Tuesday, September 13, 2016

2016 Cloud 9 New Block Blog Hop

Before I start, I want to apologize if this block has been created before.  I have done several searches and have not found anything like it.  If it has been done, please let me know and I'll give the creator of the block the credit they deserve.

Also, I want to thank the amazing women who put this blog hop together, Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, and Stephanie @Late Night Quilter.  This has been so much fun and has definitely pushed me out of my box, big time.

I call my block Churned up Dash or Ziggy and Zaggy.  You'll see why a bit later.

I received my five fat quarters from Cloud 9 Fabrics when I got to my daughters house in August as we were traveling for the summer.  I was thrilled with the colors and softness of their fabric.  Thank you Cloud 9 Fabrics.


My first decision was all about the block.  I picked a classic block, Churn Dash, and planned to cut it up to make it into a new block.  I did several hours of searches to see if there was anything out there like it and didn't find anything so I went with my plan.  I needed three of the five fabrics and my choices are below.  As you can see, I chose a light, a medium, and a dark fabric.


I printed out my block pattern and then quartered it (ripped it as you can see by the ragged edges).  I very scientifically wrote each of the colors on the appropriate pieces and the size the pieces needed to be. 


Here are the sizes you need to cut to make this block which finishes at 12 1/2".

Dark fabric (Iris):               Two, 5"x5" squares
Medium fabric (Amazon)   One, 5"x5" square and four, 2 1/2"x5" rectangles
Light fabric (Sky):              Two, 5"x5" squares and four, 2 1/2"x5" rectangles

I started by marking and sewing the half-square triangles (HST).  Probably everyone has made HSTs before, but just in case you haven't, they are fun to make and this is how I make mine.  On the wrong side of the lighter fabric, mark a diagonal line from one top corner to the opposite bottom corner with your favorite marking device.  I use a caulk marker which has always worked well from me.

 
Next, with right sides together, stitch 1/4 inch on each side of the marked line.  I chain stitch whenever I can.

 
Cut the HSTs along the marked line and finger press the seam open and then iron press the seam.  The reason I finger press before ironing is because it makes it much easier to press the seams open.  I have recently begun pressing seams open, rather than to the side, as it really does make for much nice joins and worth the little bit of extra time it takes. 
 
 
 
Trim the four HSTs to 4 1/2" square.  Be sure this is done after you have pressed them.
 
 
 
I then sewed the rectangles.  Four light (Sky) to four medium (Amazon).  Finger press seams open and then iron press open. 
 
 
Now the fun begins.  I lay out the pieces as the block will be pieced together.
 
 
I start with the left top piece, join it to the middle top piece, and then join them to the right top piece. Do this same piecing with the middle pieces and the bottom pieces.
 
 
 This is how they will look after those are all sewed together.
 
 
Now join the rows together as indicated.
 
 
Now for the ultimate fun, cutting the block into quarters.  The middle piece of the block measures 4 1/2" square, so I need to cut 2 1/4" from the left side of this piece, very carefully, turn one quarter turn and cut again 2 1/4" from the left side of the piece.
 
 
Here are the four pieces arranged for my Churned Up Dash or Ziggy and Zaggy block.
 
 
I sew the top two pieces together then the bottom two together and then the top row to the bottom row.  Tada, one finished block.
 
 
And here is what it would look like made into a quilt.
 
 
Another fun thing I did was try some different variations using the four block pieces and here are some of the results.
 
 



 
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.  It is the first one I have ever done and it was a lot of fun, although a bit nerve wracking at times. All the blocks created in this blog hop will be made into charity quilts.
 
Be sure to check out those in the blog hop from yesterday:
 
Host: Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
Abigail @Cut & Alter
Janice @Color, Creating, and Quilting!
Lorinda @Laurel, Poppy, and Pine
Melva @Melva Loves Scraps
Renee @Quilts of a Feather
Kathryn @Upitis Quilts
Kim @Leland Ave Studios
Amanda @this mom quilts
Holly @Lighthouse Lane Designs
Irene @Patchwork and Pastry
Jennifer @Dizzy Quilter
Karen @Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Anne @Said With Love
Suzy @Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Sharla @Thistle Thicket Studio
Kathleen @Smiles From Kate
Amanda @Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.
Sarah @Sarah Goer Quilts
Chelsea @Patch the Giraffe
Jinger @Trials of a Newbie Quilter
Anja @Anja Quilts
Daisy @Ants to Sugar
 
And for those in the hop today:
 
Host: Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs
Miranda @I Have Purple Hair
Jennifer @The Inquiring Quilter
Sarah @123 Quilt
Leanne @Devoted Quilter
Jen @Patterns By Jen
Jennifer @RV Quilting
Amanda @Quiltologie
Sharon @Yellow Cat Quilt Designs
Jen @A Dream and A Stitch
Jen @Faith and Fabric
Carole @Carole Lyles Shaw
Stephanie @Quilt’n Party
Susan @Sevenoaks Street Quilts
Katrin @Now What Puppilalla
Amista @Hilltop Custom Designs
Nicole @Handwrought Quilts
Marla @Penny Lane Quilts
Silvia @A Stranger View
Sarah @Smiles Too Loudly
Carrie @the zen quilter
Mary @Quilting is in My Blood
Velda @GRANNYcanQUILT
 
And those tomorrow:
 
Host: Stephanie @Late Night Quilter
Kathy @Kathys Kwilts and More
Paige @Quilted Blooms
Mary @Strip Quilts Pass it On
Allison @Woodberry Way
Seven @The Concerned Craft
Olusola @Alice Samuel’s Quilt Co.
Ann @Brown Paws Quilting
Jodie @Persimmon + Pear
Vicki @Orchid Owl Quilts
Kitty @Night Quilter
Francine @Mochawildchild
Shelley @The Carpenter’s Daughter who Quilts
Jayne @Twiggy and Opal
Geraldine @Living Water Quilter
Shannon @Shannon Fraser Designs
Lisa @Sunlight In Winter Quilts
Jessica @Quilty Habit
Cassandra @The (not so) Dramatic Life
Deanna @Stitches Quilting
Denise @Craft Traditions

64 comments:

  1. This is fabulous. I love disappearing blocks and blocks that create interesting secondary patterns. This one scores 100%. You knocked it right outta the park

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    1. Many, many thanks QG. I had a lot of fun creating it and then seeing all that could be done with those squares that made up the block.

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  2. This is truely something else. A very interesting block!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and taking time to commet.

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  3. Fantastic idea for a disappearing block! Great job!

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  4. Great block with so many possibilities!

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    1. Hi Sharon, thanks for visiting my blog. I had lots of fun creating the block.

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  5. WOW! -very nice-great quilt idea! Thank you

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    1. And thank you for stopping by and commenting.

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  6. The Cloud 9 fabric is amazing!! Your block is fantastic and it's always nice to see how blocks look in quilt form!

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    1. Thank you Jayne. The whole process of creating a block and writing a tutorial were all new to me.

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  7. I really love how you deconstructed a block and rearranged it to create something new and fun. Thanks so much for joining the hop!

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    1. Thanks Yvonne, it was a lot of fun. Who doesn't love a challenge?

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  8. Wonderful block, I don't know which of the variations I prefer, so clever. Well done!
    Smiles
    Kate

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    1. Many thanks Kate. It was fun to play with the 4 smaller blocks to see all the possibilities.

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  9. The possibilities of so many different variations is exciting!

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  10. It's really, really cool, and I LOVE the way you can make all sorts of different variations. Makes things a lot more interesting. Well done indeed.

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    1. Many thanks, it was a lot of fun creating a block and then chopping it up.

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  11. Wow I love all the different variations you came up with from just one block - inspired! Well done!

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    1. Glad you liked it. I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to comment.

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  12. Wow, I really like this! Its so different! You did an awesome job on the tutorial :)

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  13. Wow, love all your different variations!

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    1. Thanks Sue, it was fun seeing all the different ways those 4 small blocks could come together.

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  14. Your block and tutorial turned out fantastic, you had nothing to worry about! :) I love all the possibilities with your block. You could practically make a sampler with all the variations! :)

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    1. Thanks Jennifer. It was quite the adventure since I'd never done anything like it before. I'm taking a class at QuiltCon in February on how to redesign blocks and really looking forward to it.

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  15. Cool block! I love the zig zag it makes across the quilt. Nice work!

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  16. a very fun and pretty block. thanks for sharing

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  17. Great block and tutorial, it was fun seeing all of the different orientations of the block pieces.

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    1. Thanks Cheryl, I really had a lot of fun participating in the blog hop. It truly got me out of my box and into the world of creating.

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  18. I love that you chopped up a block! I would have never thought to do that! Your tutorial was great. I would have never guessed it was your first one!

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    1. Many thanks Sarah. I must admit that I was terrified when it got down to it.

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  19. I have to say, I haven't seen anything like this so no worries there. I felt like i was reading a book as I read through your tutorial because it was going along and then you turned me upside down when cut the block and provided photos of all the different layouts. So Creative. Nice job!!!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words. I had so much fun doing this and am actually taking a class at QuiltCon East in February to learn more about redesigning already created blocks.

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  20. The different layouts are so fun! There are so many possibilities with this one :)

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    1. Hi Leanne. Thanks for visiting my blog and taking time to post a comment.

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  21. Very nice. I like all the variations!

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    1. Thank you Lisa. I had a lot of fun doing this.

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  22. Such a versatile block that can be manipulated into other designs. Can't wait to see the quilt with all these great blocks.

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    1. Thank you Nellie for stopping by and commenting. It will be fun to see the quilts all made up.

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  23. Your block is amazing, I have something to aspire to. . .

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    1. Many thanks Mary. I had a lot of fun participating in this blog hop and learned so much since I'd never attempted to write a tutorial before.

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  24. This is such an interesting block and it has so many great possibilities! Thanks for sharing some of the variations.

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    1. Thank you for visiting and taking time to comment. It was a lot of fun being a part of this great blog hop.

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  25. What a great and versatile block! I love how you showed all the possibilities before you sewed all four squares together -- very clever! Great job!

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words. It was a challenge and a lot of fun all wrapped up together.

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  26. I like how you've taken a traditional block and made it into another new block. The color choices are great and all the alternatives are fantastic. Thank you.

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    1. Thank you. It was fun to be a part of this blog hop and I definitely learned a lot since I'd never attempted to create a block or write a tutorial. Watch out world, here I come.

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  27. Very interesting. Very creative to cut it and re-sew the pieces.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. There is actually a class being taught at QuiltCon East in February on doing this.

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  28. Such a fun block! I really like all the different arrangement possibilities - you did a fantastic job!

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    1. Thanks Amanda. I had a lot of fun participating in the blog hop and learned so much from it.

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  29. I enjoyed seeing all the different layout arrangements. Looks like a fun block!

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    1. Thank you Jodie and so glad you visited my blog yesterday and took the time to comment. We all welcome comments to let us know how we are doing.

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  30. I love the endless options you provided - super cool! And I love that you cut up your block to create something totally new. Love it!

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    1. Many thanks Shannon. I really enjoyed doing it and hope to learn more when I take a class on this technique at QuiltCon East in February.

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  31. Oh, your block turned out wonderful! I love it. I'll be making this one for sure. I also liked that you had a layout what a whole quilt would look like and I love it! Great tutorial and great pattern. Thanks! I agree. I have a new appreciation for pattern designers after completing my block and tutorial for this hop. I've been out of town this week and just now getting to look at everyone's blocks. It's been a treat! Karen

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  32. That is very cool. What a great idea.

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  33. I love a disappearing churn dash! What makes yours unique is your color placement. Really creates some interesting patterns! Great tutorial.

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  34. Wow!I love your block design. It is so versatile. Well done!

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