McCall's Quilt Design Star 2012 Challenge 1

Quilted Cora supervising blocks for the McCall's Quilt Design Star 2012! 

Hi! Quilted Cora here!  As my "peep" Renelda writes this I am hard at work with McCall's Quilt Design Challenge 1.  I have to use the "Storm at Sea" block for the challenge.  I am good at designing and constructing quilt tops - I usually go with something more original.  I have never used the Storm at Sea block before and am looking forward to trying my hand on this one.  A lot of points, a lot of matching points!  Hopefully the next challenge will play to my strong suit - applique.

McCall's Quilt Design 2012 Challenge 1 finalist!!

Quilted Cora is proud to announce that her "peep" Renelda has advanced and is now a McCall's Quilt Design Star 2012 Challenge 1 finalist!! Thanks to all who voted for her and the Colonel's Star quilt.  I'll keep everyone posted about when to vote for Challenge !!!

 

Thanks to everyone who took time out to write!  Thanks to all of you who voted for the Colonel's Star quilt for the McCalls challenge - you can still vote (everyday - until 20 May).  Just go to;  http://ck.upickem.net/engine/Welcome.aspx?contestid=54018     click on VOTE, my quilt is #18.

Marcia won the free copy of 100 Blocks from Quiltmaker!

Quilted Cora said for everyone to stay cool! Thanks.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

            Quilted Cora here welcoming you to the Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks blog tour!!  For those of you who don’t know me, I am Renelda’s alter ego.  Anyone who knows both of us will tell you that I’m the better looking of the two, snappier dresser and better accessorized!  Well, enough about me (who typed that?) let’s look at Renelda’s block: Block #412 Blooming Hearts.

            Before I give you some inside construction info about the block, please look at 100 Blocks, volume 5, page 14.

             In the Designer’s Gallery, the #3 quilt is a bed runner using the Blooming Hearts block, yellow background and blue “flowers”.

            1. Hearts: Determine the size and number of blocks in your Blooming Hearts quilt.  I’m constructing the quilt to the right!  

            For this demo I chose to do a 4 block x 4 block wall hanging, so I have 16 blocks, 2 “flowers” per block means I have 32 flowers.  Each flower is comprised of 7 hearts which means I’ll need 224 hearts.  (I always cut more hearts than I need!)  I checked through my stash of batiks, thank you Hoffman Batiks of California! and pulled out about 20 different reds and pinks.  I try to create a balance of 1/3 dark hearts (75 hearts minimum), 1/3 medium hearts (75 minimum) and 1/3 light hearts (75 - you get the point).

            Determine if you will machine or hand appliqué the hearts (a lot of work) or fuse them to create the flowers:  Steam-A-Seam2 saves time and frustration!  My quilt will be a wall hanging which will not be handled much so I choose to fuse.  If your Blooming Hearts will be used on a regular basis it should be machine or hand appliquéd.

            After selecting fabric, cut it to fit fusible backing.  Fuse to back of fabric and trace hearts on the fusible backing.  Cut out the hearts.  The hearts are duel-directional, doesn’t matter if you trace from the front or back – the stems are uni-directional, it does matter how you cut them out.  After you check which direction to trace the stems, trace and cut out stems.

                     2. Make Flower:  Trace the flower template onto a fusible safe surface, peel the Steam-A-Seam2 off the back of the hearts and arrange them over template.  Press using a low iron just so hearts stick together, but not hot enough to melt the glue.

            3. Prepare Block:  Because you are making multiple blocks and you want the flower placement to look consistent throughout the quilt, make a block template.

           Trace the flower and stem twice and adhere them to an actual size block insuring flower and stem placement is the same for both (even being off ¼” - ½” will make your quilt look off center).

  Darken the template so you can see through light fabric.  Place the flowers and stems on the background fabric, align it with the template, and slide it onto the ironing surface and press.

      The placement template is next to the ready-to-fuse block!

Other possibilities, colors, combinations:

 Pansy with Stems