Our video demonstration this week is a six-pointed star, perfect for Hanukkah. This star is fairly easy to sew, although there are several bias edges to sew, so you’ll need to be careful not to stretch them, otherwise your block will be sorely mis-shapen.
If you head on over to www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com, you can get a free download of the pattern for this block, as well as several other quilt blocks.
You also might want to sign up for the email series – “Understanding Quilt Blocks.” This weekly email is an excellent resource for learning how quilt blocks are drawn, how to choose fabric for your quilt blocks, as well as how to sew
Even though this block uses only two different fabrics, it is relatively challenging to sew together. It could be because almost every seam is on the bias, since virtually every patch is a triangle.
In any case, you’ll see how to sew the block together! I’d reserve some time and focus for this one
Visit www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com to see other quilt block videos and get free patterns, including free fabric postcard patterns for Penny’s Postcard Posse.
With this week including Sewing Machine Day, I thought it would be fun to demonstrate the Spool quilt block. This block is an old and well-loved block – probably because it is very easy to sew and makes some fun designs.
In this block, I have used a brown fabric that has a wood grain for the spool portion and a white fabric with a kind of strip for the center square – making it look like thread on the spool.
These blocks can be lined up so the spools all face the same direction – like soldiers standing at attention. Or, often the blocks are rotated so that some of the spools are standing and some laying down.
This quilt block is known by several different names, including Crossed Canoes.
It is a relatively easy 4 patch quilt block to sew together.
Once I finished this block and hung it on my wall, I realized that the fabrics I used in the block made it look kind of like “mush.”
So, it became the topic of an article on color value in quilt blocks. When you read the article, you will see that these were all medium value fabrics, By changing one fabric to a dark, it completely changed the way the block looked.
Keeping color value in mind as you select the fabrics for your blocks will help you create the look you want in your blocks.
Originally this block was created for a Halloween quilt, but in the video demonstration, you will see that I have made it to celebrate my son’s birthday.
Change the colors in the block to create the effect you want for your wall hanging or quilt.
