Twelve Words Block of the Month #9: September Bloom

Twelve Words Block of the Month: September Bloom by April Rosenthal http://www.aprilrosenthal.com

My favorite flowers are Dahlias–I love the intricate petals, the density of the booms, and the symmetry of nature. Seriously, I could stare at them for hours.

Twelve Words Block of the Month: September Bloom by April Rosenthal http://www.aprilrosenthal.com

Almost like a mini version of Dahlias, I also love fall mums. Mine start blooming in full right around the end of August, and last until the frost does them in in November or so.

Twelve Words Block of the Month: September Bloom by April Rosenthal http://www.aprilrosenthal.com

I love how they start blooming right when the other flowers start quitting, giving up because of the slight chill in the air.

Twelve Words Block of the Month: September Bloom by April Rosenthal http://www.aprilrosenthal.com

That’s how I want to be. I want to bloom, even when things aren’t perfect–in fact, I’d like to bloom because I’ve decided that anytime is the perfect time.

Twelve Words Block of the Month: September Bloom by April Rosenthal http://www.aprilrosenthal.com

Bloom where (and when) you’re planted, chickadees.

xoxo

April

 

Instructions:

Cut the following:

(5) dresden wedges

(1) of each template echo (A, B, and C)**

(1) 12 1/2” linen square

 

**You may choose to cut these pieces out using fuse able web, as they will be raw edge appliquéd to the final block. I chose to cut them without webbing to avoid stiffness in the block, and just used temporary fabric glue to affix them prior to sewing. Also–I cut out my “Echo” pieces freehand to match my dresden points and valleys exactly…but I figured telling you to freehand it would probably stress some people out. So, there are templates. If you need to adjust them to match up with your individual wedges, by all means, go ahead. :)

 

Piecing:

Fold the wedge pieces lengthwise, right sides together.

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Stitch along both the top and bottom edge. clip the inside corners, being careful to avoid the stitches.

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Turn the pieces right side out, flattening the stitched edges to make a point on both ends. Press.

Stitch the wedge pieces together by putting right sides together along the long edges. Press seams open or to one side.

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Temporarily affix or lay out echo pieces on the block.

Begin with Echo C,

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then Echo B,

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then Echo A.

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Place partial dresden on the top. Temporarily glue or pin pieces in place.september-bloom-18

Stitch the pieces in place, using a 1/16” topstitch. I chose to do a 2nd stitch on the dresdens, 1/8” away from the first stitches.

Embroidery:

Trace (or eyeball :) the swirls coming from the flower, and stitch them using a running stitch.

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Trace the word “BLOOM” and stitch using a backstitch.

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Download the template pieces and embroidery pattern, here.

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