'Tis the Season ...

Christmas Star

Big events for the holiday season are fast approaching so I thought it appropriate to post the Christmas Star quilt block. I know it is a little late for getting it all ready for this year, but nothing says you can't get a jump on next year!

Download the free quilt block pattern.

To all of my fellow quilters, whether you celebrate Christmas or another event for the season, I wish you all good tidings and wonderful things in this holiday season and for 2015.

Celebrating Christmas

• "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
  ~ Charles Dickens


• "Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection."
  ~ Winston Churchill


• "Love the giver more than the gift."
  ~ Brigham Young


• "Don't let the past steal your present. This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone."
  ~ Taylor Caldwell


• "One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly"
  ~ Andy Rooney

_{'Christmas Star' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
'Christmas Star' image courtesy of Anusorn P nachol at FreeDigitalPhotos.net}
 

New Quilt Blocks in November 2014

 I hope all of you are enjoying the festive atmosphere as we all prepare for the holiday season. In the last month I have added three new quilt block patterns for you to enjoy.

New quilt block patterns

New Quilt Blocks in the past month

• A Variation on Fanny's Favorite
  - lots of pieces (but simple ones) for those wanting a bit more of a challenge
  - features squares, rectangles, half square triangles and flying geese units
  
• Star in Diamond
  - flying geese units
  - introduction to square in a square for centre patch
  - sewn as an uneven nine patch
• Autumn Leaves
  - 53 pieces in this block, but none of them difficult and well worth the effort

Quotes about Celebrating the Season

• "Celebrate what you want to see more of."
  ~ Thomas J. Peters


• "Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!"
  ~ Amanda Bradley


• "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
  ~ Oprah Winfrey
  And the most important thought for the season ...
  


• "Share our similarities, celebrate our differences."
  ~ M. Scott Peck 

_{Image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com}

Brought to you by the letter "A"

Today's featured quilt block Arrows,

'Arrows' quilt block

surprised me when I designed a quilt using this block. On the surface, the quilt block looks quite simple (and it is) -- but to many people, that would mean 'boring'. This just shows you that you just never know when you will be surprised with the end result when you put it all together.

Download the free quilt block pattern.

Since I did not have any fabulous quotes about 'Arrows', I decided to show you quotes within topics beginning with the letter A.

• Abstinence
  "Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water."
  ~ W. C. Fields


• Animals
  "Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to."
  ~ Mark Twain


• Advice
  " 'I am' is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that 'I do' is the longest sentence?"
  ~ George Carlin


• Accuracy
  "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."

  

  'Arrows' quilt

  
  ~ Author Unknown

More Quote Topics Beginning With the Letter "A"

_{All images © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com}

New Quilt Blocks in the Last Month

It occurred to me that I have created many, many quilt block patterns that I have yet to blog. So, I had the brilliant idea that I would post links to those patterns each month, so that you are aware of new patterns that are available.

I would like to create more and more block patterns, but I have a full-time job that seems to take up most of my time. Imagine! So, I do this as a sideline just for my own fun (and I hope, yours). My five year plan is to create patterns for 4,000 quilt blocks, so I hope you will continue on this journey with me. I do appreciate all the feedback I get from visitors and if you would like to drop me a line just visit the contact page.

Below are links to the quilt block patterns shown in the image.

New quilt blocks this past month

• Hourglass
  - good connector block
  - great choice for beginner quilters
• Card Trick
  - try out your quarter square triangles
• Garden Block
  - another basic block
• Four Corners
  - more challenging
• English Wedding Ring
  - a nice choice using a 5 grid

_{Image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com}

Ghosts and Goblins and Jack-o-Lanterns ... oh my!

Windmill quilt block

It's Halloween today and so I used shades of orange for today's featured quilt block, called Windmill. This quilt block uses the two most commonly featured patches in quiltmaking -- the square and the half square triangle. It's an easy block to construct so it is a good choice for all you beginner quilters.

Download the free quilt block pattern to make your own version, with instructions for three different block sizes.

Quotes about Halloween or other scary things

• "I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween."
  ~ Author Unknown


• "If a man harbors any sort of fear, it makes him landlord to a ghost."
  ~ Lloyd Douglas


• "Everyone is a moon and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody."
  ~ Mark Twain

And for all you teachers out there, you have my sympathy today as you struggle with all the sugar highs going on ...

• " 'I'm so happy that Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year!' said no teacher ever."
  ~ Author Unknown

And finally, speaking of scary things ... is this idea still out there?

• "Ghosts, like ladies, never speak till spoke to."
  ~ Richard Harris Barham

_{'Windmill' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Jack-o-lantern image courtesy of franky242 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net}

Wheel Frame Quilt Block

Hi everyone,
I'm going to have to take a step back and focus on the quilt blocks for a while and include the quotes when I can. Believe it or not, it takes me more time to find appropriate quotes to go with the theme of the quilt block than it takes me to create the block pattern and upload it. And extra time is not something I have a lot of these days. I'm sure you can relate, as life just seems to take over sometimes, for all of us.

Wheel Frame

So, here and there I will throw in quotes that strike my fancy, but in the meantime I will bring your attention to more quilt blocks as I create them.

Now, having said all that, I used colours for the quilt block Wheel Frame to appeal to the gentlemen in your lives. Or maybe I just reverted to colours I like myself -- red being my favourite.

The Wheel Frame block uses both the half square triangle
and the quarter square triangle patch, but the end result, when using both of those units together, is to create a patch which is often called a three-quarter square. That name is a little misleading, but the resultant unit is a square made up of three triangles.The rest of the block is "easy peasy" as it uses only squares and rectangles.

Download the free quilt block pattern for this block, (instructions for three different block sizes are given) and create your own work of art.

_{'Wheel Frame' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com}

'Mexican Star' ... and ... a Mexican Star

Mexican Star

Today's featured quilt block is called Mexican Star. I just liked the way it all went together and the resultant quilts you can make using just this one block. The making of this quilt block can be a wonderful learning experience if you are new to quilting, as it introduces you to several different quilt patches during the construction.

Download the free quilt block pattern.

And ... speaking of a "Mexican Star" ... how about some poignant words from another Mexican star?

Eva Longoria

• "I’ve always said I want a farmer, not a hunter. Hunters go for the kill and they move on. A farmer nurtures; he watches things grow."
  ~ Eva Longoria

Quotes from Other Celebrities

• "If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace."
  ~ John Lennon


• "Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can come together."
  ~ Marilyn Monroe


• "Life is hard. It's harder if you're stupid."
  John Wayne


• "I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex."
  ~ Katharine Hepburn


• "We owe a lot to Thomas Edison - if it wasn't for him, we'd be watching television by candlelight."
  ~ Milton Berle


• "I am a thing of beauty."
  ~ Frank Sinatra


• " 'I am' is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that 'I do' is the longest sentence?"
  ~ George Carlin

_{'Mexican Star' quilt block © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Eva Longoria image courtesy clker.com}

He who dies with the most toys .....

Jack in the Box

And speaking of toys, the Jack in the Box quilt block pattern is an old and well established block. It is easy to construct and features large flying geese units and half square triangles. This is a wonderful four patch quilt block for beginners to get started in this addictive hobby.

The Jack in the Box is an old toy that you would be hard pressed to find anymore. But the image below might bring back some memories.

Download the free quilt block pattern for Jack in the Box.

Quotes about Toys

Antique Jack in the Box toy

• The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.
  ~ Sam Levenson


• The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.
  ~ Author Unknown


• He who dies with the most toys is, nonetheless, still dead.
  ~ Author Unknown


• I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw that my bath toys were a toaster and a radio.
  ~ Joan Rivers


• Be it jewel or toy, not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize.
  ~ Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

_{Jack in the Box quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Jack in the Box image courtesy iStockphoto}