Anita's Super-Sized Nine Patch Quilt

March 15, 2014

I'm featuring the video tutorial and pattern for my Super-Sized Nine Patch Quilt in honor of Worldwide Quilting Day. The video can only be viewed on computers located in U.S

After seeing Alex Anderson in the video, head over to see more of her, and Ricky Tims in The Quilt Show. Quilters often tell me that they loved and miss Alex's show. Oh my goodness, they have been missing out on her. The Quilt Show's 169 shows are available this weekend at no charge. My work is featured in episode #905

I've been teaching quiltmaking for 20 years. I'm always teaching online at Craftsy; in a few weeks I'll be teaching on the first of four upcoming quilt cruises. It will transit the Panama Canal.

A former teacher and my brothers figure in my blogging.

Back in the day, in my biology class, Mr. Roycroft graded our essays by counting intelligent statements. An essay required a minimum of 3 paragraphs. A paragraph required a minimum of three sentences. Sentences were counted only if they were intelligent statements. No filler was allowed.

In the margin top of  my essay a cryptic grade was penned in red ballpoint. The best grade was  vgwog which meant 'very good work old girl.'   A boy might receive vgowob.  I was 14 years old, Simon and Garfunkel had released "Mrs. Robinson" and the best AP grade I ever received was in biology.

I have two younger brothers. Growing up I briefly kept a diary.  I kept it locked. I was naive. Of course my brothers picked the lock. They were also adept in opening a locked bathroom door.

I don't blog about anything that I want to keep from my brothers and I won't take up your time with filler.  I'd rather be in my sewing room than at my computer, wouldn't you?

Enjoy this Worldwide Quilting Day,

Anita

See How We Sew

August 8, 2013

I've just traveled 3,000 miles across the country and 7,000 miles up to quilt with girlfriends at two retreats. While away, I found myself included in See How We Sew's blog.  As for me its time to unpack as I'm only just home, at sea level no less.  By the way,  the reader I adopted to follow See How We Sew is Feedly

Anita

Anita's Arrowhead Quilt Block in Alternate Sizes

July 20, 2013

Q:  Do you see anything 'wrong' in this 1-2-3 picture?

A:  Well, in 2008 Frances and Connie were spied simultaneously trimming an Arrowhead

block at Riverbank State Park. They were efficient, in-synch, and it was a happy time.

My block, Anita's Arrowhead,  was first published in  Rotary Cutting Revolution from C&T Publishing, subsequently in Quiltmaker Magazine and is always available online in my extensive Craftsy class, Traditional Blocks Made Simple

I intentionally designed the block to use quarter yards of fabric.  As I'm often asked to re-size the block, I'm sharing my document, Anita's Arrowhead Alternate Sizes  should you wish to proportionately scale your blocks.

You may download my document for your personal use and are welcome to link to it. You may not sell it or republish it in any print or electronic form, without my written permission.

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Store-bought Stripes

May 17, 2013
I am crazy for concentric stripe quilts and always wanted to make a quilt similar to this red one:

When Faye Burgos designed Strip-IT ™ yardage in black and white for Marcus Fabrics I immediately made a two-sided quilt  from it in 2009. The entire quilt (front and back) took me 5 seams (yes, FIVE) and 9 yards of fabrics. It's a simple techniques which I included in my book, Rotary Cutting Revolution

My reversible Xcentric quilt:

The black and white Strip-It  I used is no longer available but these two pastels, suited for baby quilts can be had:

 

These are pre-printed lengthwise stripes, (parallel to the selvege)  which measure approximately 2½" wide. These brights "Dots Right!" will be available next month:

 

I checked into this because when I presented my work to the Pieces and Patches Guild earlier this week, quilters asked if Strip-It fabric was still available. It is J An online search for Strip-It will turn up assorted yardage too. This Marcus fabrics video shows other ways to take advantage of  Strip-It

Make It Simpler

The Hundred

May 3, 2013
Fabric Cuts

Giveaway Winners Announced Below

I cut  patches from one square of fabric and used wide sashing. These blocks were meant to float. The quilt is pictured in the magazine and  will be on view this summer at Quiltmaker

I cut into this bright Liberty floral.  After all, what am I saving it for?

I'd like to give a 14" square of this fabric with someone who'd like to piece the Quadrangle block

Giveaway #1

Please comment below by 12:01 AM , Monday, May 6th, New York time, telling me where you live and what you're sewing these days. A winner will be randomly selected. I'll send the fabric square to you while Quiltmaker will send volume 7 to you.

I learned this morning that today is George Clooney's 52nd birthday so Celeste of Wausaukee who posted the 52nd comment  is awarded  Giveaway #1. Celeste please get in touch with me  by Wednesday at noon with your address otherwise this giveaway must go to the runner up, Margaret, of Arkansas, who made the 53rd comment. I'm thinking +1 for the extra birthday candle. I've enjoyed the comments and hope you have as well. Thank you for sharing yourselves.

Giveaway #2

I create my favorite blocks from squares (only) of fabric.  If  I make two blocks, I need two squares of fabric. 100 blocks calls for 100 squares of fabric. I teach this method and so much more in my online Craftsy class. Traditional Blocks Made Simple. One extended lesson is Anita's Arrowhead, previously patterned in Quiltmaker  Included in the class is my Rotary Cutting Revolution eBook, a $14.99 value in itself.

Craftsy is providing my class and eBook as a giveaway to celebrate the 100 Blocks Blog Tour.  They're in Colorado. Quiltmaker is in Colorado. Both too cool for words.

Billie in Austin won the Craftsy class with the included eBook. I'd be remiss if I didn't direct you to another site to win my Craftsy class.  C&T Publishing's blog has that and more in a giveaway to be awarded on May 9th.  I'm off  to Michigan later this week to teach, after the winners have been chosen. And I'm working on a new-to-me tessellated block made from... squares of fabric.

Good Luck to you,
Anita
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Reversible Hexies II

April 24, 2013
My reversible hexagonal quilt,  Vice Versa, debuted in 2002 at the Empire Quilters guild show

I put the quilt away until the 2005 gallery exhibition below

Above: detail of front of Vice Versa quilt

Above: detail of  back of  Vice Versa quilt

Now, over more than a decade later, Quiltmaker Magazine has published my Reversible Hexagon method with their perfect instructions for a reversible table runner in current fabric

I ought to pull out a few other hexagon  projects from the Make It Simpler archives for publication and teaching. I've left some interesting techniques for one-patches sitting around for far too long
Anita

Reversible Hexies

April 22, 2013
The Vice Versa Quilt

Once upon a time, in my charmed life, our quilt group at Riverbank State Park undertook one-patches at my behest. Diamonds, tumblers, triangles, squares; you name it.  By hand, by machine, English paper pieced, foundation pieced, whatever method suited each quilter.

I endeavored to make this manageable for all skill levels. It's one thing to sew hundreds of one-patches together but another to complete a quilt with angular edges.  My thought was to make self-contained diamond one-patches. There'd be a front and a back sewn together and batting enclosed.  Each unit would be individually quilted and joined to others.  I envisioned a sort of quilt-as-you go charm quilt.

I clearly remember the disappointing experimental diamond units I made. They were awful  misshapen little pieces with nary a sharp corner. I stared at them on the counter top completely bummed out until I saw three sad units formed a hexagon. OMG. Rather than continue to pre-quilt individual 60 degree diamonds I sewed hexagons from three diamonds and then pre-quilted that hexagonal unit. From there I went on to make a reversible quilt, my Vice Versa quilt.

Today I opened my project box of spare parts which I'd socked away in 2002

The quilt has been stored with another fragile quilt on top of a dresser 

My telling of this quilt will be continued, but I can tell you now it will end with Peg's table runner in the May/June 2013 issue of Quiltmaker Magazine

Anita

About Time

April 5, 2013

Tempus fugit; Fabric stashes grow and my last blog post was in November 2012. My intention was always for this blog to feature my quilt work, mostly pattern and related information*. I joined Blogger in 2005 to share text and images with my C&T book editor. Since then I've treated the ensuing pages as a manuscript in draft.

Between November and now I have managed occasional Facebook posts about my quilt life.  Please make my day - "like" my page.  I've even managed some newsletters which are archived here.

Last December I spent three days in Denver recording video in a studio at Craftsy.  Earlier in the year a Denver nephew brought me to their headquarters after I'd taught at Quilt Colorado.

The taping yielded over three hours of instruction by yours truly of original technique-based blocks. Craftsy is an interactive online learning platform where crafters around the world can learn on their own schedules. I've been enjoying the platform, answering student questions and watching for their blocks and quilts to be posted and shared.

I've also been taking Craftsy classes. I'm the girl smiling on the Manhattan M57 crosstown bus watching The Quilt Show and Craftsy on her iPhone.

Sample the sixty second intro to my class Traditional Blocks Made Simple 

I've repeatedly heard quilters say "I'm a visual learner."

I'm proud of the content in my class, Traditional Blocks Made Simple, it includes the newly digitized version of my C&T Publishing book Rotary Cutting Revolution (112 pages!) as well as the high definition version of Ms Made Simpler herself:  Me, Myself & I

* I iron fabric patches to the shiny side of freezer paper. These unconventionally cut patches will be conventionally sewn by machine, they won't be paper pieced. But the reusable freezer paper will keep them in order, ready to be sewn at any hour of the day or night and I won't be picking fallen patches off the ground. 

Anita

Empty Spooling

November 24, 2012

A quilt instructor's holiday is when her job seems like a serene vacation. That's what my week at Empty Spools was like for me. Today I'm home in midtown Manhattan thinking about the week my so called work had my toes touching the Pacific. At Asilomar!

If these pictures look like 'camp' to you you're right. The Asilomar Conference Center had its start in 1912. It began as a YWCA facility designed by architect Julia Morgan in the Arts and Crafts style. The twelve structures of hers remaining at Asilomar are a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. It's an extraordinary venue for Quiltmakers.

The sight of any quilt made at Empty Spools will always evoke memories of the stillness under the Asilomar pines and the exhilarating sounds of the waves breaking on the coast.

Please click for a very big picture

by Cheryl Malkowski

Friendships and Quilts, above and below are made 

by Celine Perkins

Anita's Quilt

When I last taught my Scrappy Pineapple techniques and quilt at Empty Spools the participants were either girlfriends, mother and daughter or sisters. The experience was wonderful for all of us. I teach this class only at seminars and retreats. Because its more than just a quilt.
Anita

If you've been to Empty Spools, please share your experience by commenting to this post. My girlfriends tried to tell me Asilomar was magical but I never imagined how remarkable my experience was to be.

Kaleidoscope Log Cabin for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

Friday, November 9, 2012
The newest collection of Quiltmaker's 100 blocks is available. It includes my contribution, the Kaleidoscope Log Cabin. I like that this Make it Simpler block creates it's own stripe sashing, hourglass posts on point, and bull's-eye log cabin centers.

My Kaleidoscope Log Cabin

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks vol. 6 page 31
Participating 100 Blocks designers are linked on The Quiltmaker Blog

I based my block on an antique pieced wool quilt (below, on the table) in my collection. I stop in my tracks for any eccentric Log Cabin or Pineapple quilt. I brought the quilt to my classroom in New York's Riverbank State Park Cultural Center in 2007 with my first Kaleidoscope Log Cabin foundation block. I'd drafted it with Electric Quilt software. Blocks were sewn and colorful quilts began to appear from scraps.

I'm fond of those made of inconsistently sized patches in class quilts

The rendering below is an arrangement of square blocks

In my head I merged my block layout, above, with the distinct angularity of  Navajo blankets by re-working my Quiltmaker block into a rectangular 8:9 format. I chose that proportion, because it calls for 1½"  strips. That's a sensible size and besides, I'm always cutting 1½" strips for my next Self-Mitered Log Cabin

  
Above: A Navajo blanket 1863

8" wide x  9" tall rectangular blocks

Below are computer renderings of my Kaleidoscope Log Cabin composed of squares and below it, rectangles. In the real world I'd make it entirely scrappy without repeated blocks.

Square block layout

Rectangular block layout

For 100 fabulous new blocks I urge you to get a copy of Volume 6 for yourself. It includes 12" finished (12½" unfinished) Square Kaleidoscope Log Cabin.

You may download the variation, the Make it Simpler® Rectangular Kaleidoscope Log Cabin block pattern by clicking here 

For an opportunity to win a copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Volume 6, please comment by noon Monday, NYC time, telling me where in the world you live. If you don't see a "Post a Comment" link below, click on "Links to this post" 

11/12/2012

I was tempted to close my eyes and stick a pin into a map of the world for the giveaway winner;  Instead I relied upon Random.org  Kathy's number came up and I await her address. 

It's been a thrill for me to learn where the commenters reside. Thank you for sharing a bit of yourselves. My latest share is that I'll soon be heading to Denver to film some of my work for Craftsy I hope to 'see' you there.

Anita