THIS AND THAT

Blissfully at home much of this winter, I am getting a lot done with little concern for cold weather.

Here is what has kept me busy this week:

1. Angela Walter's Arcs, Curves, Points with Rulers Free-Motion Challenge Quilting Along. I bought both the smaller and larger panels, so easy to work with for this class. This is the small one:

A variety of rulers for free motion quilting

My progress for weeks 1 and 2 

2. Natalia Bonner's free class, 99+ Strip Designs. This just started. These are the first 3 designs and one of the added Bonus designs, all to fit 2" finished strips. To start, I am just using scrap fabric with 2" lines drawn in. When I perfect a few of my favorites I will use them on a Quilt of Valor I am making for a specific Marine.  I really want to perfect my Ribbon Candy, so not there yet, but her tip to draw around a penny or dime to get started was a good one. Half way across I switched to no drawn lines as I was getting in the rhythm of the design. Lot more practice is needed:

3. The Sunday Sew and Sews came over, a small group due to illness, a broken hip, family obligations. But look what they brought for Show and Tell:

Susan is on a mission to complete  a lot of UFOs

Susan made this for her husband, a coffee lover

Another from Susan

Susan's Sizzle, the BOM from 2019, designed by Becky Goldsmith

Susan made this throw size from the leftovers of a king size Ocean Waves quilt

Pam finished her Laurel Ridge in William Morris fabrics. She says she has MORE William Morris fabric now than when she started. How does that happen?

Cyndi is making these delicate Log Cabin blocks from a kit, I think that ships monthly. It's pricey because they are Liberty of London lawn fabrics and she added on the "fussy cut centers" package. The blocks feel so good!

Cyndi is very talented with EQ8--she often redesigns Block of the Month patterns to suit herself. This is her version of Game On! She calls it Parchisi. 

These women are very talented, giving and fun to be around. I look forward to their visits.

This week I got a package--the PRINTS KIT for the 2026 Block of the Month for TheQuiltShow.com, Game On! designed by Becky Goldsmith:

It is a beautiful collection of contemporary fabrics, the kinds I don't have a lot of. It is 17.625 yards, mostly fat quarters, and would be an excellent way to freshen up your stash--or call it your "collection".

The BEST phrase I ever heard about your "stash" vs "collection" is this:

"I am the Curator of an extensive personal TEXTILE COLLECTION". Now doesn't that sound impressive?

Available for purchase by anyone, you don't have to be a Star Member to shop in the "Store". See it HERE for a full list of each fabric in this package.  

I cut out Month 1 and 2 so I can make and use them for demos on my LIVE:

Month 2 ready to sew

Month 1 ready to sew

It's been cold and wet here but we have power and no where we have to go most days. I remember the 35 years I worked for H&R Block and HAD to go to work when the weather was awful--I was the office manager and those would be busy days--if people couldn't go to work because of snow they would come to us to get their taxes done. I am so glad those days are behind me! 

Now I can bake bread when the weather is cold. Find the recipe for this and my other favorites up top here in the tab RECIPES:

Cranberry Pecan Artisan Bread

There are a few more things to keep me busy, like working on my own taxes, but there's nothing to show for that.

I hope you are dry and warm and enjoying some good times.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

GAME ON! Month 2

Game On! is the 2026 Block of the Month quilt designed by Becky Goldsmith exclusively for THE QUILT SHOW: find Game On! information here. Join as a Star Member to get all the patterns and all the videos FREE. Membership is just $49/year and provides access to over 18 years of shows and tremendous additional content. Join HERE

In Month 2 we make the four corners for the Center Medallion. As always, I strongly advise that you WATCH THE VIDEOS FIRST! This month there is one video, it's 11 minutes long, and very important to watch before you begin.

For me, it was best to use vellum for the corner sections as seeing through the pattern is very helpful. 

Fabrics 1 and 2 in place 

TIPS: 

1. Double check the printed pattern is the correct size, verify the 1" scale box is exactly 1"

2. Take time to carefully tape the 6 pattern pages together, be sure all lines align perfectly

3. Be sure to use the correct fabric at the correct position. LIGHT and DARK go in specific places

4. Place the wrong side of the fabric to the wrong side of the pattern

5. Backstitch where you should, Becky explains this in the video. I ALSO BACKSTITCHED at the outside edge--this really helped when removing the paper later

6. Work in numerical order: fabrics 1 + 2 is the first seam, than add 3, then add 4, etc. 

7. Remember the steps of paper piecing: SEW, FLIP, PRESS, TRIM

8. If using a KIT, any changes you make in fabric selection may effect choices down the road. If you don't want to add additional fabrics later simply follow the pattern as written. I made a few changes to the SOLID version and if I have to add more later, I am fine with that. All fabrics GO!

CUTTING SUGGESTION: 

While the measurements are correct, if you are new to paper piecing you may find it helpful to cut the pieces 1/2" longer than the pattern says. For example, fabric 3 is cut 4.75" x 12"--making that 12.5" long gives just a bit of "insurance".   I suggest you cut ONE SET OF FABRICS to make the first corner before you cut them all, in case you want to add that extra 1/2" 

In the LIVE BROADCAST for Month 2. January 30, 2026, I will show how to fold back the paper to double check fabric placement before you sew. This really helps. The alternative is to PIN on the sewing line BEFORE SEWING, to double check the fabric being added will fully cover the paper pattern for that piece.

The Corner pattern from vellum: 

The Corner pattern from freezer paper. Becky suggests using painter's tape to hold the 6 pieces in place as you use transparent tape to join all 6 pieces accurately:

I have written a lot about using Vellum vs. Freezer paper for the patterns. The main advantages to using Freezer paper is the pattern can be used many times. You do not sew through the paper so there is no need to lower the stitch length as you really must when sewing through the paper. 

I tried the Freezer paper pattern because it would save a LOT of paper--as I am making two of these quilts, 6 pattern pages means 19 sheets of vellum for EACH quilt (38 sheets total) OR only 6 sheets of Freezer paper total. 

FREEZER PAPER WAS A POOR CHOICE:

I wasn't able to see through it well enough to get the initial points just right. 

The pattern is large so it's awkward to get it and the fabric under the needle.

It is crucial to keep the fabrics connected to the paper until the last piece is sewn in place. It took a LOT of glue to keep the fabric adhered to the freezer paper.

It was much more difficult to get the accuracy I wanted with the freezer paper.

SO, one corner of my SOLIDS quilt was made with Freezer paper, the remaining corners were made with vellum. Smaller borders to come I will use freezer paper when it works well. This is the time for vellum.

See my TUTORIAL on FREEZER PAPER FOUNDATION here for more information on that process.

Becky stresses careful trimming of the patterns, always placing the 1/4" line on the ruler on the solid/sewing line, so you are sure you are trimming 1/4" beyond the sewing line:

Trimming the pattern

Once the corner is made, trim ONLY the two angled, INSIDE edges. Be very sure to trim 1/4" beyond the sewing line. LEAVE THE TWO OUTSIDE EDGES as is. They will be marked then trimmed next month--this is VERY IMPORTANT: 

It is not a case of HOW FAST you can complete this month's work, but HOW ACCURATELY. Take your time, watch the videos several times, refer to the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS as needed.

Once all four corners are made, admire what you have accomplished this month:

My PRINTS version

My SOLIDS version after month 3--notice I changed the colors of the corner CIRCLES 

Next month we will join the corners to the points, create the square with applique, make and applique the corner circles. That's a lot, the real "heart" of this quilt so I will see you then.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

WINTER DAYS

 Like most of you in the US, this weekend finds us in the deep freeze. No walking for me for the next several days. No snow here, just sleet, freezing rain and temperatures below freezing for the next several days. At least we didn't get the 14" of snow first mentioned several days ago. Winter in the South.

So what to do? Put a pot of 15 Bean Soup in the slow cooker. Corn muffins will be made later:

Free motion quilt Diamond Jubilee, with a new ruler:

The only thing left is the borders

Wavy border straight line quilting

This is a terrific new ruler: STITCHLINE 1 QUILTING RULER designed and sold by my friend Geraldine Wilkins--no relation that we know of.  Watch her video at this link and you will want one too. It combines a channel for Stitch in the Ditch--a MUST for me, a long straight edge with needle stops at both ends AND a cool wavy edge that lets you make lots of great designs easily. In addition, there are lots of great reference lines built in that allow for less marking on the quilt itself. 

Her website and YouTube channel have good videos as she explains lots of important things to know about free motion quilting with rulers. If you want one of her brand new rulers, buy it from her-- shipping was reasonable and fast once she got them in stock. Tell her I sent you:

 

I haven't decided if I am going to do a cross hatch border--double the quilting--but I might. When all the first round is done I will decide. 

Spend a few hours with the hubby doing a jigsaw puzzle:

My “Will” Wilkins

A few days ago I had fun teaching THE VILLAGE at Southern Charm Quilting here at home. The students did well, most learned a few valuable tricks to improve and enjoy paper piecing:

Student work at the end of the class

I bet some of them are building more houses today

Class sample:

I hope you are warm and contentedly working on whatever brings you joy during this big storm week. How do you keep busy?

Let's quilt.

Barbara

SECOND LIFETIME QUILT TOP COMPLETE!

 It took a lot of sewing but the top is done:

85" square

I am pleased with this top and glad it is done. There are 289 pieced Old Italian blocks, 3" square.

It is a replica of an antique top I bought in 2014 at Paducah from dealer Cindy Rennels:

It was my intention to have no repeats but there are at least TWO. There might be one more pair but I haven't found them yet. 

With the few leftovers I made a small quilt so I can hand quilt. It's been a while since I did any hand quilting and I am eager to get back to that. It would take me years to hand quilt the large quilt so this small one will have to do:

Leftovers 18" square

For more information on this quilt see these post:

MY SECOND LIFETIME QUILT

The 2025 SUMMER SEW ALONG provides information for making this block in 3 sizes:

2025 Summer Sew A Long

Now I have to decide which of my next BUCKET LIST quilts gets started...

Let's quilt.

Barbara

BUCKET LIST QUILT #5 COMING ALONG

 This has been a productive week. I am coming along nicely with MY NEXT LIFETIME QUILT, aka Old Italian Blocks. It's been less than a year since I started this so that is good progress. The 3"blocks were made as Leader/Enders, using reproduction fabrics from my deep stash.

There is a very organized color plan although it may be hard to see here. First, I sorted all the blocks into basic color groups: dark blue, light blue, dark green, light green, black/brown, yellow/rust/orange, red/pink, purple, gray, lights. I was striving for NO repeats, but, alas, there may be a couple.

Once I cleared the design wall and placed all 289 blocks exactly where I wanted them, I knew I had to sew the complete top as quickly as possible to use the design wall again. Here is the layout:

The top row isn't quite right because I can't quite reach the top of the wall on my stepstool. Falling off is a possibility so I have to be very careful or get a bigger ladder.

Once I sewed several rows the wall looks odd and it's hard to be sure I have the blocks in the correct place. I have to get back on the stepstool to move them all down into position:

After  a lot more sewing it was time to really move everything down into position so I can reach all of them with the stepstool AND be sure all are in the right spot:

I have been asked to explain how I keep the rows organized as they come off the design wall and go to the sewing machine. It is a bit of a challenge but not really hard.

Here is the most recent row I added. Using the first photograph, the "official layout", I carefully check that each block is in the right place while still on the wall.

I carefully take each block off the wall and lay it on one of my large design boards, being sure to keep them in the proper order. The perimeter triangles are placed on the board to help me keep track of which side is left, which right:

Paying attention, I add a solid square to the right side of each block, then join them in pairs, then fours, etc. I have found it helpful to take a picture of the  board before starting to sew--it is EASY to get one or two of the blocks turned around, so out of order. 

After careful pressing, the sewn row goes back on the design wall and I make the next row. After making 4 rows, I join them in pairs, then into fours, then they go back on the wall. Once I get the first half done, I will switch to the other side to complete the other half. That way, the entire quilt is only under the needle for the final seam joining the two halves.

This is a replica of an antique top I bought in 2014--read about it  HERE--same link as above.

A yellow border wasn't my cup of tea. After getting started on this, I searched my closet and found the perfect border and binding fabric. This dark red, printed on the diagonal, will be just fine:

I am eager to get this top complete. At this point I expect there is a solid week of piecing to get it done. Then I can move on to other things and the design wall will be usable again.

For those interested, my DESIGN WALL is two sheets of 4' x 8' foam board, covered in Warm and White cotton batt, mounted to the wall. Blocks stick to the batting easily without pins. Only long rows once joined into larger sections need a few pins due to their weight. I've had this wall for 25 years. It is covered with strings--they are hard to remove because my husband used a squirt bottle of Elmer's White School Glue to adhere the batting. In hindsight, mixing a thinner solution of that glue/water might have allowed it to be painted on, keeping the batting more firmly in place. I still love my wall and use it every day.

If you want more information on how to make these fun blocks, in 3 different sizes, see my SUMMER SEW ALONG 2025

Let's quilt.

Barbara

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Out with the old, in with the new. Or, in my case, celebrate finishing this OLD quilt top I began designing almost 30 years ago, so OLD but now it feels really NEW:

Star of Texas, about 72" square

This has been on my bucket list for all these years. Read more about it here:  Star of Texas

Here are my two Game On! quilts, both through month 7, now all I have to do is write the blogs for each month. It is not too late for you to start--this is SO MUCH FUN:

                                                        

Now that I am pretty far along on Game On! I can concentrate on a few more projects I really want to complete this year.

My Old Italian Block Lifetime Quilt is the next top to make:

All 290 of the 3" blocks are done--now it's on to the design wall this week

Quilting needs to be done on Diamond Jubilee:

And soon I will start two online courses on ruler quilting with these two quilts:

panel for Angela Walters class on Arcs and Curves

Quilt of Valor to use for Natalia Bonner's class on 99 strip designs

There is always more to create and I have to come up with my NEXT Lifetime/Leader-Ender quilt project. I have a few ideas. Stay tuned.

Since I am home until mid-March I am determined to get as much done as possible. 

My words for 2026 are "RENEW" and "REBUILD". I don't usually pick a word but was challenged to do so by a friend. These seemed to ring true for 2026.

Do you pick a "word of the year"? 

What do you plan to achieve in 2026? Just keep going, that's my plan.

Happy New Year to all!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

GAME ON! Month 1

Game On! is the 2026 Block of the Month quilt designed by Becky Goldsmith exclusively for THE QUILT SHOW: find Game On! information here. Join as a Star Member to get all the patterns and all the videos FREE. Membership is just $49/year and provides access to over 18 years of shows and tremendous additional content. Join HERE

Prints or Solids, the choice is yours. Buy a KIT or use your own fabric: 

In Month 1 we make the center star points. Becky uses vellum for the foundation paper piecing, sewing through the paper. I will show how I use Freezer paper, not sewing through the paper, so the freezer paper foundations can be used many times.

If you are new to Paper Piecing, I suggest you follow the pattern instructions as written. 

I provide TIPS that may help. They are supplemental to Becky's instructions, use them if you wish.

TIP 1: Watch all the VIDEOS for each month before you begin. Month 1 has 4 of them, each about 7 minutes long. Becky shows you in detail exactly how to prepare the foundation papers, how to place the fabrics for successful piecing and all the steps she uses for making this quilt. Watch them FIRST before you begin.

TIP 2: READ the 18 page GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS in Month 1. There is a lot of detailed sewing instruction in there for Month 1. 

TIP 3: If you are new to paper piecing, know that fabric pieces are cut slightly larger than necessary to allow for proper placement. lt would not hurt to cut this month's pieces 1/2" LONGER than the pattern says. For example, piece 1 is cut 7" long. Cutting it 7.5" long gives just a little bit of insurance. Piece 2 is cut 5.5" long, 6" is a little more forgiving. 

I suggest you cut ONE set of fabrics the size called for before cutting them all. Sew the first Star Point to see if you are happy with the sizes of each piece. If so, cut them all that size. If you would like a little bit extra, cut the next set a half inch longer, to see if you like that better. 

PLEASE NOTE: the CUT SIZES IN THE PATTERN WORK FINE--some people just like a little  bit more fabric for insurance.

TIP 4: if using Freezer Paper, be sure to use small dabs of glue to adhere the wrong side of the fabric to the wrong side of the paper. If the fabric comes off the paper before you have finished sewing the entire unit it is a challenge to put it back on exactly where it goes. This is not a problem when sewing through the paper as with vellum but there are places where dabs of glue help with the vellum too.

TIP 5: if sewing through the paper as the pattern instructs, it is essential you decrease the stitch length--1.75 is the largest I would do. When tearing off the paper at the end you  don't want to have the stitches get distorted or come open. Smaller stitch length is essential. This makes it harder to un-sew should you make a mistake. And you will, at least once. Have a good stitch ripper on hand.

The ADVANTAGE to using Freezer Paper is the patterns can be re-used multiple times. There is no difficulty removing the paper as it separates off completely when the unit is made. There is no need to lower the stitch length, the standard 2.0 length for piecing works well for me. 

Here is my technique with Freezer Paper. If you want more information about this process see my TUTORIAL here:  Freezer Paper Foundation Piecing 

Use dabs of glue to secure fabric to paper. 

Put the wrong side of fabric 1  to the wrong side of the Freezer paper (FP). Fold the FP back on the SOLID line. This is the SEWING LINE. Put fabric 2 right sides together to fabric 1, being sure to center it. Stitch right along the fold, slowly, not sewing on the paper nor away from the paper: RIGHT ALONG THE FOLD OF THE PAPER:

Fabric 2 placed RST on Fabric 1

Fold FP back so stitches can be sewn right against the fold

Sewing right along the folded edge of the FP

TIP 6: The NUMBER ONE MISTAKE students make as they learn foundation paper piecing--they FORGET TO TRIM.  The process is:

SEW--join fabrics 1 and 2

FLIP--flip fabric 2 UP, the only way it can be flipped

PRESS--use a DRY IRON  to completely press fabric 2 flat on the seam against the paper foundation

TRIM--fabric 2 is oversized and MUST BE TRIMMED, before adding fabric 3

Here I am using vellum so you can see the issue. Fabric 2 has been sewn, flipped, pressed, but NOT YET TRIMMED. There is excess fabric 2 beyond the seam allowance that joins fabric 2 to fabric 3:

Use the Add-A-Quarter ruler and a postcard to TRIM FABRIC 2 exactly 1/4" beyond the sewing line:

Place fabric 3 centered on fabric 2, sew, flip, press, trim. 

Fabric 3 has been sewn to fabric 2 with a perfect 1/4" seam allowance. Fabric 3 is slightly oversized, so it is now ready to be TRIMMED: 

After trimming fabric 3, repeat for piece 4. Be sure to check the placement of each fabric to be added to be certain it will cover the area on the paper it needs to cover.

After adding fabric 4, TRIM the long side where fabric 5 joins fabrics 1-4:

Fabrics 1-4 sewn, ready to TRIM for fabric 5

When adding fabric 5, it is very important to place it so it will completely cover the area fabric 5 needs to cover. Fold the FP back to be sure it fits. Fabric 5 is placed face up on the mat, the FP with 1-4 in place is placed on top of fabric 5--by folding the FP piece 5 back I can clearly see fabric 5 will cover the area it needs to cover for fabric 5 on the pattern:

Once Part one is complete, follow Becky's instructions to use a quality ruler to trim 1/4" beyond the solid lines on all sides. With FP, you simple peel the fabric off the paper and use the FP again for the next unit. With Vellum, Becky leaves the paper on until AFTER the Center Block is almost completely sewn.

For Part two, Becky has an excellent video showing how to place fabrics 6 and 7 to achieve the very acute angle:

Piece 6 is wrong side up on the mat, the FP pattern is placed so it is completely covered by the fabric:  

Use the Add-a-Quarter to trim piece 6, ready to join piece 7:

Fold the FP pattern back, place fabric 7 under fabric 6, RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER, you can clearly see the white fabric 7 piece will cover the area it needs to cover: 

Sew the seam joining fabrics 6 and 7. Press toward fabric 7, use a ruler to trim 1/4" away from the SOLID LINES, and Part Two is ready to sew to Part One. 

TIP 7: Because I am using Freezer Paper, the paper is gone from both Parts One and Two before I join them. I work with positioning pins to be sure I have the two units where they need to be once joined.

IMPORTANT: Because I removed the paper I NEED to see where the long point goes so I can join it properly to the larger unit. Very Simple: I use a good ruler and mechanical pencil to draw short lines (about one inch long on both sides) at the very tip of the white fabric 1/4" in from the raw edge--this shows me exactly where to put the POSITIONING PIN:

I machine BASTE about 1" on either side of this important spot, turning my stitch length very long, 5.0 or longer. It only takes a few seconds to sew that inch or two, check it, and, if it's not as perfect as you want, pull out the basting stitches, realign the seam, and try again. This is a FIDDLE PLACE: fiddle with it until it looks as good as you want it to. I was happy with this so I turned the stitch length back to 2.0 and sewed the entire seam: 

TIP 8: While Becky shows where it is essential to back stitch on the pattern, I found it also helpful to backstitch at the outer edges of each seam. It is particularly helpful in Month 2, when we make the four CORNER BLOCKS.

Ask Questions on the Forum. Show your Progress on the Forum. We are eager to see how you play with Game On!

Let's quilt.

Barbara