April showers bring May flowers…at least that’s how it
should be!
should be!
Thank goodness for quilty flowers as April was a
ridiculously cold and snowy one. And despite this less than stellar start to
the season, I’m still seeing blooms pop up! Which is a great reminder that life
and circumstances may not be perfect, but that doesn’t mean we’re not able to
grow and flourish.
ridiculously cold and snowy one. And despite this less than stellar start to
the season, I’m still seeing blooms pop up! Which is a great reminder that life
and circumstances may not be perfect, but that doesn’t mean we’re not able to
grow and flourish.
As we wait for the blooms to hit their stride, I’m sharing my
May Modern Sewcialites BOM to bring some colour and spring feels to you 😊
May Modern Sewcialites BOM to bring some colour and spring feels to you 😊
This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.
I talked about how the April pinwheel block brought me
back to my early quilting days and can you believe May has me reminiscing about
my second quilt?! It’s actually still a work in progress, but Dresden Plates was the very next block I decided to tackle in my quilty journey. That all got
started when I asked my hubz what design he would like. I was a little surprised
that he chose Dresden Plates, but he did and so I dove into figuring out how to
do it.
back to my early quilting days and can you believe May has me reminiscing about
my second quilt?! It’s actually still a work in progress, but Dresden Plates was the very next block I decided to tackle in my quilty journey. That all got
started when I asked my hubz what design he would like. I was a little surprised
that he chose Dresden Plates, but he did and so I dove into figuring out how to
do it.
Now, I will say, had I known how time consuming they are, I
probably would have hidden this design option from him! There are lots of steps
in the construction, but none of them are really all that challenging. It goes
something like this:
probably would have hidden this design option from him! There are lots of steps
in the construction, but none of them are really all that challenging. It goes
something like this:
- Cut your Dresden blades using a
template – I picked up this Dresden Ruler to make it a little less painful - Fold the top of the blades in
half RST and sew the tops of the blades - Flip the blades right side out and
poke the points out - Iron so the seam is centered on
the back - Stitch the blades together
- Make the circles
- Hand appliqué the flowers to the
backing - Hand appliqué the circles to the
center of the flowers
You can save lots of time and hassle by stitching the
flowers and circles by machine using a zig zag or running stitch along the
edges. I could have avoided A LOT of hassle doing it that way, but I decided I
wanted a clean look and opted for appliqué. Did it add time? Absolutely. Did I
get to practice my hand stitching? You bet!
flowers and circles by machine using a zig zag or running stitch along the
edges. I could have avoided A LOT of hassle doing it that way, but I decided I
wanted a clean look and opted for appliqué. Did it add time? Absolutely. Did I
get to practice my hand stitching? You bet!
I share this with you because while making this block I
realized just how far I’ve come in my quilting skills. Cue proud quilty dance!!
realized just how far I’ve come in my quilting skills. Cue proud quilty dance!!
So, don’t feel like you have to be perfect to get started.
It’s in doing it over and over again that we get better and feel more confident
in our capabilities.
It’s in doing it over and over again that we get better and feel more confident
in our capabilities.
You’re probably thinking to yourself “hmm, Shannon, we
haven’t seen that finished Dresden plate quilt you made for your hubz”. And
that’s because it’s still sitting in my WIP pile! I’m slowly making my way
through hand quilting the entire quilt and it’s slow going.
haven’t seen that finished Dresden plate quilt you made for your hubz”. And
that’s because it’s still sitting in my WIP pile! I’m slowly making my way
through hand quilting the entire quilt and it’s slow going.
So slow going in fact, I felt really bad and made him this
Heartland version of my Plus Infinity quilt pattern so he had something to snuggle with until she’s done!!
Heartland version of my Plus Infinity quilt pattern so he had something to snuggle with until she’s done!!
Now, you don’t have to go through ALL that pain just to
create this block. In fact, that’s the beauty of participating in these
sew-a-longs is that you can test out new designs and techniques without
committing to a whole quilt in that design. Woot woot!
create this block. In fact, that’s the beauty of participating in these
sew-a-longs is that you can test out new designs and techniques without
committing to a whole quilt in that design. Woot woot!
MATERIALS USED
There are lots of fabric options you could go with for this
block, but since I’m going scrappy, here’s what I pulled from my stash:
block, but since I’m going scrappy, here’s what I pulled from my stash:
Blue circle in Linen Texture from Makeower UK
See my Amazon Influencer page for a full list of my go-to quilting notions and tools.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Stephanie, from Modern Sewciety, asked us to think about how we can bloom where
we are planted and for me that means forging ahead into the unknown even when
we may not feel completely sure about ourselves. There are lots of obstacles
that can make for a less than perfect start, but just like flowers have to
start off struggling to poke through the earth and, as the case is this year,
battle below freezing temperatures before they can bloom, so too can we forge
on to discover amazing new talents we weren’t sure we could do.
we are planted and for me that means forging ahead into the unknown even when
we may not feel completely sure about ourselves. There are lots of obstacles
that can make for a less than perfect start, but just like flowers have to
start off struggling to poke through the earth and, as the case is this year,
battle below freezing temperatures before they can bloom, so too can we forge
on to discover amazing new talents we weren’t sure we could do.
Take my sewing space, I would LOVE to have my own studio to
create in everyday, but the reality is is that I quilt at the dining room
table. Thankfully my hubz is super supportive and doesn’t complain that I have
set-up SFD headquarters in our dining room – complete with design wall that
stays put when we have guests over!
create in everyday, but the reality is is that I quilt at the dining room
table. Thankfully my hubz is super supportive and doesn’t complain that I have
set-up SFD headquarters in our dining room – complete with design wall that
stays put when we have guests over!
Most days it looks like a fabric bomb has gone off with stacks and stacks of projects in various stages of completion.
The sofa (in the adjoining living room) has incomplete quilts draped over the
back that need to be set aside whenever we hunker down for TV watching. The
sideboard has stacks of fabrics lined up. The ironing board makes getting
around to the other side of the dining table a tight squeeze. The dining table
is low for cutting and I have to take breaks, so I don’t break my back!
The sofa (in the adjoining living room) has incomplete quilts draped over the
back that need to be set aside whenever we hunker down for TV watching. The
sideboard has stacks of fabrics lined up. The ironing board makes getting
around to the other side of the dining table a tight squeeze. The dining table
is low for cutting and I have to take breaks, so I don’t break my back!
Essentially, it’s a little bit of a quilty disaster. But, for all intents and
purposes, it’s my space! It’s where I get to explore new techniques. Try new
colour combinations. And just be in my quilty journey. A journey I’m beyond
thankful to be on.
purposes, it’s my space! It’s where I get to explore new techniques. Try new
colour combinations. And just be in my quilty journey. A journey I’m beyond
thankful to be on.
Instead of focusing on all that less than ideal stuff, I
choose to focus on persistence, positive thinking and a can-do attitude. It’s all
part of what helps me continue to explore, challenge myself and ultimately
“bloom”.
choose to focus on persistence, positive thinking and a can-do attitude. It’s all
part of what helps me continue to explore, challenge myself and ultimately
“bloom”.
I’d love to know what helps you bloom where you are planted.
Happy quilting!
xo
Shannon
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I think you are very clever…I am glad I signed up for your blog.
That is so sweet of you! Happy to have you along for this quilty journey 😊
Your block is beautiful – I really like colours and you really can’t go wrong with Karen Lewis’ fabrics! Bloom where you are planted is one of my favourite expressions and I am constantly reminding myself to do just that. 🙂
Isn’t it a good saying?! I actually hadn’t heard it before, but it totally resonated with me. And I couldn’t agree more that you can’t go wrong with Karen Lewis’ fabrics…they’re so good!