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Quilt Block Mania ~ November!

Are Crackers part of your tradition during the holidays? Years ago when my children were small, we had dinner on Christmas Eve with dear family friends. We always pulled Crackers – everyone got their own. It was fun to see what was inside.

From Wikipedia: Crackers are typically pulled at the Christmas dinner table or at parties. In one version of the cracker tradition, the person with the larger portion of the cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. In another, each person has their own cracker and keeps its contents regardless of whose end they were in. Typically these contents are a colored paper hat, a small toy, a small plastic model or other trinkets, and a motto, a joke, a riddle, or a piece of trivia on a small strip of paper.

The Quilt Block Mania block patterns are free each month.
They will remain free for a limited time after the first month.

Click here for the pattern!

~Subscribe to our VIP list ~

~Don’t miss out on the next edition of Quilt Block Mania ~

If you make any of the blocks be sure to share them and tag with #QuiltBlockMania!

Be sure to visit all of the Quilt Block Mania Designers!

Christmas Wreath by Slice of Pi Quilts
Baby Sue’s First Christmas
Celebrate by Inquiring Quilter
Gifts at Always Expect Moore
Snowflakes by Blockofthemodotcom
Gifts of Friendship
Fireworks at duck creek mountain quilting
Wreath & Chain at Stash Bandit
Christmas Star by Michelle Renee Hiatt
Adirondack Mountain Quilt Block
A Present from Penny
Candlelighting at Pretty Piney Quilts
Poinsettia from QuiltFabrication
Harbor Holidays at Blue Bear Quilts
Christmas Cracker at Perkins Dry Goods
Sparkling Spruce at Patti’s Patchwork
Jingle All the Way at Orange Blossom Quilt
Snowflakes & Candy Cane Trees at Quilt Moments
Tower of Gifts by Oh Kaye Quilting
Winter Memories by Carolyn Burgess
Holiday Block by Seams to Be Sew
Ticker Tape Tree at Devoted Quilter
Evergreen by True Blue Quilts
Merry and Bright at Around the Bobbin
Ski Vacation

Quilt Block Mania ~ October!

This month’s theme is family. I immediately thought of the Sister’s Choice block. I have always loved this block for its versatility. It’s built on a 25 patch grid so it doesn’t play nice with even numbers! I redrafted it to work as a 12″ block. 

I come from a family of five siblings, I am the eldest of four girls and a boy (who is the youngest).  The poor kid was made up and dressed like a girl. We thought he was our new baby doll when he was little. He’s a good sport though, the best brother one could ask for and has forgiven all four of us.

The Quilt Block Mania block patterns are free each month.

Click here for the pattern!

~Subscribe to our VIP list ~

~Don’t miss out on the next edition of Quilt Block Mania ~

If you make any of the blocks be sure to share them and tag with #QuiltBlockMania!

Be sure to visit all of the Quilt Block Mania Designers!

Warming by the Fire
Paper Chain Family at Slice of Pi Quilts
Family is Love
Family Quote Pineapple Block by Blockofthemodotcom
Family Pumpkin Pickin’ Day
Family Crest at Always Expect Moore
Old Rocking Chair at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Love@Home at Stash Bandit
Sisterhood by Michelle Renee Hiatt
Glimpse of Home at Scrapdash
We Are Family by Heidi Pridemore
Family Trees at Pretty Piney Quilts
Family is the Heart of Home by QuiltFabrication
Gathering by Blue Bear Quilts
Sister’s Choice at Perkins Dry Goods
Every Family Has One at Patti’s Patchwork
Orange Blossom Quilt
Wonky Nesting Hearts
Family Photo Block
Celtic Trinity Knot by Appliqués Quilts and More
Scarecrow
Family Ring at Devoted Quilter
Tartan Block at True Blue Quilts
FindSewingStuff.com
Flying Geese Family by Tacy Gray
Family Heart by Amarar Cracions

QBM Oct Image

Quilt Block Mania ~ September!

Happy September!

This is one of my favorite months of the year. Fall has always felt like a time to start something new and there are so many traditions. School and that fresh box of crayons – love those! That crispness in the air that starts in September evenings, the Minnesota State Fair and Labor Day. I checked the Farmer’s Almanac to see what it had to say about September and found some interesting things…

  • Heavy September rains bring drought.
  • Married in September’s golden glow, Smooth and serene your life will go.
  • If the storms of September clear off warm, the storms of the following winter will be warm.
  • Fair on September 1st, fair for the month.

Block Tips

This month’s block is quick to piece but be aware of your seam allowance and pressing. The little pumpkins on the right were giving me fits – wanting to be too long or too short.

  • Before you cut the block out, starch your fabric. I use regular spray starch or Best Press.
  • An easy way to fix a unit that ends up too long without ripping is to sew a few of the seams just a thread deeper at the top, middle and bottom.
  • Be careful when you press to avoid stretching, but be sure those units are pressed flat without tucks. I like to set the seam first to heat up the fabric and embed the thread into the fabric, then fold back, finger press, and then put the iron on the seam. If you use steam, be extra careful and don’t overwork the unit.

The Quilt Block Mania block patterns are free each month.

Click here for the pattern!

~Subscribe to our VIP list ~
~Don’t miss out on the next edition of Quilt Block Mania ~

If you make any of the blocks be sure to share them and tag with #QuiltBlockMania!

Be sure to visit all of the Quilt Block Mania Designers!

“Which Hat?” at Pretty Piney
Black Cat at Inquiring Quilter
Ring of Pumpkins at Always Expect Moore
Haunted House at Powered by Quilting
Three Treats at Sew Brainy
Bat at Slice of Pi Quilts
Day of the Dead Skull at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Gypsy Wagon Fortune Teller at Orange Blossom Quilt
Monster at Seams to be Sew
Patchwork Pumpkin at Quilted Diary
Stacked Pumpkins at Perkins Dry Goods
Spooky Star at Block of the Mo .com
Leaf Ghost at Off the Wall Quilt
Leaf and Vine at Quilt Moments
Frankenstein at Around the Bobbin
Bat by Heidi Pridemore
Candy Corn by Quilt Fabrication
Dark night by Cotton Street Commons
Pumpkin by Sew on the Go
Pumpkin and Bat by ScrapDash
Pumpkin Chain by Stash Bandit
Happy Jack-o-lantern by Patti’s Patchwork
Foundation Pieced Creepy Eyes by Amarar Creacions
Spooky Trees by Aunt Em’s Quilts
Upside Down Witch by Appliques Quilts and More
Scaredy Kitty by Tacy Gray
Sun-Boo-Net Sue by Blue Bear Quilts
Spider by Oh Kay Quilting
Candy, Pumpkins, and Witch Hat by Utah Quilt Appraiser

Quilt Block Mania ~ August!

Back to School!

Starting back in the 1700s giving a teacher an apple (or a basket of apples) was a gesture of appreciation.  Over time, bringing an apple to your teacher became a symbol of trying to gain favor! Did you ever take an apple to your teacher?

The Quilt Block Mania block patterns are free each month.

Click here for the pattern.

~Don’t miss out on the next edition of Quilt Block Mania ~

Subscribe to our newsletter!

If you make any of the blocks be sure to share them and tag with #QuiltBlockMania!

Teachers Pet block image

Click here for the pattern.

School quilt blocks image

See all of the Quilt Block Mania Blocks:

Crayons by Slice of Pi Quilts
Lockers by Powered by Quilting
Math Problem by Pretty Piney
Chalk Board by Inquiring Quilter
Stack of Books by Carolina Moore
Pointy Pencil Block by Sew Brainy
Geometry by Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Pencils by Quilting Room with Mel
School Bus by Orange Blossom Quilt
Book with Animal by Seams to be Sew
Stack of Textbooks by Quilted Diary
Shades of the Sun by Charisma Horton
Basketball by Devoted Quilter
Apples by Perkins Dry Goods
Box of Crayons by ScrapDash
Apple with leaf by Blockofthemodotcom
Crayons by Off the Wall Quilt
School Time Schoolhouse by Quilt Moments
School House by Utah Quilt Appraiser
Pencil by True Blue Quilts
Owl by The Whimsical Workshop
Calculator by Quilt Fabrication
Crayons by Linda B Creative
Applique Computer by DooHikey Designs
Modern Apple by Cotton Street Commons
Glue by Quilting Mod
School Girl’s Puzzle by Sew on the Go
Snack by Quiltfox Design
Backpack by Oh Kaye Quilting
Math Signs by Patti’s Patchwork
Bookworm by Appliques Quilts and More
Backpack by Tacy Gray
Schoolhouse by From my Carolina Home
Girl’s Favorite by Blue Bear Quilts
Origami Paper Plane by Amarar Creacions
Show up and Shine! by SewJoy Creations
School House with Children by Aunte Ms Quilts

Welcome to Quilt Block Mania ~ July!

 

What is Quilt Block Mania?

A group of pattern designer friends got together and thought it would be fun to create a collection of blocks, with a theme and offer them FREE to our readers on a regular basis. Thanks to Carolina Moore who got the group organized and came up with the theme and color story. 

#Quilt Block Mania group image

July’s theme is Summer Time. I thought of sunshine, the beach, sunglasses… and here you go! And the best part is that it’s Free – link below the image.

Be sure to check out the links below to all of the other blocks! Enjoy!

Just Beachy by Celine Perkins
Just Beachy block image

Click here for the pattern.

~Don’t miss out on the next edition of Quilt Block Mania ~

Subscribe to our newsletter!

If you make any of the blocks be sure to share them and tag with #QuiltBlockMania!

Here are links to all the blocks in the Quilt Block Mania Summer Series:
Camping Tent by Carolina Moore
Beach Umbrella by Jennifer Fulton
Flip Flops by Becca Fenstermaker
Summer Cocktail by Marian Pena
Beach Ball by Laura Piland
Popsicle by Sherry Shish
Curvy fish by Velda Roy
Angelfish by Lisa Amundson
Bucket and Shovel by Heidi Pridemore
Wonky Beach Umbrella by Jamie Siel
Starfish by Leanne Parsons
Sailboat at Sunset by Glenda Wilder
Yacht by Sue Griffiths
Food/Ice Cream Truck by Laura Strickland
Crab by Afton Warrick
Sleeping bag and star by Sarah Vanderburgh
Funky Flower by Kathryn LeBlanc
IceCream Cond by Sarah Marcina
Sunglasses by Celine Perkins
Sun by Charisma Horton
Hello Summer by Amarar Creacions
Tall Ships by Kris Driessen
Life Saver Preserver by Sandy Fitzpatrick
Dragon Fly by Julie Luoma
Up in The Air by Judit Hajdu
Surfboard by Susan Arnold
Beach Treasures by Linda Bratten
Two Scoops by Shari Butler
Free to Fly by Marcea Owen

Friendship Quilt Along Block 14 ~ Enduring

Enduring quilt block

This is it, the last block in the
Friendship Quilt Along!

Enduring. That’s what great friendships are. They last through thick and thin. The circle of buttons makes me think of how good friends are a constant. Even with the ups and downs of day to day life. Sometimes long periods of time go by without seeing a friend – life happens – but the friendship is still there.

I’m a big fan of figuring out how to work smarter not harder. I quilted the quilt before adding the buttons. Keeping the buttons in place was tricky. In the past, I’ve used transparent tape but this time I thought I would try a bit of Roxanne’s Glue-Baste-It. And it worked like a charm! I also stitched them on by machine. 

Check your accessory box, you might have a foot specifically for buttons. This is what mine looks like…I have a Janome Skyline 7. You can also use your regular zig-zag foot.

Buttons and Binding
I added the binding before adding the last button.

The Big Reveal!

 I love it. Thank you, Amanda!

Be sure to stop by Amanda’s Blog to see what everyone has been up to.
Thanks for following along!

Friendship Quilt Along Block 13 ~ Devoted

Woo hoo! Almost finished!! I love how these Devoted blocks turned out.

Another method I like to use when I make Flying Geese blocks is with the Folded Corner Clipper by Prairie Sky Quilting. You trim the perfect seam allowance before you sew….NO drawing lines! How cool is that?

Step 1 is easy. Place the small square right sides together on one end of the rectangle. Align raw edges. Place ruler and trim! Sew with a 1/4″ seam, press.

 Step 2 is easy too! Place the small square right sides together on the other end of the rectangle. Align raw edges. Place ruler and trim! Sew with a 1/4″ seam, press.

The tool comes with great instructions and examples of other ways to use it.Only 1 block to go. This is an awesome quilt!Be sure to visit Amanda’s blog for the free pattern and details on assembly. And stop by next week for the big reveal!

Friendship Quilt Along Block 12 ~ Considerate

 And here we have Considerate, Block #12.

I had some fun with this block. There are so many combinations that you can do. Here are a few that I came up with….you could do an entire quilt!

Considerate block options

Only a few more blocks to go….Be sure to visit Amanda’s blog for the free pattern and details on assembly. Stop by next week to see the last block!!

Friendship Quilt Along Block 11 ~ Helpful

Introducing Helpful, Block #11 in the Friendship Quilt Along!

I really enjoyed playing with the different combinations of fabrics in these three lovlies.

I kept all of the flower centers the same, but played with the contrast between the petals and background.

Only a few more weeks to go and all of the blocks will be finished. I can’t wait to see what everyone has done!

This is a happy quilt, isn’t it?

Be sure to visit Amanda’s blog for the free pattern and details on assembly. Stop by next week to see what I’m up to!

Friendship Quilt Along Block 10 ~ Patient

Friendship QAL Block 10 ~ PatientNow for block #10 ~ Patient. 

These are words that make me think of my most patient friends ~ a pretty cool list!

Persevering, persistent, tenacious, determined, uncomplaining, tolerant, calm, composed, even-tempered, accommodating, understanding, indulgent …

We’re on the home stretch. . . Just a few more blocks!Friendship Quilt LayoutBe sure to visit Amanda’s blog for the free pattern and details on assembly. Stop by next week to see what I’m up to!

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