Tango is a quilt that looks good in so many “outfits.” And the piecing is fast, fun and easy, leaving you free to think through fabric choices and let the prints do almost all the work!
This is my original Tango quilt made in brights and whites, with quite a few dullards thrown in for balance. But your Tango can look completely different!
Small quilts don’t take up a lot of time or space. They quickly satisfy my need to create. They’re fun to use in my home as the seasons come and go. And they make great gifts. What’s not to love?!
I have been making small quilts ever since I started quilting in 1984. That’s 38 years. I have saved most of them, and they became my first trunk show for quilt guilds: One Hundred Small Quilts. I think your quilt guild would love it.
Last minute seats available in an online Pine Burr workshop on Friday, July 22 from 9 to 4 Central. A Texas guild is hosting and the class is open to people outside their group.
This is a very old technique that I’ve adapted for the machine. It’s easy and relaxing and the results are stupendous. The full day class is $65.
These blocks are addictive and so much fun to make. I’ll show you several options and plenty of inspiration to get you rolling. Read more and reserve your spot right here.
Make a note to pick it up when you’re at the grocery store or grab it online!
As the world shut down in the spring of 2020, I thought about quilters staying at home and making quilts to calm their hearts and minds. I couldn’t get the idea of a house quilt out of my head.
One thing we’ve talked about in Scrap Quilt Secrets is the Plus and X Block. It became popular a few years back when a Japanese quilter named Setsuko Inagawa entered a quilt with this block into the Tokyo show, and a quilter named Jan Burgwinkle took photos and posted them on flickr. People went wild and soon there were Plus and X quilts popping up everywhere.
I made mine in the first few years of the frenzy and I didn’t pay any attention to value. Here’s what I mean.
Welcome to Quilt Block Mania! I have a complimentary block pattern for you and a list of other designers who have also posted blocks this morning!
My block is called New Year Star and it uses the running thirds. It’s a way of dividing a block in three so that you get a Nine Patch, but the divisions are not equal.
Instead, they are the sizes of any three consecutive or “running” numbers, such as 3, 4 and 5. All of the Quilt Block Mania blocks finish at 12″, and you’ll notice that 3 + 4 + 5 = 12.
Keep in mind that for right now, we are talking about the finished sizes.
First we’ll divide the block into three columns. The first column is 3″ wide, the next is 4″ wide, and the far right column is 5″ wide. There’s our pattern of 3, 4 and 5.
But wait! There’s more!
Next we’ll divide the block horizontally so that we have three rows. The first row is 3″ tall, the next row is 4″ tall and the bottom row is 5″ tall. Same pattern of 3, 4 and 5. Still with me?
From there you can see that the dimensions of each patch are easy to figure out. If you’re not following, try this:
You should be able to hear the patterns of 3, 4 and 5 as you read. Repeat the process for each column:
My New Year Star block is based on a 3-4-5 grid just like you saw above. What’s so cool about this idea is that you can adapt it for many traditional blocks and put a whole new spin on them. But that’s a topic for another day.
Take a look at the New Year Star if you scrap it up a bit with the magic of EQ8.
I like these colors but I thought it might be intense for an entire quilt. So I changed to blue and silver and got this:
The stars appear to be dancing because I rotated the blocks randomly and used many different blues: brighter, darker and dustier.
Then I went scrappy with baby girl colors, and the quilt is below.
There are so many things you can do with this block! If you have EQ8, I recommend that you play with it there. But if you don’t, then mess around with crayons or markers or even your stash to get inspired and make a quilt that is uniquely you.
I’ve created a printer-friendly pdf with the block instructions for New Year Star. The block finishes at 12″ x 12″. Enjoy!
Scroll down for links to the other designers with complimentary blocks out today. So much deliciousness!
Stargazing Sue
Starburst at Slice of Pi Quilts
Massachusetts Star with blockofthmo.com
Nova Star at Always Expect Moore
Nativity Star
Star Bright – Cotton Street Commons
Five Pointed Star at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
New Year Star at Stash Bandit
Poinsettia Star
Wish Upon a Satar by Heidi Pridemore
Falling Star at Pretty Piney Quilts
Star Splash at QuiltFabrication
Seward Star at Blue Bear Quilts
Moon Star at Perkins Dry Goods
Starburst at Patti’s Patchwork
Cherokee Star
Christmas Tree Star
Christmas Star by Oh Kaye Quilting
Starfish by Appliques Quilts and More
Snowy Star by Seams To Be Sew
Combination Star by Devoted Quilter
Ablaze by True Blue Quilts
I’ve been playing in EQ8 again and it seems the possibilities with Log Cabin never end. This started with a basic block I made for a Facebook Live with Annie’s Craft Store and Quilter’s World.
I liked the first few blocks so much that I just kept sewing. Right now I’m up to 24 blocks and I’m going to make at least that many more.
I often sew with just a vague idea of where a quilt is going. I want to let it take shape naturally. But this time I chose to decide up front how I would set the blocks. EQ8 let me explore the possibilities!
I don’t know if the arrangement above has an official name, but I’m calling mine Rickrack. I love rickrack!
I’m not sure about the setting above. It feels like my eye can’t quite understand what is going on. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t have a name that I know of.
This one has the blocks arranged into Pinwheels. Are you starting to understand what it’s easier to try out settings in EQ8 than to rearrange the blocks on your design wall a dozen times?
I really like this setting. It’s like the Rickrack setting a few photos back, but this time the strips of rickrack are oriented vertically. It’s like the mark on Harry Potter’s forehead!
If I had to name this one, I’d call it Girl’s Best Friend. Because you know, diamonds are just that!
Each time you recolor a block, EQ saves it for you. You can view the blocks one at a time, several at a time, or many at a time in the Project Sketchbook.
You can view the quilts you’ve created in the same way.
It has been my pleasure to partner with Electric Quilt Company these past few months to show you a little of what EQ8 can do.
Through Sept 30, use code EQ8STASHBANDIT for a nice 20% discount on everything on the EQ website. I know you’re going to love this power tool!
And I can’t wait to show you all my Log Cabin blocks very soon!
Earlier this month I hosted a Facebook Live for Quilter’s World and Annie’s Craft Store. We talked about making Log Cabins using Block 1 in the Awash with Color Mystery Sampler.
I made a couple of blocks and parts to help viewers understand the ideas I was sharing, and I liked them so much that I just kept on sewing. Then I decided to open up EQ8 design software and see what other possibilities lurked! I was not disappointed.
I made a video showing how I color quilts and then audition binding colors or fabrics in EQ8 quilt design software from The Electric Quilt Company. I’m not sure if everyone does this for binding or if it’s just me but I think it’s worth sharing!
Before I had EQ, I would attempt to design on graph paper. But inevitably I’d become frustrated with the time-consuming nature of that process. I still jot things everywhere and sketch out block ideas, but when I get serious about producing something, I open EQ8 every time.
Whether I’m designing a quilt for magazine publication, building a trunk show of original designs, or just sewing for pleasure and posting on social media, EQ is part of the process.
One of the beauties of EQ is that you can open it with a particular direction in mind, like this:
I want to make a Log Cabin quilt.
Or you can begin by playing and just see where it takes you! My first few designs were accidents that I recognized as unique. Now I have enough experience to design on purpose if I wish to, but I also know that nothing can substitute for playtime when it comes to creativity!
I’ve been making simple Log Cabin blocks recently, and I made good use of the Symmetry tool in EQ8. Above is a basic layout of Log Cabin blocks, but coming soon I’ll have a post showing you some more interesting possibilities that EQ discovered on my behalf!
If you’d like to give EQ8 a spin, use code EQ8STASHBANDIT for 20% off everything on the website at electricquilt.com.
Of course it’s helpful if you know your way around a computer, but I think it’s very user-friendly, and the features never end. I probably won’t live long enough to learn its every capability. I definitely recommend it.
Quilt on,
I have a new idea for a quilt I really want to make, and it happened in a very roundabout way. First let me show you a mockup of the quilt that I designed in EQ8 quilt design software.
I think it would such a great quilt to practice machine quilting on! The blocks are easy and forgiving, and you can use any type of fabrics and it will look great.
I think I will do something special with the border. Stay tuned for that. So here is how this quilt was conceived.