Spin Doctor

Spin Doctor, August 2026

I’m here, just a bit late and still a little groggy from the time change. I can’t believe it’s November! This year has flown by quickly.

Today’s scrappy quilt is made from gorgeous batik fabrics and a cream swirl neutral. I added double triangle corners to the Snail’s Trail block to make the secondary design. It’s a fairly common antique block, updated with modern materials.

It’s such a happy quilt with a tropical vibe. I did all the piecing on my tough little Singer 99: Bogart, or Bogie, manufactured in 1942. The quilting is an allover pattern in beige thread, created using a circle ruler to stitch loops.

I really enjoy every step in making my quilts, from idea to completion. This one was finished in August (#36 for the year) and is hanging in our hallway right now.

Have a great week!

Accuquilt dies used:
55196 Snail’s Trail 8”
55399 Quarter Square Triangles 8”
55021 Value die Half Square Triangles 2”
55017 Strips 2” binding

Celestial

Batik fabric always catches my eye and this one is no exception. Stars and planets swirl around on a navy, magenta, and orange background. I almost hated to cut it but it seemed perfect for this Hunter Star quilt and I had enough to use for backing.

For contrast I added a white fabric with medium blue, hot pink, and tan scribbles. These two are a great match even though they came from different decades. Using Midnight (Singer 404) for piecing didn’t take long at all.

I decided on a simple 3” grid layout for quilting, using light gray thread on top and a medium blue in the bobbin. A ruler to guide my stitching kept my lines even.

Celestial finished at 49” square and looks smart folded over the back of my living room love seat. I finished this in July, but now that the temps are falling it is ready for snuggling. October is one of my favorite months.

Accuquilt dies used:
55166 Hunter Star 6” block
55017 Strips 2” binding

Big Charmer

Big Charmer, April 2026

This year seems to have a scrappy theme going. I enjoyed sewing these nine large 16” blocks with fresh colors of green, gold, orange, pink, blue and aqua prints.

I laid out the quilt in EQ8, but when I placed the pieces on my wall, it needed something, so I made a design change to add the 3" corner triangles. I’m never afraid to switch things around.

Squares, half-square triangles, and quarter square triangles make up the two slightly different blocks. I quilted with pale yellow thread, using a gentle wave ruler to create an edge to edge fishnet pattern.

Big Charmer is 49” square and has a vintage feel to it. And, believe it or not, I still have tons of remnants left for my next brainstorm.

Dies used:
Accuquilt
55031 HST 4½”
55711 QST 4½”
55021 Value die Square 2½”
55009 HST 3½”
55017 Strips 2½”

Blue Wren 6522 HST 8½”

Calico Cottage

Calico Cottage, May 2026

Vintage quilt blocks nearly always capture my attention. I appreciate the designs, the colors, the fabric and the skills involved. Some are simple, others very intricate, and I want to sew them all!

This quilt features a relatively easy one published in the Kansas City Star (July 1943) as Mountain Peak, and also in Farm Journal (1877 – 1970) where it was called Old Italian Design. BlockBase and EQ8 software were used to lay out the pattern that I adapted to use Blue Wren’s Dandy 4” and Accuquilt’s 4” square die.

I cut a variety of floral, plaid, dotted, and striped vintage look fabrics plus white muslin. There are twenty-five unique 9” blocks. Sashing between them is 1” strips of a gray and white number print, also used in the 2” border.

A thrifted sheet with small pink roses was used for backing. Circular shapes with loops were quilted as an allover design, using white thread and a circle ruler on my Janome.

Calico Cottage finished at 50½” square.  Can’t you just see it on a cottage bed back in the 30’s or 40’s? I stitched this happy little quilt in May.  I enjoy adding my own flair as I re-create these antique designs.

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6292 Dandy 4”
6015 Strips 1”
Accuquilt
55018 Square 4”
55017 Strips 2½” 

Country Clothesline

Country Clothesline, April 2026

Laundry blowing in the breeze, can’t you just smell the freshness of sun dried cotton?

This week’s colorful scrappy quilt reminds me of summer clothes and sheets hanging on the line in our backyard when I was little. An assortment of light and medium hued remnants made this project fun.

Flying Geese paired with strips were simple to stitch on Rockette, my Singer 500-A. Backing is a very soft vintage fabric from an estate sale, a cross-stitch pattern on light yellow background. Switching to the Janome, I quilted with pale yellow thread, using two different rulers, Which Way and Wiggly Wave.  

Country Clothesline is lap size at 48” square, ready for snuggling, to toss over the arm of the couch, or spread on the grass for a picnic.

I’m on a mission to keep my scrap bins from overflowing, so this quilt has kept them under control for a bit. There’s always a mess when I’m pulling out so much material to cut, but I absolutely enjoy playing with fabric! It’s very satisfying to remember when and where I found it. 

Of course, as I was sorting many ideas filled my brain for future projects...I will never run out of remnants...stay tuned for more bonus quilts.

Side note:  I keep a written quilt journal (using a weekly 2-page planner) of my projects with notes and sketches so I can keep up with details and techniques. I also maintain a master database where I can search, sort and find quilt names, dates, gifts/donations, and dies used. I am in the process of adding photos to it whenever I get a few minutes. 

Dies used:
Accuquilt 55456 Flying Geese 3” x 6”
Blue Wren 6047 Strips 2” x 6”

Knockout

Knockout

All these colors and circles make me so happy! It was a pleasure to design and sew this bright 50” square lap quilt. It started with a slightly different layout, but sometimes I let the fabric tell me what it wants to be.

The large Amy Butler print gave me color guidance and I pulled scraps and pieces from my stash to coordinate the prints. Yellow, blue, pink, green, melon, aqua, and lime make a glorious splash, don't they?

Simple 12” blocks made with Blue Wren's Curve in a Square 6” die made quick work of this one. I quilted in randomly spaced rows with yellow thread and a rolling wave ruler on my Janome. The backing is a solid yellow sheet; binding is wider than normal to showcase the large print.

It is, I believe, a Knockout! I'll make it again with different colors.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6602 Curve in a Square 6” quarter square
Accuquilt 55032 Strips 3” finished (for binding)

Update on the week's weather: We did not get 24” of snow last Saturday, it was more like 2” with the unfortunate 1/4” ice topping that made everything slick and dangerous. No power outage for us, however our home town had to deal with slightly more snow and twice the ice, causing nearly a week without electricity and limited travel due to falling trees, power lines, and unsafe roads. Winter in Tennessee can be a challenge.

 

Maple Row

Maple Row

Autumn has arrived, even through the temperature doesn't agree. Ninety degree days aren't what I had in mind for Tennessee in late September.

Nevertheless, I have a fall quilt for you today made with scraps in gold, brown, tan, and green shades. Maple leaf block is a vintage nine patch design.  

This was the first project I pieced using Midnight, our recently refurbished dark blue and silver Singer 404.  Lovely stitches and smooth running after a few adjustments.  I added 1” sashing to separate the blocks plus 5½” wide borders.

Midnight: Singer 404

Using medium tan thread, I quilted wavy lines horizontally and vertically across the whole quilt using a rolling wave ruler on the Janome 9450. This is one of my favorite allover designs to quilt since it doesn't have to be precise to look good.

Maple Row finished at 49” square. It looks snuggly but I won't be under it until this summer heat goes away. It will have to decorate the back of the couch for a while yet.

Stay cool, and have a wonderful week!

Dies used:
Accuquilt
55195 Maple Leaf BOB 8” finished
55488 Strips 6”
Blue Wren 6015 Strips 1½”

Honey Sweet

Here's an adorable quilt for a cute little sweetheart.

Baby quilts are always fun to make, but this one was particularly special since I included fabric given to me by the little one's grandmama.

Soft peachy pink, muted aqua and shiny gold arrows blend well with a light gold batik dot fabric. Hexagons and triangles are arranged in a honeycomb style design.

For quilting, I created a new allover pattern using a curved ruler with light tan thread. I really like the results and will use it again.

Honey Sweet finished at 40” square. It's been done for a while but finally found its way home this past weekend.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6808 Hexagon Set 3” sides

Accuquilt 55032 Strips 3" finished

Rolling Along

What a fun quilt to make! I've seen this die but didn't realize it had been discontinued. I was lucky to find a new one in original packaging on Facebook Marketplace a couple of weeks ago. Thanks Marilyn! 

This block is easy to sew and the curves stitch up beautifully. I started with the black batik, then picked teal, lime, and cream fabric out of my stash to give a clear contrast in the circles.

After adding backing and batting, I quilted with khaki thread across the circles with 3 lines of ruler stitching in waves. Once that was done, I added free motion stitching on the cream sections.

Rolling Along finished at 48” square. I've already designed a few more color combinations in EQ8. It will make an adorable baby quilt.

By the way, how did it get to be September already? 

Accuquilt dies used:
55452 Local Color by Bill Kerr
55017 Strips 2½” binding

 

Whirling Sugar Sacks

A few years ago, I bought a large collection of vintage flour and sugar sacks at an estate sale. Today's quilt features some of them, along with a few reproduction fabrics and natural muslin.

The Blue Wren die I used, Whirling Wheels, is very similar to 1930-1940 era blocks like Whirling Pinwheel and Spinflower. I enjoy reproducing antique quilt designs like my grandmothers would have sewed.

The pattern is easy to stitch, even with the curves. The center circle is appliqued using clear thread. I set the blocks on point, then added a 3” border.

Quilting with medium khaki thread, I used a circle ruler to sew large loops across the entire quilt to emphasize the movement of the wheels. Whirling Sugar Sacks is 48” square.

This one put a smile on my face! I have quilts in progress with two other new dies, plus at least twenty more on my ever growing to do list.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6514 Whirling Wheels 10” block
Accuquilt
55553 Setting Triangles 10”
55032 Strips 3½”
55017 Strips 2½”

Amethyst Dreams

This sweet purple quilt makes me want to grab a book and snuggle in for a while.

Three lovely prints coordinate nicely with a bright white tone on tone fabric. I used Blue Wren's 5” Gem Star die for the center blocks, making all those points and seams easy to match. Amethyst Dreams finished at 50” square after adding the borders.

I chose light blue thread for free motion quilting in long rows using a circle ruler. Then I switched to a straight stitch across the curves, guided by a straight ruler. It made for a unique design that I will use again.

I love experimenting with everything about sewing and quilts, from color to finishing. My mama started me early, at about age 3, hand stitching little scraps of material. Even after sixty plus years of sewing, I still enjoy trying and learning new techniques. Guess I'll never stop!

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6817 Gem Star 5” finished quarter square
Accuquilt 55488 Strip 5½”

 

Afternoon Delight

A large bright paisley print by Amy Butler is the starting point for this happy quilt. Citrus, lime, aqua, melon, lilac and magenta colors are just luscious. I chose matching solids, then added crisp white plus a black and white stripe.

I used dies from the Accuquilt 10” Qube to cut squares, half square triangles and parallelograms. I didn't use a pattern, and randomly combined the colors on my design board as I sewed.

Listening to 60's and 70's light rock had me dancing across the room between the machine and iron. Gotta keep moving! All piecing was done on Laney, my sweet Singer 301, painted in Maui Blue & white. Link here to read about her. 

I switched to my Janome 9450 for ruler quilting. The Elvira ruler by Angela Walters is great for long vertical serpentine lines. White thread shows off the stitching without detracting from the fabric. Afternoon Delight finished at 49” square.

Hope you like this one as much as I do. See you next week!

Accuquilt dies used:
55797 Mix & Match 10” Qube
55017 Strips 2½” binding
55054 Strips 4½” borders

 

Mom Mai's Attic

Mom Mai's Attic

Childhood memories inspired this Grandmother's Fan quilt. Colorful remnants of red, blue, yellow and aqua with natural muslin reproduce the vintage look of 1930's and 1940's quilts.

After stitching and assembling the blocks, I added a border of 2” x 3” rectangles sandwiched with 2” strips.

The center fan section is ruler quilted in a fishnet pattern, using natural thread. Borders feature straight line quilting with a walking foot. Mom Mai's Attic finished at 56” square.

I slept under a similar quilt at my grandmother's house. The family called her Mom Mai and she was a hard working farm wife. There were two big bedrooms on the second floor with multiple quilt covered beds, once shared by their six children. Her sewing room was tucked between them next to several cedar lined closets.

I often played with her spools of thread and buttons, sorting them into jelly jars. Lovely memories there of feed sack fabric, mayonnaise & crackers, cool well water, riding on the tractor, and the best homemade chocolate fudge I've ever eaten.

Dies used:

Accuquilt
55537 Grandmother's Fan 12” finished
55017 Strips 2½”

Blue Wren 6047 Rectangles 2” x 3” finished

Calico Prairie

Calico Prairie

Soothing colors of peach, light coral, and dusty blue are perfect for showcasing this vintage quilt design.

I selected fabrics from my stash that could have been found in 1930-1950 era day dresses or 1970's prairie skirts. I believe I had a Gunne Sax calico peasant dress with these colors back in high school.

My dependable Singer 404, Elizabeth, sewed perfect seams...and there are a lot of them. Each 8” Full Blown Tulip block has 32 pieces! Once I assembled the blocks, I added 4” borders in the dusty blue to expand the size to 48” square.

A combination of free motion quilting and ruler work finished out this one with a creative touch. Calico Prairie gave me a chance to play with stitches and enjoy memories, a perfect way to spend my time.

Accuquilt dies used:
55616 Full Blown Tulip 8” BOB
55054 Strips 4½”
55017 Strips 2½”

Trail Mix

Trail Mix

What a fun quilt to make! These Snail's Trail blocks are made up with old fashioned red prints and bright yellow batiks, along with a neutral gray mini dot.

The small pieces were super easy to chain sew on my Featherweight. I added a 2” red border to frame it up. For backing, I stitched a few extra blocks to use with a long strip of dots plus one of the red prints.

I quilted with a medium red/orange variegated thread. It's just the right contrast to showcase those stitches. Ruler quilting on the Janome with the curvy Elvira ruler creates a nice symmetric design. Trail Mix finished at 52” square.

Accuquilt dies used:
55196 Snail's Trail 8” BOB
55017 Strips 2½”

Colors speak louder than words

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”

Japanese Lanterns

This cute quilt is great for using up scraps. I saw a photo of the block online and decided to recreate it. Having lots of dies comes in handy when you need different shapes, and I love the challenge of figuring out how to use them together to build a new design and save time.

Staying with my theme, I decided to piece with Tojo, my Japanese made Universal machine. I started with a stack of 2½” x 6½” rectangles, sewing three random ones together. After pressing, I carefully laid several on the 6½” snowball die to trim off the corners. Using cream background fabric, I cut new snowball corners (2½” HST) and stitched them on.

To make the lantern top/bottom strips, I cut 2½” x 3½” rectangles of cream background and black gingham. I sewed two cream and one gingham together, then used the 1½” strip die to cut perfectly sized rectangles. I sewed two of these to a 4½” x 6½” background fabric rectangle, made with 4½” strips, cut again with the 6½” square die.

I alternated these with the snowball blocks on my design wall. I liked the look, except that the lanterns on the top and bottom rows were not complete. To fix that, I added the narrow strip to those snowballs, then used a 6½” square in place of the 4½” x 6½”ones on those rows.

Once all the rows were stitched, I chose a wave ruler to quilt with cream thread 2” apart over the entire quilt. Japanese Lanterns finished out at 49” x 52” in size.

I used a lot of dies, and did a lot of cutting. I guess there could be an easier way to make this but I'm happy with how it turned out. I hope my description of the process makes sense. The extra cuts kept everything trimmed and squared up neatly. I had fun and used up a stack of remnants, so it's all good!


Dies used:
Blue Wren
6047 Rectangles 6½” x 2½” and 3½” x 2½”
6015 Strip 1½”

Accuquilt
55330 Snowball 6½”
55054 Strip 4½”
55006 Square 6½”
55017 Strip 2½”

 

Blackberry Winter

Blackberry Winter, 2023 Useful Remnants

We had a little cold snap last week, light frost when the wild blackberries bloomed. My granny always called it Blackberry Winter, so I decided to name this rich purple quilt the same.

These fabrics match so well that you'd think they were a collection, but I bought three of them in 2018, 2019, and 2020 from different companies. The fourth was an estate sale find this year. Neutral gray pin dots from Marshall's Dry Goods made the perfect background sashing and binding.

The block is Jackaroo Star, a Blue Wren die. Since I had scraps left after cutting, I added an extra border, cutting the small triangles from Hattie's Choice die.  It was definitely worth the additional work! All piecing was done on Laney, our sweet painted Singer 301.

For quilting, I kept it simple, straight stitching with light gray thread in a 2” allover grid. I used my Janome walking foot and ruler as a guide. Blackberry Winter is 49” square.

Purple is one of my favorite colors and this quilt turned out gorgeous. I believe I will keep it for myself!

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6369 Jackaroo Star 12” block

Accuquilt
55220 Hattie's Choice 8” block (small triangles)
55017 Strip 2½” for sashing & binding

 Never let a fabric scrap go to waste! 

Spanish Tiles

Spanish Tiles, Useful Remnants 2023

What can I say about this lovely quilt?

First, my color choices fit right in for this tile-like design. Muted reds with cream and a touch of caramel blend together nicely. I laid it out in EQ8, trying different placement and making sure I had enough fabric.

Second, while the 9” Cross Roads die is beautiful, these pieces are SMALL. Those tiny triangles are 1½” cut, 1” finished. I would NEVER cut so many by hand or rotary cutter. It took long enough with the die, plus I kept losing count or dropping them. I applaud all the women over the years who cut with scissors and stitched these blocks completely by hand.

Lastly, after I got into a rhythm, piecing was fairly easy. I was happy to see that 25th block done and get to quilting. I used cream thread and the Which Way ruler to do an allover pattern across the quilt. After borders and binding, Spanish Tiles finished out at 52” square.

I am pleased with the results, but probably won't make a queen sized version. I do have a few other ideas for more designs using this die.

An interesting side note: These fabrics are not a coordinated collection, but actually from different decades. The light red chambray was a vintage 36” wide piece found at an estate sale. I used it all except for a 4” x 10” scrap. The cream swirl is new, a 108” wide bolt of backing recently purchased from Marshall Dry Goods. The other two prints (1990 and 2019) were chosen from my stash.


Accuquilt dies used:
55533 Cross Roads 9” BOB
55032 Strip 3½”
55017 Strip 2½” 

Valentine Snowballs

Here's a sweet treat for Valentine's Day. These adorable red and pink heart prints and coordinating fabrics were all in my stash of goodies collected over the years.

Four snowballs in each color make up 12” blocks. For quilting, I used a walking foot and a ruler to straight stitch with white thread in rows of three.

Valentine Snowballs is 48” square, perfect for snuggling with your honey. I sewed this one with Laney, our Maui Blue and white painted Singer 301.

Accuquilt dies used:
55330 Snowball 6” finished BOB
55017 Strip 2½”

I hope your day 
is FULL 
of LOVE