August 19, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #32 – August Star Block
August Star Block
The month of August was named for the roman emperor Augustus Caesar. There is a really good article which explains how we got July and August and also the number of days per month from the Romans. Check it out at Infoplease.com.
The block for this week, is an older block originally named ” Augusta” and published by Vickery and Hill Company in Augusta, Maine from 1885 to the 1930s in the Hearth and Home Periodical. (Barbara Brackman – Block Base for EQ). So, was Augusta, Maine also named after Augustus Caesar? Hmmm? I wonder.
Have fun with this block, make it up in your favorite colors!
For complete directions Click here or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week – Freedom Star Blocks – Part 2.
Happy Quilting!
Betty Dietz
July 5, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #26 – Fourth of July Star Block
Fourth Of July Star Block
Happy Fourth of July!
I hope everyone is renewed after the long holiday weekend and ready to start on the next 25 Freedom Star Blocks. For this week’s block, I chose an older block that was named July Fourth, originally published in a syndicated column under the name Nancy Page. The column was written by Florence LaGanke Harris between 1920 -1940 (Barbara Brackman – Block Base for EQ)
I have re-designed this block making is easier to piece and sew with rotary cutting techniques. And I have re-colored and re-named the block “The Fourth of July Star Block”.
For complete directions Click here or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week – Freedom Star Blocks – Part 2.
Happy Quilting!
Betty Dietz
June 21, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #25 – Dad’s Favorite Star Block
Dad's Favorite Star Block
Happy Father’s Day!
We celebrated this Father’s Day this weekend at our vacation home, “Pieceful Cottage” in Wenona MD. My husband and his dad enjoyed a relaxing weekend at the bay. We caught a few crabs, put together a new jigsaw puzzle, watched some TV and ate too much good food.
This week’s block is a variation on a traditional block named Young Man’s Fancy. In honor of all the dads and granddads, this block is named Dad’s Favorite Star.
For complete directions Click here or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week – Freedom Stars.
Happy Quilting!
Betty Dietz
June 7, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #23 – Gold Star for Virginia Block
Gold Star for Virginia
A gold star is awarded to everyone who participated in the Quilter’s Unlimited Quilt Show this weekend. Much hard work was done by the show committee and all the volunteers. Many thanks to all the quilters who placed a quilt for display in the show and to all the teachers for sharing their talents with us. A special thanks to all the quilt collectors and vendors who hauled quilts and merchandise into the Expo center in the 85 degree heat on Thursday. And of course, thanks to all quilters who came from near and far to enjoy the beautiful quilts and shop at the vendors mall. We hope you enjoyed Quilt Show 2010.
This week’s Freedom Star Block is a variation of a block named Star of Virginia First published by Wallace’s Farmer, a magazine published from 1874 through the 1950’s in Des Moines (Barbara Brackman’s Block Base for EQ6).
For complete directions Click here or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week – Freedom Stars.
Happy Quilting!
Betty Dietz
May 31, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #22 – Firecracker Star Block
Firecracker Star Block
Happy Memorial Day! Thanks to all of our servicemen and women and to all of our veterans. My husband and I are vacationing in Spokane Washington, visiting my sister and her husband. Our daughter is along with us and she was my creative assistant with today’s block.
This week’s Freedom Star Block is a variation of a block named Liberty Star. We rearranged the stripes into chevrons to make a new block that we named Firecracker Star.
It is an easy block to make with paper-piecing techniques.
For complete directions Click here or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week – Freedom Stars.
Happy Quilting!
Betty Dietz
May 17, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #20 – Dolley Madison’s Star Block
May 20th is the birthday of Dolley Payne Madison, the fourth First Lady of the United States. She is most remembered for protecting many White House valuables, including a portrait of George Washington, as the British Army was approaching Washington DC during the War of 1812. For more information on her life visit the Dolley Madison Project .
This week’s block is a traditional block the Dolley Madison Star published by the Chicago Tribune in 1975 and attributed to the Nancy Cabot column from the 1930’s written by Loretta Leitner Rising.
Click here for complete directions or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week “Freedom Stars.
Happy Quilting!
Betty Dietz
Dolley Madison's Star Block
April 19, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #16 – Earth Day Star Block
Earth Day Star Block
Forty years ago Senator Gaylord Nelson (Wisconsin) started a grassroots movement to help save our planet. The first EARTH DAY was celebrated on April 22, 1970. On that first Earth Day, over 20 million individuals and thousands of schools participated. I remember planting a tree with my classmates.
Today Earth Day has been expanded into a full week of activities designed to help make people aware of the fragile state of our home planet, and it is celebrated by over one billion people in 190 countries.
For information on how to get involved visit Earth Day Network and for information on events in your neighborhood visit Envirolink or the Nature Conservancy
I have re-designed and re-named a traditional block originally named Illinois Star published by Aunt Kate’s Quilting Bee Magazine between July 1962 -July 1967 (Barbara Brackman, Block Base for EQ6)
Earth Day Star Block - Freedom Stars Colors
Have fun using your favorite applique method to create this Earth Day Star Block. Click here for complete directions or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week “Freedom Stars”
Happy Quilting,
Betty Dietz
April 12, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #15 – Crossed Star Block
Crossed Star Block
Are you working on your taxes? Are you seeing nothing but plus and minus signs. My husband is working on our taxes, they seem to get more complicated every year!
This is such a stressful time of year, so I have re-named and re-designed a not too difficult block called Star and Cross. This was one of the many pattern attributed to the Nancy Cabot column in the Chicago Tribune in the 1930s (Barbara Brockman, Block Base for EQ) This block was originally pieced with some tricky templates. I have made it simpler, although the only way I could get it to work without any set-in seams, was to make yet another paper-pieced pattern. I hope you take some time out from your tax calculations and sew out this beautiful block.
Some of you may have noticed a new look to the website. I wanted to add a Photo Gallery, so some items on the top line have been re-arranged. Be sure to look around at the other features on this site, like the Delmarva Quilt shops!
Click here for complete directions or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week “Freedom Stars”
If you have been following along, please send me pictures of your blocks and I will post them on this website.
Happy Quilting,
Betty Dietz
April 5, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #14 – April Star Block
We are just back from the most enjoyable and relaxing Easter weekend at Pieceful Cottage. The weather was fabulous!
On Saturday, we took a car ride over to the Delaware beaches and explored Rehobeth Beach and Bethany Beach. Two very nice beach towns on the Delaware shore. I was surprised at how crowded they were already on April 4th. I can remember when nothing at the beach was open until Memorial Day and most of the shops and restaurants put up their shutters just after Labor Day!
On Sunday afternoon we spent a little time sanding and refinishing the teak wood trim on our little 27 – foot O’Day sailboat. She is named the “Simple and Free” after our favorite Chicago tune from the 70’s! We keep her in a marina just 5 minutes from our cottage so we have easy access to her. If we are lucky, we get her out 3 – 4 weekends each season, I wish we could have more time on her. It is so much fun to go sailing on the Chesapeake. Oh well, retirement is not too far away for us!!
This week’s block is an older block listed as Long Pointed Star and published in the The KC Star 4/1/42, as noted in Barbara Brackman’s Block Base for EQ6. Another name for the block is the April Star (attributed to Nancy Cabot – 1930’s) and I thought that it would be appropriate for Easter. I have shown it colored two ways, first in the red, white/gold and blue of the Freedom Star Blocks and also in pink, green and blue for spring.
Click here for complete directions or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week “Freedom Stars”.
If you have been following along, please send me pictures of your blocks and I will post them on this website.
Happy Quilting,
Betty Dietz
April Star Block - Freedom Star colors
April Star Block - Spring Colors
March 22, 2010 – Freedom Star Block #12 – Signs of Spring Star Block
What happened to this past week? For us it just flew by! We were in Minneapolis, Minnesota watching our daughter dive at the NCAA Div III Nationals. We arrived on Wednesday and the weather seemed pretty nice. A light jacket or sweatshirt was good enough to keep us warm. But the weather changed quickly and by Friday night the air temperature was down to 32 degrees. We were bundling ourselves up against the colder temperature and the wind. I was very glad to get home on Sunday and see the daffodils and crocuses. Spring has Sprung!
Signs of Spring Star Block - Spring Colors
This week’s block will help us all get in the mood for warmer weather and brighter colors. It is an easy block made, once again, using paper-piecing techniques. The block was first published in Farm Journal as Signs of Spring (Barbara Brackman – Block Base for EQ6). I have redesigned it just a bit to make the paper-piecing patterns work better.
Click here for complete directions or click on Free Block Patterns – 2010 Block of the Week “Freedom Stars”.
If you have been following along, please send me pictures of your blocks and I will post them on this website.
Happy Quilting!
Betty Dietz
Signs of Spring Star Block - Freedom Star Colors