Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 16 Blog Tour + Giveaway - Waiting for Spring

Welcome to my stop on the 100 Blocks road Rally Blog Tour and I am so glad you found your way here!  I am thrilled to have my fourth block, Waiting for Spring, published in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.

Techniques

Waiting for Spring, block #1523, is included in the mixed technique section of 100 Blocks Vol. 16.  The block contains three techniques with the first being hand applique.  I made bias stems and blind stitched them down by hand.

The second technique is applique using a machine zigzag satin stitch for the flowers.  For thread, I used matching Aurifil 100% cotton 50 wt. in my machine for the applique.  I share some some machine applique tips here in this post.

And, the third technique is piecing, both traditional piecing and partial seam construction.

Fabrics

When choosing fabrics for Waiting for Spring, I had just returned from QuiltCon 2017 which took place in Savannah, GA where I purchased four half-yard cuts of Add It Up, Cotton and Steel basics which I blogged about in this Sunday Stash post.  I used Add It Up in Lip Gloss, Sea Glass and Indigo.

Also included in Waiting for Spring are two other Cotton and Steel basics, XOXO in Dandelion and Shag Carpet.  When cutting the green, Shag Carpet, I was able to avoid the X's and make the bias stem solid.

Dandelion was the perfect yellow for the flower centers and again, I was able to avoid the print for a solid centers.

I hope you have fun making your own flowers in a vase while you are 'waiting for spring'!

You can find my other blocks in previous Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks issues:

• Diamond Twist, Vol. 15
• Hexie Flower Basket, Vol. 14
• It All Adds Up, Vol. 13

And now on to the Giveaways!

Giveaway #1.  The editors at Quiltmaker are sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of 100 Blocks Vol.16 and will mail the magazine directly to you anywhere worldwide.

Giveaway #2.  I will mail a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 16 to one lucky commenter to anywhere worldwide.

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment letting me know your favorite technique for applique whether it be by hand or machine.

2. Followers, old and new alike, get a bonus entry.  Leave a second comment and let me know how you follow - such as Bloglovin, Instagram or Email.

The giveaway will run through Saturday, November 18, 2017 and close at 8pm EST.  (The giveaway is closed.) I normally respond to every comment received, but during the giveaway the volume may be to large for me to do so. Please leave your e-mail address so I have a way of contacting you if you are a no-reply blogger.

Update:  Congratulations to Diane and Susan, winners of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Vol 16! Thank you to everyone who commented on their favorite method of applique.

Visit The Quilting Company (Quiltmaker's Quilty Pleasurers) Day 3, for links to today's participating blogs!  The new website for Quilty Pleasures is here.  To see all of the creative and original blocks in this issue, 100 Blocks Vol. 16 is available on the newsstands now or you can order 100 blocks from Quiltmaker.

Linking to Let's Bee Social #203 with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts and Midweek Makers #98 with Susan at QuiltFabrication.

Dog Gone Cute ~ Block #5

When Ann of Brown Paw's Quilting requested any one do Lorna's Dog Gone Cute blocks, I was happy to piece one of them, well, because they ARE dog gone cute!

Ann was queen bee for August for the Bee Inspired international bee and requested that we make the the large size blocks which measure 18" x 12".

I made Block #5 and approached the piecing the same way as I made the poodle block. I printed out the cutting chart and photo of the block and that was all I needed to complete the block.

Scraps of purple Hoffman batiks from making Well Rounded Single Girl were used to make the block.  The background is even a batik in zinc from Hoffman Indah Solids.

I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite dog Dingo, on the left, and Dixie.  These were taken in 2008 and both have now gone to doggie heaven.

At the time, Dixie was little and my husband made her a little ramp so she could easily walk right up to get in the bed of the truck.

Linking to Let's Bee Social #196 with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.

Poodle Bee Block ~ August OMG

I declared my August One Monthly Goal thinking I would get this poodle block done earlier but I just kept putting it off until I realized August is almost over.  Finally, I have a right facing poodle block for Karen at Tu-Na Quilts.

The cutting chart Karen provided in this post and all the assembly tips she provided over her 8 days in Paris were very helpful.  I was alrealy speaking French by the time I had all the poodle parts cut out which took about an hour.

The labels very helpful to keep everything in order.  I pinned the labels to the larger pieces and kept them attahced while sewing.  I removed the labels to press and pinned them right back on afterwards.

You can find the instructions for the right facing poodle here at The Objects of Design.  I printed out one assembly photo Sally provided and outlined the poodle parts with a sharpie for reference.  With this one photo, I assembled the poodle without needing the instructions.  Karen has a series of posts which are helpful also.

I took the approach that done was better than perfect and didn't redo any seams.  The tail section matched up perfectly.  Where the legs join the poof could be a little more aligned, but he's done!  The piecing took over three hours.

With the help of Photoshop Elements, I 'made' a left facting poodle.  You can find the instructions for the left facing poodle here.

Now this poodle needs to find his way to Karen's house!

Excited to have this Bee Inspired block done, I'm linking to the August OMG finsh link-up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts.

And I'm linking to Let's Bee Social #192  with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts and Midweek Makers #87 with Susan at QuiltFabrication.

Rin by Machine Applique ~ Block #2

I machine appliqued my second block made from Carolyn Friedlander's Rin quilt pattern. The first one is here that I made during the Rin Along hosted by Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs and Cindy at Hyacinth Quilt Designs.

When you pull fabric from your stash, does it ever evoke a memory of where you were when you purchased it or possibly who you were with?  This certainly happened with me when I was choosing the background fabric for this block.  I know exactly where I was.  It was 2015 and I was in Austin, TX at my very first QuiltCon.  I had no idea how I would use this fabric, but I knew I wanted some.

Architextures was Carolyn's very first fabric line with Robert Kaufman and this is Ledger in Ivory.

For the rings I'm using another Cotton and Steel print, Add It Up in Close Your Eyes.  Although it reads as solid black from a distance, I just love the little blue plus signs you can see up close.

I did something a little differently this time. I actually cut out the entire outer ring and the outer circle of the inner ring with my 45mm rotary cutter.  A few times, I cut a little further than I should have in the V of scallop, but I think it will be fine.  You can read all about my fusing process in the first blog post.

As I have time, I plan to make more blocks.  I plan to use all Carolyn Friedlander prints for the background fabrics and will use various blacks from different designers for the rings.

Excited to have one more Rin block done by zig zag satin stitch on the machine, I'm linking to Let's Bee Social with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.

Applique Butterfly Block ~ July OMG

My July One Monthly Goal was to machine applique a quilt block similar to this 1'x1' painted quilt block which will be hung in the city of Pickens as part of the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail.

Several more of my fellow guild members are working on the sewn quilt blocks which will be incorporated in to a quilt that will be hung at the Pickens Chamber of Commerce.

I was given a picture of the painted quilt block and realized when it was painted, the pattern wasn't exactly followed.  I modified it to something similar.  I should have asked who painted the block so I could give them credit.

The pattern is from the book, Patchwork, Quilting and Applique by Jenni Dobson.

I was asked to use fabrics similar to the painted quilt block.  I didn't had anything in my stash anywhere close, so I used solids instead with matching Aurifil 50wt for the machine applique.

Purple - Kona Cotton solid in Heliotrope and Aurifil (1243) Dusty Lavender.

Pink - Timeless Treasurers solid in Punch and Aurifil (2530) Blossom Pink
Green - Kona Cotton solid in Grass Green and Aurifil (1114) Grass Green
White - Bella Solid in Bleached White

My photo of the finished quilt block isn't the best as I on my way out to my guild meeting when I remembered I had not taken a photo of the finished block.

I will try to post pictures when the painted quilt block has been installed and the quilt is finished and hanging at the Chamber office.

Happy to have met my July one monthly goal, I'm to linking to the July OMG Finish Link-Up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 15 Blog Tour + Giveaway - Diamond Twist

Welcome to my stop on the 100 Blocks Blog Tour and I am so glad you found your way here!  I am thrilled to have my third block published in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.

If you are new to Quilted Blooms, I'm Paige and you can find out more about me here see some of my finished quilts in the gallery.

Quiltmaker assigns each 12" block to one of four categories - Applique, Foundation-Pieced, Mixed Technique and Pieced.  Diamond Twist Block #1411 is included in the Foundation-Pieced section 100 Blocks Vol. 15.

My previous blocks, It All Adds Up was included in Pieced section of 100 Blocks Vol. 13 and Hexie Flower Basket was included in the Mixed Technique section of 100 Blocks Vol. 14.

Here's the EQ version of the Diamond Twist rendered in Kona Cottons, Marine and Astral.

Diamond Twist Block

And here's the original signed block submitted to Quiltmaker.

Diamond Twist block by Paige Alexander

I don't paper piece often, but when I do, I like to use Carol Doak's Foundation Paper (affiliate link).  I even see that there is a legal size (8 1/2" x 14"), Carol Doak's Legal-Size Foundation Paper (affiliate link) which will be needed to print the Diamond Twist templates from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks.

Using the Diamond Twist block, I made a few quilts designed in EQ to show how versatile the block is to incorporate into different settings.

This first quilt is made from just 5 blocks surrounded by negative space creating a modern design.

This next quilt contains 4 columns of Diamond Twist blocks separated by sashing.

And another quilt without sashing and I changed up the color a bit.

This quilt was made from the same Diamond Twist block with variations in color placement creating an interesting design.

And the same basic design with a little variation using a couple prints from Imprint by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery.

I had fun with this design and created one more color way using the same Imprint collection.

And one last quilt I'm calling Ribbons of Hope made from 5 full Diamond Twist blocks and 5 half blocks which would be nice for breast cancer awareness.

Ribbons of Hope using Diamond Twist block

I hope you enjoyed seeing how one block can create so many possibilities by changing the block and/or color placement.

And now on to the Giveaways!

Giveaway #1.  The editors at Quiltmaker are sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of 100 Blocks Vol.15 and will mail the magazine directly to you anywhere worldwide.

Giveaway #2.  I will mail a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 15 to one lucky commenter to anywhere worldwide.

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment letting me know if you you like to foundation or paper piece.

2. Followers, old and new alike, get a bonus entry.  Leave a second comment and let me know how you follow - such as Bloglovin, Instagram or Email.

The giveaway will run through Saturday, May 8, 2017 and close at 8pm EST. (Giveaway is now closed) I normally respond to every comment received, but during the giveaway the volume may be to large for me to do so. Please leave your e-mail address so I have a way of contacting you if you are a no-reply blogger.

Visit Quiltmaker's blog, Quilty Pleasures, each day this week for links to participating blogs and enter for some great giveaways!  To see all of the creative and original blocks in this issue, 100 Blocks Vol. 15 is available on the newsstands now or you can order 100 blocks from Quiltmaker.

Linking to Let's Bee Social with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts.

The winners have been notifice!  Thank you all for stopping by on the Road Rally blog tour! I can't believe the low numbers choosen out of 215 comments!

Block Recycle Challenge

I recently finished a quilt using this orphan quilt block as a starting point.  In this tutorial for Improv Pineapple Blocks, its called a half log cabin block, but seems more like a quarter pineapple block to me.

The Greenville MQG issued a recycle block challenge to make something quilted using an orphan block donated through our block of the month program.

Half Log Cabin or Quarter Pineapple quilt block

It was more difficult finding blues and greens that coordinated than I thought it would be.  The blues had a denim or chambry look to them.  I collected some possibilities.

The green was fairly bright and I really had to search for some almost kelly greens to coordinate.  That yellow on the right didn't make the cut.

Now, what was I going to do with this block?  I decided to carry out the 'pineapple' theme and just keep adding logs and triangles until I had a large enough top for a comfort quilt to use in our charity project.

I forgot to measure the size of the original block, but it was around 11" or 12" square.  Wonky logs would have been more modern, but I was limited on time and fabric and just kept the logs fairly straight.  Here's the top after a few rounds.

And after a couple more logs...

And, here's the completed top...

I spray basted it late one night out on the porch, brought it in and hoped a quilting design would come to me overnight.

This print by Studio E was perfect for the backing.  The fabric even says, 'Reuse, Reduce and Recycle' which I found at a yard sale for I think a $1.  It really looks better than it photographed.

I decided to just quilt in the ditch around each log and quilt diagonally across each log, all done with the walking foot.  For the bigger logs, you can't see it here, but I did add a couple more lines in between but didn't cross over the triangles.

Here's the finished quilt after it's been bound and washed.  I added the binding by machine, the same way as I explained in this post.

I quickly took the photo before I headed to the meeting so it's not the straightest.

Recycle Block Challenge Quilt

I mentioned this was a challenge and an outside judge, Melinda Hoffman, who is an artist friend of Faye Jones, the challenge coordinator. was invited to pick the winners.

Just look at the tote bag I received.  Faye, a talented artist herself, painted this and somehow made decals to apply to purchased totes.  And you notice in the upper right hand corner...first place. :)  I will put this tote bag to good use in Paducah next week.

You can see all the challenge entries here along with the other fabulous prizes and winners.

Decal made from original artwork by Faye Jones

Quilt Stats:

• Finished size: 38" x 38" 
• Pattern: Half log cabin tutorial by MQG
• Fabrics: Various including Cotton & Steel, Carolyn Friedlander, Anna Maria Horner, Kona solids, Kaffe Fassett and more
• Thread: Aurifil 50 wt., 2725 light wedgewood
• Quilting design: In the ditch and straight line quiting with walking foot
• Batting: 100% Cotton Warm & White by the Warm Company
• Completed: April 2017

Linking to Finish It Up Friday, Finished or Not Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, and Show Off Saturday