"Kitty Corner" - Where did that term come from?

Kitty Corner quilt

After working on the quilt block called Kitty Corner, I then began to wonder (as is a frequent occurrence for me -- I'm always wondering about some mystery in life --) about where the term originated. Apparently, the term "kitty corner" (also interchanged in some regions as "catty-corner") was first used in the 16^th century and it means something that is "directionally diagonal from a certain point" according to the website Today I Found Out.

Download the free quilt block pattern for Kitty Corner.

 

Quotes about Cats

• "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."
  ~ Robert Heinlein


• "If stretching were wealth, the cat would be rich."
  ~ African Proverb


• "If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much."
  Mark Twain


• "In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats."
  English Proverb

"After dark all cats are leopards."
~ Native American Proverb

_{"Kitty Corner" quilt image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Leopard image courtesy of khunaspix / FreeDigitalPhotos.net}

It's Blueberry Season!

Well what could be more appropriate in 'blueberry season' (at least it is where I live), than to introduce you to a quilt block called Blueberry Compote?

This quilt block surprised me once I started playing around with it. Originally I had it designed using three colours, but decided the resultant quilts were sort of 'ho-hum'. So, by adding a complementary colour in small portions, I thought this was just the spark it needed. So, you be the judge.

Download the free quilt block pattern.

Blueberry Compote

Just because I wanted to get this blog posted with this new block, I don't have any quotes about blueberries picked out (pardon the poor pun), but here is a bit of a potpourri of quotes to brighten your day.

• "How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being."
  ~ Oscar Wilde


• "The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools."
  ~ Confucius


• "We owe a lot to Thomas Edison - if it wasn't for him, we'd be watching television by candlelight."
  ~ Milton Berle


• "If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it."
  ~ Chinese Proverb

_{Blueberry Compote image(s) © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com}

Cats and Dogs and ... Mice?

_{Cat and Mouse}

Well I had to throw in "mice" in the title since today's featured quilt block is called Cat and Mouse. There is nothing difficult in creating this four patch block, other than that the construction is a wee bit different than the norm, so that can only enhance your skills in your quiltmaking journey.

Download the free quilt block pattern.

 

Quotes about animals

• "A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."
  ~ Groucho Marx


• "Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to."
  ~ Mark Twain


• "Guys are like dogs. They keep coming back. Ladies are like cats. Yell at a cat one time...they're gone."
  ~ Lenny Bruce


• "Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
  ~ Anatole France


• "The cat is the mirror of his human's mind. The dog mirrors his human's physical appearance."
  ~ Winifred Carriere

_{'Cat and Mouse' quilt block image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Cat and Mouse photograph image courtesy Euan's Life}

"What is sauce for the goose ..." - Who said that?

 Goose Tracks

Goose Tracks

The Goose Tracks quilt block is a wonderful introduction to quilting as it contains only the two most commonly used quilt patches -- the half square triangle unit and the square. But, don't let simple shapes fool you into thinking simple equals boring. You can create many a different and fascinating quilt with just these two patches. Download the free quilt block pattern.

Now, for you bird lovers out there -- test your knowledge using the title of this blog post. Can you name the author?

 Bird Quotes

Male white-rumped Shama

• "A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."
  ~ Chinese Proverb


• "Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
  ~ Dale Carnegie


• "What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."
  ~ William Shakespeare


• "If you feel the urge, don't be afraid to go on a wild goose chase. What do you think wild geese are for anyway?"
  ~ Will Rogers

_{Goose Tracks quilt block © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
"Male white-rumped Shama" bird image courtesy of panuruangjan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net}

Celebrate This Week with a Block Party!

Around the Block

Today is a day of celebration in my favourite part of the world -- it is Canada Day and so I imagine lots of festivities will be happening around the neighbourhood. Likewise in the United States on Friday this week when they celebrate their 4th of July holiday.

I just realized that so far I have not created a pattern for a quilt block called Fireworks, (note to self -- get on that to be ready for next year), so as a second idea I am featuring Around the Block. I figure that block parties might be happening -- perhaps in your neighbourhood this week.

Download the free quilt block pattern.

Quotes about Celebrating

• "Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!"
  ~ Amanda Bradley


• "Everything is created from moment to moment, always new. Like fireworks, this universe is a celebration and you are the spectator contemplating the eternal Fourth of July of your absolute splendor."
  ~ Francis Lucille


• "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
  ~ Oprah Winfrey


• "Celebrate what you want to see more of."
  ~ Thomas J. Peters

_{Around the Block quilt image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Fireworks image - public domain}

Aunt Nancy's Favorite

Aunt Nancy's Favorite (or as I prefer to spell it ... "Aunt Nancy's Favourite") is an easy to intermediate level quilt block to produce. This four patch block is only difficult due to the number of pieces used to create the block. But, it is well worth the effort. Also note that some of the pieces are constructed as mirror images of others.

Aunt Nancy's Favourite

Download the free quilt block pattern.

As you probably know by now, to be a successful quilter, all you need is to be precise in your cutting and piecing. So on that note I thought it was appropriate to feature some quotes today about success.

Quotes about Success

• "If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing."
  ~ Will Rogers


• "Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."
  ~ Charlotte Whitton


• "Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things."
  ~ Frank Clark


• "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
  ~ Theodore Roosevelt

_{Aunt Nancy's Favourite image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com} 

For the love of flowers

Peony Basket

I can't see the logic in the name Peony Basket for this quilt block, but then I was not the person who chose the name. So, that being said, this is a easy quilt block to make and perfect for those quilters who like 10" blocks. The components of this block are squares, rectangles and half square triangles -- all very common units and easy to work with.

This five patch quilt block is sewn together as an uneven nine patch block -- the nine patch being (probably) the most common style of quilt block. Download the free quilt block pattern.

Peonies and Sunflowers

Quotes about Flowers

• "There are always flowers for those who want to see them."
  ~ Henri Matisse


• "Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into."
  ~ Henry Ward Beecher


• "Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet."
  ~ Jeremy Bentham


• "Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts."
  ~ Sigmund Freud

More Flower Quilt Blocks

_{Peony Basket image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Flower pot image courtesy of dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net}

The Blacksmith -- aka -- the Monkey Wrench

_{Monkey Wrench}

The Monkey Wrench quilt block has been around for a long time. History tells us that quilt patterns were used as codes to help escaping slaves reach Canada along the 'Underground Railroad'. The Monkey Wrench quilt block pattern was designed to represent the blacksmith (named for the inventor of the tool -- a London blacksmith named Charles Moncke), and was one of the many quilt blocks used in the code.

By hanging a quilt with a certain pattern over a railing -- supposedly to dry -- the slaves were directed to a certain location on their road to freedom, with no one in authority being the wiser. Download the free quilt block pattern.

Today's Quotes about Tools

Eli Whitney

• "Science is a tool, and we invent tools to do things we want. It's a question of how those tools are used by people."
  ~ Margaret Atwood


• "Men have become the tools of their tools."
  ~ Henry David Thoreau


• "One of my primary objects is to form the tools so the tools themselves shall fashion the work and give to every part its just proportion."
  ~ Eli Whitney


• "Don't force it ... get a bigger hammer."
  ~ Arthur Bloch

_{Monkey Wrench image © W. Russell, patchworksquare.com
Eli Whitney image courtesy encyclopedia.com}