Sizzling Summer Treats

Fellow Quilters,

Wow!  It is August already – the summer months are flying by, and it is time for another edition of Quilt Block Mania, organized by Carolina at Always Expect Moore.  Summers mean warmer weather and fun outdoor activities such as picnics and barbeques, and that just happens to be the theme of this month’s QBM.  Yay for easy breezy summer cooking!

The color palette this month is soft red, light peach, limeade, dark gunmetal blue and pale putty.  When you combine these shades with a picnic/bbq theme, what do you get?!?  Well, I thought of…

Shish Kebabs!  Yep, cubes of tasty pork, juicy orange peppers and zucchini, grilled to perfection.  Pass the tziktziki please!

Beef kebabs

Then I thought “Those beef kebabs are actually brown, not red, so let’s do veggie kebabs!”  I replaced the red beef cubes with red peppers and cherry tomatoes marinated in Greek salad dressing.  Great!

Veggie kebabs

Then for a change, I thought “Can we do shrimp kebabs?”  Why not!  Salmon-colored shrimp with red and green peppers.  Shrimp on the barbie are dee-lish!  Brush them with garlic butter as they’re cooking.

Grilled shrimp kebabs

But wait, there’s more… I saved the best for last.  You guessed it – fruit kebabs!  Watermelon or strawberries, combined with cantaloupe or peach or mango, and honeydew melon or green grapes.  So many options!  Yes, fruit kebabs are the perfect picnic take-along.

Fruit and cheese kebabs

Whichever flavor you prefer, I’ve got the Kebabs pattern

Kebabs block pattern by Patti’s Patchwork

for you.  It is my modern abstract take on kebabs – fresh and fun!  This one is pretty quick and easy, just like summer cooking.  You can download it here. I used some tantalizing batiks from Banyan Batik’s Essentials, then threw in some peach-colored Carnivale by Linda Hahn, a bit of citrus Codes & Circuits and sizzling red Bouncing Balls.

It makes a terrific runner!

A 4-block 48″ x 12″ runner looks fun and fresh!

This month 14 other designers have also designed free blocks using this theme and palette.  You can find their blocks at the links here:

Hamburger Block at Always Expect Moore
Popsicle Picnic at Slice of Pi Quilts
Picnic in the Park
Let’s Fly a Kite at PhoebeMoon Designs
Picnic by Inquiring Quilter
Picnic Bouquet by Blue Bear Quilts
Kebabs at Patti’s Patchwork
BeeHive by Mom and Me Quilting Co.
Picnic Basket at The Quilting Room with Mel
Watermelon Wedge from QuiltFabrication
Labor Day Picnic
I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing
Picnic Fun at Perkins Dry Goods
“Cheers!” at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Lemonade FPP Block at Penny Spool Quilts

And here is a super-easy tasty recipe for a dip to go with fruit kebabs.

Fruit Dip

Prepare one 4-serving box of instant pudding with only 1 cup of milk.  Add ¼ cup liquor and half of a large container of Cool Whip.  Chill until set, approx. 30 minutes.  Good combinations:  vanilla pudding with peach or raspberry schnapps, chocolate pudding with Kahlua or crème de cacao (ask me how I know).

If you missed my blog post on August 1, pop on over to it for more free block ideas and mushroom tips.  And please hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss news about a couple other cool things happening this month.

See you soon,

Patti