Field of Valor – A Patriotic Take on the St. Paddy’s Field Quilt

 

Field of Valor – A Patriotic Take on the St. Paddy’s Field Quilt

This quilt may look familiar… and that’s because Field of Valor is simply a different colorway of my St. Paddy’s Field quilt pattern. Changing fabrics can completely transform the story a quilt tells, and this version speaks to something very close to my heart — patriotism, gratitude, and honoring those who have served our country.

As we celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, I wanted to create something that reflects appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy and the sacrifices made by our veterans. The red, white, and blue palette gives this design a timeless patriotic feel, while the movement of the blocks creates a sense of strength and unity.

This quilt will be donated to Coming Home Incorporated here in Idaho Falls, Idaho to be raffled at their Summer Fundraiser, supporting veterans in our community. It is truly an honor to contribute in a small way to an organization that gives so much to those who have served. Quilts have always been symbols of comfort, care, and connection, and I hope this one wraps someone in warmth and appreciation.

---

One Pattern – Endless Possibilities

One of the things I love most about this pattern is how easily it adapts to any theme simply by changing the fabrics.

Imagine this design in:

• cheerful prints for a summer picnic quilt

• warm tones for a cozy fall quilt

• playful orange and black for Halloween

• festive reds and greens for Christmas

• soft pinks and reds for Valentine’s Day

The structure of the blocks creates movement and visual interest no matter the palette, making it a wonderful pattern to revisit again and again. Each version tells a different story.

---

Quilting With Purpose

Creating quilts for meaningful causes adds another layer of fulfillment to the process. Knowing that this quilt will help support veterans through Coming Home Incorporated makes every stitch even more special.

As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, it feels especially appropriate to reflect on the courage and dedication of those who have protected our country. This quilt is my way of saying thank you — not only to those who served, but also to the families who stood beside them.

I hope Field of Valor inspires you to think about how fabric choices can transform a pattern and how quilting can be a way to give back to causes close to your heart.

Whether patriotic, seasonal, or scrappy, this design is proof that sometimes all it takes is a change of color to create an entirely new story.

Happy quilting🧵✨

If you would like to make this quilt, look back to our posts on St. Paddy's Field for the Step by Step instructions and videos. This week I will be editing videos of the construction process for this quilt and will post links here as that task is completed. If you have joined us on Sister of The Divide Quilt Alongs on Facebook, you can view the live demonstrations that are posted there. Your comments and questions are always welcomed! 

St. Paddy's Field Quilt Along - Step 1 The HST Units

✂️ Half Square Triangle Unit for St. Paddy's Field Quilt Along 

4.5" Finished

Method: 2-at-a-Time HST   PDF Instructions

---

🔢 Quilt Requirement

You will need:

64 finished Half Square Triangle (HST) blocks

Each pair of 5" squares yields 2 HST units.

64 ÷ 2 = 32 pairs needed

✂️ Cutting Instructions

• Cut 32 green 5" × 5" squares
• Cut 32 background 5" × 5" squares

---

✨ Additional Supplies

• Sewing machine & coordinating thread
• Fabric marking pencil or pen
• Quilting ruler with 45° diagonal line
• Rotary cutter & cutting mat
• Iron & pressing surface

---

🧵 Instructions

1. Mark

On the wrong side of each background square, draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner.

2. Layer

Place one green square and one background square right sides together. Align edges and pin if desired.

3. Sew

Sew a scant ¼" seam on each side of the drawn diagonal line.
(A scant ¼" seam is slightly less than a full ¼" to account for fabric and pressing.)

4. Cut

Cut directly on the drawn diagonal line to create two triangle units.

5. Press

Open each unit and press the seam toward the green fabric.

6. Square Up

Using the 45° diagonal line on your ruler, square up each HST unit to measure 4.5" × 4.5".

---

C 2026 Sister of The Divide. All rights reserved. This pattern and its instructions are protected by copyright law. No part of this pattern may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the designer. You may sell items made from this pattern on a home-based, small-scale basis and may use for charity purposes. Mass production is prohibited. Please credit the design to Sister of The Divide.

Clue 5 and Reveal Valentine 26 Mystery Quilt

 Valentine 26 Clue 5

By Karen Meyer, Sister of The Divide

All Rights Reserved 2026

Final Clue and Reveal

This clue will be the final reveal with options! Please read all the

directions so you can decide your options BEFORE CUTTING.

PDF click here

For Option 1

From your Reds, Pinks or Greens, cut the following:

o A - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x 17.25”

o B - 2 Strips measuring 5.75” x 23”

o C - 4 Strips measuring 5.75” x 16.5”

o D - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x 8.5”

From your Background fabric, cut the following:

E - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x WOF (with of fabric)

F - 6 Strips measuring 5.75” x 25”

Stitch your strip together using 1⁄4” seam allowances.

From your Background fabric you will create 6 Strips. Using one

E and one F to make the 6 strips.

You will be laying out 5 Strips including 13 of your previously

constructed heart blocks.

Refer to the diagram below for your layout.

Here is where you will have options to make this quilt your own.

The quilt as it laid out above will finish at 58 x 58. Make your quilt

sandwich, quilt as desired and add binding for a modern look.

You can mix up your alpha blocks using assorted colors or shades

for an interesting look as shown in the following layout.

Another option is to add borders to your quilt which will enlarge it to

68” x 68”. To add one border, you will need to cut your fabric strips

as follows: Cut 6 strips that measure 5.75” x WOF and piece them to

58” each. (measure your finished center of your quilt first to make

sure your strip will be wide enough. Everyone has a different 1⁄4”

seam allowance as they stitch, so measure first and cut to your

measure. You can add your heart blocks to the corners or leave

them off and create a solid border.

The next option is to create strip sets and cut them to the alpha

sizes indicated in the first layout to create the following option.

To create your strip sets, for the quilt without a border cut the

following:

From your Red fabric cut 12 strips measuring 2.25” x WOF

From your Background fabric cut 6 strips measure 2.25” x WOF

Make your strip sets and cut to measure and layout as in the Alpha Directions

For Candy Stripe borders you will need to cut an additional

12 strips of your red fabric and an additional 6 strips of your

background fabric. Make your strip set and cut to measure as

outlined in the Border option directions above.

Next Friday, January 23rd, 2026, I will post 2 additional bonus

projects. A table runner option and a table topper option for you.

Remember, you can use any of the 3 hearts in clues 1, 2 or 3.

I hope you enjoyed this quick quilt! Please share photos of your

process with me. Your feedback is welcomed!

Valentine 26 Mystery QAL Clue 3

Valentines 2026 Mystery Quilt Along

Clue 3

Designed by Karen Meyer, Sister of The Divide, All Rights Reserved 12/30/2025

 

Welcome! This Mystery Quilt and the accompanying video tutorials are designed for a Beginning Quilter. There are several options along the way. To start you will need to gather your scraps of fabric in pinks or reds for your hearts and low volume or white for your background. That said, colors are not in stone, so if you feel like coloring outside the crayon box, by all means,  feel free to do so.

I will offer tips along the way, which have worked for me over the years. There are always multiple ways to achieve the same results. Do not feel like what I am teaching you is dogma and that the Quilt Police will be after you if you don’t do it “my” way. Just have fun, relax, you will have a beautiful quilt.

Now, if you are like me, and you have been around the “mystery” block (all puns intended), and you want to wait and see how it all comes together, that is perfectly fine also. Download the PDF pattern files as the clues come out and save them. I will be removing the mystery after February 14^th, 2026. It will then be placed in my Etsy shop and you will need to  purchase the pattern after that. Until then, it’s free for you to enjoy.  

PDF LINK FOR CLUE 3 HERE Corrected

VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR CLUE 3 HERE

Clue 1 click Here

Clue 2 click Here Corrected

Okay, let’s get started!

You will need, your sewing machine, rotary cutter, mat, iron, thread, starch, a 12” x 6” ruler, a 6” square up ruler, scissors, a marking pencil or air erase pen.

ALL SEAMS ARE ¼”

Clue #3: There are 3 hearts. This will be the most challenging part of this QAL. If you are making the quilt, you will need to make 17 hearts in total.  You can make all your hearts the same or you can mix them up. If you just want to make a few hearts and see where it goes, that’s fine too. You can always make a baby quilt or a table runner. We will be making a large throw size quilt 60” X 65”. For bigger sizes you may want to make extra hearts.

Heart #3  A tiny Nine Patch completes this heart.

Cut  the following from your Pink or Red heart fabric:

Two rectangles measuring 2” x 2.75”

Three strips measuring 6” x 1.25”

Cut the following from your background fabric:

One 2” x 2” square

Four 1.25” x 1.25” squares

Three  6” x 1.25” strips

Follow the instructions on Clue #1 to create the outside heart pieces.

To create the little nine patch you will first make two strip sets.

One will have two background strips and one heart strip

The other strip set will have two heart strips and one background

Stitch together your strip sets as shown below  and press to the dark fabric.

Now cutting across the strip sets, for each nine patch you will cut, strips across the strip set that measure 1.25” wide as shown below. Match up your seams and stitch your nine patch together. Your 9 patch should measure 2.75" square.

Place the outside pieces to your heart in place to make the “4” patch as shown below and stitch together. Square up your block as shown in Clue 2 Video. 

Refer to the Videos for step by step instructions.

You have completed the third heart in our mystery quilt. You need to make a total of 17 hearts. You can mix and match them or select the one you like the best. The next clue will have additional options for you to select but will be very easy as well. You have plenty of time to get your hearts completed. The next clue will come on Friday, January 9th.

If you need fabric for your project we have some pretty floral bundles in our Etsy Shop, they are priced at $10.00 per five fat quarter bundle, 10% off when you buy 2 and free shipping when you buy 3.

Courthouse Block, No Attorney Required and WINNER Announced

 

Courthouse Block Quilt

This is such a quick and easy quilt, suitable for a beginner and wonderful for a seasoned quilter that just needs a zen sewing session that let's you stitch away. Maybe you need a quick quilt for a friend or for your guild charity. This will definitely fit the bill. The more variety of fabrics you have the more interesting your finished quilt will be. Don't be afraid to dig into your random fat quarters and left over jelly roll strips. You can definitely make a dent in a scrap pile with this one as well.

We live in Eastern Idaho, surrounded by beautiful farm land. My husband's cousin gave me a large bundle of fabric and it was all coordinated. It made me think of farm land and how beautiful it is out here. So it was a logical choice for this quilt.

Let's get started on our blocks! For each block you will need a 10" square for the Courthouse. This is perfect for a layer cake or you can cut your own 10" squares from fabric, as I have done in this video. You will need a selection of 2.5" by width of fabric strips for your Courthouse Steps. A jelly roll will serve you or again, you can cut your own strips as I have done in this video.

Courthouse Block, No Attorney Required

Take one of your contrasting 2.5" strips and sew it to one side of your 10" square, trim even with your square and finger press your seam open. Do the same on the opposite side of your square.

Turn your square and again, using a contrasting 2.5" strip, sew it to one side of your 10" square as shown in the video and do the same on the opposite side. Trim even with your block and finger press.

You will repeat this 2 more times, on the opposing sides. When finished, you should have two strips on each side of your 10" square as shown in the video.

Press your block and make as many as you need for the size quilt you wish to make.

Press in half and in half again as shown in the video and cut your block in half and then in half again as demonstrated in the video. You should have 4 quarter blocks after you make these two cuts.

Courthouse Block Sew Along

In this video, we will just carry on and make several blocks.

Courthouse Block Layout Options

This short video will show you some of the layout options for your quarter blocks.

Court House Block Final Assembly

There are several layout options for this block, I have chosen to take a quarter block from different fabrics and stitch them together, like a 4 patch, to create a new block and then those are stitched together to make the quilt. The more fabric varieties you have the more interesting your final quilt will be.

The Finished Courthouse Block Quilt

Finished size 65" x 81"

Four blocks across and 5 blocks down

Baby quilt use 4 blocks (2 x 2) and a possible border to create the side you wish.

Crib size 6 blocks (2 x 3) border if you wish,

Throw size 12 blocks (3 x 4)

Twin size 20 blocks (4 x 5)

Double or full 30 blocks (5 x 6)

Queen 36 blocks (6 x 6)

King 42 blocks (7 x 7)

I did not place a border. Used 2.5" strips to create the binding. 

Hope you enjoyed this quick and simple quilt. 

Follow and subscribe on YouTube for more tutorials like this. 

 Your likes, comments and shares are appreciated!

RaeLina Tesch was the WINNER of the Babylock Zest Sewing Machine that we gave away last month to celebrate 20,000 followers on Facebook. Congratulations RaeLina! Thank you to Gary's Sewing Center for providing the Babylock Zest Sewing Machine, I am sure she will enjoy it!

Tips When Making The Wensleydale Quilt

 

 

Are you working on or contemplating the Wensleydale Quilt by Jen Kingwell? Have you decided if you will hand piece or machine piece this quilt? Will you be paper foundation piecing? So many decisions. For me, hand piecing is out. Her book Quilt Recipes has templates and complete instructions for making this quilt. I will not be providing those here. What I will provide are tips for what is working well for me and tell you why. There are a multitude of ways to approach this quilt and my way is not the only one. I have chosen to Foundation Paper Piece for accuracy.

This is a list of things you will need to make this block:

Quilting Recipes Book by Jen Kingwell

Foundation Paper packet for the Wensleydale Quilt

Elmer's Washable Glue Stick or glue stick of your choice

Template plastic or clear plastic from folder

Permanent Marker  

Add a Quarter Ruler

An old pair of scissors for cutting the template plastic

Scissors

Rotary Cutter

Rotary Cutting Mat

Old Sewing Machine Needle

New Sewing Machine Needle

Thread and Bobbin

Sewing Machine

Iron and Pressing Mat or Ironing Board

My first recommendation is to get her book. Links have been provided for recommended items. In her book are templates for each of her quilts. Find the Wensleydale templates and make a photo copy of them.

Get yourself some template plastic. You can find this at your local quilt shop, at your local hobby shop, online and if you prefer to save some $$ then just get yourself a clear  plastic folder from The Dollar Store.  You will need a permanent marking pen with a medium tip. Place your clear plastic over the photo copy of her templates in the book and trace them with your permanent marker. TIP: place an arrow to indicate your seam line. This will help you when you are cutting directional fabrics or motifs that you want to align in a certain way.

Take an old pair of scissors and cut out your plastic templates.  

 

 

Now you may ask, why cut out templates when you are Foundation Piecing? I do this to save on fabric and to allow me to make accurate cuts for directional fabrics and special motifs. By using the template, I know I have a piece of fabric cut to the right dimensions and there will be very little waste when trimming. The plastic template is clear and I can see what I am lining up for my cut. The beauty of having a template to use and Foundation Paper Piecing is that you do not have to worry about being on the cross grain of the fabric, it just doesn't matter.

 

 

 

Purchase a package of the Wensleydale Foundation Papers. They come 60 to a package and that is enough to make the quilt. If you want a larger quilt, purchase an additional package.

 

Tear off about 5 sheets of the foundation paper, keeping them lined up. Put an old needle into your sewing machine and remove your thread and bobbin. Now stitch over all of the solid lines on the foundation paper. You don't need to stitch over the very outside lines as these are just the 1/4" seam lines for when you join your blocks. So on one side you will have the solid lines and when you flip the paper over you will see your lines from your needle perforations like the photo below. I only do five sheets at a time so it keeps the perforations crisp.

 

 

 

 

These are the indicator lines that will help you align your fabric, you will stitch on the other side on the solid lines. Now change your needle back to a nice sharp sewing needle, thread your machine and place your bobbin. Get yourself a washable glue stick which you will use to place your first fabric. Using your template A, select your center fabric and cut it out. Use your glue stick to adhere that fabric to the Wrong side of your foundation paper. Spread the glue stick only on that center rectangle area, avoid the perforations. You don't need a ton of glue, just enough to stick your fabric for a bit. 

 

 

 

 

You will notice that your center piece hangs over your perforated lines. This is correct, you want about a 1/4" around as that will be your seam eventually.

 

 

 

 

 Now, selecting your B and C templates, go ahead and cut out your pieces. Line up your pieces for opposite sides, either B or C and pin them in place. Put your pins to the center so they are out of your stitching area. 

 

 

Turn your paper over and stitch on the solid line, starting about 1/4" beyond the line and finishing 1/4" beyond the line. Check and make sure you have not folded back a piece of your fabric when placing it under your needle. Speed is not the object here as much as accuracy. Take your time and you will avoid a date with Jack the Ripper. 

Do the same for the opposite side and then take to the iron and press open.

 

 Repeat this step for your side pieces next.

 

 Don't worry if things look a bit wonkie here. I want you to place your foundation paper with the fabric on the bottom. Carefully, fold back the line that corresponds to the outside of the current area you are working on, this will be your next seamline and we want to trim things up a bit. Don't fret if your paper tears a bit at the intersection of the seams. You will want to use your Add a Quarter ruler to trim back to just a quarter inch. To do this, fold your paper back to the perforated line, lay your ruler on top of the fabric, you will notice there is a ledge that will catch on the paper giving you a perfect 1/4" seam allowance, you will trim any excess fabric beyond the ruler. 

 

 

The rest is a repeat of the instructions above, take your next templates, cut your pieces of fabric and align them with the edges as shown below and turning to the opposite side of the paper, stitch on the corresponding solid lines, press open and place and stitch your next pieces. Press open and then trim as outlined above.

 

Once you have added your final round of pieces, turn to the paper side and trim your block to the very outside solid line. You will have a perfect block. Now repeat that 59 more times...LOL

 

Hope this helps you a bit. It's a beautiful Quilt and there are tons of fabric options for you to choose from. I highly recommend that you watch her video on selecting fabric, then pick out what you love and have at it!

 

 

The Glories of The Simple Nine Patch Quilt

 

 

Ah, The joys of a simple nine patch! Sometimes you just want to sew and not think! and this was one of those times. I promised you some instructions for making this quilt so here we go!

Here is a link to the PDF for basic layout and yardage requirements:

Simple Nine Patch Irish Chain By Sister of The Divide

 

You will need approximately:

 

1 1/8 yards of 44" wide fabric in your color choice for the nine patch and and extra 1/2 yard for binding.

2 3/4 yards of 44" wide fabric in your background color choice

4 1/2 yards of backing fabric

 

(these are estimates, I used scrappy bits and mixed them all up)

 

If you are working from scraps or a variety of fabrics, like I did, then cut your colored fabrics into 2 1/2 inch strips. It's perfectly okay to use a jelly roll.

 

Cut several 2 1/2" strips from your background fabric, I used Kona Cotton White for this quilt. Now you will want to stitch together strip sets as shown below. If you are going scrappy, don't agonize over what to put together, stick them all in a bag and just pull out strips and stitch. If you pull out two of the same, put one back and pull out another. You will stitch several sets together, alternating as below, blue, white, blue and then create another set of strips sets with white, blue, white.

 

 

 

 

Take your strip sets and cut across them to create 2 1/2" strips like below:

 

 

You should have a stack of strips with blue on each end and a stack of strips with blue in the middle. You will use two of the first stack and one of the second stack to create your nine patch. 

 

 

 

You will need to stitch 50 nine patch blocks for this quilt, if you want a larger quilt, make more blocks.

 

You will now stitch these nine patch blocks to your solid background blocks, alternating every other row to create the "chain".

 

 

Bind and quilt as desired. I used 2 1/2" strips to create my binding for this quilt. The quilt pattern is called Dawn's Block by Sweet Dreams Quilt Studio.

 

 

This was a lot of fun to make, it's easy, it doesn't take a lot of brain power and there is something so endearing about an old fashioned Irish Chain Quilt. Hope you will enjoy making one soon. Come visit us on Facebook at Sister of the Divide and on Instagram at SisterofTheDivide1. See you in the Funny Papers!