Tag: Running Doe Designs

Just Quilty Stuff · Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

NEW February VRD Rose Card Quilt Patterns and Some Super Fun Quilting Jokes Just for You!

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I trust you are surviving this weird and wacky winter. Hopefully, your quilting space has become your happy place and you’ve gotten extra sewing in while the weather did whatever it wanted to outside.

After shocking temperatures as low as -15 degrees F – that’s without the windchill – we’re having a little warm up this week here in good ol’ PA. Tuesday was actually around 50 degrees. And SUN! I felt like throwing on my swimsuit and frolicking through the sprinkler. Sigh….I resisted the urge – too much snow and I didn’t relish freezing my toes (or anything else). Wednesday was a balmy 29 degrees. We even have some bare patches in the yard now, and yes – there really is grass under all that snow. I was beginning to wonder.

Did you know??? Today is the Thursday after the first Friday of February. You know what that means don’t you? NEW PATTERNS!

Woohoo!

Where’s the marching band? Huh. Maybe they found the sprinkler?

Oh well, we’ll just have to make do with the confetti and balloons.

Colorful balloons in various shades hanging from the ceiling, with confetti scattered throughout the scene, creating a festive atmosphere.

NEW February VRD Rose Card Quilt Patterns

Here’s the set of 5 patterns for February!

A collage showcasing five quilt patterns for February 2026 from Villa Rosa Designs, including 'Ballerina,' 'Diamond Alleyway,' 'Caramels,' 'Maureen,' and 'Storyteller,' with a promotion indicating all five cards are available for $8.95.

Get your print pattern set HERE.

Ballerina is Pat’s latest pattern. It’s a great pattern for your favorite theme fabric along with a few coordinates. It finishes at 45″ x 54″.

Diamond Alleyway is Molly’s new design for February. It is fat quarter friendly and finishes at 42″ x 53″. You can find a kit for Diamond Alleyway in Kaffe (the same as the pattern front) HERE or in Robert Kaufman Songbird HERE.

Maureen is Running Doe’s newest pattern. It’s also fat quarter friendly and finishes at a generous 56″ x 84″. You can find a kit for Maureen featuring the same fat quarters as the sample quilt HERE.

Caramels is Heidi’s latest design for February. It uses a novelty fabric or panel squares along with some coordinates and finishes at 48″ x 60″. You can find a kit for Caramels with the Mountain Splendor fabrics (the same fabrics you see on the pattern front) HERE.

Storyteller is a new 36″ panel pattern by yours truly. It finishes at 59″ x 66″ or 67″ x 74″ with the addition of an outer border. You can find a kit for Storyteller featuring Charlie Harper Montevede Habitat HERE.

But wait……….we’re not done yet!

Here is February’s new table runner pattern, Heart Strings, by yours truly. Heart Strings uses fat eighths and finishes at 16″ x 60″.

A quilted table runner titled 'Heart Strings' featuring a design of purple and white fabrics, hanging on a clothesline against a light background.

Get your digital pattern HERE or print pattern HERE

And this is Good Luck, my second pattern in this year’s new Seasonal Pillow series. It finishes at 18″ x 18″.

A decorative pillow featuring a green and white good luck pattern, resting on a bright green couch with a small dog sitting beside it.

Get your digital pattern HERE or print pattern HERE.

I’m really excited about this new seasonal series because pillows are an easy way to add a little seasonal quilt touch to your space each and every month. At the end of 2026, you could have an entire year of fun quilted patchwork pillows to enjoy for years to come.

What a super fun idea! 3 Aunts Quilt Shop (Molly and Heidi) are offering Pillow kits each month as a BOM. You can find kit options for Happy Hearts (January’s pillow pattern) HERE and kit options for Good Luck HERE.

What are you waiting for? The ice to freeze? (PSST – can you name the movie this quote is from?)

Time to get quilting. YEAH!

How about some quilty fun now?

Quilt Jokes…Just for You

I was trying to think up something to add to today’s post with the new patterns and decided on some quilty humor. One of our VRD blog readers, Susan, inspired me to share some rib-tickling quilty jokes with you. These are for you, Susan!

Please enjoy this selection of jokes, puns, tongue twisters, and more. Get your giggle on!

Why did the quilter bring a ladder to the sewing room?

Because her stash was getting out of hand and she needed to take it to the next level

_______________________________________________________

I’m measured in quarters, yet I’m not a coin.
I’m bundled and tempting, a fabric siren.
“I’ll take just one,” is what you’ll say…
Then I bring friends home anyway.

What am I?

_______________________________________________________

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Bobbin.

Bobbin who?

Bobbin along, minding my own business, until I ran out of thread mid seam.

______________________________________________________

Six sleek scrappy stars slant slightly sideways.

______________________________________________________

I’m having a sew-cial moment.

______________________________________________________

Why don’t quilters ever get lost?

Because they always follow the pattern. Unless they don’t. Then it’s improv.

______________________________________________________

I’m a block with a name that sounds like a bird,
Yet feathers aren’t needed, and that’s not absurd.
I travel in flocks, pointy and neat,
But one flipped triangle ruins the beat.

What am I?

______________________________________________________

Why did the sewing machine go to therapy?

It had too much tension.

______________________________________________________

A quilter walked into a quilt shop.
The shop owner said, “Looking for anything in particular?”
She replied, “No.”
That’s when things got expensive.

_______________________________________________________

What do you call a quilt made entirely of white fabric?

A snowflake… because no two excuses for buying fabric are ever the same.

_______________________________________________________

Precise pink patchwork pieces perfectly placed (say this 3x really fast)

_______________________________________________________

I’m a pattern you can’t always see,
But I make the quilt feel extra “me.”
Loops or lines, I’m stitched with care,
Across the top and everywhere.

What am I?

_______________________________________________________

How do you know a quilter is truly prepared for winter?

She/he owns enough fabric to insulate a small village and calls it “just a few projects.”

_______________________________________________________

You had me at fat quarter.

_______________________________________________________

A quilter walked into a bar.
The bartender said, “What’ll it be?”
She replied, “Just something light. I’m trying to cut back.”
The bartender nodded and handed her a charm pack.

_______________________________________________________

Sassy seamstresses sew six sleek straight seams (say this 3x really fast)

_______________________________________________________

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Sew.

Sew who?

Sew glad I bought that fabric before it sold out.

_______________________________________________________

A quilter walked into a fabric store and gasped, “I have nothing to match this at home.”
Somewhere in her stash, 47 perfectly coordinating prints fainted.

_______________________________________________________

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Snow.

Snow who?

Snow way I’m leaving the house when I can quilt instead.

_______________________________________________________

Scrappy squares stitched swiftly, slightly skewed (say this 3x really fast)

_______________________________________________________

Why did the quilter refuse to shovel the driveway?

She said, “I’m already snowed under with UFOs.”

_______________________________________________________

Don’t be a sew and sew.

_______________________________________________________

A quilter walked into a quilt shop and picked up a bundle.
“This is perfect,” she said.
“For what?” asked the clerk.
“For someday.”

_______________________________________________________

This is un-seam-ly behavior.

_______________________________________________________

I’m a friend with numbers and lines,
Quilters trust me all the time.
I help make seams straight and true,
But don’t get too close when the blade comes through.

What am I?

_______________________________________________________

Turquoise triangles twirl through tidy tops (say this 3x really fast)

_______________________________________________________

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Thread.

Thread who?

Thread carefully. I just cleaned my sewing room.

________________________________________________________

A quilter walked into a quilt shop “just to browse.”
She emerged three hours later with a pattern, six coordinating prints, and a new life plan.

________________________________________________________

Fat quarters flutter from fabric filled folders (say this 3x really fast)

________________________________________________________

Life is short. Buy the fabric.

________________________________________________________

(PSST…..In case you’re wondering, these jokes and sillies were created by me with the assistance of AI.)

Well, that’s it for me today. I don’t want to miss a moment of the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Stay tuned next week for an Olympics-inspired post…or maybe 2.

Take care and get your quilting on!

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Falling Quilt Tutorial

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Happy Fall!

A picturesque autumn scene featuring a cluster of bright orange pumpkins and a white pumpkin surrounded by hay bales and vibrant fall foliage.

Hard to believe it really is Fall now, but I know it’s here whether we’re ready or not. And I’m personally more than ready. We had such a hot and dry summer here in NW PA, so I’m eager for cooler weather.

Fall is definitely my very favorite season with its warm days and cool nights. All the gorgeous colors. The smells of the season. And the sounds. I truly love it all!

Another thing I love about Fall is that I start to feel more energized to get back to my many to-do lists. Summer definitely doesn’t inspire that in me. So now, it’s time to make plans to get things done. What is Fall to you?

I hope you’ve been enjoying our Jump into Fall quilt tutorials. Today’s project is beyond perfect for the season and I know you’re going to be excited to make this one.

VRD Falling Quilt Tutorial

Falling is truly a perfect project for this time of year, especially with all of the yummy fall fabrics at your local quilt shop and favorite online retailers. Falling is a pattern by Catherine, of Running Doe Quilts, who is one of our many talented VRD designers as well as a new VRD partner.

The quilt finishes at a generous 54″ x 72″ and goes together quickly with its oversized blocks and no borders (although you could easily add a border to make it bed-sized if you wanted to).

A colorful quilt featuring large, stylized leaf patterns in various shades, displayed outdoors against a backdrop of trees.

Get your digital pattern HERE or your print pattern HERE

Catherine even has kits available for the Falling quilt below – get yours HERE before they’re gone. Tell her Tricia sent you!

Quilt designed with colorful leaf patterns in orange, yellow, red, and blue fabrics, displayed outdoors against a rustic background.

Okay, time to get going on today’s tutorial.

Of course, our first thing to do is gather up our fabrics. Today I’m using a lovely collection from Hoffman Fabrics called Sweet Breeze. It’s a great choice today as we end summer and slide into fall. Sadly, this is an older fabric collection and probably isn’t available anymore, but happily Jason Yenter has a gorgeous fall collection called Falling Leaves, you can find it HERE – I think his wonderful fabrics would make great Leaves.

Here are our Sweet Breeze fabrics for today’s tutorial in lovely greens, a few browns, with a wee touch of orange.

Assorted fabric pieces in green, brown, and cream colors, featuring leaf patterns and textures, arranged neatly with a 'Falling' quilt pattern brochure on top.

Let’s go ahead and cut out all the pieces we’ll need for Falling – the background, the Leaf fabrics, and the stems.

A rotary cutter and a transparent quilting ruler placed on a cutting mat with fabric underneath.
Cutting quilting fabric pieces on a cutting mat with a rotary cutter and ruler.
A rotary cutter and a transparent quilting ruler rest on a marked cutting mat, with a piece of brown fabric cut into strips.

All right! All of our pieces are cut and ready to go.

A variety of fabric squares in green and beige tones on a cutting mat, with a brown strip of fabric positioned in the center.

Next we need to pair up our Leaf fabrics as each of the 12 blocks in the quilt uses 2 fabrics. I really love Catherine’s take on the traditional Maple Leaf quilt block, don’t you? She split it down the center so her leaves are two-toned. And the blocks are very big, which adds to the graphic appeal of this quilt.

The pattern suggests making 2 of each Leaf fabric combination, but you can mix and match your fabrics to your heart’s desire if you want, of course. I’m going to stick to the original plan today.

A variety of fabric squares in shades of green and brown, arranged on a cutting mat, ready for a quilting project.

Now we’re ready to sew. We haves lots of Half Square Triangle (HST) units to make for the quilt. I’m going to make 2 matching Leaf blocks before moving on. I don’t want to get all mixed up!

To make HSTs, the first thing you need to do is layer your squares right sides together (RST) and draw a diagonal line – I like to use FriXion erasable pens for marking my fabrics.

Then we’re going to sew 1/4″ away from both sides of our drawn line.

I went ahead and sewed all of the HSTs for my first 2 blocks at one time. Do likewise if you wish.

Next we need to cut on the diagonal lines which will give us 2 HSTs.

A quilting workspace showing a pair of fabric squares in light and dark green tones next to a pattern card for a quilt design called Falling from Running Doe Quilts.
A fabric square with a diagonal line drawn in red marker, lying on a cutting mat next to a quilting pattern booklet.
A fabric square with a diagonal marking for cutting, placed on a cutting mat.
A selection of cut fabric pieces arranged on a rotary cutting mat, with a marked diagonal line on one piece, ready for sewing.
Cut fabric pieces for quilting, including triangles and patches, arranged on a cutting mat with grid lines.

All right, let’s head over to the ironing board to press these HSTs open. Don’t forget to cut off the little dog ears on the corners so your piecing will be more accurate.

A green fabric triangle on an ironing board next to an iron, with a pink and white patterned cover.
A selection of cut quilt fabric pieces in various shades of green and beige, arranged on a soft pink background.
A collection of fabric pieces in shades of green and beige, cut for a quilt project, displayed on a cutting mat.

Let’s make the stems next. Cut your background square in half diagonally to make 2 triangles. Then we’re going to center and sew a stem rectangle between those 2 background triangles. I pressed my seams towards the stem so they wouldn’t show through my background fabric. We need to make 2 of these – 1 for each of our matching Leaf blocks.

A diagonal cut through a light green fabric square with a floral pattern, placed on a cutting mat with grid lines.
Quilt pieces laid out on a cutting mat, including two triangular fabric pieces and a brown fabric strip.
A brown fabric strip pinned to a light floral fabric triangle, ready for sewing.
Top view of a brown fabric strip sewn onto a light-colored fabric triangle, placed on a gray cutting mat with a ruler and grid.
A close-up view of a triangular fabric piece and a brown fabric strip placed on a pink and white patterned ironing board, with an iron in the background.
Fabric pieces for a quilt project laid out on a pink patterned surface.

Before out stem units are finished, though, we need to trim them to the right size. Take your time when you do this step because you don’t want to miscut and make wonky stems.

A quilting ruler placed over fabric on a cutting mat, showcasing measurement lines and a partially cut fabric strip.
A rotary cutter and fabric pieces on a cutting mat, with decorative fabric scraps nearby.

Okay, now we’re ready to layout a block and sew it together. Once I’m happy with how the first block turned out, I’m going to make the second matching block. One Leaf pair done, 5 more pairs to go. Repeat the steps above to make 12 total Leaf blocks.

Close-up of a quilt block featuring a two-toned leaf design in green and beige fabric, displayed on a light gray fabric backdrop.
A quilt block featuring green and light brown fabrics arranged in a maple leaf design, displayed on a gray background.
Two quilt blocks featuring stylized green and brown leaves on a light background, displayed on a blue fabric surface.

Woohoo! Here are my 12 Leaf blocks.

A pile of quilt blocks featuring various shades of green fabrics arranged in a leaf design, with a neutral background and some visible stitching.

Now it’s time to arrange the blocks on my design wall. If you want your quilt to have the same movement as the Falling quilt on the cover of the pattern, you will need to flip and flop your blocks like Catherine’s. I only switched 1 or 2 blocks before I liked the arrangement. As you, know sometimes I spend more time arranging the blocks than actually making the quilt. But not today, yay!

You will want to take care while sewing your blocks together because sometimes you are sewing a point to a point. Careful pinning will help keep your points under control and will result in a cleaner and more accurately stitched quilt.

A colorful quilt featuring oversized leaf blocks in various shades of green, brown, and floral patterns arranged on a design wall.

Next we are going to sew the blocks into rows and then sew the rows together to make the quilt top. Oops, this quilt is longer than my flannel wall, so I can’t show you the entire top yet. I told you it was a good sized quilt!

A quilt featuring a pattern of green and brown leaves arranged with a cream-colored background, showcasing various fabric textures and colors.

I just had to take my Falling flimsy outside to snap a photo in natural light so I could show you the entire top. Absolutely LOVE it! Can’t wait to finish it.

A quilt featuring large, stylized leaf patterns in various shades of green, brown, and orange, displayed outdoors on a clothesline with a grassy background.

To complete your quilt, layer it with batting and backing fabric (or fleece like I plan to). Quilt it. Bind it. And don’t forget your label!

Have you made a Falling quilt already? Or if you plan to make one this Fall, please share a photo on our VRD Facebook group – we’d all love to see them!

Well, that’s it for me – I’m heading back to my sewing machine to get some more sewing in.

Take care and I’ll see you right here next week.

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

Pat’s VRD Bedazzled Fabric Collection for Riley Blake Designs is HERE and VRD Baby Zip Tease Quilt Tutorial

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Yay! Yay! Yay!

Pat’s new fabric collection for Riley Blake Designs, BEDAZZLED!, is finally here!!!

I’m so sorry, but I have to pause our new Free Motion Quilting series so I can celebrate Pat’s new collection. I promise to continue our FMQ series in a couple weeks because I have 2 new tutorials to share, featuring Pat’s Bedazzled! collection.

Here she is – Pat Fryer, owner and Rose Queen of Villa Rosa Designs and designer for Riley Blake Designs

Bedazzled

A yummy color-drenched batik collection with glitter accents because one can never have enough glitter!

Get the 5″ Stacker HERE

Get the 10″ Stacker HERE

Get the 2.5″ Rolie Polie HERE

Or you can find the Bedazzled fabric by the yard HERE

Although they aren’t ready yet, soon we will have kits for Baby Zip Tease in Bedazzled!, so check back soon. I’ll add the link HERE just as soon as it’s available.

BUT WAIT! There’s MORE!

There is one more piece to the collection – a one of a kind Bedazzled tin just the right size to store your VRD patterns! I’m not sure how many patterns it holds yet because I haven’t received my tin yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know when I find out. There’s no question about how to store your VRD Rose Card patterns now. Get yours ASAP, because I know they’ll sell out quickly.

Get the Bedazzled tin HERE

To celebrate Pat’s new fabric collection, here is the 1st of 2 new tutorials just for you!

VRD Baby Zip Tease Quilt Tutorial

Baby Zip Tease is a really fun and fast pattern that finishes 36″ x 38″, which is a nice size for a wall quilt or a baby quilt.

Get Baby Zip Tease digital HERE or print HERE

PSST! If you like Baby Zip Tease, you’ll love Zip Tease, which is a throw-sized version.

Get Zip Tease digital HERE or print HERE

I was at my pal, Robin’s house (Hi Robin!) the day I created this tutorial. We have sew days as frequently as we can. Robin has a lovely sewing room upstairs in her farmhouse with room for at least 2 people to sew.

In fact, I leave one of my sewing machines there all the time so I don’t have to drag one back and forth. Her husband, Rich (Hey Rich!), threatens to charge me rent. LOL!

Robin and her big kitty boy, Tigger. Tigger has a very important job — to hold down any project Robin tries to work on! LOL! Anyone else have one of these special furry helpers?

So let’s get started with our Baby Zip Tease tutorial!

Of course, the first thing we need to do is gather up our fabrics and cut what we need for the project. I’m using a 5″ stacker from Pat’s new Bedazzled! collection and a yummy Riley Blake Designs Expressions Batik basic.

Let’s make some Half Square Triangles (HSTs).

Photo 1: Layer a print square right sides together (RST) with a background square. Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.

Photo 2 and 3: Sew 1/4″ away from both sides of the line.

Photo 4: Cut apart on the drawn line.

Photo 5 and 6: Press open to make 2 HSTs.

1
2
3
4
5
6

Don’t stop now, go ahead and make the rest of the HSTs .

Square up and trim your HSTs. Cut off all the little “dog ears.”

At this point, you can sew your HSTs into rows and then sew the rows together. But where’s the fun in that???

I wanted to make sure the colors and fabrics were spread evenly throughout the quilt, so I put the HSTs up on Robin’s flannel wall and spent some time moving HSTs around to distribute colors and patterns. Argh! Sometimes this part of the process takes the most time.

This was actually a very important step for me because I kept turning the HSTs the wrong way. This was certainly one quilt project that being left-handed made more difficult. Of course, Robin pretty much just laughed at me every time I had to rotate a block in 90 degree increments until I got it going the right way. SHEESH!

Once I was happy with how it looked, it was time to sew the HSTs into rows. Finally!

Sigh…….I can’t tell you how many times I ended up turning a block on my way to the sewing machine. Time to unsew…….

What’s your favorite seam ripper? Mine is the Clover Ergonomic Seam Ripper seen in the photo below, but have you seen Clover’s latest seam ripper?

I just ordered one and I’ll let you know what I think after I try it out. If it’s as good as the one I already have, I’ll probably love it. Just sayin’……

Got that flipped HSTs fixed and survived sewing the blocks into rows – barely! Now it’s time to sew the rows together.

I’m really liking the cool zig zag effect! Let’s keep sewing those rows together! We are making progress!

YAY! Quilt top finished! Woohoo!

Now you get a chance to see how the fabrics of Bedazzled! play together. Aren’t they really great with the dramatic purple background fabric?

Next week I’ll have another Bedazzled quilt tutorial for you. The week after that we’ll continue on with our FMQ series. So please stay tuned!

Be sure to tune into our Fry-Day Live Sale tomorrow for more information and a closer look at the Bedazzled collection. You can find the Live Sale HERE on Fry-Day from 7-8 PM EST. You can also find the Live Sale on Facebook HERE.

See you there!

Until next week –

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD