A Fun Finish

Posted on April 26, 2026 by zippyquilts

I have gotten behind on binding quilts, but finally here is one that was a lot of fun to make.

The pattern is “Diagonal Scrap Quilt” by Maryline Collioud-Robert, available here. The author lives in Switzerland, but her patterns are available in PDF format through Etsy.

Making this quilt was quite an adventure! Here’s a picture of one 7.5″ finished block.

The process was fun, and was a good thing to do at a retreat last fall because it was repetitive and I could talk and listen at the same time. Plus, who would know if I made a mistake!

I did send this to a professional longarmer because of all those seams, but it is the correct size for Flying Horse Farms, and will go there or to another children’s’ charity.

Quilt Stats

Name: Many Scraps

Pattern: Diagonal Scrap Quilt by Maryline Collioud-Robert

Finished size: 61″ x 72″

Pieced by: me

Quilted by: Linda Nichols

Interleave Workshop

Posted on April 19, 2026 by zippyquilts

One of the workshops I took at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival (MAQF) this year was called “Interleave”. It was taught by Heather Kojan, though she generously credits Lorrie Cranor with teaching her the technique. Here’s my project from the class, not yet bound.

Now I know how some of those amazing quilts I see on Pinterest are done! And it wasn’t even difficult, though it did require some mental gymnastics to figure out how to set it up.

Heather was a good teacher and I enjoyed learning this. Here are a couple of examples of her work. Please note my photos are wonky, not her quilts!

I’m not sure I’ll ever make another of these, but that’s not the point–I just like trying new things!

OK, Now I’ve Done EPP

Posted on April 12, 2026 by zippyquilts

I’m a sucker for anything I haven’t tried yet, so when a friend offered to show some of us how to do English Paper Piecing (EPP), I went for it. Actually, a couple of friends were involved in teaching and they made two important innovations to make it easier on our hands:

The pieces were bigger (those hexagons finish 3.5″ across!)
Instead of pinching the pieces together and sewing the edge, they held everything flat and did something similar to a ladder stitch to catch both sides alternately. Seriously.

It turned out well, and everyone had a good time. One of the friends is an EPP fiend, having made Tula Pink’s diamond quilt. That’s a LOT of intricate blocks!

Queen of Diamonds Quilt BOM featuring Tula Pink Fabrics - Petting Fabric

In my case, one flower is enough! However, I appreciated the experience. Now I am trying out different backgrounds for the flower, which will eventually be part of a larger quilt.

On to the next project! And it’s great to have friends to teach me things!

Lucky Stars

Posted on April 5, 2026 by zippyquilts

This top was made as a sample for teaching the quilt at Studio Stitch. I chose fabric from my 30s reproduction box because the stuff in that box needs to move on out of here.

The pattern is Lucky Stars, by Atkinson Designs, which I’ve made many times. (Studio Stitch will be getting it in soon if you need a copy.) The pattern is well designed and illustrated. Although it’s intended for fat quarters, there are instructions for using scraps as well.

I made the 60 x 60 size and added 5″ borders top and bottom because Flying Horse Farms needs quilts 60 x 70. It took about a week to piece it, but it was quite a busy week so usually this is faster.

What’s your favorite easy quilt pattern?