Burlap Brights Block Hop: Day 4

Welcome to the fourth day of our Burlap Brights Block Hop! We hope you'll enjoy the eleven block tutorials our designing friends will be sharing here this week and next. Be sure to stop by each day to see a new block and have a chance to win some Burlap Brights for yourself!

Today Debby from Debby Kratovil Quilts is here, sharing her block. Check out her tutorial and then head over to her blog to enter for a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of the six Burlap Brights prints featured in our hop.


Hi I'm Debby and I'm here for Day 4 of the Burlap Brights Block Hop Blog Hop. No, not that nasty brown, scratchy stuff that we find in barns and animal houses. I'm talking about beautiful, bright, happy, color-drenched cottons that read solid and have a rich texture that go beyond flat solids. (There's a CHANCE TO WIN this same bundle at the end of this post!)

I was asked to join the Hop and was sent six of the 26 colors. I'm so happy I was given BRIGHTS! Brights make me happy. What about you?

Candy colors from the Burlap Collection by Benartex

I have been sewing and designing "for the camera" since early 1993. I have played with hundreds, if not thousands of yards of quilt shop quality fabric. My former editor used to say about me that I never met a fabric I didn't like. Working on the staff of Quilt Magazine for 14 of those years, I sewed for every major fabric company and I found that the fabrics that really spoke to me the loudest were the brights.

Here's the drill: they send me fabric and I get to decide what the fabrics and I want to create. It's as simple as that. I don't take well to micromanagement from vendors and they have come to respect it. But can I tell you a little secret? I really just defer to what the fabrics tell me to do!

Here are the real fabrics I was sent along with 3 fat quarters of Fossil Ferns that I want to use in my block. I chose the light blue fat quarter in the center:

Getting ready to sew with Burlap

I chose one of my tried-and-true paper piecing patterns called the Palm or Hosannah in a 6" size. The beauty of this block is that it is pieced in ONE continuous round, similar to an off center log cabin block. Here is my pattern (and it will be free later on in this post).

6" Palm Block

Wait a minute? Who put staples in my block? Call the QUILT POLICE - 911. "I have a crime I'd like to report. Someone damaged my pattern."

Actually, I've stapled my master pattern and 3 plain sheets of newsprint together and am transferring the pattern using needle punch. Unthread my sewing machine - top and bottom - and stitch on every line. Then I don't have to photocopy. It also makes it easy to see the lines on the unwritten side of paper. And, when it's time to take out the paper, it comes off so easily because it's been perforated twice. Nifty, huh?

The underside of my stack of paper after needle punch

(This is not meant as a paper piecing tutorial, but I think you'll get the main points with my pictures)

Now, if you want templates, help yourself. I've included those from a Vintage Quilt Pattern catalog. Copy, trace and stitch (right!)

Traditional method for sewing the Palm Leaf Block

I cut 2-1/2" strips of both the background Fossil Fern and each of the 6 Burlap print fat quarters, and a few 2" strips (these are indicated on the FREE pattern below). I only needed one 2-1/2" x 18" strip from each. My plan was to make 4 Hosannah/Palm blocks using 3 colors in each block. You'll see . . .

Ready to piece the first block using 3 colors and the background

I placed the two 2-1/2" squares together on the unwritten side of the pattern with fabrics right sides together. Pin, sew and press open.

Patch 1 and 2 ready to be trimmed

My paper piecing method is align patches, pin, stitch, press and then TRIM leaving 1/4" seam for the next patch to be aligned.

Fold pattern back, postcard provides a stiff surface; trim using an Add-a-Quarter, leaving 1/4" seam

Now I add Patch #3 (all patches are cut oversized to assure sufficient coverage)

Align Patch #3 on just-cut edge (no guess work)

Now we stitch and press:

Yellow Patches 2 and 3 now must be trimmed before adding Patches 4 and 5

Turn pattern over; fold on lines and trim the yellow fabrics leaving 1/4" seams.

Patches 2 and 3 trimmed with 1/4" seams so no guessing on where to place Patches 4 and 5

And we keep going . . .

Add Patches 4 and 5. These will be trimmed before adding 6 and 7

Patches 6 and 7 ready to be trimmed

And so on for the whole block. It looks a little messy at the end because we still have to trim the outside edges.

My 3 color Palm Block ready to be trimmed FROM THE BACK where the lines are

Can you see the lines on the back of the pattern? That's where we trim.

6" Palm Block ready to be trimmed

And after trimming . . .

6" Palm Block with 1/4" seam allowances all around

Can you see those awesome points? Only with paper piecing can I get that.

And here are my four blocks together . . .

12" block created with four 6" Palm Blocks

Here's my own giveaway: A copy of my 6" Hosannah/Palm Block (for personal use only).


Thanks Debby! Speaking of giveaways, head over to Debby Kratovil Quilts to enter to win a fat quarter bundle of the six Burlap Brights she used to make her block. 

Make sure you check out each day's tutorial!
Day 1: Chris from made by ChrissieD
Day 2: Mary from Mary on Lake Pulaski
Day 3: Alison from Little Bunny Quilts
Day 5: Kristen from KD Quilts 
Day 6: Benartex design team
Day 7: Stephanie from Stitched Together Studios
Day 8: Julie from The Crafty Quilter
Day 9: Cynthia from Quilting is more fun than Housework
Day 10: Jessica from Quilty Habit 

To see the entire schedule, click here.