The On Your Mark Block of the Month Begins!
The On Your Mark Block of the month is brought to you by The Quilting Company with Paintbrush Studios Fabrics.
I am relatively new around here. I joined the Quilting Company in May and moved to Colorado in August. It has been inspiring to work with the team here and be surrounded by such talented and prolific quilters.
Shortly after my arrival, the photo of the On Your Mark block of the month was passed around the office. I was afraid to volunteer. First of all, I had just moved, my home was filled with boxes and my machine was not unpacked. Second, triangles are kind of my kryptonite.
Well, let me explain…
The first quilt I ever made was all triangles. This was back in the early 90’s when we still cut out templates from empty cereal boxes. I made the entire quilt top without ever figuring out how to line up those equilateral triangles properly–how some good ol’ diecut triangles with the dog-ears removed would have solved that problem! After that, I just avoided triangles. But hexagons, well, those are some of my favorite quilts and while this is no Grandmother’s Flower Garden, it is a modern pieced hexagon quilt pattern made up of diamonds and triangles – STUNNING!
So when they asked for volunteers to do the BOM, I almost felt like everyone took a step back so it looked like I stepped forward… TBH, the whisperings began when the staff realized there was a newbie in the office who hasn’t made a bunch of quilts for our publications yet. I would hear “Psst, maybe Tracy can make this…” as I felt their eyes bore into me. (I exaggerate! LOL)
I tried to resist…
I held out as long as I could, but this quilt is a design style I have wanted to make for a while and the wheels in my head were turning. That little voice in my head was saying “but you don’t do triangles, Tracy. You shouldn’t.” Then there was this other voice saying “that quilt is just begging to be made with English paper piecing. That would make the triangles come out perfectly!”
So here we are, launching the On Your Mark block of the month!
The directions and accompanying videos are for traditionally piecing the blocks. However, YES, I am paper piecing the quilt. The beauty of this design is in the versatility. Using EPP for this design results in more work up front, but then I have a portable project that I can take with me. I’m just a crazy person – I admit it. If you would like more information on how I am doing this quilt, please leave a comment below and let us know so we can share more content about the process with you.
If you love this design and would like to join me in making this lovely quilt, sign up for the On Your Mark Block of the Month. Watch a video of each block of the month taught by Jenny Kae Parks here at the Quilting Company.
On Your Mark with EPP
Now for the nitty-gritty–I am doing a slight twist on traditional EPP (I’m just full of twists on this project!). I used the templates provided and copied them onto cardstock. Then I trimmed them on the dotted line.
I prep the fabric on the papers as per usual. I prefer to use a glue stick instead of basting thread to baste the fabric to the paper shapes.
Next, I followed the instructions found in this YouTube video from Marilyn of Cotton and Chocolate Quilt Co. in Thousand Oaks, CA, for English Paper Piecing by Machine. This video was so inspirational to me.
With pieces prepped, and machine tested to make tiny, hidden stitches, I proceeded to put together my first block. It took less than 13 minutes to piece it together.
Et Voilá! My block is done! Only 15 more to go plus the side triangles!
If you will be making the On Your Mark block of the month with me, I would love to see your progress. Join me on Instagram using the hashtag #TQCBOM.
All good wishes,
Tracy
Is there a place I can purchase the pattern for this? I can’t seem to find it on the website.
Is this a beginner, intermediate or advanced quilt and is there still time to get started.
Is there a place where I can buy just the pattern for this?