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Today I am thrilled to be a member of the X-Block Hop (and there is a giveaway!). I found out about this hop from Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy A friend of hers, Doris Rice, is the new owner of the X-block and so, to help her friend, a blog hop was born. I was excited to join as I did have a lovely quilt that I made using that technique.
I love the X-block tool and the intricate designs you can make by trimming a 9 patch. Yup – that’s the basic gist of it. First you make a lot of nine patches, then you cut them up. Sometimes that feels wasteful, but here’s the thing – you are not piecing wonky angles BUT buy cutting a block differently you get the effect of the odd angles.
I loved, loved, loved this pattern. I thought it would be perfect to use up some batiks I had collected. The ones I was using up were the more solid/light fabrics in the quilt. I had collected them for my Whitby Abby quilt – it appears in the beginning of my blog, but I actually never wrote an entire blog on it. You can even see some of these batiks in the link above, in the second picture.
These are the two tools I used, the 6.5″ X block template* and the BellyButton 6.5*. I think the way the colors play off of one another and that the design is so interesting. I was looking for a colorful sky so all these light batiks have blues and some pinks in them. It is such a cheery quilt and perfect for a summer quilt. The guest room in our cottage is dark and it really livens up the room.
Here are a couple of hints for making this quilt:
- Starch your fabric (bias edges behave better when starched)
- Pay attention to the directions (I know – simple but true! there are Right and Left facing cuts)
right facing block 
left facing block 
Teal square shows the Right Block, Orange is Left Block and
Dotted Line Square shows 4 blocks making the diamond.
The pieces for the sides and top are made from some leftovers, if I remember correctly. They were totally worth doing. I wanted to use this on a queen size bed, so a few borders and it works! Notice, the top and bottom borders are smaller so it will fit my platform beds easily. Finally, I quilted this on a longarm and loved doing it.
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| Hanging at the Rising Star Guild Show |
Enjoy the hop and check out the other bloggers that are hopping!
May 8th
May 9th
May 10th
Look at this X-treme XBlocks Bundle!!!
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Disclaimer: *Links with asterisk indicate an affiliate link. Your price is not any different, but a small percentage of the sale will go to supporting my blog.
So soft and dreamy.
Thanks, Bobbie. I do think they are a bit unexpected, but I love the way the diamonds turned out.
what a gorgeous quilt, those colors are beautiful, thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Bobbie!
great quilt, thanks for sharing it!
Of course, glad to share the wealth.
Wow Kathleen, these rulers and your quilt savyness are amazing!
Thank you! Working at a quilt store for a long time helped up my game!
Great looking quilt.
Thank you, Kathy.
I like your quilt, especially the border.
Thanks, Rike! The border was really fun. Much more girly than many of my quilts, but I figure the geometric-ness of it allows my husband and son not to complain too much.
These templates look amazing. Everyone's quilts are turning out so different and unique. Thanks for sharing, grinnie1961 at gmail dot com
Thank you Linda. It was a really fun quilt and I am now thinking of getting back to some of my leftover pieces. And yes, those extra half yards you buy are perfect for this kind of approach!
Very beautiful Kathleen! I really love it. I am thinking this would be an awesome way to use up your scraps. Thank you for sharing today.
Yes it would, if you have lots of scraps I think I would try it.
All the quilts have their own personalities in this hop/ the differences are amazing!
It is truly amazing – all from a simple concept. I love that.
I have that pattern and have been trying to decide on fabric. Yours is beautiful!!
It’s really interesting how it works out. I wasn't sure of my colors but I love it.
what a wonderful quilt!!!!!
Thank you, Maxine.
Beautiful quilt!
Thank you, Jocelyn.
Beautiful quilt and very clever how you added the border. It looks great!Congratulations to this wonderful work!Bente
Thank you, but the cleverness was from the designer, not me. Its a wonderful pattern!
This is gorgeous and the fabrics look fabulous in it…love it!
Thanks, Carol.
Such a pretty quilt and the name Venetian Tiles is so perfect. I have a small X-Block template that I need to dig out and make something just as gorgeous!
Oh do, it really is fun!
So pretty!!
Thank you!
Absolutely gorgeous. I do love batiks. They bring so much dimension to things.
Thank you! Batiks are a favorite for me too!
That is lovely. The colors are so soft and pretty.
Thank you, I love it.
Beauty of a finish, so glad to see your pretty quilt!
Thanks, Kris
Looks fantastic! Love the borders!
Thanks, Susan!
Your quilt turned out terrific! Thanks for sharing.
Glad to share with the wonderful quilting community.
I love your border color!
It was a lively choice!
Beautiful!
Thank you.
It looks amazing !
Thank you.
Stunning quilt!
Thank you, Vicki.
I love your batiks but think it would also look good as a scrappy quilt
You are right – I think it would look terrific.
Beautiful, the batiks were the perfect choice.
Thank you. I like the way it turned out.
Wonderful quilt, and the border made from the x-tra pieces is such a great added touch!
It was the designers idea, but it is lovely isn’t it.
I have never heard of those templates, but how fun! Perfect quilt for using up some batiks too!
The templates are quite fun! There are so many different ways of creating things…its crazy!
I love the colors you choose for Venetian Tiles, the pink really softens it.
Thans, Doris and good luck with this tool/company. It is quite fun.
I had never heard of an X block before! Your quilt is stunning, love those soft hues.
Thanks, Sandra. They have been around for awhile and they create some pretty interesting patterns. Glad you enjoyed the quilt.f
Love the soft colours of your quilt. I appreciate the photo with the overlays showing how the blocks to together. These templates are somewhat of a mystery. Love love the quilts created.
Thanks, Laura. Glad you liked the little explanation. It is very easy when you pay attention…always my trouble.
Lovely quilt! The colors are great!
Thank you.
Looks like a fun quilt to make!!!
It sure was fun….now I am thinking about another!
This looks like a fun quilt!
It sure its. I encourage you to try it.
Fun colors. Awesome quilt. Thank you for sharing. Have a wonderful day! angielovesgary2 atgmail dotcom
Thanks, Angie!
Very fun indeed. THanks for the tip on the two blocks. Glad I came by.
It was fun and hope you make it some day!
I love how your quilt turned out….the colors are perfect !!!
Thanks, Julie.
Very cute!!
Thank you, Kelley
Your quilt is stunning. Thanks for sharing with us.
It was my pleasure.
This quilt is beautiful. Love it!!!
Thank you, and thanks for coming by.
I remember seeing these templates when they first came out, awesome to see it back in action.
I know – they are really fun.
I bet the special ruler makes a tricky looking quilt like this much more manageable!
You got it! Try it, I think you’d like it.
Gorgeous. I like the pattern you made. Such fun fabrics.
Thank you, it was really fun.
So pretty!
Thank you, Sharon.
Lovely quilt. Great use of the x-tra pieces.
All the designer's idea, but I was hesitating on doing it! Glad I did.
I love the colors! And a big thank you for outlining each of the blocks and how they join together to form the overall design. I could not figure it out for the life of me- obviously very clever templates!
I thought that might help people see it. Thank you for commenting on that part of the blog. They are cleverer than I am, I can tell you that.
Your quilt is so beautiful. It's all dependent on that very subtle central block, right? Well worth the waste, I think, to get such a stunning outcome. Just have to overcome the initial resistance–that's what I'm telling myself. 🙂
Yes, I do know what you mean about the waste, as I still have some pieces I want to do something with. However, I couldn’t have made the quilt with it if I didn’t do that, so I think its ok!
I love your Venetian Tile Quilt!
Thank you, Wanda.
A pretty quilt, love the colours,…makes me want to try the ruler!
It is a fun one, good for some of the left over bits from an over-purchase on another quilt.
What a gorgeous large quilt. Love your fabrics!
Thank you!
That is a stunning quilt. I love your choice of fabrics. Truly Beautiful!!
Thank you, Amy, especially for having me in the blog. The traffic is awesome so I hope Doris is pleased.
I really like the border a lot. Great quilt.
I think it really was a good thing to do – although I hesitated – and am very pleased with the finished quilt.
I really like the design of your quilt–Thanks for the blog hop–lots of new ideas!barbkaup(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com)
Thank you, Barb. I love seeing all the options.
Wow Factor quilt…love it all..the design and fabric colors. rozz01(at)cox(dot)net
Thank you, Rosalind.
Wow. Beautiful quilts. I love the ideas of extras. Thanks for sharing
Your borders are awesome on this. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome; its a pleasure to share.
My pleasure, and the extras are fun!
Your quilt is beautiful. The design is great. So much versatility with these templates.
Thanks, Jeanne. There really is quite a lot of options with them – all from 9 patches!
I never thought I would want to try using this tool, but the quilts like yours and others shown have changed my mind.
So glad you are thinking about it. It really is pretty versatile!
Your quilt is awesome! And this tool is awesome too. Thanks!Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.
Thank you, I had a good time making the quilt and using the rulers.
It is quite funny isn't it, how these patterns look like something I personally would never do, if it's difficult I just don't want to take the time to do it, but the rulers make it so simple. I enjoyed your details about the project and your quilt is truly stunning.
The rulers do simplify what looks to be a complex pattern.
I’ve had this set of rulers for some time and keep looking through the book and seeing things I want to make. Your quilt is quite amazing.
You can do it! Just pick some fabric and play!
What a lovely quilt.
Thank you, Nancy.
Awesome work. Thank you for sharing! It gives me inspiration about what can be made with those tools.
Thanks, Cookie. They are pretty much fun!
Beautiful
Thank you.
Took a while to find your blog. Your work is wonderful as is your choice of fabrics. Thank you for the hard work of doing and sharing.
Thank you. I did see what the problem was and alerted the powers to be…
Excellent tips! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
You are welcome!
OMG! Those quilts are awesome! Love the color choices and 3 quilts for 1. You can't go wrong with that plan. I really, really want to make some of those quilts.
Its a great thing, isn't it?
Love your quilt – thanks for sharing
Happy to share. Thanks for coming by.
Wow, that is just gorgeous! The X-block ruler looks like it has lots of possibilities.
Thank you, Lisa Marie. It does have many options!
I love your quilt and choice of color! Thanks for sharing the tips.
Of course, it is my pleasure to share, and thank you for the compliment.
Beautiful Quilt! This pattern has always caught my eye. Think I need to make one of my own. Thank you for sharing in the blog hop … 🙂 Pat
You are so welcome. This pattern is one of my favorites.
Beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome!
I was just looking at that one on the website's pattern page and thinking what a beauty it was, and these wide borders look great on it. I have one of the rulers, but I've only made a few blocks for an American Hero quilt. I never realized all that I could do with it! Thank you.
That looks fantastic – I would like that on my bed!
Thanks, Melody. I love it too! Why don't you imitate it?
Have to get to making one of these x-block quilts!
They are fun!
Really love your quilt!
Thank you, Janet
What a beautiful quilt!
Thank you, Connie.
What a stunning quilt! Thanks for your words of wisdom for the caveats. I guess it comes from having been a project lead for years. I like to look at a quilt when I am done and think about what went right and what went wrong and what I would do differently the next time, even if that means not making that pattern again. Thanks for participating in the hop.
You are welcome, Suze. I love helping others and try always to include some good hints.
Neat quilt! I love what the X block ruler can do. This will be fun to use in the future. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Carol. I really enjoyed it and hope you get to make one soon!
X Block template is so versatile! Love this look. maryc76904 at yahoo dot com
The soft colors you chose are lovely and remind me of spring. My granddaughter would love this!
Thank you, and I am sure you could imitate the color scheme for her.
love it in batiks, and your ideas for expanding the borders.
Sometimes I just want to make a bed quilt and the quilt isn’t that size! I never mind big borders that hang off the edge!
Your quilt is so pretty! Never know there were so many designs for the x-block template!yoyopattycakes@ hotmail dot com
Thank you, Susan. There are a whole lot of options with this tool.
I absolutely love your quilt! It's beautiful! Jadahlgr at Yahoo dot Com
Thank you, it was a great project.
Beautiful color choices.
Thank you.
thinking outside the box is always pretty
Thank you! It is always fun.
Such a lovely quilt!nikilsend(at)outlook(dot)com
Thank you!
Love seeing all the color ways and designs love it…. happyness04431@yahoo.com
It is so much fun isn’t it!
It will be fun to try out my basic x. I bought it some time ago and have not used it yet.
Do try it! I think you’ll like it.
my favorite so far
Thank you!