Welcome to Day 5 of the Blossom Blog Hop!  I’d like to share the Blossom AnglePlay (R) mini quilt tutorial and some social media tips.  I have started to Blossom this year by using AnglePlay(R) templates. I am writing a book of patterns and came up with the block that I am sharing today.

Blossom – an AnglePlay(R) mini quilt

Fabric requirements

4 coordinating Fat Quarters, or 1/4 yd cuts – dark, medium 1, medium 2 and light.  A gradient of the same color family works well.

1 Fat Quarter (or 1/4 yard) for a border

Cutting

Using your preferred method, make 4 half-square triangles from the dark and medium 1.  They will finish at 4 inches in the quilt.  I love my Easy Angle ruler, so I cut one strip from each fabric at 4-1/2″.   See this post on HST for other methods!

From the medium 1 and medium 2 fabric, cut a strip at 3-1/4″, then sub-cut 4 rectangles at 5″.   Use the A template to cut 4 left-facing and 4 right-facing triangles from each fabric.

I shared a video on Facebook about using AnglePlay(R) templates.  Click here to watch.

Find template instructions at the bottom of this page.

From the medium 2 and light fabric, cut a strip at 4-1/4″, then sub-cut 4 rectangles at 7″.  Use the E template to cut 4 left-facing and 4 right=facing triangles from each fabric.

Cut 1 square at 2-1/2″ from the medium 2 fabric.

Using your preferred method, make 4 HST from the light and border fabric.  They will finish at 3 inches in the quilt.  I used the Easy Angle ruler to make 3-1/2″ HST.

Piecing the Blossom block

Half-square triangles:  sew the dark and medium 1 triangles to make four 4-1/2″ HST.  Sew the light and border triangles to make four 3-1/2″ HST.

Half-rectangle triangles:  Sew the A triangles together to make 4 left and 4 right rectangles from the medium 1 and medium 2 fabrics.  Sew the E triangles together to make 4 left and 4 right from the medium 2 and light fabrics.

Left facing units:                                                                          Right facing units:

Trim A units to 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″.

Trim E units to 3-1/2″ x 6-1/2″.

Lay out the block according to the diagram:

Sew the Left A to larger HST and Right A to the medium 2 square.  These rows form a 4-patch.

Sew the Left E to 4-patch and small HST to Right E.  These rows form the full block. Blocks finish at 9-1/2″.

Make 4 and sew together.

Cut remaining border fabric into 3-1/2″ strips.  Measure your quilt and cut borders as required.  I used 2 strips at   18-1/2″ for the sides, and 2 strips at 24-1/2″ for top and bottom.

Quilt and bind as desired for a table topper, wall hanging or pillow.

Blossom with Social Media

My intention with the Blossom Blog Hop was to provide a space for quilters and sewists to share their work within the boundaries of a Springtime theme.  The Stitching Stars members who participated are small business owners trying to grow, and the work is similar to someone tending a garden.  The gardener should tend to the soil, tend to the plants, prune and harvest.  In the sewing business world, we need to tend to our soil (ourselves), tend our plants (our online business presence), prune (focus on business-building activities) and harvest (market ourselves and enjoy success).

Good Soil means Self-Care

First thing first!  Take care of yourself with healthy eating, adequate rest and a work/family balance.  Some days are full of mom duties rather than quilting and that’s okay.

Tending the Online Presence

Find some supportive business groups within your niche.  The friendships I made at Sew Pro convention are blossoming in collaboration in the Stitching Stars Facebook group.  We are all learning great things from Deanna Wall in the Stitch Smarter Facebook group.  Other business mentors I’ve found are Nicole Walters and Renae Christine

Pruning means Focus

I love the way John Lee Dumas translates FOCUS – “Follow One Course Until Success.”  My UFO pile can testify to my Quilting ADD…so many pretty things to make and swaps and Quilt-alongs to join.  There is serious “fear of missing out.”  But, I remind myself of the life I want – a successful online business that allows my family the freedom to travel.  I pare my list down to projects that will move my business forward and I set weekly goals that are stepping-stones to the big-picture goal.

Enjoy the Harvest

I am thrilled to be a part of the quilting and sewing community!  There is so much beauty and creativity being shared that it inspires me every day.  Collaborating with others is the best tip I can share, either by contributing to Facebook groups,  joining a sew-along, or reading and commenting on blogs.

Don’t forget the Prizes!

Eight of the Stitching Stars bloggers contributed blocks for a Grand Prize Raffle Quilt.