Tag: new quilt patterns

December 2023 Accessory Sew Along · Quilt Stories · Rose Cards · Tips and Tricks · villa rosa designs

Villa Rosa Designs Accessory Rose Card Pattern December Sew Along Week 2 — Savannah Jane and Our NEW VRD Patterns for December

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Are you ready for another fun Accessory pattern project for Week 2 of our December Sew Along? Of course, I also have the NEW December Rose Card patterns to share with you, too. Lots of great fun this week.

So, how’s your holiday shopping and preparations coming along? I am happy to say that I’ve gotten started a bit this last week. I put up the outside Christmas decorations and lights (not that I do a lot of decorating, but at least we’re not a dark house for December). I don’t have that much more Christmas shopping to do, but I do still have some Christmas sewing and makes to get done. I haven’t started decorating inside yet nor have I started baking or wrapping gifts. Guess I’d better get to it, huh?

Speaking of gift gifting, I think you’re going to love Savannah Jane, our wonderful and quick Week 2 Sew Along project.

Did you order your set of 5 patterns for the December Sew Along yet? There’s still time for you to jump in and sew along with me.

Or you can save the projects for when you’re ready to do a little fun sewing after the hustle and bustle of December. I will add the December Sew Along to the right side of the blog so you can find the posts whenever you’re ready to sew. That’s definitely one of the cool things about an online Sew Along, you can do it anytime you’re ready, even in the middle of the night wearing your pajamas and eating a bowl of ice cream.

Get your pattern set HERE.

If you missed it, you can find the December Sew Along Week 1 — Amanda Jane — HERE.

Here’s Molly’s version of Amanda Jane! Don’t you just love her mod fabric choices??? isn’t she just rockin’ this Amanda Jane apron with style?

Thanks for sharing your project, Molly!

Savannah Jane

VRD December Sew Along Week 2

Savannah Jane is a sophisticated gal with an artsy streak.  She just loves this wonderful and versatile pieced scarf -- she can add an artsy touch to her wardrobe without breaking the bank.  Savannah Jane can make this scarf in about an hour, so it's a snap to whip up a new scarf for any occasion or outfit.  Shhh!  Don't tell anyone, but she's made at least a dozen already.  And when she meets her gal pals for lunch, they ooohhh and aaahhh over her latest scarf creation.  Savannah Jane just smiles because she knows something they don't -- they are all getting their own one of a kind scarf for Christmas.

Your Sew Along Challenge this week is to make your very own Savannah Jane pieced scarf!

That’s right — this week, for Week 2 of our December Sew Along, you need to have your pattern pack in hand. Grab your supplies and create your own one of a kind totally you Savannah Jane pieced scarf. Bet you can’t make just 1 (wink, wink)….

Please make sure to join us on the Villa Rosa Facebook page to share your project this week and to check out the projects of your fellow VRD enthusiasts. The “social connection” is what makes sew alongs SEW much fun! Show us your fabrics! Any tips or hints for construction? Anything you need help with or don’t understand? Did you customize your project? Maybe you’re making 10 of them for Christmas! Please share because we ALL want to see your Sew Along “sew and tells.”

Villa Rosa Designs Facebook Page — you can use this link to take you to the VRD Facebook page. Make sure you are signed into your Facebook account and on the VRD page you can “like” us to join in the fun. The more folks that join in, the more fun it will be!

Now, I’ve never made a pieced scarf before, so I was pretty excited to give Savannah Jane a whirl. And guess what??? If you like Savannah Jane, you’re going to LOVE her sister, Inessa Jane. Inessa Jane is an Infinity scarf!

Get Inessa Jane HERE

Tricia’s Savannah Jane Sew Along Project

Let me show you my Savannah Jane pieced scarf! Or should I say scarves??? I’ve already made 2 and have plans to make a couple more for holiday gifts. And maybe even one for myself. LOL!

I chose this charm pack for my Savannah Jane scarf. Don’t you just love the yummy colors? I have a special someone in mind for this one already!

The instructions are simple to follow and Savannah Jane goes together in about an hour! Nice — my kind of project!

Here you can see my squares all sewn together into 2 long long strips! I sewed them together randomly, just making sure not to put two like colors together.

I pressed all my seams in the same direction, pressing first on the back and then also on the front so those seams would stay as flat as possible. Who wants a lumpy scarf??? I even used a little of my favorite Best Press.

Are you familiar with Best Press? My favorite scent is Peaches and Cream, it’s so yummy (No, I don’t drink it, silly you for wondering that!). Of course, if Peach isn’t your scent, there are lots to chose from, including an unscented one which is perfect if you’re sensitive to scents. I’ve personally tried most of them and found Peach to be the scent for me.

Find Best Press HERE.

Anyway, after my seams were all nice and flat, I was ready to sew my 2 long long strips together on both sides — basically making a long tube with both ends open. I layered them right sides together, offsetting the ends.

Yay! Here it is all ready to turn right side out.

Ta Da! Here’s my scarf partially turned right side out. It reminds me of a snake shedding its skin — ick — not my favorite image, I can assure you.

Whew! All turned right side out now. Time to flatten the tube with the long seams centered on the front and back of the scarf so you see the offset piecing effect. Isn’t that the coolest thing? Sew clever! Sew easy! Sew beautiful! Especially with these batik fabrics!

Let’s finish the ends now. I folded them under about 1/4″ or so and tried to make each end as straight as possible, which meant I had to do a little fiddling as I pressed the ends flat.

At this point you could hand-sew the openings closed if you didn’t want to see any stitching, but I opted for simple and quick, sewing a straight line across the ends about 1/4″ in from the edge, back-stitching at each end.

Another thought would be to try out some of the wonderful fancy stitches on your sewing machine to finish your edges — that would add a little bit extra something something to your scarves. Or maybe just a edgy modern serged effect? Bet you can come up with even more finishing ideas for your scarves!

Done! In about an hour, no less. LOVE IT!

It was such a fun and quick project, I knew I had to make another one. Like I said, bet you can’t make just one….

Hmmm…..I’m thinking I might need to make 2 or 3 more for Christmas, too. Now that I have this great go-to pattern, it’s going to be loads of fun to personalize my fabric choices for each recipient.

It’s also easy to customize if you need a shorter or longer scarf. Use a charm square pack or cut your own squares from your stash — it’s all up to you.

I’m thinking a flannel charm pack might just be the ticket for my own scarf for this winter. Now to hunt down some squares! Where did I put that flannel charm pack???

VRD NEW December Rose Card Patterns

Now that we’ve had some fun with Week 2 of our December Sew Along, it’s time to show off our newest patterns!

Aren’t they awesome! Every month just gets better and better. Our designers are simply the best! You can get the set of 5 new patterns HERE.

I promised a new table runner pattern for December, too. Sorry we didn’t have enough time to get one out for last month, but I think you’ll like my December runner. It’s fun and very fast. I chose a background fabric with metallic stars and assorted grey fabrics for the strips.

Get your own Frosted Window Panes runner HERE.

VRD NEW Project Updates

Before I close this post, I wanted to take a moment and update you on the projects we’ve been feverishly trying to get done for you.

Quilts of Honor (Quilts of Valor) Collection — this wonderful set of 12 VRD patterns sized just right for your Quilts of Valor donation quilts will be out very soon. You’re going to want this collection! And a portion of each purchase will be donated to the QOVF.

12 Quilts of Christmas — Sadly, we’re a little bit behind schedule with this one, but it should be out soon as well, just in time for Christmas. This collection features 12 brand new Christmas-themed quilts designed just for you by our talented VRD designers.

2024 Blog Hop — The 2024 Blog Hop is going to be pushed back a little bit to February/March as we’ve been working so hard on the other projects.

Okay, now it’s your turn!

Time to get your pieced scarf made this week (between Thursday December 7th and Thursday December 14th) and share it on the VRD Facebook page. I’ll see you there and I can’t wait to see what you make and hear your Savannah Jane sewing story! Let’s add where you’re from, too! It’s lots of fun to see where all our VRD friends hail from!

See you next Thursday for Week 3 of our December Sew Along.

(PSST! If you’re one of those work ahead kind of folks — our Week 3 project is Catrina Jane which will officially begin next Thursday, December 14th. Feel free to have at it, but please don’t post any of your photos or progress on Catrina Jane until after next week’s blog post. Between now and then, let’s focus on our Week 1 project Amanda Jane and our Week 2 project Savannah Jane. Thank you!)

See you on the VRD FB page!

Sew. Laugh. Get your Merry on. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

NEW October 2023 VRD Rose Card Patterns and Fall VRD Patterns

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Tricia here again. I hope you all enjoyed Molly’s Lickety Split tutorial last week. If you missed it, you can find it HERE.

Today is the Thursday after the first Friday of the month. You know what that means — NEW PATTERNS! YAY! I can’t tell you how much I love showing off our latest patterns. I know I always say it, but our family of designers amazes me every month with their inspiring designs. Sigh, I just wish I could make every single quilt…

New October VRD Rose Card Patterns

Throw the confetti! Blow the trumpets! Here they are!

Aren’t they great??? You can get the October set of 5 patterns for the discounted price of $8.95 HERE. So go, what are you waiting for? Tehehehe……

We do have some kits left —

Picture Perfect kit 1

Picture Perfect kit 2

Pascali

Acrobatic

Veggie Sticks

Sorry, there are no kits for Quickstep. 😦

And here’s my October table runner, Ghosties! Who doesn’t need a ghost table runner for Halloween??? I used Hoffman 1895 Watercolors and 885 Dot Batiks. I love how it turned out, but I find my ghosts ended up kind of reminiscent of the ghosts on Pac Man. Hmmmmm. Do you remember Pac Man in the 1980’s? Oops, I’m dating myself, aren’t I?

Oh well, here’s Ghosties!

You can get the pattern for Ghosties HERE. It’s also available as a digital pattern HERE.

No kits available, sorry.

Can’t wait to see all your cute little Ghosties! Did you know that in old Transylvania, a group of ghosts was called a “ghossling? And in old European books, supposedly a group of ghosts was called a “tilling.” Apparently there really isn’t an official name for a group of ghosts, but some current options include a “fright” of ghosts or even a “haunting.” Just a little Halloween trivia fun for you. Who doesn’t need a little trivia in their life?

By the way, did you know that a group of crows is called a “murder”????????

I haven’t done a VRD Rose Card theme list for a while, so thought it was time for Fall-themed patterns. Enjoy!

Fall VRD Rose Card Patterns

There’s been a nip in the air recently and the leaves are changing colors. I just love Fall. The colors, the sounds, the smells. Fall is definitely here. Check out this apple barrel of VRD Rose Cards.

Get Baskets HERE

Get Bat Dance HERE

Get Batty HERE

Get Beatrice HERE

Get Cidermill HERE

Get Cinnamon Stix HERE

Get Coffee Break HERE

Get Falling HERE

Get Farmyard Fun HERE

Get Field Trip HERE

Get Flock Together HERE

Get Flower Market HERE

Get Flutterby HERE

Get Fly Away HERE

Get Game Play HERE

Get Ghosties HERE

Get Gingersnap HERE

Get Harvest HERE

Get Heirloom HERE

Get Hey Day HERE

Get Hickory Ridge HERE

Get Inessa Jane HERE

Get Inglenook HERE

Get Kit & Caboodle HERE

Get Landino HERE

Get Lantern Hill HERE

Get Leaf HERE

Get Maple Grove HERE

Get Migration HERE

Get Mod Tiles HERE

Get Mountains HERE

Get Newsflash HERE

Get Oakmont HERE

Get October Sky HERE

Get On Key HERE

Get Orange Waves HERE

Get Out West HERE

Get Pebble Brook HERE

Get Penny Candy HERE

Get Picture Perfect HERE

Get Pilaf HERE

Get Planters HERE

Get Pointless HERE

Get Portlandia HERE

Get Pumpkin Hollow HERE

Get Pumpkin Patch HERE

Get Pumpkin Pie HERE

Get Rail Fence HERE

Get Random Shuffle HERE

Get Red River HERE

Get Remember Me HERE

Get Royal Sunset HERE

Get Ruby Road HERE

Get Saffron HERE

Get Savannah Jane HERE

Get Solar Flare HERE

Get Splash HERE

Get Sport’n HERE

Get Teaberry HERE

Get Tiles HERE

Get Tiramisu HERE

Get Toasted Marshmallows HERE

Get Vineyard HERE

Get Westerland HERE

Get Wild Rover HERE

Get Winchester HERE

Get Yesterday HERE

Get Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah HERE

Wow! This group was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I hope you made it all the way through! If you did, snaps to you!

One of the reasons I really like creating a themed list of patterns is because it helps me to get more familiar with our VRD patterns and our designers. And, of course, I can introduce you to patterns you might not have seen before. Because, let’s face it — with over 600 patterns in print, it’s kind of hard to keep track of every single one!

So, my question to you is — how many of these patterns do you already have? And how many are you going to add to your growing VRD Rose Card collection? Finally, how many of these quilts have you or will you make?

Well, that’s it for me this week.

Take care. Be safe. And quilt.

Until next time —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Copyright and Quilting · Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

NEW April 2023 Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card Quilt Patterns and Revisiting the Copyright Question for Quilters

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

It’s a fine spring day here in Pennsylvania! Clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70s. Things are greening up and blooming. But Mother Nature isn’t done with her shock treatment yet as next week will be back in the 30s and 40s again. Go figure! Ho hum…..this is spring in northwestern PA.

Last week I started a new mini series on Quilt Block Basics — did you miss my post about Half Square Triangles? If so, you can check it out HERE.

I will be getting back to the Quilt Block Basics mini series next week, but this Thursday is the Thursday following the first Friday of the month, so I am excited to debut our brand new April 2023 VRD Rose Card patterns! Yay! Definitely one of my favorite posts every month!

Feast your eyes on these wonderful new patterns:

Get all 5 new patterns for $8.95 HERE!

And here is my new table runner pattern, After the Rain — who doesn’t LOVE a rainbow quilt?? Or a Log Cabin variation??

Get the After the Rain pattern HERE.

I know I’ve said this more than once (probably more like a million times) but there isn’t another pattern company out there who produces as many new patterns every year as Villa Rosa Designs. We put out at least 5 new patterns a month — add to that our usual 1 (and sometimes 2) new table runner pattern(s) each month and that figures out to be an average of 72 new quilt patterns a year! Mind-boggling, isn’t it???

We have the most awesome quilt designers here at VRD (not that I’m biased or anything) and together we make the impossible possible.

Revisiting Copyright for Quilters

Recently a reader asked some thought-provoking questions on the blog and I wanted to share her questions with you. Thanks, Mindy, for giving me permission to share your comments.

Mindy wrote the following after reading my post about The Copyright Question for Quilters (go HERE to read the Copyright post):

Can I ask one thing that comes up often with this discussion? How do you feel about second-hand selling of your patterns or having the pattern donated to a guild or other “library” type situation? I sat in on a lecture years ago at Quilt Market by two copyright lawyers and it was my understanding that this was illegal, but I have recently heard some pattern designers don’t mind and would rather the pattern be used than thrown away. What are your thoughts if you don’t mind me asking?

SIGH……. If only understanding copyright law and practicing it were straightforward and simple. But to understand copyright law, you basically need a copyright lawyer to explain things in a way you can understand. That being said, copyright law is even confusing for the professionals as they often don’t agree with each other. So if lawyers can’t agree on what copyright law is and how it applies, then how are we — the quilters and the designers — supposed to understand it?

And you need to understand copyright so that you can practice it. Such a conundrum.

What do I think?

Please note these are my personal opinions as a quilter and designer.

Guild Lending Libraries

I have belonged to quilt guilds for a long time and yes, one of my guilds did have a library of quilt books (not patterns) that guild members could check out and borrow. I don’t remember when exactly, but the guild library was dissolved years ago and the books were donated to a used book sale at a local library. I think it ended up being dissolved because the collection took up a lot of space in our storage locker and it wasn’t being used by the guild members. Part of the problem, I suspect, was that the lending library wasn’t updated and weeded out regularly in order to keep the collection current and relevant to the interests of the guild members.

I think libraries — any kind of libraries — are wonderful amazing incredible things!

Let’s consider public, school, and university libraries — they purchase one or more copies of a book or magazine and not even allow — but encourage — people to borrow these materials free with their library card. Is this an infringement of copyright law? I don’t think so — most authors, myself included, want to see their books in libraries.

How is a quilt guild lending library any different? Really? Of course, I am talking books here, not patterns, but what is a quilt book but a collection of quilt patterns? In my opinion, as long as the book or pattern was purchased legally at some point, it is a good thing to pass it along to someone else. (This does not mean making a photocopy of a book or pattern and giving to your best friend, but passing along the original book or pattern.) I am always pleased to see books find their way to someone who will love them.

Additionally, most folks are conscious about recycling and trash disposal — isn’t it better to pass along a book or pattern to another who will find enjoyment or enlightenment from the book/pattern instead of adding more trash to landfills? To me, there’s nothing more devastating than someone throwing away a perfectly good book.

Secondhand Selling

The selling of secondhand goods is HUGE all over the world. Secondhand sellers have existed far longer than copyright laws have. The secondhand selling of goods is a big part of any economy, so I am not sure how that corresponds to copyright when you’re talking about books and patterns.

If selling secondhand books, patterns, and other types of publications was an infringement of copyright law, then how can sellers resell goods on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and the like? What about at the Goodwills and Salvation Army stores? What about the used book sales at your local library? Or garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, antique shops, and others? Why aren’t we all thrown in jail or fined for buying or selling secondhand goods?

Where would we be as a world without the secondhand sales industry? Wouldn’t this increase our already out of control issues with garbage and landfills? Wouldn’t it put A LOT of people out of work?

For me, personally, I am all for supporting the secondhand sales industry for many reasons —

  1. It reduces waste
  2. It helps people to afford goods that they need
  3. It can help someone else in some way (whether it’s the actual information in a book/pattern or that the sale of the item supports a charity)
  4. Secondhand sales (and the searching of desirous items) can be a lot of fun
  5. It employs people, and can provide/supplement income
  6. An “old” item to you might be a “new” item to someone else
  7. It is a form of recycling

This topic makes me think about the old saying “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” and the more modern version — “Reuse. Reduce. Recycle.”

What are your thoughts on guild libraries and secondhand selling of quilt books and patterns?

Thank you again, Mindy, for bringing up these topics. I am curious to see what others’ thoughts are. Any copyright professionals out there who can weigh in on this discussion?

Until next Thursday —

Sew. Laugh. Recycle. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @VRD

Basic Quilting Skills Series · Rose Cards · Tips and Tricks · villa rosa designs

NEW September 2022 Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card Quilt Patterns and Basic Quilting Skills for Beginners: Pressing Techniques 101

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I am thrilled to show you our NEW September Rose Card patterns! I can’t wait until the first Fry-Day (Friday) of each month when the new set of patterns is released — it’s always great to see what our awesome VRD designers have come up with. You can see the new patterns first if you have joined the email list to receive our VRD email newsletters.

What??!! You don’t get our newsletter??? You can sign up for our newsletter HERE.

Of course, I follow up with the newest patterns on the next Thursday after the patterns are released each month here on the blog in case you missed them in the newsletter.

Well, here they are! Cue the trumpets! Throw the confetti! Applause!

September’s NEW Rose Cards

You can order all 5 cards HERE for the low low price of $8.95.

But WAIT…….there’s MORE! (Sorry, not sorry — you know how much I love saying this.)

Here’s my September table runner, Maple Grove!

Maple Grove

You can buy the Maple Grove pattern HERE.

There are also kits for some of the September Rose Cards — did someone say KITS??? Each kit comes with the fabric for the top and binding as well as the pattern. You can find kits below, for as long as they last.

Berry Smoothie

Mazed

Pumpkin Pie

Of course, our website, www.villarosadesigns.com, is always stocked with great kits. You can see our current kit offerings HERE. You’re sure to find one…..or maybe a hundred that you can’t live without.

Pressing Techniques

Let’s dive right back into our Basic Quilting Skills for Beginners with Pressing Techniques 101.

I bet you never really thought about the concept that there are different kinds of pressing techniques for different types of projects. Well, I’m here to tell you that how you use an iron for quilting is different than how you use an iron to iron your shirts or pants.

There’s ironing. And then there’s pressing.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

(to) iron

1a : to smooth with or as if with a heated iron iron a shirt

1b : to remove (something, such as wrinkles) by ironing

(to) press

5 : to exert pressure (this is the closest definition for pressing with an iron I could find)

You can see a little difference between the two definitions, can’t you? Ironing requires moving the iron around while pressing is more of an up and down motion.

I found this pretty decent YouTube video from Hobby Lobby about the difference between pressing and ironing along with some tips. You can check out the video HERE.

Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of different irons from cheap travel models to expensive specialty irons. Some irons are hotter than others. Some have more weight so you don’t have to press down as hard. Some have longer cords or are larger models. Some have continuous steam or bursts of steam. So many choices, but it all depends on what you want out of your iron and what your budget is. So look around, test out different models and brands. Find the one you like the best, for what you want to do, don’t just go for the most expensive or the least expensive.

Pink Oliso Iron

One of the coolest irons in my opinion is the Oliso iron. It lifts up after so many seconds so there’s no chance that you will burn your fabric or project by pressing too long or forgetting about the iron in the down position. AND they come in a bunch of really pretty colors! You can usually find Oliso irons at your local quilt shop or your favorite online vendor.

Here’s a great YouTube video by SewVeryEasy about what to look for in an iron as well as lots of tips and tricks. You can check out the video HERE.

Some quilters swear by using the steam function of their iron for pressing. Me, I like a dry hot iron for quilting AND I love to use Mary Ellen’s Best Press Starch Alternative. A long time ago, I used spray starch in the can, but got tired of the little flakes and the shiny spots on my fabrics, so when I found Best Press, it was a total game changer for me.

Mary Ellen’s Best Press Spray

A little spritz is all you need. Best Press helps me to get crisper flatter seams without having to work very hard, which then helps my quilt fabrics to stay square and not to stretch out of shape. An added bonus is that Best Press comes in many fun scents and also comes in unscented, too. My personal favorite scent is Peaches and Cream. You can find Best Press at your local quilt shop or favorite online vendor.

I hope these pressing techniques and tips are helpful! Stay tuned for next week’s post all about batting, backing, and preparing a quilt for quilting.

Until next Thursday —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @VRD