Elizabeth Park Block-of-the-Month

Visit The Quilt BOM to see the free pattern for this Elizabeth Park quilt block.

Each month there will be a new block that we are using at the Hearthside Quilters guild in Harwinton, CT. If any of these ideas inspire you, help yourself. 

Irish Wedding Quilt

We are attending the wedding of Colin and Colleen this weekend. Colin is my "almost nephew." I've been friends with his Mom since she was born. She's only three years younger than me, but I have a good memory. And she had red hair which I had never seen before, so there's that. 

I just finished this quilt for them today. It measures 72" square. A classic string quilt design, it has lots of hidden treasures such as peanuts, goldfish, a sock monkey, an owl, and lots more. Over the years maybe family members will have fun searching for little surprises in this quilt top.

This quilt was machine pieced and machine quilted (free motion stippling, and a curly vine in the white sashing). The backing is white with a tiny green design. The batting is Warm and White.

This couple will live in Boston. Thier wedding invitation had an Irish vibe so I went with the same idea with green prints and shamrocks. I hope they use it up and wear it out. :)

Nancy Sonneborn's Fabulous Fandango Quilt!

This stunning Fandango quilt is a recent finish by Nancy Sonneborn. What a beauty! Her blocks have a lot more pieces than mine. I love it! See the pattern for Fandango in the sidebar on the right.

This is what Nancy had to say about her quilt:

My fans started out a little wonky but improved as I kept at it.  They are all in the quilt and now,  I cannot tell which ones I questioned the execution of.  All the blocks are from multiple scraps I cut before beginning.  No blocks are identical but because I only used the original cuttings the colorway extends throughout.  The most fun happened once I began putting it together.  It did take a while for that time to come but the final product is so worth it.  I do love your patterns and "sewing by eye."   

Kristin Shield's Improv Quilt

These quilts just keep getting better and better! This is "Bright Lights, Big City" by Kristin Shields. It measures 29" x 30." Photo by Sherri Lynn Wood of daintytime on Flickr. This quilt was inspired by a quilt in Wood's book: The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters. Wow!

Wow! Curved String Quilt!

This fabulous string-curves quilt is the creation of Ann. She describes the process on her blog: Fret Not Yourself. Did you notice the circle that extends off the lower right corner? Ann says she used bias binding for that part, but straight-of-grain binding for the rest. Clever! 

(The photo is by Ann too.)

Ferris Wheel by Nancy H. Sonneborn

This beautiful Ferris Wheel quilt was made by Nancy H. Sonneborn. The fabrics were given to her by a friend and Nancy will donate the quilt to "Quilts that Care" for a patient undergoing chemo. Very nice idea! This is Nancy's first Ferris Wheel quilt. She liked making it and is planning another one.

To see this pattern, click here: Ferris Wheel quilt pattern.

New Honeycomb Quilt by Diane Volk Harris!

Just off her sewing machine: Honeycomb quilt by Diane Volk Harris (from Nebraska) of Quiltmaker magazine. She used my quilt pattern Honeycomb. She says it may be her favorite project ever. Aww. I love her version! Isn't it gorgeous?

Diane posted this photo on her Facebook page.

Merry Christmas, Oliver!

This is the Christmas gift quilt that I made for my nephew Oliver, a 20 yr old college student in Vermont. And this is Domo (below) a little character that is special to Oliver and his mom and his sister. They have a little soft toy version that they hide in the refrigerator or under a bed pillow or even mail to each other. I told my sister that I was making this quilt and she sent me this 3" tall Domo patch. Oliver laughed when he saw this. In the full quilt photo above you can see Domo in the lower left hand corner. 

Oliver has a little kid quilt that I made for him a long time ago. It was time for a grown up quilt. I really like the fabrics in this quilt, especially the old NYC street scenes, rulers, and batiks below.

And the garlic and polka dots too.

The quilt measures 65" x 80." The backing is black with a tiny gray geometric design. The binding is the same as the back. The batting is Warm and White, and the machine quilting is wavy parallel horizontal lines done in gray thread (on the front) and black thread (on the back).

Square Web Quilt Pattern! Do You See the Fish?

Got scraps? This Spider Web variation quilt pattern eats them up! 

The "webs" are square-ish and a little wonky. 

This quilt is easier to make than it looks! Fun too.

See the Square Web quilt pattern in my Etsy shop. 

This quilt measures 64" x 64". To make an X-Long Twin (64" x 81") 

just add two more rows of blocks to the length.

Clear directions, lots of how-to photos. 15 Pages.

No paper-piecing. No foundations. No stress.

If you don't love it, let me know and I'll issue a full refund.

As usual, I've added some "I spy" fun. Nice fish, huh? 

This is definitely a fun quilt to make.

Help me spread this around: Pin, Like on fb, blog, Tweet, etc. Thanks!!

Here's the pattern.  

Kati's Striped Quilt

This fresh modern quilt was made by Kati and is featured on her blog: from the blue chair, a good source of inspiration for modern quilts. Nice work, Kati!

Fandango Quilt Pattern is Available!

This is "Fandango," one of my all time favorite quilts! I've had so much fun exhibiting it. And now I finally finished the pattern. It's easier than it looks! Fortunately. This pattern will not drive you crazy; I promise. If you don't like it, I'll refund the $5. Eleven pages, instant download, clear how-to photos. Quilt measures 66" x 66." Good winter blizzard project.

Cute String Quilt

Cute retro style string quilt with lots of "I Spy" fun. See more photos here.

You could easily whip up one of these for a Christmas gift. The light brown sashing was cut 1.25" wide.  Scrap quilts are so much fun to make. The quilt measures 60" x 66." 

So twentieth century!

Stunning Vintage String Quilt

Quilt from the collection of Eleanor Bingham Miller, made around 1890 probably in Pennsylvania, exhibited at the Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. I really like this quilt. The only thing that bugs me is the harsh dark red stripe in the middle.

New Honeycomb Quilt!

The Honeycomb quilt is finished! I'm putting the finishing touches on the pattern and photos now. Stay tuned! I love how this turned out. The light background gives an airy modern look. There's a little black in there too, just for fun. Big variety of fabrics, both old and new. 

How to Make a String Quilt Block

This is a post for newbie quilters. Here's how to make a string quilt block. Use your 6" square ruler. Don't have a 6"? That's okay, use another size. Or another shape. 

You might want to make the center strip (above) using the same fabric in all the blocks so that you get a lattice effect. Make some blocks and play with them on your design wall. 

I like the yellow flower in the upper corner of this block. All the strips don't have to be the same width. The  strips are 1 1/4"- 1 1/2" wide.  But cut them whatever widths you like. This is a very casual method.

You might use sashing between the blocks. Maybe add an outer border. So many possibilities!

Have fun!

Colorful String Quilt

"Crow Country" by Monica McGregor. She named this quilt in honor of quilter Nancy Crow.

 Interesting how the light X blocks are surrounded with dark sashing, and the dark X blocks are surrounded by light sashing. Very nice!

Thank you to Bridget for telling me who made this quilt!

Big Star Quilt and Pincushion Winner!

I made this string quilt using a big diamond ruler. The larger triangles were made with the help of some paper "patterns." Machine quilted by Linda Aquavia of New Hartford, CT.

 

I couldn't resist including some cherries and a sock monkey. See the black and white print above? I put it next to the darkest darks to get some high contrast at the star points to make the star pop. 

***

The winner of the sea urchin pincushion is Liz from East Berlin, CT. (I don't already know Liz; she was random #17.) Yayy, Liz! More giveaways coming soon.

Gatsby Quilt is Finished!

This string quilt is loaded with floral fabrics arranged in rows and divided by narrow strips with the black background. That narrow strip sort of comes into view, then hides. There are also lots of surprise images: teacups, jellybeans, etc. This formal garden/party treats theme led to the name "Gatsby." 

You can see more about this quilt here. I may make a pattern for newbies. It's easy; no seams to match.

It measures 67" x 84." It was machine quilted by Linda Aquavia of New Hartford, CT.

Quilts at the Mingei International Museum

This stunning string quilt "Diamond Fan" is part of the collection of the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, CA. See more of their quilt collection here. 

I think it would be fun to make a quilt like this!

King Size Fan Quilt!

This is a king size custom fan quilt that I made for an Etsy customer. 

It's the same method shown in the Ferris Wheel quilt pattern.

Notice how the small fan block in the lower right corner (above) helps the border turn the corner? 

How cool is that?

Maika Christensen of Utah did the beautiful free motion quilting. I love her work.

My fan block method uses no foundation, no paper-piecing, and no fancy cutting.