DAY 4: Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour

I hope you all are enjoying your week of blogs and give-aways, compliments of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks!  I know I am, and I look forward to picking winners of my giveaways this weekend!  It's always fun to participate in programs such as this, and I especially appreciate all of you and your kind words!  When you work in a one-girl-studio, it helps to know that people like what you're doing and it gives us, as designers, such great energy to plan new designs and projects for you to enjoy.  So I thank you, from the bottom of my heart! :)  For without your feedback and interest, it simply would not be as satisfying to continue to come up with new patterns and designs.

With today's blog, I plan to share some ideas you may like to use to set my block into a quilt.  I have a few basic tips that are easy and fun, and will enhance a simple quilt top design.

Because the block should be the focus, you'll want to stay away from large, oversize prints.  I would suggest that you find a tone-on-tone, or two-color mini or medium-sized print to sash your blocks with.  I will use my block and it's fabrics as an example, and we will create a few different, easy designs with a touch of panache!

My first example balances the dominance of the deep rose appliqued hearts with a rosy red print border from Verna Mosquera's Savon Bouquet for FreeSpirit.  Sash your blocks with the Lecien blue-on-brown dot I used as the small center square and mini circles.  Then bind the piece with the same blue-on-brown dot.

My second example shows a softer setting, where I use a light blue medallion print for the main border.  The blocks are sashed and the piece is bound using the same fabric as the appliqued hearts.

My 3rd and 4th examples will give you an idea of taking the same sashing and border prints and changing up the binding.  In these examples, I again used the same tone-on-tone deep rose print I used for the hearts to sash the blocks.  Next, I pulled in a pretty, French-inspired floral from the Savon Bouquet line that has touches of blue to marry back to the blue dot background fabric of the appliqued blocks.  Where these pieces differ is with the binding.  See how you can use the blue-on-brown dot for the binding (#3), or pull the tone-on-tone deep rose print out to the border for #4.  Both are attractive and can give you a different "feel", depending on where you will be using the piece.  For example, if you wish to use it as a wall hanging, you may consider using version #3.  You could also use this version in a room where there is a lot of dark wood.  The #4 version is very pretty and feminine and could be used on the wall or as a dresser scarf in a girl's bedroom.  Or, add it to the center of a rustic pine table.

With a few simple changes, you can give your quilt designs a different personality.  Give thought to the myriad of possibilities you can dream up and interview fabrics into your designs that you never would have imagined.  A few questions you can ask yourself, as you pull your fabrics for this design are:

1) Does the fabric work better as a frame to the blocks or as a border?
2) What "feeling" do I want to show with my design?  Do I want it to blend into an eclectic environment, or something more traditional?  More eclectic, use a few different fabrics, if more traditional, stick to the same fabrics with smaller borders and use a different print for larger borders.
3) What decor do I wish to place this design in?  Consider the style and color tones of fabrics in order to blend well with your decor.  Before purchasing fabrics, ask your local shop for sample pieces to bring home with you if you are not sure they will work.

In addition to the table runner/wall hanging design shown here, I'd like to share an idea with you on how to place the blocks into a quilt design.  The quilt size is approximately 67 1/2" x 67 1/2".  I will be posting a pattern to make both the quilt and the runner designs next week!

Now back to the give aways for today!  As mentioned on Tuesday, I will be giving away a Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 2 magazine today.  My second give away for today is my Patchwork Rendezvous pattern, as well as my In a Snap! pattern.  Both are very easy and fun to make for any level of quilting experience.

Thanks again for all of your kind messages left this week!  Please remember to leave a comment and either "Friend" me ("Susan Guzman") on Facebook, or add me to your blog read list.  Have a lovely Thursday!

Susan