Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Sky Diamonds on the Quiltmaker Road Rally


Welcome to my stop on the Quiltmaker Road Rally Tour. I am delighted to be a part of the 100 Blocks Winter 2017 Issue. You will want to go right out--after reading all the blog posts--and get your copy. You can read about my block in the last issue here.

Or read to the end of the post to find out how to win one!!


I wanted to get some pretty sparkling pictures of my little town to the east of us. A small rural town with 500 people--yet still has a grocery store, gas station, lumber yard, a few manufacturing business, and 2 grain elevators. The lights from town sparkle so beautifully at night. You will just have to imagine them shining between the two groves of trees. Trust me they are pretty!!


Here is my view to the west. Look at all the wide open space. The sunsets are amazing. And the stars at night--well sometimes I will just sit and look at them!! Which is what inspired this block.

All the sparkling stars--Like diamonds in the sky!!!


The instructions are written for foundation paper piecing, but if you have the right AccuQuilt dies-- 2" Triangle in a Square and 4" Triangle in a Square--or for 4" you could use the new Companion Angles 8" Qube-- it is very easy to construct with regular piecing also. Fan folding the fabric helps to reduce waste--and for the time savings that die cutting provides--the trade off is so worth it!!


Super easy--super fast!!


I suggest laying out your pieces before stitching them together--as they are directional!!


Stitch a 1/4" seam.


Press seams open.


And look at those nice sharp sparkly points!!!



I played around in Electric Quilt 7 to find some blocks to set with Sky Diamonds. Here I have it set
with a 50/40 type star. The reason this one works is because it has a similar vibe going on--both are 9-patches. Both corner blocks are split into smaller 4-patch units. Keeping the scale similar but not exactly the same to create some interest.


Here I replaced the corner 4-patch units with plain squares and replaced the plain center square with a pinwheel unit. With careful coloring the spikes look like the giant electrical wind turbines that are all across the state of Iowa. One day this fall it was so windy and the turbines produced so much electricity that the electric company did not even need to make it!! Too cool!!


Here I kept the center element and the colors from the side diamonds the same in each block for repetition. It has a lot of happy movement to it.


Sundance fabric line from Andover seemed like a happy collection to use in this mock up. It has a wild and free, boho feel going on!!


I will end with the quote that was on my Cinnamon Berry Tea by Yogi this morning. This past year has been filled with new experiences for me--winning the AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Contest in 2016 has given me the confidence to go outside my comfort zone and try new--sometimes--scary things!!

What is something you would like to try--but just need the boost in confidence to go for it?

Tell me about it in the comments. On November 19 at 5 pm CST,  I will randomly pick 2 names.
One will receive a copy of the Winter 2017 issue directly from Quiltmaker.
The other will receive a copy from me--along with a small surprise or two.

Thanks for stopping by--be sure to check with all the other Road Rally blog posts and Quiltmaker's blog for other great block ideas and a giveaway or two!!!

Have sparkly diamonds in the sky kind of day!!!