Category: Patterns and tutorials

I spend a few minutes (usually less than 15) on Instagram most days. I connect with many other quilters and am amazed by their creativity and talent. I also hear of some interesting opportunities. This year, around the middle of March, I saw a post from Golden Peak Media, the parent company that publishes Quiltmaker, McCall’s Quilting, Quick and Easy Quilts, and more. They were looking for Hanukkah quilt designs, and their deadline was less than 48 hours away. I happened to have a free evening and I decided to play around with EQ8 and see what I could create. I ended up with the design above, which I submitted.

I was beyond surprised when I got an e-mail less than a week later letting me know that they wanted to publish my quilt in Quiltmaker! I got the e-mail the day after my birthday, and it was a fantastic birthday present.

The wonderful editor sent me a digital catalog of Andover Hanukkah fabrics I could use for the design. After playing around a little and exploring different options with the fabric, I came up with this design.

This pattern includes many symbols of the holiday, including the Star of David, flames, spinning dreidels and gold pieces or geld. For this version, I used a different method to form the gold pieces, and changed the background of the spinners so the background “ribbons” stop at the edge of the gold pieces. (You can see where I missed one on the picture above).

I received all of the material from Andover. And Hobbs agreed to supply the batting for the project. I started making blocks and sent many “in progress” photos to the editor. Here are a few of them.

Of course, I had to keep the project and the pictures secret. I had one major issue. I made all 36 candle blocks and then realized that I cut the white background squares too narrow. I had to ask for more fabric, then seam rip 72 seams. Unfortunately, the fabric got lost in shipping. I did everything else I could on the quilt and then started hunting for the right shade of Andover Century Solids for the background. I started looking at Capital Quilts in Gaithersburg and to my great surprise, their website said it was in stock. I was surprised because I had not seen Andover Century Solids at the store. I went in and asked Marianne, the owner, where I could find the fabric, as it was not with the other solids. She first said that they did not have it, then she remembered that they ordered one bolt to test it when they were deciding on which solids to carry. She had just enough for me to remake the blocks.

Once I got past that challenge, it was fun. I particularly enjoyed figuring out the quilting patterns. Here is my photo of the finished quilt before I sent it off:

And here are a couple of pictures from the November/December 2022 Quiltmaker Magazine. I had named the quilt “Festival of Lights” but Quiltmaker calls it “Candles Burn Bright”.

Before I could even get a print copy from Golden Peak Media, I went to visit Capital Quilts to take the quilt in for display, and they had copies for sale, so I had to get one!

I even designed a table runner version, and I am teaching a class on it at Capital Quilts in November. Here’s the table runner version.

It uses the same Star of David and candle paper piecing, with an adjusted background and borders. I can’t wait to share my paper piecing techniques.

This has been a wonderful experience. The folks at Golden Peak have been wonderfully supportive. And I cannot thank Marianne at Capital Quilts enough for letting me teach this class and share my excitement over this publication!

As you know, I am a nurse and that affects my approach to quilting, especially when making Sick Day Quilts. Wheelchair quilts are a special category. There are so many questions I like to ask when planning a wheelchair quilt – Who will use it? Where (indoors, outdoors)? Can the user stand up on their own? and so on…

There are a few basics to remember: 1. Wheelchairs have wheels. You do not want the quilt to get caught in the wheels. It is bad for the quilt and can cause an accident. 2. People are different sizes. A wheelchair quilt for a child will be shorter and narrower than one for a large, older adults. I am offering one size of wheelchair quilt here, but this can be customized for any size.

If you are making wheelchair quilts as a service or charity project, remember to make some in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Not everyone like florals, or cats, or geometric prints. Some people like solids, or sports prints or regional prints. I strongly encourage making wheelchair quilts for gifts and donation.

The full directions are on my tutorial page and are here.

I made my test quilt in leftover Baltimore Orioles fabric and scraps of leftover orange, black and white prints. The pattern is very flexible. I decided to play with disappearing four patch patterns, so my squares were smaller than the 9 inches called for in the pattern. I just increased the border width to get the size I needed. You can also make it out of large print squares. The instructions specify four-patches, but any square that finishes at 9 inches will do. This is a great project for charm packs. This would also be a great use for test blocks from other quilts. If they are less than 9 inches, you can border them to get the right size.

WOF=Width of fabric

All seams are ¼ inch. All fabric should be sewn right sides together. Press after each seam. WOF = Width of fabric

Fabric needed:

• Color 1 = ½ yard
• Color 2 = ½ yard
• Border = ½ yard
• Binding = 1/3 yard Border fabric, 1/3 yard contrasting color (color 1 or 2)

Cutting Instructions:

• Color 1: Cut (3) 5 x WOF. Sub cut (23) 5 inch squares.
• Color 2: Cut (3) 5 x WOF. Sub cut (23) 5 inch squares.
• Border: Cut (2) 2 ½ inch x WOF, Cut (2) 3 ½ inch x WOF
• Binding: Border fabric: Cut (4) 1 3/8 inches x WOF. Contrasting fabric: Cut (4) 1 5/8 x WOF

Piecing

1. Make 9 four patch blocks with color 1 and color 2 alternating.
2. Assemble the quilt in four rows of three blocks each.
3. Add 3 ½ inch borders down the sides. Measure the quilt lengthwise through the middle. Cut each border that exact length. Mark center on border and quilt top and pin border to quilt top matching centers. Sew with
4. Add 2 ½ inch borders to top and bottom using the same instructions as step 3, but widthwise.  

Finishing

1. Layer backing (wrong side up), batting, and quilt top (right side up). Baste the layers together and quilt as desired.
2. Trim the quilt square.
3. Binding-

• Bind as desired. I like a flanged, two-color binding. The binding fabric (background fabric) will be the strip cut 1⅜″ wide, the flange fabric (Fabric E) will be the strip cut 1⅝″ wide.
• Take the 1⅜″ strips and 1⅝″ strips. Cut off all the selvedge edges. Sew four 1⅜″ strips together end-to-end with a 45-degree angle. To do this, layer the right sides of the strips together at a 90-degree angle. Draw a 45-degree angle from lower right to upper left. Sew on the line. Cut extra fabric away to leave a ¼″ seam allowance. Press open. Repeat with all four of the 1⅝ ″ strips.
• Then sew the 1⅝ ″ strips together in the same manner.
• Sew the  two strips together along the long edge.
• Press seam allowance toward the background fabric (the 1⅜″ strip) and away from fabric E (the 1⅝″ strip). Now fold over with wrong sides together so the raw edges meet and press. About 1/8″ of fabric E will show above the background fabric on the right side of the binding. Only fabric E will be seen on the wrong side of the binding.
• On the back of the quilt, lay the binding with raw edges matching the raw edge of the quilt and the flange side (Fabric E) up. Start on the long side, 3 inches above the bottom corner. Stitch binding to back with ¼″ seam.
• At the first corner, stop stitching ¼″ before the corner (A) and stitch off the corner at a 45-degree angle (B). Then fold the binding down as shown (C). Starting at the edge, backstitch then continue with a ¼″ seam to the next corner. Finish two corners as described above.

• Stop 3 inches above the third corner, which should be at the bottom of the quilt. Back stitch and cut off the binding. The edge does not need to be turned under because it will be cut off for the toe box.
• Start again on the bottom edge 3 inches from the corner and attach binding up to 3 inches before the fourth corners.
• Your top two corners will have mitered binding. The bottom two corners will have 3 inches on either side left unbound.
• Press the binding out with seam pressed toward binding. Then press binding over to the front of the quilt. Pin corners with miters. Slowly stitch in the ditch of the flange all the way around the quilt using thread that matches the flange color. 

Keep the remaining binding for the toe box

Forming the Toe Box

1. After you bind the quilt, cut a 6.5 inch square from each of the bottom two corners. That should cut off the border and one patch of each of the corner four-patches.
2. Sew the remaining raw edges to form a 90 degree angle. The bottom of the quilt should be like two sides of a box.
3. Enclose the raw seams in additional binding. Make sure you turn the raw edges of the binding under before sewing.

I would love to see your wheelchair quilts and hear about who is using them!

The project I have been working on has seven inset circles. While I love the look, it can be overwhelming. The project is designed to teach curves and help quilters overcome their fear of curves and inset circles. After making all my circles and fitting them into the quilt, here is my approach to inset circles and all of the tips I can think of to take the fear out of circles.

TIP: Take your time. Making inset circles is not fast. You will get a bit faster as you get more comfortable with them, but it is not fast. Put on some non-distracting music, take a deep breath and take your time.

TIP: Use a lot of starch. I find that if the fabric is not starched enough, it distorts more when I sew the inset circle.

I start by heavily starching both the background and circle fabrics. For this tutorial, I will be making a 10 inch finished circle, set into a 10.5 inch block. Cut an 11 inch square of the circle fabric (off-white) and a 12 inch square of the background fabric (aqua).

I really like this EZ Circle Cut template. But you can use any half or quarter circle that is accurate. For a 10 inch diameter finished circle, you will cut a 9.5 inch circle out of the middle of the 12 inch square. On this template, you fold the fabric in half, put the fold on the fold line and cut at the 9 inch groove.

The circle fabric needs to be bigger than the cut out from the background. For a 10 inch diameter finished circle, a 10.5 inch diameter circle needs to be cut. On this ruler, you fold the fabric in half, put the fold on the fold line and cut at the 10 inch groove.

Once your background and circle are cut, fold each separately into equal quarters and press lightly with the iron to mark the quarters as you can see below.

Start by folding the background fabric so that the fabrics are right side together and the circle is laying flat. Pin the quarter marks of the background to the quarter marks of the circle.

Then pin around the circle to make sure that the fabric is equally distributed and is not pleated or kinked. Pin from the background side.

TIP: I find that fine or very fine pins work best.

Some people swear by glue basting instead of pinning, but it has never worked well for me.

I find that it works best if I sew with the circle side down. Bernie, my sewing machine, is set up so the needle stops in the down position, and with the stitch length at 2, slightly shorter than the usual 2.5 stitch length. I always check my bobbin and my tension before I start sewing a set-in circle.

Stitch slowly until you come to the first pin. Pull the pin, use your finger to check that the fabric is laying flat, and slowly stitch to the next pin. Repeat all the way around the circle.

Secure your stitch at the end by backstitching or taking a number of tiny stitches.

After sewing, clip the seam allowance no more than 1/2 of the way to the seam. I usually clip about every inch around the circle.

After clipping all the way around, finger press the seam allowance toward the background.

Then press lightly all the way around, making sure the seam allowance is toward the background.

Then I spray the circle with water and press heavily to remove the quarter lines and finish the block.

Once the block is pressed and cooled, remove from the ironing board and take to the cutting board.

Measure 10.5 inches square, leaving 1/4 inch seam allowance around each side of the circle, as shown above. Trim.

That’s it – you now have a 10.5 inch block with a 10 inch diameter inset circle. It will make a 10 inch finished block with a fully inset circle.

A friend recently shared that one of her quilting goals for 2021 is to master the mitered borders. I have found that making multiple mitered borders is just as easy as a single border, so I thought I would share my process with you.

Step 1: Sew the inner border pieces to the outer border pieces using a scant ¼ inch seam. The top/bottom borders should be the width of the quilt + twice the width of the border +1 inch. For example, if the quilt is 50 inches wide, the inner border is 1 inch wide and the outer border is 4 inches wide the length of the top/bottom borders should be 60 inches: 50 + (2 x 1 inch) + (2 x 4 inches) + 1 inch = 50+2+8+1. The right/left side borders should be the length of the quilt + twice the width of the border + 1 inch.

Press the seam allowance of two strips toward the inner border (place on sides of quilt) and two strips towards the outer border (place on top and bottom of quilt).

Find the center of each border unit by folding it in half. Mark with a pin. For top/bottom borders, measure 1/2 the width of the quilt on either side of the center mark and pin. Then fold the end pin to the center pin to find the quarter mark and mark with pins. You should have five pins. For example, if your side is 25 inches the pins would be placed like this:

Step 2: Pin the quilt top and borders.

Find the center of each side, the top and bottom top and mark with a pin. Find the midway point between the center and end on either side and mark with a pin, as above. Align the center and quarters of the border with the centers of the top and pin at marks. Align end point of top with outer pins on border strip and pin. Pin rest of borders to top.

You should have border fabric left on either end of the quilt top.

IMPORTANT – Mark the quilt top on the wrong side with a dot 1/4 inch from each corner. Start sewing at one 1/4 inch mark and stop stitching at the mark ¼ inch before the end of the top. Backstitch at beginning and end of seam one or two stitches. Sew all four border pieces to top leaving ¼ inch unsewn on each strip at every corner.

Press seams toward the quilt top.

Step 3: Making the miter.

Lay the quilt on ironing board with the finished side down (A). Fold quilt diagonally as shown (B) so the back side of the quilt is showing (C). NOTE: the A₁, A₂, B₁ and B marks on the illustration are for reference only, you do not need to add these marks to your quilt. Line up the borders from the two sides aligning the marks 1/4 inch from the edge of the quilt top (C).

Align the border strips. Mark the border at a 45 degree angle, as shown (C). Pin, matching creased lines and seams. Slowly machine baste from backstitching point to outer edge of quilt.

Press seam open and check accuracy with 45-degree rule. If it is accurate, sew over basting stitch , from backstitching point to outer edge of the quilt. Remember to backstitch one or two stitches at beginning and end of this seam because it will be the outer edge of the quilt. Remove basting stitch. Trim the seam allowance to approximate ¼ inch. Repeat this process for the other three corners.

That’s it – a double mitered border!

Here are the full instructions for the #100qal, currently on Instagram.

This is a super easy, semi-improvisational quilt with few corners to match. It works well with scraps, jelly rolls or yardage and uses 2.5 inch wide strips.

If you are like me and have been cutting your scraps into 2.5 inch strips for 5 years, you may have enough in your stash, or you may need to supplement.

All fabrics should be cut to exactly 2.5 inches wide. Seam allowances are calculated into fabric needed.  **If you use precuts, make sure they are 2.5 inches or cut them to size.

The primary directions are for a king or queen sized quilt. Other sizes will finish faster:

• King or Queen 96 days of strips = 4 days to assemble
• Twin 88 days of strips = 12 days to assemble (or a 90-day project)
• Throw 64 days of strips = 36 days to assemble (or a 70-day project)
• Baby 48 days of strips = 52 days to assemble (or a 50-day project (you could make 2!)

Requires two contrasting fabric choices. About half of the fabric should be foreground color (A) and about half background color (B). You can use darks and lights, colors and neutrals, two different colors, etc. Decide which fabric you want as dominant – you will need a little more of this fabric.

I am using up my stash of strips and have approximately half that are cream or white and half that are purple, blue or teal (guess which colors I use most).

Piecing Days 1-24, 26-49, 51-74, 76-99

Sew one A to one B piece, end to end. Sew second A to second B piece, end to end.

Cut so both strips are 26.5 (22.5, 16.5, 25, 16.5) inches wide – vary cuts so light and dark are not the same length. The effect is best if the dominant color is at least 1/2 of the strip length. Use the remainder for another day. Each strip should have one A and one B piece after trimming.

Sew strip 1 to strip 2 lengthwise.

That’s it!

Assembly Days 25, 50, 75, 100

Every 24 days (24, 22, 16, 12), you will have enough strip units to assemble a column for your quilt.      

To assemble:

Layout your strips until you like the combination. Alternate A on right with B on right as shown.

Sew strips into columns first:

For baby quilt – two columns of 24 rows each

For throw – two columns of 32 rows each

For twin – four columns of 44 rows each

For queen and king – four columns of 48 rows each.

Then sew columns together, matching corners.

Add a border if you wish. Your top is done and ready for basting, quilting and binding!