From Poinsettias to Aspen

I love how McKenna Ryan can look at a beautiful Hoffman Bali Chop piece of fabric like this one and see something completely different than I see.  I have started McKenna Ryan's new Christmas quilt Heaven and Nature Sing. This particular aqua poinsettia batik is going to be the aspens in two of the blocks.

 With a little strategic placement, the lines of the poinsettias become the bark on the aspen trees.

I am going about this McKenna Ryan quilt a little differently, I am tracing all the applique pieces for the whole quilt and placing them on the applique fabric and then putting them in zip lock bags for each block. 

After I get all the applique traced and onto the fabric I will cut out the different pieces and assemble each block.  This is my attempt to stay somewhat organized, at least this way I can put away all the extra fabric before starting on the blocks. 

I have also started a little antique applique quilt offered by Gay over at Sentimental Stitches.  She is posting a new applique block every Saturday.  This quilt is called Sally Post Floral Sampler, and the original quilt is dated 1854.  I am doing it just like the picture and am using just four fabrics in the quilt.  The pink and green in the  sashing and the red in the blocks are also used for the appliques with one more fabric, a yellow, for some of the applique constrast.  I have always wanted to do a reproduction quilt using this color pink and this quilt was just perfect for it. I also really like that the applique blocks are set on point.  The applique  blocks are easy little folk art, almost primitive designs, and can be accomplished very easily with a back basting  applique technique.  Because I have another hand applique project going, however,  I am doing machine blanket stitch applique on this quilt.

I am not sure where I started the habit of adding my sashing to blocks as I make them, but if I am making a quilt with sashing like this one, I like to add the top and left side of the block sashing as I piece the quilt.  I will always alter a pattern with sashing between the blocks to this technique, even if there are no alternating color corner stones.  It helps me keep the whole quilt straighter than to put long pieces of sashing between the rows of blocks.

Happy Stitching All,
Cheri