Best of All quilt block

The Best of All quilt block is one designed to give you lots of practice with various patches. (Okay -- perhaps that was not the reason for the design, but it is a block with interesting components.)

Best of All quilt block

Half square triangle patches and flying geese units are pretty common in hundreds (and probably thousands) of quilt blocks. But, the interest in this block (from a sewing perspective) is the unit that is sitting adjacent to the centre patch, on all four sides. You get to add quarter square triangles to two sides of a square (the small peach square) and then finish off the patch with larger half square triangles (dark grey) on each end. (Hard to explain, but if you look closely at the block you will understand what I mean.)


The two sample quilts shown are both designed on point with sashing strips separating the blocks. By simply changing up the placement of the pieced blocks and the blank blocks, you get two totally different looks.

Quilts designed using the BEST OF ALL quilt block

<sub>All images © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com

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It's Canada Day!!

Today is Canada Day and not just any Canada Day! It's the 150^th anniversary of Confederation of this great country and there are lots of celebrations planned all across the land.

The title of today's quilt block -- Love in the Mist -- doesn't bring Canada to mind, but the reds and white just screamed to me that I had to post it today.

Love in the Mist quilt block

This quilt block uses simple shapes and patches -- squares and half square triangles and also features one of my favourite patches -- the square in a square.



Whether the star in the centre is what grabs your attention or maybe (like me), red is your favourite colour -- this easy nine patch block is a fun one to make.

The two sample quilts illustrated feature blocks set side by side or on point. Both quilts give you ample opportunities to showcase your quilting designs.

More Canadiana quilt blocks:
~ Maple Leaf
~ Simple Maple Leaf

Sample quilts using the Love in the Mist quilt block

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Peony Nine Patch quilt block

Flowers are everywhere now (in the northern hemisphere where I live). And my friend Lisa recently posted a picture of her beautiful watercolour of a vase of peonies from her garden. This then, inspired me to create the pattern for the Peony Nine Patch quilt block. I tried to stay true to the colours I had seen in these beautiful blooms in nature.

Peony Nine Patch quilt block

This nine patch block gives you practice using half square triangles and quarter square triangles as individual cut pieces -- rather than creating the usual square patch.




This quilt block can join my most recent floral offering -- Magnolia -- to add to your collection of Flower quilt blocks.

The two sample quilts illustrated surprised me in that they both looked like I intended to design some "plaid" quilts. (I'm a sucker for plaid at any time.) So what do you think?

Quilts designed using Peony Nine Patch quilt block

<sub>All images © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com

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Flying Ducks quilt block

The Flying Ducks quilt block would be a good choice to use as a learning tool -- as a "step 2" of sorts for using half square triangles. Generally half square triangles are used as a "patch" by sewing two right angled triangles of contrasting fabrics together to create a square. However, often we need to use the cut pieces differently.

Flying Ducks quilt block

In this quilt block, some of the single half square triangle pieces are sewn to adjoining sides of a square to create a large triangle. This new pieced triangle is then finished into a square by sewing a single larger triangle to the pieced triangle. Still confused? Well you can see what I mean by looking at the four corner sections of the block.

The second learning experience in this quilt block is known as a three quarter square triangle patch. Two quarter square triangles are used to make one side of the square and this then is sewn to a third triangle. You use different methods for the initial cuts of these triangles as it is always preferable to have the straight of grain of the fabric on the outside of the patch (to avoid distortion).

The two sample quilts shown use very basic on point settings of the blocks, but the resultant quilts look very different.

Sample quilts using the Flying Ducks quilt block

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Rocky Garden quilt block

The Rocky Garden quilt block is a simple nine patch, but it is also a lesson in using half square triangles as cut pieces, rather than the usual method of making a square from two of the pieces.

Rocky Garden quilt block

Along the way, you will also be constructing a few flying geese units as well -- just for good measure. All in all, this quilt block would make a good choice for a quilting class for beginners.

When deciding on the layout of one of the sample quilts illustrated below (the side by side setting), I chose to reverse the colours in half of the sewn blocks. I just liked the way that option looked. The second sample quilt uses an on point setting and I added sashing between the blocks. As you can see this produces a very different quilt.

Download the free quilt block pattern.

Rocky Garden sample quilts

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It's All About the Green Today

I'm a little late in getting started on this blog post today, because I was already out and about today joining in the festivities of celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Judging by this picture, all ages enjoy a good time.

Well what could be more Irish (in terms of quilting) than blocks called Irish Puzzle and Danny Boy? So, I thought I would present you with both, and of course, I went with making them in the obvious varieties of green.

Danny Boy is a simple nine patch block using mostly half square triangles, but the centre patch is the square in a square -- adding to the interest.

Irish Puzzle is a four patch block that is more of an intermediate level, due only to the number of pieces in the quilt block.

Time now to get out your green and start searching for some gold (at the end of that rainbow) and celebrate your own version of these blocks.

A salute to St. Paddy's Day

Irish Sayings

( ... how interesting that all of the authors are unknown)

• "It's no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking."
  ~ Author Unknown


• "There are only two kinds of people in the world. The Irish and those who wish they were."
  ~ Author Unknown


• "Irish diplomacy is the ability to tell a man to go to hell so that he looks forward to making the trip."
  ~ Author Unknown


• "May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping."
  ~ Author Unknown


• "If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough!"
  ~ Author Unknown

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