Esme Block

I got this pattern from the Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine which I love and pour through every issue. This is a paper pieced pattern that jumped out at me to do a challenge. I knew I wanted to make just one block because of the time involved. There are two pattern pieces to make up the centers and corner sections. 

 

Since there are 8 points that meet in the middle I fanned out the points before pressing to keep it flat. I love the way it turned out with the directional purple fabric and subtle background fabric.

Here is an example of a nice way to decorate a table top with a little quilt!

Bear Paw Leaves

I've always loved the Bear Paw block but for some reason it always looked intimidating. I decided I would make just 4 blocks and add a stem to look like leaves to give it a try. This is a wonderful way to sample a pattern without over committing to a huge quilt.

I picked my color scheme with 4 different colors and added several different fabrics in each color. I recently bought some newspaper print fabrics that offset the colors so well.

Here is a close up of the machine quilting with a meandering stitch. I matched the thread to the fabrics so that the quilting would be subtle.

I'm really hooked on this pattern still and plan to try some other variations with a modern flair!
Measures 18" x 18"