Already up to block 48 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Sampler. WOW! How are your blocks coming along?
This is the original block I designed for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol 7.
And here is my sampler block. Cute!
We've got a pattern sale going on in our Easy shop -----> Take a look here.
Cheers and happy sewing!
I'm back with another block to share for Quiltmaker Magazines 100 Blocks Sampler.
The block, Positive Outlook, was originally in Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume 9. I made the block with solids and shared some different ideas for layouts that you can read about here.
This block looks super groovy when it's set on-point!
Here is my sampler block. It's so fun to see the block in a completely different color way. :-)
Cheers to a great new year and happy sewing!
Hi!
Today I have another block of mine from the Quiltmaker Magazine 100 Blocks Sampler to share. This block is called "All Square" and originally was in Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume 8. You can check out my blog post from the Volume 8 blog tour here.
This is my original All Square block...
And, here is the sampler block version of All Square.
How are your sampler blocks coming along?? :-)
Take a look at block 8 for Quiltmaker Magazines 100 Blocks Sampler...cute, right? I'm cruising along with these blocks. I'll take a progress picture of all the blocks I've got done so far soon.
Block 8, Happy, by Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson
How are your blocks coming along?
Cheers!
Hi!
I'm back with block 7 from the Quiltmaker Magazine 100 Blocks Sampler quilt. I love this block! I went for a walk recently and all I could think about were different layouts for this block...how would it look on point? With sashing? Should I make a table runner with it? Or, maybe a wall hanging? Couldn't get it off my mind! :-)
Block 7, Tumbler Star, designed by Benita Skinner
How are your blocks coming along?
Cheers!
How are your 100 Blocks Sampler blocks coming along? I'm usually a big block kind of girl, but these 6" blocks are becoming addicting!
Here are my block 5 and block 6.
Block 5, Ladder Up, designed by Toby Lischko
I made two versions of block 6, Old Town Star, which was designed by Katie Blakesley. The first version was not doing it for me. When using small units to put the blocks together you can lose some contrast you would have when using larger units. The first picture below is my first block. Not enough contrast.... The second picture is the re-done version. Much better. :-)
You can check out previous posts on the Quiltmaker blog here. Also, tag your pictures on social media #100blockssampler!
Happy sewing!
This blog doesn't get the attention it deserves because all the social networking channels out there like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest that seem to occupy a lot of my time. There's also Periscope, Google+, Snapchat, Peach, Super....and the list could go on and on. You could cruise through all those apps and websites and not get much else done in the day! But, there's been something I've been thinking about a lot lately after spending time on all those social networking sites, especially Facebook.
Like thousands of others, hundreds of thousands of others, I am part of several quilting groups on Facebook. It's a great place to chat about quilting, fabric, tips, and to show others your finished quilts. It's fun and interesting to see what others are working on and a wealth of information. But, I've noticed a trend in these groups, which makes me think it also happens outside of these Facebook groups. So many times when someone posts their finished quilt, or a new block they've finished, they are quick to point out their "mistakes". So many times I've seen an awesome finished quilt that looks great, but the first thing the maker tells everyone is how wrong this or that is, or that their points aren't exactly lining up like laser beams. My first reaction is to say "what mistakes?!?.... It looks SWEET! You should be SUUUPPPPEERRR proud of yourself for creating that!" Often I make a comment to let the poster know that I think the quilt looks great, aside from their perceived mistakes, along with lots of other people who think the quilt looks sweet. Many times the quilter who made the quilt is usually the only one who really notices their "flaws" or "mistakes". They seem surprised that others love their creation. Granted, not every quilt that someone makes will be your favorite, or mine, but what I hope is that quilters are proud of their work and embrace what they've made without first saying it's "not very good" or "there are tons of mistakes". So many of these quilts are being made for friends or family as a gift or to provide some comfort and the last thing they will see is the tiny flaw of a slightly mis-matched point or small seam allowance hiccup in one of the blocks. Yes, the goal should always be matching seams and points, good pressing techniques, and careful cutting, but even if your quilt had a bump or two on the road to creating it don't cut yourself short! You've made something awesome and it's a wonderful accomplishment.
Making quilts should be fun and you should be proud of your quilts! I've spoken to a lot of new quilters who feel terribly intimidated by their abilities and don't feel like they should have a seat at what should be a huge table of quilters. They create one or two quilts, and because all they can see are those small flaws in their first quilts they give up, and decide they just aren't cut out to be a quilter. I feel a twinge of sadness when I hear people cut down their own work. I strive to create patterns for Harding Hill Designs that are perfect, along with striving to create perfect quilts, but I cut myself some slack when it comes to the quilts I make for myself. I want the process of creating quilts to be enjoyable. For myself, the quickest way to burst the bubble of sewing and quilting enjoyment is by telling myself I'm terrible at it the whole time because all the focus is on the things I could have sewn better. Occasionally my seams are a wee bit off, but I'm trying hard to not make that the focus of the quilt when I talk to others about it. My hope is that instead of pointing out the things we all think we've done wrong with our quilt, we instead celebrate what we've created and show the world with a sense of pride.
Whether you've created the next "best of show" quilt for a huge juried show or a wonderful quilt you'll be giving a friend, be proud of what you made and what you've accomplished! You are a quilter whether or not your quilt wins awards or just wins the heart of those you have created it for. Be gentle with yourself....keep sewing & creating!
Half square triangles are little workhorse blocks in our quilts. These blocks are great for so many reasons! They can add movement, they can add graphic punch, they can create contrast among your fabrics...all kinds of things! In our new book One Block Remix, we've designed 10 different quilts that are all made from one HST block.
There are tons of ways to make HST's and tons of tools to help construct and finish these blocks. Some methods call for adding 7/8" to the finished size of your units when cutting, which makes my brain and eyes twitch a little. Plus, this method leaves you with almost no wiggle room if you've got a wonky seam, or any inconsistent stitching. I like to have wiggle room! I need wiggle room! So, the method of adding a 7/8", and then cutting doesn't really work too well for me. I'd rather cut the beginning units a little larger and be able to trim them down after sewing. It gives me a little more control over the outcome and makes the cutting easier for me in the beginning because I'm working with whole numbers.
To give yourself that extra wiggle room begin by cutting your squares 1" larger than the size of your finished HST. Part of the extra 1" will be trimmed away, and the other part will be your seam allowance. If your finished HST unit should be 8", start with 9" squares.
After cutting your squares, mark the wrong side of half of your squares by either drawing a light line diagonally from corner to corner, or by folding the square in half diagonally to create a crease. Now, match up your squares to make pairs of 2. One of the squares should be a marked square and will be on the top. Next, layer 2 squares, right sides together, and sew a 1/4" away on each side of the marked line.
Next, you'll cut on the drawn line and you'll have 2 HST's. Carefully press the seam, either towards the darker fabric or open....pressing these seams open does take a little longer but can make things easier for you in the long run when stitching the blocks together. Now for the last step, you just need to trim your HST's. If you have a ruler with a 45 degree line on it, align that line with your seam and trim the unit down a 1/2" from the size of your beginning squares. If you started with 9" squares, trim the HST's down to 8-1/2", which will give you 8" finished HST's. Because I press my seams open, I like to trim a little from all 4 sides. Some people like to trim from just 2 sides. Do what you like best and what works best for you. :-)
I Would love to hear your favorite method for making HST's! How do you mark your squares? Do you draw a line, use tape on your machine, fold your squares? Drop me a line in the comments and let me know. Also, here's a handy little HST step-by-step you can download and keep handy. A HST How-To - Harding Hill Designs
Cheers & Happy Sewing!
This is the third post featuring quilts from our new book One Block Remix - 10 Fresh Quilts from One Traditional Block. In the previous posts, pt. 1 and pt. 2 I shared some of the quilts in the book, this post i'll share the remaining three quilts.
Party Pants is a fun, quick quilt. Turning the block on point creates this fun pattern that reminded me of party streamers.
Naming quilts can sometimes be tricky. I wanted to have a fun, party name for this pattern but was struggling to decide on something. Party Pants has been one of the funnest pattern names I used. I've gotten lots of fun comments from people about the name!
Strip Flash is another fast quilt from One Block Remix. I love this pattern and can't wait to make more. For the sample in the book I used one jelly roll and contrasting fabric.
I love that you can create the angles and diamond like shapes with just strips and squares!
Flag Flyer is the last quilt to share from the book. I made two different samples for the book and for the booth at Quilt Market.
I wanted to show how different a quilt can look depending on fabric choices. The quilt on the left is made in solids, using just 2 colors and the quilt on the right is made with lots of different colored strips. It was fun to see peoples reaction when they realized both quilts were made from the same pattern. Choosing fabric for you projects is such a fun part of the process and is a great way to show your individual creativity!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you've enjoyed a look at the quilts from the new book. Stop by our Facebook and Instagram page and say hello!
Cheers & Happy Quilting!
Hello!
I'm sharing a few more quilts from our new book One Block Remix - 10 Fresh Quilts from One Traditional Block today. In the previous post I shared with you the quilts Zigged Paths, Diamond Drive, and On the Horizon. All of the quilts in the book are made from one strip pieced block using 2-1/2" strips. Great for pre-cuts!
Flock in Formation is one of the quilts on the cover. This quilt looks like it could be kind of tricky to put together but the pattern actually comes together pretty fast and easy! I love this quilt because the layout is a little different than the usual horizontal or vertical rows.
The quilting on Flock in Formation was done by Kristi Ryan. She did a really amazing job! Having the quilt hang in our booth at Quilt Market was so fun! Everyone stopped to check out the beautiful quilting and stared for a few minutes trying to figure out how the quilt was sewn together. It is definitely a showstopper of a quilt! I used black and white fabrics from my stash along with Kona Cotton Solids in Curry from Robert Kaufman.
Downtown Criss Cross is another quilt in the book also quilted by Kristi Ryan. This clean, simple quilt would be great for all kinds of occasions and fabrics. It would make a great baby quilt, a perfect quilt for both guys and girls heading off to college, or a great quilt for large scale fabrics for your contrasting yardage!
We used the Rise & Shine collection from Camelot Fabrics the quilt above, along with a black solid.
Another cover quilt is Big Sky Big Star. This quilt is made with only solids but would look great with all kinds of fabric! I was able to photograph this quilt in a beautiful landscape...which made it a wonderful photo shoot!
Using solids for this quilt makes it look both modern and vintage. The movement that's created by the big stars make this quilt sparkle!
Uptown Turnaround is the last quilt from One Block Remix I'm sharing today...but there are still three more quilts in the book I'll share in my next post. For Uptown Turnaround we used another collection from Camelot Fabrics. This collection designed by Allise Courter is called Wildflowers. It so springy and cheerful!
I love the secondary pattern in this quilt, it was one of my favorites to make!
There are still a few more quilts to share with you from One Block Remix. Check back in a few days to check them out!
Cheers and happy quilting!