good layout. Here's mine: Now, about that layout. I'm sure you can figure it out by trial and error, but here's the pattern I used to get that lightning effect: Got it? Now you're ready to sew it all together, and you end up with this: Tada! You're done! Now you're ready to quilt and bind, baby. Hope you like this, let me know if you all have any suggestions!

I really like the simplicity of block four. I’m a comfort dresser so the a-line dress holds appeal for me. Are you ready to cut into some more girly fabric? Before constructing block four, take …

One of the most popular draws to www.everythingyourmamamade.com over the last for years has been my free NICU Friendly Smock Pattern. By popular demand I have gotten around to professional digitiz…

They're called pew babies, church dolls, angel babies, prayer dolls, handkerchief dolls, and hanky dolls. Here's a simple handkerchief doll tutorial for you

Choose from eight lovely quilts that you can make in just one day with smooth curves that look fabulous on the very first attempt. Sewing traditional curved

Blog post here: southernmatriarch.blogspot.com/2013/03/ready-for-hop-hop....

Small Joy - - - Small Joy - - - Another cute little quilt from Carol Hopkins of Civil War Legacies. The fabric used is from the International Quilt Study Center collection by Andover. A great project for you holiday decorating. Kit and pattern $30.00 

Home cottage businesses: You may use our tutorials for making small quantities of items to sell. However, you may not reproduce any patt...

Free quilting tutorial for a Shoo Fly Quilt Block. Learn to make the shoo fly quilt block as a part of the quilt block of the month series on the polka dot chair

Earlier this week, I had a journal entry about something sweet for baby's feet . In one of my photo's was a pair of smocked socks and I had ...

And It’s Great in Any Color Theme! This intricate lattice quilt looks complicated but it’s actually easy enough for beginners. Ombre fabrics add interest to the design and it’s wonderful in many color combinations. Choose colors within a narrow coordinated spectrum, like in this version by @kimiquirk19481704. Or use an entire rainbow. The background can …

Lazies, Look at this fabulous and fun fishy quilt by designer Carolyn Griffin of Far-Flung Quilts. The elegant and dramatic fins are made from Lazy