red and white: patience corner, top completed

Patience Corner
92 by 78 inches
Block finishes 7 inches
Top completed 2023

120 blocks set 10 across and 12 down
4 1/2 inch cut border

Patience corner is one of my favorite blocks and I have used it in at least 4 quilts. Proportions can be altered for different effects. I have made it all scraps and have used it as the setting for a sampler quilt.
In this quilt, the constant white (Kona Snow) gives a scattered look to the reds scrap squares. 
I like how the white borders let the field look like the red squares are floating.

Block finishes 7 inches

Cutting:
Red: four 2 1/2 inch squares (480 total)
White: four 2 by 2 1/2 inch rectangles, four 2 by 4 inch rectangles (480 each)

Sewing and Pressing quarter-blocks:
Sew white 2 by 2 1/2 rectangle to squares
Press towards the red square
Orient as show, sew 2 by 4 inch rectangle to the previous piece.
Press towards the larger rectangle

Press towards white rectangle

Sew 480 quarter blocks into 240 half blocks as shown
Press to the one side (left from front, right from back).

Half block, front and back sides showing pressing

Rotate one half-block and sew two into 120 full blocks
Do not press horizontal seam yet



Sew into 60 2-block units, making sure to keep the units center seams horizontal.
Do not press yet.


Then make 30 4-block units.

Press half the 4-block units horizontal seams up and the other half down
(You can just press them all in one direction, then rotate every other one)
Sew into fifteen 8-block units and lay out the quilt. Mine is three rows of five 8-block units.

Press top and bottom rows left and middle row right
All seams will nest

Cut side borders 4 1/2 inches by 84 1/2 inches
Cut top and bottom borders 4 1/2 inches by 78 1/2 inches

My design, use at your pleasure.

I intended to make a small quilt, but loved the red squares too much to stop

The dalmation and the airport are two favorite fabrics

That Ritz cracker!!

Backing is from Dear Stella

summer quilt, quilt completed

Summer Quilt

2023
94 1/2 by 81 inches
Quilted by Sue Divarco

378 blocks.
Adapted from the delightful pattern I Spy Low Volume of Allison Jensen of Woodberry Way
Here is her blog post about it.
Here is a link to her printable pattern
Here are my notes on changes I made in construction.

It is a calming, fresh quilt. Feels like summer. It is more beautiful in person than it photographs.
The fabrics are mine plus from an exchange with my small group. We laughed and said many of our low volume fabrics were not using their inside voices.
Some of my mom's scraps made it in here too from her 1960s sewing.

Use my modifications of Allison's great pattern at your pleasure.

red and white rail fence, top completed

Red and White Rail Fence
95 by 75 inches
221 blocks

I saw a vintage rail fence quilt made with two fabrics and loved the basket-weave effect. I decided to use the idea for another red and white quilt and had fun using lots of reds, most of my own but also some from friends. Also some shopping happened. I have made 5 red and white quilts in the last year and there is a net gain of red fabrics in my house.

Remember, 3 reds clash. 100 reds are fabulous.
The white is Kona Snow.

I wanted the patchwork to have the same orientation of blocks in each corner, requiring an odd number of rows and columns. The lay-out is a bit complicated to describe, but is simple in execution. 

Block finishes 5 inches
13 blocks across
17 rows
Borders finish 5 inches

Cutting
Red: three 1 1/2 by 5 1/2 inch rectangles
White: two 1 1/2 by 5 1/2 inch rectangles
(for 221 blocks, 442 white rectangles. I cut the white into 5 1/2 inch strips then subcut into the rectangles.)

Pressing
Press away from white to red

Make 221 blocks.
*Set aside 13 blocks
Orient blocks alternating horizontal and vertical seams
Sew blocks into 104 pairs then 52 fours
Press towards the blocks with horizontal seams

*Set aside 16 of the 4-block units
Sew the remaining 36 into 18 8-block units
Take two 4-block units and rotate one, sew together, seams will nest

Sew these into 3 rows of six 8-block units. Add one of the set aside 4-block units at the end of each row.

Take the remaining set aside 4-block units and add the set aside single blocks to make 5-block units, MAKING SURE to add a horizontal block to 6 of the units and a vertical block to 7 of the units. 
Make six 10-block units and finish the row with the remaining 5-block unit.

There are 4 rows of units.
Press odd rows left, even rows right
All seams will nest

Borders
Cut 5 1/2 inch strips of various red fabrics*

*Border planning for scrap borders:
I cut the lengths to nest in with the blocks.
SO, for this quilt with 5 inch finished blocks, the 5 1/2 inch wide fabrics are cut into lengths that are multiples of 5 inches: 10, 15, 20, PLUS a 1/2 inch seam allowance, so 10 1/2, 15 1/2, 20 1/2. This allows the border seams to nest into the block seams. AND, I don't have to pin!
By varying the length, they look more random than if they were all cut the same length. 
When my borders are wider or narrower than the block size, there is a bit of figuring for the top and bottom borders, but it is pretty simple math.
I also like to have the corners wrap around so I make sure I use fabric I have plenty of for corners.
This scrap border method allows places to celebrate fabulous prints that are cut up in the patchwork. Look at these dalmations! And the airport!

My design, use at your pleasure.

Backing from Michael Miller

cut glass dish, quilt completed

Cut Glass Dish

2023
96 by 84 inches
quilted by Sue Divarco

My directions for making it are included here.
I am really pleased with how this one turned out.