Hollyhocks!

My grandma had such a green thumb and I remember she used to grow hollyhocks. As a little kid they looked like they reached the sky. Grandma loved her garden and growing things. Maybe that’s where my love of gardening came from. I was very lucky to live near my grandparents when hubby and I were first married and she helped me plant my first garden. I remember shelling peas, picking corn and beans. I learned how to can that summer and have been canning since. Whenever I see hollyhocks growing I always think of grandma. So when I designed my blue ribbon panel, I just had to have hollyhocks (lilacs too) in memory of grandma.

Today I thought I would post directions on how to make this springtime table runner that can be put on display until fall. It uses the hollyhock section of my Blue Ribbon panel. The design can be embroidered or left plan as I did on mine. The patter n is very similar to the Hen and Chicks table runner and is a quick and easy project that has delightful results. I just love how bright and springy the Aunt Grace fabrics are. The table runner is a great size and can be easily adapted to hang on the wall just by adding a hanging sleeve to the upper back of the design. I like to use mine to add an extra pop of color in my home displayed on my kitchen island. So cute!

I hope you enjoy this little freebie pattern using my Blue Ribbon panel. It’s the perfect table runner to put out during the spring and summer months. If you happen to love to garden you could keep your runner on display year round! I do have the Blue Ribbon fabric panel available in my Etsy and Website Stores. The panel is also available in many local quilt stores too!

Happy quilting,

Cindy & Belvedere

Hen and Chicks in the Garden!

I have a few friends and my sister that have chickens and during this time of year there are baby chicks cheeping away in the garden. I hope someday to have a flock of chickens to call my own. I love fresh eggs and it's always a treat to get a dozen or two from my sister. Today I would like to show you a fun way to use the hen and chick designs on my Blue Ribbon panel from Marcus Fabrics. The panel can be found in quilt shops now! (and also on my website) The design can be embroidered or left plain. It's totally up to you. I did not embroider the panel sections for the projects I'm showing you today. If you decide to embroider your hen and chick panels, do not trim up to the block sizing stated in the table runner pattern until you have completed your stitching. 

This is a fun table runner to make using the hen and chick sections of the panel along with scrap pieces of Aunt Grace's Apron fabric by Judie Rothermel from Marcus Fabrics. You can also dig thru your stash for reproduction 1930's fabrics to go with the panel too.  What I love about the Aunt Grace fabrics is they look lovely mixed up, even between different collections. As you can see the runner is pretty simple and can be easily pieced in an afternoon.

I did simple meandering for the quilting around my mama hen and her baby chicks. To quilt on the border I used my walking foot and quilted X ‘ s in each of the squares. 

I hope you enjoy this little freebie pattern using my Blue Ribbon panel. It’s the perfect table runner to put out during the spring and summer months. If you happen to love and raise chickens, not only do I envy you but you could keep your runner on display year round!

Happy quilting,

Cindy & Belvedere

October''s Block!

Happy October! As I write this it certainly doesn't feel like October. It got up to 85 degrees today and it is so humid outside. By tomorrow the high will be in the 50's, which is more like October weather! Such a big swing in the temperatures, I'm sure there may be some thunderstorms later tonight with that kind of temperature change.

I spent this last weekend a couple hours north in Willmar, MN at the Country Quilter's Guild Quilt Show. It was a wonderful weekend full of fun. What a talented group, the quilts that were on display were fabulous. I'll be sharing some of them on Instagram over the next several days, once I find my program guide so that I can give proper credit for the quilts. I still need to unpack... on the way home Lynn and I made a stop at a farm and picked up some pumpkins. It's that time of year to decorate with pumpkins and mums. Love decorating for fall and Halloween!

This month there are two blocks to make, both are pieced. A Rising Star block and an Indiana Puzzle block. You can have fun with them and make them any color. I'm hoping to add to this posting, I'm having technical problems... technology doesn't always cooperate. The patterns for this month's blocks can be found on the website as usual.  I'm having problems transferring actual pictures, uggg. I'm hoping to update it all tomorrow with actual pictures.

~ Rising Star ~

~ Indiana Puzzle ~

The monthly FREE pattern is available on my website. I have a special 2019 BOM section on my website. Each month the FREE pattern will be posted. But as soon as the new section or block is out the old block pattern will no longer be a freebie. But it will still be available for a small fee on my website or in my Etsy shop. If you want to share your finished blocks, feel free to post them on Facebook Group (Quilt Doodle Designs Garden Sunshine BOM 2019) and tag me or post them on Instagram tag Quilt Doodle Designs. I love to see everyone's progress as we stitch along together. 

As a reminder... if someone asks for the PDF or where it is on the Facebook group, please do not post the PDF directly onto the site. I appreciate you referring them to my website or to the blog. Thank you!

 Hope you are having a great day, remember September's block is no longer FREE. It can be found in my ETSY shop and also on the Quilt Doodle Website for a small fee. To get this month's block, head on over to Quilt Doodle Designs... remember this block is only available this month as a FREE PDF download. 

Happy Quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere

Happy New Year! January's Block is Out!

Happy New Year! It's time to start a new BOM and I have a sweet one for you. It is called Garden Sunshine. It's a bright sunny quilt out of 1930's reproduction fabric but you can use anything from your stash. Let's have fun with it! It's a mystery quilt. Before we start, let's do a couple of things to make this BOM go easier. First pick out the fabric listed below, and number the fabric 1 to 16 excluding the background fabric and binding. Colors 4 and 15 need to be a yellow or gold color, all of the other colors are negotiable. I have fabric kits available in my Etsy shop. I also have yardage of some 1930's prints if you need to add to your stash. Now another decision.... if you are going to applique or embroider the added designs to some of the blocks. If you applique, you can dig thru your stash for the applique pieces, I am using a combination of 1930's fabric and solid fabrics. If you choose to embroider the designs you will need pearl cotton or DMC floss in several coordinating colors for the designs. This is a scrappy quilt with many different blocks.

Each month we will work on a different section of the quilt. This quilt will take us all year to do. Sometimes you will have one block, sometimes two. Some blocks stand alone with no further applique or other embellishments, some will have extra design features. I am no longer posting monthly patterns on Craftsy. The monthly FREE pattern will be available on my website. I have a special 2019 BOM section on my website. Each month the FREE pattern will be posted. But as soon as the new section or block is out it will no longer be a freebie. But it will still be available for a small fee on my website or in my Etsy shop. If you want to share you finished blocks, feel free to post them on Facebook and tag me or post them on Instagram tag Quilt Doodle Designs. I love to see everyone's progress as we stitch along together. 

Now let's begin! This month's blocks are called Birds in the Air. You will make two of the basic block, each will have a different applique design. You will use color number 16 and the cream/white background fabric. One block features a birdhouse and the second block features a couple of bluebirds. 

This is the fabric I am working with, I am making two versions. An appliqued one and an embroidered one.

Following the pattern I have my pieces all cut out and ready to sew together using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Here I am sewing a small background triangle and pink triangle together right sides together. I am sewing along the long diagonal edge. This will form a triangle square block. You will make three for each block.

I find it helpful to lay my block pieces out on my cutting board before I sew everything together. During this step you will sew together the triangle square to the pink triangles to form a large triangle section.

Then you sew the pieced triangle section to the large background triangle along the diagonal edge using a 1/4" seam.

Make 2 blocks. This is the base for the applique designs.

Trace the bird house design onto your heat n bond and iron the shapes onto the wrong side of you fabrics. I'm using a combination of fabric scraps and solid fabrics.

Then cut the shapes out, peel off the paper and arrange them on the large triangle section as shown. Then iron in place. Remember to keep the design within the 1/4" seam allowance.

I am using dark brown thread to stitch around all of the raw edges of the applique design.

For the flower center and birdhouse opening, I have decided to use buttons. I dug thru my button jar and found a couple that work perfectly. You could also make a couple of small yo-yos too. 

Trace the bird design onto your heat n bond and iron the shapes onto the wrong side of you fabrics. I'm using all solid fabrics.

Cut your pieces out and arrange onto the large triangle section of the block. Notice the block in laid out differently for this design. It takes a little fenagling to get everything to fit.

Here's a handy dandy tip to transfer your block to your ironing board after you have everything placed just so..... gently slide your 12 1/2" square OLFA ruler under the block and voila! An easy way to transfer your block safely. Remember to gently remove the ruler before you iron your design in place.

Notice that the tip of the birds wing and the branch overlap onto the 'other' half of the block.... it's okay.... 

I am using dark brown thread to stitch around all of the raw edges of the applique design.

The leaves are a bit of a challenge to stitch around, just go slow and remember to pivot the design. This is the most complicated applique design out of all of them.

I hope that you enjoy making these two blocks. It was a pretty long posting today for being New Years Day. Happy 2019 everyone! I'll see you February 1st for the next block. Remember to have fun and feel free to share with me your finished blocks. I will make a suggestion. Store your finished blocks in a scrapbook container or bin. There's no sewing blocks together until the very end....

I'm still working on the embroidered blocks for this month. I will post them in a day or two. They are equally as cute!

Happy quilting!

Cindy and Belvedere