Tag: villa rosa quilts

Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tips and Tricks · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Beatrice Quilt Tutorial and the Fall 2023 Hoffman Project Catalog

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I hope you are all getting some sewing and quilting tucked in around your busy fall schedule. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get regular access to my sewing machine, I get — well, grumpy. I am not kidding. I have found over the years that if I don’t get time to devote to my creative endeavors, I become out of sorts — you can ask my family. LOL! So when I get short-tempered, the best cure is sewing and quilting, even if it’s only a half hour here or twenty minutes there, I absolutely have to have time to be creative.

So I must say that using the excuse of creating a series of fall quilt tutorials with all these glorious Hoffman batik fabric collections, I am feeding my creative soul AND at the same time, I have rekindled my interest in getting back into quilting after basically taking the summer off. Of course, the next part of my making a quilt top or two a week, is to actually get them layered, quilted, bound, labeled — FINISHED. I have started this process by going to my local quilt shop, Homespun Treasures, to pin three of the recent quilts, and now they are ready for machine quilting. I use the tables in the classroom to layer my quilts and maybe I check out the new fabrics while I’m there….

But first, I have another Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card quilt tutorial, Beatrice, for you!

VRD Beatrice Quilt Tutorial

Ever since Beatrice came out earlier this year, I’ve been eager to make it. I love that it pairs two classic blocks — a Rail Fence and a Friendship Star (which is really a Nine Patch block in disguise) — together. You can check out our Rail Fence post and Nine Patch post, which are part of our Quilt Block Basics series, for more block fun and inspiration.

I also love how the Friendship Star blocks are arranged in diagonal rows cascading through woven Rail Fence blocks in a less-than-typical arrangement. Beatrice finishes at a generous 54″ x 72,” which is a very nice-sized throw quilt.

I hope you’ll give this one a try!

Get Beatrice HERE

Let’s take a look at the gorgeous Hoffman Bali Batik collection, Homestead, I am using for my Beatrice quilt. Ask for it at your favorite quilt shop or online retailer!

Isn’t this collection delicious? I added an 1895 Watercolor batik as my star fabric — can you find it?? (Hint: it’s the lightest fabric….)

Ready? Set. Go! Let’s get started on Beatrice!

1. We’re going to cut all of our fabrics before we start to sew. Do you do that or do you cut your pieces out as you sew? Or do you make a sample block before you cut everything out? For my VRD quilts, I feel totally comfortable just jumping in — no need to make a sample block to make sure everything fits together properly because I know that everything will fit together perfectly. Just another thing I love about our Rose Card patterns.

2. Now let’s sew some Friendship Star blocks! The first thing we need to do is make some Half Square Triangles (HSTs) for the star points. When I first started quilting, I did not enjoy making HSTs, but the more I made them (so many quilt patterns use HSTs!), the more I found I actually liked them. Of course, the more I made them, the more accurate my HSTs became, too.

Layer your squares right sides together (RST). Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Sew 1/4″ away from both sides of your drawn line. Cut on the drawn line to make 2 HSTs. Press the blocks open. And don’t forget to trim off your little dog ears at the corners (this will help the accuracy of your piecing — trust me).

3. Next we’re going to lay out a Friendship Star block, which is a Nine Patch block with HSTs. That way, we know how the block should look. With Friendship Star blocks, it’s easy to turn the HSTs the wrong way, which makes for some wonky stars. I actually kept this block layout up on my flannel wall so I could use it as my reference as I sewed the blocks together.

4. Time to sew the blocks together. I am happy to say, I only stitched one block wrong, which of course meant that I had to unsew it and then sew it back together the right way. Mea culpa. Press your blocks. Stars done — yay!

5. Moving right along — let’s make some Rail Fence blocks. Now, the pattern walks you through sewing strip sets together and then sub-cutting the strip sets into the units for the Rail Fence blocks.

I prefer cutting my fabrics before sewing them together. I used to do the strip set method, but I always had a problem keeping my strips straight — mine would bow like a rainbow. This, of course, affected the accuracy of my piecing. This frustration is what led me to determining what the (unfinished) length of the unit would be and then cutting all my pieces before sewing the units. The easiest way to figure out the length is to look at the size of the unit you’re cutting out of the strip sets — usually that measurement is what you need.

Here are my rectangles ready to sew together into Rail Fence blocks.

6. Time to sew the Rail Fence blocks together. First, I sew the rectangles into pairs, then I sew the pairs into quads. Another thing I like better about sewing the rectangles together versus strip piecing is that I get a lot more variety in my blocks. After all the blocks are pieced, go ahead and press them. Rail Fence blocks done. Yippee!

7. All the blocks are finished!

8. Boy, am I glad that I have my handy dandy flannel backed table cloth already clipped up on my fabric storage cubes because the next step is to lay out the blocks according to the diagram on the pattern. Whoever discovered that fabric sticks to flannel was a genius! Thank you, thank you!

This quilt is big and I can’t get the entire thing arranged on my flannel wall so I will have to divide the quilt into sections and then sew the sections together. While the blocks are up in the first larger section, I moved a few things around so that the fabrics are well-distributed throughout and not concentrated in any one area.

I will say that these fabrics from the Homestead collection definitely make a gorgeous quilt! It just looks so warm and inviting, like a cup of hot apple cider. Where’s my doughnut??? Boston creme, if you please….

9. I sewed the blocks into rows and then I sewed the rows together into the top section of the quilt.

10. I folded the top section in half and moved it to the top of my flannel wall to make room at the bottom the last rows. That way, I will still be able to move blocks around in the bottom rows if needed. Next I sewed the blocks into rows and the rows into the bottom section. Finally I sewed the bottom section to the top section.

11. Here is my Beatrice quilt top, or flimsy. Yay! I am very happy with how it turned out. It is simply beautiful!

While I was sewing Beatrice together, I kept wondering how it would look in patriotic colors (the quilt diagram on the back of the pattern is done in red, white, and blue). But for this quilt to be large enough to be a Quilts of Valor quilt, you would have to add a border or another column of blocks because it’s not quite wide enough.

Adding a 4″ finished border all the way around would make the quilt 62″ x 80″ which is a wonderful size for a QOF quilt as well as a twin-sized quilt. You would need about 1 1/4 yards fabric for the border (cut strips 4 1/2″ wide) and a total of 5/8 yard for the binding for this larger size.

Who knows, maybe Beatrice will be my next QOF quilt project to make and donate. You’ll have to check back later to see if it is. LOL!

I look forward to seeing your Beatrice quilts! You can post them on our VRD Facebook page. Hope to see you there!

Speaking of Hoffman Fabrics, the new Fall 2024 catalogs have just come out. Check out the Project Book, filled with loads of inspiration and Villa Rosa Design Rose Card patterns featuring the latest Hoffman collections. Truly, a feast for the eyes. Ask at your favorite quilt shop or online retailer for the patterns, fabrics, or maybe even kits. ENJOY!

What quilt will you make first?

Until next Thursday —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

NEW Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card Patterns for September, New Website Content, and VRD Ebb Tide Quilt Tutorial

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Welcome to September! Now that fall and back-to-school is in full swing, we all need to turn our thoughts to MORE QUILTING! In order to help you get sewing again, today’s post is brimming over with quilty goodness.

First up is our brand new collection of September Rose Card patterns.

NEW September 2023 Rose Card Quilt Patterns

YAY! By now most of you know that I just love the Thursday after the first Friday of the month because that’s New Pattern Day here on the blog. So, here they are — Candies, Icing, Elsie May, Delphinium, and Jolie.

Every month the VRD designers never fail to create a new collection of wonderful quilt patterns. I am sew blessed to be part of this VRD family. Just looking at the new patterns every month, I get inspired and can’t wait to spend some quality time with my sewing machine.

You can get all 5 patterns HERE.

But wait……..there’s more! Here is my new September table runner, Carousel.

Get Carousel HERE

I’m not sure if you can really see the background fountain in the cover photo, above, but I took this photo at Diamond Park, a lovely tree-lined park in the heart of my hometown. The land for the Park was gifted to the city in 1795 (Meadville was founded in 1788) by the city founder, David Mead. This gorgeous fountain was then gifted and constructed in the park in 1863 by the Shippen family. It still stands and functions today, after being renovated a couple times through the years.

Image from Meadville Calendar,
https://www.facebook.com/MeadvilleClub

Here’s a photo of the fountain with the park in the background. I didn’t even think to take any photos of the fountain itself when I was taking photos of Carousel. Silly me! Sorry for that. It truly is a beautiful fountain — and well over 150 years old.

As much as I’d like to keep talking history (another of my favorite things), we’d better keep moving or we’re never going to get to today’s tutorial. LOL!

Printable Fat Quarter List

Just this week, a new feature was added to the VRD website — a printable list of all the FAT QUARTER patterns in our VRD Rose Card catalog!

People and fabric companies have been asking for such a list for a while now. The fat quarter patterns on the list are thoughtfully organized by the number of fat quarters needed for each pattern — how ingenius! This awesome list will be updated monthly to include all new fat quarter patterns going forward, so the list will always be current and up-to-date. WOW!

You can find the printable list at the bottom of the website under Patterns (see the screenshot below). In fact, there is LOTS of stuff at the bottom of the website. If you’ve never scrolled down that far, you should. You might just be missing something good down there, like a directory of the tutorials on the blog, for example. Or maybe something important like Corrections.

Here’s a screenshot of the bottom of the VRD website, showing the things
you will find down there.

You can find the printable Fat Quarter Quilt List HERE.

Now on to our tutorial!

VRD Ebb Tide Tutorial

Keeping with our recent Fall fabric theme, I have another great VRD quilt tutorial for you today. You will want to add Ebb Tide to your collection of VRD Rose Cards if you don’t have it yet. So far, it’s the fastest and easiest VRD pattern I have made. It also looks great in any fabric, and can even handle large prints with ease. Ebb Tide will definitely become one of your go-to Rose Card patterns, if it hasn’t already.

Get Ebb Tide HERE

Today I’m working with Hoffman batiks again — more yummy luscious fall fabrics. Aren’t they beautiful??? This collection is appropriately called Shades of Autumn. Ask for it at your favorite quilt shop or retailer.

I want to point out a couple things about the fabrics I am using for Ebb Tide. It takes 6 fabrics plus a background. I chose 3 light fabrics and 3 dark fabrics. I liked the idea of a color-balanced quilt. Some other options might be to choose 6 medium or dark fabrics with a light background or 6 light fabrics with a medium or dark background. The fun thing about this quilt is that it really does go together lightening-fast and you’ll probably want to make more than, which will then give you more opportunities to play with different fabric options.

Let’s make Ebb Tide!

1. After you’ve gathered up your fabrics, it’s time to cut your pieces out. This doesn’t take very long, but keep in mind the pieces you cut out of the fat quarters will be large and you might need a bigger ruler. I used my 8 1/2″ x 24″ ruler to cut the rectangles out. This really helped to keep my cutting more accurate as I didn’t need to joggle multiple rulers around to get the wider strips. I also layered and cut three fabrics at a time, but don’t feel you have to layer your fabrics for cutting if you’re not comfortable doing that. Cutting one layer at time works just as well.

Don’t have an 8 1/2″ x 24″ ruler? You can find it HERE. You can find the my absolute favorite rotary cutter, the Olfa ergonomic cutter, HERE.

2. Now that my fat quarters are cut out, it’s time to cut the background pieces. For this part, I switched to a 2 1/2″ x 18″ ruler, which makes cutting my 2 1/2″ strips and rectangles a breeze. Don’t have a 2 1/2″ ruler? You can find it HERE.

3. I’m going to use my new handy-dandy design wall to lay the quilt out so I can arrange the fabrics before I sew everything together. The beauty of Ebb Tide is that because you aren’t piecing the quilt blocks, you can get right to laying out and arranging the entire quilt. Sew simple!

PSST! In case you didn’t know — my fancy-smancy design wall is actually a flannel-backed large rectangular table cloth clipped to the top of my fabric storage cubes doors with large binder clips. Here’s a great traditional plaid flannel backed table cloth that comes in multiple colors and sizes. What a HUGE improvement this has been for putting quilts together — so much easier than laying blocks out on the floor or on a bed to shuffle things around.

Here is my final layout for the Ebb Tide, not including the horizontal background strips in between each block row. What do you think of this layout? I really like how your eye travels down the quilt, following the light fabrics path, kind of like stepping stones.

4. Now that I’m happy with my layout, it’s time to sew the horizontal rows together. I just gathered one row at a time and took it right to my sewing machine (which is close to my flannel design wall). I sewed the large rectangles and the sashing strips together one row at a time, then I put the rows back on the flannel wall, so I didn’t get things mixed up as I worked.

5. Now I’m ready to sew the long sashing strips in between the pieced rows. One last look to make sure I have the rows in the right order, and back to the sewing machine. I sewed the rows and sashing strips into sections and then sewed the sections together, that way I didn’t have to struggle with the growing quilt top with each row I added.

6. One more step and Ebb Tide will be done (or at least the quilt top will be done). Did you know that a quilt top is called a flimsy in quilt lingo? Isn’t that fun??? Sorry, I’m easily distracted — did someone say squirrel??? Tehehehe……..

Now that the quilt center is finished, let’s sew the top and bottom borders on. But before we do that, I need to cut my border strips to the right size. I like to lay my border strips across the center of the quilt, trimming the strips to the width of the quilt center. I use the center because the edges can sometimes stretch out. By cutting my strips to the center width, I can bring those stretchy edges back to square. I know this sounds weird, but trust me, it works.

Next I pin my borders to the quilt top. I start by matching the center of the border to the center of the side I’m sewing the border to ( I fold them in half to find the centers, making a crease at the true center). Then I match and pin the outside edges. After the edges, I straighten and smooth the quilt and border, adding more pins between the center and outside edges to keep everything in place while I sew. Finally, it’s time to sew them together, knowing that my borders will be flat and not waving all over the place.

7. The side borders are the last thing to sew to the quilt. They will need to be pieced so the border strips are long enough. For this quilt, I used a straight seam to sew the strips together, but sometimes I use a diagonal seam (I do this when fabrics are busy in order to hide my seam a little better).

Yay! Ebb Tide is done. Eventually, I will back it with cozy fleece, machine quilt, bind, and label it. Hopefully sometime in the next 100 years. Ha!

By the way, I wanted to let you know that it took me about 2 hours to make the Ebb Tide flimsy — that included cutting the fabrics, laying it out, and doing the photography for this tutorial. I wonder how long will it take you to make it?

Here’s a “beauty” shot of my Ebb Tide flimsy — I really wanted to get a pretty picture with my Black-Eyed Susans. Sadly, the breeze wouldn’t cooperate with me, so the bottom of the flimsy kept blowing under the porch. Oh well…….

Thanks for sticking with me through the entire blog post, I know it was a long one, but I hope you enjoyed all of the quilty inspiration.

Take care and get quilting!

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Alassio Quilt Tutorial

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Yep, I am still in my fall quilt-making zone. Which is not a big surprise really because for the last couple weeks, here in NW PA, we’ve been having very fall-like weather. Today is quite cool with a high temperature only in the 60s and it feels really really chilly. Usually, August is in the 80s and even 90s occasionally. You know the “dog days” of summer? So the 60s is kind of a shock to the system. Our nights have even dipped down into the 40s a couple times. Just chalk it up to the ever-changing world of weird weather, I guess.

So in honor of our early autumn weather in August, I am going to show you how to make anther great Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card pattern, Alassio. Do you really have to use a fall-themed fabric collection like I am doing? Nope, not at all. This pattern will work beautifully with any fabric collection!

Get Alassio HERE

Alassio VRD Quilt Tutorial

Alassio is a super fast quilt to put together and it finishes at a great size of 54″ x 72″! It uses fat quarters and a background fabric. What could be simpler?

I put my Alassio quilt top together in about 5 hours — all in one day — and that included the step by step photos for this tutorial. It goes together so quickly — you’ll be amazed and very happy, especially if you need a quilt in a hurry.

I made my Alassio quilt sample with the Hoffman All Things Spice batik collection and coordinating 1895 Watercolors batiks. Isn’t it sew yummy? I just want to crawl into those fabrics with a good book, a cup of cider, and a donut………

On that note, let’s make Alassio together!

  1. First, we need to cut out our background squares.

2. Next up is cutting the pieces for our framed blocks from our fat quarters. I like to stack my fabrics and cut 3 or 4 at a time. Do likewise if you want, but it’s perfectly fine to cut them one at a time, too.

3. Moving right along, let’s mix and match our fabrics so each square will have a different fabric frame around it. And after that’s done, we’ll sew matching shorter strips to opposite sides of the squares.

4. Now we need to press our blocks so far before we add the long strips on the other sides of the center squares. I don’t normally do a lot of pressing when I’m making blocks but I do think pressing these blocks as you go results in crisper seams and better blocks.

5. Okay, now we’re ready to sew the long strips on the opposite sides of the center squares. Make sure the long strips match the strips you’ve already sewn onto the squares.

The again, who says your strips have to match — just sayin’…….

6. Head over to your iron again and press those blocks one more time — now our blocks done. That was fast, wasn’t it?

7. I just clipped my flannel-backed tablecloth up on my fabric storage cubes, which is my new design wall. I have to hang it sideways because it’s too long to hang up and down. And because this quilt is so big, I’m going to need to lay it out sideways, too. Fingers crossed that the tablecloth is long enough (or wide enough because it’s hung sideways) to lay out all the blocks.

How do you lay out your blocks before sewing them together? When I first started quilting, I used to lay my blocks out a cement floor. Yikes! Then for a really long time, I laid them out on a queen sized bed, which accommodated most of the quilts I made and saved some stress on my knees and my back. Now I have my very own portable design wall, otherwise known as a flannel-backed tablecloth. And it works great!

So, while we’re laying out the blocks according to the quilt diagram on the back of the pattern, go ahead and move the blocks around so fabrics and colors are well-distributed throughout the entire quilt.

Then once we’re satisfied with our layouts (yay — all the blocks fit on the flannel tablecloth!), it’s time to sew them into rows. Then we will sew the rows together. Quilt top done! Easy piezy!

I am so pleased with how my Alassio top turned out! I can’t wait to get it layered with pretty autumn-themed fleece, machine quilted, bound, and labeled so I can start enjoying it right away!

Alassio finishes faster because it doesn’t have a border, but if you want to make the quilt larger, you could add a border. It would look kind of like this:

This version of Alassio features a 4 1/2″ finished border. With this border, Alassio would finish at 64″ x 82″, which fits a twin bed or makes a nice big comfy throw.

To make Alassio with the border, you need 1 1/4 yds for the border (cut 8 strips that are 5″ x WOF) and a total of 5/8 yard (cut 8 strips that are 21/2″ x WOF) for binding.

Isn’t this a great quilt? Bet you can’t make just one!

I’d love to see your Alassio quilts! You can share them on our Villa Rosa Designs Facebook group page.

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Think Fall Quilts. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Panel Quilts · Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD October Sky Panel Quilt Tutorial

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Today is a kind of blah day — raining off and on, overcast, and grey — not what I’d call a typical summer day at all. It’s been looking more fall-like here in NW PA. In fact, I was looking at one of the maple trees in the back yard yesterday and I actually saw the leaves starting to change on ends of several branches. As much I hate to see summer going, I do love autumn. What’s your favorite season?

As I’ve mentioned before, I get fall fabrics on my brain this time of year! Then I can’t wait to start making fall quilts. What better day than a dreary one to share an awesome FALL tutorial with you? And you can’t get more fall than October Sky!

Get October Sky HERE

October Sky VRD Tutorial

Don’t let the name of the pattern fool you — you can use any kind of horizontal panel — any one your little hear desires. I’m not using actual fall fabrics for this quilt, but to me, it still feels like a fall quilt. I think it’s the jewel-tone colors. Take a look at these yummy fabrics from Hoffman California Fabrics, one of our quilting partners. The digital panel is called Nightshade and the fabrics are coordinating 1895 Watercolors batiks. Simply scrumptious!

Let’s get started!

1. Trim the selvages off your panel. Horizontal panels can vary slightly so it doesn’t hurt to do a quick measurement of your panel, then you’ll know how it compares to the pattern. You don’t really need these numbers right now, but if your panel is not as wide as the pattern, you will need to make a small adjustment a bit later in the construction process.

2. Cut your border strips for the top and bottom of the panel and sew them on.

3. Now we are going to cut out the squares for the pieced sections at the top and bottom of the panel. I just love these 1895 Watercolors batiks — they go with everything. The dark plum in front is my background.

4. Time to make some Half Square Triangles, or HSTs. Layer 2 squares right sides together, drawn a diagonal line from corner to opposite corner. Sew 1/4″ away from both sides of the drawn line. Cut apart on the drawn line and press open.

5. Having a flannel board — or in my case, the back of a flannel tablecloth clipped to my wall cube unit — to arrange the HSTs makes getting the arrangement right the first time much easier to accomplish.

6. Sew the HSTs together. Make 2 identical pieced sections. You will be flipping one upside down to sew t the bottom of the panel. It makes an interesting design even without the panel in the middle though, doesn’t it?

7. Refer back to your panel measurements. If your panel is not as wide as the panel measurement in the pattern, you may need to add a little extra width to the side background rectangles. To be on the safe side, I added an extra 1″ or so to the side rectangles just to make sure my pieced sections would be wide enough because my panel wasn’t quite the same size as the one listed in the pattern.

It’s okay if the side rectangles make the pieced sections a little wider than the panel — you can trim and square things up in a later step.

8. The most important part of this step is to find the centers of both the pieced sections and the panel. Then match those centers up before sewing because nobody wants off-center sunbursts! LOL!

Once you’re happy with your placement (I used pins to keep everything lined up just right), sew the pieced sections onto the panel. Lookin’ good!

9. Now it’s time to trim and square up the sides of the pieced sections. Ahhh! Much better!

10. Time to add top and bottom borders. I actually increased the width of my borders a couple inches to make the quilt just a little bit bigger as a throw. Do the same if you’d like. Just keep in mind, you might need more fabric if you increase the width of your borders.

11. Ready to add those side borders now? You will need to piece those side borders to make them long enough. VOILA! The top is done!

Since I couldn’t get the breeze to cooperate with me, I took another photo of the October Sky out flat. Gorgeous, isn’t it? The colors are so rich and yummy.

12. The next steps will be layering, quilting, binding, and labeling the quilt. And then….another VRD quilt DONE!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I’d love to see your October Sky quilts — you can post them on our Facebook page HERE or drop me an email if you’d like. And there will be more fun VRD tutorials coming, so stay tuned!

Well, that’s it for me. See you next week!

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

Hanging Out with our Quilting Partners!

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I thought it would be fun to share with you some behind-the-scenes VRD stuff. I know I’ve mentioned our quilting partners before and you can see a list of our partners along the right side of the blog along with links. Today I thought it would be cool to show you some of the projects we’ve been doing with our partners.

Hoffman California Fabrics

We’ve been working with Hoffman for a while now and I’m excited to share a recent Hoffman catalog where you can find some of our Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns featured. Check out Addison and Bee’s Knees on page 18 and Beaded and Cross Stitched on page 21, all in the CongoBay collection by designer McKenna Ryan.

lookbook-congobaypotsDownload

You can check out our Villa Rosa Designs collection of Hoffman fabrics available on our website HERE.

Here are the links to the featured patterns:

Addison

Bee’s Knees

Beaded

Cross Stitched

And you can visit Hoffman fabrics HERE. Check out the fabrics in the CongoBay collection HERE.

The new Fall catalogs will be coming soon, so stay tuned. Don’t forget to ask for Hoffman Fabrics at your local quilt shop.

FreeSpirit

We’re working on a new and exciting project with FreeSpirit! And I’m thrilled to say it’s available at your local quilt shops right now! Here are the 4 VRD patterns featured with the Tim Holtz Abandoned Spark Pack. This Spark Pack includes a set of 10 fat quarters and you can use any of the 4 VRD patterns with the Spark Pack. How cool is that???

Here’s the vido showing the quilts and talking about Spark Packs.

You can get all 4 quilt patterns for $7.50 HERE and can shop our VRD Tim Holtz fabrics HERE.

You can visit FreeSpirit Fabrics HERE and get to know Tim Holtz and his collections HERE.

Keepsake Quilting

We’ve been working with Keepsake Quilting, to pair their fabric collections with our Rose Card patterns to make great kits. You can check out their current catalog to see our Fernanda pattern paired with the Hocus Pocus collection to create an awesome Halloween quilt kit on page 11.

You can find the Hocus Pocus Fernanda kit HERE.

There are many other VRD Rose cards available at Keepsake Quilting, so make sure you check out their current offerings HERE.

You can find our Rose Card pattern Fernanda HERE.

Blank Quilting

Recently, we’ve been pairing some of the new Blank Quilting fabric collections with our Rose Card patterns. What a lot of fun it is working closely with fabric companies to use our patterns to make their fabrics shine. Or maybe it’s using their new fabric collections to make our patterns shine? I think it’s a little of each. LOL! Anyway you look at it, it’s a win-win for everyone!

Check out these awesome quilts featuring fabric collections from Blank Quilting.

Al a Carte in Modern Abstraction

Splendor in Modern Abstraction

You can check out Blank Quilting’s Modern Abstraction fabrics HERE.

Bedazzled in Whimsy Daisical 2

Mountains in Whimsy Daisical 2

You can check out Blank Quilting’s Whimsy Daisical 2 fabrics HERE or visit the Blank Quilting website for more info HERE.

Studio E

Studio E is a fairly new quilting partner and we’re really glad to be working together! Like with Blank Quilting, we’ve been pairing some of our patterns with their new collections. Check out these awesome quilts!

Foxfire in Squeeze the Day

Check out Squeeze the Day HERE.

Eazy Piezy in Pollen Nation

Gingersnap in Pollen Nation

Check out the Pollen Nation fabrics HERE.

You can check out all the great Studio E fabrics HERE.

Benartex

We’ve been working with Benartex this year and it’s been really fun matching up our patterns to their fabrics. Here are some of our collaborative designs:

Grand Prize in A Heart Led Life

Waverly in A Heart Led Life

2M in Bali Tropical Retreat

Geneva in Bali Tropical Retreat

Dulcie in Bali Tropical Cove

Folklore in Bali Tropical Cove

Biscotti in Barnyard Rules

Candy Land in Barnyard Rules

Fish and Chips in Barnyard Rules

Planters (purchase)

Planters in Barnyard Rules

Gingersnap in Begins with Mum

Magic Show in Begins with Mum

Gingersnap in Cherry Hill

Discovery in Chillin’ and Grillin’

Pumpkin Pie in Chillin’ and Grillin’

Baby Goose in Cottontail Farms

Busy Bee in Cottontail Farms

Cherish in Enjoy the Ride

Cool Water in Enjoy the Ride

Foxfire in Enjoy the Ride

Kaleidoscope in Enjoy the Ride

Hartford in Gilded Feathers

Snow Ruby in Gilded Feathers

Lollipop in Happy Heart

Painted Moon in Happy Heart

Liberty Bell in Live, Love, Camp

Ahoy in Live, Love, Camp

Bear Hugs in Love You Fur-Ever

Kit and Caboodle in Love You Fur-Ever

Biscotti in Love Ewe More

Eazy Piezy in Love Ewe More

Grand Prize in Parrot Habitat

San Julian in Rooville

White Cloud in Rooville

Alassio in Sail Away

Fernanda in Sail Away

Ripple Runner in Sail Away

Estrella in Shangri-La

Honor in Shangri-La

Carnival Glass in Simply Blessed

Daybreak in Simply Blessed

Discovery in Simply Blessed

Playdate in Simply Blessed

Double Delight in Transparency

Lattice in True Romance

Beatrice in Venetian Marble

Cidermill in Venetian Marble

Addison in Whispering Lilies

You can visit Benartex HERE.

And please don’t forget to ask for these wonderful fabrics at your local quilt shop as well as our Villa Rosa Designs Rose Cards. Support your local quilt shops! If you don’t ask, you local shop owner doesn’t know, so ask away!

Just keep quilting!

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

NEW VRD Rose Cards for August and a VRD Rose Card Tutorial for Steppin’ Up

rosecards2 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Boy, do I have some fun things to share with you this week! Like NEW PATTERNS, for one. And a NEW TUTORIAL for this month’s table runner pattern, Steppin’ Up. So buckle up and get ready for some VRD fun!

First up is our New August Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns! Check ’em out!

What a great variety of patterns, don’t you think? You can order all five Rose Cards HERE for the super low price of $8.95.

Here’s my latest table runner Rose Card pattern — Steppin’ Up. Isn’t it fun?

You can get the Steppin’ Up Rose Card HERE.

Keep reading for a tutorial for Steppin’ Up as the blocks are a tad tricky.

Don’t forget that we also offer digital patterns for most of our Rose Cards patterns. This is great if you’re a techie quilter or if you live outside the USA. You can find individual digital patterns HERE, unfortunately there aren’t any of the card sets as digital bundles.

There are even some great kits still available for the NEW August Rose Cards —

Marsala

Circus Time

Sorry, but kits for Steppin’ Up, Mira Costa, and Pots and Pans are already out of stock at the moment, so make sure you check back later.

All right! Let’s get to our Steppin’ Up tutorial.

VRD Steppin’ Up Tutorial

Since I’ve been wanting to do something with an autumn theme (Yes, Gaynel, you were right!), I grabbed some great prints out of my stash. I think you’ll really like how Steppin’ Up looks with a seasonal twist. I’m now thinking Christmas might be fun, too….

Step 1: Time to gather up your fabrics for Steppin’ Up. For the cover runner, I chose fun brights with black and white, but for this version I chose a brown tonal and a cream dot to go with my fall fabrics. The most important thing in selecting fabric for this runner is to have high contrast between the light and the dark.

Step 2: Go ahead and trim your print squares and then cut your print squares into triangles. Cut on one diagonal to make 2 triangles out of each square.

Step 3: Now it’s time to cut our light fabric into squares and then cut the larger squares on both diagonals to make 4 smaller triangles out of each larger square.

Oops! I just looked over at the pattern beside me and I see I did the dark first and then the light in the directions and when I did the tutorial steps, I did the light first followed by the dark. Mea culpa! I hope switching the order of the light and dark won’t confuse anyone….

Step 4: Next we’re going to cut the dark fabric into 2 different sized squares and cut each larger square on both diagonals so we get 4 smaller triangles from each square.

Step 5: Yay you! All your fabrics are cut for the blocks. I don’t usually cut my border strips until after I’ve pieced the center. That way, I can measure my quilt just in case my measurements might be a tad different than the designer who wrote the pattern.

BLOCK 1

Step 6: Let’s make Block 1. I’m going to break this into smaller steps so it’s a bit easier to follow.

Image A. See how my light triangle is sitting up against my dark square with the slanted side (the hypotenuse) facing towards the top left? Once your pieces look like this, then carefully flip the brown square over on top of the triangle with the right sides together.

Image B and C. Go ahead and sew along that straight side using your 1/4″ seam. Open up the unit and press (I usually just finger press as I’m assembling a block).

Image D and E. Now we’re going to sew a light triangle to the right side of the dark square. Once your pieces look like this, then go ahead and carefully flip the triangle over on top of the brown square, with the right sides together. Go ahead and sew using your 1/4″ seam.

Image F. Open the unit and press. Repeat for the rest of your dark squares and light triangles.

IMAGE A
IMAGE B
IMAGE C
IMAGE D
IMAGE E
IMAGE F

Step 7: Here’s my favorite part of assembling these rectangular blocks — sewing the print triangles on! This really makes the blocks a lot more fun.

Image A and B. Turn your Block 1 unit on its side like you see in the photo. Choose a print triangle and place it on the left as shown. Carefully flip the unit over on top of the triangle, lining up the bottom straight edge (you should have about a 1/4″ triangle overhang at the top). Sew using your 1/4″ seam. Open and press.

Image C and D. Go ahead and repeat for the right side.

Image E. Here is a completed Block 1.

IMAGE A
IMAGE B
IMAGE C
IMAGE D
IMAGE E

BLOCK 2

Step 8. Are you ready to make Block 2? This time we are using light squares and dark triangles. The placement of the triangles is different than in Block 1.

Image A and B. Notice how the dark triangle is laid out for Block 2 with the slanted side pointing to the bottom left. Once your pieces look like this, go ahead and flip your light square over on top of your dark triangle, with right sides together. Sew using your 1/4″ seam. Open the unit and press.

Image C. Lay a dark triangle on the right side of the light square as shown. Then flip the dark triangle over on top of the light square, with right sides together. Sew using your 1/4″ seam.

Image D. Oops! Take a look at the bottom unit in the photo — I sewed the right dark triangle on wrong. Oh dear….time to unsew and try it again.

Image E. Got it right the second time. Open the unit and press. Repeat for the rest of your light squares and dark triangles.

IMAGE A
IMAGE B
IMAGE C
IMAGE D
IMAGE E

Step 9: Now let’s get Block 2 finished! Grab the rest of your print triangles.

Image A and B. Turn the Block 2 unit on its side and place a print triangle on the left. Flip the unit over on top of the print triangle, right sides together, and lining up the edge. Sew using your 1/4″ seam. Open and press.

Image C. Repeat for the right side. Open and press.

Image D. YAY! Block 2 is now done.

IMAGE A
IMAGE B
IMAGE C
IMAGE D

Step 10: Yay! You made it through the hardest part of putting this runner together. Now it’s time to alternate Blocks 1 and 2, arranging them until you are satisfied. Once you like what you see, sew your blocks together. (A few of my blocks were AWOL when I snapped this photo, but I found them in a couple minutes — they didn’t get very far.)

Step 11: Measure your quilt through the center horizontally and cut 2 border strips to this length, piecing your strips together as needed. Then sew the borders on the long sides of the runner. (My errant blocks were added to the end before I sewed on the long borders.)

Step 12: Now measure your runner through the center vertically and cut 2 border strips to this measurement. Sew the borders to the short sides of the runner.

Step 13: Layer, quilt, and bind your table runner. Don’t forget your label.

Step 14: Enjoy!

Interested in more VRD tutorials? You can check out our tutorials to date on the blog HERE.

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Just Quilty Stuff · Quilt Stories · Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

A Sisterhood of Quilters Who Can’t Get Enough Villa Rosa Design Rose Card Patterns

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday!

Week after week, I’ve been showing the wonderful, fast, and fun to make Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns. Patterns are great, but I got to thinking it would be fun to share photos of some of these rockin’ Rose Card patterns with you.

I have an amazing group of quilters that LOVE LOVE LOVE VRD Rose Card patterns. We meet once a month at our local quilt shop from March through December — we skip January and February because winters here in NW PA can be a little unpredictable. We call it a class, but it’s more like a quilt slumber party every month with friends, snacks, and quilts. If you’re a VRD enthusiast and you have friends who are also hooked on Rose Cards, then why haven’t you created your own VRD group??? Just sayin’….

Let me tell you about my VRD group. We’ve actually had this group going for a really long time. In the past, we did sampler quilts, small projects, rulers, and many other topics. We’ve always welcomed new quilters into our midst and most return to the group year after year.

There are so many things I love about this group of women. They welcome newbies in and take them under their wings. Everyone helps everyone. We share quilting tips and tricks as well the joys and sorrows of our lives. We laugh, eat, and catch up every month. When I was laid up after getting my knee replacement, one of the group even stepped up and led the June project. I am humbled and inspired by this group of strong women. We are so much more than simply a “class” — we are a sisterhood of quilters.

Last year (2022) after a couple years of requests by several in the group, I finally agreed to do a year of Rose Cards. So in 2022, we did a “Year of Table Runners”. It was a lot of fun and really whetted everyone’s appetites for more. So for this year (2023) we are doing a “Year of Panels and Novelty Fabrics”.

I thought it would be fun to share some of the incredible work being made by these extraordinary women. So here’s to my ladies — Mary Lee, Sherry, Gaynel, Robin, Kim, Lisa, Anita, Debbie, Jean, Donna, Missi, and our fearless shop owner, Gail.

Sit back and enjoy the quilt show!

Table Runner Rose Cards You See in the Photos Above:

Belle Amie

Coffee Break

Dapper

Ice Jam

Lattice

Leaf

Peppermint & Holly

Pinwheel Picnic

Unfurled

Whirly Bird

Panels and Novelty Rose Cards You See in the Photos Above:

Amen

Bohemia

Daring Spirit

Hypnotized

Let’s Eat

Splendor

Rose Card projects yet to come — Baby Goose, October Sky, and Season’s Greetings

I really hope you enjoyed these wonderful wonderful quilts! And I hope you find inspiration to make and finish your own Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card quilts. Or maybe try a new VRD pattern…..

Keep on quilting and I’ll see you next week!

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Just Quilty Stuff · Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

Summertime Quilting and a Little English Paper Piecing (EPP)

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Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday!

Quilting in the summer. Do you find it as hard to do as I do? Do you get the summer sewing blues or are you a year-round quilting dynamo?

For me, I start off just fine in May and June, but by July, I’m just not into it anymore. That is until September rolls around, then I can’t wait to fire up my machine and sew, sew, sew with all those wonderful rich autumn fabrics. Over the years, I’ve discovered that I’m basically a three-seasons quilter.

The good news is, there are lots of ideas to keep us sewing all through the summer.

Quiltalongs

Have you thought about joining a Quiltalong? I know that many start in the summer and continue into the fall while others start in January. Check with your local quilt shop, if they don’t have some kind of summer sewalong, there are lots online. Just search for “summer quiltalong” online to see what you find. 🙂

Summer Classes

While you’re at your local shop, why don’t you see what classes they are offering for the summer? Maybe there will be something really fun you can do. Don’t forget that quilt shops are usually air conditioned too which makes sewing a lot more comfortable.

The reason I mention air conditioning is that my basement dungeon studio isn’t air conditioned. I have to rely on a couple fans to move the air around. This does not help me feel motivated to sew, instead it makes me feel motivated to take a nap. LOL!

Small Projects

I really don’t think summertime is the time of year to work on big projects, unless you really have to. It’s better to stick to smaller projects so that you can fit your quilting around your summer activities and still finish some of your projects. Place mats, table runners, wall quilts, pot holders, mug rugs and more are wonderful summer projects. You could even work on some small items for Christmas gifts, if you were so inclined.

Here are some of our smaller Villa Rosa Designs Rose Cards, perfect for summer sewing:

Get Mary Jane HERE

Get Amanda Jane HERE

Get Tabitha Jane HERE

Get Let’s Eat HERE

Get Slice of Summer HERE

Get Berry-Licious HERE

There are tons more fun and fast Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns HERE.

Shop Hops

Shop Hops are often in the summer, so make sure you join your local Hop. You won’t regret it. Take a friend or two and make it a quilting buddy adventure.

Maybe your local shop is sponsoring a bus for the Shop Hop? If so, don’t hesitate — ride the bus. Then you can just focus on having fun and no one has to worry about driving or navigating or getting lost.

It’s a good idea to have a list of things you are looking for with on a Shop Hop or you will find yourself tempted by every pretty thing you see.

Take Along Projects — English Paper Piecing (EPP)

Maybe you do a lot of traveling in the summer. Do you have a take a small sewing project along? My favorite go-to project for travel is my Hexies. Are you familiar with Hexies?

Hexies are (of course) fabric pieces cut into a hexagon shape that you sew together. You can sew Hexies together by machine, but that is definitely NOT for beginners. Sewing hexagons together by hand, now, that’s something most people can do. Have you ever tried it?

There are several different ways to sew Hexies, but I like to use the English Paper Piecing (EPP for short) technique to sew my Hexies together.

Here’s a great video tutorial by quilter Carolina Moore about the basics of English Paper Piecing:

I couldn’t find her book Learn to English Paper Piece from the video, so I am guessing it’s out of print now, but I was excited to see that she has a brand new Paper Piecing book coming out next month in August! Woohoo!

You can pre-order Carolina’s new book HERE.

EPP really is a great project to take along with you when you’re on the go. The supplies can fit in a small bag — wouldn’t it be super cute to make a little bag for your EPP out of EPP??? Depending on your bag, it might actually slip down into your purse or tote too. You can even take them with you on that Shop Hop you’re going on!

The supplies you need for EPP are pretty simple and easy to find. You probably already have most of them lurking in your sewing area:

  1. Paper or plastic templates in your desired shape/size
  2. Fabric shapes that are larger than your paper pieces
  3. Thread, needle, thimble
  4. Small scissors
  5. (Optional) Fabric glue stick if you are going to glue your Hexies like in Carolina’s video
  6. Something to store your supplies in

These Hexie paper templates are currently my favorite find:

Get your 1 1/2″ Hexie papers HERE.

Do you see the hole in the center of the paper Hexie? Do you know what that hole is for? Snaps to you if you do! If not, let me tell you about it.

When you place your paper Hexie in the center of your fabric hexagon shape, you can use a straight pin in that hole to hold the paper Hexie on the fabric so the paper templates doesn’t slide as you work you way around the paper Hexie, either sewing or gluing the edges. One time I bought a set of paper templates without the holes, and boy did I regret it — I ended up punching a hole in each and every one in the package. Sadly, my hole punch wasn’t exactly big enough so my holes are all off center, which means that sometimes I run into my center straight pin while sewing around the Hexie. Ugh, not fun.

Once upon a time, when everyone was going wild for Hexies, Moda and other fabric companies were making precut fabric Hexies. They weren’t hard to come by back then and totally sped the EPP process up because you didn’t have to cut out the Hexies — you just started sewing. Sadly, you don’t find them around very often anymore. Bummer.

Here’s a precut pack from Kona cottons, if you’re interested. I found them HERE.

English Paper piecing isn’t just for Hexies, though. You can use the technique to sew lots of other shapes, too. And when you mix and match different shapes together, you can create some amazing EPP quilt blocks!

You could try Pentagons —

Or Elongated Hexies, which are kind of funky —

Maybe you’re more into Octagons —

Who wouldn’t want to make some Dresden Plates —

These are just a few of the fun EPP shapes out there. So, you’ll probably never get bored with EPP unless of course you’re trying to make a California King Size quilt entirely by hand with EPP. Good luck, you crazy quilter, you!

Me, I keep things simple and only do Hexies. Those other shapes scare me! LOL! Mostly I make small projects with my Hexies like small table mats, runners, and other little things.

I do have a doll quilt I made with small Hexies (I don’t know what I was thinking, really). I think they are 1/2″ Hexies, by the way. Because it was my take-along project, it literally took me years to make the top. I think I started it in 2010? But that’s okay, I don’t usually have any specific deadlines for my EPP projects.

I’ve been trying to hand quilt my little Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt now (for years…) but let me tell you, hand quilting is really not my thing. Not at all. I bow down to all of you hand quilters out there.

It’s funny but I have many little bags and boxes with EPP Hexies all ready to grab and go. Maybe a little excessive, but then again, I always have an EPP project….or two….or three going and ready so I can just grab it, pop it in my bag and off I go. Below you can see the EPP bag I am sew in love with right now! My quilting pal, Mary Lee, made this great zip bag for my birthday after I hinted very strongly. LOL! Thanks, Mary Lee!

It’s an byannie.com pattern — Double Zip Gear Bag 2.0. You can find the pattern HERE.

Sigh…..if only that ginormous bed quilt would magically fit into a cute little bag so I could tote it around and finish the binding….

Well, that’s it from me. Stay cool and keep on quilting this summer!

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Just Quilty Stuff · villa rosa designs

14 Ways to Motivate Yourself Out of Your Quilting Slump

rosecards2 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday!

I’m sitting here thinking that I’m long overdue for some quality time with my sewing machine. Of course, my recent knee replacement has put a lot of things on hold for the last 7 weeks, but every day I’m doing more and more. Just last week, I gingerly tackled the 13 steps from the first floor of the house to the basement, where my dungeon quilting studio lives. Piece of cake! Now I feel like I can take on the world!

Sewing and quilting — here I come! I even fired up my machine for a little sewing R&R. How about that? I’ve got SO many things I want to make, but now I’m wondering where to start??? In a way, you could say I’ve been in a kind of sewing slump. Maybe you can relate?

So, I started thinking about things that would motivate me back into quilting and sewing. And I thought I’d share my list with you. Please note that I added lots of fun links in this post.

1. Get Your Sewing Machine Serviced

This may seem like a no-brainer, but I bet a lot of you haven’t done this for a long time. There’s nothing like getting your machine back and it”s bright and shiny just like when you first bought it. You really should get your machine serviced at least every couple years, but if you are a heavy sewist/quilter, every year is better. Have you ever seen how much fuzz thread makes when you sew? Where do you think it goes — right down into your machine. This fuzz can harm your machine if it isn’t removed regularly.

2. Organize, Clean, and Purge Your Sewing Space

Put things away. Donate what you don’t want. Dust. Clean. Fold your fabrics neatly. Purge your stuff and only keep what you need and really want. Channel your own inner Marie Kondo….

Get the book that started it all!

Or maybe this one’s more your style:

Get Organizing Solutions…..

3. Rearrange Your Sewing Space

After you’re done organizing, cleaning, and purging your sewing area, try rearranging it to give it a fresh look and maybe make it function more efficiently for your needs. You might need to recruit helpers to move large or heavy items around.

A great book to help you make your dream space into a reality!

4. Upgrade your Sewing Space

Maybe some new paint, flooring, a new rug? Or a really amazing sewing table. What would really motivate you to spend more time in your space?

Look at this cool country rug I found! It looks like a quilt!

Check it out!

5. Visit Your Local Quilt Shops or Go on a Shop Hop

Sometimes finding a new fabric or fat quarter bundle or set of Charm Squares can inspire you to get back to sewing and quilting. I also just find walking in the door of my 2 local shops to be inspiring! All the colors, fabrics, samples, precuts, and chaos really speaks to me.

Have you ever tried a Shop Hop? If you’re not sure what a Shop Hop is, let me tell you about it. A Shop Hop is a group of quilt shops usually in one area (but it could also be an online shop hop with shops all over). The participating shops choose a time frame. You may need to get a special Shop Hop passport to participate. There are usually special sales, snacks, and prizes! A Shop Hop is also a great way to do something really fun with your best quilting friends, which is inspiring all by itself.

6. Buy a New Book or Pattern

While you’re at the quilt shop, pick up a new book or pattern that you find exciting and inspiring. Maybe something that just came out and you’ve never seen before….

I bought this one right when it came out. It’s got some great projects AND you can even use your stash. Get the book HERE.

7. Buy Yourself a New Gadget, Ruler, Notion, or Even Something Silly

This is similar to buying a new book or pattern, but a bit different too. Maybe making a Double Wedding Ring quilt is on your bucket list. What are you waiting for? It’s time to buy a set of templates and just get started. Maybe you can sign up to take a class at your local shop?

Double Wedding Ring Templates

Or maybe you’re dying to get one of those adorable little retro PINK drink fridges on Amazon for your sewing space so you don’t have to keep running to the kitchen? Go for it!

Retro Mini Drink Fridge

8. Fill in Your VRD Rose Card Collection

You know you want to…..how many Rose Cards do you have? How many do you need to complete your collection? WAHOO! Villa Rosa just hit the over 600 Rose Cards in print (or digital of you prefer), so you’d better get cracking.

You can order physical Rose Cards HERE or digital download Rose Cards HERE.

9. Organize Your Rose Cards

I know we’ll talked about storing and organizing your Rose Cards before. If you haven’t done that yet, let me tell you that it is a very satisfying process. I LOVE seeing my Rose Cards all happily nestled in their plastic storage boxes (like recipe boxes) in perfect order alphabetical order. Things are starting to get a little tight in my 3 boxes, so I’m thinking it’s time to add a 4th box and spread them out a little bit.My boxes are all clear, but now they come in fun colors!

Get yours HERE.

Haven’t organized your cards yet? Then feel free to check out these posts for ideas:

Squeezing in More Quilting Time and Rose Card Storage

My Go-To VRD Rose Card Quilt Patterns and My VRD Rose Card Storage Update

10. Schedule Sewing Time with Your Bestie

I really like the peace and quiet of working by myself, but there is nothing as awesome as having a sewing day (or even a week end) with your quilting buds. You could all work on your own projects, or for a lot more fun — choose a project that you all can make, using your own fabrics. You’ll be amazed at how different your projects look when they are finished, even though you all used the same pattern.

11. Go on a Quilting Retreat

A quilting retreat is a lot like sewing with your bestie, only on a bigger scale. I used to love going on week end retreats, but I found I didn’t sleep well in a different bed. So, these days, daytime retreats would be more my style so I can sleep nights in my own bed.

12. Host a Fabric and/or a UFO Exchange

Looking to freshen up your stash without breaking the bank? Why don’t you organize a UFO or fabric exchange with a group of friends or even your quilt guild. It takes a little organizing and some simple rules — for example, you must take home as many items as you bring. But what fun everyone will have!

13. Start With a Small Project — Pillow, Doll Quilt, Wall Quilt, Table Runner, Place Mats, Etc.

Most folks don’t want to jump into a big project when they’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from quilting. Try something small!. We have great table runner patterns and really fun accessory patterns, too. You might be wondering what accessories are because it’s kind of an ambiguous word. Well, our VRD accessory patterns include aprons, pillows, bags, scarves, purse essentials and more.

Find all our table runners HERE

Find all our accessory patterns HERE.

14. Make Something for Someone Else

Sometimes, you just need to make something for someone else to find your quilting groove again. You could make a quilt for a loved one or a friend or even a favorite pet. You could also put your quilting skills (and maybe quilt stash) to work to help a charitable organization. There are literally tons of organizations who would be delighted to receive a quilt from you that they can gift to someone or perhaps raffle off to raise funds for a specific project.

Here is a list of charities to get you started. I know there are a lot more, so if you don’t see your favorite organization, please give us the information by leaving a comment on this post. Thank you.

Quilts of Valor Foundation

Quilts of Honor

Project Linus

Quilts for Kids

Wrap Them in Love

Quilts Beyond Borders

Ronald McDonald Charities

Victoria’s Quilts

The Giving Quilt, Inc.

Operation Shower

Wrap a Smile Quilts

Binky Patrol

My Very Own Blanket

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

AZ Blankets for Kids

Quilts of Compassion

Well, that’s it for me today. I’m going to try to sneak off to my quilting studio and spend some quality time with my sewing machine….

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia

Rose Cards · Tips and Tricks · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

July’s NEW Rose Card Patterns and VRD Crazy Stars Table Runner Tutorial

rosecards4 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

BIG NEWS today! With last Friday’s release of our brand new July 2023 Rose Card patterns, we now have over 600 patterns in our catalog!!!

Put on your party hats! Cue the confetti! Blow that party horn!

WAY TO GO, VILLA ROSA DESIGNS!!!

LET’S CELEBRATE!!!

Here are July’s Brand New AWESOME AMAZING SPECTACULAR FANTASTIC Rose Card Patterns:

You can get all 5 regular patterns, above, for the special low price of $8.95 HERE.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!!

This month, we have TWO NEW Table Runners! Wahoo!!!

You can get Flower Market HERE and you can get Crazy Stars HERE.

Hey! Did you know you can get each month’s new Rose Card patterns delivered right to your mailbox???

You can go HERE to sign up to get the 5 regular patterns each month

Or,

You can go HERE to sign up to get the 5 regular patterns plus table runners each month.

And, don’t forget shipping for Rose Card patterns is always free.

VRD Crazy Stars Table Runner Tutorial

I thought it might be helpful to everyone if I did a tutorial of my new table runner, Crazy Stars. It was hard to figure out how to illustrate the pattern so it made sense. And, because I don’t trust my humble illustrations, I am going to show you step by step how to make the stars in Crazy Stars.

Step 1 The first thing you need to do is divide your charm squares into 4 stacks — one stack for each star. If you find that the colors end up a bit uneven, you can always add a few squares from your stash or even cut them from fat quarters or yardage.

Step 2 Layer a print charm square right sides together on top of a background square.

Step 3 Now the fun begins! Next use a ruler and draw a line from the bottom edge to the right edge. Place the ends of your diagonal line anywhere you’d like on those edges. Sew on the drawn line. Then open the unit and press towards the print square.

Step 4 Layer another print charm square right sides together on top of the background square. You will need to carefully line up the left and top edges. Please note you will see the right side of your first Star point square, just ignore it for now.

Step 5 Draw a diagonal line from the left edge to the bottom edge, while ignoring the print square on sticking out on the other side. Then open the unit and press. You will have a weird looking unit somewhat like the one in my photo, but your Star points might look different than mine because we probably started and stopped in different places along the edges.

Step 6 Repeat steps 2-5 to make 4 Star point units for one Crazy Star block.

Step 7 Turn a Star point unit over so that it is right sides down and the back of the unit is facing up. Do you see your background square kind of in the middle of the 2 print squares? Use the background square as your template and cut away the excess Star point print fabrics beyond the background square. Turn the unit right sides up again and you now have a perfect Crazy Star point unit. Trim the other 3 Star point units as well.

Step 8 You can reduce the bulk in each unit if desired. Fold back a star point until you see your stitching. Cut away the excess background and Star point fabrics 1/4″ away from the seam. I used my cutter and a ruler over the seam to protect it while I cut that 1/4″ seam allowance. Open the unit again and do the same thing for the second Star point. Repeat for the other Star point units.

Step 9 Now you have a fun and funky set of Star points to make into one Crazy Star block.

Step 10 Now it’s time to sew your Crazy Star block together like a Nine Patch. You will need 4 Star point units, 4 background squares for the corners, and a center print square.

Step 11 Repeat steps 2-10 to make a total of 4 Crazy Star blocks for the table runner.

Step 12 Then sew your Crazy Star blocks together into a row. You can twist and turn your blocks to see which star arrangement you like the best. Then layer your quilt, quilt it, and bind the edges. Don’t forget your label!

Well, that’s it for me. I hope this tutorial will make it a lot easier for you to put together your own Crazy Star Table Runners. Crazy Star blocks can be a lot of fun to make, so I hope you will give them a try.

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia