Four Winds

Four Winds, February 2026

I can't believe we've already started the second half of 2026. I stitched this quilt back in February when it was cold.

The rose and gold prints blend nicely with the off-white burlap background. These spinner blocks are quick and easy to sew and I designed, cut, and finished the whole quilt in 3 days.

Piecing was done on Violet, my beautifully painted Singer 99. I've added a link to her story. She's now sporting a custom modified spool stand, courtesy of my in-house sewing machine expert. I truly love using all the machines we've repaired and restored.

Using Janelle (Janome MC 9450) I quilted diagonal double rows of serpentines across the blocks with cream thread. 

Four Winds finished at 49” square, and was quilt #10 for the year. I've been full of ideas and using tons of fabric from my stash. I just started on #29! Could be going for a record here, we'll see.

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6557 Spinner 8”
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding

Forest Path

Things are beginning to green up around here, as my mama used to say. Springtime brings nature's mix of colors and hues to inspire me. I used a variety of those dark and medium green shades in this modern style hexagon quilt.

It went together easily using half-hexagon and equilateral triangle dies. I laid the sections out on my design wall before sewing them together in rows.

Quilting was done with a straight stitch 1” away from each seam, using variegated green thread and a walking foot. The even stitching really emphasizes the hexagon and triangle shapes.  

Forest Path finished out at 52” x 56” throw size, and is folded nicely on my hallway quilt rack. This one is definitely a keeper!

Accuquilt dies used:

55437 Half-hexagon 4¼” finished
55429 Equilateral Triangle 4¼” finished
55017 Strips 2½” binding

Imperfectly Teal

Scrap quilts are the reason that I save small bits of fabric from every quilt I make. Seems crazy, I know. But there's such a high level of satisfaction in using leftover pieces to create an entire quilt.  Plus, you get several extra bonus quilts without spending any more money. I do love a bargain! 

My inspiration for this project was a group of quilts designed by Jo Anne Merrill-Duckworth. Her beautiful creations are scrappy, colorful, and amazing! Her method makes it easy since you don't have to worry about perfect cuts or uniform pieces. The wonkier the better--just choose a focus color and use what you have that fits.

I took a shoe box full of aqua and teal fabric strips to the campground in October to begin these crazy log cabin style blocks. I used leftover black gingham to begin each one, adding random width strips until it was roughly 7” square. Once I got home and finished all the blocks, I trimmed them with a 6½” die before stitching them together.

Imperfectly Teal finished at 48” square after I added 3” borders. I quilted with white thread, using a rolling wave ruler in diagonal rows about 3” apart.

Scrappy imperfect quilts aren't for everyone. Lots of people just can't stand so many prints, or crooked blocks that don't align perfectly. My brain had to reset a bit before I could resist the urge to straighten out those seams. I had fun, though, and gave myself permission to play. And I'll happily do it again.

So thanks, Jo Anne, for sharing your ideas, inspiring us to abandon perfection, and to save and use our scraps!

Accuquilt dies used:
55000 Square 6½”
55032 Strips 3½”
55017 Strips 2½”

Pineapple Tidbits

In my spare time I've been sorting and cutting remnants left from all those quilts I finished last year. These little narrow bits were perfect for the Pineapple block.

Using natural muslin made the colorful prints seem even brighter. The nine blocks went pretty quickly considering there are lots of pieces in there. I added a 4” border of aqua to finish this wall hanging at 40” square.

Natural thread was used to channel quilt in straight stitch 1” apart. Pineapple Tidbits is so pretty hanging in my hallway. I can see using this die often for scrap busting those pieces I just can't seem to toss. I'm already working on it!

Accuquilt dies used:
55485 Pineapple BOB 10” finished
55054 Strips 4” finished
55017 Strips 2” finished

BE YOURSELF.

People don't have to like you,

and you don't have to care.

Kites On The Beach

Kites On The Beach

This design is an old classic, and these beachy colors made it even more special.

The kite and triangle dies combine for an 8” version of the kaleidoscope block. I dived into my scrap bins once again to hunt for restful shades of sand, sea, and sky.

Using a straight stitch, I quilted in ecru thread on both sides of the seam lines to outline the design. Kites On The Beach finished at 48” square.

The Gulf Coast is my favorite place to escape, relax and recharge. Load up the car, it's definitely time for a road trip!

Accuquilt dies used:
55254 Kite 4” finished (kite shape)
55409 Triangle in a Square 4” finished (triangle shape)
55017 Strips 2½”

Mowing Leaves

Here's another autumn quilt that's super quick and easy to sew, inspired by nature.

I used only two contrasting fabrics on this one, a gorgeous green and rust fall leaf print with green and cream crosshatch design. Each 8” block is constructed with 2½” x 4½” rectangles.

I chain stitched them all before assembling the blocks. After sewing them all together, I added three borders using 1½”, 2½”, and 3½” strips. Final size for Mowing Leaves is 53” square.

I quilted with light green thread, using a scallop stitch in rows 2” apart. This one didn't take long at all, mainly because of the two color palette. 

You can probably guess the name came to me while we were mowing our leaves. It seems like they're staying around longer this year, as we still have them falling. I'm hoping the wind might blow some of them away but we'll be out there again this week unless we wait till they're all down.

Accuquilt dies used:
55159 Rectangles 2½” x 4½”
55017 Strips 2½”
55032 Strips 3½”
Blue Wren 6015 Strips 1½”

 

Spicy Autumn Curves

Soothing fall colors give this quilt a relaxed, cozy look. Doesn't it make you crave a cup of spiced tea or hot chocolate?

Mixed prints in gold, brown, coral, tan, cinnamon, black and cream blend beautifully in this half ring pattern. Some fabrics were from a collection of 10” precuts, others came from my stash remnants. After sewing and arranging the 8” blocks, I added borders made up of 4” x 8” rectangles.

Quilting with medium beige thread and a gentle wave ruler, I created an allover grid that looks similar to netting. Spicy Autumn Curves finished at 56” square. I believe I'll keep this one for myself. 

Spicy Autumn Curves

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6858 Charming Rings 8" finished

Accuquilt
55160 Rectangle 4½” x 8½”
55017 Strips 2½”

Diamond Chain

Diamond Chain

Simple squares and half square triangles can be combined using different sizes and configurations to create interesting quilt patterns.

Diamond Chain is my impression of a photo clipped from a magazine many years ago. I used scraps of navy, blue, wine, and green prints and added cream muslin for the four-patch blocks. The larger squares are dusty peach floral and cream. Two borders frame this fall throw nicely.

Quilting with cream thread, I sewed scallop stitch diagonally in rows 3” apart. Diamond Chain is 58” square.

I love the variety and challenge of experimenting with new designs. I truly enjoy seeing a quilt photo and figuring out how to sew it. I find ideas all the time, in tile patterns, clothing, magazines, architecture, and nature. Always looking, because the next cool project might be just around the corner.

Accuquilt dies used:
55006 3½” Square
55009 3½” Half Square Triangle
55000 6½” Square
55017 Strips 2½”
55032 Strips 3½”

 

Spin-Off and more FABRIC

Spin-Off

Here I go again, experimenting with scraps and dies.

I started with four 2½” x 6½” cuts of three different scrap fabrics, sewing them together. Then I cut that square with the X-Quisite die to make the signature shape. White on white dotted triangle corners were added, then the four blocks stitched together to make the spinner.

Rockette, my trusty Singer 500A needed a little exercise and she handled all the piecing with ease. I separated the blocks with 2” sashing and added 4” borders around the perimeter to make Spin-Off 48” square. I used a utility stitch to quilt in rows using off-white thread.

It's a perfect little quilt to add to my ever growing donation stack. That doesn't mean my scrap collection is shrinking, because I believe they are multiplying like bunnies while I'm not looking. Or maybe I'm collecting more material than I'm using. Did I mention I was gifted 14 tubs of fabric the other day? We're either gonna need a bigger house or I have to find a way to sew more!

It's National Sewing Month, so I challenge you all to sew or do something creative in your sewing space every day...have fun!

Dies used:

Blue Wren
6047 Rectangles 2½” x 6½” and 2½” x 3½”
6656 X-Quisite 6” finished

Accuquilt
55017 Strip 2½”
55054 Strip 4½”

 

Mill Goods

Mill Goods, Useful Remnants 2023

Remnants and fat quarters combine to create a bright colorful bonus quilt with loads of movement.

The 8” Mill Wheel die by Blue Wren is fabulous for using up those larger leftover pieces. I cut and sewed random color combinations, then slapped them up on my design wall. After I laid out the blocks, I decided to add borders. But not just plain ones!

There was so much color already, I decided to go all out, cutting light and dark scraps with the 4” triangle in a square die. They aligned perfectly, and I added half triangles and a quarter circle on each corner. The result is even better than I had planned. All piecing was done on Elizabeth, my Singer 404.

Mill Goods is 56” square with rounded corners. I used some of my newly acquired bolt fabric for backing and another to cut bias binding. I quilted with light gray thread using a walking foot 1/2” from the seams on each row, then added a ruler quilted swirl in the center of each circle. Along the borders I used a circle ruler to make scallops.

I like planning quilts, but it's fun to get crazy now and then, going on instinct and without a pattern. I'm nowhere near using up all the remnants, but I'll keep trying. Just go for it!

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6865 Mill Wheel 8” finished
Accuquilt 55409 Triangle in a Square 4” finished
Accuquilt 55017 Strip 2½”

Whirling Stars

I'm back to stitching together remnants, this time dark and medium prints on a creamy muslin background. I used five different dies to recreate this beauty.

Granny Rose made several of these quilts with random scraps of old clothes, flour sacks, and curtains. The vintage block is called double star, and a more recent version is whirlygig pinwheel*. It's relatively easy to sew, with a partial seam for that center square.

I quilted with a medium tan thread, sewing diagonally and straight to accentuate motion in the block. Backing is a white on natural print. Whirling Stars is 45” square. 

I designed the 10" block in EQ8, did all the piecing on Annie (Singer Featherweight 221), and quilted on Janelle (Janome 9400).

Accuquilt dies used:
55031 Half Square Triangle 4” finished
55047 Quarter Square Triangle 4” finished
55159 Rectangle 2” x 4” finished
55059 Square 2½” multiple
55017 Strip 2½”

*Blue Wren has two dies for Whirlygig Pinwheel:  6220 & 6558

For more Granny Rose and Granny Hill quilt posts, click the labels below.  

Fowl Play

It's officially fall in Tennessee, and boy do I love the matching weather. Cool mornings, warm afternoons, and lower humidity make the days just right for open windows.

In keeping with the autumn theme, here's my latest quilt. I took elements from Blue Wren's Turkey Tracks die to play with an old block design. The main print is a cream with orange, gold, terra cotta, and navy flowers. I pulled various fabric in those colors to make up the 8” blocks and used terra cotta for sashing.

Fowl Play seemed like a fun name for this 42” x 52” quilt. I quilted vertically with dark melon thread using a serpentine stitch 2” apart. I used the same terra cotta fabric for backing and binding.

Fowl Play

Over the past two weeks, I've had three quilts going at the same time. Having Annie, my Featherweight, set up for piecing allows me to keep Janelle (Janome) free for quilting. I really prefer to work on one at a time to keep my room neater. But the ideas kept coming and I just had to get started.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6664 Turkey Tracks
Accuquilt 55017 Strip 2½”

You can't go wrong with colors from nature 

Tangerine Splash

I've done an about face from last week's traditional fabric. Bright crisp colors of tangerine and blue make this week's quilt sparkle. The block, though, is a another vintage design called Patience Corners.

Here's the clipping that gave me inspiration, found in Granny Rose's collection. I love her notes in the margins! She had it pinned to pattern templates cut out of a paper sack.

I didn't cut mine with scissors, thank goodness. Accuquilt's parallelogram and flying geese dies made quick work of cutting out and sewing the 12” blocks. It's interesting to experiment with different shapes to see how they go together. High school geometry came in handy after all.

Tangerine Splash - KatieScarlett Designs

Tangerine Splash is a great summer quilt, finishing out at 49” square. I quilted with medium blue thread in straight stitch, spacing the lines 1 1/2” apart.

Accuquilt dies used:
55004 Parallelogram
55456 Flying Geese 3 ½” x 6 ½”
55017 Strip 2½”

Spend more time watching sunsets

and less time on your phone

 

Granny's Flower Baskets

This is one of my favorite versions of flower basket block. It's a reproduction of a quilt made by Granny Rose back in the 1960's. I drew it up in EQ8, experimenting with different sizes and color versions.

I used several dies to cut out the pieces, including Lemoyne Star. The rectangle and large triangle were slightly larger than I needed, so I trimmed off the excess when I squared up the blocks.

Two floral prints in blue and yellow coordinate with gold watercolor fabric that I used for baskets, backing and binding. The medium solid green color in the blocks and sashing adds to the vintage look. I added an outer border of the blue floral print. All the material was from my yard sale finds.

Granny's Flower Baskets

I used a ruler template to stitch with gold thread in wide rows across the quilt. Granny's Flower Baskets finished out at 52” square. If you'd like to see more posts about quilts inspired by Lydia Fort Rose, click on the Granny Rose label below. 

Have a great week!

Accuquilt dies used:
55453 Lemoyne Star
55107 Rectangle 2½” x 4½”
55018 Small Value (HST)
55031 Half Square Triangle 4” finished
55054 Strips 4½” 
55017 Strips 2½”
55059 Square 2½” multiples

It's up to you

to see beauty

in everyday things

Bella

Here's a quick, easy table runner in my favorite color, purple. I sewed the center block from scraps back in May as a sample of the Jackaroo Star die from Blue Wren.

One afternoon I decided to stitch two more blocks with similar fabric, and finished it off with two inch borders. I quilted in white thread using a spiral ruler template. Bella is 16½” x 40” finished size. It's nice to have projects like this in mind when I want to get something done quickly.

Last week, my resident handyman refinished the top of my sewing desk. While it was out of the way, I deep cleaned the sewing room, including windows, shelves, and dusty baseboards. I love a clean room! 

Naturally I got sidetracked while putting away quilting magazines. I flipped through a few older ones to rediscover some amazing ideas for the rest of the summer and into the fall.  So many possibilities!

Blue Wren dies used:
6369 Jackaroo Star 12” block
6720 Magic Strips

When you focus on

possibilities,

you'll have more

opportunities.

Tropical Breeze

Inspiration can come from just one small piece of fabric. This quilt wasn't planned, just a spur of the moment idea on a hot summer afternoon. 

I started with the large scale tropical print, cut into five 8” squares. Then I pulled fabrics of solid yellow and pink paisley to make four Windspinner blocks. Tiny coordinating stripes make a one inch border and binding, framing a 4” marbled aqua border. Tropical Breeze is 32” square.

Creativity continued with the quilting, done in bright yellow thread. I stitched in free motion on the windspinners, using curved lines to echo the fan blades. On the large tropical print, I stitched fairly densely around and inside the leaves and flowers, following the stems and blossoms. 

So much fun...like painting with thread. You can see the detail better on the light yellow back side.  The borders feature serpentine lines, quilted with Elvira ruler.  

I enjoyed this quickie project, especially playing with free motion techniques. I don't think I'll use the dense stitching on a large quilt, but you'll likely see it again on small ones. 

Never stop learning new things!

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6289 Windspinner 8”
6015 Strips 1½”

Accuquilt
55058 Square 8”
55017 Strip 2 ½”
55032 Strip 3 ½”

What inspires you in this life

is what is meant for you.

~Julie Temple

Just Playin'

Sometimes I like experimenting with designs and trying new color combinations. Other days I practice free motion and ruler quilting techniques on sample blocks. Little projects like these mats are perfect for that, and useful to boot.

The table mat is made using Hattie's Choice blocks, but I substituted two triangles for in place of the diamond shape to give it more interest. After framing them with strips, I used Creative Grids Slim ruler by Angela Walters to quilt over the whole piece. It looks like rows of picket fences or roof tiles, don't you think?

Project #2--I haven't made many quilts with the wedge die so I cut a few pieces to play with. I added white 1” strips on either side of the center wedges for an outline. 

Free motion quilting is kind of like doodling. I started with swoops inside the print fabrics.  I wanted to fill in the peach outside sections densely. I think I did pretty good for my first attempt at cobblestones. Callie won't notice any mistakes anyway; this is a cat mat for her.

 

Playin' around in the sewing room is relaxing and fun, and keeps me distracted from doing housework. I use up scraps, learn new techniques, practice skills, and create new ideas for future quilts. It's quite satisfying to work on small pieces that finish in a snap.


Dies used:
Accuquilt
55220 Hattie's Choice 8” block
55439 Wedge 9” finished
55017 2 ½” strip

Blue Wren
6015 1 ½” strip 

Play is the highest form of research.

Albert Einstein

Sweet Tradition

This little quilt is similar to some made by Granny Hill and Granny Rose. In keeping with their tradition, I sewed it all on Rockette, my 1960's era Singer 500-A Rocketeer machine. She's a beauty and still sews like a dream. I do have to get used to trimming my own thread and manually raising/lowering the presser foot, but that doesn't take long. I may be a little spoiled by modern conveniences.

Pretty vintage style prints emphasize the old fashioned feel of time-honored kaleidoscope or kite blocks. I combined sections of two Accuquilt dies to give me fewer seams. These didn't take long at all to cut and stitch. I alternated pastel and medium toned blocks to balance the colors.

Sweet Tradition is 40” square, perfect baby or child size. I quilted with cream thread in a straight stitch alongside each block seam and across the triangles.

Recreating old patterns is one of my passions.  Seeing antique blocks made by the grannies inspires me. I love making them come to life in retro style or modern quilts. I have a list a mile long that of ideas I want to try. There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Accuquilt dies used:
55409 Triangle in square 4” finished (triangle)
55254 Kite 4” finished (kite)
55017 2 ½” strip (binding)

At the heart of every

family tradition

is a meaningful

experience

To see blog posts about my Rocketeer or other vintage quilts from Granny Rose and Granny Hill, click on their label below:

Granny's Wash Day

Memories of sheets and housedresses hanging on the line at granny's house prompted me to design this adorable quilt. Some of the fabrics are 1950's vintage, from Granny Rose's collection of sugar and flour sack remnants. I added new pieces that would complement them, along with white muslin. 

Each four patch block is made up of chisel sections and triangles turned to create the design. This one didn't take long at all, since most of the colored triangles were already cut. I think it looks a bit like the dasher in an old time washing machine. 

A simple quilting pattern of even squares finishes off the vintage look. I used light yellow thread for the straight stitches. The backing is an old sheet of pale yellow with pink, blue, and yellow flowers.

I am lucky to have sweet childhood memories of summer days on the Tennessee farms of both sets of grandparents. And, luckier still to have Jerold's grandmother's fabric to use in my quilts. For more of my posts about Granny Rose, Granny Hill, and sugar sack fabric, click on those labels below.

Accuquilt dies used:
55735 Chisel 2¼” x 4½” finished
55147 Half square triangle 2¼” finished

Remember when

life was simpler,

and we didn't have a

care in the world?

Points of View

My remnant baskets are overflowing, again. To keep my sewing room neat and use up some fabric, I designed a scrap quilt in EQ8 software. It's similar to the Christmas tree quilt from last December.

Points of View

Using the Hattie's Choice die, I cut only the diamonds and triangles from a wide variety of colors. I sewed them together into large triangles, combining rows of similar and contrasting colors. Then I cut light gray fabric into half rectangle triangles, and added one on each side to form a 5½” x 6” triangle in a rectangle block.

The result is Points of View, a 38” x 48” lap quilt. The points turned out very precise because of the die cuts and my Janome 1/4” professional piecing foot. Backing is white and light gray chevron fabric. I quilted using white thread, diagonally along the diamond rows with a straight stitch.

The binding is made from scraps as well, multicolored 2 ½” strips of varying lengths sewn together.

It's a such a happy quilt with all those colors, don't you think?  It reminds me of vintage feed sack quilts from the 1930's.  At least I am happy because (for the time being) my fabric isn't tumbling out of the remnant baskets.

Accuquilt dies used:

55220 Hattie's Choice

55411 Half Rectangle Triangle

I am grateful for 

my fabric stash!