Today's Trend - Polaroid Quilts

Corey Yoder of Little Miss Shabby came up with the fantastic idea to feature lovely prints with polaroid blocks when a friend requested a photographic theme for a bee.

This brilliant idea spread. Soon Debbie of A Quilter's Table started a swap, Karen aka Capitola Quilter wrote a tutorial, and Rachael of Stitched in Color introduced the blocks to the Love circle of do. Good Stitches. Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts even came up with five ways to use the blocks.For ythose who want to set the blocks at a slant, Busy Bee Quilts can help with that.


For those who want to go all out, Kristy of Quiet Play created a paper-pieced polaroid camera pattern.

There's fabric for all occasions, so without further ado, here's my pick.

It's This and That Retro Cameras by Ann Kelle for Robert Kaufman.

Today's Trend - Economy Blocks

What do you get when you combine an adorable, fussy cut print with eight triangles? 

Picture from Red Pepper Quilts

An economy block, of course. If you've been around the block a time or two, you know this latest trend as a square in a square block. All the same, it's hard to resist this block, with its uncanny ability to showcase treasured prints in scrappy splendor. Check out a tutorial on Red Pepper Quilts. There's a Flickr group too! I love this example created by Katie Dold of Good Golly Ginger. Maybe I'm just a sucker for girly adorableness.

Debbie from A Quilter's Table created a mini for a swap in cheery, bright hues.

There's a whole lot of overachieving going on at Grace and Favour. Yowsers! She made 99 blocks.

Angela Pingel of Cut to Pieces contributed to a most adorable version containing prints by some of my favorite designers.

Check out Ms. Midge's version for the ultimate in girly cuteness.

Catbird Studio has done the math for you if you'd rather get straight to the stitching.

Generations Quilt Patterns provides a paper-piecing template with cutting instructions.

Economy Blocks are popping up on Pinterest and Flickr too.

Today's Trend - Scrappy Trip Along

If you can bear the thought of tossing your scraps, you're just the type of quilter that the ever-popular Scrappy Trip Along quilt would attract.

Here's one example from Kirsten of Gemini Stitches.

I love the interplay between the solids and the single, polka-dot fabric in Krista's, which can be found at Krista Stitched.

Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter is working on a holiday version that may inspire a use for my vast Christmas stash.

There's over 1,000 members in the Flickr group here.

If you want to make your own, see Bonnie Hunter's tutorial here.