I hope you had as much fun visiting designer blogs last week as I did on the 100 Blocks Blog Tour! You can still visit each designer to see what they have going on even though the prizes are done (for now!) . . . the inspiration remains. You can scroll through the blog or find ALL the designer’s websites listed on the 100 Blocks Vol. 7 page. Not every one can participate in the blog tour, so this lists every contributor in the issue.
We had so much going on last week, that we decided to showcase QM staff blocks after the blog tour, so now I get to introduce you to my Apple Tree:
Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 7, Apple Tree by June Dudley
Wait a minute, let me set that on point for you:
Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 7, Apple Tree by June Dudley
That’s better, isn’t it? My Apple Tree block was made with fabric from P&B Textiles.
This block came about from a different project I was working on where I wanted to make 40 units that looked like this:
I had striped fabrics for the left side and the top that I wanted to look mitered, but I didn’t want to do 40 Y-seams to set in the squares . . . so I thought and thought and started cutting up pieces of paper to experiment with (it’s easier to fold 1/4″ seams in paper because they stay in place) and discovered a way to fold triangles inside squares that create a 3-D unit. (Don’t worry there are illustrations in the magazine instructions that explain all of that!) That little experiment turned into apple units which became the apple tree block.
You can make an orchard from 13 Apple Tree blocks:
Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 7, Apple Orchard by June Dudley
Quick math tip: To find the diameter of a block when you set it on point, multiply an edge by 1.414. So a 12″ block x 1.414 = 16.97″. For rough calculations you can say that a 12″ block set on point will measure about 17″. So the quilt above is (3 blocks x 17″) + (2 borders x 5″ each) approximately 61″ square.
Or, what about recoloring four apple trees to make one for each season:
Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 7, Apple Trees in Season by June Dudley
The piecing is the same with different colors for apple blossoms in Spring, developing apples in Summer, ripe apples in Fall and barren branches in Winter.
I just can’t help it . . . let’s do another giveaway for QM’s 100 Blocks Vol. 7! Leave a comment telling me your favorite way to eat apples by midnight MST, Tuesday May 7 and one more lucky winner will get an issue! And keep watching Quilty Pleasures for more staff blocks all month long!
The winner is Dell (comment #172)! Thank you everyone for participating!
