This may seem a bit strange, but I love the colors in this dress, it’s from a Vogue magazine probably 6-8 years ago, (LOVE IT) and it’s how I picked the colors for my quilt B. Annie
This quilt post has been used and shared of years it really does work.
I do have to say that after all these many years, I don’t over think color anymore. I have used some real dog of fabrics and when it’s all together…the quilt seems to work on it’s own.
This weeks quilt block is a yellow star quilt block, a sunny burst of joy in color. With yellow in a quilt is comes yellow become the focal point. Yellows a bit of sunshine stitched into every seam. This classic star design never goes out of style, perfect for adding a vibrant touch to any quilt project.
This quilt block has a finished size of ten inches by ten inches
Time to start your holiday quilt projects, only 5 months!
One of the best things about quilting is the Wonderful Fabric’s you get to purchase, lots and lots of fabric. Sign up top right of this site to receive notice of new posts, I will NEVER send a newsletter, etc. I just don’t like them!?!
And with that I have to add,
This is the way I do my fabric, you do you ! Purchasing fabric is fun, please, always buy the best fabric you can afford and what you like. For quilts you will use 100% cotton fabric. Fabric will cost between $6 and $17 per yard. If you are just purchasing for a maybe project, I do mostly cuts 1 to 2 yards. If you have a quilt pattern, follow the recommendations, but as I say in my books, “Please think of purchasing more fabric than needed, as a pattern designer I have no idea how you will cut and use your fabric.” Purchased cotton yardage, I wash, dry and iron my fabric before starting any project. Please think of purchasing more fabric than needed, a pattern designer has no idea how you will cut and use your fabric.
When talking about fabric it always brings up the conversation of washing fabric. Here is what I do,
I wash and dry all my fabric BEFORE sewing cutting and piecing a quilt. You only have to pull out one finished quilt from the washer and see bleeding to know you must/should wash all fabric.
Cotton fabrics bleeding means, the dyes used on the fabric will become loose when washing. It’s said that it’s common is cottons, but all fabrics can bleed. Dyes will/can stain other fabrics in a prewashing, the biggest problem is the dye transfer after a quilt is finished. Last weeks Tuesday’s Thread HERE
When cotton fabric is made it is stretched on a loom, pulling the fibers straight. A stabilizer is applied to keep fabric straight and that is what you are washing off. Washing allows the fabric to relax and return to a more natural state. A dryer lets the fabric relax or shrink. All cotton fabrics are different you cannot know the amount any fabric will shrink.
Knowing a cotton fabric will not bleed and not shrink is worth a bit of time for the perfect quilt in the end.
When prewashing quilt fabric, I use my daily machine washer detergent, the same type that will be used when the complete quilt is washed. Same with the dryer, use the setting that will be used when the quilt is completed.
With 100% cotton fabric after washing and drying you will need to clip away all the threads that have twisted. If fabric is wrinkles you can shake it to smooth out more wrinkles, or press the fabric with a dry iron.
It’s a habit for me to wash/dry as soon as I purchase fabric. You will develop YOUR way of caring for your quilt fabrics.
When using/cutting the fabric I will press and starch it BEFORE any cutting and square up the fabric so that all cuts with a rotary cutter are straight. I use what I use for clothing as my starch just plain old Niagara brand, it makes it just a bit stiff and will washed very easily.
All this being said, “I do not EVER wash contest quilt fabric before sewing, or quilting the quilt.” That is just me, you do YOU !
GIVE it a TRY ! it’s easy, all you use is triangles and squares. Here is one of my four inch quilt blocks, don’t over think it. Sew as you would any quilt block.
Old Maids Puzzle. This quilt block has a finished size of four inches by four inches. Making the quilt as shown in the book you will have a finished quilt thirty inches by thirty inches, perfect as a lap quilt or a baby quilt.
I made this quilt block with very simple colors and background, but you can have lots of fun with it. Remember to press NOT IRON a quilt block and I always press as I go each seam. I have a small ironing board right by my sewing machine. I posted how I do quilt triangles
Welcome to my Tuesday Threads: Quilt How-To with The Quilt Ladies! Every Tuesday, I’m sharing simple, step-by-step quilting techniques straight from my sewing room to yours.
I have so many brand new to quilting or if you just want a quick refresher, these posts are here to help. Grab your fabric, pour a cup of something cozy, and let’s get stitching, one technique at a time!
I am starting with pressing because I see SO many new quilters pressing as they would IF you were sewing a dress, with quilt blocks you do NOT press the seam open, you press to the darker fabric and here is why. NO Steam, a hot, dry iron.
press your quilt block to the darker fabric, here the redseam opened and how the nest into each other
When you press both layers of fabric and the seam allowance all to one side, you’re giving that seam more fabric layers to support it. This extra layer of fabric over the stitching line helps protect your thread from wear and tear over time.
As your quilt gets used, loved, washed, and tugged on, the seams take a lot of stress. By pressing to one side, you’re wrapping that stitching line in a little fabric shield. The thread sits just under the fold, with fabric on top of it and underneath it. This extra cushion means the thread is less likely to snap or break down over the years.
Press to the Dark Side… Always (Well, Almost Always)
I HOPE you have heard this rule a hundred times: “Press your seams to the dark side.” But why?
It’s not just some old quilting superstition. There’s a real reason for it!
When you sew two fabrics together—especially a light fabric next to a dark one—the seam allowance can show through the lighter fabric if it’s pressed the wrong way. This is called “shadowing.” Nobody wants to finish a quilt top, hold it up to the light, and suddenly see dark seam lines peeking through those lovely light fabrics.
By pressing your seam allowance toward the darker fabric, you’re tucking that extra bulk safely under the dark side—where it stays hidden.
Press, Don’t Iron: Up and Down, Not Side to Side
Now let’s talk about the motion of pressing. When you’re at your ironing board, it’s tempting to treat your quilt block like a wrinkled shirt and slide the iron back and forth. But don’t!
In quilting, you want to “press,” not “iron.”
That means setting your iron down straight onto the fabric, holding for a few seconds, then lifting it up and moving it to the next spot.
Why?
Dragging your iron side to side can stretch the fabric, especially along diagonal seams (the bias). This leads to wonky blocks, wavy edges, and points that don’t quite match later.
This a little thing, but the pressing of the quilt block the right way can make your quilt pop just a little more, and last a bit longer.
Why I Created Our New Password Log Book: Love, Loss, and the Details We Leave Behind. NO ONE wants to think about any of this, but please do !
This book wasn’t something I planned to make. It grew out of one of those life moments that leaves you both grateful and a little rattled.
Simple and easy log book
When my husband stepped up as executor for a dear friend’s estate, we found ourselves knee deep in paperwork, locked accounts, unanswered security questions, and endless guessing about passwords.
The stress was real, but more than that, there was a quiet sadness that lingered over every, “how would our children want us to do this?” The experience taught us something simple but important: write things down.
Not just the big stuff, like insurance policies and banking info, but the everyday little details too. Websites, usernames, passwords, PIN numbers, phone unlock codes… all the things that seem small, until you need them and don’t have them.
So that’s why this Password Log Book exists. It’s for today—so you don’t waste time resetting passwords or searching for account numbers.
And it’s for tomorrow—offering peace of mind for the people who may someday need to step in for you.
Simple, Easy Password Log Book
It’s organization, yes—but more than that, it’s a quiet kind of love. Love remembers. And this is one small way to make sure everything important is written down, kept safe, and easy to find when it matters most.
Here is Florida I’m in shorts and flip-flops pretty much year around. If I need a sweater it’s not for long and I really like that. But we booked a trip before Husband’s health started and docs all say GO ! And I know I will be eating and trying everything so…
get my favorite go to…need a few pounds off recipe.
My Weight Watchers Tortilla Soup with Chicken
This is based on Weight Watchers 0 Point Tortilla Soup. But, I need meat in mine, I need the protein it keeps me moving a bit longer.
3 chicken breast, in a pot with about 6 cups of water.
add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Cook until the chicken is done, remove skin/bones. I do it this way, I can control the fat.
Or use 4 cups of Can Chicken Bone Broth
if you can find it, just a better flavor
Pull chicken out and shred.
1 cup Chopped Onions Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves
3 Green Onions Chopped
3-4 stalks of Celery Chopped
1/2 a Green Pepper
1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro
Spray pan with spray oil.
Cook in soup pan, make everything tender 10-15 minutes
Pour Chicken broth through a strainer and back into pot.(if homemade)
Add Shredded Chicken
Add the rest of the ingredients to the broth
2 – 12oz cans of Diced Tomatoes
1/2 cup Salsa, we like hot, use what you like
1 can Whole Corn – Or fresh off the cob, the best
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon basil
Simmer and let cook down.
Serve with Sour Cream (I use Greek yogurt)
And taco chips
Suggestions
When you have leftovers after the holidays or party, make this soup, you can add anything to it and it’s wonderful.
Try adding fresh spinach, cut up add in about 5 minutes before serving.
You can use any meat, shred turkey, shred roast beef or pork, if you use another meat or don’t want to do your own chicken stock, use 4 cups of Chicken Broth
This is a make it your own soup.
We eat this year round, mostly I think because it’s a great solo-lunch for me.
It’s very good without meat, it will be a 0 Point meal with no meat.
Life handed us a storm you never saw coming, our storm came with my husband’s health battles. Hospital visits, long nights, and endless waiting rooms can leave you feeling like you’re spinning in place with no footing.
So, I escaped. Not in a big way—no plane tickets, no beach vacations. Time with a laptop in a hospital room and moments I make my way into the softest place I know as my little library. The quiet shelves, family photos, scattered notebooks of ideas, the comfort of pens in a little coffee mug, my refuge.
I created what I needed in MY day-to-day life, a sense of order, a landing spot, and daily joys to hold onto.
The truly funny thing is, my journals are covered with my ideas and needs, I can’t show them. Hoping for time to do pretend ones!?! Hope you like my books.
These are my books 100%. I am Beth Ann and I am the voice behind The Quilt Ladies and this blog. I hope my journals bring you comfort and a reminder to slow down and appreciate all the big and little things in life.
Let’s Make a Quilt !
Have a FANTASTIC Weekend with my free quilt pattern
Here is a Complete quilt pattern for you. I think it’s a fun quilt because of the colors and the black making it pop. This quilt LOOKS hard BUT it’s just triangles.
I cut 3 7/8″ blocks to make my triangles, you can cut any size you would like. I made and quilted this quilt YEARS ago and I have used it as a table topper, a front door quilt and as a lay over the back of the couch quilt for color. My quilt has a finished size of 30 inches by 30 inches.
Cut 1 Blue – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Cut 1 Orange – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Make Triangles How I make my Triangles
Cut 2 Blue – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Cut 2 Orange – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Cut 4 Black – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Make Triangles
Cut 4 Black – 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
Sew units as shown, sew to the sides. Sew top and bottom as shown and sew
Finished center of the quilt block.
Cut 6 Orange – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″
Cut 6 Blue – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″
Make Triangles
Cut 1 Orange – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Cut 1 Blue – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Cut 2 Black – 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ Make Triangles
Sew as shown add sides first, then top and bottom
Free Star Quilt Pattern
Cut 4 Blue 3 1/2″ x 24 1/2″
Cut 4 Orange – 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
Sew one orange square on to each end of two blue strips
This is one of the quilt rows, choosing fabrics this way 
Here’s a look at one of the 16 blocks ! 
