GPDU -- MONTH 7 One Applique Block and one ShooFly Block

Moving on to the second half of this year--we have a new, beautiful applique block and another ShooFly block. This is posting a couple days early, as it will be a busy holiday weekend here in the US for July 4. I thought you might like an early start.

Remember, it's not too late to start this project. All of the blocks remain available FREE to Star Members of  The Quilt Show until December 31, 2022--Months 1-7 are up now. New blocks are posted on the first of each month. Find the information HERE.

Here is my applique block, Block 10. I used one of my favorite old fabrics for the vase, and 3 kit fabrics for the leaves: 

My Block 10

The tip for Block 10--the stems are straight so they don't have to be made from bias, straight stems will do it. 

Designer Irene Blanck's Block 10

The ShooFly block is just like last month--the instructions are exactly the same so you don't have to print that page for Month 7, unless you want to. Find my detailed ShooFly block instructions here: MONTH 6 SHOO FLY BLOCK TIPS

Cutting all the pieces needed for several ShooFly blocks in advance, allows you to sew them as Leaders/Enders--they practically make themselves. I needed two blocks for my project so I just cut all those pieces, and set them beside my machine. Over a few days they were all made:

Both of my ShooFly Blocks have double hearts in the center. Very easy and fast to make. I have seen some made with flowers from earlier months, an additional pieced block, a square of floral fabric--it's your quilt, you get to decide: 

Early on this year I decided I was not making a second full-size version of Garden Party Down Under--I love my sample made with help from the Sunday Sew & Sews last summer:

But I still needed to do something with the sample blocks I am making each month THIS YEAR, mostly from Kit fabrics.  Here is my plan. The center made in Months 1 and 2 will be a small wallhanging. All it needs is quilting--unless I decide to add a narrow outer border:

Another small wallhanging will be made with Months 4-7. It will be completed after the LIVE broadcast July 1 when I will discuss the Month 7 Vase Block:

Because the applique blocks from Month 5 are 13" wide and the pieced blocks are 12" wide, I had to add very narrow sashing to the pieced blocks in rows 1 and 3 so the rows align. They are 1/2" finished. The sashing in the middle row is 1" finished.

I wanted this quilt to be square so the sashing between the rows is 1" finished--this makes the center 38.5" including seam allowances.

I will use this to demo how I made the pieced borders when we get to Months 10, 11 and 12. Having a square quilt means I only have to do the math once. With a rectangle, I would have to figure out the left and right side borders AND the top and bottom borders. 

The Month 10 and 11 narrow applique blocks are real favorites of mine. I will make all four of those but haven't decided what I will do with them. Maybe a long narrow wallhanging or a table runner. Time will tell...

Let's quilt.

Barbara