The Truth About Free Patterns

The Truth About Free Patterns

Quilters and other crafters are always looking for a bargain. It is one of the reasons we collect fabric, use coupons, and wait for sales. We love to get a good deal. This search for a good deal even extends to patterns. Quilters scour the internet and Facebook to...
Sun King

Sun King

Lately, my designs have a distinctive circular trend – compasses, wheels, suns, Dresdens, New York beauties, fans, and similar motifs. Sun King is one of those creations. So what is the difference in these patterns?  Very good question. The simplest of the...
Kaleidoscope Meadow

Kaleidoscope Meadow

Have you ever played with a kaleidoscope. It generally looks like a hand-held telescope. When you hold it up to the light, you don’t see a clear image like with a telescope, but a refracted image. Some refract an image outside. Others have marbles or other...
Old Man of the Forest

Old Man of the Forest

I come from a long line of nature-lovers and half of my ancestors hail from Ireland. So it is no wonder that the Celtic version of the Green Man has interested me. He has been popular in art for millennia across the globe. He adorns churches, gravestones, and homes....
Half Rectangle Triangles – Two at a Time

Half Rectangle Triangles – Two at a Time

So many patterns contain Half Square Triangles (HST), that we have created dozens of ways to make them quickly and avoid minimize the bias stretch. The most common was is to make them two at a time. Cut two square 1-inch larger than the finished size. Draw a diagonal...
Broadening

Broadening

With each quilt project, I try to broaden my horizons and learn something new. Sometimes that is playing with different colors than I would usually pick. Others, it is adding a new technique for assembling the quilt. Often the design itself is an extension of the...