Quilt Blocks, Design and March Free Quilt Block Patterns

Greetings Quilter -

Happy St. Patrick's Day later this week! Hopefully you've got your St. Patrick's quilt all finished and hung or spread out on the couch to enjoy. Or maybe just the top is finished. Or maybe you've got the fabric, and will be ready for next year!

My best laid plans ended up with fabric and a quilt design - and a commitment to finish it for next year - maybe.

On the other hand, the only thing about this quilt that is Irish is the fact that it has green fabric. It's a design taken from the book, Creative Two-Block Quilts. More specifically, I will be making Quilt 5 - page 30 - and will keep you updated on my progress as it is made each week or so.

Because this is a quilt in a published book, I won't be creating a product, just updating you on construction of the quilt - challenges, successes, and pictures.

I'll have more information next week.

Next Monday, my friend, Jim and I take off for parts South - a Mexican cruise - for 11 days on the sea.

I'm looking forward to it, since it's been the first real vacation I've had for about 6 years. Not to worry, though, m. mouse, Cindy and Anita will be holding down the fort - keeping the tips and techniques emails coming, and products shipped.

m. mouse will be writing emails from the comfort of quilting daughter, Stephanie's, house in Lomita, California - a vacation for him as well.

For those of you who own quilt shops or have an online business, I have just finished my newest information package that is sure to boost your sales.

Whether you already have an online quilting business or are wondering what you can do with your website to generate some serious revenue, this resource will give you the resources you need to jumpstart the online portion of your business.

This is as simple as 1, 2, 3 to learn and do. And it can be done in less than about 45 minutes each week.

In about 45 minutes a week, you can generate tons of online sales using my Online Business Success System. Tested and proven to work - this is the system I use.

Learn more - - -

And now for the rest of the news - -

Happy Quilting!

penny halgren

Featured Product from How-to-Quilt.com

I should probably change the name of this DVD Mentor - -

From Cutting to Machine Quilting and Binding . . .
Transform Your Fat Quarter Fabric Pieces
into a Beautiful Quilt – with ease!

I know it's a mouthful - The Machine Quilted Fat Quarter Quilt DVD Mentor.

It started out being about how to make a quilt using fat quarters. You know, those little pieces of fabric that quilt shops cut into shapes that measure about 17 inches by 22 inches.

But it turned into one of the most complete How to Make a Quilt resources on the face of the earth! Not that I'm bragging or anything - but everything went into this!

Working with small amounts of fabric causes us to be more careful about choosing a block, knowing exactly how much of each kind of fabric we need, and how to cut it.

Plus, I realize that not everyone has the magical, mystical quilt design software that creates templates and figures out your fabric requirements.

And, I know that quilters now want to finish quilts quickly using their home sewing machine - from start to finish.

So - in this resource, you will see:

how to easily figure out how much of each color fabric you need for your quilt - without the complicated math
how to lay out the patches on your fat quarter so you know how to cut the fabric without wasting any
how to create your own templates to cut fabric - they fit perfectly, they are any size you want them to be, and you can make templates for any block you want
shortcuts for sewing the blocks together to create the quilt top
how to create an interesting and easy border using a seminole design (sew and cut strips of fabric)
how to machine quilt on your home sewing machine - this is the most comprehensive machine quilting resource I have created, showing:
- how to layer and baste your quilt so you end up with pucker-free machine quilting
- how to choose your quilting design
- how to sew using free motion quilting and some of the designs you can create
- how to set the tension on your sewing machine - details, not just "do this" you see how to set the tension and what your quilting looks like when it is right and when it is wrong, and how to know how to fix it
- how to set up your practice sandwich to ensure perfect quilting stitches and thread tension

You can see that this is jam-packed with information way beyond just creating a quilt using fat quarters.

Truly I wish this type of information was available when I began quilting decades ago. I've spent more than 28 years gathering it all and putting it in one place in an easy-to-understand format, including video and written materials, so your quilting journey will be fun and stress-free!

Tell me more - - -

Quilts in History

We talk a lot about the history of quilt blocks. They reflect the communities in which they were created. Many blocks are Biblically inspired, like Jacob’s Ladder and Job’s tears.

Others are inspired by agriculture, like Corn and Beans, or occupations like Monkey Wrench. Some are inspired by occasions, like the Double Wedding Ring.

But what about the history of quilts themselves? Just how old is quilting as a fabric craft?

No one knows exactly where quilting originated, but researchers have traced a quilted robe back to about 3400 BC. The quilted garment is on an ivory likeness of an Egyptian pharaoh from the first dynasty!

Archeologists found a quilted rug in Mongolia. They date the floor covering to a wide period of time, ranging from the first century B.C. to the second century A.D.

We know that knights of the Middle Ages wore quilts under their armor. These weren’t quilts or Snuggies, like the popular blanket with sleeves. Instead, these were quilted garments worn underneath that made that metal armor a little more comfortable.

As far as bedding, the oldest quilt documented comes from the 14th century. The quilt, which came from Sicily, is made from linen and has wool batting. It is now displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum of London.

So, quilts that many Americans have accepted as a traditionally American art is really much deeper rooted world wide. While no one knows whether the Pilgrims brought quilts with them when they settled America, it is almost certain that they brought the knowledge of quilting with them.

The first mention of quilts in America came in a 17th century inventory listing. None of those quilts continue to exist, but they were recorded as belonging to a Salem sea captain at the end of that century.

The oldest American quilt is listed as the Saltonstall quilt. Researchers were able to determine an approximate date of its creation because it was foundation pieced using newspaper. When the paper started showing through worn fabric, they were able to see the newspaper’s date – 1704! It even had filler from a 1701 Harvard College catalog!

Many people know the history of quilting beginning with the 1800s and we know many of the meanings behind the quilt blocks of that era. It’s great to look farther back – to see the true beginnings of quilting in its utilitarian and artistic forms. While we often get caught up on our own quilting world, sometimes it’s nice to reflect on just how big this quilting world really is!


Jacobs Ladder Quilt Block	Corn and Beans Quilt Block	Monkey Wrench Quilt Block

Designing Quilts and Quilt Blocks

Many quilters, especially beginner quilters, say they could never create an original design quilt.

My first original design quilt using hollow cubes.

And, I'll admit that for years I had the same thought. My first original quilt design started innocently enough.

I had a book that showed how to make those fun 3 dimensional hollow cubes. After making several of them, I decided I would place them on a solid piece of fabric instead of piece the background as was suggested in the book.

I found a piece of fabric I thought would create a look of the cubes floating in space.

I simply placed the blocks on the piece of fabric and appliqued them on. Layered, and quilted and the quilt was finished.

After it was finished, I looked back and realized that I had actually designed a quilt! Simple!

It's also fun and easy to create new quilt blocks. After all, many quilters have done it throughout history.

It's always fun to speculate exactly how it happens, but nonetheless, it happens.

Take, for example, the Corn and Beans and Monkey Wrench quilt blocks shown above.

At first glance, they look very different. However, if you take a second look, the blocks are divided into basically the same shapes.

The placement of the colors of fabric makes the difference between the blocks.


Corn and Beans	Monkey Wrench

The Corn and Beans quilt block uses 4 different fabrics - dark green, light green, dark yellow and light yellow - while the Monkey Wrench quilt block uses only two different colors - dark brown and light brown.

To make the Monkey Wrench quilt block, replace the dark yellow pieces with dark brown in the corner triangles.

Then replace the light green squares with light brown. Finally replace the light yellow squares with dark brown to create the Monkey Wrench quilt block.

Using a combination of color variations and changing the placement of dark and light values in your patches, you can get a whole different look in your block.

Is it because a quilter couldn't remember how the "original" block looked? Or was she trying to create a completely new block, yet loved the way a particular block was made and her way of changing the design was to change the colors?

Years ago, I did the same kind of thing using the Bachelor's Puzzle Quilt Block. In that exercise, I also kept the same patches, and just changed the placement of the color values and colors.

Quilt using Bachelor's Puzzle Quilt Blocks and Pinwheels. The Bachelor's Puzzle blocks each use a different placement of color and value to create a completely different look.

Try it yourself! It's fun.

Postcard Quilts for the Troops

July 4th Roundup Next - Deadline JUNE 5!

The 4th of July in Iraq or Afghanistan is just another day unless it becomes something different by virtue of quilters' intervention!

I wanted to do something to let the soldiers in the Middle East know that there were hundreds - even thousands - of folks here in the US who appreciated what they were doing.

Our first Penny's Posse Rounded up more than 139 tiny postcard greetings for the soldiers in Iraq for the 4th of July 2006.

Those fabric cards were sent through Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, and pictures of fabric postcards sent in the first Roundup are posted on this site.

You can read the first webpage with the original idea here.

After the first Roundup, Penny received emails from several quilters asking if she would please do another Roundup so they could participate. And more Roundups were added.

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.

Still others have fond memories of their mothers or grandmothers creating quilts to keep them warm and safe as children.

The 4th of July Roundup is in full swing - the deadline is June 5!

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.

To make the 4th of July deadline, get your cards to Diane by June 5

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

March Free Block Patterns

These free March quilt block patterns will make your St. Patrick's Day full of quilting fun. Most of these are 9 patch quilt blocks, and some are 9 patch quilt blocks.

Click here to download your March FREE quilt block patterns

Click here for the Irish themed quilt block patterns