How do you spell...FABULOUS!!?

Amanda made this quilt for precious baby Gemma. Gemma is actually sleeping on the back of the quilt – the front is a double pinwheel pattern. Pattern for the letters is from the book “Spell it with Fabric!” which uses jellyroll strips to make any letter of the alphabet. 

Patchwork of the Crosses

Block 10

Love the intricate center of this block!

The fabrics used in this block have all been used in previous blocks, so dig back into your left-overs and see what you can come up with!  These are the fabrics I used:

Carolyn, one of our customers (and a fellow Patchwork of the Crosses addict!), brought in her almost finished quilt top.  She's been using fabrics from her own stash and has been working diligently on her blocks to make this throw-size quilt with only twelve blocks.  Even with just a few blocks this is a spectacular quilt!

One of the things I really love about English Paper Piecing is its portability.  With only a small sewing kit, I'm able to take my blocks along with me and sew in places where I'd never be able to sew with a sewing machine.  I'm going on a road trip over Labor Day week-end and I'm really looking forward to getting lots of stitching done in the car and at the lake.  I don't think I'll be as far along as Carolyn when I get back, but I hope to have a fair chunk of my quilt completed.  I'll post a picture of my progress when I get back.

Hope you all have a happy, safe Labor Day week-end!

Check out our Pinterest board here to see the beautiful blocks being designed by our customeres!

Click here to go to the beginning of the Patchwork of the Crosses Blog Along.

Click here to go to our website if you need to order more paper piecing supplies.

Comment below to let us know how you're progressing with your blocks!

Big quilting week-end!

Mark your calendars, gather your friends, pack your bags and plan a quilting road trip for Thursday - Saturday, September 11 - 13, because there are three BIG quilting events happening all on the same week-end in our area!

For a hauntingly fun Shop Hop, visit Marietta for a tour of three great quilt shops.  This year's theme is Halloween Treats!, and Little Quilts, Red Hen, and Tiny Stitches will all be featuring "spellbinding" quilts and projects for your fall inspiration.  Free patterns will be available at all the shops as well as many fun demos.  Visit all three shops and be entered to win one of these exceptional prizes:

• 1st Place Prize is a Silhouette Cameo Cutter
• 2nd Place Prize is a $50 Gift Certificate from each shop
• 3rd Place Prize is 20 fat quarters at each shop

During the Shop Hop, all three shops will have extended hours, 9:30am-6pm, so come early and stay late for this spooktacular event!

While you're in Marietta, drive over to the Cobb Galleria Centre for the "Quilting Live!" quilt show and expo featuring many beautiful quilts along with quilting classes, demonstrations, and vendors. Click here to get more information on this great show.

Final stop of your quilting week-end needs to be the new AQS Quilt Show in Chattanooga!  You won't want to miss this show of over 500 quilts including the incredible AQS contest quilts. Lots of workshops with world-class instructors, lectures and a huge vending area will round out the week-end.  Click here for more information on beautiful Chattanooga and its first-ever AQS show.

It's going to be an action-packed three days, so wear your most comfortable shoes and prepare for an exciting quilting week-end. The dates for all three events are the same - three BIG events in three days! Mark your calendars for Thursday - Saturday, September 11 - 13.

Blast from the Past - Twelve Days of Christmas Block of the Month

One of our customers visiting us from Arizona shared a picture of her friend Cathy with a beautiful Twelve Days of Christmas quilt. Several years ago, our store manager, Wanda Hizer, designed the blocks for the “Twelve Days of Christmas” quilt and it was a very popular Appliqué Block of the Month for our shop. Cathy participated in the Block of the Month, but chose to reduce the size of the blocks slightly and then added her own lovely machine embroidered border to the quilt she made.  

Patchwork of the Crosses

Today we'll work on the last units to be stitched – the corner connector units.  These are fun and easy to make and quick to sew.  Begin by fussy cutting four squares for the center of the units.  The squares are small so look through your fabric scraps from earlier months to see if there's anything you can use like I did on this block.  Remember the pink fabric from Blocks 5 and 6?

Or, look through your stash for something totally different. Small prints or stripes work especially well.

Here are a few of the blocks I made.

Next surround the center unit with eight square sashing units.  I found it worked best to sew the sashing squares together into units of two and then adding those units to the center square.  This allowed me to add the units to all four sides with one continuous thread.

Don't forget to remove the papers from the center squares when you finish stitching the corner unit.  As soon as you've stitched on all four sides, the papers no longer serve a  purpose and removing them will make the units more flexible for stitching into the quilt

You are now ready to insert the unit into the quilt top.

Isn't it exciting to see the quilt finally coming together? From now on, it's just a matter of staying on top of things and getting the blocks made each month!

Just a reminder - did you remember to pick up your August fabric pack?

For those of you new to Patchwork of the Crosses:  Click here to go to the beginning of the Patchwork of the Crosses Blog Along which started in April and posts every Thursday.

Click here to go to the website to order additional square papers for the sashing and/or corner units or to order glue refills.

Don't forget to send pictures of your finished blocks to us at littlequilts@mindspring.com.   All the pictures we receive are posted on our Pinterest board for everybody to “ooh” and “ahh” over!  

Tula Pink fans..check it out

Dawn took the Super Simple One Step Quilt class and finished this cute quilt featuring Tula Pink fabric. The class teaches a technique for quilting as you go – piece the strips and quilt the quilt all in one easy step! Dawn was thrilled to have a quilt finished in such a short time!

Wednesdays Workshops...get out of the house!!

Quilting with friends is just so much more fun than quilting alone as evidenced by our classroom which is a flurry of activity every Wednesday when we host Wednesday Workshops. For a minimal fee, participants can come and sew for a few hours or the whole day! Everyone brings their own project and a staff person is on hand to answer questions or guide through any tough spots. A great way to find some uninterrupted sewing time!

 

Can't believe this quilt came from four patches. Bet you can't make just one..

Our Rug Braiding teacher Anne recently had her sister and a friend visit. They are both weavers… and were taken with the Disappearing Four Patch Block, in the way that it resembled weaving.  Her sister’s friend purchased a charm pack of batiks and started making four patches. She couldn’t believe how quick they went together…she kept making more until she had enough for a throw size quilt. The picture is a little blurry but you can see more samples on our website under 'free patterns'.  Caution – it can become addicting…but could be a great stash buster!

 

Patchwork of the Crosses

Block 9

I love this block!  When working with paisleys, you never know how the center design is going to turn out, but it's always great!  Play with your magic mirror to see what different looks you can come up with.

These are the fabrics I used for this block:

Many of you will recognize this fabric from the "Pheasant Run" collection designed by Little Quilts.   The vibrancy of the colors makes this an eye-catching block.

If you'd like to order a magic mirror, click here.

If you'd like to go to the beginning of this Blog Along, click here.

Check out our Pinterest board here to see pictures of the blocks our customers have been sending us.  If you have pictures you'd like to share, email them ATTN: Muriel at our email address: littlequilts@mindspring.com    

                

Patchwork of the Crosses

Lucy Boston was not only a proficient quilter and popular author, she was a master gardener.  When she first bought the Manor in 1939, the land in front of the house was a field.  Designing the gardens was one of her first major undertakings upon moving into the house.  Bordered by a moat on three sides and the River Great Ouse on the other, the garden is about four acres with a fifth deliberately left wild as a haven for wildlife. 

Lucy began her gardens by planting over 200 trees and shrubs beside the towpath along the River Great Ouse.  In the 1940’s, in addition to the gramophone recitals for the RAF that required so much of her time, she managed to plant eight yew bushes on either side of the house which later became topiary shaped into crowns, orbs, and the dove of peace to celebrate the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. 

In the early 1950’s, twelve more yew bushes were planted which eventually were shaped into chess pieces.  These now stand in squares of purple-leaved ajuga and grey-leaved stachys to represent the squares of the chess board. 

After the war, Lucy concentrated on her first loves – old roses, irises, and herbaceous perennials.  The garden, today, is home to over 200 old roses and award winning irises.

In her garden, Lucy enjoyed working with nature, rather than battling to overcome it. She writes in the notes at the end of A Stranger at Green Knowe: ‘My approach to gardening is to find out how the garden would like to be – what wants to grow where. My chief pleasure in it is the interplay of sun and shadow among trees and on the face of the house.’ 

Just so, a walk along through the garden might take you through large herbaceous borders full of scented plants with plenty of self-sown annuals intermingled with the forest and wild flowers just waiting to take over – the essence of informal gardening.

Today, the gardens are a mass of flowers, shrubs, trees, and topiary with leisurely lawns and secluded corners that are a real delight. A kaleidoscope of spring iris and stands of allium merge into a summer show of roses and drifts of white foxgloves, before the mellow colors of autumn.

A majestic Huntingdon elm marks the passing of the seasons – in spring its seeds float down like a gentle fall of snow.

During the winters when she was unable to garden, Lucy spent time writing her classic series of children’s books.  For those of you reading the Green Knowe series, the Manor at Hemingford Grey and the gardens were recreated and made famous as the house of Green Knowe in the books. 

The topiary figure prominently in the books - especially the deer topiary- as does the statue of St. Michael which is also found in the garden. 

 All the secret paths and hiding places in the books are still there making a visit to the gardens especially enjoyable to both adults and children alike who have read the books.  As the main character of the books says:  ‘I like this house,’ said Tolly. ‘It’s like living in a book that keeps coming true.’ And so it is today, that all who visit the Hemingford Grey Manor and its’ gardens can step into the pages of Lucy’s books and travel in time with Tolly and his companions.

A blast from the past

Way back in October of 2002, shop owner Sylvia Johnson's pattern for an "Antique Churndash" graced the cover of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  Sandra bought a kit for the quilt and, now, twelve years later, here is her finished quilt with hand appliqued borders and beautiful hand quilting!  What a treasure and still a classic design.

Family made quilt gift....

Marla inherited these cute butterfly blocks that were stitched by her grandparents and aunts. She then made the patchwork blocks and stitched the top. The finished quilt will be a gift to her grandson. What a treasure!

Patchwork of the Crosses

 Block 8

I used the three fabrics pictured below, plus an additional fabric from my stash for the outside corners.

Click here to go to the beginning of the POTC posts on our blog.

Check out our Pinterest board to see blocks done by our customers.

To reorder supplies, check the Little Quilts website.

Questions about the blocks or the techniques?  Comment below.

Patchwork of the Crosses

I’m ready for some of my blocks to start looking like a quilt.  Let's start adding sashing squares to connect the blocks.  If you have been diligent in attaching background honeycombs to your blocks, you should have several blocks ready to start stitching into rows.  For the sashing connectors you will need sashing fabric and the small 1” square paper pieces. 

Selecting fabric for the sashing can seem overwhelming.    We’re using so many different colors in the blocks it may seem like an impossible task to select a color that will go with everything, but I have purposely not selected a fabric to recommend because I want you to select a fabric that will make your quilt your own.  That may sound like a “chicken’s way out,” but as I learned many years ago from teacher and setting expert, Sharyn Craig, all colors work together – just look out at your flower garden if you don’t believe me! 

The color you select for the sashing will set the color tone for your finished quilt.  If you want to pull out the purple colors in the blocks and end up with a purple quilt, use a purple sashing fabric...or change the word purple to red…or blue…or gray.  The choice is yours and will make your finished quilt distinctly yours.  There is no right or wrong so don’t be afraid to make a decision – just select a tone-on-tone fabric you love in your favorite color! 

 Here is the fabric I selected to use in my quilt:

I purchased approximately 3 yds. of sashing fabric to make my quilt the size of the original Lucy Boston quilt.  For a smaller version, buy accordingly.  If you’re fussy cutting it’s impossible to calculate exactly how much you’ll need, so buy generously!

Sashing squares will be prepared the same way as the honeycombs. I am not doing any fussy cutting for the sashing so I simply cut the fabric into 1½” squares with the rotary cutter and glued them to the square paper pieces.  If you plan to fussy cut, use the 1” square acrylic template for placement when cutting.  
***Note:  If you measure the square acrylic template you will see that it measures
1 7/8” instead of the 1½” cutting measurement I used.  The template allows for a 3/8” seam allowance which I felt made the small squares too bulky so I chose to cut slightly smaller, but if you’re fussy cutting leave the seam allowance as it is on the template.

Once your square shapes are prepared, sew them to your blocks using the same technique you have been using to sew the honeycombs.  The squares are small so there is a lot less stitching and the blocks go together quickly.

Voila!  A good start to the first row!

I’m using the setting from the “Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses” book for my quilt, but there are other ways to set the blocks together.  I’ve posted just a few quilts using different settings on our pinterest page.  Click here to check them out. 

This Lucy Boston Blog Along started on April 3 and posts every Thursday.  Click here to go back to the first post.

  

OH MY GOODNESS!

This commissioned quilt was beautifully pieced and hand quilted by Pat who gave Mary Ellen all the credit for selecting the fabrics for the quilt! It turned out to be one of Pat’s favorites and she wished she could keep it for herself.

A reason to quilt more

For those of you who are worried you're spending too much time quilting, or, maybe your family is complaining because there's no dinner on the table...
here's scientific proof that maybe you should be quilting more!
Click here to check out a recent NPR report on a scientific study that used quilting in its research to determine the best ways to prevent memory loss.  Quilting was one of the top success groups!  Are we surprised by that?

Patchwork of the Crosses

It's time to get back to stitching.  Here is Block 7:

And, here are the fabrics I started with:

Can you see where I cut to get my center design?  If you're having trouble, focus on the little pink diamonds and locate them on the fabric.  There are so many ways to use this stripe fabric - I can't wait to see the blocks you create!

Let us know how you're doing with your blocks - post your comments below.

Just a reminder, new fabric packs are available for pick-up in the shop.  If we're shipping them to you, they've been mailed and you should have them soon.

Click here to return to the beginning of the POTC posts - they started in April and I post every Thursday.

Click here to check out our Lucy Boston Pinterest board.  We're posting all the pictures you send us and there are some beautiful blocks to see!

Go to our website here to reorder glue pen refills,  paper pieces, or other supplies.

  

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Barb who was the first person to bring in a finished quilt to Little Quilts for the Row by Row Experience Shop Hop.  For her quilt, Barb selected her eight favorite row patterns from all the shops she visited in Georgia and Tennessee, and then came up with this cute setting idea.  
 

As the winner, Barb got to pick twenty-five fat quarters for her prize.  From the looks of what she picked, I'd say her next quilt is going to be blue and white!  Congratulations, Barb!

We hope all of you are visiting lots of fun new shops during this Row by Row Experience Shop Hop.  It's been exciting for us to see visitors from many different states

A work of art

Store manager and Baltimore Album Applique teacher, Wanda Hizer (on the left) finished hand appliqueing this gorgeous 92" square quilt top several years ago and recently had it machine quilted by Michelle Wyman (on the right).  Michelle quilted around all the individual applique pieces and finished the center with cross hatching.  

The outer border was quilted with a beautiful feather scroll design.  The wool batting gives the quilting a trapunto look.  The applique pattern is 'Mrs. Brown's Quilt' by Terry Clothier Thompson.

More of the Simple Whatnots starting in August

More of the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club

Meandering 

Here is one of the quilts in the Simple Whatnots collection

This is the Meandering quilt.  Beautiful scrappy quilt with easy square in square surrounded by four patches.  Just looks yummy with all the wonderful scraps.











Another quilt in the Simple Whatnots collection is  the Laundry Day quilt.

Laundry Day

Love this pattern with the wonderful star in the center of the quilt and the pieced border.  This will look beautiful for any table setting or wall hanging.

Remember to sign up on line or come see us in the store.

Can't wait for this one to start.





Click here to sign up.