Category Archives: block pattern

Trifecta of Quilts!

Posted on April 11, 2021 by heARTs Creations

It’s been a couple of weeks. Spring has really sprung here and I’ve been outside enjoying all the color and amazing nature. Uhhh, the pollen not so much! In absolute contrast, last week we went up to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a couple of days to celebrate my birthday and it snowed! It didn’t stick, was pretty to watch – the best kind.

And now for a fabulous delivery made to my home last week. Thank you to Dolores for three amazing quilts she has donated for Hospice. She is an excellent and long time quilter and her generosity is greatly appreciated.

All three were made from her scraps and are just so cheerful. The different designs and use of the pieces are so smart and I’ll be sure to be copying at least one very soon. I am partial to the one below – the arrows are so clever.

All the colors in the next quilt are so fun – this is sure to be a cheerful welcome!

The third pops with color like crazy! I’ll be checking my scraps to see if I can put together one similar – wow!

It is always so thrilling to experience the amazing generosity of quilters. Not only do they use their own fabrics, there is much time invested in each of these quilts. Thank you!

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Posted in block pattern, charity quilts, Color, Fabric, Pattern, Quilt Setting, Quilting, Scraps. Bookmark the permalink.

CAN – CAN, the Quilt!

Posted on February 28, 2021 by heARTs Creations

Cut, pieced, quilted and bound in five days! Amazing how much I enjoyed making this quilt. No contest when I auditioned border fabric. The bold black and white was a definite winner – perfect for all the bright, pretty and fun strings in the quilt body.

A very simple quilting – diagonal wavy lines – was perfect. I wanted this quilt to be about the fabrics, not the quilting. And I am tickled the way the black and white prints come together in the center of the blocks and where four blocks meet. I finished the binding by hand which quickly reminded me why I rarely do that anymore. My hand cramped and ached so I had to take many breaks along the way.

The backing – oh the backing! I bought this Brandon Mably fabric when I took a workshop from Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably a few years ago. Brandon, who knows my daughter, brought a bolt of the Can Can fabric up to me and thought I had to have it as it reminded him of my feisty daughter! Of course I bought some, but I never did use it in the workshop project. So glad because it is perfect for the back of this quilt, thus the name Can-Can! She’s already living in my living room – bright, cheerful and warm.

Links: Oh Scrap! N&TT Whoop Whoop Friday Brag About Your Beauties

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Posted in block pattern, Color, Fabric, Kaffe Fasset, Modern Quilting, Projects, Quilting, Scraps, Stash and tagged Color, scrap quilt, string quilt. Bookmark the permalink.

Some “Joyful”

Posted on February 14, 2021 by heARTs Creations

“No new Works in Progress this year until a few more of existing ones are complete” is what I told myself over and over again at the end of 2020. Well, inspiration hit and a quilter’s gotta do what a quilter’s gotta do! It all happened because while rummaging through a bin, I came upon some long forgotten Robert Kaufman Christmas fabrics. They are so pretty! “Joyful” was born.

Never having done a sixteen patch, but having admired them for such a long time, I decided to do one with this batch of fabric. It’s a fast and easy block which was my Psyche needed at this time (you guessed it, Pandemic Syndrome or maybe more likely just Quilter’s Squirrel Disorder!!)

Having gotten bored with the sixteen patches, and wanting four more blocks, I did stars! It was a quick finish and a lot of fun. However, the border is now a bit troubling. I put the narrow green border on thinking I was going to put a wider border on the outside using one of the prints in the collection. None of them worked. They looked absolutely terrible! I now would prefer to use the green with gold dots as a slightly wider border alone and also as the binding. Can’t – not enough fabric. A pieced border? That could work, but I just don’s want to! I’ve scoured my fabric closet and came up with nothing. I’ve also looked on line and, your guessed it – nothing. This top will now hang in the closet of flimsies until next fall when I’m sure there will be something in a fabric Christmas release that will work. Should be fun to pull this out after many months and give it its needed finish!

Wishing all of you a lovely Valentine’s Day!

Linking up with: Oh Scrap! NT&T

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Posted in block pattern, Christmas, Color, Design Wall, Quilting, Stash and tagged Christmas Quilt. Bookmark the permalink.

Moving on to….?

Posted on January 1, 2021 by heARTs Creations

More sewing? Organization? Purging? Yes on all three! In this new year, I will definitely be sewing, because that’s what I do! Organization is a continuing process with me. Some things in the studio are somewhat difficult to keep tidy and organized, especially when I’m in “creative mode.” Purging? Oh yes. My goal is to reduce my fabric inventory significantly. There are several places on Facebook marketplace where I can sell fabric. I’ve done a fair amount of that this year and plan to continue. And some fabrics will be donated.

Sewing: As of this writing, I haven’t sewn in five days. It’s a good thing as I will no doubt feel more joy when I turn on my machine again. I have two fairly labor intensive projects that I want to actively work on right now. One is a log cabin wall hanging – block above finishes at 5 1/4″. The other a tiny house quilt. The house block finishes at 3″ and will be doing each as a square in a square. Lots of progress on the first, not so much on the second.

Hospice quilts – I have a bin with dedicated blocks, fabric, partial quilt tops that have all been donated. I need to take inventory and make a plan. An empty bin would be quite an accomplishment!

And here is my 2020 rundown:

May your 2021 be filled with joy and success in all you pursue!

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Posted in block pattern, Fabric, Organization, Projects, Quilting, Scraps, Stash. Bookmark the permalink.

Scrappy Finish

Posted on October 11, 2020 by heARTs Creations

Another Scrappy Finish and soon to be another quilt to go to Hospice! I began piecing this quite some time ago and a few blocks sat on the design wall for much too long. In a moment of boredom, a few more blocks were added. Finally, last week, I got a bit annoyed with myself for having let it go for so long, so…I sewed!

I really got into it and by the end of the day all the blocks were together, a pieced border added, and it was a flimsy. was just the sewing therapy I needed. It now hangs with several other to be quilted tops, a few which are also for Hospice.

Just waiting for the urge to quilt to strike!

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Posted in block pattern, charity quilts, Color, Hospice Quilts, Projects, Quilting, Scraps and tagged Hospice quilt, scrap quilt. Bookmark the permalink.

Playful

Posted on August 23, 2020 by heARTs Creations

My quilting journey began somewhere around 2006 to 2007. I purchased a magazine, “Quilt It, Two Block Quilts” and immediately loved two of the quilts. The first is in the back of my quilting closet, partially quilted. Each time I take it out thinking I’ll finish it, I’m reminded that I don’t care for it very much. I also remind myself that a fair amount of work went into it, especially as a beginner, and that I should finish it so I can donate it.

The second pattern was for “Baby Love.” In 2018 I finally got around to pulling various fun fabrics and copying the paper piecing patterns. In December of that year I worked on some of the blocks while retreating with a few quilty friends. Can you guess? The project box just sat on the shelf until earlier this year. Somehow I was motivated to get it together. I did, however, simplify and modify the pattern some. I didn’t use all the NY Beauty blocks. They’re in the orphan quilt box waiting for lightening to hit me with a brilliant plan!

Funny how after sitting for so long, I was super motivated and quickly got the top put together. Some weeks ago I pulled the top from my hangar of “flimsies,” found a batting and used a gray fleece for the backing.

Oh how I love having another finish. And where is this quilt headed? To play with the other baby quilts I have waiting for some unknown future arrival. Now I call that being prepared!”

Linking: N&TT Whoop Whoop

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Posted in block pattern, Color, Fabric, Modern Quilting, Projects, Quilting and tagged projects, Quilting, Scraps. Bookmark the permalink.

On the Design Wall

Posted on August 16, 2020 by heARTs Creations

quarter block

Scraps, scraps, scraps. A container full of one and one half inch scrap strips! There is also a bin of polka dots that has been waiting to be used. The blocks are quarter log cabins with the centers made up of four patches of polka dots.

This option for arranging the blocks just didn’t work for me.

I’ve arranged the quarter log cabins several ways and putting four together for one full log cabin block was most pleasing to me.

For now, this is my layout choice.

There’s a long way to go. I’m now piecing more four patches. Adding the strips goes fairly quickly and is fun sewing.

Lots and lots of strips to choose from!

I’ve been doing a lot of organizing and although I don’t feel as though I’ve been sewing that much, I have really been quite productive. Hmmm. Maybe it’s because I’m not going anywhere during quarantine?!

How about you – how have you been using your time?

Fly Geese, Fly!

Posted on July 18, 2020 by heARTs Creations

So many cut off corners from my Tula Strings quilt just begging to be used for their own quilt. I have been wanting to do a quilt of all flying geese for some time – perfect opportunity! First, there was all the trimming of the triangles. The adding of the solids was done while at a sew-in with friends – it took forever! The final trimming of the blocks seemed to take more than forever. There was a lot of arranging on the design wall, rearranging, and yes, rearranging some more. The blocks occupied the design wall for at least a couple of weeks.

Then there was the sewing. Oh so much sewing! Each section I placed back on the design wall did get me excited. All in all, it did not take nearly as long as it seemed and the best part? I’m very pleased with the result!

There were some of the flying geese leftover and they were NOT going into the orphan block container. The backing was the best place for them and it made for a more interesting backing.

Quilted, Bound, Done – Yeah!

Links: Main Crush Monday Monday Making

NTT

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Posted in block pattern, Color, Fabric, Modern Quilting, Projects, Quilt Setting, Quilting and tagged Color, projects, Quilting. Bookmark the permalink.

The Making of Tula Strings

Posted on July 5, 2020 by heARTs Creations

There have been questions regarding how I made the Tula Strings blocks and border. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at keeping notes and drawings, so I will do my best to recreate the pattern. First, I laid out the various colors of shot cottons from my stash, then pulled out coordinating Tula prints. One and one half inch strips were cut – solids and prints.

The strips were paper pieced onto a 10 1/2″ square of paper, beginning with a solid strip in the center. Was the paper necessary? For me it was because the shot cottons definitely lend themselves to wonky sewn strips. And there was starch – quite a bit of starch! It was also pleasing that when pieced, the seams matched pretty darn close to perfect!

Tula base

A 6 1/2″ inch square was then cut on point from each block of strips.

After much arranging and sewing together the blocks, a border was most definitely needed. The leftover corners were cut into triangles, then solids added to make flying geese.

Tula Strings was now a quilt!

The prints are all out of print Tula Pink and a few were used in more than one colorway.

Tula Prings

There were many, many triangle cuts that have been made into a quilt. Stay tuned for an upcoming post!

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Posted in Art, block pattern, Color, Fabric, Modern Quilting, Projects, Quilt Setting, Quilting, Stash and tagged Color, Patterns, projects, Shot Cottons, Tula Pink Fabric. Bookmark the permalink.

Happy New Home Quilt

Posted on June 7, 2020 by heARTs Creations

Whew! The past two weeks have been mostly spent outdoors – in the garden and doing some much needed power washing. The temps had not yet reached the 80’s so it was perfect. Now I’m out there by 7 AM and in by 10 AM. It’s hot, humid and icky for outside work! I am, however, enjoying the fruits of my labor. Thanks to excellent spring rains, all is lush and there’s some pretty color.

I did manage to come inside to bind a quilt that I recently got back from my longarmer. My cousin from Long Island, New York, and her hubby, looked far and wide for their forever retirement home. They chose NC just 20 minutes from me! They are in a retirement community and love their choice and I am just so happy for them. What better way to welcome them than with a quilt.

It is super scrappy! Even the binding is scrappy. They can put this quilt anywhere and it will go with their colors! The blocks were string sewn into squares then cut for half square triangles. Having used them in the border, I was left with only bits which makes me very happy!

There are a couple of more bindings waiting for me. I do love finishes!

Linking up: Needle Thread Thursday