Hi! It’s time for the last set of blocks in our Exploring Blocks Sampler Quilt, and we’ll be finishing with 4 blocks based on the Calico Puzzle block this month. So without further ado, it’s time to play! This is the quilt we’re working on, and if you’re new to this, it’s not too late at all – scroll back through our previous posts to find the rest of the blocks, and you’ll find the fabric requirements listed with Months 1 and 2. Before we go any further, I do need to address a concern that was raised about this quilt previously too.  It has been pointed out to me that one of the re-piec ..read more

Hi! With Easter only about 2 weeks away, it’s time to get your quilty decorating done, and this week, I thought you might like a fun little Easter Egg applique quilt project to make.  There’s plenty of time to make this, so raid your stash and rifle through your scrap basket and enjoy some slow stitching…. (or chocolate will make you stitch faster! )   Easter Egg Reverse Applique Mini Quilt It’s nearly Easter again, and this egg-themed mini quilt will be perfect to use on a wall or a table.  The technique we’ve used is reverse applique, and these simple eggs are great to practi ..read more

Hi! This week I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a wholecloth quilt, and I remembered a fantastic article we featured a couple of years ago in the Online Quilt Magazine on wholecloth quilting and where to start, by Australian quilter Karin Vorrath. It is a process to produce this beautifully detailed work, and has reminded me that I will need to put in the effort if I do want to create one of those beautiful quilts. (Sometimes I’m a near-enough-is-good-enough kind of quilter, but this level of detail will make me slow down and do it properly!) I’ve just re-read it, and Karin has me so ..read more

Hi! It’s the end of the month again already, and you know that that means…  It’s time for the next block in our Exploring Blocks Sampler Block quilt!!!  This month we’re up to Month 8, and it’s the classic Greek Square Block we’re playing with this time. To remind you – we’re working through manipulating a series of classic quilt blocks, to turn them into this quilt, as a fun take on the regular sampler quilt style. If you’re new to this project – the info is all here in our previous blog posts – you’ll find fabric requirements in Months 1 and 2, and work your way back through our e ..read more

Hi! This week, we’re taking a quick look at a really fun, but not-so-widely-known technique known as Shadow Trapunto. Shadow Trapunto is the name given to a variation of the traditional trapunto style where the front piece of fabric is very thin and sheer and the stuffing is coloured wool or yarn and can be seen through at the front, which gives lovely, soft pastel colours to the lightly-padded shapes. (“Butterflies” by Annie London from Designer Stitches) The top fabric can be polycotton or Batiste fabric.  If you colour the shapes with wool, this is sewn in from the back without slitti ..read more

Hi! This week we’re taking at look back in time to an article we published in the magazine several years ago, from Amanda Weatherill, aka the “Patchsmith”.  Amanda specialises in creating gorgeous little quilts called mug rugs, and as quilters, I know we’re always on the lookout for quick quilty things to make for gifts, and to use up scraps.  Her article on what is a Mug Rug and why you should make one is still worth a quick read today, and if you’re interested in more, do check out her website for more mug rug eye candy too! What is a Mug Rug and Why Should You Make One? “Many peop ..read more

Hi! Already it seems we’re at the end of the month – that’s a 12th of this year gone already!! I’d better get my skates on and get busy making new quilts and projects again.  There is always time for some playing around with blocks though, and this month we’re up to our seventh block in our Exploring Blocks Sampler Quilt – the Five Patch Chain Block. As a quick reminder – this is the quilt we’re working on: Please go back to Months 1 and 2 for the fabric requirements for this quilt. Let’s get started then, as we have 4 blocks to make this month.   Block 7 – Five Patch Chain Block T ..read more

Hi! Every few months, and especially now that it’s a new year again, I like to scroll through my photos on my phone, or saved on the computer, looking for quilt design inspiration.  I’m one of THOSE people who take photos of random things all the time – if I like the look of something (plant, flower, building), then I take a quick photo, so I can refer back to it later. Do you do this too??? And so often we’re asked “How do you come up with the ideas for all of your quilts?” In truth, we struggle with too many ideas (and not enough time!) mostly, and we do have to work to refine the ideas ..read more

Hi! Happy New Year!! I hope wherever you were, and however you celebrated the coming of the New Year, that you had a good night, and that 2024 will be a really great year for you. Today I wanted to share my new Temperature Quilt project for this year with you.  They say telling someone makes you accountable, so here goes!!  I kind of opted out for the last couple of years, and now by making it official, I’m committed for this year. I had a bunch of ideas, and I still quite like several of them, but I have now decided on a hexie quilt for this year, and I’m sure I can manage to find a ..read more

Hi! I know it’s a busy time of year, but if you have a minute, have a quick read through this article on the origin of quilt block names, as it’s something interesting to think about while your hands are busy… This article is a reprint of an older article from the late Penny Halgren, in a previous Online Quilt Magazine issue – “Have you ever wondered how quilt blocks are named? As you look through a book with hundreds of quilt blocks, several interesting things pop up. You will probably discover quilt blocks with a different design while having the same name. Likewise, you will find quilt blo ..read more