I've heard zillions of quilters say there isn't anything new in quilting, and loads of times, I agree with them. But that's not to say that we can't make little tweaks or twists on tradition that sometimes make something fresh appear - and when I filmed last fall for the new PBS show Fresh Quilting, that's one of the things I did.

I love trying to put blocks together, mashing up two different classic blocks that I love, and two blocks that I love very much are the classic Carpenter's Star and the Patchwork Wheel, or Cheyenne, block. I fooled around over and over again with the components of these two blocks, and came up with a mashup that I presented on last week's new episode of Fresh Quilting, which if you're an MQG member you can watch online for free anytime on the MQG Community site. I'd like to introduce you to the Carpenter's Wheel!


You can get your very own copy of the Carpenter's Wheel PDF pattern, from my Pattern Shop, and Craftsy, on sale this week for $3. It includes two different block sizes, 20" finished and 30" finished. This block is built with simple squares and half-square triangles and makes a great start for a medallion quilt, or a mini quilt of its' own! The pattern features tips and tricks on making eight half-square triangles at once, as well as loads of full-color illustrations to walk you through making the quilt block.

Carpenter's Wheel PDF download from my Pattern Shop
Carpenter's Wheel PDF download on Craftsy

I hope you enjoy it, and I can't wait to see what you stitch up!

The last several days have been awfully challenging to be a citizen of this world, let alone a citizen in Florida. Like so many of you, the recent Orlando tragedy has both shocked and saddened me, but I am proud to see that the quilters of the Orlando MQG are banding together to try to bring comfort to those affected by this tragedy, the best way we know how: quilts.

The Orlando MQG is collecting heart blocks and quilts of heart blocks for the victims, victims' families and first responders. There's a very simple heart block tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew you can use right here, or if you're not a fan of stitching and flipping you can download my new free heart paper piecing templates right here. There's no cutting instructions on these templates, they are strictly templates, but they're extremely simple and easy to use.



While you may say, who needs quilts in Florida, you'd be surprised how many my family piles on in the wintertime, not to mention how much joy a quilt draped across a couch can bring. There's loads of ways to get involved if you don't want to make blocks or quilts, and you can check out all of the details right here: The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild.

It's no secret that I adore working with solids, so when I found out that Kona was celebrating their 30th birthday, I wanted in on the fun! I love the crisp, graphic look at that solids bring to any project, and Kona has the largest selection of colors so I'm often sewing with Kona solids! Today is my stop on the Kona 30 blog hop, in which thirty fabulously talented designers are sharing the fantastic quilts that they've sewn up to honor Kona and their 303 amazing shades. The quilt I've created for Kona's big birthday is my Eternity Ring quilt and pattern!

For my contribution, I created a new pattern which I'm calling Eternity Ring. I wanted to play around with the idea of a paper pieced wedding ring quilt, as curves and I have yet to really play nice with one another. My Eternity Ring quilt is sewn up in gorgeous, rich Kona solids in shades of emerald and fuchsia, with one singular block sewn together in grayscale. I love the contrast the one gray block brings to the whole quilt. I pulled some of my favorite shades of Kona, like Kona Pond (quite possibly my all-time-favorite Kona solid), Kona Cerise, Kona Iron, Kona White and Kona Black and threw in some newer favorites, Kona Kale, Kona Dark Violet, Kona Charcoal, and Kona Lemon for this beauty. The blocks alternate to create a faux double wedding ring look, which is created through four paper piecing templates, which come together to create the quarter-block units for completing the blocks.


Never paper pieced before? No worries! The pattern comes with detailed instructions, accompanied by photographs to help visual learners work through the pattern. You can also take advantage of a great deal on my new Craftsy class, Start Foundation Paper Piecing, which has boatloads of tips and tricks to make paper piecing a fun, addictive experience!

This foundation paper-pieced quilt pattern is now available through my Pattern Shop as well as through Craftsy, yay!! The pattern also includes a complete cutting list and fabric yardage instructions for four different quilt sizes: baby, lap, twin, and queen.
And to celebrate the wonderful 30 Years of Kona Cotton Solids, I'm doing a little giveaway today - you can enter the Rafflecopter below to win a beautiful charm pack of the Kona Brights and a copy of my Eternity Ring pattern as well! You must enter to win by the end of the day today, November 30th, so hop to it!




a Rafflecopter giveaway 

There's only a few more stops on the 30 Quilts for 30 Years blog hop, but there's plenty to catch up on if you haven't seen all the fabulous quilts! You can also see all 30 designs in Kaufman's 30 Quilts for 30 Years Lookbook. Check out the great collection of Kona quilts by all of these fabulous designers listed below!

Week 1: 
Saturday, November 1st: Johanna Masko 
Sunday, November 2nd: Alyssa of  Aria Lane 
Monday, November 3rd: Dorie of Tumblingblocks 
Tuesday, November 4th: Megan of Canoe Ridge Creations 
Wednesday, November 5th: Daniela of Cozy Quilt Designs 
Thursday, November 6th: Faith of Fresh Lemons Quilts 
Friday, November 7th: Anita Grossman Solomon 
Saturday, November 8th: Debbie of Esch House Quilts 

Week 2: 
Sunday, November 9th: Alex of Teaginny 
Monday, November 10th: Darlene Zimmerman 
Tuesday, November 11th: Nichole Ramirez with Aurifil 
Wednesday, November 12th: Rita Hodge of Red Pepper Quilts 
Thursday, November 13th: Lee of Freshly Pieced 
Friday, November 14th: Julie of Jaybird Quilts 
Saturday, November 15th: Latifah of The Quilt Engineer 

Week 3: 
Sunday. November 16th: Elizabeth Hartman 
Monday, November 17th: Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting 
Tuesday, November 18th: Karrie of Freckled Whimsy 
Wednesday, November 19th: Valori Wells 
Thursday, November 20th: Marilyn of Quilt Moments 
Friday, November 21st: Cortney Heimerl 
Saturday, November 22nd: Shayla and Kristy of Sassafras Lane Designs 

Week 4: 
Sunday, November 23rd: Shea of Empty Bobbin Sewing 
Monday, November 24th: Carrie Strine 
Tuesday, November 25th: Rachel of Stitched in Color 
Wednesday, November 26th: Liz of Lady Harvatine 
Saturday, November 29th: Carolyn Friedlander 

Week 5: 
Sunday, November 30th: Elizabeth of Don’t Call Me Betsy - You are here :)
Monday, December 1st: Emily of Carolina Patchworks 
Tuesday, December 2nd: Ken Kaufman 
Wednesday, December 3rd: Grand Finale!

Looking for my Black Friday Sale? It ends tonight! Grab the coupon code right here!
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It's all paper piecing all the time these days in my sewing room, and this weekend I finally finished off a little pattern that's been half-finished for an embarrassingly long while, the Coffee Cup block. This is a mini-pattern, available as a PDF pattern now both at my Pattern Shop and Craftsy. There will be a few other mini-pattern releases over the next few months. Every mini pattern will include a paper pieced block template in two sizes, in this case 6" and 8", as well as complete cutting instructions. These mini-patterns, however, are intended for those with some paper piecing experience, as step-by-step instructions are not included.


If you've done more than a block or two with paper piecing, you've probably noticed that the process of paper piecing does not change from block to block, the technique is identical, so that's precisely why I'm introducing these mini-patterns. Quick and easy fun paper pieced blocks are a great way to add some fun pizzazz to a zipper pouch or a tote, or to use in a mini quilt!



Each mini-pattern also includes a piecing diagram to show you exactly where each piece in the block winds up.

Love the idea of paper piecing but haven't given it a try yet? Stay tuned tomorrow for the official release of my newest Craftsy class, Start Paper Piecing! I'm super excited to share the projects with you all. Have a fantastic day!

Do you remember the big craze around the Single Girl quilt a few years ago? There was a great quilt-along hosted by Katy Jones focused around the beautiful pattern by Denyse Schmidt, and it was my first foray into curves. I even managed to make a king-sized Single Girl quilt top through it all, but it was a painstaking experience for me, to say the least. I have always loved the concept of wedding ring quilts and the beauty in the piecing, but curves and I have yet to really become good friends. I've been kicking around the idea of a twist on a double wedding ring quilt for a while now, and I thought more specifically about the idea of making a ring-style quilt using angled pieces that create the illusion of curves, which led to my Chain + Link pattern last year. It was a satisfying finish, but I didn't feel "done" with the idea of an angular ring, so I kept fiddling, and that's where my newest pattern, Eternity Ring, comes from.



My Eternity Ring quilt is sewn up in gorgeous, rich Kona solids in shades of emerald and fuchsia, with one singular block sewn together in grayscale. I love the contrast the one gray block brings to the whole quilt. The blocks alternate to create a faux double wedding ring look, which is created through four paper piecing templates, which come together to create the quarter-block units for completing the blocks. In the grand scheme of my paper piecing projects, this one comes together fairly easily and quite straight-forwardly.



Quilt Stats
name: Eternity Ring
size: 60" x 72"
pattern: Eternity Ring by Elizabeth Dackson, available now through my Pattern Shop and Craftsy
fabrics: Kona Kale, Pond, Maize, Lemon, Cerise, Dark Violet, White, Iron, Charcoal, and Black
quilting: meandering stipple by me in white (#2024) Aurifil 50 wt thread
binding: Kona Dark Violet

Remember my Mod Nine Patch quilt from eons ago? Okay, it was two years ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago :) When my sweet friend Sara Lawson told me she had designed a fabric line for Art Gallery and showed me some swatches a while back, I was equal parts super excited for her and just itching to make something with her new prints! The prints in real life most definitely did not disappoint. Rich colors, fun prints, and I absolutely adore the black and white NeighborHoods print. I will definitely be buying some serious yardage of that one :) As soon as I saw the prints in person, this quilt is what popped into my head - it's perfect for prints like hers, prints that aren't exactly small scale, that need some size to properly shine.

The other reason I think this quilt came to mind is that I really loved the colors, and I knew that if I used the same design tactic I used with my original Mod Nine Patch quilt (solids + fun prints) that it would be really awesome, and I'm super happy with how this one turned out.

I had forgotten how quick this quilt is to put together, so the other thing I worked on with this finish is an update to the original free tutorial, adding several different size options as well as some new diagrams and such. The new free pattern is available right here.
Sara's new line hits stores any day now, so keep your eyes peeled for it - you're going to need some. Trust me on that :)

Quilt Stats
name: Jungle Ave Mod Nine Patch
size: 48" square
fabrics: Jungle Ave prints by Sara Lawson for Art Gallery Fabrics (coming out super soon!) and assorted coordinating Art Gallery Pure Elements Solids
pattern: Mod Nine Patch free pattern by yours truly
quilting: simple stipple in white 50 wt Aurifil
binding: Art Gallery Pure Elements in Caviar (black)

Good morning! It's the next-to-last day of school this morning at the Not Betsy household, and that means that summer is nearly upon us already. The idea that my baby is going to be a first-grader come the end of this summer would typically make me fret, but this morning I'm feeling excited - or perhaps distracted is a better word choice - because I'm sharing a new, free pattern with you this morning!
Last week, I shared about a recent finish that I misplaced, my modern traditionalist take on a nine-patch, called Boxed In. And as promised, I've written up how you can make your very own Boxed In blocks in my new, free Boxed In pattern.



The six page pattern includes full color diagrams to walk you through making your own Boxed In block(s) as well as some basic quilt math to help you plan out your Boxed In quilt. You'll also find six different Boxed In layouts to inspire you to create a beautiful quilt of your own!
You can download the Boxed In pattern for free at both Craftsy or right here. If you make something with this pattern, I'd love to see it! You can share it in my Flickr group, Stitching with Don't Call Me Betsy, or by tagging me via your favorite social media site @dontcallmebetsy or #dontcallmebetsy

Sometimes the stars align for a quilt block to turn out really awesome. This was one of those times...
After The Stash Bash, I joked with Kristi of Schnitzel & Boo that I would love for her to make me a Cargo Duffle. Some fun banter ensued, and we decided to do a fun little swap amongst ourselves. Except with both of us being pretty creative people, we both decided to make up a draw up fresh, original patterns for each other.
Sometimes, I take my computer to my son's gymnastics classes. Inevitably, I find myself fooling around in Electric Quilt, coming up with "someday" patterns and such, but two weeks ago I came up with something I couldn't shake. It was one of those things that I couldn't stop thinking about and had to make. Right away. So for the last week, I've been working on a this new block, which I'm calling Drop Dead Gorgeous.

After designing the block, I decided it would make a great mini for Kristi's sewing area, so I asked her about her favorite colors. She described her favorite colors as "girly but edgy," and I knew exactly what fabrics to go for in my stash...
And I got right to pressing and cutting. And measuring. And sewing. And ripping a lot of paper :) I quilted it using some assorted matching Aurifil 50 wt threads in white, gray, fuchsia, and lime green, and I love the texture that shows through on the backing.
Every little bit of the work was worth it because I just adore how her mini turned out, and I think she's pretty happy with it too, now that it's arrived at her house safely.
The pattern is now available via my Pattern Shop as well as Craftsy. Even if you've never paper pieced before, you can tackle this pattern. Yes, there are a lot of pieces of fabric involved (124 pieces, to be exact), but it's broken up into bite-size, manageable chunks that you can do. And if you're an experienced paper piecer, you can totally rock this pattern. The eleven page pattern is for a 16" block, and includes all of the cutting instructions, piecing instructions, colorful photographs and diagrams to assist you in your piecing, as well as line drawings of the block where you can experiment with your color placement to find the right mix of colors that makes you excited to work on this block.
Kara and Lisa sewed through this pattern for me to test it out over the long holiday weekend and they both made fabulous blocks!

If you make something using this pattern, please do share it with me! You can share it with me on Flickr in my Flickr group or on Instagram by tagging me (@dontcallmebetsy) or using the hashtag #dontcallmebetsy

Whenever I go to an event like The Stash Bash, I come away not only feeling refreshed and happy, but confident in knowing that quilty people are truly the best people. I meet so many friendly faces, welcoming and kind, understanding and affable, and often truly hilarious. Sometimes meeting your Instagram and blog friends can be awkward, but with quilty people, it's just like picking up a conversation you were in the middle of when you last chatted. If you haven't been to an event like this before, I really can't recommend it enough. There's two similar events that I know of that are coming up, in case you're interested: Sew OK and Sewtopia. Both events still have tickets available, so if the timing and location works out, I say go for it!! You won't regret it :)

One of the fun side benefits of having quilty people for friends is setting up fun personal swaps with them. Have a friend that you admire that makes garments? Offer to make them something in exchange for them making something for you! I love bags, and while I enjoy the process of making them, I know that I'm kind of terrible at it. So when I jokingly suggested a swap with Kristi recently, she went for it. She's going to make me a cool bag, and I made a super awesome mini quilt for her that should be showing up at her doorstep today, using a new pattern that will be coming out right here tomorrow. If you liked my Showstopper quilt block pattern, you're going to love Drop Dead Gorgeous! Here's a few sneak peeks to tide you over - and make sure to come back tomorrow to see more :)

 

First off, thank you all so much for all of your kind words about my new Craftsy class, Start Free-Motion Quilting, and thank you to all of you who have signed up already! I'm really enjoying getting to know you and answering your questions :) It's been such a great week so far, so let's keep that streak going, shall we? Today, I've got the last new pattern hitting my pattern shop for the season, the Gradation pattern, available today in my Pattern Shop and on Craftsy.

The Gradation quilt was originally made for an issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited last year - you can read more about that feature right here. One of the things that I really love about this pattern is the way that the changes in tone and color draw your eye across the quilt. I love playing with tones and grades in color, and this is a quilt is a super way to just that.


My original quilt was done up in an assortment of Art Gallery prints, in shades of blue and magenta. As I worked through this quilt, I realized that this would make an absolutely stunning scrap quilt. You could even take it a step further and do a warm/cool quilt using this pattern, following the basic color placement that I used - keeping the warm colors for the lattice work that moves between the blocks, and the cool colors for the pixelated background, or vice versa. There's a lot of different looks you could give to this pattern. Here's a few to feast your eyes on...which one is your favorite?


As with all my patterns, the instructions are quite thorough and illustrated with diagrams throughout to assist you in the quilt making process. If half-square triangles have given you trouble in the past, you'll find great instructions in this pattern for making half-square triangles for this quilt with ease. There's also a black and line drawing of the block so that you can experiment with your color placement. Give it a try, it's a lot of fun to get out some colored pencils and play around with quilt diagrams!

I had two super thorough, super talented testers for this pattern, Alison and Karen. Thank you both so much for your feedback! And they made such lovely, lovely projects - take a look!

Alison Hingston - http://alioops-alioop.blogspot.com.au/ - I love the quilting Alison did, it totally accentuates the geometric nature of the pattern!


Karen O'Connor - @Ladykquilts on Instagram - Karen used gorgeous Liberty of London prints and they look fantastic in this pattern!

Gradation is the last new pattern hitting the Pattern Shop this month. It's been a busy but wonderful month, with four new patterns to love! For the next week, the Gradation pattern will be on sale for just $6. It will return to full price next Friday, so snap it up for a deal while you can through my Pattern Shop and/or Craftsy!  If you're a shop owner and are interested in stocking my paper patterns at your shop, please contact me directly at elizabeth(at)dontcallmebetsy(dot)com. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Today you'll find a new pattern in my pattern shop - the Mod Gears quilt pattern! This is such a fun, quick quilt to put together, with great tricks for making half-square triangles super fast and super accurately to boot. This quilt first was seen in an issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited last year, and has been one of my favorite quilts to share at my trunk shows since! You can now pick up this pattern at my Pattern Shop as well as on Craftsy.

In my quilt, I used Carolyn Friedlander's awesome Architextures collection for Robert Kaufman, with just a teeny tiny pop of fuchsia. Absolutely my favorite part of the quilt. One of the things you'll find in this quilt pattern is a coloring sheet with line drawings of the block so you can experiment with your color placement and find the color combination that makes you swoon over your quilt.


You'll also find four different finished quilt sizes to choose from, ranging from a small baby quilt to a large queen/king size quilt, so you can pick the perfect project size for you. The six page pattern includes detailed instructions, with photographs and diagrams to illustrate the piecing.

I love how different this quilt can look, based on what fabrics you use where. Here's a few ideas of what you could do with this pattern...

I had three great testers sew through this pattern - a triumvirate of K's, actually! Take a look at what they made...

Kara of The Cooking Quilter

Kristan of Doodlebug Designs


Krista of Kristastitched


Aren't they all lovely?! Thanks so much ladies!

There's one more pattern slated to come out this month, and that's going to be at the end of next week because I've got some other fun stuff to share too before that. It's been so fun to finally get to share all these patterns that have been in the works for the last little while! Today's pattern is on sale for the next week, until the new release for the month comes out next week, both on Craftsy and at my Pattern Shop. If you're a shop owner and are interested in stocking my paper patterns at your shop, please contact me directly at elizabeth(at)dontcallmebetsy(dot)com. Have a fantastic day everyone!!