How to Quilt a Blooming Nine Patch Block
Are you ready to free motion quilt your Blooming Nine Patch quilt block? This block features many fun free motion quilting designs that will really stitch your skills up a notch. We’re going to quilt a feather wreath in the flower, some simple curving lines in the stem, Gentle Flames in the vase, Stippling in the background, and Echo Rainbow in the border.
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Click Here to find the quilt pattern for Block 1 including the printable diagrams and templates used to mark this quilting design.
My favorite part of the Machine Quilting Block Party is seeing your version of the Blooming Nine Patch Block. Many quilters have already finished piecing and shared a pretty picture in our Block Party Facebook Group. Here’s block pictures shared from Patti S, Gabriele T, and Michele B:
Isn’t it cool how much the block changes depending on your fabric choice? There are going to be lots of cheerful flowers blooming throughout the year!
Now the next step after piecing is to mark your quilt blocks with the quilting design. Designs like the feather wreaths in particular can be challenging to quilt so be sure to mark the design on your quilt block. I absolutely cannot quilt a feather wreath free hand (without marks) because of the way the feathers nest together as they swing around the circle. I decided to try marking with freezer paper for this space just to see how it would feel and I really liked it.
The last step before quilting is to layer your quilt block with batting and backing fabric and secure the layers together. Click Here to find a tip video on basting your quilt block.
Now for the machine quilting! I began by stitching in the ditch with my walking foot. This secured the block and created a pretty outline between the designs on the front and back of the quilt.
I decided to ditch with my walking foot simply because it’s easier and faster. It’s also possible to stitch in the ditch with free motion quilting, but it takes a lot of practice and it’s super easy to wobble out of the ditch. So keep it simple and get some experience with walking foot quilting at the same time.
After stitching it the ditch, it’s time to free motion quilt our Blooming Nine Patch Block! Follow along with the video as you quilt each design over your flower block:
I’ve received a lot of questions this week about the Sashing and Cornerstones pattern and how it works with the blocks. This extra, optional pattern will be released hopefully this week.
Yes, you should quilt all your quilt blocks normally. We will quilt all the sashing and cornerstone pieces separately and then connect them together so adding the sashing and cornerstones will not change the process of piecing or quilting your flower blocks.
Do you have any questions about free motion quilting your first block? Please share your questions in the comments below!
Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day
Thank You so much for these blocks and videos. I am having such fun learning this. You make it approachable.
I heard you mention there is a video on selecting thread. Where can I find this video?
Great question! You can find it within the playlist right here: https://youtu.be/liFlkHK4ymw?list=PLNkZhEjxH0nLPavmvPhd27EqzQh2a-Fee