double 4-patch on-point, red and white, top completed

Red and White Double 4 patch On-Point
83 1/2 by 67 inches
top completed 2025

block finishes 6 inches
143 blocks

I made a double 4-patch with different sized blocks in my solids + prints series, block described HERE and quilt described HERE (that was a great quilt!) and I wanted to make one with red and whites.

This quilt has a smaller block size.
I have lots of white with red prints and while making the chickens quilt cut those and more into parts for this quilt. I kept the backgrounds tight from white to cream with red prints but I also included other color prints to make it more interesting to my eye.
I was not sure what to do about the red--solid? scrap?--when I came upon this great chicken wire print.

Morning Serenade by Susan Wright for Wilmington Prints 

The print is directional so I had to make the decision of keeping the orientation constant or letting it go every which way. Oddly, every which way is harder to make happen with one print, so I went with consistent.  I let the whites go every which way.
I only had to pay attention with the first seam of the 2 inch squares--being consistent with how I fed it into the machine. After that, making sure I fed the 4-patches with the red entering first, then the chicken wire orientation was consistent for the whole quilt.

Cutting for one block:
Four white scrap 2 inch squares 
Four red constant 2 inch squares
Two white scrap 3 1/2 inch squares

Cutting for this quilt:
(((note, there may be errors in numbers)))
572 red 2 inch squares
572 white scrap 2 inch squares
286 white scrap 3 1/2 inch squares
32 white scrap setting triangles *details on cutting below
4 white scrap corner triangles*

Sew the red and white 2 inch squares together
PRESS to the red square
For each half-block make a 4-patch
Be consistent with feeding in the four patches by always having the red enter the machine first.
PRESS consistantly
Add the 3 /12 inch white square
PRESS to the white square
Then piece into full blocks. Make sure to feed into machine with a 4-patch first.
DO NOT PRESS yet.

half-block piecing

half-block pressing

Full block sewing

Reserving a single block for each row, I sew blocks into pairs and 4s, keeping the block seam parallel/horizontal with the block joining seams.
Sewing the blocks into pairs makes laying out the top easier--half the quilt will already be sewn!
Lay out in an on-point set.
Sew into diagonal rows

I trim the setting triangle at 6 1/2 inches on the side that needs to line up with the end block for each row. I wait to trim until ready to sew so that I make sure I trim the correct edge.
PRESS all block seams and the half-block seams and setting triangle seams of odd rows to the left and even rows to the right.
Sew rows together
PRESS rows as you sew them together.
Press rows up to the left for the first half of the quilt, then start pressing remaining rows down to the right.
Everything nests!
Staystitch around the quilt

*Setting triangles
I prefer to over-cut my setting triangles so to float the top.
For this quilt I cut the triangles using my large square with the hypotenuse along the straight of grain and the cuts at 7 1/2 inches.
The corner triangles were cut from bisecting 6 inch squares.

cutting a setting triangle with the 7 1/2 inch mark from each side on the straight edge

trimming a corner of a setting triangle at 6 1/2 inches

I have a great variety of white with red fabrics. I also added a scattering of other colors on white to add to the mix.

That barn is very reminiscent of our barn which I fear is no longer present
 

My design of a traditional block. Use at your pleasure.

Backing is Lola Dutch by Sarajane for Michael Miller Fabrics #DH8583
"Learn about Everything"

quilt installation: red and white

I was honored to display my red and white quilts for about two weeks to provide a festive atmosphere for holiday events at St Pauls.
I had 17 completed red and white quilts on display. All but one were quilted by Sue Divarco. And I think there are about 8 more in the quilting queue!

Merry Christmas 2025!

Irish chain made from 2 inches cut scraps, top completed

Irish Chain
Top completed 2025
73 1/2 by 52 1/2 inches
Made from 2 inch cut squares

I love an Irish chain.
My 2 inch darks and brights were overflowing so I took them along with some Kona Ice Frappe to a quilting retreat this past January.
It is an easy sew as long as I stayed with my pressing plan.
I finished the top months ago, but just got to writing it up.

There are two blocks. Do not do any pressing of the units or blocks until all the units are made.

Vertical UNITS
1: solid, 5 scraps. solid
2: 7 scraps
3: scrap, solid, 3 scraps, solid, scrap
4: solid, scrap, solid, scrap, solid, scrap, solid
5: scrap, solid, scrap, solid, scrap, solid, scrap
6: 2 scraps, solid, scrap, solid, 2 scraps
Make the units and press each to one side. You will rotate them in the blocks to make all seams nest.

Block A

18 of Block A--made mainly from the scraps
Has two of Unit 1: 5 scraps and a solid on each end
*NOTE: for the four corner blocks I replaced the solid in the corner with a scrap to be more pleasing to my eye than having that lone dot of solid in the corners. If you choose to do this, wait until the final layout to construct these blocks as pressing issues will come up. 
Has five of unit 2: 7 scraps

Block B

17 of Block B--includes the chains
Has two of Unit 3: 
Has two of Unit 4:
Has two of Unit 5:
Has one of Unit 6:

Make all the units, keeping them in separate piles
Take each pile of units and press all in one direction

Lay out the block, rotating every other unit, keeping the first column in each block with the pressed seams going south.
DO NOT press blocks until they are sewn into rows.

Lay out quilt, rotating every Block A so it nests into Block B
Sew into rows
Press Odd rows to the east and Even rows to the west
I pressed the rows to the South then stay stitched around the top

Everything nests!
My directions, use at your pleasure.

my darks and brights 2 inch squares bin when I started--still plenty remain

backing is by Dear Stella

I've been trying to make some of my quilts a bit smaller--this is difficult for me as I always want to add more. With 2 1/2 inch squares this quilt would be by 98 by 70 inches--I may just make one as my 2 1/2 inch box is pretty full.

I have a workshop coming up called "Sewing the Bits" and I will include this as an option for pattern selection.

summer stars and summer flicker--two quilt tops completed

Summer Stars
81 by 67 inches
top completed 2025

Summer Flicker
72 by 63 inches
top completed 2025

I love the sew-alongs Julia Davis hosts at her Red Rainboots Handmade site. She organizes a fabric swap and offers thoughtful patterns to make pleasing quilts.
I greatly appreciate a designer who values using simple shapes.

I haven't joined in on the swaps as I have PLENTY of fabric here to supply the variety needed, but I do join in the sew-alongs.
Her patterns are available HERE.
Previously I did her Jump On In pattern with the red and white triangles.

Her latest swap/sew-along of low-volume prints was with two patterns and I did both,  Swapping Stars and Flutter.

They are similar to blocks I have done in the past, Evening Star and Flicker.
Evening star quilt HERE and block HERE
Flicker quilt HERE and block HERE

Julia's designs are with different proportions and colorations from my previous quilts. I like the airy feel of her stars with the points not touching.
And I LOVE how she focuses on low-volume fabrics.

In my making of the quilts, I varied my pressing from her instructions to use those I had in my previous quilts.
Also, I had limited yardage of the fabulous French navy with white pin-dot so I conserved fabric by not using a flip and sew method with squares, and instead cut out triangles with the Easy Angle tool, and used the Doug Leko tool on the background squares.
Because of the limited pin dot, to make the flicker quilt a bit larger, I added an extra low volume square all around.
My cutting carefully got me these two quilts--I had just 4 leftover navy pin dot triangles!

Thank you, Julia, for your designs! 
AND, buy people's patterns! We want to have active designers out there!

I had this fabulous navy with white pin dot from a friend

Backing for both is by Dear Stella

step ladder, red and white, top completed

Step Ladder
72 by 64 inches
top finished 2025
Block finishes 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches
768 blocks

I have sketched many variations of the ladder quilt design over the years.
You can see one version posted in 2022 HERE.
A reverse coloration with double-width blocks of this current one I posted HERE.
I first used this design with this current proportions in a doll quilt I made in 1995. I will hunt down the pre-digital life photograph of it.

Block is two pieces:
Red rectangle cut 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches, cut 768
White square cut 2 1/2 inches,  cut 768
Press to the red

Sew into 2s, 4s, then 8s.
Keep the pressing consistant, always pressing to the edge that ends in a red rectangle.

Take three 8s, and sew into a row
Make 32 rows
Press again to the end with a red rectangle

Take two rows, rotate one, and sew together, putting into the machine with the row that starts with a square on the top. This allows the subsequent rows to go together with the seams butting, making accuracy easier.

make blocks, sew into pairs, then into 4s, and then into 8s
(the 8s are pictured in next picture)

Three 8-block segmants, sew into one row
Sew into pairs, then 4s, then 8s

Sew into four panels of 8 rows each

To recap:
Sew the 32 rows into 16 pairs
Press to the left
Sew into 4-row panels
Press to the left
Sew into 8-row panels
Press to the left
Sew the top together
Press all row seams to the left
Stay-stitch right away to keep all those seams from popping
Everything nests

My design, use at your pleasure.

Backing is Clara Jean for Dear Stella, DCJ2844

quilt installation, Solids + Prints

I installed 30 of my quilts to help deaden sound in the performance space for the Windy City Winds 10th anniversary concert held earlier this month.

Quilts are from my Solids + Prints series.

Directions for most are here on the blog. I loved seeing them together! And the concert was a delight.

18 tatami mat

18 tatami mat
top completed 2025
84 by 72 inches
block finishes 6 inches

168 blocks
96 blocks all scrap Block A
72 blocks with solid center Block B; I used Kona Glacier

I love tatami mat layouts for using 1:2 rectangles.
My 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch neutrals/pastels bin was overflowing so it was time to go to a project that had been in my sketch book for a while.
The box is no longer overflowing...

Cutting:
Scraps rectangles 1 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches
1728 scraps for Block A
1152 scraps for Block B
Total 2880 scraps
Solid 2 1/2 inch squares
72 solid squares for Block B

Very simple pieceing that works well for times I need to sit at the machine and think.
My mom did her best thinking at her sewing machine.
My dad, in the fields. He referred to this as "tractor time".

Piecing
For Block A start with two rectangles paired into a square
For both blocks, surround center squares with scraps as shown in photograph below.
Press all seams away from the center square.

Block A

Block B

Block A

Block B

Sew into pairs, rotating every other block
Press away from the block that has three scraps on the side
Sew pairs into a unit of four blocks
For the quilt shown, I needed 24 units of Block As and 18 units of Block Bs

Rotate the lower unit, pair up the 4 block units into 8 block units.
Make sure you are consistant in the rotations. Mine, I kept the ending with 3 scraps on the left of the top unit and on the right of the bottom unit
Do not press these units yet
I needed 12 of Block A and 9 of Block B

Piece into large 12 large units. There will be three remaining Block A units for the final layout
Await pressing

Piece large units into columns, adding the remainder of the Block A at the bottom of the columns
Press middle column up and side columns down
The solid squares give a sprocket look.

Three columns ready for final two seams

Stay-stitch around the quilt top to keep the seams from popping.
I plan to bind it with the solid Kona Glacier

My design, use at your pleasure.

Backing by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella, DRR2372