With weather like this, we need to bring a little greenery into the house. Today, I bring you flowers…not just your average posie, but The Square Flower-designed to fill all those squares we love to quilt. This sunny little flower can fill any square – large or small- quickly and easily.
The Square Flower Tutorial
Begin by drawing a square-any size square will work. If you have a 4 inch ruler-use that. If you have a block with six inch squares-perfect! If you’re square quilt has 12 inch blocks-that will work just great. This adaptable little flower will bloom wherever it is planted!
For the tutorial below, I drew a four-inch square. Mark the middle--just eyeball it. No need for precision today…
Begin the flower by stitching a spiral center. From the spiral, stitch out to the edge of the square to create the petal and curve back to the center. Leave a little space between the petal and the spiral–we are going to fill that in later.
Curve back toward the edge of the square to create another petal.
When you reach a corner, you can make the petal turn the corner–as in the top right petal below, or the petal can just reach into the corner–like the bottom right petal in the image below.
Continue clockwise around the center spiral until you create this little beauty. The Square Flower below is lovely. You can stop right here if you like…
However, if you would like more detail…you may need more detail if your flower is very large… add a double line to each of the petals. To do this, stitch counter clockwise around the spiral.
Stitch a line into the petal-curved or straight, and back out of the petal, all the way around the flower.
Perfect! If you still need a little more stitching, echo around the outer edge of the flower-(see first photo above)
The tutorial above was quilted with Aurfil in the bobbin, Robison-Anton Rayon on top, using a Schmetz 80 Topstitch needle-on my Bernina 150-domestic sewing machine. (You don’t NEED a long-arm–Make it work!)
Tomorrow, I will share photos of a small, sunny little vase quilt I am stitching to bring a little summer back. (You’ve heard of Christmas in July–let’s start our own Flowers in January movement!)
Thursday-Stencil winners announced!
Next week–Variations on The Square Flower…I know you’re going to have fun!
If you still need more color in your day…check out Faye’s Tumblr blog…Color Route Co.–it is particularly colorful this week! (Faye is one of my five daughters.)
Happy Gardening,
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to pin and re-blog with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thank you.
