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Onward and Upward Designers Shop Hop

The heat of the summer is on us, which in Arizona means I spend a lot more of my day inside making quilts and only venture out in the early morning and the late evening. Still, there are always beautiful things to see in the desert and I enjoy them all as we await the summer rains.

When Tammy Silvers asked me if I'd like to join the Designers Shop Hop, it was a lovely piece of inspiration to hear the concept would be focused on moving forward and working together. Quarantine has been hard on aspects of the quilt industry, but never in my career have I seen so many designers united to help each other and encourage each other. Not only have we united to help each other, but also to keep our quilting fans and their machines revved up and sewing like the devoted quilters we know you are. So join me in front of the machine and we'll beat the summer heat together!

In considering what I would design for this event, I wanted to convey the sense of displacement many of us are feeling right now, and that led me to think about a block I had been playing with drawing recently. Eventually it occurred to me that I would alter the block to have a single portion of the design out of place, but appearing as though it were merely hovering, waiting to join its compatriots and complete the image.

I created Disconnected and it felt right.

This block is designed to use easy piecing. The only complication is size. Since you'll be making Half Square Triangles that finish at 1", you will need to be precise. Don't worry though. The secret is in the trimming.

When I make small HSTs, I'm doubly careful to check the size and square each unit. Small pieces means more seams and more chances to make small mistakes that add up to big mistakes. When I go to trim off the dog ears from pressing, I use a Block Loc to trim the dog ears and square off any tiny imperfections. I like this particular ruler because it uses the pressed seam to stabilize the unit while I trim and the lines on the ruler are clear and easy to read.

The rulers come in multiple sizes and you can buy all of them if you like, but I rarely make an HST that is larger than 4" finished, so I bought the 4 1/2" Block Loc and I use it all the time.

I love how this block is solid, but sports plenty of personal quilting room. My goal for my own block is to make one in every color set (Oranges, Yellows, Greens) with the center trending towards the next color. It will be a great chance to use up scraps.

The 9 other designers in this Shop Hop are all fantastic and sent in great blocks to work with. To help you decide how to use them, we are all offering you setting options. I've never been one to just use a traditional setting method and some of the blocks lent themselves so well to being used more than once. I've created for your pleasure a setting that creates a 60" x 60" lap size quilt and uses some of the blocks several times.

I'm a fan of how this setting creates weight in parts of the quilt as well as drama.

Be sure to check out all of the blogs, videos, and free block patterns that our 10 designers have offered you and make the most of their content. I've linked all of them below so you can find their websites, blogs, and Facebook pages more easily.

Powered By Quilting Website Blog Facebook Page Instagram

Swan Sheridan Website Blog Facebook Page Instagram

I sincerely hope you enjoy the Hop. Don't forget you have until July 18th to pick up your block downloads for free. When you visit the home page of my site here, click on View Details for the Disconnected Block. Add it to your cart and use the code "hop" to get your block absolutely free until the end of July 198h. After the 18th you can still purchase any of the blocks you like for the fantastic price of $2 each. Happy stitching!

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