I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long: Block 5
Today is Block 5 release day for the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long! If you are new to the QAL visit the Facebook Group for the details and join the community of quilters who are getting in the spirit. This is a laid back kind of QAL and it is not too late to join in the fun!
Sherry Shish of Powered By Quilting has designed this amazing Snowman Block for us. Check out the pattern and tutorial on her blog and you will be on the way to creating your own unique snowman. This is my version, a Super Cool Snow Dude!
To be entered in the prize drawing just post a picture of your finished Block 5 in one of three places:
Fabric Choice
I am pulling fabrics from my stash as I make the QAL blocks, improvising as I go. So for this block I used some of the same fabrics I had used in previous blocks, including the spotty blue that I love so much. I think it makes a dashing hat, don't you? The background green is actually leftover from fabric I bought to cover my pressing board.My Tips for the Block
In addition to the basic piecing for the snowman block this pattern also has appliqué bits for the face and embroidery for the eyes and arms. After the previous appliqué blocks I was feeling pretty confident about my skills there, but I wasn't sure I could pull off the embroidery. So my Cool Snow Dude has appliqué sunglasses instead of embroidered eyes and he doesn't have arms at all! There are a lot of pieces in this block, so you will need to follow the cutting and piecing instructions carefully. I thought the trickiest part was the lower scarf pieces. As I was working on it I didn't really see how it was going to line up, but it actually did with no problem at all. Trust the instructions! Since I didn't want to embroider the eyes I decided that my snowman would have sunglasses. For those I just drew the glasses on paper and cut them out to use as a template. On the second try I had a shape that was kind of wonky but more or less fit his face. You can probably tell that drawing is not one of my strong points. The frame is a solid black piece with the gray pieces fused on top for the lenses. The goofy grin and the buttons are also just black fabric fused in place. You could easily add real buttons or other embellishments after quilting. My philosophy is always make it your own even if you start with a pattern. There have been so many creative twists with the first four blocks that I can't wait to see what everyone does with their snowmen.
Enter the Block Prize Giveaway
And of course there is a great prize drawing for Block 5! If you are the lucky winner you will receive one pdf pattern of your choice from Vanda Chittenden of Quilt in Piece and a signed copy of the book Simply Redwork by Helen Stubbings.
To be entered in the prize drawing just post a picture of your finished Block 5 in one of three places:
- Facebook Group
- Instagram with hashtag #iwishyouamerryqal
- Or link up your blog post of your finished block with the linky party on the designer's blog Powered By Quilting .
Grand Prize Drawing in January
Remember, there will be a drawing for an amazing grand prize in January. To be eligible for the grand prize drawing you must post a completed quilt top using all twelve of the QAL blocks by January 16. Even if you miss deadlines for some of the individual block giveaways you can still post for the grand prize. Look at these amazing sponsors for the grand prize!