Layer Cake Block Three with Sarah Vanderburgh

I think this post might be late.  I am having too much fun looking at our flickr pool. 

-- tearing myself away --

Block number three is brought to us today by Sarah Vanderburgh, or Sarah Vee, as she goes by on her blog http://sewjoy.blogspot.com/  Sarah is from Canada.  I have enjoyed meeting Sarah, and I'm sure you will too.  Here's Sarah --

I’m really excited to be participating as a designer in the Layer Cake Quilt Along! I’ll tell you a bit about me first, then more about my block.

Quilting has brought me joy for 14 years. I started as a newlywed, anxiously dealing with fertility issues. I discovered quilting through my husband’s granny’s old quilt magazines. I never looked back! Self-taught, I started by designing wedding wallhangings and baby quilts for family. I am fascinated by the names of quilt blocks and enjoy reading about the history of women’s lives sewn into quilts.

After purchasing a book by Barbara Brandeburg in 2008, I discovered the online world of quilt blogs. I started my own quilting blog, on my birthday, in 2009. In 2010, I released my first pattern for sale, “Eat with Joy! Placemats”.

I enjoy working with traditional blocks and bright, contemporary fabrics. I began as a patchworker, but have slowly come to love appliqué and, more recently, free form and liberated piecing.

My 9 year old daughter has just begun her quilting journey and my 3 year old son likes to pick out fabrics. My husband is patiently waiting for 2 queen size quilts to be finished for our bedroom - the first one started almost 10 years ago! I am fortunate my family shares my joy of quilting with me, and to live in Northern Ontario, Canada, where I am constantly inspired by the blue sky, green trees, and friendly quilters.

To get ready for writing this blog post about myself, I asked my blog readers what kind of questions they would ask a designer. One question that came up was – what comes first? The fabric or the pattern? For me, it can be either one! I really love the layer cake I picked to use for the quilt along – it’s Prayer Flag by April Cornell. I wanted to save it to make a special pattern for it – something that would feature all of the prints. When Konda put out the call for designers for the Layer Cake Quilt Along, I knew I had found my design! Sampler quilts are a great way to feature many different prints from the same line of fabric. I am really happy that I chose to use my fabrics to make these blocks – and really happy to have the chance to design a block for it!

For the Layer Cake Quilt Along I made a basket block. Basket blocks are pretty traditional and usually include some appliqué – not this one! The challenge here was to cut the pieces from 10 inch squares. I’ve included some pretty detailed cutting photos to help you make sure you get all of your pieces from your chosen fabrics. I hope my fabric tips help you in creating your own sampler baskets – it’s a great block to feature one of the large prints from your line.

I’ve challenged myself to make 2 quilts for the Layer Cake Quilt Along! Other quilters have too – you can read about them in one of the discussion threads at the quilt along Flickr group. For my second quilt, I’m using fat quarters and I’ve included separate cutting instructions for using fat quarters. You also have the opportunity to use only 2 fabrics with the fat quarter option.

I’m looking forward to seeing your blocks!
With Joy,
Sarah Vee

Thanks Sarah!

CLICK HERE for the instructions to Block Three.

Sarah made two versions of the block.  One for layer cakes:
 

And one for fat quarters:  (If you are using fat quarters, you can make either version.  If you are using layer cakes, you can make the fat quarter version only if you use more than two fabrics.)

And here's my block:  (Maybe I should have warned my designers that sometimes I don't follow directions very well -- on purpose -- even when the directions are my own.  I know lots of you have personalized these blocks as well.  It's all good!)

So what happens next?

Well, any pictures posted in the flickr group by tonight will be entered into the first drawing. About 10 ish tonight (Mountain Time) I will post my Block TWO. All blocks BEFORE mine are those entered into the first drawing.  It doesn't matter which block - just the one's posted before mine. If you post your block AFTER mine, then it will be entered into the next drawing.  I will post the winners tomorrow.

What's up for grabs this time?

Sarah has graciously donated a Pat Sloan book called Fast-Forward Quilts.  The quilts in the book are made using precuts!  Perfect for our quilt along!

I also have a couple charm packs that need to find a new home.  So get your blocks posted, and I will see you tomorrow!