I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long: Block 6
Today is Block 6 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!
Sandra of Sandra Healy Designs has designed this cute Hanging Stars Angel Block for us. Years ago my young grandsons started calling angels "flying girls" -- makes sense, right? So when I see images of angels I always think about that and chuckle. Check out the pattern and tutorial on Sandra's blog and you will be on the way to creating your own flying girl who is busy filling the sky with twinkling stars.
I'm getting pretty comfortable with fusible appliqué in this QAL. I love practicing new things! This time I used invisible mono-filament thread on the top with a narrow zig zag stitch and my regular Auriful 50 wt cotton thread in the bobbin. The invisible thread just blends right in and disappears.
I added the french knots for her eyes, which worked out well. I thought I might fill in her features a bit more, but just didn't know what to do. I will see what everyone else creates and look for inspiration. If inspiration doesn't strike she will remain a flying girl with an ethereal, mysterious face.
Can you believe we are halfway through the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long? Below are my first six blocks laid out together. I hope you are having as much fun with this as I am!
To be entered in the prize drawing just post a picture of your finished Block 6 in one of three places:
Fabric Choice
The background pieces are blues and greens from my stash including a bit of my favorite spotty blue from previous QAL blocks. The background is really is a great place for some fun play with colors and prints. I used a simple dark blue print for the big square which provides good contrast for the angel figure. For the smaller squares I blended from light blue-greens in the outer corners to a dark blue-green in the bottom right corner. Oh how I love to play with colors on the cool end of the spectrum! For the hair I chose a red fabric to spark against the cool colors and to connect with the red accents in previous blocks.My Tips for the Block
The square piecing for the background is easy peasy as long as you sew with a fairly accurate quarter inch seam. The pieced background makes a fun canvas for the appliqué. My favorite tip is to evaluate the light/dark fabric values by taking a photo with your phone and then convert it to grayscale. Then you can focus on value and not be distracted by the actual color. I do this when I am choosing fabrics by taking photos of trial fabrics layered in a stack. You can see in the image of the finished block below how much easier it is see the contrast between the different values with the colors grayed out.
I'm getting pretty comfortable with fusible appliqué in this QAL. I love practicing new things! This time I used invisible mono-filament thread on the top with a narrow zig zag stitch and my regular Auriful 50 wt cotton thread in the bobbin. The invisible thread just blends right in and disappears.
I added the french knots for her eyes, which worked out well. I thought I might fill in her features a bit more, but just didn't know what to do. I will see what everyone else creates and look for inspiration. If inspiration doesn't strike she will remain a flying girl with an ethereal, mysterious face.
Can you believe we are halfway through the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long? Below are my first six blocks laid out together. I hope you are having as much fun with this as I am!
Enter the Block Prize Giveaway
Of course there is a great prize drawing for Block 6. If you are the lucky winner you will receive one pdf pattern of your choice from Sandra of Sandra Healy Designs and fat quarter bundle from the Blushing Blooms collection, Island Batik.
To be entered in the prize drawing just post a picture of your finished Block 6 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 Sandra Healy Designs.
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!