Welcome to the Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop!

Hello There Friends! 

Welcome to you, both old and new friends!  I'm sew glad that you are here.

I'm thrilled to be part of the very first Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop. 

                        

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. 

                                                      
 

Yikes!  2010 -- that seems like ages ago now.  Pat and I met up at every Market I attended after that until 2017, when 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, and even a few large quilts.  You can check out my VRD Rose Card patterns HERE.

Then in 2021, I started a new life-changing position working for VRD as a virtual assistant -- we are located on opposite coasts of the US.  Writing the weekly VRD blog, Villa Rosa Quilts, is just one of the fun and cool things I get to do.  I also get to write patterns, do graphics, and work closely with fabric companies for cross-promotional purposes.  Yay!  Best job ever!

The Villa Rosa Designs Fast & Fun Blog Hop

Now that you know a little bit about me, let me tell you all about the Blog Hop.  By now, you've seen many quilts made by the awesome bloggers participating in this Hop using Rose Card patterns in the Blog Hop Collection.

 Here is our Blog Hop Schedule:

01/19/23 Thursday

Villa Rosa Quilts — Today, where it all begins

01/20/23 Friday

From Bolt to Beauty Kathleen McMusing Jaftex Companies

01/21/23 Saturday

Pieceful Thoughts Little Penguin Quilts

01/22/23 Sunday

Quilt with a View mmmquilts

01/23/23 Monday

Cheryl’s Teapots 2 Quilting Devoted Quilter Quilts of Valor Foundation

01/24/23 Tuesday

Needle and Foot Am I Shouting Yet? Electric Quilt

01/25/23 Wednesday

The Crafty Quilter Jo’s Country Junction Keepsake Quilting Stitchin At Home

01/26/23 Thursday

Villa Rosa Quilts — Blog Hop Wrap Up

I hope you're keeping up because there are quilts to see and prizes to win!   Villa Rosa Designs created a special collection of Rose Card patterns and asked each participating blogger to make one of the 5 patterns.  You'll have to hop from blog to blog to see which quilt each blogger created!  And while you're there, stay a while and look around.  Don't forget to leave a comment and register for prizes!

Here are the Rose Card patterns included in the Blog Hop collection.  You can purchase all 5 of the patterns at the special price of $8.95 HERE.

I'm honored that my pattern, Snow Goose, was chosen as part of the Fast & Fun Blog Hop Collection!  

I thought I'd share more about this pattern with you for the VRD Fats & Fun Blog Hop.

Snow Goose, My VRD Rose Card Pattern

I was inspired to create this table runner because I love watching the gaggles of geese fly over and it makes me smile to hear them honking at each other.  I can just imagine what they're saying to each other -- LOL!  

When I'm outside and they're overhead, I stop and watch, because I think geese are simply amazing -- they fly hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles and even from way up there, they know where they're going. And they return to the same areas year after year.  Wow!  Nature is fascinating, isn't it?

 

Image by wirestock on Freepik

When I learned a new way of making Flying Geese using the flippy corner method with strips, I knew I just had to design a project and after some tweaking, Snow Goose was born.  I dipped into my stash of blue batiks for the wings and a solid white for the bodies.  And I just love how it turned out.  You can never go wrong with a blue and white quilt, no matter how many blues you use.

Snow Goose is a great project to use up leftover strips from other projects.  Of course, you can use fat quarters, too, and make several runners out of the same group of fabrics.  You could also make this runner into a larger quilt, see below.

Here are some photos I took of my Snow Goose runner:

After I make a project for a Rose Card pattern, I take many photos of the quilt and then choose the one I like the best for the cover of the pattern.  Since I'm not a great photographer, I prefer taking my quilt photos outside in natural light.  

Winter photos can be a little more difficult, though, due to grey days and sometimes lots of snow, so occasionally I have to be a little more creative about finding an indoor space to take photos.  I lucked out with Snow Goose and was able to get out between snow storms to grab these photos.

My mom (Hi Mom!) actually chose this photo over the others above and it became the cover of the Rose Card pattern.

 Now, let's play a little bit! 

What happens when you switch the lights and darks in Snow Goose?

 

What if you use bright fabrics with black?  

 

Or maybe a scrappy Christmas Goose?

What if you make 25 blocks (5 blocks across by 5 blocks down) to make a 50" x 50" quilt?  I'm thinking it needs a blue border, what do you think?

 

 

 

Yes, a 3" finished border (making this quilt 56" square) adds a nice frame effect to the geese, keeping them from escaping the edges of the quilt.  Tehehehe.......

 

The ability to adapt, expand, modify, and even shrink down Villa Rosa Rose Card patterns is just one of the things I love best about VRD patterns.  Of course, they are always FAST & FUN to make!

Blog Hop GIVEAWAYS

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

Thanks to the Blog Hop Sponsors -- 

Moda, Hoffman, Electric Quilt, Creative Grids, Timeless Treasures,  The Gypsy Quilter, Quilts of Valor, Annie's, and Banyan Batiks

We have some awesome prizes up for grabs!

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

2)  2  chances at the Grand Prize Boxes filled with lots of quilting goodies donated by the Blog Hop Sponsors and even some of the bloggers (each blogger will choose 2 people to go into the Grand Prize Boxes drawing)

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

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

4)  2 packs of a selection of VRD table runner Rose Cards

5)  2 packs of a selection of my VRD quilt Rose Cards

6)  1 signed copy of my latest book, Blue Moon Block of the Month Quilt Planner

 

7)  1 signed copy of my book Orphan Block Quilts

 

                                                    
 

 

8)  1 signed copy of my book A Russian Journey in Quilts, which is out of print now

 

                                                         

9)  1 signed copy of my book I Love Precut Quilts!

 

 

 You have up to 2 chances to win the above prizes here on my blog!  

All you have to do is:

 1)  Leave a comment on this blog and tell me how you would change or adapt the Snow Goose pattern.

2)  Become a blog follower/subscriber and leave a comment on this blog telling me you are a follower/subscriber 

 Please make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win! 

Remember, you have until Sunday, January 29th 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!  

Until next time --

Tricia, AKA The Orphan Quilter

 

 

Sew Excited About the Villa Rosa Designs Fast & Fun Blog Hop January 19-26

Hello There Friends! 

 I'm getting really excited about participating in the first ever Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop January 19-26!  That's next week already and I haven't even started composing my Hop post -- I'd better get busy with that, hadn't I?

 I wanted to tell you a little bit about the Blog Hop, though, before next week.  Everything starts on January 19th on the Villa Rosa blog, www.villarosaquilts.com.

Have you ever done a blog hop?  They are just the most fun events!  Blog Hops are a lot like quilt shop hops, but you hop from blog to blog on the Internet from the comfort of your own home instead of from shop to shop.  

As this is Villa Rosa's Blog Hop, all of the participating bloggers (me included) will share quilts they've made using Villa Rosa Designs Rose Card quilt patterns.  You can visit the VRD website and check out the over 500 patterns in their catalog HERE.

Oh!  Did I mention there are prizes????  Lots and lots of prizes!!!  And I'm not kidding, either.  Some of your favorite quilt companies are sponsoring this event -- Moda, Benartex, Hoffman, Timeless Treasures, Banyan Batiks, Electric Quilt, Annie's Publishing, Quilts of Valor Foundation, Creative Grids, and The Gypsy Quilter.

There are 18 bloggers all together for the hop -- 18 bloggers!  WOW! 

Here are all the bloggers for the Hop:

https://villarosaquilts.com

http://frombolttobeauty.blogspot.com

https://www.kathleenmcmusing.com

https://scottfortunoff.com

https://www.piecefulthoughts.com

https://littlepenguinquilts.blogspot.com

https://www.keepsakequilting.com/blogs/keepsake-quilting-blog

https://quiltwithaview.blogspot.com

https://www.mmmquilts.com

https://cherylsteapots2quilting.blogspot.com

https://www.devotedquilter.com

https://www.qovf.org

https://needleandfoot.com

https://shout4joy-shouting.blogspot.com

https://doyoueq.com/blog

https://thecraftyquilter.com

http://www.joscountryjunction.com

https://www.stitchinathome.com

So, make sure you mark your calendar for this amazing Blog Hop and tell all your quilty friends so they can join in the fun too!  

I'm sew excited to be participating as a blogger and I can't wait until next week.....

Get ready!  Everything starts on January 19th!

I almost forgot to mention that my post is scheduled for Sunday, January 22nd.  See you then!

Until next time --

Tricia, AKA The Orphan Quilter

 

 

Back in the Saddle and Looking Forward to 2023

 

Long time no see!  I'd like to say that I stopped blogging because of the Pandemic, but I dropped the ball back in 2019, so I don't think that excuse will fly.  LOL!  All I can say is that life got in the way and then I just got out of the habit of writing my blog.

I took a very lllllooooonnnnnnggggggg break, but now I'm ready to get back into blogging mode.

So, hello!  Let's start over together.

A lot has happened for me since 2019.  I bet you can say the same, huh?

New Job

First, let me tell you a little bit about my cool new job.  I am now a Virtual Assistant at Villa Rosa Designs, www.villarosadesigns.com.  I started this new job in 2021, after I left the library I had worked at for over 10 years.  

It was time for a change.  Starting a new job is always a bit scary, but I was more excited than scared about my career change.  Now I work from home, which is awesome -- my commute is only down the stairs to my office/studio dungeon in the basement.  I write patterns, do quilt diagrams, create quilt mock ups, write the weekly blog, do tutorials for the blog, and whatever other projects that come up.  Love my job.  I will say that working from home does have a few drawbacks, though.  I am now more physically available so I get more interruptions.  Sometimes it's hard to get to my work because home/family things get in the way.

New Pets

After losing all of our older/elderly cats during the Pandemic, all of a sudden we were the pet parents of one lonely cat, Pip.  I adopted a kitten in late 2021 and this year as in a couple months ago in 2022, we adopted a very energetic and sweet Shih Tzu puppy, Bailly.  We have a super active furry family now with a young cat and a 5 month old puppy, who by the way are about the same size, and Pip who is about as energetic as a snail.

Here are my furbabies:

This is Bailly in her Christmas dress!

Here's my boy, Griffin!

Here's my perfectly plump Pip!

New Books

In 2021, I tried something new -- self-publishing on Amazon.   Luckily, I had already written 3 books the traditional way and published them with craft book publishers, so I had a more-than-average understanding of the world of publishing.  Which was good, because writing, editing, and illustrating your own books takes time and patience.

My first self-published book:

 

Feed Sacks is a tribute to my love of vintage feed sacks.  I started collecting them a couple years ago and now I have a large growing collection, so it made sense to photograph the different patterns and designs.  Then I put over 1000 of them together in this book.  It's a great Look Book of feed sack designs and patterns along with sections containing historical information and where to find your own feed sacks.

 

You can buy my book HERE.

My second Feed Sack book will be out soon, which will have another 1400+ feed sack designs and patterns!  So stay tuned to early 2023.

 

My second self-published book:

 

                                    

 

I love planners, journals, and calendars!  So it wasn't a hard decision to create my very own Quilt Planner with blank weekly and monthly grids so people can start it when they want to.  But the coolest thing is that my Planner is also a Block of the Month project!  Woo-hoo!

 

You can buy my planner HERE. 

Well, I guess there's not much more to say right now except:

 

Happy New Year!

Image by callmetak on Freepik

Stop in next week for more information about a FUN event coming in January 2023........did anyone say Blog Hop???

Until next time --

Tricia, AKA The Orphan Quilter

 

I'm Famous......Well, Almost!

I was shopping at my local JoAnn Fabrics recently and was surprised to see this Annie's quilt book. 

I just had to take a few photos.  Here's the back of the book:

Yup, that's my table runner in the top left corner.  It's called Jelly Jar and I just love how that one turned out -- it's a little retro and very sweet.

Let's take a peek inside the book now:

There's my Jelly Jar Runner.

Here's my Zoo Review -- isn't it fun for a kiddo?

Finally, here is another one of my table runners called Cut Jewels.

It's a fun book and includes 3 of my quilts.

What?????  You don't have this one yet?

Well, I guess you'll be heading to your local fabric store to get one, won't you?

LOL!

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".

Going to the Quilt Show!

Sometimes I get too wrapped up in the business side of quilting and forget why I ever started quilting in the first place. 

If you've been following my blog, then you already know that I took a break from making quilts this summer and had sew much fun rediscovering all of the wonderful antique and vintage fabrics, blocks, and quilts that I have accumulated over the years -- some items predate before I even began quilting.

With that in mind, I decided it was time to go to a quilt show just for fun.  It's been years since I've done this -- it was way overdue.

I went to Erie PA for the Quilting on the Bayfront show. The last time I went to this show was several years ago when it was the first time in this venue and I was disappointed.  It wasn't because of the show that I was disappointed, but because the show sponsored by Millcreek Sewing and Fabric previously had been held at the Chautauqua Institution in NY.

Quilting Around Chautauqua was my favorite experience (yes it wasn't just a show, it was an experience) because three friends and I used to rent a cottage and would spend five days immersed in quilting, the ambiance of Chautauqua, and friendship!  I really miss that.

So when the show changed venues, it made me very sad. 

Fast forward a couple years and I was ready to see the show with different eyes. 

So off I went to the quilt show!

The quilts greet you right after you pay your admission fee in the central hallway.  The backdrop behind the quilts was a wall of windows overlooking Lake Erie.  The ship you see here is the USS Flagship Niagara.

The show was set up in a large single room with quilt displays from area guilds lining the walls and vendors in the middle.

At the back of the room were some awesome quilt displays set up as rooms. 

The first one is a "quilt shop" vignette.  I apologize, but I didn't take a photo of the quilter's name.  Nonetheless, I found it very charming.

This next displays were created by my longtime friend and amazing quilter Marcy Scott, who also works at Millcreek Sewing and Fabric.

I had a wonderful surprise after I started perusing the vendor booths -- I discovered my friend Leslie was there too!  I don't know why we didn't communicate with each other and go together.

Another friend, Cathey, of Cathey Marie Designs, who is the creator of the Y Block Ruler, was there vending for the first time.  She said she did at least 100 demos during the show!  Here she is doing her ruler demo to a group of eager quilters.

Leslie and I teamed up for shopping and egged each other on.  Although she had already made the rounds of the vendors, she humored me and visited them all again.  Along the way, we stopped and chatted because many of the vendors were old friends.  We also met a lot of new friends who were vendors, too.

I had a great time and even picked up some fun charm packs and a wooly sheep pattern (along with an assortment of felted wools).

I am definitely looking forward to next year's show.  Maybe I'll see you there!

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!