Tu-Na Quilts: Presenting Anne’s Flower

129 Replies

Ideas do not just happen. They begin with a thought, a need, a picture, an object; some thing that jars the brain to think about making something either for the first time or  making an existing object/idea better. The beautiful purple coneflowers were the inspiration behind Anne’s Flower block.

1a

I took this pic of the coneflower with my old Nokia phone in 2011. Camera phones and my photographing ability sure have improved since then. But I think you get the idea.

2aa

This pic was taken last year outside of Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn, MN. The coneflowers were just as beautiful when I was there this summer, but I didn’t get a close-up of them.

I featured Old Alley Quilt Shop on Day 2 of my 2016 Quilt MN Shop Hop posts. You can read more about this great shop here. Look for more posts about all my loot that I acquired on that hop and a perspective from my husband as Tu-Na Helper coming up soon.

Now back to the task at hand—designing a quilt block to meet the challenge. When these fabrics from Cloud 9 arrived, my brain saw a purple coneflower.

4a

From the left: Amazon, Sky, Shadow, Iris, and Lilac

Since my artistic drawing abilities consist of stick men and daisies, my daughter-in-law encouraged me to try anyway and provided me with a sketch from which to work.

6aaa

I’ve already seen paper-pieced and appliqued coneflower quilt patterns. This meant I needed to think of a new way to approach making this flower out of fabric. As I looked at the flower petals, I saw a resemblance to the Dresden plate and decided to design this block using that method. I wanted to keep it mostly pieced and keep applique to a minimum.

10a

Mission accomplished! I think it resembles the drawing above and looks like a coneflower.

The stem involves sewing a curved piece. This was my first attempt at sewing on a curve (not counting setting in sleeves) but it was very easy. 

13a

If you have never sewn a curved seam, don’t worry, I had not either. My recommendations: DO NOT pin-just sew, clip the curves about half-way to the seam, and press well.

Although I’ve designed several other quilt blocks for use in my grandson’s Little House Quilt, I’ve never done a tutorial about it. This required making sure the pattern could be made more than once by just following the written directions.

03aaa

For the most part, it worked the second time. So a couple of revisions were needed and we are done.

                     Two of Anne’s Flower blocks. Which one do you like?

This pattern can be purchased at Tu-Na’s Pattern Shop on Payhip here. You’ll find all the information (templates, instructions, pics of the process, and tips) you need to make this block in the pattern for Anne’s Flower. I could see a whole quilt made of these. Let me know if you make a coneflower using my pattern. I would enjoy seeing a pic of it and reading about how the pattern worked for you.

What I Learned Today:

  1. I have a new appreciation for pattern writers. It’s harder than I thought.
  2. Everything takes longer than I expect. Even in retirement, I need to work on my time management skills.
  3. It is practically impossible to take a picture of myself while I am sewing.

Question: Have you designed a block or quilt? Tell me about it and what inspired you to create that specific design.

You can find all of the blocks on this New Block Blog Hop by clicking on the links below. Many thanks to Cloud 9 Fabrics for providing the beautiful fabric and our hosts Yvonne, Cheryl, and Stephanie for arranging this event. So go check out the other blocks, you might find one or two you’d like to make.

Monday, September 12th

Host: Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl

Abigail @Cut & Alter
Janice @Color, Creating, and Quilting!
Lorinda @Laurel, Poppy, and Pine
Melva @Melva Loves Scraps
Renee @Quilts of a Feather
Kathryn @Upitis Quilts
Kim @Leland Ave Studios
Amanda @this mom quilts
Holly @Lighthouse Lane Designs
Irene @Patchwork and Pastry
Jennifer @Dizzy Quilter
Karen @Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats (You are here)
Anne @Said With Love
Suzy @Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Sharla @Thistle Thicket Studio
Kathleen @Smiles From Kate
Amanda @Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.
Sarah @Sarah Goer Quilts
Chelsea @Patch the Giraffe
Jinger @Trials of a Newbie Quilter
Anja @Anja Quilts
Daisy @Ants to Sugar

Tuesday, September 13th

Host: Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs

Jennifer @The Inquiring Quilter
Sarah @123 Quilt
Leanne @Devoted Quilter
Jen @Patterns By Jen
Jennifer @RV Quilting
Amanda @Quiltologie
Sharon @Yellow Cat Quilt Designs
Jen @A Dream and A Stitch
Jen @Faith and Fabric
Carole @Carole Lyles Shaw
Stephanie @Quilt’n Party
Susan @Sevenoaks Street Quilts
Katrin @Now What Puppilalla
Amista @Hilltop Custom Designs
Nicole @Handwrought Quilts
Marla @Penny Lane Quilts
Silvia @A Stranger View
Sarah @Smiles Too Loudly
Carrie @the zen quilter
Mary @Quilting is in My Blood
Velda @GRANNYcanQUILT

Wednesday, September 14th

Host: Stephanie @Late Night Quilter

Kathy @Kathys Kwilts and More
Paige @Quilted Blooms
Mary @Strip Quilts Pass it On
Allison @Woodberry Way
Seven @The Concerned Craft
Olusola @Alice Samuel’s Quilt Co.
Ann @Brown Paws Quilting
Jodie @Persimmon + Pear
Vicki @Orchid Owl Quilts
Kitty @Night Quilter
Francine @Mocha Wild Child
Shelley @The Carpenter’s Daughter who Quilts
Jayne @Twiggy and Opal
Geraldine @Living Water Quilter
Shannon @Shannon Fraser Designs
Lisa @Sunlight In Winter Quilts
Jessica @Quilty Habit
Cassandra @The (not so) Dramatic Life
Deanna @Stitches Quilting
Denise @Craft Traditions

Linking with

Pink Doxies for #BraveQuilter (I completed my goal to design a block and write a tutorial for it and then bravely posted it for the world to see.)

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Main Crush Monday at Cooking up Quilts

Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts (button in the sidebar)

Myra at Busy Hands Quilt for Finished or Not Friday (button on sidebar)

TGIFF (Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday)

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a FabricAddict

Caroline at Sew Can She for Show Off Saturday

129 thoughts on “Tu-Na Quilts: Presenting Anne’s Flower”

  6. Abigail

    What a gorgeous, really different, block you have designed for this. Having taken a look at the .pdf aswell you have covered everything so well. Congratulations it’s wonderful!

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  10. Pingback: Cloud 9 New Block Blog Hop | Dizzy Quilter

    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Thanks. You are absolutely right; a quilt of different color coneflowers would be lovely. I will also throw in some of Melva’s dragon flies on her blog which can be found here http://melvalovesscraps.blogspot.com/2016/09/cloud-9-dragonfly-tutorial.html.

      I have a lot to learn about writing a tutorial yet but it is a start and we all have to start somewhere. I’m having fun. The tutorial is not perfect. There is no fun in perfectionism. I have to keep telling myself that.

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  13. Lisa

    Patten design and tutorial making are very difficult. I love your beautiful Echinacea block. You did a great job with it. I’m super impressed.

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  14. Cathy Melancon

    I love your conflowers! Wow, I can’t imagine designing a pattern! Good for you!! The tutorial is spot on too!! You did it!!!

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  16. Jayne

    I love cone flowers and love this block! Designing and writing is hard for me. I’d like to say it gets easier the more you do…not the case with me! Well done!

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  20. Alice Samuel's Quilt co.

    This is so amazing Karen, I love it and my husband thinks it’s very impressive too. We were together and the airport and it was fun to show him all the lovely designs, now he knows the point of what I’ve been on about for the past weeks 😁

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    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Thanks for the compliments! It does look pretty and is actually quite easy to do. My 5th one I sewed took only about a half an hour but by then I knew what I was doing. I’m glad your husband liked it too. Coneflowers are all over here. We call them wildflowers as they appear in pastures, alongside roads, by lakes, everywhere but in my garden! I just can’t keep them coming back the next year.

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  23. Melva Nolan

    I have long had a dresden plate block on my to-do list – it is a lovely block. Great idea! I like the one with the lighter background and the seed bead embellishments.

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    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Those were actually French knots made with 3 different colored strands of embroidery floss but I think seed bead embellishments would be a great addition, depending on the quilting, they might have to be added afterwards. Thanks for the idea. You have such good ideas!

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    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Thanks for the compliment. The fabric color was perfect for a coneflower. Not counting setting in a sleeve, this was my first sewing on a curve. It worked beautifully! And I didn’t use even one pin. It just came together like magic and the stems all laid so nicely. One would have thought I’d been sewing them every day for practice.

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  27. Pingback: 2016 Cloud9 new block blog hop {raspberry swirl quilt block tutorial} | Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.

    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Thanks, I too think the pattern resembles a real coneflower. When I look at a coneflower, I see a Dresden shape and I had that in mind to use right away in the beginning. I wanted a pieced block so didn’t want to applique a stem so chose sewing one on a curve and that worked too. So it’s a bit of both applique (the bottom of the petals and the cone head) and piecing (the petals, the flower sides and stem) maybe I should call it piecelique.

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  31. Pingback: 2016 Cloud9 New Block Blog Hop

    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Thanks! The darker blue background one is very striking as I think there is high contrast. The lighter blue background one is also nice. I think some of Melva’s dragonflies mingled in amongst a patch of different colored coneflowers would be spectacular!

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  50. Bonnie in Va

    How clever you are to do the cone flower as a dresden. Must download your pattern and find my dresden ruler! I think I would use appliqué for the stem as I find they aren’t all that hard to do. And, sometimes I’ve been known to sew one side down by machine.

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  54. legato1958

    What an awesome block!! Your pattern looks great, and so well done! I love how you use the dresden plate !
    And, the Coneflower is one of my favorite flowers,so I take photos of them whenever I see them!
    I have designed a few tutorials, and one pp pattern. I am inspired by pictures, too. Patterns are time consuming to make, aren’t they, when you include lots of details.
    Well done and thank you for this delightful pattern!
    Susie

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  57. pennylanequilts

    I love your block! It’s a creative way to use the Dresden petals and the construction method is very unique, too. Your PDF looks very clear and easy to understand. I, too, found how difficult it is to take those one handed photos and how time consuming it was to write instructions!

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    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Thank you so much! It’s a combination of applique and piecing which now since I’ve invented it I’ll call piecelique. I have many one-handed blurry pics. EQ7 would make a nice Christmas gift don’t you think? But then I’d spend all my time at the computer and no sewing would ever get done!

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    1. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats Post author

      Thanks! I mailed the lighter background in to be part of the charity quilt. I can’t wait to see it with all the other blocks.

      I think we all struggle with time management. My problem is that I think my day has 26 hours in it and always plan way more than I can get done.

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