Four Patch Around the World

Calico Point called me last Friday, the quilting on Four Patch Around the World was finished. All other sewing came to a full stop while I sewed the binding onto her, this is my first complete finish of 2025!

I think this quilt is so bright, colorful and happy. Don't you feel like smiling when you look at her?

The right edge came unclipped but I just left it go. There is snow on the porch and that snow is slick on the smooth concrete.

And a picture on the glider.

A picture of the backside. The quilting is meandering stipple.

And a picture laying in the snow but not much of the snow shows.

This black/white striped fabric is the perfect binding, it highlights all the bright colors.

Here is a link to the last post I wrote about her.

The bright fabrics are a Free Spirit jelly roll I purchased in 2022 in while visiting Deanna in Utah. The white fabrics were the jelly rolls I purchased at MSQC in November.

I also purchased the pattern there but of course I made changes. I made my quilter larger, into a square and it's symmetrical. My finished quilt measures 94" by 95"which isn't that much smaller than the 96" it measured as a flimsy.

Of course I had to add a picture of the quilt roll.

This quilt pieced very fast, two weeks! Simple quilts that piece fast are so much fun to make. Of course it helps when the strips are already cut by using jelly rolls. 

What's my plan for the quilt? I plan to donate her to the Michiana Mennonite Relief sale in September. We need more full sized quilts for this auction, I think the bright colors will appeal to everyone.

This quilt was #13 on my list of projects to accomplish this year.

Linking to Favorite Monthly Finish @ Quilting Jet Girl, To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Elegant Garden, Block 14

Block 14 for the Elegant Garden quilt is finished.

This time I used a brighter red instead of pink for the little circles. I'm always surprised by what a difference those little circles of color make to block. What do you think?

Two little circles of color but they change a block from blah to cute!

Elegant Garden is designed by Edtya Sitar.

Elegant Garden is going to be taking a rest until the 16 heart blocks for Log Cabin Hearts are appliqued. Hopefully they won't take too long.

Here is a picture of all the blocks appliqued so far. The blank space in the center of the bottom row is for a pieced block that I will make when all the applique blocks are completed.

Linking to Patchwork & Quilts, Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Log Cabin Hearts

The next quilt for Joanna been started, this time it's Log Cabin Hearts. This is an older pattern designed back in 1996, almost 30 years ago. Log Cabin Hearts is designed by Esther Hershberger.

Of course I'm going to change the pattern, it's too long and narrow for my taste. I'll be making 16 hearts and not adding the wide outside borders. There will be borders, just not that wide.

The hearts look more interesting if there is a contrast so I'm adding some purple.

The 16 log cabin blocks for the hearts are pieced.

The next step is to cut the hearts out of the blocks. I've traced off the hearts onto the backside of freezer paper and ironed it onto the back of the blocks. Before I cut out the blocks, I stay stitch along the edge but not on the edge. These blocks will be needle turned and I want to be sure the stitching doesn't show.

Stay stitching on the front.

After the stay stitching is completed, I cut out the heart shape leaving 'turn under' for the applique. The edge is pressed to the back.

The next step is to applique the hearts to the backing fabric. I will finish the Elegant Garden block I'm appliqueing now, then Elegant Garden will have to wait until the hearts are completed. Applique happens in the evenings but the 64 partial log cabin blocks, that surround the heart section, will be pieced during the day.

You can buy freezer paper that has been cut into 8.5" by 11" pages but that's not large enough for the heart pattern. I have a roll of freezer paper that I bought at E & S Sales in Shipshewana. 150 square feet, that is going to last me a long time! You can probably find this product online somewhere, I didn't google it.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Patchwork & Quilts

Elegant Garden, Block 13

Another Elegant Garden block is completed, block 13 this time.

Elegant Garden is an older quilt designed by Edyta Sitar. I'm always behind in applique trends which is okay, the quilt is just as pretty now as it was in 2007.

Linking to Patchwork & Quilts, Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Teal Stars

The Teal Stars flimsy is finished, I'm pleased with the way she turned out.

She has been delivered to Calico Point for machine quilting. She should return home sometime in April.

I didn't have a pattern for Teal Stars, the design was created as I sewed. 

I did have a pattern for the stars though but the instructions told me to sew 4 strip sets for each row of the diamond, three strip sets would have been enough.

I had originally intended to have a log cabin border but since I had those strip sets leftover, they were used in the making the borders.

As of now, the flimsy is 98" square but she will shrink during quilting.

It doesn't show in the photo but the background fabric has a light aqua design in the fabric.

The leftover fabrics will be used in the next quilt for Joanna. The prep starts today for that quilt and there will be something to show you next week.

This flimsy was #6 on my list of quilts to piece in 2025 called Stars & Log Cabin.

This is the pile of 4 patches that were sewn while piecing Teal Stars. They sewn as Leader/Enders.

I must have put some in the box before I took this picture. They made with 2" squares and will finish at 3".

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Elegant Garden, Block 12

I'm making good progress with these blocks. Block 12 is completed and I really like it. 

I thought it might be too dark but it isn't.

I trim the fabric behind each layer of applique so it isn't so bulky.

There are 4 layers of fabric on the dark blue/circle flowers.

I'm considering hand quilting this quilt but won't make that decision for certain until these blocks are sewn into a flimsy. That decision depends on what I think of the outer border blocks.

I'm surprised by the variety of fabrics in the civil war fabric tub.

Elegant Garden is designed by Edyta Sitar.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Teal Stars

Teal Stars is the first of several quilts I'm hoping to make for granddaughter Joanna this year. 

The center has been completed and piecing the first border is in progress.

I had trouble squaring the stars so I added sashing around the outside of the star blocks then trimmed them to 32.5".

After adding the pieced sashing and the background fabric sashing, she was supposed to measure 74.5" but she ended up 74" for some reason, I'm going to have to tweak the pieced border.

I did use a pattern for the stars but the rest of the quilt is being designed as I go. I knew I needed an even number so that is another reason I added sashing to the stars.

After I posted the first star last week, several people commented on how well the points matched/line up. I spent a lot of time sewing those diamonds. I carefully pinned each seam intersection. I'd rather spend more time doing it right the first time then have to take a block apart and re-sew. Patience is not something I have a lot of, now I remember why, the last time I sewed a Lone Star, I threw that pattern away and thought never again!

On another note, I don't know if Mail Chimp is delivering my blog posts anymore. If you have subscribed to my blog but it isn't being delivered, you'll have to search for it. Sorry about that but I don't know what to do about it. I normally link up to various linky parties during the week also.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Elegant Garden, Block 11

Block 11 didn't take long to applique.

I have challenged myself to use civil war fabrics I already have on hand. Sometimes I don't think a block is going to look right but then it comes together when it's finished. Adding the pink and yellow/orange fabric really adds zing to the block.

Elegant Garden is an older quilt designed by Edyta Sitar.

I stopped at Elaine's last week to drop something off. She showed me her progress on  the applique borders for Rhapsody in Blue.

The blue vine will go around the corners when the borders are attached to the center. This is a modified version of the applique from the Lady Jane pattern designed by Nancy Rink.

Rhapsody in Blue is the quilt we are making together to donate to the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale. We won't have it finished in time for this year's auction, we're aiming for the 2027 sale. This quilt will be hand quilted and I'm planning on putting it into the hand quilting frame this fall.

On another note, I don't know if Mail Chimp is delivering my blog posts anymore. If you have subscribed to my blog but it isn't being delivered, you'll have to bookmark it or search for it. Sorry about that but I don't know what to do to solve the problem. I normally link up to various linky parties during the week also.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday