Civil War Mini Quilt Sew Along - Block #4

 Here's Block # 4 for my Civil War Mini Quilt sew along - Friendship Star

 You'll find the instructions in my Facebook group files or on my website. Click on the top tab for the Sew Along page.  

Aren't they cute? And they're a lot of fun to make. Despite the tiny half-square triangles, LOL. But after the block I gave you a couple of weeks ago you should be used to them. Just take your time and cut accurately. If you have problems with your blocks coming up short, try sewing a scant 1/4" seam and then when you cut your pieces, place your ruler marking on top of the fabric like so: 

If I'm cutting 1 1/2" strips then the ruler marking for 1 1/2" (dashed line) should be placed on top of the fabric on the left side. If the dashed line is off the fabric and on the mat then your strip will be short of the required measurement. 

Some people in the FB group were not aware of this and using their cutting mat instead of a ruler to measure the pieces. The mat markings can be inconsistent so a ruler is a better option. I always like to use a non-slip ruler. This one in the photo  is the Olfa Frosted. With these tiny blocks, accuracy is important and you don't want to chance that your fabric will slide around as you cut. 

Also, make sure you choose fabrics with enough contrast between your HSTs and the background so the pieces don't all blend into the background. And, you'll want to use a darker fabric for the star points to make them shine!

Sew the blocks into a row. We'll be making a mini row quilt with 5 rows of these tiny blocks. 

Block #5 (the last block) will be posted on Friday, March 28 along with finishing directions.  

Have a good weekend! 

Civil War Mini Quilt Sew Along - Block 3

Here's Block #3 of our Civil War Mini Quilt Sew Along - 3" x 3" Nine Patch. 

Small nine-patch blocks are a favorite of mine. Nice and easy, using 1 1/2" cut squares. Switch up the light and dark background squares if you like or make them all scrappy. This is going to be a mini row quilt with five rows of four blocks. Make four nine-patch blocks for setting in the row quilt this week. You'll find the instructions in my Facebook group files or on my website. Click on the top tab for the Sew Along page.  

  

          Have fun!  Two more blocks to go!  Block # 4 will be posted on Friday,  March 21.  

Civil War Mini Sew Along - Block #2

Here's Block # 3 for my Civil War Mini sew along - Penny Candy. Too sweet or what? 

Yes, there was hard candy during the Civil War! By the mid-1800s, numerous factories in the U.S. were manufacturing candy, mostly producing individual hard candies which were then sold loose. Peppermints, lemon drops, jelly beans, rock candy and molasses twists were common sweets. Hard candies were also very popular among soldiers during the war because they were small treats that didn’t spoil. They were often part of a soldier’s rations. Enjoy making some penny candy blocks!

 You'll find the instructions in my Facebook group files or on my website. Click on the top tab for the Sew Along page.  

Sew the blocks you made last week into a row. We'll be making a mini row quilt with 5 rows of these tiny blocks. Each week through March I'll give you directions to make a new block.

Block # 3 will be posted on Friday,  March 14.  

Have a good weekend! 

Mini Sew Along Block #1

Here's the first block of my Civil War Mini quilt.

Block #1 Framed Four Patch (3" x 3" finished) 

Make four blocks. I always make a few more so I can play around with the blocks. 

Sew carefully. There are some tiny pieces. I find it helps to press the seams open.

 You'll find the instructions in my Facebook group files or on my website. Click on the top tab for the Sew Along page.  Block # 2 will be posted on Friday,  March 7.  

Have a good weekend! 

Civil War Mini Quilt Sew Along

Winter doldrums got you down?? Agonizing or stressing over the state of the world?? You're not alone. Join me in in my Facebook group for a new March sew along to make a cute little quilt using your Civil War/reproduction  fabrics.  Playing with fabric and small blocks always perks me up and takes me away from it all. Set aside maybe an hour each week in March to make some little blocks with me and see what it does for you. 

We'll be working on a few small blocks each week. Details and instructions for making the first block will be posted tomorrow, Friday, Feb 28, 2025  in the Facebook group files and also on my website. Look for the page titled Civil War Mini Quilt. I'll add instructions for subsequent blocks on Fridays through March.

I hope you'll join us - The blocks we'll be making will be small and using up some of your fabric scraps may be all you need to get started. Before you start -  tidy up your sewing table, change your needle and poke through your scrap basket for some tantalizing fabric scraps you'll want to use up. An organized sewing space goes a long way to feeling motivated to begin working on something new. 

None of the pieces to make the blocks will be larger than 4" x 4" so you won't need much fabric. Although  . . .  even a little bit of new fabric always helps us feel inspired.  Have you visited one of my favorite shops online?  Ye Olde Schoolhouse in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, sells wonderful bundles of fabrics that are just perfect for making small quits. Last time I looked, Jeanie also had several kits available for some of my quilts.  Making pretty quilts requires buying some pretty fabric . . . . but you already know that.  I'll post the first block tomorrow (Friday).

February Hearts

                               I love hearts.

Happy February! To me, the whole month of February means Valentine's Day. I love hearts and have a soft spot for most things that are heart shaped. 

There are also a couple of heart-themed quilt patterns in my Etsy shop.

Thank goodness for February and Valentine's Day because it gives me a good excuse to indulge myself. I usually immerse myself in hearts and heartfelt thoughts all month long. 

I found this quote last week and needed to share it - 

“. . . In a time lacking in truth and certainty and filled with anguish and despair, no woman should be shamefaced in attempting to give back to the world, through her work, a portion of its lost heart.” 

                                                                                                            - Louise Bogan

It's funny that this quote (from 1970??) popped up in an old book I was reading yesterday, at the same time I decided to work on some appliqued hearts for a quilt. So I am hoping to send out into the universe one little heart a day in a very small attempt to spread some light to combat the hate and cruelty surrounding our culture. And remind ourselves that Love is what we need . . . .

I'm making one heart a day (or more if I am able to) for 14 days. Spreading some light and LOVE in February . . .

I think we need to use our art/creativity to shine a light and encourage others with compassion and love. Make a little heart, show you care.

                               

There's a heart template in my Schoolgirl Sampler book and another one in my Facebook group files. Or just draw your own and use your favorite method of applique.  I like using the starch and template method and you'll find instructions for doing that in the FB group files or in the Quilting Basics section  of some of my books. The hearts do not have to be pink and red. I may play around with a border for the hearts. Or sashing. Be creative and come up with something you like and spread around a little LOVE this month.

"The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered 

acts of kindness and love." 

                                        ~ Wm. Wordsworth

Thread Giveaway Winner

The winner of the Mettler silk-finish thread is  . . .  

                                       

                                                ksmalligan@hotmail.com 

Congratulations! Send me your mailing address and I will mail your thread to you. 

Thanks to everyone who entered the Mettler thread giveaway and posted a comment. I wish all of you could have won some pretty new thread. Those of you who did not win, remember to look for Mettler thread at your local shop or craft store. I learned that Mettler has partnered with Bernina so if you're having a hard time finding it at your local quilt shop, try your local Bernina dealer. 

Have a good weekend!

 

Pretty Thread Giveaway

Quilters love pretty threads, am I right?  I have a nice collection of favorite threads I use for all of my quilting projects - piecing, applique and quilting. I'm sure many of you do too. The Mettler thread company contacted me recently about giving away a set of their new 100% cotton "silk finish" thread for one of my lucky blog followers to try.

            

In case you don't know, Mettler thread is a brand of sewing thread that has been around for over 100 years. The company is known for its high-quality threads that are available in a wide range of colors and weights. Mettler threads are perfect for a variety of sewing projects, from patchwork piecing and quilting to applique and intricate embroidery.  

The Mettler company recently expanded their thread color range with even more beautiful colors. 

 To win some thread, just leave me a comment and an email address for me to contact you. If you win, I'll ask you to send me your mailing address. Sorry, the giveaway is only for those in the U.S.  

The giveaway will end on Friday, January 16, 2025. I'll pick a comment at random and announce the winner shortly after that. Good luck! I haven't had a giveaway here on the blog for quite awhile so this will be fun. Remember to leave your email address to avoid being disqualified. I've sponsored a few giveaways in the past where someone comments but forgets to leave their contact info and it kills me to pass over them after they've been picked because I had no way to reach out to tell them they'd won. So I have to move on to the next person. Also, you may post ONE comment to enter. Remember that anyone who posts two comments will automatically be disqualified. 

You have to admit these threads sure are lovely with that silky finish. The winner will receive these 3 spools of Mettler SILK-FINISH COTTON 40 in the colors shown.  

Good luck!  Check back after Friday, January 17 to see if you won. 

Merry Christmas - Late

Merry Christmas!  As usual, I got distracted by all the holiday activities and blogging was not on my agenda. I hope you had a lovely holiday. The only thing missing for me was the snow. Still none here in Chicagoland but a girl can always hope . . . .

A few years ago . . . 

I mentioned in my Facebook group that we'll still be doing the KT Monthly challenge in 2025 as long as there's some interest. Read more about it in one of my previous blog posts. Pick a quilt from one of my books or patterns in my Etsy shop that you've been wanting to make for awhile and start working on it in January.  Choose your fabrics and make the blocks the first week. Take it step by step and try to make a little progress each week. One quilt per month. Before you know it you'll have a nice stack of small quilts.  

Here are a few suggestions - 

Simple star block surrounded by narrow borders. How cute and easy is this??

Rows and rows of flying geese.

Tiny four patches! 

Maybe get back to that Schoolgirl Sampler quilt you started . . . .

Another simple star quilt from my book Small & Scrappy.

Join us in my Facebook group for more quilty fun in 2025!

 

Peppermints and Pinwheels

Here's a repost from a few years ago of something I thought you might enjoy this holiday season - 

*  *  *

One of my favorite treats I usually only indulge in around the holidays is peppermint bark candy. I'm sure there are places you can buy it all year long but, trust me, it's a good thing  that I don't see it much at other times of the year. I recently bought some packaged Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark squares while I was out Christmas shopping. Let me tell you they didn't last long and and so I thought I'd try to make my own. How hard could it be? There are all sorts of recipes if you do a Google search, and you can certainly take your pick, but basically it's layers of dark chocolate, white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy cut into squares. Very simple.

First, melt some dark chocolate chips (or use better quality chocolate if you care to) in the microwave in a glass bowl. Stir after about 30-40 seconds and again if needed. If you have a moderately powerful microwave, don't let it go for too long or the chocolate will burn and you'll have to trash that batch and start over. Ask me how I know. When it's all  melted, pour into a small square baking dish lined with wax paper up the sides. Smooth the chocolate with a spatula. Place in freezer for 20 minutes. Crush the peppermints or candy canes. Then, melt the white chocolate and smooth it over the hardened layer of dark chocolate. Top the soft chocolate with the crushed candy, pressing it into the layer a bit. Place in freezer for another 10 minutes. When it hardens, lift the wax paper out of the dish and break into pieces or let it soften a little and then cut with a knife into squares. Yum!

This got me started on a peppermint kick so yesterday, after I finished making the candy, I took out some red and light prints and made a few pinwheels. I know you all are still going crazy over red and white quilts after seeing and hearing about that exhibit in NYC. I don't have very many red and white quilts myself and it was time to do something about that. I didn't know where I was going with it but then sat down at the computer with EQ and designed a little quilt around the blocks I'd made. Turned out very "sweet"   if I say so myself.

And - it's for YOU!  Here's the free pattern you can download as a .pdf file. There's not a lot of time before the holidays get here I know but it's very simple so you can still probably get it done before Christmas if you have a little time and you're so inclined. Me? I'm also going to try to make it but I'm still trying to finish the  little runner I began last year . . .  .

Most of you probably have your own favorite method for making half-square triangles for the Pinwheel blocks, but if you're new to quilting and find that sewing triangles makes your blocks a little wonky, here's how I make mine.

I layer my two squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line across the back of the lighter square. I use this nifty Quick Quarter ruler I found years ago that makes the sewing lines visible because I'm just not that good at eyeballing it.

Chain piece your layered squares and you can whip them out pretty fast.

This is a tip I recently picked up for making your half-square triangle units even better.  After you sew 1/4 inch away from the diagonal line on each side of the layered squares, PRESS the units open before you cut.  The fabric does not stretch as much and your half-square triangles will not turn out wonky but perfect because the bias edges are stabilized.

Flip and press the other side, then cut on the drawn line. Works like magic and keeps your pieces from getting distorted.

Merry Christmas!