I had a really busy Fall teaching schedule this year.  I am so looking forward to 2018.  I got a jump start by making a quilt for Granddaughter Bailey’s 19th birthday.  She absolutely loves New York City.  We have visited there several times and walked from one end of the city to the other.  I had this fabric from Timeless Treasures for several years.  It just occurred to me that I must have been saving it for Bailey.

It is about 9 degrees in Central NY today.  This is my 62nd One Block Wonder.

The back also has a New York City themed fabric.  Happy Birthday Bailey!

Deb Tucker had a busy year also, Studio 180 has many new patterns out.  I’m working on one now called Whirling Dervish that is so fun.  I will be posting about it soon.  There are also new Studio 180 Design Technique Sheets to expand our skills.

“Stacked Squares” is a technique that will allow you to make the “Economy” block perfectly every time without using paper foundation piecing. Like all Studio 180 Design processes, you’ll be constructing oversized units and then trimming them down.  Above I made a block using the “Stacked Squares” technique sheet and the required Large Square/Squared Tool to make a square in a square, in a square in a square, in a square in a square, in a square in a square, in a square in a square, in a square in a square, in a square! Whew!

You have heard of the “Shaded Four Patch”, well here is a sample of what you can do with the “Shaded Nine Patch” units.  The Shaded Nine Patch is an amazing unit that has endless possibilities all by itself or it can be combined with other fundamental units to create even more designs. With the Shaded Nine Patch Technique Sheet you can make this unit in 7 sizes.

I made this block using  the Bird of Paradise Technique Sheet.  This techniques requires the Large Square/Squared tool, it is so very cool.  You can make this unit in 6 sizes from 1″x 2″ to 6″ x 12″.

I love this new “Eight at Once” technique sheet!  With the Tucker Trimmer I you can make Half Square Triangles (HST) 2 at a time.  With this technique you can make 8 HST’s at a time in 11 different sizes! Wowza!

Deb also gave us a new tool, the Four Patch Square Up.  Four Patches are basic units that seem so simple to make. Just stitch 4 squares together and you’re good to go.  But anyone who attempted these units knows they are notoriously difficult to make.  The Four Patch Square Up tool is the solution.  The tool’s perfectly engineered lines are designed to quickly locate and align with the unit center and sewn seams, allowing for easy trimming on all four sides.  You will be able to make Four Patch Units in 12 sizes!

I played with the Four Patch Square up using Deb Tucker’s BlockBuster #24 Compounding Four block pattern. I love the design it makes when you put 4 blocks together.

I wish you all a Happy & Healthy New Year!  Let’s go quilt something!