Name of Pattern/Book - BQ

Author: Debbie Bowles of Maple Island Quilts

What You Get You get a pattern that will make 18 inch square blocks.  Debbie also figures out all the math for half-ing the size so you also get a 9-inch square block.

What I Like About It

It’s great for showcasing those big flowery prints.  I’m making a quilt for my mom using this pattern because she loves flowers and I can’t think of something better than giving her a bouquet that will never die (as in the quilt). I also like that there’s a 9-inch size.  I’ve used this size to make a quick mini quilt of 4 blocks. I  call it cubicle art since I give the small quilts to co-workers so they can hang them in their cubicles

What Could Be Better

Because the big print is made of 12 ½ inch squares, Debbie does not give you yardage.  This is great if you want to use a set of fat quarters for a quilt – I’m thinking those vegetable/fruit fabrics or a bouquet of flowers.  Hmmm… This is not OK, however, if you you’re standing in the quilt shop trying to figurer out how much yardage you need and everyone is mathematically challenged.  Of course, that is another excuse to buy more fabric, but you know what I’m getting at here… Bottom Line This is one of my Tried-N-True patterns.  I love it.  You need basic skills, though.  It’s a pattern not an instruction book.

Full Disclosure

If you purchase through my link, I do get a portion of the price.

Where to Purchase/Download You can purchase this pattern at Create For Less

1.  Potholder

A potholder is a great Christmas gift when using an easy quilt pattern block as the top. I like to make use a 6.5 inch to 7.5 inch block for this project. You would just quilt and bind the potholder like a regular quilt with a few exceptions. Make sure to use 100% cotton for your quilting thread. If you use invisible thread, it will melt when handling hot pans. You will also want to use insulated batting.

2.  Place mats

I made a set of four place mats and four coasters for my parents last year and they loved them! You can use the simplest of easy quilt patterns for this one – a checkerboard. What is great about this idea is that you will get plenty of practice binding quilts.

3.  Tote Bag

Make it a market tote and give it folks who want to break themselves of using plastic bags at the grocery store. A quilt block can be used as decoration. If you make the bag out of novelty fabric such as Sponge Bob or Barbie, you can gift it to your favorite pre-teen as a library bag.

4.  Covers for Recliner Headrests

I found out about this idea by mistake. I made my mom a mini quilt version of the larger quilt I had given her as a gift. She used it as a cover for her recliner’s headrest. It looks great. So much so that my dad rested one for the next year. You will need to make a quilt approximately 16 by 19 inches. If the intended recipient has a pair of recliners, be sure to make two.

5.  Table Topper
Does anyone you know have those accent tables? Make them a table topper. Great gift. Just make sure that it matches the décor of the room.

There you have it – 5 great homemade Christmas gift ideas where you can use your easy quilt patterns. Get started on whipping these up today.

If you are looking for some free beginner quilt patterns, head on over to About.com. They have a list of easy quilt patterns perfect for the beginner, including some variations that I have not seen before. Here are my favorites from the article and why

Black & White and Red All Over

Practice your strip piecing with this incredibly easy quilt pattern. Plus, don’t let the color choice stop you. You can also substitute yellow for black. Or choose to create a white and blue quilt. If you have a college football junkie in your household, think of how they would enjoy this quilt in their team’s colors. Pick up some of the team’s licensed fabric for one of the scrappy fabric choices and you have a winner.

Quick and Easy Rag Quilt

Rag quilts are so much fun and cozy! Using flannel fabric, this is a beginner quilt pattern you can easily complete in a day. Plus, rag quilts are excellent for testing teenagers. I figure if they can hang on to a rag quilt, they may be ready for an upgrade.

Mock Basket Weave

Oh, now you have to admit that this idea is totally wonderful. You pick out striped fabrics and let them do all the work. You simply rotate the pieces so that it looks like you pieced the blocks when you did not. It sounds strange, but looks wonderful.

Friendship Star

This block is usually the beginning quilter’s first star block. As it should be. It will help you get over your fear of triangles if you have any. Plus, you can always substitute this star for a more complicated star in a quilt pattern.

There are some other fun easy quilt patterns over there that I am not going to tell you about because you just need to go over there and check them out. Lots of pictures and full instructions. Plus, about.com has a “Print” button on the easy quilt patterns’ pages so you don’t have to fix anything. Just click.

So what are you waiting for? Go over there now. And while you are there, check out the forums. Very helpful and knowledgeable folks. Here’s the link:

http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/tp/easy_quilts.htm

The Head Lazy Girl herself, Joan Hawley has posted a tote bag pattern for free! The bag is the perfect project to familiarize yourself with your sewing machine if you are a little rusty. Plus, you only need 1 yard of fabric. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Besides this challenge, this one hour tote bag pattern is a great one to keep in your stash. Christmas is coming. The tote bags would make great last-minute gifts. Call it a market tote, make a gift tag out of an old paper bag and give it to your favorite environmentalist.

If you were planning on making quilts for Christmas, you could make a tote to serve as a gift bag. Another thought is to use one of your quilt blocks as an applique to the front of the tote to jazz it up.

Click on over to Lazy Girl Designs Blog at for all the details. Here’s the link:

Make2/Give2

What It Is

An easy quilt patterns book geared toward the beginner quilter. It features only one pattern – log cabin. That’s it. One pattern. But If it is the right pattern and you are starting out, do you really need another one? Besides, a log cabin quilt is gorgeous.

What You’ll Learn

You will learn exactly what you need to buy to start quilting. This was invaluable for me because other easy quilt patterns books assumed that you were not a complete beginner and did not offer any suggestions on what to buy and how to finish a quilt. Not only is there a shopping list, there are pictures of the products the author recommends. Again, if you have never been in a quilt shop before, this is wonderful.

You will learn how to design your own quilt. The book includes a paste-up sheet so that you can see how your fabric choices work together. Right from the beginning, the book encourages you to select your own fabric and gives you freedom to make your own choices.

You will learn how to use your rotary cutter and how to strip-piece fabric. Everything is laid out with big, color pictures in a step-by-step fashion and it is very clear.

You will learn how to finish your quilt. Other beginner quilt patterns books may say quilt and bind as desired. They leave out the how. This easy quilt patterns book gives you three different ways of finishing your quilt and even suggests quilting lines.

The book also gives you different layout suggestions. Wonderful!

As a bonus, there are instructions on how to create a tote bag using one block of the quilt pattern. You could use this tote bag as a carrier for the quilt if you plan on giving away the quilt.

A minor point is that the book also gives a brief history of the log cabin block. It is actually symbolic! I mean, I know a wedding ring quilt is popular for newlyweds, but think of making them a log cabin quilt, instead. It is way easier and just as impressive.

What to Do Now

Buy the book. Yes, you could get the instructions on line. I tried reading the instructions about this pattern on line and I got confused. Plus, you will not get the step-by-step instructions on how to bind a quilt, you will not get the layouts and you will not get suggested quilting patterns. Click here to check it out for yourself.

How much do I love this easy quilt patterns book? I have worn mine out and am about to buy a new one to replace it.

Technorati Tags: Log Cabin Quilt

I came across an article on a Gee’s Bend quilter’s exhibit in Knoxville and it just reminded me that easy quilt patterns do not have to equal a boring quilt. They can literally be art!

Black women in the tiny town of Gee’s Bend, Alabama had been making simple quilts from scraps for generations. Now these beautiful works hang in museums. There can be no greater testament of what you can achieve with easy quilt patterns.

So, if you are looking for some inspiration and happen to be in the Knoxville area, a trip to the Knoxville Museum of Art should definitely be on your to-do list. The museum’s new exhibit is called Mary Lee Bendolph: Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond.

I made my way to the Gee’s Bend exhibit when it came to Atlanta and was blown away. What these women were able to do with simple quilt patterns was amazing.

They used what they had. They added their personality. The end was art. Did you know that they used corduroy for some of their quilts? Who does that? But because they had corduroy scraps, that is what they used.

After seeing these beautiful quilts up close, the first thing you’ll want to do is dig through your easy quilt patterns and start a new project.

Check out the full article here - http://www.metropulse.com/news/2008/aug/06/around-bend/

Technorati Tags: easy quilt patterns, Gee's Bend

Log Cabin

The Log Cabin is perhaps the best known of the easy quilt patterns. First, it is colorful. The pattern can use up to 13 different fabrics in a block. Next, it is easy. If you can sew a straight seam (and even if you can’t) you can still make a beautiful quilt from this block. Plus, it is quick. Using modern strip piecing techniques, you can easily complete the quilt top in a day. Use this pattern and folks will think you have been quilting for years.

Whole Cloth

A whole cloth quilt is just one big piece of fabric the same dimensions as a pieced quilt top. In fact, there are fabrics out there that look like pieced quilt tops. They are beautiful and excellent practice. Please do not think that a whole cloth quilt is not “real.” As long as the quilt has a top, batting and a backing stitched together, it is a quilt. Whole cloth quilts are wonderful ways to practice. They are definitely worth looking into for the beginning quilter.

Four-Patch

You can’t get much simpler than a Four-patch block alternating with a plain square. These simple patterns allow you finish a quilt quickly. This pattern also lends itself to novelty prints.

Denim Rag Quilt

Denim rag quilt patterns are all over the Internet for good reason — they are warm and sturdy. Plus, now you can recycle your old jeans into something useful! For beginning quilters who are scared of actually quilting the quilt sandwich or attaching the binding, this is a great first project. A denim rag quilt is rugged. It is simple.  It is the perfect quilt for picnics and watching fireworks.

Rail Fence

A rail fence is one of the easiest quilts to pull together. It requires only three coordinating fabrics and very minimal cutting. It is also very forgiving if your seam allowances are off.

Can a beginner make a beautiful quilt? Absolutely. You just need to choose a pattern that displays the fabric and not your stitching.

So, go ahead; choose one of the easy quilt patterns listed. You can’t go wrong. Be careful, though. Once your family members see your creation, you might have a quilt thief or two on your hands!

Technorati Tags: easy quilt patterns