Are You Ready for Halloween?
"Family is a lifetime of treasured memories."
Greetings Quilter - Last week m. mouse finally got his much-awaited Birthday gift from me - a prized catnip pouch. In case you missed the whole story, as soon as I put the pouch down on the floor - in front of m. mouse - his buddy, Jackson, grabbed it and ran away, leaving poor m. mouse dismayed.
After Jackson had played for some time, he hid the catnip pouch, where it stayed for hours. Miraculously, it later appeared in the stack of catnip pouches that are well loved and well worn. Later, m. mouse was seen sleeping with his new pouch - protecting it from all attackers. A fun birthday for all!
The Fat Quarter Quilt This week the Fat Quarter quilt was finally layered and spray basted. I have used basting spray on smaller projects with a lot of success, so I decided to try it on this quilt. Our expert machine quilter, Pam Bauer, said she uses the spray for basting all of her quilts. This is the temporary spray, and will wash or wear out with time. You can also re-position any layer of the quilt if you need to. The process is quite simple, but it is helpful if you have two people. I didn’t have that luxury, and was still able to accomplish layering the quilt adequately. Once I finish quilting it, I’ll be able to know how adequate it really was! Now to look at quilting designs. With all of those squares and rectangles, I am trying to decide whether to use more curvy quilting designs, lines that are straight, or some combination. I’ll keep you posted.
Until later - - - Happy Quilting!
A Quilt Idea – Trick or Treat at the Haunted House
Are you ready for Halloween? This quilt is so easy to make, it can be ready to adorn your house in time for Halloween – easy! I was never one for a sampler quilt. It seemed kind of boring to me to make one of each of a different block, just for the sake of making different blocks to practice or learn a quilting skill. Then along came one Halloween. And this quilt developed. It didn’t start out being a sampler, but simply a quilt with blocks that had a Halloween theme. It tuned into a great quilting lesson – in addition to a fun Halloween quilt. This quilt includes 4 patch and 9 patch blocks, made in the size that was the best for each block. For example, the 4 patch blocks are 8 inches square, and the 9 patch blocks are 9 inches square. Then, of course, there is the difference in size between blocks that is caused just by sewing the blocks. To make all of these blocks fit together, I decided to make it look like an Attic Windows quilt, and all it Trick or Treat at the Haunted House – since each of the windows is a slightly difference size. Then add a candy corn border – easy to make as well – and your Halloween quilt is ready to go. This quilt still needs a backing and quilting, but is still great at a Halloween decoration. You can get the pattern with step-by-step instructions - Trick or Treat at the Haunted House
Featured Quilt Block - Ghostwalk With Halloween coming this month, it seemed like a good idea to feature a block with a Halloween theme – Ghostwalk. This is a fun little two-color 4 patch quilt block. Sewing the curves could present a challenge, but using the strategies I learned from Pepper Cory, sewing curves now is a piece of cake. And, I don’t clip the seam allowances any more. With careful stitching, you can easily sew these curves perfectly. There are several blocks with curves that use the same basic patch (as shown on the right). By placing these curved patches next to each other and changing the placement of the curve in the corner, you can create many different designs. As you can imagine, when you place 4 of these patches so that the curves are in the center, you create a large circle in the center of a square. Use your imagination to create many different designs with this easy-to-sew patch.
Postcard Quilts for the Troops – Thanksgiving Roundup!
We are sliding into a season that is busy for everyone, especially quilters. It seems as the holidays wind closer, we have more projects we intend to complete to give as gifts, home décor, or to help share our love for our craft. Please make time during this busy season to quilt a postcard to contribute to Penny’s Postcard Posse this fall. There are many service members who are away from their families, working in our military branches to keep our country safe. They will be away from their families this season so we can enjoy time at home with our own. As they and their families make this sacrifice for our country, let’s join forces to show our appreciation in a special way. Postcards for Thanksgiving are due by October 23. We will send our batch of quilted postcards to reach them in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you have never made a quilted postcard before, there isn’t a better time or reason to start! You can find size information and other details, along with quilted postcard ideas at http://www.fabric-postcards.com/. Many traditional quilt patterns can be transferred to a postcard quilt pattern easily. Applique postcards are also a nice touch.Use traditional pattern or design your own. Please write a note to our service members on the back side. They appreciate a word of encouragement and thanks from home and we appreciate your help in our effort. This is a great holiday for fabric postcards. You can create some cards quickly and get them on their way to Diane before the Christmas rush begins. You'll find the Turkey in the Straw fabric postcard pattern along with other free quilt patterns when you visit: www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com The deadline is October 23. Send your cards to: Diane Malaznik Diane will send a box of our postcards to be distributed to soldiers on Halloween. Remember, if you have sent a postcard already, you can see pictures of it at www.Fabric-Postcards.com. And, as always, free postcard patterns are available at www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com. Make your holiday card list to see how many you will need to create, then have fun with the free patterns at www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com. Be sure to make a few extras to send as last minute gifts or just to be a step ahead for next year! Fabric postcards are also a very special way to say “thank you” for the holiday gifts you receive.
Featured Block in Video Ghostwalk Quilt Block
This curved 4 patch quilt block is part of the Trick or Treat at the Haunted House Halloween quilt - an original quilt pattern. This quilt block has 16 patches in it - all with curves, making it a little bit challenging to sew together. But once you learn some quick techniques for sewing curves, these are simple to sew, and the block goes together fairly easily. Get a free download of this quilt block pattern at www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com and check out the other patterns there, too! Our Trick or Treat at the Haunted House quilt pattern includes step-by-step instructions, and is available only during the month of October.
Enjoy!
October Quilt Block Patterns The October selection of free quilt block patterns includes
Click here to download your October FREE quilt block patterns |
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