It’s that time of year again….time for Quiltmaker’s 100 block tour.  If you’re new to the blog or haven’t been here for awhile know that it’s been a busy year for Kelli and I.  Both of us moved to new houses.  Kalissa, Hubby and my, youngest daughter got married.  I started a new job and we have a new collaboration book out  75 Fun Fat Quarter Quilts.  It’s been a very busy year!!  It was so busy we almost didn’t make it into the issue.
It’s always fun to be a part of the issue but the block for the issue almost wasn’t. Â We needed to have the block in to Quiltmaker in late February/early March. Â Well if you’re a long time blog reader you might remember that time in my life. Â We had moved and I had started in home childcare. Â My quilting room was in shambles.
I wasn’t really ready to design anything and even if I did, I really didn’t have my fabric unpacked. Â We love 100 blocks and didn’t want to be left out of the fun so Kelli came home one day with the plan that she wouldn’t leave without a block to submit. Â She went to the sewing room to see what she could unearth as far as fabric goes and I went to the computer to design something.
While on the computer I checked comment on the blog. Â I sorted through them and happen to see an icon by the comment a blog reader left. Â It looked like this….
I thought it looked kind of interesting and wondered if I could recreate that on the computer and use it as a quilt block. Â I don’t design using EQ. Â I designing using the regular Microsoft Word program. Â (I’ve written a tutorial on it that you can see here)
Well this is the block that I came up with. Â I thought it was interesting but wanted to see how it would look with other blocks. Â What would those red flying geese on the corners do when butted together with other blocks.
I put four blocks together and loved the design. Â The red flying geese created a pinwheel….AWESOME.
Now was time to put them together into a quilt… Â On the outside blocks I took off the some of the flying geese. Â In the end, I was very happy with the quilt.
Well as good as luck as I was having at the computer, Kelli wasn’t having luck in the sewing room. Â She said all she could find was 100% cotton recycled shirts.
I said -I guess that’s what we’ll use then…and we did.
Kelli worked out the math and made the block.
..and that my friends is how the block came to be in the magazine. Â Kelli and I both really want to make this quilt. Â Wouldn’t it be a great guy quilt?
Anyway…As you probably know many of the quilt block designers sponsor a giveaway in conjunction with the blog tour. Â We are doing just that. Â Please leave a comment here on the post and we’ll pick two winners.
Winner #1 will win a copy of the 100 Blocks magazine that will come from Quiltmaker.
Winner #2 will win an autographed copy of the 100 Blocks magazine and copy of American Patchwork and Quilting’s new 2016 calendar featuring our quilt on the front cover.
We have our own on line store where we sell autographed copies of our book Country Girl Modern, the new collaboration book 75 Fat Quarter Quilts and the calendar. Â Right now we’re running some great deals. Â Feel free to check them out here.
We’re so happy that we got a chance to be part of the tour and magazine. Â It’s always fun. Â Watch for some fun things happening here on the blog. Â Wednesday we are featuring our UFO finish it up challenge. Â Friday we have a new quilt to show you from our 75 Fat Quarter Quilts book….and on Saturday we’ll be adding a new free quilt pattern to add to our free patterns. Â This pattern will be especially fun for 100 Block lovers as it’s a baby quilt and you can add any of your favorite 100 blocks to create your own design.
Don’t forget to check out Quiltmaker’s blog so you can see what other great blog there are to hop around to today.
We’ll pick a winner next week…leave a comment here telling us your favorite quilting project you’ve ever made for your chance to win.
Last year I made a triangle batik quilt for a friend’s 60th birthday. She comes to visit every week so it wasn’t easy to keep it a secret, but I did and she loved it.
My favourite was my first wallquilt I made with all butterfly applique blocks. Love your block very much!
My favorite quilting project I ever made was my very first, almost 3 years ago. It was a bed quilt pattern from McCall’s magazine, a colorful diamond pattern, and I needed a KING size. I had just lost my only daughter unexpectedly. This quilt was made for my son and his wife, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I did the piecing and found a local longarmer to do the quilting. It looks amazing! This project was good therapy for me, and I still have a small quilt I made from the leftover blocks and scraps.
my favorite thing i made is a quilt…celtic solstice, by Bonnie Hunter, though it aint finished yet!
The favorite quilt I made is my Modern Maple. I like it especially for the dense woodgrain quilting; it took “forever” to quilt.
My favorite quilt is one where my mom embroirdered by hand some printed blocks of all the months. Then I sewed different borders around all of them. It’s so special because she doesn’t quilt but sewed clothes for years. No I have a part of her in what I love to do.
I often find that my favourite quilting project was the last one I made – perhaps because it is forefront in my mind? However, I have to say my favourite quilt of all time is the quilt I made for my granddaughter when she was born in 2010. Still love it now and I see it every day as it now lives on “her” bed at our house. She’s coming for a sleepover tonight so I’ll tuck her up under it.
I’m making my first quilt using a jelly roll and love it! So fast! Thnaks for the chance, love your block
My favorite quilt I’ve made is a reproduction of a antique one. It is hexagons that I English paper pieced. I did the entire quilt by hand. It was a Christmas gift for my daughter. It came out beautiful! I’m very proud of it.
My favorite was the ISpy Quilt I made for my youngest (my first quilt, which we lost in Katrina) and my 2nd favorite, the “Bird” quilt I just made for my first grandchild. Our last name is Bird!
My favorite quilt I’ve made is a football quilt I made for one of my grandson’s.
I love the colors in my bargello quilt so it is my current favorite. Usually the most recent finish is my favorite! :)
My favoriteis Labour Day Madness. What a fabulous companion quilt your block would make for it.
My favorite quilts are scrappy ones. The one on my bed right now is a depression block quilt.
Your block looks delightful. It has so much potential.
I love pinwheels and this is a great setting for them.
I have indeed followed the Kramers’ adventures this year, (The statement “my hubby and my youngest daughter got married” did give me pause!) My favorite quilt right now is “Forecast: Scrappy With a Chance of Ninepatches.” I made it out of leftover units. Congratulations on being featured in the 100 Blocks anthology. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity, too.
My all-time favorite quilt is always the one I’m working on. Past favorites have been various Bonnie Hunter patterns, as well as a Meet in the Middle baby-sized quilt I made for our guild’s charity night.
Wow it’s hard to think of just one favorite sewing project. The one I am doing must be one of my favorites I’m doing a baby quilt for my 1st grand baby. I love all the quilt maker 100 block books. Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite quilt would be a Curved Log Cabin I made in March of this year. My Husband was diagnosed with cancer in February. There was a benefit for him in March so I made the log cabin quilt. It now lives on our youngest daughters bed.
Great block–love seeing how it’ll look made up into a quilt! My favorite project I’ve finished is the Celtic Solstice quilt I made for my mom for Christmas last year–it’s the first Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt that I’ve finished and it makes me happy when I see it on my mom’s bed.
My favorite project is the one i am working on at the moment & able to get finished
Your block really shines! I’ve been quilting 4 years and my favorite project so far was the Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt that I made last year for my grand-daughter. She loved it! Thanks for the give-away.
I love how the corners make pinwheels.
I think my favorite quilt was the one I designed for my guild’s charity quilt last year, blue batiks and a beige mottled background. Thanks for the chance.
My favorite quilts were for preemies. The coordinator told me the nurses were hoping their daughters would have preemies so they could get one of my quilts. They were never the same and always very unique. Would love to win – more blocks to put into quilts. Love your block.
My. Favorite quilt made for my first grandchild. It was amy Bradley tranquility.
My most favorite quilt is the first big quilt I made–a queen sized log cabin. It is old now and pretty well worn but still my favorite.
Love your blog my favorites are the ones our church groups makes for the migrant kids here in Fla
THANK-YOU FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN . LOVE FOLLOWING YOUR BLOG.
My favorite quilt a pinwheel quilt I made. love the quilt design.
I love your block and the quilt! It’s too hard to chose one favorite, it’s usually the last one I’ve finished. I love scrappy quilts. Thanks for the giveaway.
My favorite is usually the one I’m working on, but all time favorite is one I made for my Dad, he loved napping under it every day.
I love your block. I think I’ll have to give this one a go. My favorite quilt so far is a simple disappearing 9-patch that I made for my folks. It’s the fabrics that make it shine.
It’s hard to pick a favorite- at some point, they are all my favorites! I do love the bowtie quilt I made from my husband’s tie collection. So many memories. Thanks for the giveaways.
My favourite is the ones I have made and given to family to love and enjoy.
My favorite quilt is usually the one I just finished. Or the one I’m currently planning to make. I want to win so I can get the calendar and see how that cover quilt goes together. I’m currently making the HSTs as leader/ender blocks.
My favorite project is any of the Bonnie Hunter quilts I’ve made as they take me out of my comfort zone. I also have your book and plan to make a quilt out of it once I get the 2 UFO’s done that I’m working on now. Thanks for a chance t win.
I love your block. I love the quiilt I am “going to make” as soon as I finish my current project. And then I love the one as I finish it.
I enjoyed your story of designing and making this block…especially the fact that you used recycled shirts! It certainly would make a great man’s quilt. It also reminds me of snowflakes and peppermint candies. My favorite project is a table runner I made using some of my mom’s old hankies and neutral-colored fabrics. The hankie pieces are subtle, but so pretty. I always think of her when I see it.
I LOVE your block, especially when combined to make the full quilt! It is awesome! My favorite quilt that I have made was a collaboration quilt made with my sister for our mother. Mary started it with a large mariner’s compass in the center. I made a border around it with 3 inch Ohio Star blocks, then we alternated making borders until we had a quilt that would fit her bed. It turned out spectacularly.
My fave was a hexagon star Ispy quilt for my GS.
I’ve looked at those icons a million times and thought oh what a cool block that would be. Just never acted upon my thoughts. So glad you did. It’s a great block!
My favorite quilt that I’ve made would have to be the very first mystery quilt. Such Fun!
ablanton@nmsu.
One of my favorite quilts is one made from men’s shirts. This blocks would certainly be a great way to use up more shirts deboned and ready to go .
My favorite quilt is a t-shirt quilt that I made for my brother. He had so many shirts featuring all of his favorite things! What a conglomeration! My brother had Down Syndrome and was not about to give up any of his beloved shirts just because they no long fit or were getting holes in them. No way! This was the solution my mom came up with, and he loved it. It still hangs on my dad’s living room wall and looking at it always reminds me of my brother.
I bet your 100 blocks quilt would look great in christmasy colors! Thanks for the chance to win.
Beautiful! I have never made a quilt with recycled shirts but I think I will have to now! Love the name of the block also!
Oh, I haven’t made all that many quilts. Mostly baby quilts and lap quilts. I don’t know that I have a favorite. I think each new one becomes the favorite. pam
My favorite is a quilt bedspread, complete with pillow tucks at each end. It’s huge and I quilted it on my small machine. Not free motion, just used a walking foot. Love your block, and loved that you used what you had to work with.
My favorite quilt is a wall hanging featuring cardinals, my favorite bird.
Thanks for the chance to win.
Love your block and quilt layout. My favorite quilt is a bow tie leader ender quilt. It has just the right amount of scrappyness. Thanks for the opportunity.
Love your block. The most favorite quilt I’ve made was a Christmas quilt out of flannel ‘Santa in His Pajamas’ fabric set in an Irish Chain design.
patd at yahoo dot com
My favorite quilt is probably a prayer quilt a group of us worked on for a friend who had cancer. We wrote prayers and bible verses on blocks, so even non- quilters had a part in the process.
Thanks for a chance to win!
Terri in Texas
The mist interesting to me was the Apple Core.
One of my favorites is a queen size Broken Star log cabin that I saw but could not find the pattern. Figured it out and made totally from scraps.
I was too sick during my pregnancy to make a quilt for my son. When he was 6 moths. old I started A scrappy blue and white Log Cabin quilt. I worked on it whenever I had the time and didn’t pay attention to how many blocks I made, it ended up to be at least a queen size. It was loved to death, many holes an it needs a new binding, which I’ll get to to it eventually. It’s been through many picnics, forts and dragged everywhere. We have great memories using his “baby” quilt. I think it will be fixed and someday be on his bed when he’s married. Thanks for letting me reminisce. ;-> Toni Anne
My first quilt was red, black & white..Windmills at Night, I think. Made it from a kit. I had originally intended it for my new mother-in-law, but my husband of (then) 4 months insisted I keep it since it was my first. I use it often.
My favourite quilt is usually the last one finished and they are mostly scrappy quilts.
I make a lot of donation quilts and they are always scrappy.Love them!!!
My favorite quilt was the one I made when I was in the 9th grade that was a project I had to do for Home Ec. I sewed the top together and then chose a log cabin pattern using masking tape as my guide. The quilt was set up in our living room and everyone that came to visit was asked to put a few stitches in. My grandmother who is now deceased, helped me a lot with the quilting. That was 39 years ago and I still have the quilt as well as the quilting frames that belonged to my grandmother.
I rescued some orphan blocks at the thrift store — poorly made pinwheels, but I loved the fabrics. I took them apart, and remade them, then alternated those blocks with some basket blocks. I did a quilt as you go method, joined the back together by hand, and covered that stitching with a feather stitch. That stitch is one my mother loved to use, so it brings back sweet memories of her when I see them on the quilt. This quilt is on our bed, and is my most favorite. Love your block — how fun to see the pinwheels emerge! Thanks!
What a neat block! and a good story to go with it.
Thanks for the chance to win, my favourite quilt I made was a scrappy miniature log cabin, I put everything in it and it turned out fabulous.
I love your new block. I have a lot of plaids and I think they would look great using your block. My favorite quilt was the one I made out of my father-in-law’s neckties after he had passed away. We display it at our family reunions.
Your block would make a neat guy’s quilt! I should make another quilt for my son. Thank you, peterstankovich@comcast.net
Great job on your post, Jo. I love that quilt layout–amazing! Thanks for being with us on the blog tour. We really appreciate it. Have a great week!
Diane at Quiltmaker
Love your block!
My favorite quilting project was a large tote I made using paper pieced hexies….the hexies are all batiks… Didn’t have a pattern….sort of designed as I went along…
I really like your new block… I would to win cause I want to make this block. thanks
My favorite quilting projects are the ones I did for my dad and mom. I made my Dad a birdhouse quilt years ago and it was essentially my first quilt. I made my Mother a quilt about five years ago and she adored that thing while she was in a nursing home.
I really love how the corners of that block looks like pinwheels when put together. Congrats and thank you for a chance to win.
dlk3265 @ gmail.com
I’m still an amateur – the two tops I’ve got done need to be sandwiched. I love that I’m not the only one who likes the little icons that come up with the comments!
My favourite project was an Owl Baby quilt that I made for my grandson.
My favorite?? I can’t say, I do love making all things Bonnie, but I remember one little rail fence quilt that I made for a friend’s baby. When I saw it again as a toddler, it was threadbare from love. That melts my heart.
11-76 is a winner….. and I would love to be a winner as well….. count me IN.
That looks like a quilt I would like to make, too! It’s tough to choose a favorite quilt, but it would probably be one of the Bonnie Hunter mysteries!
My favorite quilt is Rectangle Wrangle, a Bonnie Hunter design. Saw a sample in a quilt store while on a trip. Hy hubby fell in love with it and bought me the book it was in. I made it out of Civil War fabrics. It was worth all the work and I love it.
My favorite quilt is usually the one I just finished! It’s such a wonderful feeling to finish a project and for me it doesn’t happen too often. My last quilt was a baby quilt for a friend. Of course I was on a deadline but my daughter helped me with inspiration and fabric choices and I got it done for the shower. It was an undersea scene and great fun to put together. Thanks for the opportunity to win both these wonderful prizes!
I do not have an absolute favorite piece but really like the current project that I am working on whatever it my be! I wouldn’t have started it otherwise right?
ale3002000@yahoo.com
I cannot pick one favorite. I love to quilt so much and enjoy each and every one because I enjoy learning and challenging myself. I am very proud of my self for completing my queen sized Fire Island Hostage which is paper pieced. Your block is great. Who would have thought those flying geese would produce a secondary design. Thanks for the giveaway.
CONGRATULATIONS especially with how busy you were. so glad you made it to the magazine and your lovely block made it. love the pattern it makes when more than one are put together.
My favorite quilt is a Split Decision pattern that I made using Bali batiks. I never knew you could use Microsoft word to design a quilt. Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to check that out!
Wow! I’d like to have that kind of energy! Glad you made the deadline! Love the block! Happy Thanksgiving!
Great block! My favorite project is the one I’m currently working on, or the one that has the colors I need to see that day. It changes.
My favorite quilt pattern is a star quilt. Still need to get the points sharp.
Jo, just want you to know I love your blog, I love your designs, I love you because you’re you! I call you “my friend in Iowa”! Blessings, Mary, your friend in Oregon.
Gosh, I just LOVE how those flying geese make pinwheels! My favorite quilt? I’m not buttering you up and I haven’t finished it yet (actually, I haven’t worked on it since the retreat) but I still smile every time I think about my May Flowers quilt. I’m planning to bump it up on my UFO list for 2016, maybe it would work as a leader/ender project?
AndiRae in MN
AndiRaeS@gmail.com
I think my new favorite is an Anita’s Arrowhead quilt I made. My LQS owner loved it and asked me to teach a class on it. It was my first experience with teaching and it was a blast. I’ll always remember that experience when I look at that quilt.
I love read your blog every morning on my coffee break. My favorite project was the 30″s heart quilt I made for my “unborn” grandchild. Since this was my first (and to be only) grandchild and we didn’t know the sex, I wanted a design that would be good for either girl or boy. Seven years later I am still happy with my choices.
I made a wall quilt with leaves of different colors framed with the most beautiful autumn themed fabric.
Love the block! I think it is very do-able for me. Thanks for the inspiration!
What a great block! I love the secondary pattern when several blocks are put together. It’s also interesting to hear the back story of this block’s inspiration! I’ve only made 9 quilts that I recall (having 7 kids kept me busy with lots of things besides quilting) and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but one that stands out to me is my first large quilt (queen-size), a double Irish chain that I hand-quilted on a frame that my grandfather had made. At the time, I only had 2 children and my grandfather had already been gone for 3 years, but it was very special to be able to use something he had made in making that quilt. Now that my kids are (mostly) grown, I have more time for quilting, which I’m really enjoying. (I’ve finished 4 quilts this year alone, which is a record for me!)
Strong work getting this new block designed and made in the midst of such a busy year! I really like it and love the recycled shirt fabric :-) It makes it even better in my book! Thank you for the sweet giveaway. I think my favorite quilt project is small wall hanging that I made after taking a class in paper piecing. It has a lot of fun images in it and I used scraps from my favorite fabrics. I still love seeing on my wall 12 years later.
My favorite quilt is always the one I’m working on currently but in the looking back I have big sighs and memories of The Cathedral Window quilt the old fashioned way. It took awhile…a long while.
I’m interested in your fat quarter quilt designs! I have a collection of FQ’s with good intentions!
Super block! Hope over the Christmas break I’ll get to work some up!
Thank you for the opportunity to win!
Great block! My fav quilt is a bug jar one – given it to many babies in our family and they all love it!
My favorite quilt that I made was a BOM civil war quilt. Lots of pieces. My mom recently passed away and when her quilts were pick out between all of us kids I got the grandma’s garden quilt. All hand pieced and hand quilted. Can’t imagine the time it took to make it. It’s become a favorite too.
Glad you two found the time to be a part of this publication again. Congrats!
My favourite quilting project is a pink quilt I made with my 30’s scraps. It’s the quilt everyone in the family wants!
My favorite quilt project was a baby quilt I made for a co-worker. Her husband works for Met Life and they called the baby Woodstock before she was born. I made a bright quilt with blocks embroidered with the Peanuts designs. She cried when I gave it to her.
Like your quilt on the calendar, and like your block too! I am finishing up a quilt with the friendship star. It went so fast.
I think every quilt I complete becomes my new favorite! But my “Easy Street” quilt (from Bonnie K. Hunter’s pattern) which resides on my bed is probably the fav. It was the first quilt I made that I kept, and it makes me smile every day.
Hard to think of a favorite, but I think it would be my red, blue & cream paisley floral jelly roll quilt. I always enjoy looking through 100 Blocks & dreaming of quilts to make.