Hands2Help - Featuring Guest Blogger Miki Willa!

Hi, all!

Sunday again - and it's time for another guest blogger!!  Today we're welcoming Miki Willa, from Miki's Fabric Creations.  Miki and I have a lot in common - not only are we quilters and bloggers, but we each have granddaughters of very similar ages who love to help us quilt and create!  So without further ado, here's Miki!

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Hi.  My name is Miki Willa, and I usually hang out over at Miki's Fabric Creations.  I am honored today to be able to share a quilt pattern I came up with for my H2H quilt last year.  I call it Bella's Stars, after my granddaughter.  I have used the pattern a couple of times, and have seen a quilt made by another quilt blogger after she asked me to send the pattern to her.  I goes together pretty easily and has two blocks.

This is the quilt I made for H2H last year.  With the borders, it was 60" x 60".

This is the second quilt I made from the pattern. I added sashing to this one because I thought the fabric patterns needed a little separation. It was a wedding present for my nephew, and the colors were selected just for them.  As you can see, the blocks are pretty basic, but the right colors can make this quilt look great.

This is the pattern I created for the red, white, and black quilt.  As you can see, I have included all the fabric requirements in the box on the right marked "needs."  For all you EQ7 users, this probably looks pretty primitive, but I do love my pencil and graph paper.  (This is probably because I have not tried EQ7.)  I have also included all the cutting measurements for the two blocks (counts are for one block each.  For the quilt I made, the cuttings for the star blocks and the square in a square blocks need to be multiplied by eight.)  I use the No Waste Flying Geese method for making my geese.  You can use any method you want, but if you want to try the NWFG method, I have a tutorial here.

For the centers of both blocks, start with a 3 1/2" square.  Sew the 2" by 3 1/2" strips to the tops and bottoms of this square.  Then, sew on the 2" by 6 1/2" pieces to the side.  I know this is counter to what we are taught, and you may certainly sew them in the opposite directions with the short pieces at the sides. I just liked the look this way.  I can be contrary that way.

I know this is probably a different sort of pattern tutorial than what you are used to, but I have seen what you are capable of, and I am sure this brief overview of my pattern will be all you need if you decided to make this quilt. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at mikiwilla at gmail dot com.

I am, as always, so impressed by the generosity of the quilting community.  It is so wonderful that you are all willing to give of your time and expertise to make quilts to comfort others.  Thank you, Sarah, for letting me be a small part of this years Hand 2 Help quilting project.

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Thanks so much for sharing with us, Miki!  Your designs are aways inspiring and I know I want to try this one out really soon!!

Be sure to check back next week, when our guest blogger will be Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts!

Hugs!

Sarah