How to Quilt: Cats and Mice quilt block, Free Quilt Block Patterns, Tools for Marking Quilts

Tools for Marking Quilts

"May your sorrows be patched and your joys be quilted."

Greetings Quilter -

This weekend saw even more progress on the Star Quilt. I've added the squares between the star points, and am ready to add the final triangles in the corners that will make the center quilt top a square.

I've learned quite a bit with this quilt. First that stars aren't quite as difficult as I thought. I've made some before. My queen size Broken Star quilt was hand pieced, and I remember sewing that together one stitch at a time and making sure it was flat. The diamond points are less than perfect, but the center is flat.

The key in sewing the star together seemed to be sewing pairs of points, then sewing the pairs together, and finally sewing the two halves of the star together.

It also helped to know how to spread out the center seam to reduce the bulk of the center of the quilt.

This past week, I learned the value of leaving the last 1/4 inch of the seam allowance open where you will sew set in seams. The instructions included that tip for sewing the diamonds together and then adding the squares.

However, the instructions didn't indicate that for the seams of the star where the diamonds were added. Not that it was a big deal, but I ripped that last 1/4 inch of stitching out before I added the diamonds that surround the center star. I added one diamond without removing the stitching, and discovered it was much better with that extra flexibility to match the full lengths of the patches.

Using the same process to sew set-in seams, you'll add the diamonds around the outside of the quilt center.

Now the center is mostly finished, and I'm ready to add the big triangles that fit in the corners and will make this a square. Because I am out of the fabric I used for the squares between the center star points, I will use a darker purple fabric. I'm counting on it looking great, and will look forward to figuring out what to do with the borders.

If you are interested in the Quick Star Quilts book, I will be ordering additional copies. This truly is a fabulous book with some fun and interesting quilts. If you think you ever want to sew a star using diamonds, whether it is a large star such as this or a smaller star, this is the resource: Quick Star Quilts

The featured batik fabric with cats is at the top of this picture. The background is a dark blue, and the cats have shades of turquoise and lavender.

The fabrics I found this week are displayed in the picture. Now for the quilt design!

Also this week, I made a quick follow-up trip to a quilt shop in town to see what kind of batiks I could find to add to my kitty batik for m. mouse's quilt.

I came up with quite a collection, in quite a wide range of colors. Now, I'll be looking for a pattern.

I think my first stop will be the QuiltBlockLibrary.com to see if I can find some cat-related quilt block that might have a fairly large center square.

I have started a free section in TheQuiltingCoach.com and will add my steps and progress. I will report in the newsletter here as well, but check in often to see what is happening. You will also get an idea of all of the fabulous quilting resources that are available in TheQuiltingCoach.com.

The online class!

Wow! The response to this little question blew me away. And came as a wonderful Monday surprise for my fabulous new assistant, Cindy.

As a little introduction, Cindy has been doing my packing and shipping for about 3 years now, and has done such a fantastic job, I twisted her arm and asked if she would take on a little more.

After months of cajoling, pleading, begging and talking to her boss, she finally relented, and is now sorting through email and answering questions as well as packing and shipping.

She's surrounded by quilters but not one herself, so I am still answering the quilting questions, and she handles most everything else.

Anyway - back to the class. I lost track of how many responded, but there were hundreds of you who said you were interested. The topics were varied, so I've decided to set up a schedule where we will cover most of the quilts suggested.

Because there was interest in weekdays and weekends, limitations for some in both of those timeframes, and a desire for an extended period of time, I will post the information on a Friday evening and have it available through the following weekend. There will be several times during that period where I will be available online for live discussions, possibly posting an additional video or two.

This is a target for next month (May), so watch the news, and I'll let you know when and where. I promise I will keep the cost reasonable.

In the meantime, Happy Happy!

And now for the rest of the news - -

Happy Quilting!

penny halgren

Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation

The call with Scott Murkin on April 26 was fantastic. Scott is a unique quilter who designs and sews art quilts with a traditional quilt basis.

He was full of great insights and helpful hints for beginner quilters and more advanced quilters alike.

Next month, Lea Ingrham, an art quilter from Hawaii, will join us. The Conversation with Lea will be on May 26, and begin at 5pm Pacific Time. That, too, should be a great Conversation.

And up next in June will be Paula Rostkowski, a longarm machine quilter. We are working on the date, but this should be a fantastic call. Paula will talk about how to find a great longarm machine quilter, how to work with her/him, as well as talking about how to quilt a quilt using a longarm quilting machine.

French Braid Quilts

Reserve your copy of French Braid Obsession before April 28 - midnight Pacific Time.

Whew! Hundreds of quilters are reserving their copy, and you probably don't want to miss out.

This is really a great quilting resource, and an excellent follow-up to the original French Braid Quilt Book.

Simple in its design, French Braid Quilts are easy to make and offer the beginning quilter a new type of quilt that goes together in a snap. These quilts are made from squares and rectangles, and long, skinny rectangles more commonly known as strips.

Well, there might be a triangle or two. But, mostly just straight-forward stitching of straight lines. Your French Braid Quilt will be perfect the first time. No need for hours of practice and having your daughter sit patiently while you learn.

Another design element is in the selection of the colors of your fabric, and author Jane Hardy Miller teaches you how to identify color value in fabric so your finished quilt creates the exact effect you want.

Whether it’s glowing like a stained glass window, radiating like a range of mountains, or replicating your daughter’s beautiful flowing hair, your French Braid Quilt will WOW your family and friends.

Because the quilt looks so difficult to make, your family and friends will be in awe of your quilting skills. Remembering that you are just a beginner quilter, they will be amazed that you have taken on what looks like such a challenging project.

Our secret is that these are really easy quilts to make, and Jane Hardy Miller makes it simple with her descriptions of how to make these quilt projects. Plus she shows you how to identify value in fabric and use it to create the effect you want - in these quilts and every quilt you make.

And the best thing is that you can make a beautiful star like the one shown below without sewing even one diamond! How cool is that?

Get more details and reserve your copy today, before you forget and time runs out! -

French Braid Obsession

Quilting Tools – Tools for Marking Quilting Designs

Every hand quilter probably has a favorite tool for marking the quilting design on their quilt top.

Even when you find something in the quilt shop that is labeled “perfect for marking your quilt for quilting,” you can’t assume that it is.

There are a few things to keep in mind as you make your selection.

Of course, you want something that will show up on your quilt top. This could be kind of tricky, depending on the fabric in your quilt.

Dark fabrics require a light line, and light fabrics call for a relatively dark line. Many quilters find that having a white marking device and a yellow one satisfy those needs. Other quilters prefer white and grey (or silver) pencils.

Ages ago, those were pretty much the only choices of things that would reliably come out of all quilt tops.

Once I used the blue marker only to have it remain in a quilt top I was quilting for a friend. Fortunately, she wasn’t too upset when it didn’t come out. I’m thinking it was a quilt she really wasn’t that happy with anyway – when she and her husband got divorced, he got the quilt. Regardless, I won’t b using the blue marker again. And since then, I have heard other horror stories.

In our recent Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation, Pepper Cory said that she uses a #3 pencil, marks just a little bit ahead of her quilting and then uses an eraser when she has quilted the area. She’s been quilting for years, so she no doubt has a system that works.

You can always rely on chalk and soapstone to either wear off or wash out, and there are several products that are based in both of those substances.

Roxanne International has a pencil set that includes one silver and one white chalk-based marker. These act like regular pencils in that you can sharpen them with a regular pencil sharpener, and they are soft and easy to transfer your quilting design onto your quilt.

Collins has a soapstone marker that is nice. It seems to be a little more firm than chalk, and makes a nice point. I think sharpening this with a piece of sandpaper is the way to go.

And, I still like the Bohin chalk mechanical pencil. Maybe it’s because I like all of the great colors it comes with. It seems to me that with the variety of colors, you will certainly find one that will show up on any fabric, and the sticks are easy to change.

Although it doesn’t come with directions, all you do is push down the yellow button at the end of the pencil. This will cause the yellow pieces that surround the chalk to open, and you can remove the stick and replace it with a new one.

There is also a chalk-filled device that will transfer chalk powder onto your quilt top.

Funny, it’s called the pounce pad, and until recently I thought you placed a stencil on top of your quilt and then patted the pounce pad to get your quilting design transferred. Turns out you brush it back and forth across the stencil.

To use the pounce pad, you need a stencil that has the quilting lines cut out so the chalk can create a line. With the others, you can draw a line either inside a stencil or around a stencil.

As with so many other quilting devices, much of what you use has to do with personal preference and your quilting style. Try them out; and be sure that you test your marker to be sure that it will come out of your fabric.

My friend was unusual in not caring that her quilt had blue marks around all of the quilting stitches. I was devastated.

Here are some of the marking tools discussed above.


Chalk pencils from Roxanne International	Soapstone from Collins	Pounce Pad	Bohin Mechanical Chalk

Postcard Quilts for the Troops

July 4th Roundup Next - Deadline MAY 20!

Penny's Postcard Posse has sent more than 15,000 fabric postcards to our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and the hospital in Germany.

As quilters, we know what those postcards mean to the men and women who recieve them. Some who get them receive no other mail from home. And for all of them, it's a reminder of the wonderful freedoms they are fighting for and the comforts they will enjoy when they return home.

The 4th of July Roundup is in full swing - the deadline is May 20!

It's not too early to start making patriotic cards for our 4th of July Roundup. This will mark our 4th Year! Check out the postcard patterns on www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com I will continue to add designs, and patterns for the fabric postcards are always free.

Remember the Birthday Roundup - Diane had a great idea to send over a package of Birthday postcards that can be handed to soldiers the day of their birthday! What a great idea.

So, we've set up a deadline of August 10, and there is plenty of time to get some postcards made by then. She will send over a big box and the soldier "in charge" can hand them out as birthdays arrive. I will be adding birthday-themed postcard designs to www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com, so keep on checkin'

To make the 4th of July deadline, get your cards to Diane by May 20.

Please send your cards to:
Diane Malaznik
14215 Westmore St.
Livonia, MI 48154-4149

Diane is doing a fabulous job keeping the pictures updated, and if you have sent cards in, let your friends and family know that they can see pictures of them here: www.Fabric-Postcards.com

Remember you can get FREE postcard patterns at: www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

Special Note - we are in the process of changing the Picture Gallery on the Fabric-Postcards.com site. It may take a few days, so bear with us. Not to worry - We have all of the pictures and will get everything squared away soon.

Featured Block in Video - Cats and Mice Quilt Block

cats and mice quilt block

Happy 15th Birthday, m. mouse! Well, not quite yet, but coming.

In the meantime, this quilt block features a picture of m. mouse which has been printed on fabric and cut into a 4 inch (finished size) patch for the center of the block.

The video shows how I set the picture up to be printed.

Download the Cats and Mice Quilt Block Pattern

April Quilt Block Patterns

The April selection of free quilt block patterns includes a variety of 4 patch quilt blocks, ranging from the easy to make to some that are a little more complex.

Click here to download your April FREE quilt block patterns