Toad in the Puddle Quilt Block
"A day patched with quilting seldom unravels."
Greetings Quilter - This weekend you are in for a special treat - and this is no Trick or Treat, either. This month our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation will once again be a webinar, and this time the topic will be All About Hand Quilting. You'll learn about choosing thimbles, frames, needles, and hoops, as well as see a demonstration showing you how to make beautiful hand quilting stitches. It all takes place on Sunday, September 27 beginning at 5pm Pacific Time, and will include online video and a telephone conversation. There is no charge for the webinar, except for any long distance charges your telephone company might charge, but the online portion is completely free, and the presentation will include enough visuals that even if you don't dial in, you will be able to get a lot out of the webinar. To log in, visit: http://webexpress.intella2.com/?meeting=9393914 and enter your name. You'll be in the meeting and ready to go. More information will be available in the next day or two. And there will be an opportunity to get a DVD of the video clips presented. Members of the Eavesdropping Quilters' Club will get the DVDs as a benefit of their membership.
The Fat Quarter Quilt After much contemplation, this week I settled in on the cornerstone design for the Fat Quarter Quilt. I will be using the same basic block design as the blocks in the center of the quilt (Utility Block), and rotating it 90 degrees. This causes the yellow patches to form a simple square, instead of the square on point that is in the other blocks. This adds a little interest to the quilt while maintaining consistence in the design. These tiny blocks were made from fabric the I purchased for the quilt, as I didn't have enough of the fat quarter fabric left to make matching blocks for the corners. Next step is to trim the top and bottom border pieces, add the narrow purple strips, sew the cornerstones onto the borders and then add the entire border strips to the top and bottom of the quilt. Once that is done, I will trim the points off of the zigzag borders, and the quilt will be ready to layer and quilt. The bamboo batting is laying out on quilting daughter, Stephanie's bed, since she isn't here. Although m. mouse is enjoying a daily nap on the batting, the purpose really is to let it flatten out without ironing or putting it in the dryer. Keep your eyes open for more progress on this quilt.
New Electronic Delivery of Video Products During our survey at the beginning of the summer, several of you said that you were interested in getting your hands on our DVD products, but the shipping and handling charges were just too much. We agree, and we heard you! We searched to find the most convenient way to deliver the information, so you could get immediate access right after you complete your purchase, and now it is available. You'll find the details below. This information is available instantly, and you save money by our discounted price plus saving shipping and handling.
Until later - - - Happy Quilting!
Block of the Month
The strips are usually made of light and dark fabric variations to symbolize the light heartedness and sometimes heavy issues of family life. The center square block was often red to symbolize the hearth as the warming center of the home. Another version of the quilt had the center square of the blocks as yellow to represent a candle burning to guide a family member home. Since the Log Cabin quilt gained its popularity during the Civil War era of the United States, it is rumored to have helped slaves escape to safety. The story is that Log Cabin quilts displayed with a black center square signaled slaves to seek escape through the homes displaying those quilts. The Log Cabin quilt is constructed from the center square outward. This represents the construction of a home, with the foundation first, then “logs” being added around it to create the home…or in this case the quilt block. We assume that the Log Cabin quilt block pattern became popular when so many families moved westward after the U.S.’s Civil War, setting up homestead in log cabins themselves. Some believe the design has actually been around much longer, just not in quilt form. In the early 1800s, a design very similar to the Log Cabin quilt was seen in the tombs of Egypt. A log cabin-looking pattern was noticed on fabrics that wrapped mummified pets placed in the tombs. Other theories include that the Log Cabin design resembles the plowing and irrigation setup of European farmers in the Middle Ages. Still other researchers say they can trace the Log Cabin design back to the early Greek and Roman era. Back in the early days of the Log Cabin quilt, the finished quilts were often tied with yarn instead of quilted with stitches. Early quilters tied their Log Cabin quilts simply because they were so difficult to quilt through all the small stitches on the quilt top. Many present day quilters still honor this tradition simply as a characteristic of the quilt pattern. Quilters enjoy creating variations of the Log Cabin quilt block, too. By varying the placement of colors on the quilt or wall hanging, you can create some quite interesting blocks. All it takes is some careful planning.
Banish Lumpy, Bumpy Binding. Forever! Imagine Yourself Stitching Binding on Your Quilt That is So Beautiful It Looks as If It Were Sewn by a Professional. Learn 6 different ways to bind your quilts with perfection - you'll have smooth and square mitered corners; hand sewn blind stitches that are completely hidden; a smooth closing where the beginning and end of the binding meets; and even edges all the way around your quilt. Using this resource, your binding worries will be over forever, and all of your binding will be beautiful and easy to make. For more than a year now, hundreds of quilters have used this valuable resource to create perfect binding for their quilts, and now it is available for you to download immediately. That's right - you can get this great information right after you complete your purchase, save shipping and handling charges, and get it at at reduced rate, too.
Postcard Quilts for the Troops – Halloween Roundup!
It's time once again for our Annual Halloween Postcard Roundup. This has been one of our most popular Roundups because it is just a fun holiday that even kids have a great time decorating fabric postcards for. The deadline is September 22. 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 Toad in the Puddle Quilt Block
This traditional 4 patch quilt block is part of the Trick or Treat at the Haunted House Halloween quilt - an original pattern. This quilt block is pretty easy to sew together, and it's part of my Halloween quilt. For the next few weeks, several additional Halloween quilt block patterns will be featured. Get a free download of this quilt block pattern at www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com and check out the other patterns there, too!
Enjoy!
September Quilt Block Patterns The August selection of free quilt block patterns includes
Click here to download your September FREE quilt block patterns |
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