What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

It has been such fun to see your Pachanga finishes on our Facebook group! So many ideas, background colors, beautiful and fun combinations with my pattern. I just love that! So today, I’ll show you how I finished mine.

When I was cutting my fabrics, I took all I had leftover and cut bricks at 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches. These were used as leader-enders for sewing the blocks.

Over the course of constructing the quilt, I easily assembled borders at the same time.

I needed to decide how to do the corners. I auditioned extending the bricks ...

We are getting near the end of the mystery, and today you get a big step forward!

But first, it is cold here again, so time to break out a couple of wonderful slow cooker meals so we can sew the day away! If you haven’t tried my Bourbon Chicken, I made it yesterday, yum!!!

Or maybe my Slow Cooker Roasted Garlic Beef Tips would hit the spot.

Now getting to the sewing room, you get to see how some of the elements go together, the Block A reveal!

Gather your elements for this block, beginning with the two-patch ...

Here we are again!! The seventh clue in our mystery quilt along is here!

I hope this doesn’t bring any tears, but we do need to make a few more HSTs. Using your 4-inch scrappy squares, pair with the 4-inch background squares. Mark diagonal lines on the backside of the lighter of the two squares 1/4-inch away from the center.

Sew on those lines, cut through the center, and press.

Square up to 3-1/2-inches.

Sew all you have for the size you are making. See my post on Chain Piecing HSTs for more detailed instructions.

Here’s ...

It’s been another month of eclectic reading, some more culling, and new finds in the quilting/sewing genre. Another load of books went to the library bookstore, and I made my decision on the cookbook series. The Cooking Light series was donated, mainly due to its lack of photography, even though the recipes are lighter and healthier. I just don’t get inspired from mostly printed words. When you are cooking, those pictures really do make a difference. I still need to cull just a bit more from the cookbook shelves, and donate the rest of the novels I ...

Ready for the next step? I have been enjoying all the progress pics on our Facebook group, thank you for sharing!! If you are a new reader, you can still get in on the mystery quilt along. All the steps remain up for a month past the end, and we won’t get to the end until May. Clues post twice a month, on the second and fourth Fridays. Join in by clicking on the Scrap Dance Pachanga link on the sidebar, and downloading the pdfs for each step so far. Be sure you do the steps in order so ...

I hope that everyone is caught up with the easy clues over the past few weeks. Today’s clue is a bit more involved, but shouldn’t take a lot of time. I love seeing all your progress in our Facebook sharing group, check it out HERE on the blog page, and click on ‘visit group’. Be sure to answer the questions, especially the one that you agree not to play with mystery elements.

You knew we’d get to do some Half Square Triangles, right? This is the week! Gather your 5-inch scrappy squares and 5-inch background squares. Draw ...

The previous step was a super quick step, and this week will be even faster. It is so easy, maybe you’ll even want to make a bigger size!!

Today, pull out your background rectangles. Pull an equal number of two-patches you made last time. Note, you will NOT use all your two patches today. Some will be used later.

Chain stitch a two patch to each background rectangle, sewing on the long edge.

Press to the rectangle side. All done! Here’s your pdf!! – Scrap Dance Pachanga Step 4

Have fun! Please share your progress on all my projects ...

Time for the next clue in the Scrap Dance Mystery Quilt Along for 2021!

This month is really simple. Get out all your 2-1/2-inch scrappy squares.

Make two-patches with all of them.

Chain piece for speed.

That’s it! This is a quick sew clue!! Here’s your pdf – Pachanga Step 3

Are you Scrap Dancing with Pachanga?

Ready for Step 2? Today we start sewing, and I’ve put the most time consuming step first.

Using the large 7-1/2-inch background squares, and the indicated amount of 4-inch scraps in the pdf download linked below, make flying geese using the no-waste method. Note you will NOT use all your 4-inch squares. Some of them will be used later. When I have a boring task like this to do, I like to use my lap desk and mark the squares while I watch TV to sew later. If you need the full tutorial on how to sew these ...

The Mystery Quilt Along begins today! Designing this mystery in EQ8, once I determined the final design, I began doing different colorations in the program to see which palette I wanted to work with. When I tried the vibrant brights, the pattern named itself, and I knew I had my project for this year. Pachanga is a vibrant, salsa dance with movement forward and back, left and right, energetic and lively, combining jazz and rock.

See what I mean with this video. Just click on the photo to start it.

The music and dance bring to mind the vibrant clothing ...