Showing posts with label quilter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilter. Show all posts

Monday, March 18, 2024

HOORAY! Time For the 2024 Villa Rosa Designs Fast & More Fun Blog Hop -- Today is My Blog Day!

 

Hello There Friends! 

Welcome to you, both old and new friends!  

I'm sew glad that you are here.  Today is my day on the 2024 VRD Fast & More Fun Blog Hop and I'm thrilled to be part of the 2nd Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop.  

If you've come for the prizes -- I'm happy to tell you that you will be able to register for prizes at the bottom of this post.  But before I give you all the prize info, please read on and enjoy my post celebrating Villa Rosa Designs.

A Little Bit About Me

If you've already recognized the writing style, you're not imagining things -- I am also the blog writer over at the Villa Rosa Designs (VRD) blog, Villa Rosa Quilts. Yep, it's me Tricia @ VRD.  LOL!

I met Pat Fryer, the owner and Rose Queen at VRD when I attended my very first Fall Quilt Market in 2010 (which, incidentally, was Pat's second Quilt Market promoting her new company, Villa Rosa Designs -- kismet, I think) in order to promote my first quilting book, Orphan Block Quilts.

                                                       Orphan Block Quilts: Making a Home for Antique, Vintage, Collectible and Leftover Quilt Blocks by [Tricia Lynn Maloney]
 

Sheesh!  2010 -- that seems like ages ago now.  Pat and I met up at every Market I attended after that and in 2017, I became part of the VRD family of designers.  Mostly I design the table runner patterns, but I also create patterns for baby quilts, throws, large quilts, and some smaller accessory patterns, too.  You can check out all my VRD Rose Card patterns HERE.

In 2021, I started a new life-changing position working for VRD as a virtual assistant -- virtual because we are located on opposite sides of the US -- Pat and VRD in California and me here in Pennsylvania.  Writing the weekly VRD blog, Villa Rosa Quilts, is just one of the fun and cool things I get to do.  I also write patterns, do graphics, work closely with fabric companies for cross-promotional purposes, and whatever else I can do to help Pat and VRD.  BEST.  JOB.  EVER.

VRD Fast & More Fun Blog Hop 

Now that you know a little bit about me, let me tell you all about the Blog Hop.  I hope you are having fun hopping from blog to blog to see all of these amazing quilts, meet the cool quilt bloggers, and to register for awesome prizes which were donated just for you by our wonderful sponsors (see below). 

Today is Day 5 on the Hop, so if you haven't visited blogs for the first 4 days, here's the schedule so you can.  Go for it -- the more blogs you visit and register for at, the more chances you have to win.

Blog Hop Schedule:

Thursday, March 14
Villa Rosa Quilts — https://villarosaquilts.com/ 

Friday, March 15
Kathleen McMusings — https://kathleenmcmusing.com/
The Morning Latte — http://livelylatte.blogspot.com/
Homesewn By Us — https://www.homesewnbyus.com
Pieceful Thoughts — https://www.piecefulthoughts.com/
C & T Publishing — https://www.ctpub.com/blog/

Saturday March 16National Quilting Day!
Needle and Foot — https://needleandfoot.com/
MMM Quilts — https://www.mmmquilts.com/
Texas Quilt Gal — https://www.texasquiltgal.com/
Time 4 Stitchn — http://time4stitchn.blogspot.com/
SIY (Sew It Yourself) — https://blog.siysewityourself.com/

Sunday, March 17Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Quarter Inch Capers — https://quarterinchcapers.blogspot.com/
Norton House Quilting — https://www.nortonhousequilting.com/blogs/news
Quilting Gail — https://quiltinggail.com/

Wazoo! Newsbits — http://wazoonewsbits.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 18
With Strings Attached — https://withstringsattached.blogspot.com/
Jaftex/Scott Fortunoff — https://scottfortunoff.com/
Cocoa Quilts — https://www.cocoaquilts.com/ 

Quilt With a View — http://quiltwithaview.blogspot.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)

Tuesday, March 19
Shout 4 Joy — https://shout4joy-shouting.blogspot.com/
The Darling Dogwood — http://thedarlingdogwood.blogspot.com/
Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting — www.knitbug2.blogspot.com
Something Rosemade — https://somethingrosemade14.blogspot.com/
Quilts of Valor Foundation — https://www.qovf.org/

Wednesday, March 20 — First Day of Spring!

Grace and Peace Quilting — https://www.graceandpeacequilting.com/
Happy Cottage Quilter — https://happycottagequilter.blogspot.com/
Joyfully Tracie — https://joyfullytracie.com/
Patchouli Moon Studio — https://patchouli-moon-studio.blogspot.com/
Electric Quilt Company — https://doyoueq.com/blog/

Thursday, March 21
Villa Rosa Quilts — villarosaquilts.com 

The VRd Blog Hop couldn't even happen without the amazing support from our sponsors.  Thank you Sponsors!

https://hoffmancaliforniafabrics.net

https://modafabrics.com

https://www.ttfabrics.com

http://jaftex.com

https://electricquilt.com

https://www.northcott.com/home.aspx

http://benartex.com

https://www.hancocks-paducah.com

https://foxchapelpublishing.com

https://www.ctpub.com

https://www.pbtex.com

I am honored that 2 of my Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns made it into the 5 patterns selected for the Hop:  Clover and Twinkle.  Did you know that you can purchase a set of the Blog Hop patterns???  You can go HERE to get your own set.  Or maybe you'll win a set....

Blog Hop 2024 SET of 5 CARDS

 

 Okay, now that we've got all that out of the way, wanna see my quilt???

Twinkle, My Blog Hop Quilt

When I designed Twinkle in 2019, I was torn about what fabrics and colors I should choose.  I decided to use a white background and some fun bright 5" squares.  It turned out really fun and flirty so I went with it.

 



In the back of my mind, though, I always wondered what it would look like with a black background.

Fast forward 5 years and I decided to answer that "what if" question for my Blog Hop post by creating a brand new Twinkle quilt featuring a solid black background paired with a great selection of 5" squares of Batiks.  


I am really pleased with how it turned out!  The Batiks shimmer and really pop on the black background, don't they?

 When I went outside to photograph the Twinkle top (not Toes -- LOL!), it was really nasty -- the temperature dropped, it was very windy, and then snowflakes were swirling around as I was trying to catch a quick photo when the wind stopped blowing for a second.  Just one teeny second was all I needed. It took me several tries as you can see below in my "windy" photos, but I finally managed to get a decent photo. 

What was really cool while I was taking photos is that way up high soaring on the wind was our neighborhood eagle!  Sure I was freezing, but it never fails to take my breath away to see our eagle (or eagles, last year we had 4 -- 2 parents and 2 youngsters), no matter how many times I see him/her (not sure which one it was today). I hope we get eaglets again this year!

Here are my "windy" photos. Seriously, I wouldn't have gone outside today to do photography if I hadn't wanted to get a good clean image for my blog post.  If I hadn't gone outside, though, I wouldn't have seen the eagle soaring on the wind up above.  Simply beautiful....


 

Maybe you noticed that I didn't add a border....yet.   I'm not entirely sure what I want to do about the border.  It needs something, but I'm not sure exactly what.  

I will say I was really inspired by Cheree over at The Morning Latte last Friday with her gorgeous pieced border for her version of Gypsy, so maybe I will go that route.  I just don't know.  What do you think?  Aha!  I think this question will be my question for the prizes, below.  I am SEW open to ideas!

Now, how about some PRIZES??!!

Blog Hop GIVEAWAYS

I know you've all been waiting for this!  Here's your reward for reading all the way down my blog post -- thank you!

And thanks to our Sponsors, we have some really awesome prizes up for grabs!  Here they are:

1)  1 set of the Blog Hop patterns, donated by Villa Rosa Designs (each blogger will give away a set)

2)  3  chances at 3 of the Grand Prizes (you will need to register to win the EQ8 download on the Electric Quilt blog, beginning on Wednesday, March 20th) donated by our rockin' Blog Hop Sponsors (each blogger will choose 3 people to go into the Grand Prize drawings)

3)  3 Individual Sponsored Prizes (each blogger will choose 3 winners)

But wait!  There's more!

I'm adding some fun prizes to give away here on my blog too!

4)  A signed copy of my first book, Orphan Block Quilts 

5) A mystery set of my Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card patterns

You have up to 2 chances to win the above prizes here on my blog!  International Friends are welcome to register for prizes, too, as some of the Sponsors are able to ship internationally.  Winners will be randomly selected following the Blog Hop.  Winners will be announced after all winners have been contacted.

Here's what you need to do to be registered for prizes here on my blog:

1)  Leave a comment on this blog post and tell me what you think I should do for borders on my Twinkle quilt.

2)  Become a blog follower/subscriber and leave a comment on this blog post telling me you are a follower/subscriber (if you are already a subscriber/follower -- thank you -- please leave a comment letting me know).   PSST!  The Blue "Follow" button is at the bottom of the Followers box on the top right side of the blog.  You can also Subscribe with Netblogs, My Yahoo!, and Atom.  I think I'm on Bloglovin, too.

 Please make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win! If there isn't an email address, I will move on to the next commenter.

Remember, you have until Sunday, March 24th to leave a comment to register for the prizes above.

That's it!  Really!  Easy Peasy!

Good luck to each and every one of you!  

Enjoy the Hop (socks are optional)!

                    Best,

Tricia 

P.S.  Please stop back soon to see what I'm up to....

 

 



Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Villa Rosa Designs Fast & More Fun Blog Hop

 Hello Friends!


Today's the day for the kickoff to the 2024 Villa Rosa Designs Fast & More Fun Blog Hop!  I hope you are as excited about it as I am.  

 Here is the Blog Hop schedule with bloggers links:

Thursday, March 14
Villa Rosa Quilts -- https://villarosaquilts.com/

Friday, March 15
Kathleen McMusings -- https://kathleenmcmusing.com/
The Morning Latte -- http://livelylatte.blogspot.com/
Homesewn By Us -- https://www.homesewnbyus.com
Pieceful Thoughts -- https://www.piecefulthoughts.com/
C & T Publishing -- https://www.ctpub.com/blog/

Saturday March 16 -- National Quilting Day!
Needle and Foot -- https://needleandfoot.com/
MMM Quilts -- https://www.mmmquilts.com/
Texas Quilt Gal -- https://www.texasquiltgal.com/
Time 4 Stitchn -- http://time4stitchn.blogspot.com/
SIY (Sew It Yourself) -- https://blog.siysewityourself.com/

Sunday, March 17 -- Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Quarter Inch Capers -- https://quarterinchcapers.blogspot.com/
Norton House Quilting -- https://www.nortonhousequilting.com/blogs/news
Quilting Gail -- https://quiltinggail.com/

Wazoo! Newsbits -- http://wazoonewsbits.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 18
With Strings Attached -- https://withstringsattached.blogspot.com/
Jaftex/Scott Fortunoff -- https://scottfortunoff.com/
Cocoa Quilts -- https://www.cocoaquilts.com/ 

Quilt With a View -- http://quiltwithaview.blogspot.com/ (You are here)

Tuesday, March 19
Shout 4 Joy -- https://shout4joy-shouting.blogspot.com/
The Darling Dogwood -- http://thedarlingdogwood.blogspot.com/
Vicki's Crafts and Quilting -- www.knitbug2.blogspot.com
Something Rosemade -- https://somethingrosemade14.blogspot.com/
Quilts of Valor Foundation -- https://www.qovf.org/

Wednesday, March 20th -- First Day of Spring!

Grace and Peace Quilting -- https://www.graceandpeacequilting.com/
Happy Cottage Quilter -- https://happycottagequilter.blogspot.com/
Joyfully Tracie -- https://joyfullytracie.com/
Patchouli Moon Studio -- https://patchouli-moon-studio.blogspot.com/
Electric Quilt Company -- https://doyoueq.com/blog/

Thursday, March 21 st
Villa Rosa Quilts -- villarosaquilts.com

 As you can see from the schedule, I won't be blogging for the Hop until Monday, but I thought you might like to have the blog links before then!

And here are the awesome Sponsors for the event.  There will be all kinds of prizes to give away -- 4 Grand Prizes, lots of individual prizes, and  Blog Hop Pattern Sets.  Thank you very much, kind sponsors!

https://hoffmancaliforniafabrics.net

https://modafabrics.com

https://www.ttfabrics.com

http://jaftex.com

https://electricquilt.com

https://www.northcott.com/home.aspx

http://benartex.com

https://www.hancocks-paducah.com

https://foxchapelpublishing.com

https://www.ctpub.com

https://www.pbtex.com

 

Wow!  That's a lot of great sponsors!

Head on over the the Villa Rosa Quilts blog to find out all about the Fast & More Fun Blog Hop!

See you right here on Monday, March 18th!  

                     Best,

                Tricia





Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Let's Have a Blog Hop!

 Hello Friends!


I'm SEW excited to announce that I am participating in the Villa Rosa Designs Fast & More Fun Blog Hop March 14-21. 



This is the 2nd year for the Hop and I'm thrilled to be part of it again this year.  Do you remember the Hop last year?  It was awesome!  Each of the bloggers created a VRD quilt and revealed them on their blog posts for the Hop.  There will be tons of prizes, too!  And 4 Grand Prize drawings this year -- wow!

The Hop kicks off this Thursday, March 14th, on the VRD blog -- villarosaquilts.com

Make sure you stop by the VRD blog on Thursday to  find out how everything works and how to register for prizes.

The time is perfect!  National Quilting Day is Saturday, March 16th -- what better way to celebrate quilting than to go on a Blog Hop adventure from the comfort of your home.  You can even wear your jammies!


More info to follow.......

                            Best,

                                     Tricia

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Tricia's Favorite Quilt Blocks -- Block 11 FAR WEST

Oh my gosh!  I just realized that this is block 11.  Wow!  This project is fast coming to an end.  Then we'll have to start a new project.  I was thinking something with Christmas.  What do you think?

Our 11th block

Far West



It's actually called by several names (as most blocks are), but I decided to call it by its first name, Far West.  This block is attributed to Nancy Cabot.  Other names include Path and Stiles, Shoo Fly, and Stiles and Paths (according to EQ Blockbase).  You can definitely see its resemblance to our Shoo Fly block, but the center Nine Patch and the strips make it look entirely different.  That is one of the the things I love the most about quilting and designing -- by changing a few little things I can get an entirely new design.

Sew, let's get started making this block, which will finish at 12".

Here's What You Need:

Light -- 2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8", 4 rectangles 1 7/8" x 4 1/2", and 4 squares 1 7/8" x 1 7/8"

Medium -- 4 rectangles 1 7/8" x 4 1/2" and 1 square 1 7/8" x 1 7/8"

Dark -- 2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8" and 4 squares 1 7/8" x 1 7/8"


Let's Sew It Together:

1.  Layer a light 4 7/8" square with a dark 4 7/8" square.  Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.  Sew 1/4" on both sides of the drawn line.  Cut apart on the drawn line.  Open and press to yield 2 triangle squares.  Make 4 triangle squares.





2.  Sew 4 dark, 1 medium, and 4 light squares together into a little Nine Patch as shown.  Make 1.


3.  Sew a white rectangle on each side of a medium rectangle.  Make 4.



4.  Now that you've got all of the sections made, it's time to put them together, just like a Nine Patch block.



Well done!  Bravo!  Kudos!


Stay tuned for Block 12 coming soon and after that, I will provide instructions for my quilt layout which will measure 56" x 74".

Monday, September 16, 2019

Tricia's Favorite Quilt Blocks -- Block 10 SAWTOOTH STAR

By now you've probably noticed that I like Star blocks as I've included several different stars in this Sampler quilt.

Why Stars?

Stars add a lot of movement to quilts AND there are so many different stars and variations out there to explore.  Star Blocks are also some of the oldest known quilt block patterns, too.

So, YES, Stars!

Our 10th block this time is:

Sawtooth Star

which is one of the earliest Star block patterns.  
Have you ever made a Sawtooth Star?


Isn't this a great Star block?  I love the large unpieced center -- perfect for adding a fussy cut fabric OR you could add a smaller block in the center.  Sigh......Sew many ideas, sew little time......

Here's how to make a 12" finished Sawtooth Star block:

What you need:

Light fabric:  4 squares 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" and 1 square 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" -- cut this large square on both diagonals to get 4 triangles

Medium fabric:  4 squares 3  7/8" x 3 7/8", cut these squares on 1 diagonal to get 8 small triangles.

Dark fabric:  1 square 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" (you can fussy cut this square OR even replace it with a pieced 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" square -- maybe a 4 patch or 9 patch or even a smaller star)

Put the Block Together:

1.  Sew a medium triangle to each side of a background triangle.  Make 4 units.


 2.  Sew a light square to the ends of the unit from step 1.  Make 2.


3.  Sew a unit from step 1 to each side of the center 6 1/2" square.  Make 1.


4.  Now sew the block together like a 9 Patch with the center unit from step 3 sandwiched between the units from step 2.


 DONE and DONE!


Monday, April 8, 2019

Tricia's Favorite Quilt Block Tutorial -- Block 1 SHOO FLY


What's your favorite quilt block?



I have quite a few favorite blocks, actually.  Maybe you do too.

Most of the blocks that I am a fan of are quick and easy to make.  I really love quick and easy because then I can spend more time playing with my fabric.

I thought it would be fun to show you some of my favorite blocks and how to make them along with a few ideas on using them in your projects.  AND I will turn my favorite blocks into a SAMPLER QUILT so hold on to your blocks until the end of the series for a fun Sampler Quilt setting.


 I LOVE the Shoo Fly block.  

When I was a new quilter, I cut out bunches of squares and triangles and hand-pieced them, eventually having enough to make a twin-sized quilt.  To be honest, the quilt didn't turn out very well because I didn't know then what I know now about quilting, but the important thing was that it got me excited to make MORE QUILTS.

According to the website Quilting in America, the block was "named after a wild plant with domed flowers called clover broom or shoo-fly, this 9-patch block originated around 1850 and became popular in the late 1800s."  For more history of the Shoofly block, visit Quilting in America.

Let's make a 12" finished Shoo Fly block!


What you need:

Medium/Dark fabric -- 2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8" and 1 square 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" 

Light Fabric -- 2 squares 4 7/8" x 4 7/8" and 4 squares 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Here's what you do:

1.  Layer a 4 7/8" medium/dark square right sides together with a light 4 7/8" square.  Draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner diagonally.

2.  Sew 1/4" away from both sides of the drawn line.

3.  Cut apart on the line.   Voila!  You have 2 half square triangle blocks (HSTs).

4.  Repeat steps 1-3 to make a total of 4 HSTs.













Now here's the easy part -- the Shoo Fly block is simply a 9 Patch block in disguise!  Tehehehe!



5.  Sew a light 4 1/2" square between 2 HSTs as shown.  Make 2 rows.


 




7.  Sew the row from step 6 between the rows from step 5, flipping the unit on the bottom to make a Shoo Fly block.


And there you have it -- one 12 1/2" Shoo Fly Block!  Yay!  Go you!



Monday, April 1, 2019

Villa Rosa -- My Quilt Designs are Popping Up All Over!

villarosadesigns.com


You may already know that I've been designing easy and fun (and usually precut-friendly) quilt designs for Villa Rosa Designs for over a year now.

I met Pat, the owner of Villa Rosa, completely by happenstance at my very first International Quilt Market in 2010.  We hit it off and got to know each other through the years at Quilt Markets we both attended.  Then in 2017, things were ready for me to begin designing quilts for Villa Rosa.

Are you familiar with the Villa Rosa Rose Cards?  I was so impressed with the postcard-sized patterns when I first saw them in 2010 -- I knew then that I wanted to be part of Villa Rosa.

What makes a Rose Card so special?


A Rose card is the size of a post-card with a beautiful full-color photo of the project on the front and simple easy-to-follow instructions to make the project on the back.  That's it.  ONE POSTCARD.

Fast-forward to today....


I currently have 14 Rose Card patterns available and I have several more in the works right now.

Here are my Rose Cards (go HERE to shop my Rose Cards):

 
                                      

                                      







If you're a shop owner, you love Rose Cards because:


1)  they are small and easy to display, particularly near registers and check out counters
2)  they are perfect for kitting up with your own fabric in your shop
3)  the projects are fast and easy (and usually precut-friendly) so they are great for new quilters and experienced quilters alike
4)  the retail price is inexpensive
5)  they make great class projects because students do not have to buy expensive books in addition to all of their supplies
6)  most of the patterns utilize precuts and quilters LOVE precuts!

If you're a quilter, you love Rose Cards because:


1)  Rose Cards are like candy, you can't choose just one
2)  Rose Cards are inexpensive
3)  they are small and take up very little space in your sewing room
4)  there are Rose Card designs to fit any style from modern to traditional
5)  there are a lot of different types of projects to choose from -- table runners, baby quilts, throws, and more
6)  they are mostly geared for beginning quilters, yet the designs appeal to quilters of all skill levels and interests
7)  they are perfect for charity quilts
8)  most of the Rose Cards use precuts, but you can easily use your own stash or scraps, too
9)  they make great little gifts for your quilting friends or yourself


Rose Cards are now available wholesale to quilt shops through Checker Distributor and EE Schenck or through Villa Rosa Wholesale.

Quilters, you can find Rose Cards at your local quilt shop or  here on the Villa Rosa website.
 

Monday, March 25, 2019

An Update on My Studio Makeover Project

Well, I am stalled right now on my studio overhaul.  Sigh.....

You know when you ask someone to help you and then he/she gets busy and doesn't have time to help you?  AND the project is half-done and you don't know how to finish it yourself?

Well, that is where I find myself right now.

I have actually purged a lot of stuff out of my studio.  Of course, now that I've put stuff in plastic baskets in anticipation of have storage cubes, there's no place to put the basket right now.

Regardless of that dilemma, my studio looks like a different place, still disorganized, but neater and less cluttered.

Here's some update photos for you.



 





Granted, I still have a long ways to go before I can consider myself organized, but I'm at least on the yellow brick road now.

I was so energetic about this project last month, but my father got too busy to even think about my new electrical outlet and wooden post.  I even ordered my storage cube units for the base of my new sewing table.



Once I have the electricity in then I can  build my new sewing table.  It will actually have a 4' x 6' surface as well as 24 cubes underneath.  There may even be a space for some large and bulky items too -- I won't know until I start putting the cube units together. 

But pretty much everything has come to halt.  For now.