Student Progress with Garden Party Down Under

This year I am teaching a lecture/demo class on Garden Party Down Under at a local shop. There are 11 students working on this quilt. The two-hour class meets every other month--just enough to keep everyone motivated and most have kept up so far. Having a class deadline helps. Though it's not required. Even those not caught up benefit from the tips and tricks shared by all in the class.

Admire their efforts to date: 

Claudia 

Claudia--shoo fly blocks are just the best

Claudia--love that vase fabric!

Cyndi--using all leftover fabrics from previous quilts

Cyndi--love that vase. And her Dresden is various black prints, all 12 different

More lusciousness from Cyndi

Sally is adding some wool and lots of hand embroidery

Look at Sally's detail handwork

More from Sally

Franny has only made it to one previous class but she is loving this project

Lots of Franny applique

Franny's Month 1 and 2 together

                                        

Great blocks from Sandy--who always smiles so big--fire the photographer!

Sandy

Love this vase and the entire block from Sandy

Sandy used a dark background for the Dresden Plate center

Julie got a sense of accomplishment from joining months 1-5 together

Julie--I covet this one!

Julie's month 7 block--the easiest one yet

Leila is doing her applique with the Back Basting method. At the May class she explained the process, and I told the students how to find more information on this method. Google "back basting applique"--I believe Jeana Kimball first taught this method years ago. 

Phyllis gave it a go after the May class and she tells us "This is my applique method going forward". Here are two photos showing the process Phyllis is so happy with.

Here the leaves are back basted and ready to be appliqued, except for the lower left leaf--it is ready to be back basted. The vase is a chunk of fabric ready to be back basted: 

Another of  Phyllis' finished blocks: 

Back basting has the advantages of no marking on the front of the quilt, no pins once the shapes are back basted to the background, which makes it very portable hand sewing, and the basting lets you know exactly where to turn the edge of the shape under. Try it, you might like it.

In these year-long classes, friendships are usually formed. Several of these women have been in prior Block of the Month classes with me: Color My World, Sizzle, Afternoon Delight, Patchwork Barn and Halo Star Medallion.  I look forward to seeing each of them every class.

One of our group is undergoing cancer treatment at the moment. Before class started this time, she was gifted a lovely hand made shawl, made especially for her, in her colors, by one of the other students--who only  met her this year. Quilters make the BEST friends:

Cyndi and Julie

Speaking of Cyndi, I have long coveted her stash! She has a great eye for color and design and a DEEP stash. Before class she  showed me this wonderful scrap quilt she is making, all from her little scraps. String/Crumb piecing is so much fun to do, and even better when the fabrics are this bright. The pattern is in Bonnie Hunter's book String Frenzy.  The string piecing was done on paper. Great job, Cyndi:

Being Summer, 5 of our classmates were out of town for this month's class--we look forward to seeing their progress in September. 

It is not too late for YOU to start making Garden Party Down Under. This pattern designed exclusively for The Quilt Show by Irene Blanck is FREE to Star Members of The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims  There is so much to learn and enjoy as a Star Member and this FREE pattern is the icing on the cake. It is available until December 31, 2022, when the rights to the pattern return to the designer and she can sell it. Join NOW and get it FREE.

Let's quilt. 

Barbara

GPDU -- MONTH 6 Shoofly Block and Applique Vase

 It's Month 6 of the 2022 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show. The pattern Garden Party Down Under was designed exclusively for The Quilt Show by Irene Blanck and is ONLY available FREE to Star Members of The Quilt Show through all of 2022. Join NOW -- it's not too late!

Original Blocks by Irene Blanck

This Month we start the Shoofly Blocks that are made in months 6, 7, 8 and 9. Each has eight 4" Shoofly blocks and a center block.

A few suggestions that differ from the provided instructions:

1. Cut the center square 5" instead of 4.5". Applique tends to "shrink" the background and having a little extra allows you to trim the completed square to 4.5", keeping the applique in the center.

2. The 16 colored squares and 16 light squares used to make the Half Square Triangles (HST) can be cut 2.5" instead of 2.75", still allowing you to "trim to perfection" once sewn. 

3. BUT, NOTE THIS TRICK: to draw the diagonal pencil lines quickly, cut FOUR light squares twice the size of small square. My small squares are 2.5" so I cut the light squares 5". Draw a pencil line from corner to corner on BOTH diagonals. Cut the 5" large square into four 2.5" squares and the drawn lines are done in less time:

Sew 1/4" away from the diagonal line, on both sides, cut apart on the drawn center diagonal, to create two half square triangle units:

Press toward the dark fabric, trim to exactly 2". There is very little waste and perfect HST: 

Lay out the pieces to sew one Shoofly block:

Small pieces require precision piecing. Test yourself--using the FINISHED SIZE OF EACH PIECE.  After you sew the light rectangles to the HSTs and the center square to a rectangle, measure them.

Upper row: HST is 1.5" + rectangle 1" + 1/2" seam allowance--3" from edge to edge. Middle row: rectangle is 1.5" + 1" square + 1/2" seam allowance--3" edge to edge. Bottom row is the same as the top row. 

Do this now to be sure you have the correct sizes so far. If it is not the right size now, it will not miraculously become the right size when you do the next step. Find the mistake at the first place it happens. 

Once you find there is no excess or shortage, you know exactly how to sew a 1/4" seam allowance and can stop checking. I still check every seam:

Pressing, choose the method that works best for you. Here are two options: 

I love Shoofly blocks and these 4" finished ones are just adorable: 

Decide what you want to put in the middle of the block. The pattern uses the small Dresden plate. I chose to applique Double Hearts.  Some people used a floral motif from the first months blocks--anything that fits on the 4" finished center will work. Some chose to simply make an additional pieced block and forego applique. It's your quilt, you get to decide: 

My Shoofly block

The great thing about making 4 of these Shoofly blocks is you can cut them all out now and work on them as "leaders/enders" over the next few months. I kept the cut pieces beside my machine and made them as I was sewing other projects. They almost make themselves that way:

The applique block is similar to the previous blocks EXCEPT it's square! 12" W x 12" H. I do find it helpful to make a window template to audition potential vase fabrics. NOTE: this vase has a Top and Bottom Lip that will require an additional small piece of fabric in those two places: 

There is a straight stem that is 1/8"-- it does not have to be cut on the bias as it is straight. The remaining 1/4"  stems curve a bit so need to be cut on the bias.

Next month we make another Shoofly block and a 12" vase applique block. 

Let's quilt.

Barbara