This is my final post introducing you to my new Petit FOUR sampler patterns, the Northern Lights blocks, which have just arrived in the shop.
For the past year Andrea from the Willow Cottage Quilt Company and I have been posting out deliciously curated parcels to our fearless block of the month explorers and taking them on a magical journey to the edge of the world, where stormy seas meet starry skies...
Unusually, the initial inspiration for Northern Lights was its setting, a variation of the traditional Storm at Sea quilt which creates the beguiling illusion of overlapping circles by combining square-in-a-square and triangle-in-a-square units.
classic storm-at-sea blocks
I exaggerated its proportions to frame our sampler blocks with what I’ve named the Maelstrom block, inspired, in turn, by the Arctic tidal whirlpool at the tip of Norway’s Lofoten islands.
There's a full sized paper template in the Northern Lights pattern for you to use with a lightbox or copy onto card or template plastic. But as we were making a few of them, I created an acrylic template as an extra treat for our block of the month participants, based on my CakeSlice template and beautifully made for me by Andy from Crafty-UK.
I had a few left over from the programme, so have listed them in the shop here. And as with the CakeSlice, the template comes with a useful instruction card...
page one
page two
As well as creating a dramatic frame for blocks from 6" to 14" square, I can see lots of other opportunities to turn that slim diamond into a triangle: creating a spiky stars and boat sails, turning it upside and making a carrot block, or using it to shape the sides of a flower pot. It's going to be fun to have another angle to play with!
You can find all of the Northern Lights blocks collected together, along with their marvellous Maelstrom setting, in the PDF Pattern Book here. If you prefer a printed Pattern Book you can find them here.
I've enjoyed every minute of creating this quilt, sharing it with our intrepid block-of-the-monthers and with you. And I still hope to see those elusive northern lights in real life one day...
Nicola xx
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