Chocolate City Quilters

It was my pleasure to be with the Chocolate City Quilters of Burlington, Wisconsin last evening.
How good it is to see thriving guilds filled with thoughtful quilters out there!

binding work for late spring into summer: Tulips, Summer Stars, Red Aggies, Umbrellas

Tulips 
83 by 65 inches
quilt completed 2026
from a pattern by Bess Casey Wilke of Side Lake Stitch
quilted by Sue DiVarco
details HERE

Summer Stars
81 by 67 inches
finished 2026
From a pattern by Julia Davis
quilted by Sue DiVarco
details HERE

Red Aggies Log Cabin
90 1/2 by 75 1/2 inches
finished 2026
from a pattern by Kathy Hamada
quilted by Sue DiVarco
Details HERE

Umbrellas 
71 by 62 inches
quilt finished 2026
block is from a pattern by Lindsey at Pen + Paper
quilted by Sue DiVarco
details HERE

lectures! workshops!

I have had several lectures and workshops lately. I did my first full day zoom workshop that I really enjoyed.
So good to connect with enthusiastic quilters.

binding work the first months of 2026

Sunflowers
Details HERE

Red and White Zip
Details HERE

Red and White Jack and Jill
Details HERE

3 Tatami Mat, made with scrap coins
Details HERE

I've spend most Sunday evenings dedicated to handwork of bindings.
Most of my quilting is done beautifully by Sue Divarco and I love when she has a stack ready for me for this contemplative time.

G is for Gouda, quilt completed 2024

G is for Gouda
Quilt completed 2024
35 by 30 inches
Donated to an upcoming auction
Cute little alphabet adapted from Temecula Quilt Co's B is for Baby
I talk about my work on this top HERE.

42 years--St Patrick's Day is a fine day for a wedding

Signing the license--my Uncle John Vander Lugt was our officiant

My sister Beth made our cake (carrot cake!)

resistance and resilience, a protest quilt, top completed

Rresistance and Resilience, a Protest Quilt
measures about 38 by 31 inches before quilting
top completed 2026

We have been dealing with ICE and CBP raids here in Chicago since last year.
I have confronted masked geared-up men here on my block and our old neighborhood has been teargassed. 
We have watched with deep concern of their escalating violence in Minneapolis. This quilt was a place to park some of my anger for a bit.

stacked bricks, a red and white bar quilt, top completed

Stacked Bricks  a red and white bar quilt
80 by 68 inches
Top completed 2026

This is based on my previous Stacked Bricks directions (which is a traditional design) but with a bit of a change in construction to make it a bar quilt.
I liked my 16-patch bar quilt made with 2 inch cut squares and wanted to try a similar design with 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch rectangles.

PLEASE alert me if you find my piece numbers wrong.

White--I used Kona Snow
2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch rectangles
120

Red scraps
2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch cut rectangles
120 for the checkerboard panels
440 for the all red panels
560 total

There are two types of rows--all red and alternating white/red

Make units
Sew rectangles into pairs then 4s then 8s.
A: all red, 55 units of 8s
B:alternating white and red, 30 units of 8s
At the 8s unit stage, press south. With the alternating white/red units, press south from the white rectangle.

Make rows
Now join into rows of 5 units each--this will make rows of 40 patches
Press these joining seams consistant with the other seams

There are 6 rows of white/red patches and 11 rows of all red patches
Set aside two of the all red rows

Make panels
Lay out two panels of three rows each of white/red and three panels of three rows each of all red
Rotate every other row so the seams will all nest.
I did the alternating white/red panels first, with the row seams pressed up/down/up
Then the red panels with the row seams pressed down/up/down

Assembly of the top
Lay out the panels, rotating them so seams will nest
Press each panel to the west
Sew the panels together
Use the set-aside red rows and sew onto the sides of the quilt, orienting the pressed seams to nest.
Press entire top to the west.

Everything nests!
My design--use at your pleasure.

zinnias! A pattern by Alilison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew: red and white top completed

Zinnias
78 by 73 3/4
inches
top completed 2026
 
Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew has a delightful huge flower pattern called Daisy.
To order the pdf, click HERE.
It is a simple sew and I loved making it in all reds. The white is Kona Snow.
I renamed my quilt for my favorite summer flower from my mother's garden, the zinnia. Went for a near square in sizing the top as I am trying to make quilts a bit smaller than my usual.

My small changes:
-I used the background white for the center of each flower.
-I used the length of the throw size and the width of the twin size, so it finishes a bit longer than it is wide.
-I used Doug Leko's Simple Folded Corner tool for the flipped triangles

Allison has many delightful patterns on her site, I will be back!

Love these rockets-- Moda fabric by Stacy Iest Hsu

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