Welcome to Day One of the Quilt Designer Shop Hop! What is it? Well......10 different quilt pattern designers got together and, under the theme of moving forward, separate but working together, inspired by life under quarantine, and created 10 different 12" finished blocks.
These blocks are all available to you for the length of the hop - so not very long! Blocks will be available for free download through Saturday, July 18th. AFTER July 18th, blocks will be available for purchase from the individual designers at a cost of $2.00 each. So you'll want to grab your blocks while you can!
Here is my block, Sunshine. Why sunshine? For me, sunshine represents hope and togetherness. Think about it - no matter the circumstances, the sun will rise tomorrow. Over all of us, uniting all of us in its bright, warming rays. Here is your bit of sunshine to brighten your day and remind you that things will be better and brighter soon!
Sunshine is paper pieced, and since many of the rays are small, it is a wonderful opportunity to bust some scrap stash. I pulled from my Kismet line from Island Batik to stitch up a bright cheerful sun. It was a great opportunity to use up some of those skinny scraps from other Kismet quilts!
The pattern has a planned color placement, but you can alter it to suit your personal preferences, or to bust those scraps!
While I LOVE all of the blocks that everyone designed, I don't have time to make all 10 blocks. So I thought I'd share with you how I decided to finish out my Sunshine block! First, I added some borders (more on that later).
Then I added some stitched embellishment using my Aurifil Kismet Thread Collection to add some additional interest and color! I love how the 28wt shows up beautifully on the batik fabrics!
Here is why I added borders: I will wrap the finished block around a blank canvas. If you want to do the same, you want to add enough border to accommodate your seam allowance (1/4" on EACH side), plus the thickness of the canvas (mine was 1" thick, so 1" on EACH side), plus room to staple on the back. I cut my borders at 3", which is crazy generous. You could easily add 2" borders if you are working with a 1" deep canvas.
If you are going to wrap a canvas, your next step would be to wrap the block around the canvas and tape it to the back to check your placement.
Since my block (finished size) and my canvas are the same size, I need to make sure the seam lines and the edges of the canvas line up. As you can see from the picture above, I need to make some adjustments to make that happen!
Once you are happy with the placement, begin stapling the block to the back of the canvas. I work from the middle out on two sides. Don't go all the way to the end, as you'll need some working room for folding those corners!
As you can see, the back may be a bit messy, but take your time and work the corners to get a smooth look and neat corners!
Side note: I chose to add my borders and THEN do my embellishment to add a bit of interest and color to the sides of the canvas! You could easily stitch first and then add borders - which ever works best for you. But doesn't it amazing when the stitching wraps around the edges?!
Yes, the stitching is optional if you are wrapping a canvas, but I do love how it adds some texture and additional color to the block!
Whether you use the block individually or stitch up all 10 designer blocks, I hope you enjoy Sunshine! You can find the Designer Shop Hop Sunshine block here in my Pattern Shop (remember it is a free pattern to "purchase" through July 18th). Please note that while the pattern for the block is free through July 18th, you will have to add it to your shopping cart and "check out" to download it.
If you want to make your Sunshine block in my Kismet fabrics, I do have a limited number of kits available as well! You can find them here in my Pattern Shop as well!
How can you put ten different 12" finished blocks together in a quilt? Oh - there are sooooo many ways! And several of the designers will offer some awesome suggestions. I've worked up one fun, but easy layout for you to put all ten blocks into a finished quilt. If you like this layout, you can find the pattern for the layout here.
You'll want to head over to Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quilts to see her amazing block and hear her story behind her super fun block!
Here is the full line up for the week:
July 13 Tamarinis https://www.tamarinis.com
July 13 Laura Piland http://www.sliceofpiquilts.com/
July 14 Sherry Shish https://poweredbyquilting.com
July 14 Amy Friend https://www.duringquiettime.com/
July 15 Kate Colleran https://seamslikeadream.shop
July 15 Becky Jorgensen https://patchworkposse.com
July 16 Leanne Parsons https://www.devotedquilter.com
July 16 Patti Carey https://pattispatchwork.com/
July 17 Swan Sheridan https://www.swanamity.com
July 17 Cherry Guidry https://www.cherryblossomsquilting.com/
Remember - you'll need to visit each designer's blog to get access to their block, and the blocks are available for free only through July 18th.
Like what you see here, and want to hear more from Tamarinis? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram, and sign up for my newsletter at www.tamarinis.com! Following is one way to demonstrate your interest in my projects, patterns, and partnerships. Your comments are also GREATLY appreciated, and provide valuable feedback regarding what inspires you, as well as what you'd like to see explored in future posts. And did you know? I travel and teach! Contact me to schedule a trunk show and/or workshop!
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