Patchsmith Sampler Block 9 - Bullseye Block and Mug Rug

Block 9 Bullseye

This week’s block will help you hit the mark and hone your quick corner triangles - it's the Bullseye block.

The center is a simple framed square .....

Bullseye Block - Steps 2 and 3

And from there it is a case of sew and repeat.   Firstly you add four small quick corners.

Bullseye Block - Step 4

Then you frame the square again ......

Bullseye Block - Steps 5 and 6

Add another four quick corners slightly larger than the first .......

Bullseye Block - Step 7

Then you frame the square one last time ....

Bullseye Block - Steps 8 and 9

Finally you add four background quick corners, bigger than the previous .......

Completed Block 9 - Bullseye

Simple, quick and very smart. So quick in fact, I had time to stitch three arrows from Block 17 'London Roads' to create a Three Arrow Sidebar.  It goes perfectly with the Bullseye block.   

Straight shooting for a fun Bullseye Mug Rug

(The arrowheads of the London Roads block use Skinny Triangles which I will be showcasing when we get to Block 17 - along with the Three Arrow Sidebar.)

I look forward to seeing your blocks on Instagram (#block9bullseye) or in the Flickr Group.  

Field Rose Mug Rug

This field rose will sit on my sewing desk all year round.

Having a field rose on my sewing table all year round was just too much temptation. So I combined this week’s Patchsmith's Sampler sew-along block ......

Block 8 - Field Rose

....... with the simple Column Sidebar from my OneBlock Mug Rugs pattern book .....

The column sidebar can be dotted with holly leaves or small flowers

Then I added a little bit of quilt detailing to the field rose ....

I love using stripey binding.

and voila .....

Field Rose Mug Rug

If you fancy turning any of the blocks from the sew-along into a functional mini quilt/mug rug then look no further than my One Block Mug Rugs pattern book.  It contains ten sidebars you can add to a 6" quilt block to create a fun mug rug.

Available in PDF format for immediate download

The One Block Mug Rugs pattern book is also available in paperback format via Amazon.

Come back next week when I hope to use two different blocks from the book to create a fun Bullseye mug rug.    Until then .......

Patchsmith Sampler Block 8 - Field Rose

Block 8 - Field Rose

This week welcomes an intermediate block - The Field Rose. But don’t be put off – it uses quick corners which we covered with Block 3 (Watermelon) and I have a great tip for matching the points on those quick corners.

Yellow Field Rose

It is mid Spring here in England and the field roses are not yet out in the country borders. But that doesn’t stop us growing our own.

Creating the center unit of block 8 is exactly the same as creating the core of the Watermelon block except we make quick corners on all four corners of the center A square.

Quick corners make quick work of the middle unit

Once this is done we move onto the petals – of which you will need to make eight petals. Once you have created the petals at step 5 of the block pattern you will find it helpful to press the seams on four of the petal units upwards....

Press the corner seams on four petal units up towards the corners

and the seams on the remaining four petal units downwards..... 

and press the remaining four petal unit seams down towards the petals

You can see the different when they are placed side by side.....

Make four of each

This helps with matching the petal points as you can now nest your corners (butt one seam up against another). Press the joining seam open and your petal unit should look like this at the back ....

Press the joining seam open to reduce bulk.  

and you should find you have perfect points on the front.  

You may need to trim your double petal units everso slightly

(If they do not match exactly don’t worry – it will not notice on the finished quilt. However, if you are creating this block as a focus block for a project you might want to practise a little so cut a few extra C and G pieces.)

Then it is just a case of joining your units together. 

Follow the pattern to create a floral delight.

And remember – field roses come in all colours so experiment with different colour combinations.

An Autumnal Field Rose

Next week we continue with quick corner units when we play with Block 9 – Bullseye.  You can find all the blocks made so far HERE.  And there is plenty of time to join in with the sew-along.  All you need are some fabric scraps and The Patchsmith's Sampler Blocks pattern book.

Available from Amazon

Until then I look forward to seeing your blocks on Instagram (#block8fieldrose) or in the Flickr Group.    

The Patchsmith's Ice Cream Sundae Mug Rug

Summer days are here again ......

Ice Cream Sundae Mug Rug

If you liked the strip applique method for this week’s Patchsmith Sampler Block 7 then you will love this cool and refreshing mug rug.  The Ice Cream Sundae mug rug pattern uses strip applique making this mug rug a quick and easy make.

What is more - it is just as cheap as an ice-cream at only $2.50. 

Patchsmith Sampler Block 7 - Butterfly Garden

Block 7 - Butterfly Garden

This week’s block uses my strip applique technique whereby we patch the applique prior to cutting it out. So for the border you will need sixteen 2” squares.  

I cut my border squares from four co-ordinating charm squares.

Follow the pattern to stitch the squares together in groups of four using a ¼” seam allowance and press the seams open.   

Join the patches into four groups of four
with seams pressed open

Next trace the scallop border template from the pattern book four times.   Mark the dotted lines onto your tracing.  Cut out the four scallop borders roughly although you should trim the pointed ends exactly. 

Trim the pointed ends exactly to size. 

Fuse a border onto the WRONG side of your four-patched strip matching up the traced lines with the seams.  The border will only just fit onto each strip as the patched strip and the border are the same length.  (To protect your ironing board you may want to place a scrap of fabric over your board before fusing the tracings in place. This is a good tip for all fusible applique.)

The tracing should measure the same length as the patched strip

Now you can cut out your tracings exactly and peel the backing paper from each strip.

Peel the backing paper off carefully so as not to pull the seams apart

Position one border along the top edge of the background square and another border along the bottom edge of the background square and fuse in place. 

Position the top and bottom borders first

Next place, and fuse, the final two applique borders onto the sides of the block. The borders should overlap very slightly (or at least butt up to each other).   Stitch around the inner edge of each border (there is no need to stitch the outer edge)..

Stitch around the inner edge of the four borders

You make the butterfly in a similar way using two rectangles patched together. 

Strip Applique Butterfly

Position the butterfly centrally onto the middle of your bordered block and stitch in place. 

I pieced one border in the wrong order - but it still looks pretty.

A really easy alternative is to create two butterflies and fuse them onto the background square.  (Leave at least ½" between the edges of the background square and the butterflies.)

Two butterflies fit neatly onto the background square.

If you like making butterflies this way then you'll love my Butterfly Patch mug rug.  It makes the perfect Mother's Day gift and is super quick if you follow my quilt-as-you-go tutorial.   

Butterfly Patch Mug Rug pattern - only $1.99

Next week we will be adding a Field Rose (Block 8) to our quilt.  Until then ........

Patchsmith Sampler Block 6 - Ladybird

Block 6 - Ladybird

This week we are making the first of the applique blocks from the book – Block 6 ‘Ladybird’.  

Available from Amazon

All the applique blocks in the book are made using the quick-fuse applique method (sometimes referred to as raw edge applique).   You can find lots of hints and tips of the quick-fuse applique method here.

Applique blocks from The Patchsmith's Sampler Blocks 

For this method you will need fusible webbing which you may know as Bondaweb, Vliesofix, WonderUnder.  Fusible webbing has one side that is see-through paper and the other side is a glue based rough surface.  

Wonder Under for Quick Fuse Applique

But before we fuse our Ladybird into position you need to make two quick corners on the top of the background square. 

Make two quick corners on the top of the background square

Once your quick corners are done, trace the ladybird applique shapes from the book using a fine pencil or marker, by laying the fusible webbing with the paper side up, over the applique templates.   Next cut around the shapes roughly leaving 1/8” – 1/4” around the traced outlines. 

Cut out the tracings roughly

Fuse the cut outs onto the WRONG side of your chosen fabrics by placing them paper side up and the rough, glue side facing down.  Follow the instructions that come with your specific fusible webbing.

I lay a cloth over my tracings and then iron them.
This ensures the pencil markings do not transfer to the iron.

Cut out the shapes accurately along the traced lines and peel the paper from the back of the shapes.  This will leave a glue based side on the back of each piece. 

These simple shapes create the cutest ladybird.

Position the ladybird’s black body and wings with the glue based side facing down onto the RIGHT side of the background square.  I positioned the ladybird so that the tips of the wings were approximately ¾” up from the bottom edge and approximately ¾” in from the side edges.

Do not worry if the black body shows through the wings
as the ladybird's spots will detract from this.

Position the ladybird’s spots on top of the wings and once you are happy with all the pieces iron to fuse them in place.  

Fuse the spots onto the wings 

To ensure the pieces stay in place if the quilt is laundered it is recommended that you stitch around the wings, body and the dots by hand or by machine using any stitch of your choice.  I have a lovely blanket stitch on my machine which I use.

Finally use two strands of black embroidery thread and a running stitch to add antennae and two short lines down the center of the wings.  I used a Frixion pen to mark the position of the antennae and the short lines prior to hand-stitching them in place.

Hand stitched detailing adds the final touch

So there you have it – a pretty block using fusible applique.  If you've enjoy this method then you'll enjoy appliqueing smaller ladybirds and fuscia to make the perfect summer mug rug to keep or to gift.

Ladybird Mug Rug Pattern - just $1.99

You might also like this free Ladybird pincushion pattern ......

FREE Ladybird Pincushion Pattern

Next week we will continue with the fusible applique method as we make Block 7 - Butterfly Garden using my strip-applique method.  Until then I look forward to seeing your blocks on Instagram (#block6ladybird) or in the Flickr Group.