Posted on August 22, 2016September 5, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Quilt Block of the Week- August 22, 2016

Week 2 – August 22, 2016

The Double Four Patch

The name comes from the fact that there are two smaller four patches contained in this block. While four patch is in the name, “four patch” also describes the type of block construction.

Notice that there are two four patches and two plain squares. When these four units are combined together, they create a larger four patch, containing two smaller four patches, and you notice a lovely chain effect happening. The smaller four patch units could be made from strips or jelly rolls. This is an excellent block to use up scraps as each one of the colored squares could be a different color fabric creating a wonderful scrappy look.

Due to its simplicity, this block is an excellent block for beginning quilters and it can create a gorgeous quilt as you can see in the diagram below. This quilt contains 64 blocks- 8 across and 8 down.

double four patch quilt — Double Four Patch Quilt

Next Week’s Block of the Week will be the Double Nine Patch.

Posted on August 15, 2016September 5, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Quilt Block of the Week- August 15, 2016

Quilt Block of the Week.

We will feature a quilt block of the week. You will be able to find them all grouped together in the page tab on the right side of the blog. We will have an example of the block and how it looks in a quilt and tell you a little about the history of the block, if known.

Week 1- August 15, 2016

Most Basic Block- Mother of all Quilt Blocks- The Basic Four Patch

This has to be the easiest of all quilt blocks. This is an excellent block for a beginning quilter to start with due to its straight sewing and simplicity. Here is what the block looks like.

To enhance the pattern, light and dark patches are alternated. It is called the four patch as it is composed of four patches. I believe that it was first identified by Carrie Hall in 1935. This block is a good one for thrifty quilters as it allows small scraps of fabric to be sewn together. The squares in the example above are 2″ by 2.”

Four patch is also the style, or basic grid-work, of a block when four similar units are combined together to form a larger four patch block, similar to the example below.

Here is how the 4-patch block looks in a quilt. It creates a checkerboard pattern when it is not combined with any other blocks. For this reason, this block is sometimes called checkerboard as well. This quilt is good for placing appliqué and/or quilting designs in the square blocks and borders.

Next week, we will talk about the Double Four Patch Quilt Block.

Posted on August 12, 2016August 23, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Barn Quilt in the Middle of Nowhere.

My sister was recently on vacation in Montana and sent me a photo of a barn, along the road, stating that it needed a quilt. Looking at the photo, which is below, I agreed with her.

I decided to give it one of my own quilts to adorn it. This quilt pattern, which I am developing, is called Modern Rainbow. I think it’s an improvement on the barn! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be traveling down the road, in the middle of nowhere, and find this barn with a gorgeous quilt hanging on it? Let me know what you think.

Posted on August 10, 2016August 23, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Hamburger Hotdish For Busy Quilters

I purchased this beary cute embroidered towel while on vacation. It had a hotdish recipe attached for Hashbrown Hotdish. I made this using tater tots and it was delicious.

It is simple to make, and takes little time to prepare, so it is a great meal to fix for your family as it still leaves you lots of time for quilting. Your family will love it, and you, for making it.

Posted on July 27, 2016August 23, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

New easy pattern for your holiday and Christmas gift giving

New Easy Pattern just in time for the holidays.

The Bear has just released a new pattern called, “Snow Angels.” It is part of their BB Sew Easy Series of patterns that are designed for beginners. The pattern involves a center panel that is surrounded by half square triangles. This would be a great gift to give someone that is new to quilting and just getting started. It is also great for more experienced quilters to have a quick project that they can sew up as gifts for someone special on their holiday gift giving list.

Here is a link where you can download this adorable pattern for just $7.95:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/468515609/snow-angels-quilt-pattern-baby-quilt?ref=shop_home_feat_4

During the Dog Days of the summer, this pattern looks very refreshing!

Posted on July 21, 2016September 6, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Blue Bear’s Etsy Shop is now live!

Blue Bear is so excited to tell you that his Etsy shop is now live. He is just getting started putting products in the shop, but so far there are patterns, books, kits, and fabric yardage.

Check it out at this link:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueBearQuiltKits?ref=hdr_shop_menu.

Here is a photo of what the shop currently looks like.

Posted on July 4, 2016September 6, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July America. This is a patriotic home in Whitefish Bay Wisconsin.

Patriotic House Whitefish Bay — Patriotic House

Blue Bear is taking some time off to celebrate with his family. He has been working on several new patterns to be released soon. A couple are patriotic and use fabrics designed for Quilts of Valor. Another is a bed runner that he is designing.

Here is Sparklers on Liberty Square.

Posted on April 28, 2016August 23, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

When Doves Fly- Tribute to Prince Blue Bear’s latest quilt pattern.

Blue Bear was busy creating blocks for a contest, when he created this purple one that looks like birds flying. With Prince’s passing, he thought it would be a nice tribute to Prince, so he named it, “When Doves Fly.” It has 6 alternative layouts in the pattern; some are more organized and some are disorganized. This would be a great wall hanging for a modern loft or apartment. It would also look great in a student’s dorm room. The link to purchase this pattern is at the bottom of this post.

One of Many Possible Layouts
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/when-doves-fly/203859

Posted on April 28, 2016September 5, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Box of Chocolate Covered Cherries pattern is now available on Craftsy

Box of Chocolate Covered Cherries Quilt Pattern

Continue reading Box of Chocolate Covered Cherries pattern is now available on Craftsy

Posted on April 23, 2016September 6, 2016 by Reed — Leave a comment

Beautiful Appliqué Quilt

Cherry Trees and Robins (1992) by Hortense Beck.

This beautiful quilt is on display at the Accuquilt Museum in Omaha Nebraska. When I see works like this, I always wonder, how does someone ever get something like this finished. Even if machine stitched, it would still take an enormous amount of time.