The background fabric is an optical illusion; it looks like I have a piece of tape stuck on it but that’s really the print on the fabric. If it is still distracting when I complete the quilt, I’ll probably do some heavy quilting on this one to detract from it.
This week’s bloom block from Lori Holt is cute, quick, and eye catching. The tulip is one singular piece and with just 2 leaves and 1 stem it didn’t take long to finish. If I had a block that I wanted to enhance quickly and it was at least 8″, I would pick this template.
The main thing on this one was to clip the points on the tulip, which is probably second nature to anyone who’s been doing this sew-along. I traced the templates onto the Pellon, sewing, and stitched to the background fabric in one evening. Yesterday over lunch I pulled the fabric strips that I already had pre-cut for the sashing and corners, and cut the remaining ones with my 2.5″ strip die. I tend to forget to trim my block until I’m ready to sew those on.
I had no sooner lined up my 8.5″ square ruler with the block when the phone rang and it was my husband – who never calls in the middle of the day. Insert ominous music here… I know better than to try to multi-task and yet I did. If you look closely, the entire flower is slightly off-center, with it aligned closer to the right border than the left.
I did begrudgingly sew it on because I’m about to enter what is likely to be the busiest 2 months in my schedule both at home and at work so I know my time to make another one from scratch is limited.
I am going to see if I can get next Monday’s cut and sewed so that it’s ready to applique in the next couple of days because of scheduling conflicts over the next week. New Splendid Sampler blocks will come out both Thursday and Sunday. Also, Leah Day’s Machine Quilting Block Party will have a new block on Friday.
Happy sewing everyone! In the meantime, here’s a completely random picture of our kitty. 
She is 17 years old and spends much of her time sleeping these days but she did pause long enough for a photo.
Thank you so much! I learned it from my grandmother when I was really young. I sew the interfacing to the right side of the fabric, cut an “x” and then turn it inside out. I’ve found that by sewing around each piece 2-3 times, that creates a small lip on the fabric which makes it easy to pick up 2 threads almost underneath which hides most of the thread. I do see that I forgot to trim my threads before posting the picture though (I never seem to notice that until it’s too late).
Your needlework on the tulip is so lovely.
Kitty photos are always a nice addiction to any post!