March Block of the Month: Confetti Blocks

I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to feel a bit of hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel? My list of people I know who have been vaccinated is growing, the weather is getting warmer, my garden is starting to emerge from the snow, I may not need to hunt for my kids' winter gear in our closet for much longer... There's a lot to be excited about! 

So let's celebrate with some Confetti Blocks.

I was looking for BOM inspiration this month, and it occurred to me that maybe my friendly Ottawa Public Library would have a book that could help. So I picked up Alissa Haight-Carlton and Kristen Lejneiks's Block Party: The Modern Quilting Bee and came across the Confetti Block. I think we're going to have fun with this one! This block is designed by Megan Risse, and our instructions have been copied directly from the book (p. 92-93).

Fabric Requirements:

Background Fabric: Solid white or white with a small pattern - the background plays a large part in this block, so whatever you use should "read" as white.

Confetti Fabric: Any combination of bright, fun colours: turquoise, pink, purple, peach, yellow, green, blue, red, orange, etc. etc. It's supposed to be like party confetti, so don't be afraid to mix your solids and prints and to go for bold colours. Just get out that scrap bin and let 'er rip!

Instructions:

Completed blocks will measure 13.5" x 13.5" 

All seam allowances are 1/4".

1. Cut the background fabric into strips, varying from 1" to 4" wide and approximately 18" long. Cut the confetti fabric into rectangles of varying sizes, for example, 2" x 3" or 1.5" x 4".

2. Using the background strips, frame each scrap rectangle by adding strips around the centre, like a square in a square. Trim and press as you go.

3. Once all the scraps are bordered in the background fabric, lay them all out. Try to fit the framed scraps together like puzzle pieces. Join sections together by adding additional framed units and background strips if needed to make sections fit together. Square up the units as necessary and press all seams.

4. Continue sewing the units together until you have a block that measures 13.5" x 13.5" square.

And there you have it - party time!!

Please feel free to post your finished blocks on Instagram - the hashtag is #ottmqgBOM if you want to join the party!

February Block of the Month: Scrappy Bear Paws

I think we’re slowly coming out of hibernation, guys! And to celebrate the move from late winter into (very) early spring, we’re going to make scrappy bear paws! Fun fact: bears come out of hibernation in mid- to late March, which aligns nicely with our March guild meeting. Also, look how big a grizzly bear's paw is! Yikes.

I’ve heavily borrowed the instructions below from Jeni Baker, who runs the blog In Color Order (check out her instagram: @jenib320) and has written an entire book about half-square triangles. Check her out - she's lovely!

Here’s our colour plan for these blocks:

Background:

Scrappy low-volume (is there any other way?)

This can be any mix of white, cream, light grey, white with small black or colour accents, etc. Prints or solids, whatever works. The scrappier, the better!

Paws:

Scrappy rainbow colours (one per block)

Our good friend Roy G. Biv is going to be our colour guide for this one. Your paw colours can be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet. Each block should be a scrappy mix of one of these colours (rather than having all the rainbow in one block, for example). Solids or prints are totally welcome, do your thing!

Extra option: 

Feel free to make the 9.5" square part of the block scrappy as well! You could use whatever scrappy block method you like for this one; I tried out a 9-patch, and a couple of slab blocks for my examples. Anything goes, as long as it comes out looking like it’s a single rainbow colour. Or you can just do a single fabric for the large block (like the purple one in the photo below), whatever you prefer!

Cutting Instructions:

For each bear paw block, you will need:

Paw fabric (scrappy rainbow colours):

• 1 x 9.5" square (this is the paw part, and it can be either a single fabric, or a scrappy single-colour block that measures 9.5” x 9.5”)

• 3 x 4” squares

Background fabric (mixed low-volume):

• 3 x 4” squares

• 1 x 3.5” square

Sewing Instructions:

*Use a 1/4" seam allowance unless otherwise noted.*

*Completed blocks should measure 12.5" x 12.5"*

1. Using a marking pen or pencil, draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of the 4” background squares. Place one 4” background square and one 4” coloured square right sides together. Stitch 1/4" on both sides of the marked line. Cut apart on the marked line to create two half-square triangles. Press seams open. Repeat with remaining 4” squares. Trim half-square triangles to 3.5” square.

2. Arrange the six half-square triangles created in step one, plus the 9.5" square and one 3.5" background square as shown in the photo above.

3. Sew together the block following the sequence in the photo above.

• First, sew the left three "claw" blocks together
• Next, attach the claws to the left side of the 9.5" square to make the bottom unit of your block
• Then sew together the background square and top four "claws" to form the top unit of the block (another row of "claws")
• Sew the top and bottom units together to complete your block
• Press seams open

Your completed blocks should measure 12.5" x 12.5".

Go ahead and share a photo of your BOM blocks on instagram - our hashtag is #ottmqgBOM if you want to see what other guild members are making! Personally, I'm excited to see which colour of the rainbow is going to be the most popular!

Happy sewing!

Leslie

February Block of the Month: Rally Blocks

Rally Blocks - designed by Melanie Tuazon for the Modern Quilt Guild

This block is taken from Melanie Tuazon’s Rally Quilt, which she designed for the Modern Quilt Guild in early 2020. Melanie's instagram is @melanie.tuazon and her website is melintheattic.com. She's also teaching at Quiltcon Together at the end of February - check her out!

The full pattern for this quilt is available here on the MQG website (Modern Quilt Guild member log-in is required to access the full pattern): https://community.themodernquiltguild.com/sites/default/files/TuazonM_Rally_v5.pdf

Melanie's Note: This is guided improvisation, and will result in a different and unique block each time. Exact measurements are not used. Experimentation is encouraged. I used a rotary cutter and rulers when piecing the angles, but you can opt to use scissors or omit rulers for a much more organic look and feel. I recommend using rulers to square blocks up after the angles are pieced.

Regular viewers may note that this block’s construction is somewhat similar to the modern Christmas trees we did for the October BOM - yay for transferring our skills!

For the February BOM, we’re going to do this block in all solids, as a tribute to the Modern Quilt Guild (you may have noticed that MQG quilters loooove using solids!).

For each block, you will need the following fabrics:

• 8” x 8” blocks - any SOLID dark colours (black, dark grey, navy blue, dark purple, dark green, etc. - anything that reads "dark")

• 1.5” strips (6” or longer) - SOLID bright colours (yellows, whites, bright blues/turquoise, bright greens, pinks, oranges, etc. - anything that reads "light")

Block Sewing Instructions (these are taken directly from Melanie’s pattern):

1. Starting 1-2 inches from the bottom right corner of your block, cut a diagonal line up and through the top of the block. (fig. 1) 

2. Repeat for the left side. Cut up through the top from left to right, but do not cut through the triangle made from your first cut. (fig. 2) 

NOTE: Keep track of your two triangles and their orientation-- you’ll need them again soon. 

3. Starting on the left side, sew a strip to the background fabric. Press toward the dark fabric. (Finger pressing will work fine.) Trim any part of the strip that hangs over the center angle, using the side that is unsewn as your guide. (fig. 3) 

4. Sew a strip to the right side of the angle. Press toward dark fabric. Trim excess. (fig. 4) 

5. Sew top left triangle, aligning the edges closest to the angle’s peak. Press.

(fig. 5)

NOTE: Do not worry about perfection! Not all edges will or should line up. 

6. Sew top right triangle. Press. (fig. 6) 

7. Trim block to 7" square. 

NOTE: So that it doesn’t get lost in the seam allowance during assembly, be sure that your angle’s point is at least ¼" from the top edge of the block.

 

The variety of solid colours and angles from all of our blocks should make for a really cool finished quilt!

Thanks for joining in the February Block of the Month. Feel free to share photos of your finished Rally Blocks on social media - tag your photos with #ottmqgBOM to connect to everyone else's work, too!