Good morning, I’m Jennifer Rodriguez from All Things Belle. I’m very excited to be sharing a sweet little crochet & fabric technique with you today.

It’s almost time for the International Quilt Market in Kansas City. I can hardly wait! This is my second time attending and I have been missing the excitement since the last one. Are you going? What are you excited to see? For me it’s a dream come true, it’s an amazing combination of so many things that I love. The show is filled with endless rows of new fabrics to adore, new patterns to want, and just about every designer that you would love to meet.

I attend the Market to be inspired, to shop, and of course to connect. This past week I eagerly received my latest shipment of business cards to take with me. All of a sudden my cards did not seem enough. I had just finished reading about how a friend of mine, Topsy Turvy, had created 300 cake pops to go along with her business cards for a blogging conference. I was inspired and realized that I wanted to go above and beyond as well. At Market you receive so many cards and literature, it can be overwhelming. I knew that for a few personal contacts, I wanted my business card to stand out in their mind.

This past year I have been obsessed with crochet surface treatments on fabric and quilting projects. I love the dimension and versatility of this mixed media form. I thought it would be appropriate if I could create a meaningful way to present my card that incorporated both fabric and crochet.

What do you think? I love its sweet and classic touch.

Would you like to learn how to make one? It’s very simple and could easily hold a number of little treasures.

Materials needed:

A small, plain muslin drawstring bag
Soft pink embroidery floss
1.5mm crochet hook
embroidery needle

Directions:

1. Thread a length of the embroidery floss into the needle, following the stitched seams of the bag, embroider a back stitch.



2. With your crochet hook and the same embroidery floss, slip stitch into the first back stitch. Then single crochet into each stitch all the way around.
3. In each stitch you just completed, make a single chain and then flip your work. In the same stitch work a single crochet, half double crochet, single crochet. Then create two single chains, skip the next stitch, and then repeat the picot (single crochet, half double crochet, single crochet). Continue this pattern up until the last stitch, at the end you will slipstitch and weave in your ends.

And that’s it! I adore working crochet into my quilts and you could easily use this method along the binding of a quilt for a feminine touch. The extra color and texture can really make the difference.

I’m hoping to make a few dozen of these before Quilt Market begins tomorrow. If you will be attending and you spot me, be sure to say hi!

Thank you for spending this time with me. If you are interested in seeing more quilting & crochet inspiration, I would love for you to visit my blog, All Things Belle.

Today is my special day for Jennifer’s Garden Party Blog Hop. This month, 30 designers are creating 10″ paper pieced blocks. Links to download the free patterns are available here and you can see the blocks that have been created so far in the Flickr Group.

Patio Umbrella

Here’s my block: Patio Umbrella. Download it here.

My fabrics – the flower prints are from my 1930s stash of fat quarters. The two prints are from Feedsack by Sara Morgan for Blue Hill Fabrics. The blue sky fabric is from my hand dyes and the orange dot fabric is Arabella by Pat Sloan (I think!).

I prefer to measure my paper pieced segments, add 3/4″ for seam allowance and fudge room, and then pre-cut my fabrics into usable shapes in advance. I have included my measurements in the PDF file. This way, I have all of my pieces ready when I head to the sewing machine and I know that all of my pieces will fit the required sections.

Lately, I have been doing my paper pieced projects with freezer paper following the ideas presented in this tutorial: Freezer Paper Foundation Piecing.

I really like the C. Jenkins Freezer Paper Sheets that I can run through my printer. While the sheets of paper are more expensive, the leftover pieces not used in the printed diagram can then be used for appliqué.

Here is section B stitched, but not trimmed yet:

When trimming the pieces, with freezer paper foundation piecing, you need to add back the seam allowances that were cut off the paper templates. Here are the three sections:

When stitching the three sections together, I first joined sections B and C, being careful to match up the pole/trunk of the umbrella. I stitched with section B on the top, so that I didn’t accidentally cut off any of the points of the umbrella.

The completed block, unfinished it is 10.5″

Download Patio Umbrella!

If you complete the block, be sure to upload it to the Garden Party Flickr Group as Jennifer is giving away a prize each week to one lucky quilter.

Thanks so much to Jennifer for organizing this blog hop party. I have enjoyed seeing all of the blocks the talented designers have created.

Give-Away

In this week’s Learning Center post, Pat Sloan is exploring embroidery, crazy quilting and sashiko with two talented guests. Plus, Aurifil is giving away a Sashiko thread kit to one lucky reader.

Read the post and enter the give-away here!

Our next swap will be ATCs – Artist Trading Cards. The swap info and registration will be available on later today.

To help us get inspired, I asked three great friends to be guests this week sharing some ideas for making ATCs. See these posts:

• Inspiration from Jill aka The Quilt Rat
• Kim’s Crafty Apple – Making Artist Trading Cards from Orphan Quilt Blocks

Today’s guest post is from upstatelisa and she’s sharing a few of her ATCs with us. Be sure to check out her ATC blog for more inspiration each day. The ATCs featured in the button above hers too.

About upstatelisa

As for a bit about me… I’ve been sewing since I was 13. I took an introduction to quilting class just before my first child was born (she’s almost 19) and since then I’ve been making quilts for my family, friends and the walls of my house. I started art journaling a couple of years ago and that has taken my fiber art to a whole new level. I am lucky to have met Michele and Milo in person (she lives in my hometown!) but home is now in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

ATC inspiration from upstatelisa

I have loved crafts ever since I can remember….and at the age of 13, when my paternal grandmother gave me some money toward my first sewing machine, a whole new world opened up to me!

While I wish I could create quilts and art all day…it just doesn’t happen… life does. So… I made a pledge to myself that even if I can’t quilt or make art or write big blog posts on my original blog, I can try to do just a wee bit of something each day and post it on my new, little blog. As I say….a little art every day keeps insanity at bay!

An ATC (artist trading card) measures 3.5″ x 2.5″. This size can be somewhat limiting at times but it gives me a chance to experiment on a small scale before I get myself committed to finishing a big project (and I have plenty of big projects to finish!) My studio is filled with fabric, scraps, buttons, thread, yarn, paints, rubber stamps, inks, stencils, moldable foam… you name it… I probably have it!

(And it ain’t pretty!)

So how do I start? Usually pretty early in the morning! I am an early riser and often get some art done before I head out to exercise or the rest of my family arises!

Generally, I have already pre-cut pieces of canvas, muslin or heavy weight interfacing to the dimensions of the ATC. And then… whatever tickles my fancy!

For example,

I cut down a piece of blue fabric and added a few scraps and arranged them on the background, holding them in place with a wee dab of glue

and then pressed it to a piece of heavy fusible interfacing. I took the ATC over to my machine and did a bit of what I like to call “thread scribbling”

Trimmed it down et voila!

For another ATC, I couched some glittery threads to a background fabric

and added some buttons to make this ATC…

Other ideas might include (but are definitely not limited to):

collage….

embroidery or punch needle embroidery….

fusible appliqué

marbling

fabric weaving, fabric painting, thread sketching, image transfer, embellishing… the list is endless!

Our next swap will be ATCs – Artist Trading Cards. The swap info and registration will be available on Wednesday afternoon.

To help us get inspired, I asked three great friends to be guests this week sharing some ideas for making ATCs. Yesterday I shared Jill’s inspiration and Lisa will be our guest later today.

This guest post is from Kim of Kim’s Crafty Apple and she’s showing us how she transforms orphan blocks into beautiful ATCs.

Thanks to Kim for this guest post and educating me… here are two acronyms to add to your vocabulary that relate to ATCs:

• OOAK – One Of A Kind
• ACEO is the same thing as ATC basically but it stands for art card editions and originals. This is what you would call them if you plan on selling your ATCs.

ATCs featured in the button above were created by upstatelisa.

About Kim

I am a mother of three beautiful daughters, a wife, a quilter, an artist, and an apple orchardist. I have been creating for as long as I can remember. I made my first quilt for my brother when I was 5 years old. I pieced it by hand from my mother’s rag bin and it even included the furry toilet seat cover! When I met my now husband, I discovered his mother was an avid, talented quilter and a great teacher. She soon taught me the tricks of the trade and I have continued to grow in my quilting endeavors.

Find Kim here: Web site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

And she has two Etsy shops: www.kimscraftyapple.etsy.com and www.theapple.etsy.com.

ATC – with Orphan Blocks

When Michele told me the next swap she was having was ATCs and asked me to share with you some that I have created and how I did them I was re-inspired! I hadn’t made any for quite awhile but my mind was already racing with ideas at the first mention of them.

The possibility with ATCs are truly endless and FUN since they’re little and don’t take much time. I love a project that I can start and finish in one sitting.

I came up with three ATCs that I’m going to share with you today. All of them were created using some of my orphan blocks. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “orphan blocks” they are blocks that were made to be a part of a quilt but never quite made it into the quilt for some reason or the other – hence, they are orphans. I have a secret love for these blocks since I enjoy a challenge of finding a place for everything (probably why my craft room has to keep expanding…).

Supplies:

• Orphan Blocks – Assortment



• Embellishments – fibers, scraps of fabrics with fusing on them, beads, etc.



• Thread
• Light Backing Fabric (light enough to write on in the end)
• Stiff Interfacing (I used Timtex)
• Fabric Glue Stick
• Fabric Pen (I used Micron Brand)

The Modern Orphan ATCs

I started my first ATCs by cutting an orphan block left from the 2011 Modern Solids Quilt Along.

Step 1: Cut orphan blocks in 2.5″ x 3.5″ pieces.

I tend to cut out at least two from each block if I can. This way you can create a ‘series’ of ATCs if you want. If you can only get one 2.5″ x 3.5″ from your orphan block that is completely acceptable as well.

Step 2: With this modern look I wanted to keep my embellishments to a minimal.

I decided to simply quilt each of my ATCs and keep a clean feel to these.

Step 3: Cut out a 2.5″ x 3.5″ piece of thick stabilizer (Timtex).

Step 4: Cut out a 2.5″ x 3.5″ piece of backing fabric.

Step 5: Layer these three together like a quilt sandwich using a bit of quilter’s glue stick to hold them together.

Step 6: Using a satin stitch, stitch around the edges of your ACEO to finish it off. This is the method that personally works best for me. I’ve tried to finish them by flipping them inside out like a pillow but I’m just not that good at getting my corner’s out and finishing it nicely. I’ve also tried binding like a quilt but it’s so small and you really do have to keep it at the 2.5″ x 3.5″ dimensions that binding doesn’t seem to work for me either.

Step 7: Using your fabric pen, label the back of your ATC (or ACEO) with it’s name, if it’s OOAK or which number of a series, your name and the date you made it.

Here are the two ATCs I made from my Modern Solid Orphan Block.

Elephant in the Grass ATC

Using the same method as I described in the Modern Solid ATCs I created this fun “Elephant in the Grass” ACEO. I only made one from this particular orphan block but I’m so happy with how it turned out. My inspiration started with the brass elephant charm. I loved it and knew it would be happy on this orphan block from my Boxed In Spring Quilt.

To start this one out I cut a piece that was about 4″ x 3″.

First I added the fiber embellishments using hand-dyed green fibers and ‘hairy’ green fibers. Next I added the elephant charm. He didn’t seem quite happy yet so I decided to add a fun green flower sun for him. Something was still not quite right but when I added the sparkly pink ric rac I knew this piece was done!

Now that it was done I cut the piece down to the required 2.5″ x 3.5″. I made a quilt sandwich with some Timtex, a light fabric backing and I satin stitched the edges closed. To finish this piece up I labeled the back so I can always remember when I created it!

I had such a great time creating these miniature pieces of art, I know that I will be making more – and soon! I hope this little piece helped inspire you to use up some of your orphans and create your own pieces of art to share with others.

Our next swap will be ATCs – Artist Trading Cards. The swap info and registration will be available on Wednesday afternoon.

To help us get inspired, I asked three great friends to be guests this week sharing some ideas for making ATCs. First up is Jill, her post is below. Tomorrow, Kim and Lisa will be our guests. I’m sure your creative juices will be flowing!

ATCs featured in the button were created by upstatelisa.

About Jill

Please join me in welcoming today’s guest blogger, Jill, aka The Quilt Rat. Jill is a self taught artist who is constantly exploring ways to play with fabric and takes you along for the ride every step of the way.

I have been a follower of Jill’s for some time now, and have seen her use inks, paints, paper, stones, leaves and even aluminum cans in her quilted creations. With well over 250 posts you will find pages and pages of inspiration at www.thequiltrat.com.

Follow along with Jill, as she creates her first Artist Trading Cards and shares ideas on how you might wish to make some of your own.

Jill’s Inspiration

ATCs… just what are they? Artist Trading Cards are a wonderful way to trade, collect and share in the art we love most with other artists right across the globe. It is your chance to express yourself, using your favouite medium, technique and imagery and at just a mere 2.5 x 3.5 inches in size, they require a very small investment of time or resources.

When Michele first contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in doing this guest post, my initial response was that I had never made an ATC…..but then, I thought that perhaps this would be a terrific opportunity, we could learn together.

So let’s get started.

The ATCs you make should somehow reflect something of your style, something that has “you” written all over it. So are you someone who loves to paper piece, work with paints, do you explore various surface design techniques, how about thread embellishments, felting, beading? Well you get the idea…….so decide “what” you’d like to do and follow along with the posts this week to learn the “how”.

Artist Trading Cards are made in a similar fashion to fabric postcards, except that instead of making one little work of art at a time, with ATCs, you’ll be making one larger piece that is cut into several smaller ones.

For my ATCs, I decided to combine a few things many people recognize me for, my doodles, my play with fabric paints and my quilting.

I began by drawing a number of overlapping circles and simply drew (doodled) a wide variety of patterns in those shapes.

Next I scanned this into my computer and printed the image onto a sheet of T-shirt transfer paper (I used the kind available at an office supply store).

The image was then transferred to pieces of paper towel that I had painted some time ago. I wasn’t sure it would work on this, but it did. For more details about the transfer paper I used for this project, you can read this post about it on my blog.

The next step was to place my printed image layer on top of a piece of heavy stabilizer. There are several types on the market, you will want something comparable to Timtex or Peltex. Now, it was time to go to my machine and do a little free motion stitching to bond all of the layers together.

I should mention that I made mine about 8″ x 10″ simply because it was a good fit for printing an image from my computer, you could chose to begin with a larger or smaller piece but the idea is that you will be cutting multiple cards from the larger piece, and once my stitching was complete, I did use my rotary cutter to slice it all into small 2.5″ x 3.5″ sections.

With the front of your cards complete, it is time to make the backs. Again I used my computer to create the look of my back and printed it out on to cardstock…you could, of course, just write directly on to the cardstock if you like. What info should you include? Well, your name, the URL of your blog or web site, perhaps some contact info, like your email address and possibly the technique used to create your masterpieces.

The very last step is to attach the card backs, this is done simply by placing the front and back, wrong sides together and stitch them along the outer edge using your machine’s zig zag stitch. Remember that you are stitching through a lightweight cardboard type paper so you won’t want to have your stitches too close together, I found that a width setting of 3.0 and a length setting of 2.0 worked great.

So, how easy is that? Now you know how to get started on making your very own stack of ATCs.

Looking for even more inspiration? A wide variety of ways to create postcards are shown here on my blog, the same techniques could be used when making ATCs. There are 4 full pages of posts regarding postcards so be sure and click “older posts” at the bottom of the page.

Remember, make your ATCs reflect “you” and don’t forget the most important part… have FUN while doing it :-)

It’s a party … a Paper-Pieced Garden Blog Hop Party … hosted by Jennifer at Sewhooked. The blog hop will feature free paper-pieced patterns by 30 designers and you are invited to participate!

All patterns will be showcased on the Sewhooked blog with links to each featured designer on their assigned day. My special day is April 11th. There will be 30 blocks that will finish at 10″ square. There may also be a few bonus blocks posted at the end of the month too.

Here are the talented participants:

1. Cheryl Parks, pattern to be posted on Sewhooked
2. Jennifer Rodriguez, All Things Belle
3. Aalia Zaman, pattern to be posted on Sewhooked
4. Schenley Pilgram
5. Megan Dye, Monkey Beans
6. Lilja Björk, liljabs
7. Jill Majers, Apple Avenue Quilts
8. Dolores Attard, A Labour of Love
9. Kari Ramsay, Fresh Cut Quilts
10. Cindy Staub, Quilt Doodle Designs
11. Michele Foster, Quilting Gallery
12. Alma Stoller
13. GourmetQuilter
14. Carol Steffensen, Chickadee Chatter
15. GraceParfait Creations
16. Gaya
17. Jessica, Plum Patchwork
18. John Kubiniec, Big Rig Quilting
19. Cherry Guidry, Cherry Blossom Quilting Studio
20. Vanessa Wilson, Crafty Gemini
21. artisania
22. Amy Friend, During Quiet Time
23. Cat Magraith, pattern to be posted on Sewhooked
24. Benita Skinner, Victoriana Quilt Designs
25. Charise Randell, Charise Creates
26. Jen Boucher, A Quilting Jewel
27. Denise Johanneson, pattern to be posted on Sewhooked
28. Jennifer Ofenstein, Sewhooked (it’s my birthday!)
29. Candace, Double Nickel Quilts
30. ButterflyAngels Quilts

Back-up/bonus participants:

1. Diane, From Blank Pages
2. Soma
3. Cyrille Zellweger, Bubblestitch Quilts

Head on over to the Garden Party HQ for the latest posts. I’ll see you on the 11th.

Join the Flickr group too. There will be prizes each week.

Hi everyone, it’s your host Pat Sloan here today with a bonus tutorial for making Fabric Collaged Artist Trading Cards. Pokey Bolton of Quilts.com sent me this to share with you. You’ll recall that ATCs were featured in yesterday’s Quilting Types and Styles post.

Materials for Fabric Collaged ATCs

Amounts below will yield approximately 9 ATCs

• Fabric scraps
• 9″ x 12″ piece of craft felt
• 9″ x 12″ piece of fusible webbing
• 9″ x 12″ piece of cardstock
• Fabric glue
• Rubber stamps or stencils
• Fabric paint and foam brush
• Embroidery threads and needle
• Embellishments such as beads, buttons, and ephemera
• Decorative trims if you would like to add borders to your ATCs
• Fabric and craft scissors
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Rotary cutter, mat, and quilting ruler
• Parchment paper or Teflon® sheet

Directions

1. Fuse the fusible web to the craft felt following the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. With the fusible side up, layer your fabric scraps on top until the felt is completely covered. Iron them in place.
3. With fabric or acrylic paint and rubber stamps or stencils, add designs randomly over the fabric. Allow to dry, then heat-set. At this stage, you may want to add free-motion or decorative stitching all over to add interest.
4. When the paint has dried and been heat-set, using your rotary cutter, ruler, and mat, cut 2 .5″ x 3 .5″ rectangles out of the fused fabric.
5. Stitch and embellish each ATC as desired.
6. Glue trims to the border or satin stitch all the way around.
7. Glue on a cardstock backing, sign and date the card, and add contact information, if desired.

Inspiration

1. atc how does my garden grow, 2. altered art atc for trade, 3. Purple & Yellow ATC Challenge, 4. yellow nft, 5. BC atc swapbot, 6. Collected Leaves Series – ATC2, 7. Flowers Speak to Everyone, 8. Trade pending – Autumn Colours, 9. Lange latten – no.364

You’ll find ATCs everywhere. Start searching: Google images, Flickr groups, Pinterest and swapping too!

Michele will be here tomorrow with a new Learning Center post: Getting Started: Basic Quilting Tools, Reference Books and Standard Quilt Sizes. I’ll be back next week to talk about fabric styles and sewing machines.

Give-Away

Hop on over to my blog for a March Madness Give-Away from Westcott. Pink, purple, what’s your fave?

Pat Sloan is owner and founder of the quilting design and publishing company Pat Sloan & Co. She has published over 25 books, more than 100 patterns, nearly 10 fabric lines, and has had her work featured in all the major Quilt magazines. In January 2010, Pat started hosting her weekly Internet Radio show called Creative Talk Radio.

Find Pat here:

Web Site | Blog | Radio Show | Facebook | Twitter
Quilt Forum | Pinterest | Newsletter

Today is my day to share a block with you for Kim’s Home Sweet Home Quilt-Along. Thanks to Kim for inviting me to participate. This is the 10th block in the QAL. Visit Kim’s site to see the other gorgeous blocks that have been designed and the Flickr group to see how others have made the blocks.

As part of the quilt-along, Kim sent me some questions to answer. Read my interview here.

My block is called A Home for the Birds and finishes at 12″ square. It is created with fusible web and a machine blanket stitch. You could use any appliqué method you like to complete the block.

Requirements:

• Download the pattern pieces
• 2 rectangles 5.75″ x 12.5″ for background (sky fabric)
• various fabric scraps for the birdhouses
• 8 – 2″ squares that will be pieced in between the background rectangles
• fusible web

Instructions:

Trace two copies of each of the pattern pieces onto your preferred fusible web. You’ll also need two rectangles of fusible for the birdhouse trunks that measure 4.5″ x 0.75″. Audition your scraps.

Fuse the fusible web to the background of your chosen fabrics following the manufacturer’s instructions. Cut out all of the pattern shapes. I used a rotary cutter for the straight lines.

Fold and finger press your background fabric, right sides together, along the long side. Use this fold line to position your birdhouse in the centre of your background rectangle.

Use a ruler to align your pieces straight.

Once you are happy with the arrangement, fuse the pieces in place.

I chose to use a short, but thick, blanket stitch in a contrasting colour.

Piece your 2″ squares into a strip using a scant 1/4″ seam allowance. Press seams open with a dry iron. This strip should measure 2″ x 12.5″.

Layout your block to get the orientation correct. Stitch one background to the 2″ scrappy strip, press seam open. Then stitch and press the other side.

Completed block.

Be sure to visit Kim’s Home Sweet Home QAL page to see the other blocks. If you complete this block, please upload your version to the QAL Flickr group and also to the Quilting Gallery Flickr group or tag me in Facebook. I’d love to see your block.

Today is my special day for Melissa’s Valentine’s Day Showcase event.

I’ve made a Love-ly Garden wall hanging (or table runner) free tutorial, just for you! This project finishes at 22″ x 38″.

You can visit Melissa’s blog to see the Love-ly Garden photo tutorial or download the tutorial and pattern templates here [PDF File].

I haven’t got the quilting done yet. So far, I stitched in the ditch between the background and borders. Next, in free-motion mode, I outlined all of the applique shapes. This is the first time I’ve done this. While it’s not perfect, I think it’ll be just fine once the quilt is washed and it puckers up nicely.

I drew some random heart shapes in the white background using a Crayola washable marker. These shapes were stitched as I got to them while doing a close stipple in the background. There are two at the bottom that I changed my mind about and didn’t stitch out. While I didn’t have to draw the heart shapes in advance, I could have just stitched them, by drawing them first, it’s helping me to focus on the stitching and not worry if I have enough space or good balance to do the hearts.

I’m not sure yet what I’ll do for the border. It will finish at 4″ wide. I’m thinking something geometric, a diamond shape perhaps, that doesn’t take away from the fabric or centre panel. Any ideas?

If you make the Love-ly wall hanging, please share the photo in my Flickr group or on Facebook. I’d love to see it.

Download the tutorial and pattern templates [PDF File].

Valentine’s Day Showcase

Check out the other free Valentine’s tutorials at Melissa’s site. This one is my favourite made by Kris. Isn’t it just adorable?

Click on the date link to go directly to each post.

• February 1st – Sharon from Craizee Corners
• February 2nd – Connie from Quilting by the River
• February 3rd – Vicki from Sassy Blog
• February 6th – Kris from I don’t have a problem, I have a well-rounded fabric stash!
• February 7th – Lisa – Cupcakes, Hair Bows and Kiddos
• February 8th – Debbe from Pieces to Love
• February 9th – Lyanna from Purple Panda Quilts
• February 10th – Jenna from SewHappyGeek
• February 13th – Brandy from When Life Hand You Fabric…Make a Quilt

Starting tomorrow, Melissa will also be having a Valentine’s-themed link party on her site. She has some awesome prizes to give away too!

Valentine’s Day Parties

I’m linking up my free tutorial at some fun Valentine’s Day parties from other quilting friends. Be inspired by these gorgeous projects shown. Who knows, maybe I’ll even win!

Be My Valentine – Weekly Quilt Contest

Don’t forget to enter this week’s Be My Valentine quilt contest. For this contest, you can also enter other items made with fabric that fit the theme… and quilts too, of course. The Fat Quarter Shop are giving away this beautiful jelly roll of Always & Forever by Deb Strain for this week’s winner.

Enter the contest here!

Here is the star block I did for the Fat Quarter Stars Quilt-Along.

Milo's Star

I’ve called it Milo’s Star. I couldn’t decide on the name for the block when Samelia’s Mum suggested Milo’s Star on Facebook, I loved the idea.

The fabric is from the Happy line by Me and My Sisters. This was the fabric I used in my Happy Memories quilt in honour of Pal, Daniel and Slade – my kitties now on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Happy Memories Quilt - in loving memory of Pal, Slade and Daniel.

I added a 1/2″ finished hot pink border and a 2″ green border to make two mini quilts. I finished the quilting the other day and will add hot pink binding later. One will be for my niece Lucy’s 6th birthday later this month. I may keep the other one I made for myself or give it to my other niece. The sashing looks crooked in the photo only. :)

Milo's Star Mini Quilt

You can download the free tutorial for completing the Milo’s Star block here. There are prizes being given away as part of the quilt-along. Visit the quilt-along site for all the info and the tutorials for the other star blocks too.

If you create my block, please upload to the Quilting Gallery Flickr group or the Facebook group so I can see them too.

While clearing off my camera earlier today, I found this short video that I took of Milo and Barney (my parents’ dog) at Christmas. Milo was trying to convince Barney it was playtime!