Fellow Quilters,

Greetings from Guatemala, the land of heat, humidity and crawling creatures.  Hubby and I are on a wee vacation and I’m hoping my internet connection is now strong enough to allow me to post this – my apologies if you popped in earlier and read my jfkldjafk;h;af.

It is the first Tuesday of the month and that means another round of Quilt Block Mania.  I must admit that I was somewhat apprehensive about the theme for this month – bugs – since I am not a fan of bugs of any kind.  However, the color palette chosen by organizer Carolina of Always Expect Moore drew me in: lovely iridescent teals, greens and deep navy.  The trick for this piecing gal was trying to create a block that was not applique based.  My modern side stepped in and created a mostly-pieced block with a hint of applique – I hope you like it!  Here is my Arachnid block (you can find the pattern here).

Arachnid block by Patti’s Patchwork

Truth be told, I have arachnophobia.  Yup!  It is hard to believe that, when I was a kid, I frequented a hedge at the front of our house to capture spiders in a baby food jar.  I would collect several spiders during each session.  Where oh where did that girl go and where did my arachnophobia come from?!?  When I think of this block, I prefer to think of the Jim Stafford song that goes something like “I don’t like spiders and snakes but that’s not what it takes to love you, oooh whooo”.  Hands up if you know it!

This block looks somewhat spider-ish on its own and is quite easy to piece – simply slash the background and insert the “legs” strips before adding the appliqued circle.  But look what happens when we combine several blocks, and how the layout can affect the impact of the block.  In this first example I used a typical on-point layout that has ¼-square triangles in the corners.  The geometric effect isn’t quite what I had in mind for this block/quilt – I don’t really like what is happening at the edges.

Arachnid blocks on-point in a typical 3×4 layout

But look what happens when I use the not-so-common on-point layout that has two ½-square triangles in each corner.  Can you see the block?  The effect is mesmerizing!  Symmetry at its finest!!

Same block on-point with the alternate 3×4 layout – much better!

Of course, you can also combine it with any of the other insect-themed blocks from the other participating QBM designers – there are a few new ones this month so please click on the links below to check them out.

Ladybug Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Snail by Appliques Quilts and More
Dragonfly by Mom and Me Quilting Co.
Aragog by Inquiring Quilter
Bugs in a Jar Quilt Block by Julia of Inflorescence
Christmas Beetle by Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Bug Jar Quilt Block
Butterfly by Penny Spool Quilts
Beetle Bug by Perkins Dry Goods
Caterpillar by QuiltFabrication
Jewel Beetle by Sugar Sand Quilt Company
Bumblebee Block by BoBerry Design Co.
Arachnid at Patti’s Patchwork
Butterfly Wreath by Jessica of Blue Sky Modern Craft
Marvelous Moth by Blue Bear Quilts

I’ve had my nose to the grindstone the past 2 months finalizing several new patterns using some of Northcott’s new releases.  Since country is near and dear to my heart (I have a dozen pair of western boots and counting – see note below about Pigeon Forge), I jumped at the chance to design with Howdy Christmas and did this down-home design called Hometown Holidays (you can find it here).

I also did a simple but very effective design taking full advantage of the selvage-to-selvage ombre print in Bliss – this one is called Stratify and includes 2 size options (find it here).

And my most popular release ever is Take Flight, using Northcott’s drop-dead-gorgeous Soar collection.  This pattern includes 3 size options (find it here), of which the throw size is available shortly from Keepsake Quilting or your local quilt shop.

Shortly after my vacay ends, I will be heading to Pigeon Forge TN for this year’s A Mountain Quiltfest June 6-9, where I will be teaching 4 classes alongside the inimitable Bonnie Hunter, Linda Hahn, Jocelyn de Jonge and more.  I hear tell there is still space in my Hexie Crush class and my Panel Pizzazz class.  I am thrilled to be back in TN for this fantastic event after 2 years of travel restrictions.  The selection of classes, vendor mall and amazing display of quilts make this a go-to event.  I highly recommend it!

Finally, this month is my birthday, and I will be celebrating by offering a newsworthy subscriber-only special for my newsletter peeps.  If you’re not yet a subscriber to my newsletter you can find the link at the bottom of the main page here.

Thanks for reading and for your patience this month, and we’ll chat again soon 😊

Cheers,

Patti