I hope you’re ready to dive right back into our Quilt Block Basics mini series! This week, we’re going to talk about Quarter Square Triangles (QSTs). So, what exactly is a QST?
A QST is made up of 4 triangles sewn together into a square. Those are Isoceles triangles for you math people out there. LOL!
You might have heard of this as an Hour Glass unit. Barbara Brackman, quilt historian extraordinaire, and Electric Quilt call it Four X. What other names have you heard this unit called?
I guess in a way, you could even consider it to be a type of a Four Patch, but calling it a QST helps to differentiate it from the classic Four Patch, below, which is made up of 4 squares.
Let’s look at some quilt blocks with QSTs! Some are old favorites and some may be new to you.
Card TrickElectric FanFlying XLondon RoadsOhio StarReverse X
How to Make a Quarter Square Triangle
Layer 2 squares the same size, right sides together.
Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.
Sew 1/4″ away from both sides of the line.
Cut on the drawn line and open each unit to make 2 HSTs. (What????? HSTs???? Wait — we’re not done yet!)
Layer the HSTs right sides together so that the light triangle is on top of the dark triangle and vice versa.
Draw a diagonal line from corner to opposite corner, perpendicular to the already-sewn seam.
Sew 1/4″ away from both sides of the line.
Cut on the drawn line and open each unit to make 2 Quarter Square Triangles!
You may have noticed that I didn’t include any measurements for cutting the squares. Well, that was intentional. Just like HSTs, there is a magic math formula to figure out the size of squares you need to cut based on what your desired finished size will be (no charts to lose!).
YAY MATH!
And the magic number for QSTs is…..drum roll please………1 1/4.
Yep, that’s it. Add an extra 1 1/4″ to your finished size and your QSTs to get the right size.
So…………
If you want 4″ finished QSTs — then cut your squares 5 1/4″.
Want 8″ finished QSTs? Then cut your squares 9 1/4″.
What about 1″ finished QSTs? Cut the squares 2 1/4″.
That’s it, folks. Isn’t quilt math delightful?
Seriously, I would have loved geometry way back when if my high school geometry teacher had taught me quilt math instead of writing proofs to prove a square was “squarular”. Sigh…….yes, I know — that’s not really a word, but in my humble opinion, it should be……..triangles are triangular and rectangles are rectangular so why aren’t squares squarular????
Okay, enough of that! Don’t get me started on the vagaries of the English language. LOL!
Instead, let’s look at some great Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns that feature QSTs.
It’s a fine spring day here in Pennsylvania! Clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70s. Things are greening up and blooming. But Mother Nature isn’t done with her shock treatment yet as next week will be back in the 30s and 40s again. Go figure! Ho hum…..this is spring in northwestern PA.
Last week I started a new mini series on Quilt Block Basics — did you miss my post about Half Square Triangles? If so, you can check it out HERE.
I will be getting back to the Quilt Block Basics mini series next week, but this Thursday is the Thursday following the first Friday of the month, so I am excited to debut our brand new April 2023 VRD Rose Card patterns! Yay! Definitely one of my favorite posts every month!
I know I’ve said this more than once (probably more like a million times) but there isn’t another pattern company out there who produces as many new patterns every year as Villa Rosa Designs. We put out at least 5 new patterns a month — add to thatour usual 1 (and sometimes 2) new table runner pattern(s) each month and that figures out to be an average of 72 new quilt patterns a year! Mind-boggling, isn’t it???
We have the most awesome quilt designers here at VRD (not that I’m biased or anything) and together we make the impossible possible.
Revisiting Copyright for Quilters
Recently a reader asked some thought-provoking questions on the blog and I wanted to share her questions with you. Thanks, Mindy, for giving me permission to share your comments.
Mindy wrote the following after reading my post about The Copyright Question for Quilters (go HERE to read the Copyright post):
Can I ask one thing that comes up often with this discussion? How do you feel about second-hand selling of your patterns or having the pattern donated to a guild or other “library” type situation? I sat in on a lecture years ago at Quilt Market by two copyright lawyers and it was my understanding that this was illegal, but I have recently heard some pattern designers don’t mind and would rather the pattern be used than thrown away. What are your thoughts if you don’t mind me asking?
SIGH……. If only understanding copyright law and practicing it were straightforward and simple. But to understand copyright law, you basically need a copyright lawyer to explain things in a way you can understand. That being said, copyright law is even confusing for the professionals as they often don’t agree with each other. So if lawyers can’t agree on what copyright law is and how it applies, then how are we — the quilters and the designers — supposed to understand it?
And you need to understand copyright so that you can practice it. Such a conundrum.
What do I think?
Please note these are my personal opinions as a quilter and designer.
Guild Lending Libraries
I have belonged to quilt guilds for a long time and yes, one of my guilds did have a library of quilt books (not patterns) that guild members could check out and borrow. I don’t remember when exactly, but the guild library was dissolved years ago and the books were donated to a used book sale at a local library. I think it ended up being dissolved because the collection took up a lot of space in our storage locker and it wasn’t being used by the guild members. Part of the problem, I suspect, was that the lending library wasn’t updated and weeded out regularly in order to keep the collection current and relevant to the interests of the guild members.
I think libraries — any kind of libraries — are wonderful amazing incredible things!
Let’s consider public, school, and university libraries — they purchase one or more copies of a book or magazine and not even allow — but encourage — people to borrow these materials free with their library card. Is this an infringement of copyright law? I don’t think so — most authors, myself included, want to see their books in libraries.
How is a quilt guild lending library any different? Really? Of course, I am talking books here, not patterns, but what is a quilt book but a collection of quilt patterns? In my opinion, as long as the book or pattern was purchased legally at some point, it is a good thing to pass it along to someone else. (This does not mean making a photocopy of a book or pattern and giving to your best friend, but passing along the original book or pattern.) I am always pleased to see books find their way to someone who will love them.
Additionally, most folks are conscious about recycling and trash disposal — isn’t it better to pass along a book or pattern to another who will find enjoyment or enlightenment from the book/pattern instead of adding more trash to landfills? To me, there’s nothing more devastating than someone throwing away a perfectly good book.
Secondhand Selling
The selling of secondhand goods is HUGE all over the world. Secondhand sellers have existed far longer than copyright laws have. The secondhand selling of goods is a big part of any economy, so I am not sure how that corresponds to copyright when you’re talking about books and patterns.
If selling secondhand books, patterns, and other types of publications was an infringement of copyright law, then how can sellers resell goods on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and the like? What about at the Goodwills and Salvation Army stores? What about the used book sales at your local library? Or garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, antique shops, and others? Why aren’t we all thrown in jail or fined for buying or selling secondhand goods?
Where would we be as a world without the secondhand sales industry? Wouldn’t this increase our already out of control issues with garbage and landfills? Wouldn’t it put A LOT of people out of work?
For me, personally, I am all for supporting the secondhand sales industry for many reasons —
It reduces waste
It helps people to afford goods that they need
It can help someone else in some way (whether it’s the actual information in a book/pattern or that the sale of the item supports a charity)
Secondhand sales (and the searching of desirous items) can be a lot of fun
It employs people, and can provide/supplement income
An “old” item to you might be a “new” item to someone else
It is a form of recycling
This topic makes me think about the old saying “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” and the more modern version — “Reuse. Reduce. Recycle.”
What are your thoughts on guild libraries and secondhand selling of quilt books and patterns?
Thank you again, Mindy, for bringing up these topics. I am curious to see what others’ thoughts are. Any copyright professionals out there who can weigh in on this discussion?
Before I dive right into HSTs, I want to show off my completed Helix quilt top. Yes, I finished it! I really like the finished top, although I wish my points had turned out better. What do you think?
I didn’t have enough background left to add side strips, but that was okay, it will be fine as long as I’m careful when I sew the binding on because I don’t want to cut off the triangle points.
Quilt Block Basics
Lately I’ve been feeling very creative — maybe the change in the weather? I’ve been churning out new quilt designs on my EQ8 (Electric Quilt) software and I will never have enough time to make them all, I’m afraid. While I was working on all these new designs, I started thinking about the smaller units that make up quilt blocks and I thought — AHA!!! That’s a great topic for the blog!
So, welcome to a new VRQ mini-series, all about the smaller units that make up our favorite quilt blocks.
The first unit I want to talk about is the Half Square Triangle.
Half Square Triangles (HSTs)
Half Square Triangles or HSTs are one of the most common building blocks for a pieced quilt block. Sometimes you see HSTs called Triangle Squares or Half Square Triangle squares or blocks. I like to keep things simple when I write instructions and I consistently use Half Square Triangles or HSTs.
You can find HSTs in simple blocks such as:
Friendship Star (Left) Pinwheel (Center) Shoofly (Right)
Or in more complex blocks like:
Bear’s Paw (Left) Mosaic #10 (Center) Old Maid’s Puzzle (Right)
One of my most favorite things is playing around with the parts of my blocks to create new block designs when I’m designing. I like to change colors, switch lights and darks, and change the orientation of the units within a block in order to create something new and different. EQ8 makes this sew easy to do.
To show you what I mean, let’s play with the Mosaic # 17 block, which is all HSTs and gives us lots of room to play!
Let’s change the orientation of the HSTs:
Now let’s add another color in the mix:
Let’s try change the orientation, too:
Okay, okay, I’d better stop here or I’m going to lose my writing focus and create another stack of quilt designs I will never have time to make! LOL!
I think you can see how much fun it is to play with HSTs. Imagine what happens when you add other building block units with the HSTs………but that is a post for another day.
Half Square Triangle Assembly
There are many different ways to make HSTs — just check on YouTube, Pinterest, or your favorite quilting magazine.
I am going to show you my favorite method here — this is the method I use in my quilt instructions.
Layer 2 squares together, right sides together (RST).
Draw a diagonal line from 1 corner to the opposite corner.
Sew 1/4″ away from both sides of the drawn line.
Cut the HSTs apart on the drawn line. Open to make 2 HSTs.
I bet you noticed I didn’t use any dimensions for my fabric squares. That was intentional. As I’ve said many times, quilting is all about math (check out my ode to quilting and math HERE).
HSTs are no different! You can use this construction method to make any size HST. You just have to know a teeny tiny magical math secret!
To figure out how big to cut your squares, you need to add 7/8″ to your finished dimensions! Really, that’s all you need to remember. You don’t need to refer to a cutting chart, you just need to remember 7/8″. (Please note that 7/8″ may not work for all HST methods.)
Here are some examples:
I want my HST’s to finish at 3″, so I need to cut my squares 3 7/8″.
5″ finished? Cut 5 7/8″ squares.
12″ finished HSTs……….cut 12 7/8″ squares.
Easy peasy!YAY MATH!Thank you, Mrs. Hank (my high school math teacher)!
HST VRD Rose Card Patterns
We have a wonderful collection of HST pattern sin our VRD catalog. It’s a L O N G list, so hang in there until the end of the post.
Whew! We had some crazy weather here in NW PA over the last week end. Hail, heavy rain, wild wind gusting into the 60s [MPH]…..trees down all over the place in my area, but luckily no serious injuries. Our electricity was out for over 24 hours, a friend of mine just got her electricity back on on Wednesday — it went off on Saturday!
I personally found the lack of electricity, no running water, and zero Internet very difficult — I hadn’t realized how much I took those things for granted. It’s not a bad idea to have a “lights out” crate with things to do in such as case. Not too mention extra batteries, water, lanterns, nonperishable food, blankets, etc.
Dear friends, I hope you and your loved ones are all safe and sound.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a tutorial, so let’s make a quilt!
I’ve been wanting an excuse to do Molly’s Helix Rose Card pattern. From the first moment I saw this pattern, I was intrigued. I told my good friend Mary Lee about Helix (I knew she would love it!). DANG! She bought it before I did at one of our two local quilts shops, Homespun Treasures. I was so jealous — I had only seen it online when I blogged about the new patterns in February — so I made up an excuse to go to the quilt shop and get one for myself (not that I really need an excuse). LOL!
I dove into my stash of fat quarters to find the perfect fabrics for Helix — deciding on a scrappy collection of blues, greens, and turquoises with a white on white floral background. One thing I really love about our VRD patterns is the ability to actually use the fabrics in my stash without having to run to the quilt shop every time I turn around — which is not a bad thing to do by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, I can jump right into my project right now. Besides, when I shop in my stash, sometimes I find things I had forgotten all about and I get excited about another idea or project before I’ve even finished the one I’m working on.
Quilting, for me, is never boring!
Okay, so my fabrics are gathered and I’m ready to go!
Cutting
I layered a couple fat quarters on top of each other for cutting, but if you are not comfortable with that, go ahead and cut each fat quarter individually. Making a quilt is not about who finishes first — it’s about the journey (unless you are participating in a Jelly Roll Race).
Here you can see my fat quarters (FQs) stacked up and I am ready to make my first cut. I just cut the top edge straight and I’m ready to find the right measurement on my ruler so I can cut the strip.
Here I have cut my wide strip.
Next I am going to cut large squares from my wide strip. I will get 2 squares from each strip. But wait….there’s more! (You know I LOVE saying this!) We are not done cutting our squares yet!
Time to cut these big squares in half diagonally. I had to switch rulers because my ruler wasn’t long enough so I grabbed my 2.5×18 ruler for cutting diagonally.
Don’t move those triangles — we are still not done cutting!
With my diagonally-cut triangles still together, I am going to cut on the other diagonal too — that way I get 4 smaller triangles from each block. Caution — these smaller triangles each have 2 bias edges, so treat them gently and handle them as little as possible to minimize distortion and stretching.
TIP: Do you see that blue, green, and turquoise leafy print triangle on top of my triangle stack in the 3rd photo? That was my “inspiration” piece for selecting the other FQs for this quilt project. I often choose a fabric with multiple colors in it to pull together fabric from my stash or scraps. Heck, I even do that in the quilt shop. This is definitely one of my favorite ways to gather a group of fabrics together for a project.
In addition to the FQ triangles, you need to cut some background — triangles, squares, and strips.
Sewing
Hmmmmm. I think we’re finally ready to do some sewing. Yay!
Let’s take 2 print triangles and lay them side by side, one pointing down and one pointing up.
Now let’s flip the right side triangle (leaf print) on top of the left triangle (blue tonal), right sides together (RST). Line up the edge with about a 1/4″ of the blue tonal peeking up above the leaf print and the leaf print should be overhanging the blue tonal about a 1/4″ at the bottom. Pin to keep them from sliding if you want to, but I find if I do the layering right at my sewing machine, I don’t need to pin them together.
Sew along the edge with your 1/4″ seam.
Don’t forget to trim the little overhanging triangles (around here, we call them “dog ears” [don’t ask me why…..]). Practice doing this as you go along so you don’t forget. Open the unit. Nice!
I don’t recommend pressing if you can comfortably avoid it — these triangles have 2 out of 3 bias edges and you don’t want them to stretch and distort. Better to wait until you have all the triangles sewn together into a row before pressing.
Pick another triangle and lay it next to the unit we just sewed together.
Flip that triangle over on top of the second triangle with RST. Line up the edges and slide the top triangle down a little bit so you see about 1/4″ of the triangle underneath peeking out above the top triangle and the top triangle extends about 1/4″ beyond the bottom of the triangle underneath.
You might be scratching your head and wondering what’s up with this silly “slide it down so you see about 1/4″ of the triangle underneath peeking out above the top triangle and the top triangle extends about 1/4″ beyond the bottom of the triangle underneath” business. I have 2 words (kind of) for you — 1/4″ seam. Sliding the top triangle down 1/4″ accommodates the 1/4″ seam we sew with so that the pieces will line up straight. Don’t believe me — try it! Lay your triangle as exactly on top of each other as you can and sew them together with your 1/4″ seam.
Aha! Told you so!
Sorry, not sorry — I don’t get to say that very often…….
Okay, let’s get back to our project.
Sew the triangle to the unit with your 1/4″ seam. Trim the dog ears and open the unit. 3 triangles done………5 million to go!
Sew a total of 11 triangles together to make half of a Helix row.
Yay! Now let’s lay out and sew small white triangles to each end of our triangle strip.
Looking good!
Time to sew 11 more triangles together. Don’t forget to cut off those dog ears. Then sew background triangles to each end.
Here’s the tricky part next — we are going to sew the 2 half rows together to make one Helix row. Yikes! Grab your pins, because you’re going to need them.
I found this part very challenging — I was all thumbs lining up the 2 rows. I crossed my fingers (and my toes, too) and hoped that I had lined things up well enough and that my points would meet. Pin heavily — you will be sewing over seam intersections with a lot of bulk and your fabric is going to want to shift.
Ugh…..I am not pleased with how my points lined up (or didn’t), especially on one of them where I wasn’t even in the ballpark! I might have to do a little unsewing to correct this section.
I pressed the row after sewing it all together. My seams were willy-nilly all over the place on the back instead of nestling neatly like they usually do for me. Frustrating.
I pressed the long center seam open to help reduce the bulk.
Repeat these steps to make a total of 7 Helix rows.
Here are 2 of mine so far.
Look! Look! Look! I got all 7 of my Helix rows done. They are completed, but I am not 100% happy with how they turned out. I even tried another method of sewing the triangles together, but that didn’t make things any better — it must be me (frowny face here).
My suggestions to you are to sew slowly and line things up carefully — this project requires a good deal of accuracy for everything to come out well.
Here are my rows hanging off my fabric storage cubes.
The next step is to sew one square to an end of each of the 7 Helix rows. I do really like the colors, even if the piecing isn’t fantastic……
These squares work to offset the rows once we assemble them with the background strips, which just so happens to be our next step.
Now let’s add a background spacing strip. You will have to piece strips together to get the correct length — I cut 1 strip into 3 equal pieces and then sewed a 1/3 piece onto the end of a full width strip. Then I measured through the center of a Helix row and cut my strip to that measurement. Next I matched the ends and the centers of my Helix row and my background strip, pinning everything in place.
I sewed the strip to the Helix row using my 1/4″ seam. Then I pressed my seam towards the background strip.
Now to sew more Helix rows and background strips together!
Here are my first 2 rows sewn together with a background strip in between. So far, I am pleased with the fact that my rows are the same length, even if I mangled my triangle points here and there. Sigh…..
Let’s sew on more rows and background strips! Woohoo! I am on a roll!
Too bad I am not going to finish this quilt top before this blog post has to be finished. Sorry, folks, I’ve been working on it for three days, but I didn’t realize how long sewing the triangles was going to take me. I would have started it sooner, but we no electricity over the weekend.
I promise to add a photo of the completed top ASAP. By the way, I think I might add background strips on the sides of the quilt top if I have enough background left. I have found through previous experience that I do not like triangle points at the outside of my quilts (because I chop them off with the binding).
Well, that’s it for me — it’s after midnight (EST) now and I am getting tired. Time for bed….
Until next Thursday —
Sew. Laugh. Sleep. Repeat.
Always,
Tricia @VRD
Helix Update
Yay! I finished the quilt top a few days later. Now to layer, quilt, and bind it. And, of course, add a label!
Now that it’s officially spring, I am starting to feel that old familiar seasonal “spring cleaning” itch. I definitely feel more motivated right now to actually do a little purging and clutter control in my home and, naturally, in my studio, too. Maybe the longer daylight hours are helping too.
One of my local quilt shops, Fox’s Sew and Vac (BIG SHOUT OUT to all my Foxy friends!), provides a wonderful reason to clean out my constantly expanding stash. Every year, Fox’s sponsors a “Fabric Yard Sale,” usually in February or March. Of course, we missed a couple years due to the Pandemic, but this year’s sale was the biggest I’ve ever participated in!
So, what exactly is a “Fabric Yard Sale”?
Fox’s Sew and Vac is located in one of our shopping malls and they are able to reserve the hallway outside their shop entrance to host their “Fabric Yard Sale.” Due to space limitations, they only have a certain number of vendor spaces, but this year they were able to accommodate 20 vendors! I was lucky to be one of the last vendors before spaces were gone. They charged a very reasonable fee for a space and another small fee for a table. You can bring your own tables, which I have done in the past, but it is so much easier these days to just pay the extra fee and have a table there waiting for me as well as a chair or two.
Once I signed up this year — which was later than I normally would due to a time conflict that was cancelled in the end — I got to work sorting through my fabrics, precuts, notions, patterns, books, and whatever else I had hanging around. I measured my yardage, rolled and wrapped it with a rubber band and added a piece of masking tape with the fabric amount and the price (hey, I used what I had on hand). I went through my fat quarters and organized them into baskets. I even readied a basket of vintage feed sack quarters to take along in case anyone was looking for vintage fabrics. I also gathered a selection of books and patterns.
Here’s a photo of some of my stuff headed to the sale. My style is Early Flea Market, of course. LOL!
My friend Mary Lee (Hey Mary Lee!) shared my space with me. Her stash management program is very different from my “it looks like a flea market threw up” chaos — when she finds a pattern that she likes, she makes her own quilt kits by gathering up all the fabrics for the pattern along with the pattern itself. Then she puts everything in the same bag. This way, when she’s ready to make something new, Mary Lee just has to grab a “kit” and start cutting and sewing. Anyway, Mary Lee weeded her kit collection out and parted with a group of kits she decided she wasn’t ever going to make.
All too soon, set up day for the sale arrived. We were able to set up on Thursday and the sale ran both Friday and Saturday. After we carted everything inside and started laying out our table, we discovered that an 8 foot table wasn’t big enough to lay everything out in an orderly fashion. Things were a little jumbled on our table, but that was okay. Sorry, but I never even thought of taking photos….
Late Friday morning, the sale was swamped! Really! Every table had people crowded around. Then it thinned out and we all started shopping each other’s stuff. Sigh…..occupational hazard.
These 3 photos are courtesy of Fox’s Sew and Vac, and show happy shoppers looking for great deals on fabric and such.
Here’s my list of info for you if you are planning to participate in a Fabric Yard Sale:
The more vendors, the less $$ you will make.
As you sell, so shall you buy…..
You need to price your items competitively or you will be taking home what you brought (plus whatever you bought)
Bring some kind of table covering — even if your table looks like Early Flea Market (like mine did), a table covering under your items just makes it look nicer. Use quilts if you can as they are, naturally, attention-grabbers.
Bring lots of small bills ($1s and $5s, mostly) for change and be prepared to change a $20 when someone wants a fat quarter for $1.
Bring plastic shopping bags to put purchases in.
It’s best to have another person with you, but if you have to do your sale alone, make sure someone stops to give you a lunch break. Of course, the folks at Fox’s were happy to watch our tables so we could dash to the bathroom (and maybe grab a yard of fabric we spied across the hallway).
Packing your fabrics, patterns, books, and other items in plastic bins, baskets, and crates makes moving things in and out and keeping your table organized a lot easier than having yardage and fat quarters spilling all over the place.
Bring something to do when things aren’t busy. I always bring a couple magazines, a book, a quilt with binding to be hand-stitched, or even my EPP hexies. Of course, you’re bound to make some new friends and rediscover some old pals, so expect lots of chatting and laughing going on.
Bring something to drink and a snack or two — chocolate is always a good choice.
I am guilty of #2 on my list above…….but not as guilty as some, I will say. Here are my awesome finds:
Mostly I stuck to fat quarters, but I did buy a couple larger pieces. I also got a great deal on a stack of Block magazines. And, believe it or not, but one of the other vendors had whole vintage feed sacks for sale. I bought 5. Shhhhh……don’t tell anyone my deep dark secrets.
I can definitely see my studio looking a little better without all the stuff I pulled out and had piled and stacked anywhere I could find a little space until the sale. When the Fabric Yard Sale was over, I sorted my stuff and decided to donate about half of what I brought home to my local Humane Society secondhand shop. Now to find somewhere to store the stuff I decided to keep (at least for now) as well as the new stuff I brought home. Again — occupational hazard.
Fabric Yard Sales are just an excuse for quilters to gather, share ideas, catch up, make new friends, laugh and gossip. Oh, yes — they also keep quilting fabrics and supplies in circulation.
Well, that’s it for me today. Good luck with your own Spring Cleaning.
The sun is shining right now, melting the unexpected snow we got overnight, but at least it was only a couple inches and it should be gone tomorrow. Here in PA, we’ve had a relatively mild winter so far this year, but in California, where the Villa Rosa Designs quilt shop is located and where owner/Rose Queen, Pat, lives, there has been loads of snow and rain!
BRRRRRR!
The VRD shop was closed for more than a week! No electricity — no Internet! One of the shop workers couldn’t even get into her own home! It’s been that bad, really! Maybe you’ve been affected by all the bad weather out there, too.
Fabric orders are backed up, so please be patient as everything gets up and running again at the VRD shop and everyone is working as quickly as they can to get your orders put together. Thanks for your understanding.
NEW VRD March 2023 Rose Cards
On a happy note, it’s my favorite Thursday of the month — you know the one following the first Friday when the new VRD cards are released. Yay!
Drum roll, please!
Wow! Lot’s of fun, huh? You can order the set of 5 March Rose Cards HERE. (Psst — cards are not shipped from the shop in CA, so Rose Card orders are not affected by the storms on the West Coast).
And here is March’s new table runner pattern, Lucky!
I featured the Luck of the Gnomes fabric collection from Benartex, one of our newest Quilting Partners, in this runner. You can take a look at the whole collection HERE .
Check with your local shops as it should already be available.
Grab your March patterns if you don’t have them yet and get quilting — what are you waiting for???
Maybe you need some new fabric inspiration? Hmmmmm……???
Charley Harper Fabrics
Pat mentioned to me the other day when we were discussing QuiltCon, that the Charley Harper fabrics had been received well. And I was like — what are Charley Harper fabrics??!!?? I do so dislike not knowing something so I immediately went to the shop website, www.villarosadesigns.com, to see what “Charley Harper” was. And — WOW — did I get excited by what I saw.
Here are some of my favorites:
Aren’t they wonderful? Edgy and mid century modern? Rich saturated colors? Simple yet complex at the same time???
After perusing the Charley Harper fabrics available at VRD, I just had to look up some more information. Who or what was Charley Harper?
Charley Harper was born in West Virginia where he grew up on a farm. He attended the Cincinnati Art Academy and even taught there for years. He was considered a “modernist wildlife artist” and he died in 2007.
I asked myself how I had never heard of Charley Harper. I did not take any art classes in college or grad school, but I find it sad I never stumbled upon this amazing artist.
How fortunate for us that Birch Fabrics has brought Charley Harper’s incredible artwork to the quilting community.
Don’t forget to check out the Charley Harper fabrics available at Villa Rosa Designs HERE! Stock up now on these amazingly beautiful designs because they are sure to go fast. Just sayin’…….
I don’t know about you, but a surprising number of people I know are expecting new babies in their families in the near future. It’s a bummer I don’t have anyone in my family expecting because there is nothing more wonderful than making a baby quilt for a new little bundle of joy.
This topic got me thinking about Villa Rosa Designs and our baby quilt patterns. I decided that it would be fun to share our awesome VRD Rose Card baby quilt patterns with you, just in case you have someone expecting a new little one and you need to whip up a baby quilt.
And if you don’t have any babies on the way in your family right now, it’s never a bad idea to have one or two baby quilts tucked away for the future…. Just sayin’.
I went through ALL of our VRD Rose Card patterns and found sew many patterns that would be appropriate as a baby quilt. Whoa! I found way more than I was expecting to. Be warned there A LOT of baby quilt patterns here.
By no means is this a complete list of any Rose Card patterns that would work for baby quilts, this is just a list that I pulled together based on the name of the pattern, the size, and the fabrics of the quilt on the front of the pattern.
I divided the patterns by each VRD designer in alphabetical order (thank you to all of my English teachers through the years!) and even included a link in case you are interested in adding any of the patterns to your Rose Card collection. I got your back (wink, wink…).
I hope you enjoy these wonderful baby quilt patterns — it’s a long list.
See a quilt you like but not interested in (or need to) make a baby quilt sized quilt? It’s sew simple to make the quilt larger by adding a border, another row, or more blocks. Just remember to increase the fabric requirements so you don’t run short on fabric.
Bring on the Baby Quilts!
Cook Family Designs
Corners
A fun quilt with room to add your own novelty print squares! Finishes at 39″ x 46″. You can find the pattern HERE.
Cuddly Friends
Great use of a fun panel! This sweetie finishes at 45″ x 53″ and you can buy the pattern HERE.
Game Play
This cutie really scores! Use a novelty collection….or not. Finishes at 38″ x 46″ and you will find the pattern HERE.
Puppy Love
Grab your fav panel and a stack of coordinating 5″ squares! This quilt goes together really fast and finishes at 45″ x 54″. Buy the pattern HERE.
Sew Cute
Big printed squares and 4 Patch blocks make this baby quilt easy peasy to put together. It finishes at 45″ x 60″. Grab the pattern HERE.
Storybook
A fun way to feature a fabric book in quilt format! This quilt finishes at 48″ x 51″ and you can find the pattern HERE.
Keri G
Paddywhack
Try your hand at something new — raw edge applique! This cutie finishes at 42″ x 52″. Purchase the pattern HERE.
Pitter Patter
This little sweetie features raw edge applique hearts and finishes at 40″ x 54″. Get the pattern HERE.
Melissa Milligan
Animal March
This nice-sized quilt uses novelty fabric or a panel with printed squares. It finishes at 51″ x 51″. Find the pattern HERE.
Orphan Quilts (moi)
Baby Cakes
This fun quilt uses a handful of 10″ squares along with some companion fabrics and finishes at 42″ x 53″. You can buy the pattern HERE.
Bear Hugs
This farmhouse style baby quilt requires a bundle of fat quarters and a border and finishes at 42″ x 48″. Find the pattern HERE.
Bunny Hop
This adorable quilt is quick as a wink to make up using a novelty print and some strips. It finishes at 42″ x 50″. Get the pattern HERE.
Giggles
The name of this quilt just makes me smile! It finishes at 40″ x 48″ and uses 5″ squares. You can buy the pattern HERE.
Lollipop
This quilt can be a real stash buster or you can use packs of mini charms. It finishes at 42″ x 50″. Pattern available HERE.
Nursery Rhymes
Big pieces make this quilt large print friendly and it finishes at 39″ x 52″. You can find it HERE.
Playdate
Primary colors are always a great choice for a baby quilt! This one goes together fast, uses a collection of 2 1/2″ strips, and finishes at 40″ x 52″. Get the pattern HERE.
Simple Simon
This is probably the quickest baby quilt I’ve ever designed. Pick your novelty print, sprinkle in some coordinating strips, sew a few seams, and done! It finishes at 42″ x 48″. Grab the pattern HERE.
Tic Tac Toad
Don’t you just love the name of this quilt??? It is just as fun to make as the name and fat quarter friendly too! The quilt finishes at 48″ x 48″. You can find the pattern HERE.
Tumblebug
I chose to make this quilt with sweet pastel strips, but any style or colors will work great for this baby quilt. It finishes at 40″ x 52″. Get the pattern HERE.
Running Doe
Baby Goose
This is one of my favs — a great way to use an awesome novelty or large print! It finishes at 42″ x 48″ and you can find it HERE.
Cabin Fever
Think modern farmhouse for this sweet baby quilt which finishes at 37″ x 47″. Buy the pattern HERE.
Duffy
This adorable quilt features a focal fabric and some coordinating half yards. It finishes at 36″ x 48″. Grab the pattern HERE.
Luv Ya
Hearts are so appropriate for a bold baby quilt! This one finishes at 45″ x 63″ and you can find the pattern HERE.
Sewl Sister
Color Cat
A fun little quilt for a baby with a furry sibling or two…. It finishes at 32″ x 48″. You could make the quilt a bit larger by adding another row of cats or even a larger border, just remember to buy additional fabric. Find the pattern HERE.
Villa Rosa Designs
Angel Face
Babies are truly a gift from Heaven! This fast-to-make quilt frames big blocks made with your favorite novelty fabric. It finishes at 38″ x 50″ and you can get the pattern HERE.
Be My Baby
Fat quarter friendly and quick to make, this quilt finishes at 43″ x 44″. You can buy the pattern HERE.
Busy Bee
Use that fat quarter bundle we all know you’ve been hoarding to sew up this fun quilt that finishes at 45″ x 54″. Get the pattern HERE.
Cherish
Here’s another sweet baby quilt featuring a theme fabric and a handful of fat quarters. It finishes at 41″ x 57″. Purchase the pattern HERE.
Child’s Play
Large pieces and fat quarters make this pattern a keeper! This quilt finishes at 39″ x 45″. Find it HERE.
Darcey
A fun little quilt using 10″ squares. It finishes at 42″ x 54″ and you can buy the pattern HERE.
Emma Grace
Another cutie! This quilt uses 5″ squares and finishes at 40″ x 45″. Get the pattern HERE.
Gypsy
A pack of 10″ squares will make 2 of these baby quilts — fraternal twins! The quilt finishes at 47″ x 56″ with the optional border. Get the pattern HERE.
Happy Child
Some fat quarters and a few coordinates are all you need to put this fun quilt together! It finishes at 43″ x 56″ and you can buy the pattern HERE.
Night Light
Four Patch blocks and 5″ squares make this quilt not only fun but fast. It finishes at 36″ x 45″. Grab this cutie HERE.
What a great collection of quilts!
Any one of them would make a sweet baby quilt for a special little one either now or down the road. Hopefully, you’ve got some great ideas for whipping up a few baby quilts for gifting now or stashing away for the future.
I can’t believe that a week has passed since we began our very first VRD Blog Hop. It’s been SEW MUCH FUN, hasn’t it?
Our participating bloggers have shared their VRD quilts, tips and tricks, and inspiration by the boatload — just what we all needed in the middle of January to help us jump start a new fun project! You can visit Villa Rosa Designs HERE to see our catalog of over 500 Rose Card patterns for even more inspiration.
Here’s the special VRD Rose Card collection used for this very Fast & Fun Blog Hop:
An enormous HUG goes out to our amazing bloggers for participating in the Blog Hop and showing us their own spin for the VRD Rose Card patterns above. Thank you, Bloggers, for taking the time to be part of the Blog Hop!
I’m bummed that the Fast & Fun Blog Hop is wrapping up today. Sadly, all good things much come to an end sometime. And this Blog Hop really was a “good thing,” wasn’t it?
I really enjoyed reading each participating blogger’s post each day, didn’t you? I must confess that I read them over breakfast because I honestly couldn’t wait to see which quilt each blogger created! And I absolutely loved reading the comments on our VRD post as well as the comments on the other blogs. What fun!
THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to hop from blog to blog this past week. It really warms my heart that so many folks came along for our Fast & Fun Blog Hop ride!
If you haven’t finished reading all the posts for the Hop and leaving comments to register for prizes, you have through Sunday, January 29th to do so. Use the links above to visit each participating blogger to catch up on your reading and your prize entries.
I just have to do a quick shout out to my cousin, Robin, a fellow quilter. Robin had her knee replaced yesterday and after waking up from anesthesia and while she had a little lunch, she made sure to read Wednesday’s blog posts for the Hop. Now that’s real dedication! Heal fast, Cuz.
Winners will be drawn next week, notified, and prizes will be shipped in February. We will also be posting the winners in February, so stay tuned — it could even be you.
One Last VRD Fast & Fun Blog Hop Giveaway
Let’s review all the prizes that are up for grabs for this Blog Hop:
Everyone is eligible to win prizes. Please note that winners outside the USA will receive a digital set of the 2023 Blog Hop Rose Card pattern collection.
There are several opportunities for you to win prizes during the blog hop:
Individual bloggers may be hosting giveaways on their blogs for you to win. Please visit these bloggers to find out about their giveaways and how to register.
Villa Rosa Designs is giving away a 2023 Blog Hop Rose Card pattern collection on each participating blog.
Sponsor prizes have been donated by our lovely Sponsors, above, and even from some of the bloggers, too! These prizes are divided into 2 different categories —
Grand Prize Boxes (of which there are 2) are filled with tons of quilting goodies including books, fabric, precuts, notions, patterns, and more.
Individual Prizes (each blogger will select 3 winners on their blog) which may be books, patterns, fat quarter bundles, 5″ squares, 2 1/2″ strips, 10″ squares, notions, and more.
No purchase is necessary to participate in the Blog Hop or to win prizes.
You have up to 3 chances to win the quilts listed above on this blog post.
1. Leave a comment onthis post and tell us your thoughts about the VRD Fast & Fun Blog Hop.
2. Become a blog follower/subscriber and leave a comment on this post telling us that you are a blog follower/subscriber.
3. Join our VRD Facebook group and leave a comment on this post telling us you joined our FB group.
Ready! Set! GO!
Please note that in order to leave a comment on this blog post to be registered for prizes, you will need to click on the comments link just under the blog title at the top of this blog post. After you click the “comments” link found to the right side, you need to scroll all the way down to the bottom of “comments” in order to find the “Reply” box to leave your own comment. Be patient — there may be a lot of comments to go through until you get to the bottom.Thank you.
Don’t forget — registration for prizes closes Sunday, January 29th.
Winners will be selected randomly on Monday/Tuesday January 30th/31st.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE AN EMAIL ADDRESSSO WE CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE A WINNER!
Well, Quilty Friends, I thank you for hopping along with us this past week. Hope you had as much fun as we did!
I hope you are ready to come along on a fun quilting adventure, otherwise known as our very first Blog Hop here at Villa Rosa Designs. We’re calling it the Fast & Fun Blog Hop, and I know you’ll understand why very soon.
We have a super group of bloggers ready to share some awesome quilts made with Villa Rosa Designs (VRD) Rose Card patterns.
In fact, we’ve put together a special collection of 5 patterns just for this Blog Hop!
Here are the 5 patterns in the 2023 Fast & Fun Blog Hop Collection:
Lucky you! You can purchase a set of these 5 patterns HERE. Or visit our website HERE for even more great Rose Card patterns (over 500 of them).
Or you might just win a set. READ ON to find out how!
Villa Rosa Designs is the brainchild of owner and Rose Queen, Pat Fryer. Pat wanted to create Fast & Fun, affordable, and high quality patterns for quilters featuring precuts like 1/2 yards, fat quarters, 10″ squares, 5″ squares, 2 1/2″ strips, fat eighths, and fat sixths as well as other fabric cuts like panels and novelty fabrics.
Since its launch in 2010, VRD has become much more than a handful of easy-to-make quilt patterns. Rose Cards, Villa Rosa’s signature postcard-sized patterns, combine great design with simple packaging and an attractive price, making Rose Cards one of the best selling pattern brands on the market today! And since 2010, Villa Rosa Designs has grown to include a collection of very talented designers, each with their own unique style.
Now that you know a little bit about Villa Rosa Designs, let me tell you about the VRD Fast & Fun Blog Hop!
Let’s HOP!
We’ve teamed up with an awesome group of bloggers, who have accepted the challenge to create 1 of the 5 Blog Hop Rose Card patterns above. To see which blogger has created which pattern, you’ll have to visit EACH blogger during the blog hop which runs from today, January 19th through next Thursday, January 26th.
You will have the opportunity to win lots of great prizes during the blog hop! All you have to do is hop from blog to blog every day from January 19th through January 26th to see which quilt each blogger made and to find out how to register for prizes on each blog.
Registration for prizes will close on Sunday, January 29th.
Before I jump into all the cool prizes you might win, I want to take a moment to thank all of our incredible sponsors, who donated all kinds of quilting goodies for you to win. Thank you Sponsors! Without you, this Blog Hop wouldn’t be happening.
Everyone is eligible to win prizes. Please note that winners outside the USA will receive a digital set of the 2023 Blog Hop Rose Card pattern collection.
There are several opportunities for you to win prizes during the blog hop:
Individual bloggers may be hosting giveaways on their blogs for you to win. Please visit these bloggers to find out about their giveaways and how to register.
Villa Rosa Designs is giving away a 2023 Blog Hop Rose Card pattern collection on each participating blog.
Sponsor prizes have been donated by our lovely Sponsors, above, and even from some of the bloggers, too! These prizes are divided into 2 different categories —
Grand Prize Boxes (of which there are 2) are filled with tons of quilting goodies including books, fabric, precuts, notions, patterns, and more.
Individual Prizes (each blogger will select 3 winners on their blog) which may be books, patterns, fat quarter bundles, 5″ squares, 2 1/2″ strips, 10″ squares, notions, and more.
WOW! That’s a lot of prizes if you do the math.
Please note that to leave a comment on this blog to be registered for prizes, you will need to click on the comments link just under the blog title at the top of the blog. After you click the “comments” link, you need to scroll all the way down to the bottom of “comments” in order to find the space to leave your own comment. Be patient — there are a lot of comments to go through until you get to the bottom. Thank you.
Here are some photos of the prizes to get you motivated! LOL!
Photo 1 (left) shows a Grand Prize Box. Oh my — look at all those quilting goodies!
Photos 2 and 3 (center and right) show an assortment of Individual Prizes just waiting for you to win — books, 10″ squares, 2 1/2″ strips, 5″ squares, fat quarter bundles, half yard bundles, notions, and patterns.
Sooooo, how do you win?
Hop from blog to blog from January 19th through January 26th and register for prizes at each blog. The more participating blogs you visit and register at, the more chances you have to win prizes! It’s really that easy, I promise.
Winners will be selected randomly. Each blogger will select 2 names to go into the Grand Prize Box drawing and 2 winners will be selected randomly to win. Each blogger will also randomly select 3 winners for the Sponsored Individual Prizes.
Prize registration closes Sunday, January 29, 2023.
Winners will be announced the beginning of February 2023. Prizes will be shipped in February 2023.
No purchase is necessary to participate in the Blog Hop or to win prizes.
Villa Rosa Designs Thursday January 19th Giveaway
Thank you for reading all the way through this post! As a reward, you can register to win QUILTS!
Here’s your chance to win one of these 3 Quilts made from VRD Rose Card patterns. These 3 quilts are completely finished — machine quilted and bound — and ready for you to enjoy. Awesome!!!
You have up to 3 chances to win the quilts listed above on this blog.
1. Leave a comment on this post and tell us what your favorite Rose Card pattern is (or one you would like to make if you’re new to VRD).
2. Become a blog follower/subscriber and leave a comment on this post telling us that you are a blog follower/subscriber.
3. Join our VRD Facebook group and leave a comment on this post telling us you joined our FB group.
Ready! Set! GO!
Please note that to leave a comment on this blog to be registered for prizes, you will need to click on the comments link just under the blog title at the top of the blog. After you click the “comments” link, you need to scroll all the way down to the bottom of “comments” in order to find the space to leave your own comment. Be patient — there are a lot of comments to go through until you get to the bottom.Thank you.
Don’t forget — registration for prizes closes Sunday, January 29th.
Winners will be selected randomly on Monday/Tuesday January 30th/31st.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE AN EMAIL ADDRESSSO WE CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE A WINNER!
Well, Quilty Friends, I thank you for reading the whole way to the end.
Good luck to each of you and please enjoy the Blog Hop!
I am SEW EXCITED to tell you all about our very first Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop. We’re calling it the “Fast & Fun” Blog Hop because as most of you already know, Villa Rosa Designs Rose Cards are fast and fun for real!
What is a Blog Hop?
It’s a group of bloggers who write about a specific topic or theme. The participating bloggers write and share their posts during a specific period of time. During the blog hop, people can read the posts each day of the hop and register for prizes. YES! I said prizes!
Have you ever gone on a Quilt Shop Hop? It’s a lot like that except you hop from blog to blog from the comfort of your home instead of from store to store.
Our blog hop will be January 19-26, 2023 and we have a great group of participants who will be telling you all about their Fast & Fun VRD projects. We will also be offering a special Blog Hop Rose Card Collection for sale on the website and of course, we will be giving away sets of these 5 awesome Rose Card patterns, too.
Sew…..mark your calendars for January 19-26 and tell all of your quilting pals!
Here are our participating blog partners for the blog hop as of today:
You might want to take a little time and explore our blog partners so you’re all set for the Blog Hop and can register for prizes on all participating blogs.
Speaking of registering for prizes, as of today, we have the following companies and businesses sponsoring our Blog Hop:
Many of our blog partners will be sponsoring their own giveaways on their blogs, too!
The blog hop is sounding more and more fun, isn’t it? Don’t forget to mark your calendars for January 19-26. The Blog Hop will kick off here at our Villa Rosa Designs blog,Villa Rosa Quilts, on January 19th!
We’ll have more information next week, so stop back then!
Villa Rosa Quilts 