Block-a-palooza | Welcome & Block #1

Welcome to the first week of the first-ever Bloggers' Block-a-palooza quilt-along! I appreciate all of the excitement and enthusiasm that everyone has expressed over this project, and I know you're anxious to get started.

Thanks also for your patience and understanding as we've pulled together all of the final details for the project. As you may imagine, a project like this is not a small undertaking, and all of us involved have done the best that we can! I know there are some continuing conversations about fabric selections and requirements over in our Flickr group, so please be sure to join in all the fun happening over there. Oh, and post your blocks!

Regarding fabrics, with all blocks, please feel free to use the same fabrics as the block designer, or go out on a limb and make your own color combinations. I think much of this fun of this quilt-along will be seeing all of the different variations.

One more thing: we'll be posting 2 blocks per week -- one each Monday and one each Thursday. Understandably, this is a rapid pace for some, but you should not feel bad for following along at your own pace. The best thing about the internet is that these tutorials will live on for weeks, months, even years after we wrap up, so please don't feel any pressure to stay on track or feel any guilt if you fall behind. The most important thing is to HAVE FUN. I really, truly got into quilting only after I joined Amanda Jean's quilt-alongs. They were both educational and inspirational for me and, with this project, I hope I can do the same for other quilters.

Today, I am happy to present the tutorial for our first block. I'm calling this one Flying Over Fields, because I like the image of migrating geese soaring over patchwork fields. I kept to the muted yellow and grey tones of the "Sunkissed" line. I hope you like it!

BLOGGERS' BLOCK-A-PALOOZA

BLOCK 1 :: FLYING OVER FIELDS

Step 1

From a printed fabric, cut 6 squares measuring 2.5" each.

I used the yellow swirl print from the "Sunkissed" line.

Step 2

From another print similar in tone to the squares cut in Step 1, cut the following:

• 2 squares measuring 4.5" each
• 6 squares measuring 2.5" each

I used a yellow gingham print to coordinate with the swirls in my first fabric.

Step 3

Select another tone from your fabrics that provides a nice contrast to your first two fabrics. I decided to feature grey as my second tone to coordinate with the yellow. From a printed fabric, cut 16 squares measuring 2.5" each.

Step 4

From a solid fabric, cut 8 rectangles measuring 2.5" x 4.5" each. I am using a Moda Bella solid in the "Feather" color to introduce a light grey that coordinates with the print used in Step 3.

Step 5

From the 2.5" squares cut in Steps 1 & 2, create a pair of squares using one from each print. Place the squares right side together and sew along one side, using a 1/4" seam.

Step 6

Open the blocks back up and press The seam towards the darker fabric. In this picture, you can see that I pressed the seam towards the gingham print.

Step 7

Repeat with all remaining pairs of squares cut in Steps 1 & 2. This should result in 6 2-patch units. Take two of the 2-patch units and place them with like fabrics appearing in opposite corners, as shown in the picture below:

Step 8

Sew the units together to create a 4-patch unit, and again press the seam to one side. Repeat with the remaining 2-patch units, to create a total of 3 4-patch units.

Step 9

Now we will make some flying geese units. One each of the 2.5" print squares that you cut in Step 3, draw a faint diagonal line on the back (wrong) side of the fabric using a pencil and small ruler.

Step 10

Align one of these 2.5" squares with the 2.5" side of a solid rectangle that you cut in Step 4. Sew a seam directly along your marked line.

Step 11

With your rotary cutter and a leaving a 1/4" seam allowance, trim off the corner of the block. (We won't be using the pieces that were cut off, but many people like to save them to make half-square triangle units for future scrappy projects!)

Step 12

Open the unit and press towards the printed fabric.

Step 13

Repeat on the opposite end of the rectangular unit with another 2.5" print square. Be sure that your diagonal pencil line is oriented as shown in the picture below:

Step 14

Once it's sewn, trimmed, and pressed open, your block should look like this. Ta-da, you've made a flying geese unit!

Step 15

Repeat with the remaining rectangles and squares that were cut in Steps 3 & 4. You will make a total of 8 flying geese units.

Separate your flying geese units into 4 pairs of 2 geese each.

Step 16

Sew each pair of geese together, resulting in 4 2-geese units. Press your seams (if looking at the picture below, I pressed all of my seams towards the goose on the right).

Step 17

All of your block components are now complete! All that's left to do is assemble your components in a traditional 9-patch layout. Refer to the picture below when laying out your pieces:

Step 19

Sew the components together, first in rows:

Step 20

And finally, join your rows to complete you're block. And that's it, we're done! Your block should measure 12.5". It will be a 12" finished block when sewn into the final quilt top.

*** UPDATE ***

I have now made a PDF version of the tutorial available for ease in printing. You can access it here.

I hope you enjoy the tutorial and have fun making your blocks! Please be sure to show off your blocks in our Flickr group.

The next stop on our tour will be with Elizabeth on her Oh, Fransson! blog this coming Thursday, January 27th.

Remember, details about the quilt along (including the full schedule) can be found here and at our Flickr group here.