This one was made by Carol for a St. Bernard shelter in Colorado, which was auctioned off for $2000!  Love the way she adapted the pattern to make it look like a St. Bernard.

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Pauline made this one to decorate her sister’s dog grooming shop in Montana.  Using different fabrics for all those puppies is so cute!  She started it three years ago and finally finished it!

Would love to see what you are all doing out there with my other patterns and the Blocks of the Month!

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If you are interested in the pattern, contact me through email:

bdieges @ gmail.com (Leave out the spaces!)

Don’t forget to check out the online classes at the Academy of Quilting!

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

On-Line Classes at the Academy of Quilting

I thought those words would be appropriate for this post, since I will not be blogging on a regular basis.  Family obligations are intervening and my quilting has been put on hold as well, although I am still doing handwork, have to have something to keep my hands busy.  Towards the end of the year, I hope to post pictures of the Floral Alphabet Quilt, the last border is finished, just have to sew it to the quilt and add another plain border, so it will fit our queen size bed.

For the time being, my website will continue and my patterns are available through Payhip, but this is the last free Block of the Month. 

It has been a wonderful 22 years of being in touch with quilters from around the world and I will miss that connection, however, life moves on.

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Most of the blocks this year are based on the theme of the month and no completed quilt is involved.  Use them as a calendar block, pillow, or whatever you decide.  Here is the June Block of the Month.

Click below to take you to the 2022 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out the online classes at the Academy of Quilting!

2022 Block of the Month & EQ

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

On-Line Classes at the Academy of Quilting

I guess it is more than just a saying.  Here are flowers from our front yard, at least I still have wildflowers at my house!

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Most of the blocks this year are based on the flower of the month and no completed quilt is involved.  Use them as a calendar block, pillow, or whatever you decide.  Here is the May Block of the Month.

Click below to take you to the 2022 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out the online classes at the Academy of Quilting!

2022 Block of the Month & EQ

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

On-Line Classes at the Academy of Quilting

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You have no idea how thrilled I am to receive photos from you of quilts made from my patterns.  I am like a little kid when I get those, because I am seeing the results go from paper to your fabric.  Like sowing flower seeds in the garden and seeing them come up and bloom!

Here are pics from JMW of her Waggly Tails version.  The first pic she sent was within hours of purchasing the pattern.  By the end of the week, she finished the project!  I thought her idea of using it as part of the cover for her dog’s crate was very inventive and makes it decorative at the same time.  She also appliquéd the bones instead of just quilting them, love it when you come up with new ways of using my patterns!

I’m already having fun!

Here is what she had to say when she finished it:

Well one week later…. finally done. Fun project with great instructions. Thank you!

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Most of the blocks this year are based on the theme of the month and no completed quilt is involved.  Use them as a calendar block, pillow, or whatever you decide.  Here is the April Block of the Month.

Click below to take you to the 2022 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out the online classes at the Academy of Quilting!

2022 Block of the Month & EQ

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

On-Line Classes at the Academy of Quilting

Finally back to quilting, at least handwork!  The last border for the Floral Alphabet Quilt is halfway finished.  Then it will be on to hand quilting!

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Also been baking, as I said in September I love baking, especially breads, and have really gotten into making breads with (levain) starter has become my thing.  Would love to hear from quilters out there who are also into baking.  I have decided it is in my blood.  My mother was born in a little village in Germany where her family, going back to her great grandfather, owned a bakery.  Back in the 1800s, the bakery also provided oven space for the villagers, not everyone had an oven in their home!!

By the time we visited the village in 2008, however, the bakery had been closed for several years.  We did meet my mother’s cousin who had retired, but his children had no interest in continuing the business.  Another bakery had opened, because I am sure the villagers didn’t want to do without their rye bread and other baked sweets!

Here is the latest from my oven. Pesto Sourdough Rolls.

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Most of the blocks this year are based on the theme of the month and no completed quilt is involved.  Use them as a calendar block, pillow, or whatever you decide.  Here is the March Block of the Month–Clover and Forget me Nots.

Click below to take you to the 2022 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out my online classes at the Academy of Quilting!

2022 Block of the Month & EQ

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

On-Line Classes at Academy of Quilting

You are probably wondering why you received notification of this a day early, it is because I decided to take part in the Scrap Blog Hop that Mel, Mel’s Quilting Room, announced that she was planning.  The Blog Hops start on Mondays, so I thought it would be better to just get everything going on the same day. Just click on the pic.

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One month into the new year and I am still vacillating, which is another word for procrastinating!  I have been busy doing all kinds of things, except quilting, not even appliquéing.  Although my excuse for not appliquéing was that I needed a bottle of Fraychek® for some of the inner points.  Not easy to get since our two quilt shops closed in town, but I finally did when we went to the big city of Bakersfield.  I have been rearranging furniture, baking with my starter, selling stuff on Ebay, which has been interesting, as well as challenging and rearranging stuff in the garage so we can add on to get my laundry/sewing room done.

I decided to join the Procrastinators Club, but they put off their meetings.

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Here is one of the items I sold on Ebay, it was an unfinished antique quilt top that was in strips of blocks.  The buyer made table toppers from the pieces.  She sent me pictures of her work, I thought it was a great idea.  I wish I would have thought of it!

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Most of the blocks this year are based on the theme of the month and no completed quilt is involved.  Use them as a calendar block, pillow or whatever you decide.  Here is the February Block of the Month–Hearts.

Click below to take you to the 2022 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out my online classes at the Academy of Quilting!

2022 Block of the Month & EQ

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

On-Line Classes at Academy of Quilting

I gathered the lavender this summer, planning to use it for sachets, but hadn’t decided what the sachet was going to look like until now.  Three bushes gave me about four quarts.

I could have used many different fabrics, but since I was using lavender, I thought purple would be appropriate.  Here are the tools and ingredients you need to make a 3″ or so sachet.  Or forget the lavender and stuff them with wool batting, to use for a pincushion.  Why use wool? It has enough oil in it to keep pins from rusting.

• Four different cotton prints.
• 1/2 cup of dried lavender.
• A handful of polyester or cotton stuffing.
• Funnel with a large opening.  The opening on my funnel is about 3/4″, although you could use a smaller one, but it might clog.
• Sewing machine, with 1/4″ foot if possible.
• Thread matching the fabric.
• Chopstick, for turning the patchwork and stuffing.
• Hand sewing needle to sew the opening closed.

Here are the directions:

Cut FOUR 3″ squares, one from each print. 

Assemble them by sewing two squares together.

Press open and sew the squares together as a Four Patch.

Now fold the sewn patchwork in half, so you have a rectangle and sew across the short ends.  Backstitch at the beginning and end of the seams.

Bring the two seams together, and pin so the seam allowances are opposing.

Sew from one end, beginning and stopping about half way to the center seam with a backstitch.  Turn the unit around and repeat from the other end.  Leave a large enough opening in the center for the funnel.

 Diagonally trim off the corners, to lessen the bulk, be careful not to clip the seams.

Turn inside out, gently push out the corners.  I use a chopstick for this purpose.

Insert funnel in opening and pour in lavender.  The picture shows it sitting on the table, but you have to hold it up, so the lavender will drop into the sachet.  Hold the sachet and funnel together, with one hand and gently push the lavender in with the chopstick with the other hand.  This took a little bit of doing, but I got the hang of it.  You will understand when you actually do it.

Place small amount of stuffing on top of the lavender.  This accomplishes two purposes, it adds a little more fullness to the sachet and it keeps the lavender from falling out while you are sewing it together.

Hand stitch the opening closed.

All finished, they smell wonderful!

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For this year we are back into appliqué and I am presenting blocks from 15 years ago.  Most of the blocks are based on the theme of the month and no completed quilt is involved.  These would each make a nice calendar block, pillow or whatever you would like to make with them.  Here is the January Block of the Month–Crocus.

Click below to take you to the 2022 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out my online classes at the Academy of Quilting!

2022 Block of the Month & EQ

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

On-Line Classes at Academy of Quilting

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we did, spent it with family and friends.  Actually had two Thanksgiving celebrations, spread out over the week!  Our family came up from Los Angeles, the weekend before Thanksgiving, and we barbecued a turkey.  We haven’t done that since we moved to the mountain in 1996, because the altitude seemed to affect the heat of the coals.  We thought we would try it since we had moved down the mountain, 2000 feet actually makes a big difference, it worked!  It was wonderful, with so much flavor!

Then on Thanksgiving Day, we spent the day with friends and their families for dinner.  Another yummy dinner!  We have so much to be grateful for, so many things that we take for granted, for which we need to be grateful!

Since it is Christmas I thought I would share the Christmas Celebration Wreath appliqué block with you for this month.  This is from my book Christmas Celebration! which is still available.  If you are interested click on the picture for the link to my books and scroll down.

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Another Waggly Tails quilt!  This one is from Cici.  She said this is her second quilt top! If you make any of my quilt patterns, I love to see pictures of them done in your fabrics.  In this virtual world of computers, it is the only way to share!

Click below to take you to the 2021 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out my online classes!

2021 Block of the Month

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

My On-Line Classes at Academy of Quilting

Here is the block of the month, enjoy!

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Click below to take you to the 2021 Block of the Month.

Remember the free version goes away at the end of the month!

Don’t forget to check out my online classes!

2021 Block of the Month

Patterns on Payhip

Previous Row Along Patterns 

My On-Line Classes at Academy of Quilting