Hello there! March is a month where we begin to think about spring. We love the springtime when the flowers are in bloom. There are some great blocks with the theme of floral for March 2023. I think sunflowers are one of the happiest flowers and they bring so much joy. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of March 2023, Happy Sunflowers Block, is great for making a table runner or small quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
SF Cover
GS Cover
During March 2023, we are offering 20% off two of our spring digital download patterns. They are the Spring Friends Table Runner and The Good Shepherd quilt pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
This is the Happy Sunflowers Block. This block features yellow sunflowers with happy faces on a dark green background with a red heart. I placed the flowers on a dark background to make them pop. You certainly may use a lighter background if you prefer. Also, If you don’t like the faces on the flowers, you may leave them off.
Quilt Block Mania has 27 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- Floral.
Happy Sunflowers
The Happy Sunflowers Block makes a great 33″ square quilt with a 1″ finished light brown inner border, and sashing, and a 3″ finished green outer border.
HSF Quilt
The Happy Sunflowers block also makes a cheery 20″ x 46″ table runner with a 1″ finished light brown inner border, and sashing, and a 3″ finished green outer border. .
HSF TR
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Happy Sunflowers Block for March 2023, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of March 2023.
HSF Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on March 7th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
As you may be aware, I am an Island Batik Ambassador again for 2023. My February project is a puff quilt and if you have not made one of those yet, they are a lot of fun. My last blog post details how I made it and I also have a YouTube video, on my channel, talking about how I made it. Check out my last blog post to see how I made it.
2023-I’m-An-Island-Batik-Ambassador
Finished Puff Quilt
If you like my February Project, stay tuned for more projects in 2023. I think you are going to like the March project, which is a strip quilt.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration. Please be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a thing. And thanks for watching!
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
March-Floral-Quilt-Blocks
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
Hello there! February is a month for love. We love our friends and other connections. There are some great blocks with the theme of connections for February 2023. Connections for me means looking out for one another. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of February 2023, Half Friendship Star with Heart Block, is great for making a small quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
Dashing Diamonds Cover
During February 2023, we are offering 20% off one of our digital download patterns. It is the Dashing Diamonds quilt pattern. This quilt looks fantastic done in batik fabrics. The link to this pattern is here: downloadable-patterns/
Quilt Block Mania has 26 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- Connections.
Half Friendship Star with Heart
This is the Half Friendship Star with Heart Block. This block features a yellow star with purple center on a white background and a red heart. This block makes it easy for you to put what ever appliqué shape you would like in the center.
The Half Friendship Star with Heart Block makes a great 32″ square quilt with a 1″ finished yellow inner border and a 3″ finished lime green outer border. This quilt allows a lot of space for beautiful free motion quilting in the center.
Half Friendship Star Quilt
Here are a couple other layouts of the quilt which may be achieved by rotating the blocks, and a table runner.
Half Friendship Star Quilt 2
Half Friendship Star Quilt 3
Half Friendship Star Quilt TR
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Half Friendship Star with Heart Block for February 2023, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of February 2023.
HFS cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on February 7th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
I’m delighted to announced that I am an Island Batik Ambassador again for 2023. Below is a picture of all of the ambassadors. My February project is a puff quilt and if you have not made one of those yet, they are a lot of fun. My next blog post will detail how I made it and I will also have a You Tube video, on my channel, talking about how I made it. My blog post for the puff quilt will go live tomorrow, Feb 8th. It will be a blog hop and there are prizes every week. Below is another look at my December project, where I made a lone star quilt. Check out my last blog post to see how I made it.
2023-I’m-An-Island-Batik-Ambassador
Island Batik Ambassadors
Reach For the Stars quilt
If you like my December Project, stay tuned for more projects in 2023.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks. I post early, but the designers are not required to post until 9:00 am ET, so their blog posts may not be live until l then.
Connections Quilt Blocks
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
Happy New Year! Let’s start the new year off with some delicious desserts and who doesn’t love some raspberry cheesecake? There are some awesome blocks with the theme of dessert for January 2023. You should be able to find a block that will temp your taste buds. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of January 2023, Raspberry Cheesecake Block, is great for making a small quilt or table runner. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
Mayfair Terrace Cover
During January 2023, we are offering 20% off one of our Spring patterns. It is the Mayfair Terrace quilt pattern, a fun appliqué project, which also includes the instructions to make an alternate table runner. The link to this pattern is here: downloadable-patterns/
Quilt Block Mania has 21 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- dessert. There were no theme colors this month.
Raspberry Cheesecake Block
This is the Raspberry Cheesecake Block. This block features a red raspberry star on a cream cheesecake and dark brown graham cracker crust background. This block looks good enough to eat. Yum!
The Raspberry Cheesecake Block makes a great 32″ square quilt with a 1″ finished light pink inner border and a 3″ finished dark brown outer border. It also makes a nice 20″ x 44″ table runner with 3 blocks, a 1″ finished light pink inner border and a 3″ finished dark brown outer border.
RC Quilt
RC Table Runner
If you like many different toppings on your cheesecake, you could mix it up with strawberry, blueberry, lemon and lime and add a dark brown binding to frame the cheesecake border.
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Raspberry Cheesecake Block for January 2023, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of January 2023.
RC Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on January 3rd which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my December project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a lone star quilt. Check out my last blog post to see how I made it.
Reach For the Stars quilt
If you like my December Project, stay tuned for more projects in 2023.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
Dessert Quilt Blocks
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
Happy Holidays! This month’s blog hop is called Lone Star as the Island Batik Ambassadors will all be making a lone star quilt using different fabric collections from Island Batik. I love the look of Lone Star quilts and I know you are going to see some awesome quilts with this month’s Island Batik blog hop. Since this month is a blog hop, you can check out the Island Batik blog and enter each week to win a fat quarter bundle of some of the fabrics that the Ambassadors are using in their projects. I will show the other fabric collections later in this blog along with a link to the giveaway from Island Batik and links to other ambassador’s blogs.
I have always liked lone star quilts and yet I have never made one. A very special lone star quilt that I saw in South Dakota is part of the Dignity Statue. This statue is massive. The Dignity Statue is a tribute to the Lakota people of South Dakota. The image of the star quilt is a reminder of the importance of generosity in Lakota culture and is one of the most valued gifts one can receive. Also, if you are looking for some additional inspiration for Lone Star quilts, there are a lot of them featured in the 24th issue of Quiltfolk, which is about South Dakota quilters.
Dignity Statue
Dignity Lone Star
Quiltfolk SD
The December project was to make a lone star quilt using an upcoming fabric line from Island Batik. I love the fabric I was given to use: Copperfield by Claudia Pfeil. Just look at this gorgeous collection of batik fabrics. The Copperfield collection may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
The quilt I made is called Reach For the Stars. It is a large lap sized quilt- 58″ x 58.” This striking quilt has shades of orange and shades of green on a white background. It’s a more modern lone star in that it has numerous white diamonds that create an open, lacy look to the main star. I live near Central Park- no, not that Central Park, and every year the whole park is lit up with holiday lights and they have a carnival with amusement rides. It was the perfect location to take pictures of this quilt.
Reach For the Stars quilt
quilt ornamentquilt at the carnival
Quilt on the Merry-Go-Round
Here is a closeup of the Copperfield batik bundle I was provided. What a beautiful selection of orange and green batiks.
Copperfield
These are the fabrics I chose from the collection to incorporate into my quilt along with white background fabric.
fabrics for quilt
I used my Electric Quilt 8 software to design this quilt. This is what the quilt looked like in the software. This combination of fabrics, with this layout, causes the main star in the quilt to radiate outwards. I think it has this effect even more so in the actual quilt.
Computer lone star
Now that I had the fabrics and the design, I had to figure out how I was going to make this quilt as I had never made a lone star quilt before. Thanks to my good friend, Eleanor Burns of Quilt in a Day, and her book, Radiant Star Quilts, I knew that I would be able to successfully make this quilt.
Radiant Star Quilts
You probably know that Eleanor is a stripper and one method for making a lone star quilt involves sewing strips together. The other method is to sew lots of diamonds together. I wanted to use the strip method in the Quilt in a Day book. You need a lot of strips, so I got out my Creative Grids Stripology Ruler and quickly cut out all the strips I needed to make this quilt.
CG Stripology Ruler
In the next step, the strips have to be sewn together in a certain order to create the diamond points of the main star. Each subsequent strip is offset downward, which creates a 45 degree angle at the end of the strip set. When sewing multiple long strips together, it is a good idea to reverse directions when sewing the subsequent strips on; i.e., start at the bottom instead of the top on every other strip. This helps to prevent bowing in your strip sets.
sewing strips together
To create the diamonds, the strip sets are then cut at an angle. This creates biased edges on the newly cut strips and you have to be careful to not stretch them when pressing and/or sewing. You trim the end at a 45 degree angle and then make subsequent cuts that are the same size as your original strips, which in my case was 2.5.”
strips cut at an angle
There were three or four different combinations of strip sets that had to be sewn together and then cut at an angle. You then have to match up the correct angled strips next to each other and sew them together. This requires a lot of organization so that you have sewn the correct strip sets together and then are sewing the correct angled strips together. The Quilt in a Day book was well written and following the detailed instructions helped with the organization.
angled strips sewn together
One sign of a well made lone star quilt is that all those diamond points are nicely lined up. There are a lot of intersections to be matched up. In order to accomplish that, it is necessary to mark the quarter inch seam on the strips at the intersections and then hold them together with pins. It’s definitely more work, but you can see from the previous photo, that that extra effort results in nicely matched points.
marking the quarter inch seam
For the smaller inset stars, I was able to cut the strips sets at an angle with the Stripology Ruler, which has 45 degree lines on it.
angled cuts with stripology ruler
The corner stars were created with a unique placement of the diamonds, which created an outline of a star. In order to get the corner stars the correct size, it was necessary to add setting triangles and then cut the squares down to size to match the length of the diamonds in the main star.
corner stars
One of the more challenging aspects of making the quilt was adding the setting corners and setting triangles. They are made the correct size by measuring the length of the diamonds in the main star. Then they are sewn with inset seams. This is accomplished by marking where the quarter inch intersection is located and sewing slow to not stretch the biased edges of the pieces. You are also working with a large quilt top at this point, so there is a lot of fabric to maneuver under the needle.
adding the setting triangles
I like to piece the backing of my quilts with left over fabric from the quilt I am working on. Using many of the large leftover pieces quickly made a backing for the quilt.
Quilt back
The theme of the quilt is stars and thus I picked a quilting design with swirls and stars. When a quilt has a lot of sharp angles in it, it is good to pick a quilting design with curves in it as this will not compete with the quilt.
My long armer for this quilt was Kim from Sunshine quilts. She used a really fine white thread which allows the quilting to pop in the white background areas but does not overtake the colored fabrics in the main star design. Didn’t she do a fantastic job? Here is a link to her Facebook page if you would like to bring, or send, your quilts to her: Sunshine Quilts.
quilting closeup
Finally, it was time to bind the quilt and I used a green from the Copperfield collection. My Betty Bobbin sure comes in handy for keeping the binding neat while I am working with it.
Betty Bobbin
Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted of me with the quilt. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)
Blue Bear hopes you like this quilt. Please let him know how much you love the this quilt by writing to him in the comments!
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their December Blog Hop Lone Star quilts. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
The giveaway of the Blog Hop started on Friday, December 2nd. Each week two lucky winners will each get one Fat Quarter bundle of a complete Island Batik collection. This week, it is Heartland or Emperor’s Treasures by Kathy Engle! To enter for your chance to win one of the two prizes above, follow the simple Rafflecopter prompts below.
This giveaway ends on December, 16th at 11:59 pm PDT. Two random winners will be notified by email on December, 17th and announced on our Facebook page on December, 20th. If the winners do not respond within the first three days after being notified, two new random winners will be chosen. Please check your spam folders!
Make sure to follow Island Batik on social media to hop along with the Lone Star Blog Hop. Be sure to check out the Island Batik Blog.
Who doesn’t love driving through the country and seeing a barn quilt hanging on the side of a barn. There are some amazing blocks with the theme of barn quilts for December 2022. You should be able to find a barn quilt you would be happy to put on the side of your barn, or house as the case may be. Maybe you might turn some of them into an indoor quilt as well. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of December 2022, Bright Star Block, would look great on the side of a barn or for making a small quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
Dashing Diamonds Cover
During December 2022, we are offering 20% off one of our newest patterns. It is the Dashing Diamonds quilt pattern, which is the May project we designed as an Island Batik Ambassador. The link to this pattern is here: downloadable-patterns/
Quilt Block Mania has 19 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- barn quilts. There were no theme colors this month.
Bright Star Block
This is the Bright Star Block. This block features a light green and light blue star with a red center and is set on a pink background.
The Bright Star block makes a great 32″ square quilt with a 1″ finished light blue inner border and a 3″ finished blue outer border. It also makes a nice table runner with 3 blocks, a 1″ finished light green inner border and a 3″ finished blue outer border. The shading of the blocks really makes these quilts sing.
Bright Star Quilt
Bright Star TR
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Bright Star Block for December, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of December 2022.
Bright Star Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on December 6th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my November project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a Crazy Quilt Christmas Stocking for Blue Bear. Check out my last blog post to see how I made it.
Blue Bear with Stocking
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my November Project, stay tuned for my December project which will be a making a Lone Star quilt.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
Barn Quilt Blocks
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
For those campers and hikers, we have some special blocks for you with this month’s theme of camping for November 2022. You will find some wonderful camping blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of November 2022, True North Block, is a great one for making a small quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
Hey Jude Cover
During November 2022, we are offering 20% off one of our newest fall inspired patterns. It is the Hey Jude quilt pattern. The link to this pattern is here: downloadable-patterns/
Quilt Block Mania has 18 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- camping . There were no theme colors this month.
True North Block
This is the True North Block. This block features a gray and white compass, with red and black pointers, set on a green background.
The True North block would makes a great 33″ square quilt with a 1″ finished black and red sashing and a 1″ finished gray inner border and a 3″ finished green outer border. It also makes a nice table runner with 3 blocks, a 1″ finished black sashing, a 1″ finished inner gray border and a 3″ finished outer green border.
True North Quilt
True North Table Runner
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our True North Block for November, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of November 2022.
True North Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on November 1st which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my October project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made an In Control caddy using the byAnnie.com pattern and the Island Batik fabric line called Silverado Canyon. I sure hope you like it.
In Control Caddy
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my September Project, stay tuned for my November project which will be a making a Christmas stocking
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
Camping Themed Quilt Blocks
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
Fall is here and we have harvested the crop of some red beets with this month’s theme of on the farm for October 2022. You will find some fabulous farm themed blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of October 2022, Beets Block, is a great one for making a small quilt or a pillow cover. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
TT Cover
CM Cover
During October 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our fall looking patterns. They are the Timberland Tumble pattern and the Chess Match pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
Quilt Block Mania has 17 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- on the farm . There were no theme colors this month.
Beet block
This is the Beets Block. This block features three shaded red beets with green tops set in some light brown soil.
The Beets block would makes a great pillow cover with a 1″ finished dark maroon border or a small quilt with a 1″ finished light green sashing and inner border and a 4″ finished dark maroon outer border.
Beet pillow
Beet Quilt 35
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Beets Block for October, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of October 2022.
Beets Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on October 4th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my September project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a SW 60 quilt using the Studio 180 Design Star 60 tool and the Island Batik fabric line called Simply Southwest. I sure hope you like it.
SW Star 60 quilt
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my September Project, stay tuned for my October project which will be a making a ByAnnie.com Remote Caddy.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
Farm Themed Quilt Blocks QBM
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
I have been waiting all year for this blog hop to get here. This month’s blog hop is called tool talk as the Island Batik Ambassadors will all be using different Studio 180 Design Rulers and different fabric collections from Island Batik. I love the Studio 180 Design rulers as they create a slightly oversized unit which allows you to obtain great results in making your quilt. Also, most of the Studio 180 Design rulers allow you to make approximately 8 different sized units with one ruler. How awesome is that? I know you are going to see some fantastic quilts with this month’s Island Batik blog hop. Since this month is a blog hop, you can check out the Island Batik blog and enter each week to win a fat quarter bundle of some of the fabrics that the Ambassadors are using in their projects. I will show the other fabric collections later in this blog along with a link to the giveaway from Island Batik and links to other ambassador’s blogs.
tool-talk-blog-hop
The September project was to make a quilt using an upcoming fabric line from Island Batik and a Studio 180 Design Ruler. I was so excited when the fabric I was given to use was Simply Southwest by Kathy Engle. Just look at this gorgeous collection of batik fabrics. The Simply Southwest collection may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
Simply Southwest
The quilt I made is called SW 60. It is a large lap quilt size 70″ x 66.” This stunning quilt has dark brown stars, highlighted in off-white, and surrounded by large hexagons in gorgeous Southwestern colors. Mr. James of the Raymond James Financial company loves to collect Southwestern art in the form of bronze statues. The art displays outside their headquarters were the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot. It’s always fun to find cool locations for the photo shoot.
SW 60 quiltSW 60 quilt
This is one of those quilts that looks fantastic with the sun shining through it, and in these glorious fall colors, it is a very masculine quilt.
Sun shining through the quilt
The batik bundle I was provided was the Simply Southwest collection by Kathy Engle. Beauregard loves this glorious selection of rust, brown, green and yellow batiks. These fabrics are so yummy.
Simply Southwest
I downloaded the images of the fabric collection into my Electric Quilt 8 software, which is the software I use to design quilts. Here is what the quilt looked like in the software. It’s amazing how much it looks like the real quilt don’t you think? I love how the colors in this collection invite your eyes to dance across the quilt.
Star 60 quilt
When you work with a fabric collection, such as Simply Southwest from Island Batik, it makes it so easy to create a coordinated quilt. Everything just works well together.
SW 60 2
The tool I was given to work with was the Studio 180 Design Star 60 ruler and with this tool, you can create units from 1″ all the way up to 9″. The size unit I was working with was 8″. It is so awesome that you can create so many different sized block units with one ruler. With the results I was able to obtain with this ruler, I would love to try making a 1″ mini version of this quilt. The ruler also comes with an awesome set of instructions, which are very easy to follow. There are directions, and diagrams, for both left and right handed people. This came in handy with me being a lefty. Deb Tucker, the designer of these rulers, has also created fantastic videos on YouTube that give that visual presentation for following the written instructions. Deb has also created many technique sheets, which allow you to get even more creative with this tool, as they allow you to create pieced sections within the block unit. I choose to make my diamonds, in the block units, a four patch and I used the Checkerboard 60 technique sheet instructions. There was a video you could watch for the Checkerboard 60 technique sheet as well. It is so easy to get really great results using this tool and following the instructions. I was a little intimidated in making this quilt at first, but with the Studio 180 Design Star 60 tool and following the instructions, it really was easy. The most complicated part for me was keeping all of the pieces organized as I was using so many different colors that had to be placed next to each other.
Star 60 tool
It is easy to cut out the number of side triangle shapes you need as you first cut strips and then use the ruler to cut out the triangles. There is very little waste. If you would like to see some videos of me with the quilt and how I use the Star 60 tool to cut out the various needed shapes, please go to my Tok Tok channel and YouTube channel, they are both called-Blue Bear Quilts. Here is a link to the YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/Cl9nijmFcvI
cut side triangles
After I had cut all of the side triangle pieces, it was time to start working on the checkerboard diamonds. They were created by sewing off-white and brown strips together and then sub cutting them into slanted rectangles. Then I sewed those slated rectangles into the pieced diamonds.
checkerboard diamond
The seams are pressed open. which will make for a flatter laying block, for which your long arm quilter will be thankful. Looks like I forgot to press one of the seams open in the picture below. Then, one end of the checkerboard diamond is trimmed so that the side triangles can be added to it.
diamond pressed open on the back
There were so many color combinations and each block unit had a different set of side triangles. In order to be organized, I needed to lay the pieces out before sewing.
laying out side triangles
The right side triangle was added first and was pressed toward the checkerboard diamond.
one side pressed toward the diamond
The left side triangle was pressed toward the left side triangle. The pressing was done this way so that the seams would nest with each other when the units were sewn together. This method of pressing worked for the majority of the block units in this quilt.
other side pressed toward the side triangle
In order to keep this quilt organized as I was making it, it was necessary to number the block units with a label.
each unit is labeled
I made a numbered chart so that I would know where all of the block units were positioned in the quilt. This was absolutely necessary since I was working with so many different colored fabrics. As I completed the units, I colored them in with colored pencils.
organization of the units
Finally, it was time to trim up the block units using the Star 60 tool. First the two sides were trimmed, as shown in the picture below, and then the ruler was repositioned to trim the bottom.
Star 60 tool trims up the units
As you can see, there is very little waste when trimming up the units with this tool. If you are a quilter who does not like to waste fabric, then the Studio 180 Design rulers are for you.
units all trimmed up
Once the units were trimmed up, I sewed three of them together to form a larger triangle.
units formed into larger triangles
Next, I sewed the larger triangles together to form a larger diamond. Doesn’t the back look so nice and pressed flat? I was able to achieve this by following the pressing directions with the tool instructions.
triangles sewn together to great larger diamonds
Finally, the larger diamonds were sewn into rows and then the rows were sewn together. I pressed all of these seams open.
larger diamonds sewn together in rows
Since the quilt had a Southwestern theme, I wanted a Southwestern quilting design. The brown fabric has longhorn skulls on it as you can see in the picture below. So at Urban Elements, I found this quilting design called Roundup with a longhorn skull and stars on it. Isn’t it just perfect for this quilt?
longhorn stitching
I purchased the design and loaded it onto a thumbnail drive to bring to my long armer. My long armer for this quilt was Kim from Sunshine quilts. Didn’t she do a fantastic job with this design? Here is a link to her Facebook page if you would like to bring, or send, your quilts to her: Sunshine Quilts.
longhorn stitching from the back
White 50 wt. Aurifil thread was my selection to piece the blocks. I used a 80/12 universal needle from Schmetz Needles. For the batting, I used Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20 batting.
Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted of me with the quilt. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)
Blue Bear hopes you like this quilt. Please let him know how much you love the this quilt by writing to him in the comments!
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their September Blog Hop Tool Talk quilts. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
The giveaway of the Blog Hop started on Friday, June 3rd. Each week two lucky winners will each get one Fat Quarter bundle of a complete Island Batik collection. This week, it is Paisley Got Mod by Kate Colleran Designs or Silverado Canyon by Kathy Engle! To enter for your chance to win one of the two prizes above, follow the simple Rafflecopter prompts below.
This giveaway ends on September, 23rd at 11:59 pm PDT. Two random winners will be notified by email on September, 24th and announced on our Facebook page on September, 27th. If the winners do not respond within the first two days after being notified, two new random winners will be chosen. Please, check your spam folders!
Make sure to follow Island Batik on social media to hop along with the Tool Talk Blog Hop. Be sure to check out the Island Batik Blog.
Fall is coming and we are cooking up something good with this month’s theme of careers for September 2022. You will find many different occupations in this month’s blocks. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of September 2022, Cook’s Tools, is a great one for making a wall hanging or large potholder for the kitchen. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
GS Cover
FOL Cover
During September 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our newest patterns. They are The Good Shepherd pattern and the Festival of Light pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
Quilt Block Mania has 14 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- careers. There were no theme colors this month.
Cook’s Tools Block
This is the Cook’s Tools block. This block features a red cooking pot with a tan wooden spoon on a white background.
The Cook’s Tools block would makes a great wall hanging, or a pot holder with a 1″ finished black outer border.
Cook’s Tools border
As a suggestion for how you could use this block, you could make a table runner with two blocks and then put an appliqué block or fancy quilting in the middle.
CT table runner
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Cook’s Tools block for September, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of September 2022.
CT Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on September 6th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my August project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a mini quilt for Blue Bear as he is always complaining that the quilts I make are too large for him. This quilt is only 12″ square. He is happy now.
BB Mini quilt
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my August Project, stay tuned for my September project which will be a making a 60 degree triangle quilt with a Studio 180 ruler and it will be revealed on my blog on September 22nd. It is a fall looking quilt and has a masculine southwest theme.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
career themed quilt blocks
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
This is my August 2022 project as an Island Batik Ambassador. This month’s challenge was to make a mini quilt using any technique and Island Batik fabric. The quilt could be no larger than 24″ x 24″. I designed this quilt on my computer using Electric Quilt 8 software. This size of this quilt, which is perfect for Blue Bear, is 12″ x 12″.
Blue Bear’s Star Mini Quilt
I chose to use fabrics from the Island Batik collection called “Jewel Carvings” and I also used their solid black. These colors are so delicious.
Jewel Carvings
When designing a quilt, it is important to make sure that you have a proper mix of light, medium and dark shades in your quilt. One way to determine this is to take a monochromatic picture of your fabrics to more clearly see the shades. Notice how the values go from dark to light when looking at the fabrics from left to right. In the completed quilt, I wish there was a little more value change between the purple and blue. Those are the two fabrics farthest to the left in the monochromatic image, followed by the green and yellow.
monochromatic image
This quilt is comprised of 1-1/2″ unfinished squares and half square triangles. I used a method of making 8 half square triangles at a time. You can find many articles for how to do this if you do a google search. I wanted 1-1/2″ unfinished half square triangles, so that meant that I needed to start with 4-1/2″ squares. For example, if I wanted to make the blue/green half square triangles, I would need to place green and blue 4-1/2″ squares right sides together. The nice thing about using Island Batik fabrics for this project is that you don’t really have to worry about right and wrong sides, even though technically there is a right side. Then I drew lines horizontally, vertically and diagonally in both directions in the middle of the square. Next, I sewed 1/4″ on either side of the drawn diagonal lines.
drawn and sewn lines
Next, I cut on the horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines I drew. You don’t cut on the sewn lines. This creates 8 half square triangle units.
8 half square triangles
Next. I needed to press the half square triangles and I chose to press toward the dark side. When the units are lined up for sewing, you may need to press some of them the other way so that they will nest and not create as much bulk in the seams.
press to the dark side
In order to successfully sew a quilt with such small pieces, it’s important to maintain the proper squared-up size of the unfinished units, which in this case is 1-1/2″. I used the small 1-1/2″ Bloc-Loc ruler to accomplish this. This ruler has grooves on the back of it that slide along the ridge of the pressed over fabric and it allows you to trim up 2 sides of the unit at a time.
Bloc-Loc trim up ruler
I have a YouTube video showing how to to trim up these units using the Bloc-Loc ruler. Here is a link to that video: https://youtu.be/hUHR_SmPLe8
YouTube video
Once the units were all squared up, I laid them out in the positions they would be in the quilt. This is where you would look at which blocks are being sewn together and determine if you need to press them the other direction so that seams will nest.
units lined up
Sewing the units together, I slowed my Janome 6600 down and used a quarter inch foot so that I could obtain an accurate 1/4″ seam. This is crucial when sewing a mini quilt as if you are off by an 1/8th of an inch, that adds up quickly and your quilt will no longer be the correct size. I sewed one row at a time and pressed each row in the opposite direction. When sewing the rows together, I pressed the seams open to reduce bulk. Here is a picture of the back of the quilt and you can see that there are a lot of intersecting seams, which is why all of these measurements being accurate is so important.
row seams are pressed open
Finally, I made a quilt sandwich by placing a piece of Hobbs 80/20 black batting between the quilt top and a piece of black backing. I pinned the layers together to prevent shifting when quilting the layers together. I used Aurifil 50 weight cotton thread in several different colors on the top. I loved how easy it was to find shades of thread color that matched the Island Batik fabric. I slowed my Janome 6600 down again and used the dual action walking foot to stitch in the ditch, which was a breeze. I love domestic machine quilting on a project this size. It’s so easy!
stitching in the ditch
I machine stitched on the black binding. Here is a picture of the completed quilt and a close up of the stitching in the ditch.
Star Mini Quilt
Mini quilt close up
Blue Bear’s Quilt is finished. I think he loves it! He is so thankful as he finally has a quilt that is his size. He can’t use the big people’s quilts. He will now have his own quilt to snuggle up with at night and he loves the fact that the quilt has blue stars that are the same color as him.
Blue Bear with his quilt
Be sure to follow along and subscribe to all our social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tic Tok) as I will be making a beautiful Southwestern themed 60 degree star quilt using the Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Star 60 ruler next month. You won’t want to miss it.
Island Batik
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Jewel Carvings collection for the top.
The other Island Batik Ambassadors have also been busy creating Mini quilts in their August projects. If you would like to see what the other ambassadors have been up to, check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
checkerboard diamond
