Classes Available at the Fall 2022 International Quilt Festival in Houston this November

Ziggy Diamonds 

 Monday, October 31 from 9am to 5 pm

This is a brand new workshop and a brand new quilt.  It may look similar to designs I have done in the past is is different in several significant ways.

    1.  It is made with precuts:  jelly rolls (2 or more) or fat quarters.

    2.  It is made in component parts (4-patch blocks) that can be mixed and matched or moved anywhere in the quilt.

    3.  It is assembled in super easy diagonal rows.

    4.  It can be adapted to any size from placemat to bed quilt!

Yup, this is a really fun and simple project once you get the "4-patch" system.

Here is what I mean:

Choose colors:   BRIGHT COLORS work best for this project.  Solids, blenders, batiks, even busy prints will work as long as they are bright!  My sample used a blender with directional stripes!

  

Pick a light and a dark in each color you want to use.  You could choose the same color in different values, or different colors, prints, or blenders which go together, OR contrast!  In the pattern and class I am choosing a light and dark value of the same color family.

Choose fabric:  

• 6 Diamond Layout:  If you are making a placemat or wall quilt you will need 2 jelly rolls unless the 2-1/2" roll of strips comes with 2 of each color.  
• You will only need 1 strip of each light, but you will need 2 strips of each dark.
• If you repeat a color you need additional strips (2 darks and 1 light).
• Left over dark and light 2-1/2" diamonds are used to make the partial diamonds on the top and bottom edges of the quilt.  This means colors will be repeated in those locations.
• A jelly roll typically contains 40 strips, but not all collections have 40 different fabrics, so there is certain to be some repeats in most jelly rolls, but they may not be the colors you want/need.  Because of this, a second jelly roll is a must.
• 12 Diamond Layout:  If you want anything larger than a 6-Diamond quilt, you will need Fat Quarters.
• 15 Diamonds or more:  If you want anything larger than a 12 diamond quilt, you will need some 1/2 yard cuts of your darks and 1/4 yard cuts of your lights.
• Black and White:  In addition, you will need a 1/4 yard of white and anywhere from 1-2 yards of black, depending on the size you choose.

• 

  Diamond 4-patch components

Make the diamond components:

• White and black 4-patch diamonds are made to go in the center of each large diamond.
• Black 4-patch diamonds are made to go between each large diamond.  Actually, we will cut 4-1/2" diamonds, cuz that is easier than sewing 4 together.
• Create 4-patch light and dark color diamonds for the four sides of the diamond.
• Create 2-patch dark diamonds for the "arms" which link the diamonds together.
• Create some extra 2-patch darks and 1-patch lights to fill in the top and bottom of the quilt.

When all the diamond parts are complete, the quilt is ready to be assembled.  This works best with a design wall or a flannel back table cloth on the floor or a table.

Assemble the Quilt:

This is the fun part.  Arrange the diamonds in vertical and horizontal rows.  

Move them around until you like the mix of colors.  No map or row by row instructions needed!

Use as many diamonds or as few diamonds as you want.  The more you make, the bigger the quilt.  A wall quilt with 6 diamonds would finish like the this:

40 x 46 wall or crib quilt

Or like this:

27 x 66 table runner

The more triangle rows you make, and the wider those rows get, increases the size of the quilt by roughly 12" of width and 20" of length.  Use this shortcut to determine what size quilt you want to make and the number of rows you need to make.

A layout with four diamonds across and three rows down is shown below.

The finished quilt would look like this:

50 x 62  Lap or Throw Quilt

Keep adding to the quilt and it keeps growing!!!

57 X 66

The quilt top and bottom get trimmed and a simple border added.

The quilt sides get an additional dark diamond to give those outer diamonds an "elbow" and an accent diamond is surrounded by black diamonds to finish off the design.

WORKSHOP:  a supply list for the class is on my website.  Here is the LINK.

Due to time limits, we will make a 6-Diamond Quilt in the class.  

You can always add to it if you want to finish it as a larger quilt.

Questions:  contact me at reeze@morningglorydesign.com

A New Year -- A New Block of the Month

Welcome to 2022!  While the winter sapped my energy and my motivation, signs of Spring are showing up and it is time to bring out a new project that has been in the works for the last 2 years.

As a quilt designer, I dabble in color, shape, and visual relationships. Numbers are as much a part of my work, as my color wheel.  I have always loved what happens when you take a shape and repeat it, or move it around, or turn it upside down.  It is no surprise then, that I stumbled onto Sacred Geometry, which is exactly what I was doing.  Take inspiration from the natural world, history, culture and the visual arts and using elements from each to create my own brand of textile art.

After more than 2 years of reading and studying Sacred Geometry -- the relations of space, shape, time, and pattern, a project evolved which communicated to me on so many levels.  Perhaps it may speak to you as well.  It is my Block of the Month for 2022.  Many of my past designs have been florals.

I love the symmetry of flowers, the colors, the invitation to come closer and smell their perfume.  Like pollinators, the flowers invite us in as we engage in a mutual dance of survival.  We draw beauty from their presence in our lives, and they share their pollen with insects who use it for food while they unwittingly share in the flower's reproduction cycle.  When you superimpose lines and shapes over each bloom, their mathematical and geometric structures become clearer.

This was my inspiration for this years Block of the Month.  OK, I admit it may be a little "out there" and for some even a bit "Woo Woo" but come along with me, if you will, to explore how all this makes sense for the quilter.  Or at least for me! Hahaha!!

Block 1

The first block is a circle, made up of flower petals.  The yellow is for the sun and the small dots on the black background are for the moon and the night.  The circle is the source of all shapes, as we will see as we move through each block in this quilt.

Each month you will get a complete, full color pattern along with an in-depth explanation of the significance and symbolism of the shapes which make up each block.

This is a 10 month block of the month program which will end in December of 2022.

You will be able to purchase each block for $8.00 for a digital download or $10.00 for a printed copy mailed to your postal address each month.

Monthly Subscription

You may choose to pre-pay for the whole Block of the Month at a discounted price.

Pre-Pay Subscription

Complete kits will again be available from ConnectTheBlocks.com and will include all fabric needed to make the quilt plus binding, a print copy of the pattern and shipping all for a remarkable price.  

 The link to order kits ($34.00 per month) will be available March 7, 2022

Order Kits Here

If you would like to sew along with others or make new friends online, we welcome you to Join the Morning Glory Designs Block of the Month Facebook Group.

Join Here

Want to get Monthly reminders, along with tips and tricks for each block in your email?  Join my newsletter.  I do not share any of your information.  It is used solely to send you monthly block of the month information.  You may unsubscribe at any time.

Sign Up for my Newsletter

Thanks to those who have been following my Blog and Pattern Co for years!  I so appreciate your loyalty and support.  And Welcome to all of you who are new to my blog. I an glad you are  here and hope we work together in the coming year.

Reeze