LAUREL RIDGE -- MONTH 6

Laurel Ridge is the 2025 Block of the Month quilt designed by Lynn Wilder exclusively for The Quilt Show.  Star Members have FREE access to the patterns starting January 1, 2025. Made in two colorways, the complete patterns are excellent. You will love making this quilt. Lynn supports the pattern instructions with Videos too. 

This month Applique returns--with the large spray of flowers and leaves. There are 8 of these blocks, and each is 5" x 7.5" FINISHED. 

NOTE: Half these blocks tilt LEFT and half tilt RIGHT--they are reverse mirror images of each other. Make 4 LEFTs and 4 RIGHTs. 

Watch Lynn's Video for all her great tips. She strongly recommends using starch/Best Press/Terial Magic, for the background piece. It stabilizes the block so it doesn't "shrink" as the applique is done.

I have chosen not to include any applique in my quilt. But I have written about Applique many times here on my blog. Needle Turn Hand Applique was my favorite method for years. Now I often do Turned Edge Machine Applique. Find my Tutorials here:

NEEDLE TURN HAND APPLIQUE:  Afternoon Delight

TURNED EDGE MACHINE APPLIQUE: Ruffled Roses,   WashAway Paper for Applique Motifs

Turned Edge vs. Raw Edge Machine Applique--and how to Stitch Them.

When working with patterns like these for applique, I like to print them on either wash-away paper or freezer paper. This avoids having to trace all those shapes by hand, just cut them out and you have templates for all the shapes. Quilters Select Print n Piece Fuse Lite works well, C&T Washaway Applique Sheets are similar. The washaway papers are left in and will dissolve once the finished QUILT is washed. The freezer paper has to be removed when the BLOCK is finished:

The usual problem with printing patterns like this is the shapes will be REVERSED--that's not an issue with these blocks--remember, we have 4 LEFTs and 4 RIGHTs. 

The best way to have applique stitches that don't show, whether by hand or by machine, is to use fine thread in a color that closely matches the motif being appliqued. My favorite is Quilters Select Pre-Wound bobbins, size 80 wt polyester thread:

Silk thread is lovely too--100 wt, fine as baby hair, but more expensive to gather a large number of colors. 

For Machine Applique, there are several stitches often used. Blanket stitch, Blind hem stitch, Feather stitch, Sewn-Out Zig Zag stitch, etc.. Play with your machine to see which stitches you have that appeal. 

Here is a GREAT VIDEO from Alex Anderson giving a lot of information on how she does machine applique: Alex Anderson Machine Applique  See LESSON 5 at this link. Take a look if you haven't done much machine applique. 

So, what am I doing instead of the applique? One 5" block with 1.25" added to each end makes a 5" x 7.5" block--this is FINISHED SIZE, the block shown below is 5.5" x 8" with seam allowance at the moment. Right now I am playing with the 8 extra Four Patch in a Star blocks I made in Month 1, but I have another idea so this may change: 

As I often say, it's your quilt, you get to decide. Make yours exactly as the pattern instructs or make some modifications to suit yourself. Your quilt will still be "INSPIRED BY LAUREL RIDGE", designed by Lynn Wilder for TheQuiltShow.com

Next month it's back to those Four Patch in a Star blocks, from Month 1, with different fabric placement for those using the Kits.

Let's quilt.

Barbara