summer geese: the silly goose by Jenny Doan, top completed

Summer Geese
From a pattern Silly Goose by Jenny Doan
72 by 54 inches
top completed 2026

Jenny Doan has a video tutorial HERE of making her The Silly Goose blocks.

Summer had me wanting to work with low volume fabrics and I've been cutting smaller pieces of my lighter fabrics into 5 inch squares. I have plenty, and exchanged with friends which adds fun to these quilts.
Because this is not my pattern I will not include exact measurements.

Green and Blue triangles I used Stof fabrics--many of the triangles are cut-offs from flipped corners on my orange tulips quilt
The remainder needed are cut from 2 1/2 inch strips using Easy Angle or Bonnie Hunter's Triangle Tool
I removed the corners on two opposing sides using the Doug Leko simple folded corners tool.

Jenny had the block made using a folded corner square technique, but I prefer to conserve fabric and cut triangles. The little dog-ear missing from using the Easy Angle fits just right to help place the green or blue triangle onto the already trimmed low volume square.

I press the triangles in one direction on the left blocks and the opposite in the right blocks so the triangles all nest.

I pieced into pairs, then a unit of 4 pairs, then a block of 2 units.
I made into 4 rows of 3 blocks each.
Everything nests.
Jenny has another quilt I am contemplating, Pecking Order!

Backing uses up two favorite Dear Stella fabrics

fringed four-patch, top completed

Fringed Four-Patch
74 by 63 inches
Top completed 2026

I have been loving working with 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch cut scraps lately--I call them coins.
They have been featurued in several quilts, most recently as sashing in the orange tulips.

And, Summer quilts! I think I've made 5 low-volume quilts over the last year. all based on 5 inch cut squares.
The green and blue scraps are Stof fabrics which have been featured in the Orange Tulips, Summer Stars, Summer Flicker, and Summer Sticks, and in an upcoming Summer Geese and maybe Summer Overlapped Stars.

I've had this stack of soft greens and blues Stof for several years I got from a close-out sale. They are wonderful to work with. What took me so long?

The Four-Patch
Cut 4 pieces 5 inches
Sew together
Resulting piece will measure 9 1/2 inches unfinished, 9 inches finished
Press as desired 
For this quilt cut 120 5 inch squares and made 30 four-patches

Fringe sashing using coins cut 2 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches
Cut 4 low volume pieces and 5 of the contrast
Sew together alternating, pressing towards the contrast
Will measure 2 1/2 by 9 1/2 unfinished, 2 by 9 finished
For this quilt I made 71 sashings, so I needed 355 dark and 285 low volume coinx

Corner stones--need 42
Cut 2 1/2 inches of low volumes

As always, my numbers may be a bit off.

Assembly
Sew sashing between blocks making 6 rows of 5 blocks
Press sashings towards blocks
Sew corner stones between and at end of sashings, making 7 sashing rows
Press sashings towards cornerstones
Assemble into quilt top
Press sashing rows towards block rows
Everything nests. (the seams of the 4-patches float in the center of a coin in the sashing, so nothing to nest there.)

Border is made from 3 1/2 inch cut strips of low volumes. I cut them in lengths tha measured to nest into the fringes.
Press towards the border.

My design, use at your pleasure.

overlapped stars, red and white, top completed

Overlapped Stars
85.5 by 67.5 inches
top completed 2026

While cutting out pieces for Red and White Sticks, I cut for this quilt too. And, there will be more coming!
This quilt has been in my head for a while. I like how the block appears to be an overlapped 9-patch, with each star sharing corners with its neighbors. But I constructed it as a 16-patch.
I had been planning the finished star points to meet at the goose points, but after making Julia Davis' more airy stars in Summer Stars (link HERE), I changed my planned proportions.
This yields a goose shape with a dull point. Which makes more red and I like this!
If you want a traditional sharp point, replace the 5 inch cut red squares with 4 1/2 inch cut squares.

Red squares
5 inches cut, some with two corners remvoed using Doug Leko's folded corners tool, some remain whole.
For this quilt I used 285 total 5-inch squares, trimmed two sides of 128 of them, leaving 157 untrimmed.

White triangles I used Kona Snow
cut from 2 1/2 inch strips using Easy Angle or Bonnie Hunter's Triangle Tool
I used 256 triangles for this quilt.

The block can be made using a folded courner technique, but I prefer to conserve fabric and cut triangles. The little dog-ear missing from using the Easy Angle fits just right to help place the white triangle onto the already trimmed red square. After sewing on the starpoint I trim away the remaining dog-ear before pressing.

I constructed the quilt in 16-patches. Each 16-patch includes a full star and points for adjoining stars. I kept partial stars out of the perimeter. This gives a self-border and keeps the 32 complete stars contained.
SO, the below block shows an interior block--the perimeter blocks don't have the partial star points on the edge of the quilt.

Sew into colums and press odd colums down and even colums up
Wait to press to the side until layout happens

Most of the blocks are 16-patches.
The other blocks continue as partial 16-patch blocks, continuing the pressing patterns.
To resolve the sides and bottom, the final blocks on the right have three colums in width.
The bottom row has three squares in lenght 
Once in rows, press even rows west and odd rows east.
Press these completed sections south
Everything nests!

My design, use at your pleasure.

binding for fall, double 4-patch on point; red and white bar quilt, stacked bricks quilts completed

Double 4-Patch on Point
83 1/2 by 67 inches
top completed 2025
quilt completed 2026
quilted by Sue DiVarco
Directions and details HERE 

Red and White Bar quilt, Stacked Bricks
80 by 68 inches
quilt completed 2026
quilted by Sue DiVarco
Directions and details HERE

orange tulips, top completed, from a design by Wendy Sheppard for Windam Fabrics

Orange Tulips
When buying flowers, if orange is a choice, your decision is already made
89 by 74 inches
top completed 2026
25 blocks

Being of Dutch heritage, tulip quilts are a favorite of mine to make.
Wendy Sheppard designed Field of Tulips for Windam Fabrics.
The pattern pdf is free HERE.
I used her tulip design and made adaptations to the frame and setting.
I used the Doug Leko Simple Folded Corners tool for all flipped triangles.
I LOVE this tool and use it often.
Grey is Moda Bella 9900 83

Her block finishes 11 by 7 1/2 inches, eliminating her top frame.
I added a frame cut 2 1/4 by 11 1/2 inches first to the two sides then to the top.
I added a frame cut 1 3/4 by 11 1/2 inches to the bottom.
This brings the unfinished measurements to 11 1/2 by 14 1/2 inches

Which yields a finished framed block of 11 by 14 inches
And this worked for my planned sashing of 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch cut orange coins from scraps.
You could strip piece this, but I like to work with my pieces already cut.

Sashings:
Horizontal made from 11 coin pieces
Vertical made from 14 coin pieces

Corner squares cut 2 1/2 inches
I used the greens from the leaves for the 16 interior corner squares.
For the perimeter 20 corner squares, I used two of the 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch sashing coins and oriented them to continue what was going on in those perimeter sections.

I then added a border of grey cut 4 inches.

Tulip block designed by Wendy Sheppard
Setting is mine--use my setting at your pleasure.

Backing is an all time favorite fabric of mine: "goldenwood fairies" by Nicole DeLeon for Alexander Henry, 2000. It came in several colorways and I bought what was on the bolt at my local store. I called them "Nora fairies" as they resembled the little girl across the street--who is all grown up now.
Yes, this wonderful fabric has been on my shelves for 26 years waiting for the right quilt. There was just enough for the back with a few trimmings expected after quilting for scattering in my scrap bins.

red and white sticks, from Bonnie Hunter's Rough & Tumble, top completed

Red and White Sticks
rom a design by Bonnie Hunter
76 1/2 by 58 1/2 inches
top completed 2026

Last week I posted my Summer Sticks made from Bonnie Hunter's pattern Rough & Tumble. It is available for purchase HERE. It is a great pattern. She used blue jean scraps and many colors for the spacers.
Buy patterns from designers who influence you!

As I made my Summer Sticks I knew it would look great in red and white and started cutting the pieces. The white is Kona Snow.
These blocks sew up quickly. I pressed the whites to the red and the blocks and rows so the ends of the whites always are flat, pressed to the reds around them.

I LOVE how saturated this quilt looks.

summer sticks: from Bonnie Hunter's Rough & Tumble, top completed

Summer Sticks
from a design by Bonnie Hunter
76 1/2 by 58 1/2 inches
top completed 2026

I like to make low volume quilts in the summer. They seem to cool me down. I have plenty of these fabrics in my stash and have been cutting the smaller pieces into 5 inch squares for my work and to trade with friends. I also had a stack of Japanese sample fabrics that I cut to 5 inches for this quilt. I like the colors and prints and textures of these cottons that are not typically found in domestic fabrics. Everything from lawns to near-canvas to seersucker. 

Bonnie Hunter's Rough & Tumble found HERE for purchase on her website is a great pattern. She used blue jean scraps and many colors for the spacers.
I used my low volumes and a Stof fabric from a pile I have set aside for quite a while.

Because this is not my design I am not including block parts measurements. Buy designers patterns if they influence your work!
I cut the strips of the Stof to as long as I needed the spacers to be then cut down into the bits. This gave more control than cutting long narrow bits.
I was able to get enough for my expanded size of Bonnie's design from 1/2 yard with enough to spare.