Roses in Bloom...

 

We had some sewing fun recently, making these French Rose blocks in workshop with instructor Merri McKenzie. It's an applique method in which layers of fabric are stitched to a background, leaving the edges "raw" or unfinished. That means they will fray, adding dimension. The beauty is in the easy sewing, freeform design of the blossoms, and the 3-D leaves. And the fun is in seeing the variety of flowers made using all sorts of fabric combinations.

We made four blocks in our session and could either keep going to make a large quilt, or use the ones we made in a smaller wall hanging or table-runner. I decided to use one in a tote bag, pulling other fabrics only from what I had on hand (a goal of sorts!-I know you understand). So here are the remaining three with some possible additions for sashing, also dependent on what is in the stash already.

These other three blocks will most likely become a table-runner. As noted above, the edges of the flowers will fray when washed, leaving them "raggedy" to add texture. I've not taken that step yet, but will try it soon with the tote bag first.

Or, maybe no sashing, just a border. What do you think? Sashing or no? There are lots of tutorials, videos, and patterns for this style of quilt block and some are even quilt-as-you-go. And I've seen some that use heart shapes instead of floral petals. What fun!

Here are some of the class blocks all at play together on the show table. And below is a shot of one of mine with a few of its close pals. Pretty, pretty!