What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

This Flower Block will finish at 12" (width) by 10" (height).  It is the exact same dimension as the Leaf Block. I had made an audition/trial block earlier. Based on that experience, I updated the method, which I am sharing in the tutorial. 

Flower + Leaf = Audition Block

These directions show how to make the Flower Block using 2.5" strips. You may use scraps (that can be used to cut the pieces shown under Fabric Requirements).

Flower Block Graphic

Fabric Requirements

Finally, here we are!  The Positivity 2023 QAL begins today.

I am so excited to share this tutorial with you.  

Positivity Grows!

Positivity Grows

Then I had another thought. What if the leafy stems had a flower on the top?  That thought led to this Layout Option - Positivity Blooms!!!

Positivity Blooms

Positivity Grows has 32 Leaf Blocks.

Positivity Blooms has 27 blocks - 23 Leaf Blocks and 4 Flower Blocks. Five blocks are left blank.

Let's discuss each one of these in some detail.

Positivity Grows is simple. It is soothing, has universal appeal and is gender neutral. Green is a neutral color. However, the leaves don't have to be green.  Check out the ...

I had imagined the Positivity Quilt in green. Something like this.

In Pin Dot Floral

But leaves don't have to be green. So I mocked up a few different colors. Here are the positibilities!

In English Lavender

In Juicy Mosaics

In Porcelain Blue

In Modern Opulence

In Sunset Plains

And the big reveal. Drum roll, please...

Scrappy Rainbow (Island ...

Happy Weekend to you! 

I have added a new page - Positivity 2023 QAL. See top left of the blog page. It contains important links and these will become active/live as we move through the QAL.

I am working on the Positivity QAL blocks in preparation for the Quilt Along, beginning on May 28, 2023.

Kaffe Fassett Love!

Here are the gifts/prizes we have secured for the Positivity 2023 QAL. We appreciate the generosity of our sponsors!!! Do take a look at their stores/shops.

Today, the Positivity QAL comes to an end with the announcement of the winners. 

Here are the winners:

Mari, Lisa T, Katie May, Roseanne, Sue Hoover, Danielle, Cynthia, Sylvia, and Wendy F.

Emails have been sent to all winners. While I wait for your addresses, I am stuffing goodies in padded envelopes. So excited!!!

Sunday Update - Prizes have been sent to Katie May, Roseanne, Sylvia and Sue. Mari and Lisa have received their prizes ...

It has been a very busy year for me. According to Paul, all the busy-ness is self-created and self-inflicted. He is mostly correct and even if he was not, I am not going to argue with him. He is the only quilt model I have in these pandemic times.  Cannot afford to irritate him. 

I am thrilled to announce the generous sponsors for the Positivity 2022 Quilt Along to make Mercyful Quilts. There is a lot of information here, so you may want to bookmark this page.

If you are new to the Positivity QAL or have not heard of Mercyful Quilts, you may have some questions. Well, I have answers :-)

Dear Quiltmakers,

Angela announced that April is Pink.  And nature got the memo :-)

Delicate Pink

Hot Pink

Reddish Pink

Pretty Blooms

It is like the sun and breeze shared a naughty joke and all flora blushed. 

Looks like my fabrics are blushing too. I will be sharing with Angela's linky party.

Starting Point

Plus Background Strips

Cut and Sew

Easter Bunny?

When a pink Easter bunny hopped on to my work, I ate him up :-D 

Voila!!!

With a lot of mixing and matching, cutting ...

I have a new finish!!!  Let me show you a few process pictures before the final reveal.

Basting

A Grizzly and a Polar Bear walked into a quilt!!!

Quilting Slowly

We have come to the end of our journey.  This is the final stop in the Positivity QAL 2021.

It took many emails, phone calls, scribbles and scrawls, and test blocks.  There were a couple of disappointments but many pleasant surprises. My hope was a dozen new quilts for the Mercyful Hospital. Bernie tells me that we have 19.  So far.

From Janine (Quilts from the Little House)

From Mary (Quilting is in my Blood)

I have named him Varun, after the Hindu deity of sea and sky and rain. By now Varun has traveled the width of the country and reached Bernie on the west coast.

Varun  - 60" by 80"

Varun - Green Backing

Each plus block finished at 10" square. 48 blocks were arranged 6 by 8 for a finished quilt measuring 60" by 80". Varun is my contribution to the Positivity QAL and is a Mercyful Quilt. 

Thank you from Mercy Hospital

Mercyful Quilts Update

Wrapped with Kindness (may need tissues)

A Note from Mercy Hospital

Here are the pictures showing the progression ...

Imagine a large buffet like Golden Corral (Paul's favorite).  With over fifty items on the table, does it really matter if two or three items are blah?  You will only taste 4-5 items, may be 10 if you are more adventurous. Ahem!!!

Now imagine a simple meal of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Everything must be fresh and tasty and well-seasoned. There is no room for blah. It could ruin the entire meal.

Such is this simple Plus Block. With only two main fabrics, it is important that they work well together. 

Plus Fabrics (Background Pending)

The Island Batik Challenge for June 2021 reads as follows:

The challenge for you is to use the 8” or 12” finished BOB dies from your Ambassador box, the GO! Qube 8" Mix & Match Block and create a whole new pattern by combining the two!

Here is my response

Novella, 11" by 66"

BOB means Block on Board. In other words, the complete block is on a single die. I received Snails Trails Die.

Snails Trail BOB Die

All units in one place

Cut Pieces

First Block

In my opinion, the best complement to Snails ...

The Positivity Quilt-Along (QAL) begins on Sunday, May 30, 2021.

While you wrap up your current projects, clean the bobbins, pick up the stray pins and change the blade in your rotary cutters, I am busy writing the tutorial and debating (sometimes silently) layout options. 

Here are the gifts/prizes we have gleefully secured for the Positivity QAL. Kudos to the sponsors!!!