I'm pleased to announce that one of my original quilt block designs, Commencement, will be included in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3, which will be available May 10.
The Commencement block is featured in my forthcoming novel, The Wedding Quilt (Dutton, Nov 2011). One of the characters in the novel makes a quilt from the Commencement block as a graduation gift for her daughter — but I can't tell you which characters or that would give away too many surprises in the story! I made this version of Commencement with fabrics from my most recent line from Red Rooster Fabrics—”Elm Creek Quilts: Anneke's Collection.” This is the version that will appear in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3 with the pattern for making the block.
I've had fun playing with other color possibilities for Commencement. Here's a nice version to celebrate the much anticipated arrival of spring in Wisconsin using my “Elm Creek Quilts: Elizabeth's Collection” fabric line.
For something a bit more tropical, you could say “Aloha!” to this version using my “Elm Creek Quilts: The Aloha Quilt” collection.
The Commencement block is striking in these autumnal jewel tones from “Elm Creek Quilts: The Cross-Country Quilters Collection.”
Beautiful secondary patterns appear when you arrange the blocks into a quilt top. These Commencement blocks are arranged in straight sets:
Here's an illustration of a blue and gold Commencement quilt that would have been perfect for my graduation from the University of Notre Dame. (Hmm…I wonder if I would have time to make this before our class reunion in June…?)
And this is how the Commencement block looks set on point:
Aren't you eager to try your hand at this fun block, and the 99 other patterns in this special issue? The creative folks at Quiltmaker have graciously offered to give away a free copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3 to one lucky person who visits my blog today. All you have to do is comment on this post, describing how you would select colors or fabrics to make a Commencement block that has special meaning to you or to an important graduate in your life. A winner will be selected at random from those who comment on this post before 11:59 PM Central Time tonight.
Don't forget to follow the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour May 2-6 for inspiration, conversations with some of your favorite quilt designers, and lots of great giveaways. Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3 will be available in your local quilt shop by May 10th, or you can order it directly from Quiltmaker.
Thanks, and Happy Quilting!
Jennifer