New OBW Panels from QT Fabrics

I have partnered with QT Fabrics and I wanted to share with you two panels they sent me that are coming to your local Quilt Shops Summer 2024! I will be making One Block Wonders with them. I will be [posting my progress here.

@QTFabrics #QTFabrics @Studio180design #studio180design

The Tree Skirt That Wanted to be a Quilt – OBW #106

December is so busy, I haven’t had a chance to do much sewing. Last Summer I decided to take Deb Tucker’s pattern Snow Crystal and put it in the middle of a One Block Wonder (OBW). Snow Crystal is made with the Star 60 Tool.

The fabric is Flower Festival by Benartex. The flowers are about 7″ across. I bought it back in 2022. The background is a dark plum color.

When I started to assemble the quilt when I discovered a problem. I had 3″ too much in the length of the hexie rows that were being attached to the Snow Crystal Center. The Snow Crystal Star finished at 36″, I made my hexies to finish at 6″. 

Friends helped me figure out I had to take out a diagonal row. Sometimes it takes a village! I hadn’t had a chance to get back to it. Yesterday, December 23rd I decided to tackle the problem. I fixed the rows and was able to stitch the quilt together. I hate leaving a quilt with a problem to start the new year. This quilt was on my list to get done in 2023! Although it is not quilted yet, at least it is stitched together.

Flower Festival came out larger than I thought it would, it measures 74″ x 80″. Now I need to get back to baking, there is a peppermint cake waiting to be frosted and rolls to make. Mery Christmas, Happy Holidays everyone.

@studio180design #studio180design @Snowcrystal #snowcrystal @star60tool #star60tool @OBWs #OBWs

Merry Christmas to All – OBW #105

I don’t know about you, but in our house Christmas decorating begins after dinner on Thanksgiving! My house is full of Santa’s & Christmas trees.

I love Santa’s. I had this panel for over a year, but got a chance to work on it before Thanksgiving.

This panel is called “Merry Christmas to All” by Marshall Dry Goods. The inside of the panel measured 29.5″ x 37″. I cut 3.25″ strip for 5″ finished hexies.

The odd width of 29.5″ left me with a 1″ wide red strip I would have to hide later.

I attached the top portion, then I decided to attach the left section first instead of the right. That left me with a 1″ red strip I had to hide. I did that with 3″ finished Hollow Cube 60 units made with my Star 60 Tool by Deb Tucker. I added 5″ Stars in gold to give Santa a destination and to follow the curve of the Reindeer.

I love the colors in this quilt. It reminds of me of going out after dinner to play in the snow and go ice skating at the rink behind my Grandparents house. This quilt measures 70″ x 75″.

Give yourself a gift and join me for a One Block Wonder Retreat at Strong House Inn, Vergennes, Vermont April 25 – 28, 2024.

Besides being pampered by our hosts you will learn about:

  • Identifying and cutting your repeats.
  • Aligning repeats including difficult fabrics.
  • Choosing a ruler and understanding the difference between pointed & blunt tip rulers.
  • Deciding what strip widths to cut
  • And of course, cutting all your equilateral triangles.
  • Designing with the hexagons,
  • Integrating stars & cubes
  • Designing around a panel

Happy Holidays!

Houston Quilt Market 2023

I didn’t get to go Quilt Market but my quilt did! Thank you QT Fabrics. The Creepin it real fabric line will be in shops March 2024. Ask your favorite quilt shop to order your panels now!

This quilt is made entirely from 7 panels by QT Fabrics except for the teal border and the 8 black stars. The stars were made using Studio180 Design’s Star 60 tool.

“Creepin It Real” – OBW #104

A great One Block Wonder begins with great fabric! Be sure to ask your favorite quilt shop to carry this collection, “Creepin It Real” ships in March 2024.

This fabulous panel “Creepin It Real” was provided to me by QT Fabrics. The panel measures 37″ x 43″. I did not include the frames in my finished quilt. The inside of the panel measured 32″ x 39″.

“Creepin It Real” has such vibrant colors. I cut 3.75″ strips which yielded 6″ finished hexies.

This collage shows some of my design process ending with the hexies stitched into rows. I added 6″ finished stars on two sides made with the Star 60 Tool.

My rows have been stitched together.

I added 3″ finished borders, making “Creepin It Real” measure 93″ wide by 72″ tall before being quilted. I’m thrilled to say that “Creepin It Real” will hang in the QT Fabrics booth at Market 2023 in Houston. Thank you QT Fabrics.

This coordinating fabric by QT will be on the back of the quilt. I better get it loaded on the quilt frame and get her done!

Weekend Work

What are you working on this weekend?

Creepin it Real

I’m working on a One Block Wonder, using “Creepin it Real” by QT Fabrics.

Abra-Cat-Dabra – OBW # 103

I fell in love with this panel from QT Fabrics as soon as I saw it! The colors are so rich!

The panel by Gina Jane for QT Fabrics, measures 36″ x 42″ including the frames. I cut my strips 3.25″ to yield 5″ finished hexies. The 6 panels yielded 165 hexies.

This block was created by fellow Certified Instructor, Sonny Dewitt. He is so creative. He used Deb Tuckers Geese on the Edge Technique Sheet and Wing Clipper Tool to make the Geese on the Edge units & then trim the square units using the Star 60 Tool to create a hexagon shaped block. I thought it looked like a spider web, so I embroidered a cool looking spider in the center. It added so much to my OBW.

After designing with my hexies. I sitched them into 4 sections around the panel.

I centered and laid the the top section on the panel to show me how much to trim off each side to make the panel the same size as the top and bottom sections.

I remove a few stitches from valley’s of the top section and pressed under the 1/4″.

I pin the top section to the panel and top stitched using MonoPoly thread.

Match up the dog ears of the left section with the dog ears of the top and stitch using a partial seam stopping about 8″ from the bottom.

By matching the dog ears it allows me to know where the bottom section will attach to the panel. Remove a few stitches from the valleys and press under attaching it to the panel as with the top section.

Once it is stitched in place, finish the partial seam.

The right side is easy to add now.

I added 3″ borders and few tweaks. Abra-Cat-Dabra measures 71″ x 85″. Abra-Cat-Dabra is not quilted yet.

#qtfabrics #studio180design #debtucker

One Block Wonder Retreat at the Strong House Inn

Get a head start planning your quilt retreats for 2024. I will be at the Strong House inn in Vergennes, Vermont April 25 – 28, 2024.

During this 3 day retreat you will learn to:

  • Identify and cut your repeats.
  • Align repeats including difficult fabrics.
  • Choose a ruler and understand the difference between pointed & blunt tip rulers.
  • Decide what strip widths to cut
  • Cut all your equilateral triangles.
  • Designing with the hexagons,
  • Integrating stars & cubes
  • Designing around a panel

Not to mention be spoiled the staff at the Strong House Inn.

Learn about adding Star 60 units to your OBW’s!

Star 60 Solar System

I love my Star 60 tool from Studio 180 Design. I’m teaching a Hollow Cube workshop at the end of September at Tiger Lily Quilt Company and in October for the Thread Bears Guild in Oneida, NY. I wanted to create a quilt that would showcase all that the Star 60 tool can create.

I had this quilt, but it didn’t include the Star 60 Log Cabin or Power Strip.

I call this the Star 60 Solar System, it measures 76″ x 76″. In the center is the Star 60 Log Cabin. Starting at the top left and going clockwise is the Star 60, Framed 60, Striped 60, Capped 60, Power Strip, Checkerboard 60, Quad 60 & Hollow Cube 60.

Links to the Star 60 Technique Sheets:

Aside from adding Star 60’s to One Block Wonders, they can be turned into a square to added to traditional quilts.

Chrysanthemum made with just the Star 60 tool and Tucker Twinkle is made with the Framed 60, and Checkerboard 60 technique sheets. The Star 60 tool can definitely bump up your creativity no matter what you are working on.

Alaska – Tuckerized

I have just finished a birthday quilt for my sister Mary. I made her Alaska by Edyta Sitar. This pattern uses templates to make the blocks. I “Tuckerized” the pattern by using Studio 180 Design’s Wedge Star tool instead.

Alaska is made using 5 Wedge block variations, 5 Mixed block variations & 3 Wedge Star Variations.

A total of 13 different blocks all cut out with Deb Tucker’s Wedge Star Tool.

Tuckerized Alaska measures 71″ x 71″. Fabrics used were Marcus Fabrics by Pam Buda, Plumberry II. Made with love for my sister Mary.