Westminster Fibers is sponsoring a quilt block contest at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this year! I decided to join in on all the fun by creating my own blocks. I selected the blue colorway from the official block contest fabric line – Parson Gray-Seven Wonders.

The rules are pretty straight forward:
– You must use only the fabrics in the packet ($10 from the Stitchin’ Post in Sisters).
– Blocks must be 9.5 x 9.5 inches (includes seam allowance)
– Any method is allowed – piecing, applique, handwork, just no machine embroidered designs.
– Embellishments are welcome!

I’ve been on a bit of a bird kick this year so I continued with that theme by creating my first block with a birdhouse and a little birdie! Then, I had fun adding a bunch of embellishments.

I used blue metallic thread to applique the upper portion of the birdhouse and green metallic thread along the ground to imitate grass or little plants. I used hot-fix crystals to add plenty of sparkle when the block is displayed in the beautiful central Oregon sunshine! I hope the sparkles will catch your eye if you visit the quilt show.

For additional accents, I hand embroidered a sunshine, the bird’s details, and tall green grasses. On a whim, I stitched on a cute little lizard, making his way towards the birdhouse.

Here’s a closeup of the bird and the lizard details:

Lizard button

Bird detail

Here’s a look at the whole block:

Sisters Outdoor QS Contest Block

For the second block, I decided to make a geometric paper-pieced block without any added embellishments. This was a challenge because we only had a 10-inch piece of blue fabric plus 4 individual 6-inch pieces of fabric to work with to create the block! I used Unit 18 from Carol Doak’s book, Simply Sensational 9-Patch Stars.

Here’s a look at the second block:

Contest Block #2

I had so much fun making these blocks. If you missed my earlier post here, I also sent in some fabric postcards that will displayed and auctioned off at Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this July.

The quilt show instructors will each select their favorite block and the number one block will win “best in show.” I would be so thrilled if one of my little blocks got selected to be a favorite!

Until next time, enjoy these blocks!
~Jen