Blogger's Bar Hop Quilt Along

Good Morning!  Welcome to my stop on the Blogger's Bar Hop Quilt Along!  You can find the original post introducing the quilt along here.

When I was thinking about what block to design, I wanted a more abstract concept of bars (or rectangles).  I was looking everywhere for inspiration.  I finally found it in a most unlikely place...a tissue box.

I was really drawn to the graphics on this box and after looking at the fabrics supplied for the quilt along, I decided I wanted to make a version of this design using Fall colors.  These were the fabrics that were provided:

We were allowed to add either one print and one solid or two solids.  I decided to add one print and no solids because the two neutrals were so similar in value.  I added a pop of orange!

Here are the directions for making this block (disclaimer...I wanted this to be very organic, so you can change the measurements to fit your block and your style).

Start by cutting your two neutral fabrics into strips (bars) of various widths. 

Sew these strips together in a random order using a 1/4" seam.

Keep adding the strips until you have a piece that measures approximately 11-1/2" x 11-1/2".  This does not have to be exact.  We are just making the background, which should look something like this when finished:

Press all of your seams to your preference.  I pressed mine to one side.

Now we are going to add the stems.  Cut two strips from your brown fabric.  These need to be at least 1" wide to finish at 1/2", but they can be bigger if you prefer.  I cut one of mine at 1" and one at 1-1/2" because I didn't want them to be the same.

Lay your brown strips on top of your finished background piece and decide where you would like the placement of your stems to be.  I wanted mine to be asymmetrical, but you can make yours any way you like!

Once you decide your placement for the stems, use your rotary cutter and ruler to make the cuts into your background fabric to insert the stems.  Sew your stems into the background fabric using a 1/4" seam:

Here is how mine looked after I had sewn in the first stem:

When I wanted to insert my second stem, I decided to flip the background fabric to make the background a little more random, but you can keep it the same if you like.

Sew second stem into the background fabric using a 1/4" seam.  Your piece should look something like this:

Trim your block to measure 12-1/2" x 12-1/2".  The leaves are appliqué, so we won't need to piece anything else.  Here is the fun part!  Take the remaining fabric, use the template, and cut out your leaves!

*A note about the template.  I used the template to cut out my leaves for raw edge appliqué.  If you want to use the template for needle turn appliqué, please add a seam allowance.  Also, you can experiment with the size of your leaves by setting your printer to print at different percentages.  

After you appliqué your leaves, your block is finished!

So, did our inspiration match our final product?

I am very pleased with how this block turned out!  If you make this block, please send me a photo, I would love to see it!  

I hope all of you have a great weekend!!!