Tag: vrd

Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

New August Villa Rosa Rose Card Quilt Patterns and VRD Weave Quilt Tutorial

rosecardsLeave a comment

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

It’s August??? It’s August! How did that happen??? It must have sneaked up behind me when I wasn’t looking….

The good news is that today is the Thursday after the first Friday of a new month! And guess what that means?

Yep, you got it! NEW PATTERNS!

NEW VRD Rose Card Patterns for August

Aren’t they awesome? Definitely something for everyone this month from panel quilts to modern quilts. I bet you’re already picking which ones you’re going to make, am I right? I must confess that Drizzle rather fascinates me and I am looking forward to giving it a try soon. Hmm, a new tutorial, perhaps? Or maybe several as all of the new patterns are great.

I know I probably say it every month, but our VRD designers keep surprising me with their innovative, fun, and easy to make patterns.

PSST! Here’s the good news — you can order a set of all 5 print patterns for $8.95 HERE. Sorry, but we do not offer digital sets of patterns at this time unless you sign up for a Pattern Club (see below for more info), but you can peruse all of our digital patterns (including our newest patterns this month) HERE.

But wait! There’s more! Tehehe — you knew I was going to say that.

We have a new table runner and snack mat for August, too.

Here is Honey, my most recent table runner pattern. It is quick and oh so satisfying because it uses many different fabrics. You can get the Honey print pattern HERE or the digital pattern HERE.

A lot of folks have already been asking about the fabric I used for the runner. It’s called Honey & Lavender by Deb Strain for Moda. It is available in quilt shops right now. As the runner uses fat eighths, you can find a fat eighth collection HERE just in case you can’t find it at your local quilt shop, because these fabrics seem to fly right off the shelves.

There’s also a new Snack Mat for August, too.

Awww! Isn’t this the cutest l’il watermelon slice? You can get the print snack mat pattern HERE or the digital snack mat pattern HERE.

Please forgive me for repeating myself, but as we have a lot of new subscribers and blog readers, I thought I’d remind all of you that you can get the new print patterns delivered right to your postal mail box every month if you live the USA.

If you want to get digital patterns every month, YOU CAN TOO!

All you have to do is follow one of the links to the appropriate Club form, below, and select “International” on the form in order to sign up to get digital pattern collections emailed to your inbox every month (you do not have to live outside the USA to sign up for digital patterns).

HERE you will find the form to fill out to sign up to receive the 5 main patterns each and every month (select “International” if you want the digital pattern sets).

OR

HERE you will find the form to fill out to sign up to receive the 5 main patterns in addition to table runners and/or accessory patterns (select “International” if you want the digital pattern sets).

Patterns always ship FREE, too. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and sign up to get your monthly card sets delivered right to your doorstep or your email inbox. Never miss a new pattern!

I hope you enjoyed last week’s post, 11 Awesome Ways to Incorporate Quilts into Your Life. Now that you know what to do with your quilts beyond the basics, let’s make more quilts. YEAH!

Ready for another Summer Quilt Tutorial???

VRD Weave Quilt Tutorial

This being the last month of summer, I was in the mood for a late summer warm and sunny feeling quilt and I think you’ll agree that my version of Running Doe’s Weave quilt pattern certainly feels like an warm hazy lazy August afternoon.

You can get your own print Weave pattern HERE or the digital Weave pattern HERE.

Sit back and enjoy this Weave tutorial.

For my Weave quilt today, I am using fabric from the Garnet Glow Batik Collection by our quilting partners, Hoffman California-International Fabrics.

Did you happen see my Berry-Licious tutorial a while back? I used the same fabric collection for that table runner as I am using for Weave. You can check out the Berry-Licious Table Runner Quilt Tutorial HERE.

Okay, let’s get started!

First thing you need to do is decide how you will arrange your fabrics. As you will see later in the tutorial, I had 6 lighter fat quarters and 6 darker fat quilters so I decided to alternate my lights and darks. This decision influenced how I cut my rectangles because 6 fabrics are cut one way and the other 6 fabrics are cut a different way.

The rectangles are simple to cut with a basic 6″ or 6.5″ x 24″ ruler and an 18″ x 24″ cutting mat. Simply lay the fat quarter out on your mat with the 22″ side horizontal and the 18″ vertical. Cut strips according to the size in the pattern and then cut the strips into rectangles. I was able to comfortably layer 3 fat quarters at a time to cut — do likewise if you feel comfortable.

Did you know that if your rotary cutter starts skipping while you cut, it’s probably time to change your rotary blade?

After cutting all of your fat quarters into rectangles, go ahead and cut your accent fabric into rectangles, too.

Now it’s time to sew the accent strips between matching rectangles. There are actually 2 different rows, so make sure to keep your fabrics straight.

Then press your rows. The middle photo shows my pile of rows ready to get pressed (and maybe untangled! LOL!).

The great news is that it doesn’t really matter which way you press your seams because the seams are all offset when you sew the rows together. This is really great and makes Weave a beginner friendly project.

Just a quick tip — while I was pressing my rows, I folded each row in half and pressed a crease for the center of the row. That way, as I pin the rows together, I can match up the centers so my quilt will come out straight and not skewed or twisted.

The rows are finished, so let’s put the rows up on the design wall. My plan, as I mentioned above is the alternate lighter and darker strips. Huh. A few strips up on my design board and I’m already rearranging.

All the strips are up. Hmm. Not quite. Arrange some more. There are 12 rows in this quilt and I don’t like how the lights and darks are not completely balanced. Back to the drawing board……what can I do now?

Let’s try it again.

AHA! I know what I’m gong to do — I am going to add another light row to the bottom because I always find an odd number more pleasing than an . I have an extra fat quarter for the top row, which would give the illusion of a top/bottom border if they are the same as well as some leftover accent fabric. It would also give me some visual balance with lights at the top and bottom instead of a light at the top and a dark at the bottom. Let’s go with that!

I know it’s hard to visualize right now, but trust me that the extra light strip at the bottom makes all the difference!

If I make this again in the future, I don’t think I’ll try to alternate lights and darks — I think random would probably be easier to put together.

Whew — I wasn’t sure I’d ever figure it out, but boy oh boy, am I glad that I did! Time to sew the rows together before I change my mind.

Remember when I pressed a crease in the center of each row? Now I am going to match up the centers of each row and then smooth the rows all the way to the ends. I put a pin in my center crease, and lined up the outside edges.

See the pin in the second photo, perpendicular to the edge at the end of the row? I think that’s probably the most important pin in the whole pinning the layers process — I keeps the rows square and keeps the rows from sliding and skewing when I am sewing. Thanks, Pat P. for teaching this important little trick to me when I was a beginning quilter.

My plan is to sew the rows into pairs, sew the pairs into quads, and then sew the quads together. I will add the 13th row to the last quad (so it will actually have 5 strips in it before I sew it to the previous quad).

Yay! It too me less time to sew the rows together than it did for me to arrange the rows to my liking. Figures……..

Sorry, Weave is a bit too big for me to show you the whole thing on my design wall.

Let’s go outside!

Here it is — Miss America. Ummmm, maybe not. Seriously, though, here is my Weave quilt top.

I love the warm saturated colors! Maybe I should have picked a slightly darker accent, but I do like its subtlety. It really is a late summer sun-kissed quilt. Now I just need to get it layered so I can quilt it……

Well, I think that’s about it for me this week.

Until next Thursday —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Just Quilty Stuff · villa rosa designs

11 Awesome Ways to Incorporate Quilts into Your Life

rosecardsLeave a comment

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I knew I wasn’t going to have time to do a tutorial for this week because I’ve been working on a couple other projects for VRD, so I started brainstorming about a topic for today’s blog post. Then it occurred to me that I haven’t ever talked about how to incorporate quilts into your life. So it’s about time I explore how to do more than just stack ’em in a corner or toss ’em on a bed. Make yourself a cup of ice cold sweet tea and enjoy a little air conditioning while we delve into Living With our Quilts. Let’s get started!

11 Awesome Ways to Incorporate Quilts into Your Life

1. Embrace Cozy Comfort

Image by Moi

Yep, you CAN put quilts on every bed in your home. Did you ever have any doubts? LOL! Why not transform your sleeping spaces into havens of warmth and style? Quilts are versatile pieces of functional art — they provide comfort and add character to your bedroom!

Go ahead and experiment with different patterns and textures to create your very own unique inviting atmosphere that shows your personal taste. Consider layering quilts of varying weights so you can adapt to changing seasons, ensuring year-round coziness. Lightweight cotton quilts such as hand-stitched Indian Kantha quilts without batting offer breathability for warmer months while options with batting, fleece, and flannel can provide extra warmth during those chilly nights. Don’t be afraid to mix and match colors and designs to refresh your space — make it totally you.

2. Wall Art with a Personal Touch

Image by Moi

Why not embrace your inner quilter and transform your living spaces into vibrant galleries of memories and craftsmanship by showcasing your quilts as wall art? Quilts deserve to be admired daily, not just when adorning a bed so by displaying quilts on your walls, you can create a unique and personal display that tells your story and celebrates the art of quilting.

Consider rotating your quilt displays seasonally to refresh your home’s decor. You can even expand your creativity by exploring different hanging techniques such as decorative quilt hangers, shelves with attached quilt rails, or even tree branches (I personally love birch). What about suspending quilts from rustic wooden beams or even folding them over the rungs of a folksy wooden ladder for a charming farmhouse feel?

3. Snuggle Up in Style

Image by Moi

Isn’t it time to transform your living space into a haven of warmth and comfort by adding quilts? Quilts can add a touch of style to your decor but can also invite you to curl up and relax — isn’t that what we want in our living spaces? Drape a colorful quilt over your favorite armchair to create an instant reading nook, perfect for losing yourself in a good book on lazy afternoons.

Experiment with different textures and patterns to breathe new life into your space — a patchwork quilt (or 2…) can become a focal point or even the start of a new decor style. Why not try layering quilts, especially in the colder months of the year? Every chair or sofa in my living room has at least one quilt folded over the back — just sayin’…….

4. Outdoor Quilting Adventures

Image by Moi

Imagine the joy of spreading your quilt beneath a canopy of stars, or laying it out on a sun-dappled meadow for a perfect picnic. Outdoor adventures can offer unique and special ways to blend your passion for quilting with the beauty of nature.

Consider making weatherproof quilts, designed with durable fabrics and water-resistant backings and you’ll have trusty quilt companions for every outdoor escapade. Imagine the memories you’ll create when you add special quilts into the mix — the laughter of family and friends sharing stories over a picnic feast, or the quiet wonder of pointing out constellations to loved ones on a clear night. Quilts are so much more than simply a “blanket” — quilts can be a canvas for life’s precious moments.

5. Wrap Yourself in Memories

Image by Moi

Memory quilts are tangible pieces of history that can tell our stories. These one of a kind special creations allow us to preserve cherished moments, honor loved ones, and pass down our family legacies. Whether you’re a seasoned quilter or just beginning, creating a memory quilt can be a deeply fulfilling experience.

Have you ever considered making a photo quilt? You can transfer favorite snapshots onto fabric and incorporate your photos into your quilt design. Photo quilts bring your memories to life, allowing you to relive those special moments every time you wrap yourself in the quilt or look at that wall hanging. You can preserve your family’s story as a quilt and pass it down to the next generation.

You could also use clothing from significant events or people in your life to tell your story. Once you decide on a quilt design, you can add these cherished fabrics into a patchwork of nostalgia. For those looking to create a family heirloom, consider incorporating items like handwritten recipes, old letters, or even small trinkets into your quilt design. These personal touches add depth and meaning to your creation, making it a true treasure for generations to come.

Another idea for creating a quilt to remember a special event like a wedding or a birth is to make quilt blocks and have loved ones sign (and date) the blocks. Signers could even write sentiments, good wishes, or advice on the quilt blocks. The center quilt block can detail the information about the special event.

You could even incorporate multiple techniques to create your very own one of a kind unique memory quilt.

6. Quilted Fashion Statements

Image by Moi

Have you embraced the exciting world of quilted fashion yet? Quilted wearables are where tradition meets contemporary style! Quilt jackets are no longer just cozy comforts — they’ve become bold fashion statements. Quilted bags are must-have accessories, combining functionality with artistic flair.

Patchwork fashion even extends beyond jackets and bags. Quilted accessories like scarves, hats, and even shoes are pushing the boundaries of conventional style. These pieces not only keep you warm but also wrap you in wearable art that expresses your individuality. Don’t forget that by donning quilted fashion, you’re not just following a trend, you’re carrying forward a rich heritage of textile artistry into the modern world.

7. Cozy Up Your Workspace

Image by Moi

Transform your home office into a haven of creativity and comfort with the warmth of quilts! Quilts are pieces of art and can add a personal touch to your workspace as well as boost productivity by creating a welcoming atmosphere. Drape a colorful quilt over your office chair or even create a patchwork chair cover for an instant ergonomic upgrade and a pop of personality. Incorporate quilted desk accessories like mouse pads or keyboard wrist rests for both functionality and style.

Did you know that the textures and patterns of quilts can inspire innovative thinking and problem-solving? Go ahead and select designs that resonate with your work ethos – maybe geometric patterns for analytical tasks or floral motifs for creative endeavors. What about hanging a special family quilt on the wall as a reminder of your roots and motivation? Quilts can provide a soothing visual break during intense work sessions.

8. Kid-Friendly Quilt Spaces

Image by Moi

Often when people think of quilts, they think of a quilt for a new baby. Making a quilt for a new baby in the family is a good start, but there is so much more you can do to incorporate quilts into children’s spaces. Decorating with kid-friendly quilts in nurseries, bedrooms, and play spaces can create a warm, inviting atmosphere that sparks imagination and fosters learning.

Vibrant, colorful quilts featuring playful patterns and educational designs can be functional decor as well as interactive tools for young minds. Consider incorporating alphabet quilts that teach letter recognition or number-themed designs to introduce basic counting skills. For playrooms, opt for durable quilt materials that can withstand active play while adding a cozy touch to reading nooks or play areas. Quilts with scenes from favorite storybooks or featuring beloved characters can encourage storytelling and imaginative play. In nurseries, soft, tactile quilts with gentle textures and soothing colors can provide comfort and stimulate sensory development.

Don’t just stop at quilts, though! Show your quilting prowess with quilted toys, blocks, fabric matching games, stuffed toys and dolls and whatever else your can dream up.

9. Holidays and Seasonal Celebrations

Image by Moi

Enjoy every season and holiday with colorful quilts that turn your home into a festive haven. From cozy winter throws sprinkled with snowflakes to spring wall quilts bursting with flowers, quilts can capture the essence of each holiday and special occasion.

Imagine draping your Thanksgiving table with a richly-hued autumn runner, or surprising loved ones with personalized quilted stockings at Christmas. Or a red, white, and blue quilt to cuddle on and watch Independence Day fireworks? These thoughtful creations not only add warmth to your living spaces but also become cherished family heirlooms to be passed down through generations.

Celebrate life’s milestones with quilts — a baby’s first quilt, a graduation memory blanket, or an anniversary piece showcasing a couple’s journey — each stitch tells a unique story. These quilts aren’t just decorations; they’re expressions of love, care, and the artistry of human hands.

10. Quilted Sanctuaries

Image by Moi

Quilts have the power to change ordinary spaces into cozy havens of tranquility. By incorporating quilts into your home, you can create serene retreats that nurture both body and soul.

There are so many ways to use quilts to soften and soothe your world. Imagine a meditation corner with a soft earth-toned quilt, its intricate patterns serving as a focal point for mindfulness practice. Or picture a reading nook enveloped in a vibrant patchwork quilt, inviting you to lose yourself in the pages of your favorite book. Quilted room dividers offer a unique way to define spaces while adding warmth and texture to your environment.

11. Love Your Pets

Image by Moi

Don’t forget about those special furry, feathered, and scaly creatures sharing your space! You can share your quilty love with them, too!

Quilted patchwork coats, collars, and leashes are a must for your trendy companions. What about a soft and cozy bed for your pup or a cage cover for your feathered friend? Just like their people, every pet deserves their own quilt too. Patchwork diaper covers are perfect for indoor tortoise buddies (In case you didn’t know, there is a delightful tortoise in my family named Carl. He is my niece Morgan’s special companion. You might think it’s odd, but Carl is a house tortoise and wears diapers because you can’t exactly potty train a tortoise, hence the idea for quilted diaper covers.).

PSST! Here is Carl celebrating his 9th birthday earlier this year. You can find him on Facebook.

Quilts possess a unique ability to weave their magic into every facet of our lives. From adorning our homes with warmth and beauty to preserving cherished memories, quilts offer far more than mere comfort. They serve as a testament to human creativity, patience, and skill, connecting us to our past while inspiring future generations.

Whether you’re a seasoned quilter, just beginning on your quilting journey, or simply an admirer of these textile treasures, embracing the world of quilts can bring a sense of joy, accomplishment, and connection to your daily life. So, let the vibrant patterns, rich textures, and heartfelt stories of quilts envelop you and your living spaces, enriching your experiences in ways you never imagined possible.

I hope you enjoyed exploring ways to live with your quilts. Go ahead and spread some quilt joy through your world. You know you wanna……….

Until next Thursday —

Sew. Laugh. Love Quilts. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD 31 (Thirty One) Quilt Tutorial

rosecards9 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I’m going to get right to our tutorial today because you are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE today’s quilt! And I can’t wait to show it to you.

31 is our project du jour. It was designed by Molly Cook. You can go HERE to read an interview I had with Molly last year if you’d like to get to know her a little bit. Occasionally she pops onto the blog, but it’s been a while, so I’ll have to remind her she has an open invitation to hang out with us anytime she wants. Isn’t it fun to get to know your favorite VRD designers? I know, I know — I need to get my tush in gear and get some more interviews with our lovely designers, don’t I?

VRD 31 Quilt Tutorial

31 is a fabulous asymmetrical panel quilt design and looks great in pretty much any fabric collection!

This week I’m continuing my “Christmas in July” theme. For this quilt, I’m using the new Holiday Style collection by Satin Moon for our quilting partner, Blank Quilting (in store now). This gorgeous collection is traditional (poinsettias) and modern at the same time (red, pink, black, white, and grey colorway)! Which is probably why I adore it. I’m not a huge fan of woodsy deer and bears and such, but the deer on the panel is lovely and delicate with a Scandi feel. The artwork is beautiful and invites a second and even a third look at all of the details.

And here are the companion fabrics I’m using for 31.

Let’s get to it!

The first thing we need to do is trim the panel to the correct size. I measured my panel and decided to completely remove the printed plaid panel border and start over from scratch. The problem I ran into once I removed the outer part was that my panel ended up a bit small. But never fear — that’s an easy fix we’ll talk about in just a minute.

Now to fix the size issue — I did the math and figured out I needed to add 1/2″ to my side border strips so my panel with the border would end up the correct size. Luckily, the pattern includes the figures to guide you through trimming your panel and adding the panel border. Take your time to make sure your panel with the border will be the right size before moving on.

Please note that if your panel with the border is too small, add another narrow border and then trim it to the correct measurements. Conversely, if your panel with the border is too big, simply trim it to the correct size.

Once I figured out the math for sure, then I cut my borders. I thought it was kind of funny to cut off the grey plaid on the panel only to replace it with a grey plaid border. Silly me, but now the math works out just right.

I sewed my side borders on first and then I sewed my top and bottom borders to the panel after that. And PRESTO! My framed panel was exactly the right measurement because I took the time to figure it out before I cut and sewed. Yay me!

Now let’s cut the rest of the fabric for the quilt.

All set! Background and prints are cut and we’re ready to move on.

Time to make some Half Square Triangles (HSTs)! Believe it or not, but I really like making HSTs — probably because they are building blocks for so many different quilt block patterns.

Layer a background and a print square right sides together (RST) and draw a diagonal line from corner to opposite corner. Using your 1/4″ seam, sew on both sides of the line. Then cut on the line to make 2 HSTs. Easy piezy!

I like to chain piece all my HSTs before I head to my iron to press them. If you are able, press half of each print/background combination seams towards the background and the other half towards the print. This way your HSTs will nestle together, snug as a bug.

After you’ve pressed all of the HSTs, it’s time to square them up and cut off the little dog ears, if needed. I literally just trimmed off slivers to get them to the right size.

Have you ever tried a Bloc Loc ruler for squaring up/trimming your HSTs — there is a little diagonal channel that sits over your seam and keeps everything from moving or sliding around. Very clever ruler that does one thing and does it very well. Of course, there are lots of different square rulers on the market for squaring up HSTs and other blocks. What are your favorites?

Yippee! Now let’s sew our HST’s into Arrow (or Chevron) blocks. Sew 4 matching HSTs together into a Four Patch block, turning the HSTs as shown. This is where having 2 HST seams towards the background and 2 towards the print really comes in handy so that your seams nestle together and help you to have nicer points with less bulk.

Repeat to make all the Arrow blocks for the quilt. Then head over to the iron to give them a good press.

Now sew background rectangles to the top of the Arrow blocks.

Yay! On to one of my favorite parts (sometimes anyway….LOL!) — laying out and arranging the blocks. Now that I use a flannel-backed table cloth hung up in front of my fabric storage cubes, it’s a lot easier than it used to be when I laid my quilts out on a bed. Ugh! When I was a novice quilter (and a lot younger than I am now), I used to lay them out on the floor. Not anymore, thank you!

Lay out the quilt according to the pattern diagram, flipping the Arrow blocks as shown. I played around with my color placement and decided I liked the arrangement in the second photo the best.

Next, let’s sew the blocks together on the right side of the panel. Please note you will need to add a background strip to the top and bottom of the section so that it will fit.

Okay, let’s sew the bottom row of blocks together and then sew the section to the bottom of the panel. Yes, the borders are added in a clockwise fashion instead of adding opposite sides at the same time.

Looking good! Let’s sew a background border strip to the left side next.

The top background border strip is last.

And here it! 31 is done! Isn’t it lovely??? The colors just glow, don’t they???

I am thinking about adding an outer border to make it a bigger throw quilt size, but haven’t quite decided yet. What do you think — should I add another border or finish it as is?

As I am writing this post, I have my 31 quilt top up on my flannel wall so I can just enjoy looking it at. It will stay there until I start my next summer tutorial.

That’s it for me this week.

Happy Summer and Happy Quilting!

Until next Thursday —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Duffy Quilt Tutorial

rosecards6 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Summer time. Summer time. Sum-sum-summertime.

Don’t you just love classic summertime songs, especially from the 1950’s and 60’s? I do! When I was a kid in the summertime, we camped every weekend and probably every Friday and Saturday night we were all hanging out around a campfire with our camping friends, sharing stories and roasting hot dogs, making s’mores and camper pies. We’d have the Saturday night oldies program (Cousin Brucie, I think?) blaring on the radio and we’d all be singing along.

Ahhhhh, those were the days……. Thinking back, my wonderful childhood memories growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s, lead me to yet another classic song, Time in a Bottle.

Image created by moi in Photoshop

I am happy to share that my sewing machine is finally up and running again on my new-to-me Koala Quiltmate III sewing table. YAY! This table is such a better height for little short me (under 5′ 4″ on a tall day) and I feel more comfortable now with my chair lower along with more leg room under the table, too. My old cabinet was lovely but a bit too tall for me and there wasn’t much leg room so I always felt crowded.

Hooray! Let’s hear it for new-to-you sewing tables! OH! I also bought a new cover for my old sturdy sewing chair to freshen it up from its drab 1980’s dark green tweed. Now to finally get the arms taken off my chair which will make “bellying up” to my machine much easier.

Please excuse my mess in the photo, but I am still sorting out my sewing area. I’m getting there….slowly. The important thing is I CAN SEW AGAIN!

Now that I can sewing again, I’m thrilled to put together another Summer Tutorial for you! I chose Duffy for a several reasons —

  1. It’s super quick
  2. I had a new fabric collection from Studio E ready to go
  3. It’s July’s Top Along selection for Running Doe’s 2024 Top Along
  4. Who doesn’t love making Christmas Quilts in July?

Sew, let’s get started!

VRD Duffy Quilt Tutorial

My fabric today is from one of our friends and quilting partners, Studio E — thank you! The collection is called ‘Tis the Season and it is shipping to quilt shops as I write this, so make sure to ask for it at your local quilt shop. Duffy is one of the featured patterns for Studio E’s ‘Tis the Season collection. Pretty cool, huh? VRD is popping up everywhere!

I’m using the gorgeous holiday birdhouse block fabric from the collection for my focal print in the blocks. Lucky me, the square are just the right size.

I don’t usually enjoy making swiss cheese out of my fabric (or, fussy cutting, if you prefer that term), but I didn’t mind with this project because I was cutting the printed blocks out, which really only left bits and pieces of the black swirl fabric between the blocks. I love that I even had a ruler to rotary cut the correct size square for the pattern.

The squares are ready, so let’s cut the rest of the fabrics.

Now it’s time to get down to the business of putting this delightful quilt together!

Please note there are 2 blocks in this quilt — the block is the same, but the fabrics are different in each one. As you make your own quilt, please make sure to keep your fabrics organized.

Let’s make our Flying Geese units for the first block. Layer a square RST on the right side of the Block 1 rectangle. Draw a line from the top left corner of the square to the opposite bottom corner and sew on the line. Cut 1/4″ away from the line. Feel free to save the cutaway triangles for another project (PSST! Sometime in the future I plan to create a pattern using all those cutoff triangles, so tuck them away until then). Open the unit and press towards the triangle.

Okay, let’s make the left side of our Flying Goose unit. Place the square RST on the left side of the rectangle this time. Draw a line from the bottom left corner of the square to the top right corner and sew on the line. Trim 1/4″ away from the line and save your cutoff triangles if you wish. Press open.

Voila! One Flying Goose unit.

Did you know that the center large triangle is the goose while the smaller outside triangles are the wings???

Now we are going to repeat the steps above to make Flying Geese units for the second block.

Check! Flying Geese units for both blocks are done.

Moving on, we are going to start making our quilt blocks. I told you this quilt goes together quickly, didn’t I?

Sew Flying Geese units to the sides (or in my case in the photos, the top and bottom) of the focal print square. I pressed my seams towards the center square.

Next sew Block 1 (OOPS! or 2 in my case — don’t ask me why I did things backwards here….) squares to the ends of 2 Flying Geese units. Then sew to the top and bottom (or sides in my case) of the focal print square. I pressed my seams towards the center. Make 6 Block 1s.

Okay, now on to Block 2 (or 1 in my case). Repeat the steps we did for Block 1 (or 2 for me). For Block 2, I pressed my seams towards the Flying Geese units, hoping that by doing so will make my seams nestle nicely together when I sew the blocks together. Make 6 Block 2s.

Woohoo! Super fast. Told you!

The blocks are done and let’s take a look at 2 variations of the quilt — all I did was change the placement of Block 1 and Block 2.

I bet there are lots of other variations, especially if you play around with your fabric placement.

These 2 are pretty much the same since it’s just switching the blocks, but which one do you like better? Which one do you think I chose?

If you guessed the second photo, you are right! Now it’s time to sew the blocks together.

I found that most of my seams did indeed nestle together. For the couple that were being stubborn, I forced them to behave.

It turned out really cute, don’t you think??? I really like the secondary designs that pop out. Because Duffy is baby quilt sized, I might just add an outer border to make it into a small throw-sized quilt because I just don’t have extra wall space for quilts.

Which brings me to some final thoughts for you about Duffy:

  1. Add a border (or 2) to make it bigger — I’m thinking maybe a 6″ finished border as I have another fabric from the collection that I didn’t use.
  2. Make more blocks to make the quilt bigger — just make sure you purchase enough fabric.
  3. You could use Duffy as a jumping off point and add a series of pieced or appliqued borders, using Duffy as the quilt center.
  4. You could add sashing between the blocks to give it an entirely different look and make it a bit bigger. When I add sashing to a quilt, I usually stick with cutting my strips 2 1/2″ wide.

Well, I hope you will have fun making your own Duffy quilt. I’d LOVE to see them so please share on our VRD Facebook Page.

Enjoy your summer! Do something fun with the ones you love. And don’t forget to squeeze in a little quilting.

See you next week, same time same place —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Curated Rose Card Pattern Lists · Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

NEW July Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card Quilt Patterns and a Curated VRD Patriotic Pattern List

rosecards3 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I trust everyone had a great 4th of July? Me, I enjoyed my share of picnic foods — yummy — and went to a local fireworks display. I was amazed the folks shooting off the fireworks were able to do so in the intermittent downpour we were having at the time. Because of the rain situation, I felt that these fireworks were especially wonderful and I even saw some new fireworks I’ve never seen before.

I am still reconfiguring my sewing space and I haven’t gotten my sewing machine up and running yet, so sadly, I do not have a quilt tutorial for you this week. My machine is currently surrounded by piles of quilty goodness which all need to find a new permanent home — too bad it doesn’t just relocate itself without my help.

I hope to have a new summer tutorial for next week — that is if I get some quality time cleaning and organizing all my quilting stuff to unearth my sewing machine once again.

Yay! Guess what part of the month it is??? You guessed it — it’s the Thursday after the first Friday of July…..which means, of course, NEW PATTERNS! Woohoo!

NEW July VRD Rose Card Patterns

Can you hear the trumpets and see the confetti???

Here they are — our newest VRD Rose Card patterns!

Aren’t they GREAT??? Absolutely something for everyone! And 1776 is even perfectly-sized for your next Quilts of Valor quilt.

Grab your own print set of July’s 5 Rose Cards HERE (sorry, the card sets are not available as a digital set, you would have to order each pattern individually).

BUT WAIT! There’s more!

You’ll LOVE this month’s table runner, Banner Day. It would even look grand hung vertically or horizontally on a wall, if that’s your preference. SEW many options to enjoy this striking runner!

Get your print Banner Day pattern HERE or a digital pattern HERE.

AND, of course, here’s July’s new Snack Mat, Independence Day.

These snack mats are perfect for summertime snacking! Make a set for yourself and a set for someone special.

Get your print Independence Day pattern HERE or a digital pattern HERE.

Which project will you make first???

As I don’t have a tutorial for you today, I thought I’d create another curated list of patterns for you. This time, in honor of our recent July 4th holiday and celebrations, let’s feature Patriotic quilts.

Patriotic Villa Rosa Rose Card Quilt Patterns

For this list, I’m going to concentrate on the print patterns, but please know that each of these patterns is available as a digital download as well (except for the 12 Quilts of Valor Collection but each of the patterns included in the QOV Collection are available as individual downloaded patterns just not in the special red, white, and blue covers).

Of course, the 12 Quilts of Valor collection has to come first on my list. Do you have this collection yet? If not, you’ll want to add it because all 12 patterns are perfectly sized for Quilts of Valor quilts. And a portion of the sales are donated to the Quilts of Valor Foundation. It’s a win-win-win — for you, for QOVF, and for service members.

If you do have this set, have you made any of them? If so, which designs? And which one are you going to make next?

Get your Quilts of Valor Collection HERE

Of course I have to include the new July pattern, 1776!

Get 1776 HERE

Get American Made HERE

Here’s Banner Day, of course.

Get Banner Day HERE

Get Bella Vista HERE

Get Crazy Stars HERE

Get Daring Spirit HERE

Get Firecracker HERE

Get Gallant HERE

Get Independence Day HERE

Get Liberty HERE

Get Liberty Bell HERE

Get Petit Fours HERE

Get Pride HERE

Get Salute HERE

Get Sew Charmed HERE

Get Star Rail HERE

Get Star Spangled HERE

Get Stars N Stripes HERE

Get Unfurled HERE

Get Wraps HERE

Get Zig Zag HERE

Well, that’s my list of the red, white, and blue for today. I hope you add these wonderful quilts to your Rose Card collection if you don’t already have them.

Of course, keep in mind that just about any VRD pattern can be patriotic if you choose the right fabrics!

Happy stitching!

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Lattice Table Runner Quilt Tutorial

rosecards2 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Happy Independence Day!!!

Photo by Jim Strasma on Unsplash

I hope you get the chance to enjoy some patriotic FUN FOOD and FIREWORKS! And please don’t forget to pause a moment to reflect on how the United States of America got here.

Last Friday, my quilty pal, Robin (Hey Robin!), and I did a road trip down to Pittsburgh to pick up my new gently-used sewing cabinet, which I found for sale online. Robin drove her truck because there wasn’t any way my new cabinet would fit into my Jeep. LOL!

I didn’t know who the maker was from the photos online, but it was exactly what I needed to upgrade my own sewing space! My current cabinet was an older Pfaff (maybe made by Arrow) — truly a gorgeous solid wood cabinet with a hand-operated machine lift and 4 drawers, but what it lacked was an extension on the back which would have made machine quilting A LOT easier for me. My new-to-me cabinet has 2 drawers in the sewing table along with a separate 3 drawer rolling caddy AND AN EXTENSION TABLE! Woohoo! And it’s white, my favorite finish. It really is my dream cabinet! Lucky me!

Screenshot
Screenshot

When the owner’s very kind patient husband loaded it into the truck, we discovered that it was a Koala Quiltmate III, which isn’t manufactured anymore. Fine with me, it’s perfect just the way it is.

After the cabinet was securely covered and literally tied into the back of the truck, Robin and I headed on to Ikea, where we, of course, had Swedish meatballs for lunch. Unfortunately, Ikea was right in the middle of updating a lot of their spaces for fall, so there weren’t as many “rooms” on display as usual. Bummer. But we had loads of fun just looking around at the rooms that were still on display and checking out the marketplace downstairs with all those awesome goodies. Do you have Ikea stuff in your sewing space? What item(s) do you use the most? I love there colorful carts and little drawer units on wheels.

After Ikea, we headed back home. On the way, we talked about how on earth we were going to get my cabinet off the truck and into my sewing dungeon. Robin ended up calling in reinforcements (her hubby and son — THANK YOU Rich and Ryan!) to help get the cabinet off the truck at my house and then my Dad and I rolled out my current cabinet and then rolled my new cabinet into my dungeon sewing room. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds, but it’s there now AND it fit through the doorway, which was a relief…… Thank goodness it had wheels!

Now I have the wonderful and awful task of cleaning out and rearranging my space so that I can have the extension up for machine quilting. I’ve been looking for a reason to begin my major studio clean up and purge. I now have a BIG reason and motivation to get things organized and cleaned up. Wish me luck. If you don’t hear from me next week, assume I’m buried under my stash and call the quilt police for me, okay?

Let’s get onto our next Summer Tutorial project — Lattice!

VRD Lattice Table Runner Quilt Tutorial

Lattice is a fun table runner with a really cool woven effect. You only need 3 fabrics — light, medium, and dark along with a coordinate for your border.

You can get the print Lattice pattern HERE or the digital Lattice pattern HERE.

My original sample for the pattern was made with one of my favorite color combinations — red, white, and black. Just love how striking it is! Today’s Lattice runner will be in summery blue and yellow. Just goes to show you that Lattice is a flexible pattern and looks great in a lot of different fabric combinations and styles.

Here are my fabrics for Lattice. The large print was on the sale rack at my local quilt shop and the yellow, blue, and background fabrics are from my stash.

Time to cut these pretty fabrics.

Once we cut the background fabric (white in the pattern) and the dark (black in the pattern) fabric into squares, we’ll need to cut them on both diagonals to make small triangles.

Next we need to cut the medium fabric (red in the pattern) into squares. This time, cut on only one diagonal to make large triangles.

Here are our triangles ready to go. That’s all we need to make ALL the blocks! Easy peasy!

Let’s sew the background and dark small triangles together. We need to sew a background and a dark triangle together along the shortest straight side, as shown in the 1st image so that they will make a larger triangle. Once we’ve stitched all the small triangles together, it’s time to give them a gentle press with the iron — be careful not to stretch this unit by pressing too hard because of the bias edges.

FYI — this unit is technically half of a Quarter Triangle Square (QTS).

Now let’s sew the large medium triangles to the pieced triangle units from above. Our blocks are coming together!

Next up is pressing our blocks and then snipping off those annoying little dog ears. Sure, you could just leave them, but I have found that snipping them off makes for more accurate sewing.

These blocks actually have a name — they are called Y Blocks. My friend, Cathey of Cathey Marie Designs (Hey Cathey!), is completely crazy about this block and all of its design possibilities. She loves it so much, she even created her own ruler, called the Y Block Ruler, which creates 4 identical units at the same time as well as a series of Y Block patterns. If you ever stop by her website, tell her Tricia sent you. LOL!

Now let’s sew our blocks together, 13 across by 2 down, turning them as shown below to get the Lattice effect.

But wait! There’s more. As I mentioned above, the Y Block is a really cool block with lots of design potential. So, let’s rearrange the blocks a bit to see what we get.

Which one is your favorite? They are all quite interesting, but my favorite is still the original Lattice layout. 🙂

Once you’ve decided on your setting and you’ve sewn your blocks together, it’s time to add the border. Sew borders to the short ends first and then sew borders to the long sides.

Sorry about the weird lighting – this was taken in my sewing dungeon.

As you can see, I haven’t had a chance to machine quilt this runner yet. Just as soon as I can get my space rearranged and my new sewing cabinet all set up, I’ll be catching up on my stack of projects waiting to be quilted. YAY!

Well, I guess that’s it for me. Feel free to get back to your July Fourth Festivities now! Save some watermelon for me!

Until next time —

Sew. Laugh. Celebrate. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Angel Face Quilt Tutorial

rosecards6 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

It’s summer time and the living is easy! After last week’s unusual heatwave here in NW PA, this week has been delightfully pleasant! I’ve enjoyed some quality time on the back porch hanging out with my pup, Bailly, and watching our local eagles. Breakfast on the porch? Yup! Lunch on the porch? Double yup!

As I’ve shown in photos before, the little valley where I live, tucked into the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, truly is a little slice of paradise.

I hope you are able to slow down your pace a smidge in order to enjoy nature, too.

I’ve also been getting in some much-needed sewing as well. WHEW! I am so relieved that crazy has settled down a little bit for me in recent weeks! You’ll see some of my industriousness when the new July Rose Card patterns are revealed!

In the meantime, let’s get going on this week’s summer tutorial — Angel Face.

Angle Face VRD Quilt Tutorial

I’ve been a big fan of Villa Rosa Designs Rose Cards since my first Quilt Market in 2010 when I first met the amazing Pat Fryer, but Angel Face was one of the very first VRD patterns I’d seen in one of my local quilt shops way back when as they used it as the pattern for their beginner quilting series. Funny how little memory nuggets resurface, isn’t it???

You can find the Angel Face Print Pattern HERE or the Digital Pattern HERE.

Sew, let’s get this tutorial part started!!

Today I’m using fabric from the Dandelion Wishes digital collection and an 885 Dot Batik companion from our quilting pal, Hoffman. Love, love, love these fabrics — the colors are so so soft and gentle. There are 2 colorways — green and pink — and I used a little of both for this fun beginner quilt project.

Heads up! I did make a slight change to the pattern instructions. The pattern calls for a single main print, but I went with and alternated the 2 prints you see on the left side of the photo because I just couldn’t decide between them. Big surprise, there, huh?

First up is cutting out all the pieces, which doesn’t take because we’re going to do some strip sets, so no little pieces. Easy Piezy!

Let’s sew a couple strip sets together. Press the seams towards the narrow strips. Then we need to subcut our strip sets into units. Bet you can do this with both eyes closed, right?

Our next step is to sew the unpieced strips to opposite sides of our main print (or prints) squares.

Now that our strips are sewn to our squares, let’s give them a nice press. Press your seams towards the center square.

Remember those pieced units we cut from our strip sets? It’s time to sew them to the other 2 sides of the squares. There is a teeny bit of matching seams on the ends, but if you pressed the way I suggested above, the seams will nestle together nicely. Pin if you need to and just take your time.

Good to go! Time to give them a little press.

My next step because I used 2 different main prints is to slap my blocks up on my design wall so I can make sure to alternate the 2 blocks. I really like how it looks with 2 fabrics, don’t you? You could even use 12 different fabrics for the squares if you wanted to. Angel Face is a very versatile pattern.

Now let’s sew the blocks together into a quilt top. Remember, that there is some fidgety seam matching when you sew the blocks together, so pin if you need to and go slowly. I promise you, though, that Angel Face goes together super fast!

You can stop here and call your top finished. This size makes a wonderful baby quilt! Layer, quilt, lable, and bind.

OR, you can add a border to make Angel Face the perfect size for a throw quilt.

I’m going to add a border. In fact, I’m using the lighter of the 2 accent fabrics as my border. I think it will make the mottled purple accent strips really pop!

Go ahead and cut out your border strips for the quilt. I chose to add the top and bottom borders on first because the width of the quilt top is less than the width of my fabric, so I won’t have to piece the top and bottom borders.

To measure my top and bottom border strips for cutting, I found the center of my quilt vertically (up and down) and I line up the end of my 2 strips and then I match them up to the edge of the quilt. I pin everything together to keep the 2 borders and the quilt lined up. Then I smooth the strips across the width of the quilt center and cut them to match the width of the quilt top. No more measuring with a measuring tape or ruler for me when cutting border strips.

Then I find and make creases at the centers of the top and bottom borders and the centers of the top and bottom of the quilt. This little step makes it really easy to match up the centers to assist in keeping my borders nice and square instead of getting all crazy and wavy.

Match up the center creases and pin. Next match the ends of the border strips to the ends of the quilt. Pin.

Sew the borders to the top and bottom of the quilt.

For the side borders, you’ll need to piece the strips. Then measure and cut the side border strips. Crease the centers of the strips and the sides of the quilt. Match them up and pin. Match up the ends of the borders and quilt. Pin some more. Finally, sew the side borders to the quilt.

Isn’t it a really soft and pretty quilt???

Here’s a “beauty” shot on my back porch……….

I hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial. Angel Face is a wonderful project. Perfect for a beginner, yet fun and versatile for a more experienced quilter.

Don’t forget to stop and enjoy summer before it’s gone.

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. RELAX. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD

Quilt Stories · Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Berry-Licious Quilt Table Runner Tutorial

rosecards2 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Hope you enjoyed last week’s post about the quilt show I attended. I’m still smiling. 🙂 If you missed last week’s post, you can go HERE to see the fun slideshow I created with some of the amazing quilts on display at the quilt show.

Before we get to this week’s tutorial, Berry-Licious — which is lots of fun and very timely — let me tell you a little bit about the inspiration for this table runner. In my area of Northwestern PA, we always look forward to late spring/early summer for a lot of reasons, but one of my favorites are the local strawberries, which are only available for a few weeks in June. Yum, yum, yummy!

When I was a kid, my older sister and older cousins (I was too little) all worked at a local strawberry farm, picking berries. They would meet in town at like 6 AM, and someone from the farm would pick up the kids and drive them to the farm outside of town. Horrors! The kids actually road in the back of the truck to the farm! Then the kids would pick berries for hours, and got paid per quart that they picked. My sister only did it once because it was such hard work, but my older boy cousins did it every summer all through high school and were often the best pickers. The work only lasted 2 or maybe 3 weeks right after school was out for the summer. If you were a teen in my area, this was kind of a rite of passage. I don’t remember if when I was old enough to pick berries, kids didn’t do it anymore or if I just wasn’t interested, but picking strawberries was a rite of passage I never did.

Strawberries have always been one of my favorite fruits, though. When I was really little, we even had a tiered strawberry patch in the backyard. My Mom (Hey Mom!) would make the most delicious strawberry jam and we’d enjoy that all winter long. If I close my eyes I can almost taste it and my mouth is watering, just remembering….

Ahhhh, good times.

VRD Berry-Licious Table Runner Quilt Tutorial

Have you made Berry-Licious yet? It’s a fun and very satisfying runner. You can grab your very own Berry-Licious Rose Card print pattern HERE or digital pattern HERE.

In the sample runner on the pattern, I used a fun collection of plaids, dots, and geometrics in delicious bright red for the strawberries.

For my tutorial example today, I am using fabric from the Garnet Glow Batik Collection by our pals Hoffman California-International Fabrics. Fun fact — did you know Hoffman’s been around since 1924???

Aren’t they just delish? The peachy fabrics makes me think of a strawberry not quite ripe yet.

I just love seeing how different fabrics look in the same pattern, don’t you? That’s one of my absolute favorite things about our VRD Facebook group.

Check out these Berry-Licious runners made by Renay Trolinger (Hi Renay!) in our VRD FB group! Aren’t they just too much fun??? I especially love the runner on the left — you know, the one with all the attitude. Great work, Renay!

Let’s get this tutorial going, shall we?

After I cut all the pieces for the runner, I layered my large green and background squares to make Half Square Triangles (HSTs) for the leaves on the stem. Layer those squares right sides together (RST), draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner, sew on both sides of the drawn line, cut apart on the drawn line, and press the HST open (I like to press my seams to the darker fabric, but that doesn’t always work all the time).

Then like magic you get 2 HSTs! You’ll need to make 10 HSTs. Don’t forget to trim off those little dog ears on the corners!

Wait! We’re not done with those HSTs yet. Now we’re going to use the small background squares to make “flippy corners” — yes, I’m using the professional term here — on the green triangles of our HSTs.

Layer a background square RST on the corner of the green triangle. Draw a diagonal line from the bottom left corner to the opposite corner on the background square. (Yup, LOVE my Frixion pens, especially the Fineliner ones. This red one has been my favorite for a while now and shows up on almost everything.)

Sew ON the line this time and cut 1/4″ away from the line. Open and press. Repeat with all 10 HSTs.

We’re still not done with these HSTs! Tehehe……

Now we need to sew a background rectangle to the top of each HST, but we need to make 5 left side leaves and 5 right side leaves (simply turn 5 of the leaves so they are mirror images).

Whew! Last step with the HST’s for now!

Sew a left leaf and a right leaf together with a green stem in between. Strawberry tops are done!

Now we’re going to make our strawberries — yum, the best part of the runner!

We’re going to make 2 small flippy corners on the top corners and 2 large flippy corners on the bottom corners. Repeat for all 5 strawberries.

Now let’s add the stems to the tops of the strawberries! Make 5 blocks.

Isn’t this just the cutest yummiest quilt block ever??????

Now the blocks are done, let’s put them together into a runner. You actually have 2 options — you can flip the second and fourth blocks upside down like I did in the original runner on the pattern front or you could have all the strawberries going in the same direction. Which way do you like better?

Which one do you think I chose?

The flipped block version. I just love how the blocks look arranged this way. Take a look at the “negative space,” isn’t it interesting?

Maybe when I go to quilt it, I’ll play around with those cool shapes created by the strawberries and stems. How would you quilt it? My original version was quilted with loopy loops.

I had some fabric left over so I made this fun little wall quilt or pillow — I haven’t decided yet. It’s about 21″ square, so it could go either way. What do you think?

Well, that’s it for me for this week. I hope you enjoyed this truly scrumptious (anyone know what movie this phrase was in???) Berry-Licious runner and I look forward to seeing yours on Facebook soon.

Come back next week to see my next summer tutorial! Hmmm…..what should I do next???

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Eat Strawberries. LOTS of Strawberries. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @VRD

Just Quilty Stuff · Rose Cards · villa rosa designs

NEW June VRD Rose Card Quilt Patterns and a Quilt Show

rosecards10 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Summer is here! Let the good times roll! Get out there and soak up some sunshine! That’s an order!

Sorry….I know I said I was going to do a table runner tutorial this week, but I just had to show off the new Rose Card patterns for June and share my recent quilt show experience with you. We’ll save the table runner for next week, I promise.

What a special day — today is the Thursday after the first Friday of the month. And you know what that means!

Woohoo!

NEW PATTERNS!

New June VRD Rose Card Patterns

Yay! Here they are. Aren’t they fun? I don’t think you’ll go wrong with whichever pattern you chose to make first. They are all equally great.

Get the June pattern set HERE

(sorry, no digital pattern sets)

Want a F-U-N way to get started on a summer quilt? Order a kit from VRD, of course! You can see all of our kit offerings HERE. In fact, some of the new patterns, above, still have kits available. They’re going fast, though, so get yours before they’re gone.

NEVADA in Porch Swing 36″x 45″ (cover of pattern)

NEVADA in Wild Abandon 36″x 45″

S’MORES in Tan 51″x 68″ (cover of pattern)

S’MORES in Kaffe 51″x 68″

S’MORES in Misty Garden 51″x 68″

HOPPY SCOTCH Color Collage 45″x64″ (cover of pattern)

But wait! There’s more! (Sorry, it looks like I’m in an exclamation kind of mood today. I’m not really yelling at you, though, just excited.)

No table runner this month due to technical difficulties, but check out these cute little Buzzy Bee Snack mats! And no stingers, so you can enjoy them safely, even if you’re allergic.

Get your Buzzy Bee Snack Mat physical pattern HERE

or the digital pattern HERE

Now that you’ve seen the new patterns for June, let me tell you about the quilt show I went to last week.

2024 HAAEQG Quilt Show

The HAAEQG stands for Hands All Around Erie Quilt Guild. It’s actually been a couple years since I’ve been to an actual quilt show, so when I saw the poster on Facebook, I was so ready for a huge inspiration shot in the arm. And I wasn’t disappointed. We filled up the car with my 3 crazy quilting cousins (I call them the Cuz Crew) — Kim, Robin, and Lisa — and me (Hi there Cuz Crew!). We headed to Erie, PA (about 30 minutes away) for a FART (Fabric Acquisition Road Trip). We found the church where the show was being help, but we decided to find somewhere to eat because I wasn’t quite sure whether there would be food at the show, but of course there was).

The church was a couple streets over from the medical center where I’ve been taking my Mom for her appointments, and we’d recently had a very good lunch at the neighboring hospital cafeteria. So when we ended up by the medical center and hospital, I suggested we eat at the cafeteria. Maybe you think that’s a little weird, but — hey — the food is good and you have a lot of options in the food court. Everyone was game, so off to the hospital cafeteria we went.

Yum! The food was great! 3 of us had hot turkey sandwiches with either real mash potatoes and gravy or a broccoli rice casserole and/or a lovely veggie mix. Wish I’d thought to take a photo of all that food for you, but I imagine drooling on your device wouldn’t be such a great idea, would it?

Yup, now we were all powered up for the Quilt Show and back to the church we went.

Would you believe one of the first quilts I saw was my VRD Rose Card pattern Sisterhood made up in a lovely calming neutral palette.

Here I am with that gorgeous Sisterhood quilt, made by MaryBeth Cook, a member of the HAAEQG.

Here’s the Sisterhood Rose Card pattern in case you can’t really get an idea of the actual design or if you haven’t added this top seller Rose Card to your collection. I love how the neutral shades really change the whole look of the quilt, don’t you?

You can find Sisterhood HERE.

I was so excited and couldn’t wait to share the news with my Cuz Crew, who had already started to wander. A guild member was nearby and heard me. She got really excited, too, and told me not to move so she could get her sister, who had made the quilt.

This is how I met MaryBeth Cook (Hey there, MaryBeth!). What a lovely way to meet a new quilting friend and VRD fan!

Here we are together, posing in front of MaryBeth’s gorgeous quilt, which she made for her daughter. Lucky daughter, indeed! I didn’t get to ask you, MaryBeth, but what drew you to the Sisterhood pattern?

Now, let me tell you about the quilt show. There were somewhere between 350-400 or so quilts on display in every style, technique, and color combination you could think of! They were amazing! I must admit that I was a real slowpoke looking at and photographing quilts. By the time I did a spot of shopping, the Cuz Crew were sitting and waiting for me. Sorry. Not sorry. Meeting MaryBeth, seeing her Sisterhood quilt, and oohhing and aahhing over all the quilts really made my day. My cuz, Robin, told me later that she hadn’t seen me smile so much for a long time.

There were 2 very cool things going on at the quilt show, in addition to the quilts, that made the show experience even more fun:

  1. When you entered the show, you were given a sheet of paper with numbered lines on it for a Scavenger Hunt. Hidden amongst the quilts in the show were quilt blocks from an Underground Railroad quilt. The quilt was on display at the front table for reference. We had to write the correct quilt block name next to each number and then return the completed list to the table to register for prizes. What fun!
  2. Throughout the show quilt blocks were lined up alphabetically depicting a quilter’s alphabet. It was a show within a show!

While I enjoyed each and every quilt, I took photos of some of my favs to make you a slide show. Please note that each quilt’s maker information/story is the slide following the quilt in my slide show.

Why do I include the maker information??? It’s important to share the maker’s name and story not only to celebrate the maker’s accomplishment, but also to acknowledge that they are the creator of that quilt.

So, grab a frosty glass of sweet tea and watch my little slide show full of quilts from the HAAEQG Quilt Show!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the wonderful quilts on display at the quilt show. I have been enjoying looking at them a few more times myself! There would have been more photos, but on many of them I jerked or moved which resulted in a smear of colors — pretty, but not identifiable as a quilt. Oops! Next time, I’ll take my time and take better photos. Uh Oh, Cuz Crew, I’ll be even slower next time. Just sayin’……..

Huh. Would you believe that I walked out without turning in my Underground Railroad Scavenger Hunt paper before we left? Oh well.

Sending out a big round of applause to the HAAEQG for the wonderful Quilt Show they put on! Look forward to the next one! You can check out HAAEQG on Facebook HERE.

I am now bubbling over with lots of great ideas for new quilts and patterns. Now I just have give myself the time to get to use all that inspiration for good, not evil (Waahaahaa!).

Off to my sewing machine!

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @VRD

Quilting Partners · Rose Cards · Tutorials · villa rosa designs

VRD Dusk Delight Quilt Tutorial

rosecards4 Comments

Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

I’ve been thinking about ideas for summer posts and I think I’ll do a series of Summer Quilt Tutorials. Creating tutorials gives me a reason for getting some sewing in AND I have a stack of wonderful kits just waiting for me to make into quilts. The only problem with making a bunch of tops will be getting them quilted. LOL!

I can’t promise one tutorial a week over the summer, but I will definitely try. I may need to alternate tutorials with text posts because sometimes making the top and doing the photography takes me longer than a week to get ready, especially as summers get busier and busier.

Well, let’s get to it.

I chose Dusk Delight as my first summer tutorial because this pattern has been on my mind recently. I’ve done a few “digital” quilt mock ups with it recently and it really resonated with me for some reason. Maybe because of the controlled scrappy look? Or perhaps the vertical arrangement? Whatever it was, I was itching to make this one. Isn’t it wonderful that I had a quilt kit to make one???

Dusk Delight goes together easily, but I will caution you that making a big stack of blocks does take a little time. The assembly is not difficult, but can take some time to get everything put together. I would call Dusk Delight a quilt that you can make in a long weekend.

Read on!

VRD Dusk Delight Quilt Tutorial

Get your Dusk Delight physical pattern HERE or your digital pattern HERE.

Here’s the fabric I’m using for my Dusk Delight quilt. I just love pairing Hoffman batiks with our VRD Rose Card patterns! I’m using an 1895 Watercolors batik for the block centers and the vertical strips and a Bayshore Bali Pop for the blocks. I can’t wait to see how this turns out because I just love these beachy colors!

The first thing we’re going to do is cut all of our fabrics. We need block centers, vertical strips, and 2 sizes of rectangles for the blocks.

Here’s a couple tips for working with batiks:

  1. Start with a new machine needle because a dull needle will only damage the fabric.
  2. Use leaders and enders so that your machine doesn’t try to eat your fabrics at the beginning of a seam. Want to know more about leaders and enders? Check out this post HERE.

For my leaders and enders, I ‘m using a stack of green and white triangle cut-offs from a previous project. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get another little project out of these cut-off triangles.

Okay, let’s make blocks! A lot of blocks….

  1. Sew a small block rectangle to the side of a block center.
  2. Sew a matching rectangle to the other side of the block center.
  3. Take a moment and press your unit so far. This helps to keep the block square as you add the next pieces.
  4. Sew a big rectangle to the side of the unit.
  5. Then sew the last matching rectangle to other side of the unit.
  6. Press your block and voila! One block done.
  7. Now make 39 more blocks! LOL!

Another tip — I made 5 or 6 blocks at a time so that I didn’t get the rectangles too mixed up as I sewed. This went faster than sewing a single block together at a time.

Oh goody! Now one of my favorite things — laying out the blocks. Of course, sometimes this part of the quilt-making process takes me longer than actually sewing everything together. The more I look at the arrangement, the more I move things around. But I do definitely love mixing and matching the colors….

To help me arrange the blocks, I put all the blocks and the vertical strips up on my handy dandy flannel board. It really is handy dandy — I use it way more than I ever thought I would. I have no idea why it took me so long to put one up. The only issue I ran into was that the quilt was longer than my board, so I had to do some creative layering at the bottom so I could see the bottom 2 block rows.

If you’re experiencing flannel board envy, let me tell you how to have your own handy dandy flannel board in a matter of minutes with very little cost. I stole this idea from my quilty pal, Mary Lee (Hi Mary Lee!), who has one up tacked to the top of a set of double doors that lead to her front enclosed porch (which she uses for storage).

Go ahead and get yourself a rectangular flannel backed tablecloth. You will want a heavy duty one with a thicker flannel on the back so that it will grab and hold your fabrics. They do come in different sizes — mine is 50″ x 72″ — so you can choose the one that fits your space. Now that it’s the good ol’ summertime, it’s the perfect time to find your very own flannel backed tablecloth.

There are lots of different ways to put your flannel backed tablecloth up. I use binder clips to clip my tablecloth to the top row doors of my cube storage wall. This way, I can remove it when I need to. If yours is removable like mine, you could even use it as a tablecloth so make sure to pick out a fun pattern on the front that matches your outside decor.

Well, I guess I’ve got the blocks arranged the way I want them…..maybe…….

So let’s sew them together before I change my mind again. LOL!

I’m going to sew the outside blocks together into rows before I tackle the center block section.

Now that the outer blocks are sewn together, I can no longer move them around.

Before I start the center block section, I need to piece my vertical strips together to make longer strips. I don’t want to forget to do this step or else my strips won’t be long enough.

Sew…..sew……sew. Press…..press…..pres…… Yay! The center section blocks are now sewn together. Of course, I had to play switcheroo a couple — or maybe a dozen — times before I sewed them together.

Wait! Which way do I want the center section? Gah! I’m still not done arranging, even though the blocks are sewn together. Which one do I like better — right side up in the left photo or upside down in the right photo. Decisions…..decisions…….

Which ever one I choose, this will be the final arrangement. Of course, I could flip the whole quilt upside down……ARGH!

I take it back, maybe arranging the blocks isn’t my favorite step after all!

Before I can sew the vertical sections together, I need to cut my vertical strips to the right length. Holding my breath here that it will be the perfect length. Of course it will, right?

Time to sew again. I pinned the vertical strip to the inside edge of each of the outer single block sections, matching centers and outside edges before stitching them together.

This part looks easy in the photos but it took me quite a while because my work space is so cramped right now. It was like wrestling an alligator from time to time.

I matched up the centers and ends of the left section with the left side of the center section. I crossed my fingers that the blocks would be decently lined up across the vertical strip.

Then I lined up, pinned, and sewed the right section to the right side of the center section.

Yay! Top done!

Wowzer! Why was I even worried??? It turned out great and the colors are just so calming. Ahhhhh! Now to get it layered with batting and backing (or with just fleece) so I can machine quilt it……someday!

I’d love to see your Dusk Delight quilts! If you haven’t joined our rockin’ fun and uber cool Facebook Group, please do! You can find the Group HERE. And post your Dusk Delights so we can all ooooh and ahhhh over them!

Back to my summer sewing, what fun! Next week’s tutorial will be a table runner, so stop back next Thursday to see which one.

Until next week —

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @VRD