Fellow Quilters,

Welcome to my second post today!  My regular subscribers are probably

scratching their heads right now, thinking “Did she fall and bump her head?” because I NEVER post twice in one day.  Well, you know what they say – Never say never.  There is a very good reason for 2 posts today – I am wearing 2 hats as Northcott and I participate in Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 15 blog tour, taking place this week.  My first post was for Northcott’s participation as a sponsor of the tour.  This post is because I have a block in the issue – woop-woop!

#1454 Diamond Cut block

My block is #1454 Diamond Cut, made with Northcott’s uber-delicious Artisan Spirit Shimmer. It has just a hint of metallic gold – enough to make it shimmer (haha) but not enough to make it at all challenging to work with.  I have made numerous quilts with Shimmer, and they all turn out drop-dead gorgeous because of the fabric.

The Diamond Cut block is similar to the block that I used for my Bevels quilt featured in the November 2015 issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts.

Bevels quilt from November 2015 McCall’s Quick Quilts

However, I added corners that create a secondary design when multiple blocks are sewn together.  Using 2 different values of one color gives the distinct impression of shading in the fabrics, creating an optical illusion.

Quilt #1

In this alternate colorway version, I used multiple colors and placed them on a black ground, using one color (gray) for the corner pieces.

Quilt #2

In the 3^rd version, I used a light (cream) ground instead of black as above.

Quilt #3

I also played with a few other blocks in Volume 15 that had a central on-point square motif.  While there were several in the issue, only 2 had the same grid as Diamond Cut – #1464 Checkerboard Square and #1474 Nine Patch Palette.  Here is Diamond Grid with Nine Patch Palette, and then with the corner squares of Nine Patch Palette recolored.  What a difference!

Quilt #4

Quilt #5

Diamond Grid didn’t play as well with Checkerboard Square in my opinion.

Quilt #6

I also combined Checkerboard Square with Nine Patch Palette, both with and without recolored corners.

Quilt #7

Quilt #8

I have 3 copies of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 15 to give away, and I will throw in some Shimmer fabrics as well.  For a chance to win one of the 3 prizes, please post a comment on this blog post by midnight tomorrow Friday May 5^th telling me which of the 8 options is your favorite.  If you haven’t commented on my earlier post for the Northcott giveaways, please do!

As I write this post, I recall writing a similar post for Volume 13 which came out around this time last year and which also featured one of my blocks.  It was a crazy-busy time, particularly because, while returning to Canada from a Florida vacation, I had to make an unplanned multi-day stop in Paducah, Kentucky to join my colleagues in the Northcott booth at AQS Quiltweek.  I did not have any of the clothes or shoes that I needed to wear at the show (cycling shorts, golf clothes and swimsuits were NOT appropriate), so I called my son at home and walked him through my closet via the telephone as he pulled out the required dresses, matching shoes and jewellery, and Fedex’d them to me.  Remarkably, he managed to select all the right ones!

Enjoy the 100 Blocks blog tour road rally, and be sure to stop at the other designers’ and sponsors’ blogs to enter the rally.  Good luck!

Cheers,

Patti

Fellow Quilters,

Today is my lucky day, and yours too!  This week is the blog tour for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Volume 15, and not only is Northcott a sponsor, but I also have a block in the issue.  The good news for you is that you get 2 chances to win a copy of this great issue chock full of creative blocks – one chance for commenting on this post and one for commenting on my block post.

I really enjoy writing the Northcott post – it allows me to stretch my creative muscle by recreating some of the blocks and making them with the fabric collection featured in the Northcott ad in this issue.  This time around it is Little Genius (Little Genius ), part of the Tiny Treasures series of small-scale prints.  Little Genius is also a Quilts for Kids collection, benefitting Quilts for Kids (http://www.quiltsforkids.org/ ), a non-profit organization dedicated to brightening the lives of children who suffer from abuse or life-threatening illnesses.  Quilters are so kind-hearted and generous with their time, regularly making quilts that aid those people less fortunate.  Coincidentally, my modern guild had a charity sewing day last month, and we made a quilt with various house blocks for a local facility that provides support for families living with cancer.

With that in mind, I selected any blocks in Volume 15 that looked like houses, whether they were traditional or not.  This included #1441 Tree Houses, #1449 Beach House, #1495 Adventure Seeker (it is a teepee), and #1499 Candy Box (it reminded me of modular housing).  Since, as quilters, we like these quilts to be quick and easy, I also selected some of the easier blocks, such as #1411 Diamond Twist and #1489 Offset.  I noted that #1489 Offset looked like a low-rise apartment.  With 6 different blocks in all, I had lots of options.

I then set to work recoloring them in Little Genius, keeping the background the same in all blocks to maintain cohesiveness.  Here they are!

Then I set them into a variety of quilts, creating 6 different options.  The first one has 2 each of all 6 blocks, with the lengthwise border stripe used for the outer border.  I added sashing to minimize the varying grids in the blocks.  It looks like a sampler quilt.

Quilt #1

In Quilt #2, I used the 4 main “house” blocks, keeping the sashing and border.  I think you would agree that the result is somewhat less “sampler-y”.

Quilt #2

Quilt #3 has just the 2 main “house” blocks, and I like this version a lot.

Quilt #3

I used only the teepee and apartment blocks in Quilt #4, changing the block ground to solid cream, and it has a cleaner, more modern look.

Quilt #4

In the final quilt, I used the 2 more modern “houses” (the modular one and the apartment one) and used a less-busy print in the border.  The effect is quite grid-like, and appeals to the modern quilter in me.

Quilt #5

I am having a tough time deciding which one is my favorite, so I’m asking for your help.  For a chance to win a packet of Little Genius fabrics and a copy of “100 Blocks Volume 15”, please post a comment to this blog by midnight tomorrow Friday May 5^th telling me which quilt is your favorite.  I’ll randomly select 3 winners.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog, and this post on behalf of Northcott.  Please check out my other post today as one of the block designers – you’ll be glad you did!  For more chances to win a copy of “100 Blocks Volume 15”, be sure to visit the other blogs in the tour as well.

Cheers,

Patti