Friday, May 6, 2011

Day 5 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Vol. 3 Blog Tour and Giveaway!



Good day, fellow quilters! And such a wonderful day it is!

 Quiltmaker is wrapping up the blog tour today, and I'm giving away one last issue of 100 Blocks, Volume 3. Leave a comment in this thread and go to my website to sign up for my NuzLetter to enter to win.

Today, I'm covering a few ways to place my applique block into a quilt. Of course, there are a myriad of ways to make this block look great. Here are some of my ideas . . .


With this first design, I wanted to keep the background light and airy, yet add drama by adding bits of black. This block resides in the archived files of my Electric Quilt software, EQ7, and is called: 8-Grid Chain Variation.You will see that I chose a simple block design that is made up of small squares. I chose this block specifically because I wanted to maintain visual balance with the applique. If I were to use a block with larger swatches of fabric, the applique blocks would get lost in the shuffle.

I also wanted to give you a few more options of color for this design. There was a recent showing of red and white quilts in New York City, so I thought I would show you how a quilt would look using mostly red and white.






And because most quilters like to start early on their Christmas gifts, I wanted to see what it would look like if I added some green.





I did one other quick design, where I wanted to bring in a different value of blue . . .


I used a dark gray for sashing, first border, and binding, and a deep aqua for the main border.

Here is another example of this same design.


So play around with different looks. Glean ideas from the colors you use in your block.

One more thing I'd like to point out is that I colored my applique block with similar toned fabrics from the standard fabric library that comes with all EQ software. I wanted to show you that the block looks great using anyone's fabrics.

Thanks again for participating in the blog tour, and please don't forget to leave a comment and sign up for my NuzLetter, if you haven't already done so!

Enjoy your weekend!

17 comments:

Annieofbluegables said...

Those are just stunning layouts, Susan. I LOVE them and will probably use them in many different quilts. Thanks so much!!!! I'm bookmarking this post.
~a

SuzGuzDesigns said...

Thank you! I would love to see your work!

Nancy said...

Thank you for another chance to win!

Gill said...

I love the red and white version!
So enjoying this blog tour!

Mommarock said...

I used to say that blue was my favorite color.. and that went by the wayside.. long ago.. I don't know how.. but looking at your designs.. the blue one caught my eye.. and I'm loving on that blue.. ut oh.. don't wanna be re-doing my whole house.. lol.

Lisa England said...

Thanks for showing all the color and setting variations. It might be hard to choose which one to make first!

Sallie said...

Great to see all the different layouts and colors!

Linda in PA said...

I love the layouts. I'm already signed up for the Nuzletter.

Jeanne said...

Really like the quilt designs with your block. I am already signed up for your Nuzletter. Thanks for the giveaway.

VickiT said...

How fun to see the different layouts. I really like the last two, especially the blue and gray.

scottylover said...

Love your layouts, especially the one with the blocks set on point. Not sure why, but I am in a phase where I love anything on point!

I signed up for the nuzletter, too!

Sandy A

Annmarie said...

Love what you've created with your block. I especially like the on point variation. Signed up for your newsletter too (iambuzzysma)

amy dame said...

i LOVE the blue layout! the blocks look fantastic on the diagonal like that, it really emphasizes the shapes of the applique!

~Kris~ said...

What a neat design! I love the Christmas setting. Applique is my favorite technique and I always enjoy finding new and different designs. Yours looks like a challenge. Can't wait to see the newletter.

Mary said...

I really like the layout. It is awesome. Very pretty. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of the magazine.
Mary

Kd Brown said...

I'm all signed up for your Nuzletter now, and I'm getting so excited to learn more and try applique. Thanks for all your help!

Anonymous said...

It helps me to get motivated with the layouts you've provided and it really sets off the block, thanks for sharing.