This and That for JulyAugust 2026

August 16, 2026August 15, 2026 Elizabeth E.13 Comments

Can I just get this off my chest? I am not a fan of AI, even though — it appears — that we will all soon be swimming in it if we aren’t already. This ad is from a prominent mail-order quilt shop. Love the three parts of the glasses in the front: the lenses part, the eyeglass arms…and the other eyeglass arm, sticking out from the right. Every fat quarter fabric is a perfect shape-replica of the one underneath it/above it.

And then there’s this:

Should I be honored that the Giant Vacuums of AI have hoovered up (if you know the reference, you are showing your age) my blog, the thing that I’ve spent years writing and creating and making quilts and talking and thinking up? And if they’ve come for mine, they’ve come for yours, as well as the text in your gmails, the fun stuff on Instagram and Threads and anything that is online. And now, to make money to pay their data center loans, they are selling MY content back to the world?

Yes, I’m a bit ragey when I think about this. In my last post, I wanted to grab a picture of a baby crawling. Fifteen years ago, that would have been no problem. I was happy to share my images with others, and they shared their with me. But now every illustration is AI. I don’t want to put AI on my blog — I want it an AI-free zone. So I went back in my personal photo archives and pulled up a picture from long ago of my child, knowing that by putting it on my blog, I was now subjecting it to the Giant Vacuums of AI (I should copyright that phrase) and now it will also become AI by the very fact that it’s been published online. All my quilts are not now “my” quilts. And if you’ve posted online, yours aren’t either.

Ok, rant over. Sigh. Do I feel any better? Please be assured that I don’t use ANY AI to generate any writing either here on the blog, or in the emails I type back to you.

Moving on…A random shot from Moda’s display at Market a couple of years brings joy to my heart: look at these amazing (mostly) two-color quilts! We generally think in red/white, or blue/white, but definitely I want to make a periwinkle/white quilt now! (Add it to the list, she hollers!)

For a mere $5,000, you, too, can wear a Gee’s Bend Jacket made out of old jeans. Don’t forget your $3,000 tote bag!

In a recent social media post about screaming children on airplanes, I read this:

“Inside thought just broke containment,” may apply to those paragraphs at the beginning of this blog. I apologize.

Recently an artist covered the Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris in order to make it look like a big mountain.

And inside, you could walk through tunnels to some interesting soundscape music. Please click on the Instagram of @kristinetghardeberg to listen. And thank you to her for posting!

This is why that is so fascinating to me: here’s the guy sitting at his (industrial) sewing machine, cranking it out. Oh, I’m sure those belts and geegaws also played a part.

I don’t know about you, but this is more my speed this summer. I did finish up a couple of quilts, but the energy overall has been so incredibly low, for some reason. Good thing I make quilts to nap with! And of course, that’s a screen shot from somewhere and I don’t know who to give credit to. When I did a Google Search, a whole lot more really fun “confetti” quilts pop up. Now I have lots more ideas of what to do with all those leftovers squares from my Oh! Granny quilt.

I don’t know who Poliana Araújo is, but really? She spent “so long picking out these green and blue prints?”

And even though I have this declarative statement on my website? Happily my wonderful readers saw the stolen quilt images and connected it to this one that Riley and I made some years ago, and called her out on it. Hmmm. Is this the early version of the Giant Vacuum of AI? Link to her ill-gotten Facebook post.

BACKGROUND UPDATING IN PROGRESS!

Apparently the “Classic Block” is being phased out. So I’ve been busy updating all my posts to the recommended “Block” style. Besides working on that, I’ve also been working on updating the Blog Index that shows a photo from every blog post, as well as a little bit of the writing.

Here’s a video showing a page from far back…and right in the middle of it is Riley, making his quilt! (Sure hope this works on your computer/browser/whatever.)

These represent the blog Four-in-Art blog on Blogspot/Blogger, as well as the Mid-Century Modern blog. I was supposed to delete them several years ago, but just now (sadly) said good-bye. Here’s a record of the quilts I made in the Mid-Century Modern, as well as other bees. The Four-in-Art quilts are scattered through the Quilt Index, above, or you can do a search by typing that phrase into the cute little box, above right.

As I’m starting to distribute my quilts more frequently now, I *need* this label! Clever way to tack down a binding, too.

As my husband and I are taking a trip to Scotland soon, I’ve been looking at what connections I can make there with quilters. I’m a bit too late for this one!

However, I did find a quilt shop in Edinburgh, as well as a tartan shop (or twenty).

I was named for two “Elizabeth” great-grandmothers. One of them was my great-grandmother who came from Haddington, Scotland. (The other great-grandmother was born in England). Because of this, I’m figuring out bus routes and times, so I can pay a visit to that village, as my mother did when she visited Scotland some time ago. My husband’s forebears also immigrated from the Edinburgh area, so we have another small village to visit for his relatives, too.

I’ve been doing my searching on Family Search, an online archive of lineage and memories. You can find your relatives, too, by going there and setting up an account. I’m not a genealogist, by any stretch, but my friend Dayna is and she’s teaching me how to use it. I’ve got so many things I want to upload on my relatives’ pages, to “make them known to their grandchildren,” as Dayna says. Maybe I’ll bring back a photo or two of her Scotland for her page?

Lest you think I’m a total slacker, this has been patiently waiting for me while I run around like a chicken with her head cut off…wait…wrong image…while I laze around like a woman in August, trying to beat the heat and keep her sanity. (Better.)

Remember these? It’s the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the Indian’s quilt-a-long for our 250th celebration. I made their August 2026 block:

I liked it. I just didn’t love it. So I combed the artist’s Instagram account, looking for other motifs I might like better.

And this was it. I widened the strips, made a different motif for the center. As a quilter, I’m always considering how the subsequent blocks in a quilt-a-long will play with the first few blocks. I feel like this will play a little bit better, to my way of thinking. I may end up using both? Stay tuned.

Here’s the free PatternLite Handout of what I did. I’m calling it Sunrise on the Prairie. Please don’t sell, don’t steal, and if your pals want one, send them over here to download their own from my website. That is very appreciated. And please don’t tell AI this is up here (haha).

Sunrise on the Prairie_OPQuilt Download

I hope for you gorgeous sunsets at the end of the day, or sunrises at the beginning.

(In honor of the recent eclipse)

Free Quilt Pattern · Patterns by Elizabeth of OPQuilt · Quilts · Sawtooth Stars

The Singular Sawtooth

June 14, 2026June 14, 2026 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

Or, the Almighty Sawtooth. Or the Magnificent Sawtooth. Or the Sawtooth Supreme. But first:

The famous novelist, Joyce Carol Oates, talked about what she turns to after she finishes a novel, as she described herself then as spent, and empty. Poetry, she said. I was sitting in that audience when she gave that talk, and it taught me the value of not abandoning the craft when weary. But it also taught me that it’s okay to take a moment after going full steam ahead, a thousand hours a week, pedal-to-the-metal. This week was one like that, maybe not like writing a novel, but the always On, always Going, and by Thursday, I turned to my kind of poetry: sawtooth stars.

A rendering of a current popular pattern, but I’ve done this before:

“This” being to make an outer frame of the sawtooth’s Flying Geese blocks, and insert a design in the center. Why do we like the Sawtooth Star so much? I think the answer to that lies also in why we like star blocks so much. And it was to this I returned this week, after dancing around with multiple combinations of everything for the Granny Square blocks.

I’ve had this sawtooth star idea floating around my sewing room for probably five years, the how-to sheet pinned to my design wall just to the side (see the free download at the end). It was time. The large block measures 20″ finished.

The handout/pattern is pretty loosey-goosey but after you make the inner quadrants, trim them to 5 1/2″ square, making sure you are centered with your ruler. And maybe also centered in your soul. Kidding.

I like to make my Flying Geese components using the four-at-a-time method. I have a whole post about that here, and the free tip sheet can be downloaded from that same post. Or from here, in my Beginner’s Series of blocks.

As I mentioned, these are jumbo blocks, 20 inches square, finished. The one on the left is destined to be quilted and then made into a pillow for — what else? — Flag Day, which is today! (Put out your flag and celebrate America’s 250!) The multi-hued block will probably kick around my sewing room for another few years until I decide what to do with it.

But there is one more.

Yellow and blue are two of my favorite colors.

This came from when I was experimenting with BlockBase+ software and wanted to insert blocks into a different frame than a Sawtooth. Original post is here.

And now I wanted to finish this idea.

Here’s something I sketched up in my Affinity Designer software. That’s a total of 64 sawtooth blocks surrounding my houses, and finishes at about 55 inches square, a nice wallhanging size. I included the info when I revised the Build Me A House pattern. (It’s a PatternLite pattern: cheap.)

This block finishes at 6″ square — after spending several hours on the two jumbo sawtooth stars, this was made in a blink of an eye, it seemed like.

First one done, sixty-three to go. That blue fabric in the center square is from my very first quilt. I try to slip it into my current quilts when I have a chance.

It’s been lovely to spend some time writing poems–

OPQuilt Pinwheel Sawtooth Star Download

Before I sewed on the top Flying Geese: I thought it looked kinda cool.

If you are honoring the 250 anniversary of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, be sure to visit the Official America 250 website. There are some fun ideas on there to commemorate and celebrate!

300 and Beyond · 300 Quilts · Patterns by Elizabeth of OPQuilt · Red, White and Blue · Something to Think About

Quilter Micro-Seasons • Aerial Beacon Quilts

May 31, 2026May 30, 2026 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

I read recently how Japan has multiple micro-seasons, not just our talked-about four. Some of the micro-seasons are East Wind Melts The Ice, or First Cherry Blossoms, or Great Rains Sometimes Fall. Devon Peticolas has worked out that New York City has 12, and one of my favorites is what he calls “Hell’s Front Porch.” (photos by my DH and I)

Apparently, one of my quilting micro seasons is Make Something in Red, White, and Blue. I know people who have this season year-round (Carol, I’m looking at you), but mine just comes around about every May, right around Memorial Day.

Here is The Kid Sister to Aerial Beacon, a quilt finished some time ago, but the when the Computer Ate My Homework (aka, my Patterns), it took me two more years to redraw and re-write to get the pattern out.

But now I have.

The pattern, Aerial Beacon, is now my PayHip Shop.

But there’s another there, too: Santa’s Night Ride, which was published in Simply Vintage Magazine, December 2023. The copyright restrictions are now past, so now you also can get this in PayHip, my online pattern shop.

Why didn’t I combine them? The publisher wasn’t interested in the larger quilt, but did like the smaller version, so I wrote that up and it was published. When I went back to finish up the original Aerial Beacon quilt — because I included so many photo illustrations and variations of the pattern (FPP, EPP and regular piecing), as well as three different border treatments — the page count became quite large, and I didn’t want to freak anyone out with the size of the two combined. But I’ve got them both on sale for a couple of weeks (no coupon needed) and combined it’s about the price of one pattern. (So you don’t have to choose, if you don’t want to.)

If your quilty micro-season is calling out for a red, white, and blue quilt, here’s my recipe for this one. Make the four blocks, then add a 1″ border. I added cornerstones in that border.

I tried a new-to-me half-square-triangle method when I found a small baggie of already cut blue and red/white print triangles, cut off from some other project (I have no idea what). I had recently purchased the Quilt in a Day Triangle Square Up Ruler, and I laid the 2 1/2″ marking on the stitched line, then trimmed. Then I pressed to the dark side, as always, and trimmed the dog ears. I was only lacking 7 half-square triangles for my outer border, showing that truly, I am in the right micro-season and the red, white, and blue gods are smiling down on me.

I had a bit of fabric leftover from making these center blocks, so I used that fabric in the corners of my two outer borders.

I’d originally made these red, white and blue blocks to test the Aerial Beacon pattern using the cut-out-the-pattern-pieces method, rather than using the foundation-paper-pieced method. I do think it’s easier to do the FPP method, but take your time with the first block to get the hang of it.

But since school is out in some places, and going-to-be-out-soon in others, maybe you are in your Go To The Beach micro-season, and need something seagreen and sunny. Then maybe make it up in these colors.

All three together in the garden, showing their relative sizes: 26 1/2″, 36 1/2″ and 65″ square.

I’ve been trying to think of other micro seasons for quilters. Certainly the Sew Until You Are Too Tired To See Straight could be put on the calendar somewhere around October and end the night before Christmas. There’s also the New Fabric Lines Drop, which happens right after quilt market. I can think of also think of seasons for Make a New Tote Bag (right before a trip somewhere), Clean out the Stash to Make Room For More (when you see a new group of beautiful fabrics). And I just noticed ads pushing holiday quilts: I detect another micro-season heading our way!

Whatever season you are in, savor it–

Some Real Aerial Beacons

I wrote about Aerial Beacon here, if you want to read about the genesis of it all, and here, for the early signposts, the large concrete arrows, and how airplanes navigated once upon a time (scroll down in the post to get past the Ladies’ quilt). Here are some more images.

From Underwood Archives: UIG5450625 Chicago, Illinois: July 13, 1928
The new Chicago central aerial beacon atop the Roanoke Tower will begin operation on July 15th. It will be lit by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, and will be visible for 100 miles in every direction from LaSalle & Madison Streets in Chicago.; Photo © Underwood Archives.

This one is in the hills overlooking St. George, Utah.

Yep. I planned those airplane contrails in the background.

300 and Beyond · Free Download · Free Quilt Pattern · Granny Square Quilt · Patterns by Elizabeth of OPQuilt · Quilts

This and That • MarAprilMay 2026

May 16, 2026May 18, 2026 Elizabeth E.16 Comments

Let’s begin this overdue missive with the mundane: the stair rails in our house. This sticker belongs to Bryan, who I finally called in to finish the project after mucking around with it since March 6th.

I need a sticker that has the words “finisher” and “quilter” in it, although I haven’t yet figured out in which order the words would go.

This is when I called him. We’d had other recent attempts at this project of refinishing the stair rails, including a feeble attempt by Yours Truly, but in the end I called Bryan of Fine Wood Finishers to get the job done. It was needed as they probably hadn’t been refinished in the life of the house (about 50 years).

Do we exude this kind of confidence and fun? He spent some time trying to get it in his shorter van, and in the end needed a bit of a red flag. I’m your gal! I called as I zipped upstairs, ripped off a strip of red fabric and brought it back down to him. Now we just let him do his magic; I’ll keep you updated. (He does have a bigger van for delivery; no worries.)

Apparently all our businesses are in warehouses now. I took my husband to his physical therapy and was off by one block. We were at Jump and Shout Therapy, instead of Marketplace Therapy. While he was in there, I sewed squircles while I waited in the car…

…but first I took a walk around the complex where I took photos. (I’m always taking photos.)

That skeleton of metal reminded me of this sweet little chapel in the Blois Chateau in Blois, France, where even the ceilings were amazing. And this reminded me that I wanted to show you this:

Now that you know there are 640 of them, and that she made each one different, you’ll want to see some detail shots (click to enlarge any photo):

This is a quilt from the Pour l’Amour du Fils show in Nantes, France. I did include some more photos in the most recent post, but rather than overwhelm you, I’ll drop some more in here and there over the next while, like this one with 640 different little purses and dresses.

My sister Susan also did some traveling, but to London. She’s become an avid sewer, getting me interested again in garment sewing. She’s a fan of Merchant & Mills, so traveled out to Rye to see their enterprise and buy fabric. While there, they photographed her for their well-known inspiration called Social Club, and put her up on Instagram. Wow! (Doesn’t she look fabulous?)

I squircled while in doctor’s offices this month, too, keeping vigil while my husband was there. I’m really getting close to done, as I’m trying to keep up with Gladi, who has finished her squares.

Our church is dedicating a new temple not too far from our house, the Yorba Linda Temple, and we had a chance to go for their Open House to tour the building before it’s closed to the public. As always, I’m drawn to pattern and visual texture, so I loved the stained glass, done by Holdman Studios.

My photo at dusk, on the left. Another photo of this motif, from the Holdman Studios’ Instagram, is on the right (which also has more pictures). That would make a marvelous center to a quilt, right?

I tend to carry home smaller things from my travels, like stickers and an elegant candy box. Sadly, I ate the last one of the little sweet bits inside while writing this post.

But water bottles are also a prime souvenir for me, as they remind me of my experiences. Oh, and tote bags for my grocery shopping (our state has a no plastic bag rule), but I won’t show you my collection at this time.

One last quilt from Nantes: a granny square-inspired quilt, with “granny lanterns.”

Granny Square Updates

Oh Granny Original Post

Oh Granny Update Post

Besides the one you saw a couple of weeks ago, here are four more. I need to make eight total for May’s allotment, so have a few to go. Others who are playing along have posted theirs, too, on Instagram:

Since hashtags are dead in Instagram, if you want to join the gang, either leave a comment on this post, or on This Instagram Post, and I’ll add your account to the list I’m keeping on that post. If you have a a photo and don’t use Instagram, I’m happy to post it up here, or link to your blog. I’m also on BlueSky for those who have left Meta behind, although I don’t know if you need to join to see my blocks on there.

I’ve also reworked some earlier handouts and patterns. This is a digital image of four pinwheel blocks, but I really only made one. The original post shows it in red and white; here’s the free download, if you want it:

Pinwheel Quilt_OPQuilt Download

I also had a request for a really oldie-but-goodie quilt (original post)(original post in green), so I drew up a pay-what-you-want-but-free-is-okay download for that. It’s in my pattern shop.

One last photo of France’s rapeseed fields and I’m off: