Vintage Block Along - Week 14 - Front Yard Flower Block!!

Good morning and welcome 

to episode 14 in the 

Vintage Block Along

I'm sharing another vintage 

block pattern from my 

grandma's pattern basket today!

I'm using Farm Girl Vintage Fabric 

and sewing many different blocks

 in several different sizes...

and then putting them all together

 at the end in one big amazing

 Vintage Block Along Sampler Quilt!

 I'm going to be 

showing you how to make this block...

that I am calling

 "Front Yard Flower"

And here is my explanation why!

I showed this photo of grandma's 

little farmhouse early on

 in this series.

What you can't see is that

 the color of the roof is pink.

Yes I said pink!

 ...not a super bright pink but almost

 the color of a vintage looking

 faded red brick.

Later after an addition to the house...

she added the same color of 

pink shudders to the windows.

Grandma loved a clean cut 

and pretty front yard flower garden.

When I was young I would 

often find her working in the

 flower beds and would stop and help.

As she got older and could not 

do it for herself we 

(all of us including my cousins 

and dad and uncles) 

would plant her front yard 

flower garden

 for her every spring.

We would weed it for her and

 "move the hose" 

several times a day 

to keep them watered:)

Grandma was very particular 

about what flowers she used.

She believed that annuals were a

 "front yard flower" 

because they were bright and showy 

all through spring, 

summer and into fall...

while perennials belonged in the 

side and back yard because 

even though they are beautiful 

they have a very short blooming time...

often only lasting 2-3 weeks.

Grandma most often planted red flowers ...

she liked the way that they looked

 against the white house and

 also complimented the

 pink roof and shutters.

For some reason she did not

 like to plant yellow flowers.

Every spring she would plan 

which kind of annual to plant

 and then plant that same one 

very heavily so that they really

 filled in nice and put on a good show!

Most of the time she planted petunias...

very popular for our region

 and easy to keep up.

Even though we only 

NEED ONE BLOCK for our quilt...

I made two blocks because

 I want to talk a little 

about fabric selection.

Because grandma liked "showy" red flowers

 for her front yard that's

 what I made first.

Then I made another just to

 mix it up a little.

In my workshops...

I often like to sew the same block 

with different colors and tones just to

 show what a difference that 

fabric selection can make 

to the feel and look of the block. 

I loved this little block 

and it was fun to re-draft it 

from templates to rotary cutting 

and machine piecing.

From the background fabric

 you will need to cut:

16 - 2 " squares

From this fabric cut:

8 - 2" x 3 1/2"

From this one cut:

2 - 1 1/4" x 2"

2 - 1 1/4" x 3 1/2"

For the flower center cut:

1 - 2" square

From this fabric cut:

4 - 2" squares

And finally...

from this one cut:

4 - 2" squares

Start by sewing the strips

 around the flower center...

Like this.

It should measure

 3 1/2" square at this point.

Now it's time for the

 Easy Corner Triangles.

Mark your lines from point to point

 onto each background square 

or use the 

Seams Sew Easy Guide 

Sew easy corner triangles 

onto the petals like this.

Take note that each set of four 

are going the opposite directions.

Trim and press...

And then sew the petals

 together like this.

Each segment should measure

 3 1/2" at this point.

Now sew the four patch sections together...

Like this!!!

They should also measure

 3 1/2" square.

Now it's time to sew

 the sections together:)

Sew three rows and then sew

 those rows together just like

 you do with a nine patch.

FRONT YARD FLOWER

It should measure 9 1/2" square 

BEFORE you sew it into your quilt.

I love how all of these fabrics

 and colors work together 

to make a very strong "showy" block.

I also love to mix up strong colors

 with medium to light colors

 for a super good contrast.

I chose a medium tone scaled print 

for the entire flower...

with strong colors surrounding 

it and in the center. 

Doing this always makes the pattern 

in the block really pop!

It's also fun to give one 

more of a scrappy look...

kind of like a wildflower...

while the other looks more uniform...

clean cut and showy.

That's just how grandma liked

 her front yard flower garden:)

I adore both versions...

and since

 "you are the boss of your own quilt"  

you get to decide what kind of 

FRONT YARD FLOWER

that you want to plant!

Thanks for sewing vintage with me today...

and studying about

 fabric selection and also learning 

a little bit more about my grandma.

I'll be back next week 

for another one of grandma's blocks!

xx

Lori

 P.S. If you are just joining us 

and want to sew vintage blocks with us...

click on each block 

that we have already sewn

 for the tutorial:

1. Grandma's Star

2. Pattern Basket

3. Around the Corner

4. Little Farmhouse

5. Rhinestone 

6. Vintage Lily

7. Star Shine

8. Humble

9. Egg Money

10. Quilting Bee

11. Sunday Star

12. Sweet as Honey

13. Bear Hug Block