Fellow Quilters,

Long time no talk 😊.  I took a bit of a break from my blog, as Hubby and I took a much-needed vacay.  We were without internet for a few weeks, making it challenging to participate in the monthly Quilt Block Mania event that I so enjoy (and I hope you do too!).  In fact, my May post that I pre-scheduled to go live apparently didn’t – yikes!! At that point I abandoned any thought of participating in the June event and skipped straight to July – that’s today!

The theme for July’s QBM is music.  So many options!  Once upon a time I played a couple of musical instruments – clarinet and baritone (like a small tuba, and totally unlike a clarinet!) – and I like to sing, albeit in the shower.   I always have the radio on in my sewing room tuned to my favorite country music station.  I prefer the radio to a tv – it’s less distracting for me.  And I crank up the tunes in the car when I’m driving by myself.  Doesn’t everyone?!?

Hubby and I did a Hawaiian cruise pre-Covid and were entertained each afternoon by a trio of Hawaiian singers/dancers who played ukuleles and hula danced.  They also gave ukulele and hula lessons.  Many of the cruisers even brought their own ukuleles for these lessons.  I am returning to Hawaii next February with World of Quilts Travel for a sold-out quilting cruise – I wonder if we’ll be serenaded by Polynesian musicians.  If I had a ukulele, I would like it to look like my Hawaiian Vibes for July’s QBM:

My Hawaiian Vibes block for July Quilt Block Mania

I chose some oh-so-tropical prints from the Aqua Coral colorway of Linda Hahn’s Island Vibes 2 collection for Banyan Batiks – perfect!  I tested my Hawaiian Vibes block with some similar batiks from my stash and some Razzle Dazzle sparkly gold thread from Superior Threads.  It is too heavy to go through the needle of a sewing machine (believe me, I’ve tried) so I couched it onto the block by zigzagging over the thread with clear Mono-poly, also be Superior Threads.

I couched the heavy Razzle Dazzle thread onto my block

Instant guitar strings!  You can get the Hawaiian Vibes pattern here.  I like that this block looks like a ukulele or guitar even though we see only a portion of the instrument.  The power of suggestion.

You can check out the 13 other participating designers’ blocks and patterns for July’s QBM at these links:

Headphones Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
iPod by Inflorescence
Happy birthday at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Player Piano by Scrapdash
I Love Rock’n’Roll by Appliques Quilts and More
Record Player by QuiltFabrication
In Treble at Sugar Sand Quilt Company
Bel Canto by Inquiring Quilter
Rock ‘N’ Roll Block by BoBerry Design Co.
Hawaiian Vibes by Patti’s Patchwork
Vintage Radio by Tamarinis
Quarter Note Block by Oh Kaye Quilting
Music Note by Powered By Quilting
Maracas
Xylophone by Blue Bear Quilts

How about you?  Are you musically inclined?  Do you play an instrument, or sing in a choir/band?  Or do you prefer to enjoy the music of others?  What’s your favorite genre?  Best concert or performance you’ve seen?  Tell me your musical story.  Leave a comment below by July 12 for a chance to win a pack of Linda’s Island Vibes 2 fabrics – yum!

Aloha,

Patti

Tags: Banyan, ukelele