October 28

BLAZED TRAIL, 6″, Dark

A 6″ block for you today .. but it’s really four 3″ blocks. Don’t get mad at me!

Blazed Trail is one of Nancy Cabot’s blocks, first published in the Chicago Tribune in 1937. Nancy notes the history of the block in her article:

Download October 28 instructions (as .pdf).

October 29

RILEY’S KNOT, 3″, Dark

I found Riley’s Knot in the EQ7 block library. I have no idea where they found it.

Download October 29 instructions (as .pdf).

October 30

FRENCH SILK PIE, 3″, Dark

French Silk Pie is a block that I have only seen in EQ7; however, it is really just a variation on Aunt Dinah (the flying geese units are flipped to point inwards towards the centre square). EQ7, list another variation on this block, called Raspberry Cheesecake:

I’d love to know where these foodie variations were first published.

Download October 30 instructions (as .pdf).

October 31

ALL HALLOWS, 6″, Dark

Happy Halloween!

There is so much to celebrate today, not just Halloween: today’s block is your last 6″ dark block! And you’ve survived another month! We are so close to the end now.

Our version of the All Hallows block is one from EQ7, which has lots of pieces, to allow you to play with the colours! The original version, published in 1975 by Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine, is slightly simpler:

Both blocks allow a secondary pattern to develop when placed side by side.

Download October 31 instructions (as .pdf).

November 1 – Aster

ASTER, 12″

I had great fun designing this especially for you. An original. Enjoy.

Floral Section

Basket Section

Download Corner 3 – Aster instructions (as .pdf).

November 7 – Melbourne Cup

GOOD FORTUNE, 3″, Dark

At 2pm this afternoon, Australia will stop! It stops on the first Tuesday in November every year! Schools, businesses, parliament!

And they’re racing! Everyone is watching the Melbourne Cup. Even those who never gamble have a flutter on the horses, or the office sweepstake. It is literally the ‘race that stops a nation’. So today’s block is Good Fortune. Hope you have a win in the Cup!

Good Fortune is the name Clara Stone gave this block in 1906 in her Practical Needlework: Quilt Patterns booklet. It was later also published as Cross Bars by Nancy Page.

Download November 7 Melbourne Cup instructions (as .pdf).

November 2

POINTED TILE, 3″, Dark

A nice easy one, so you can work on your Floral Corner for another day.

Maggie Malone distinguishes the three-colour version (or multi-colour version in our case), Pointed Tile, from the two-colour version, called A Snowflake (Ladies Art Company, #277). There are lots of name variations for this block, including: Snowflake (Hall, 1935)Old Italian Design(Farm Journal, c. 1935), The Mountain Peak (Kansas City Star, 1943), Snow Block (Nancy Cabot,Chicago Tribune, 1934), Cross Stitch (Nancy Cabot, Chicago Tribune, 1937), Maud’s Album Quilt(Nancy Page, Birmingham News, 1938), and The Seasons, Mother’s Choice, Cotton Boll and A Cross is Mother’s Choice ( all from the Kansas City Star, cited by Malone), and Formal Garden.

Download November 2 Pointed Tile instructions (as .pdf).

November 3

GREEN RIVER, 3″, Dark

Some easy blocks for a couple of days to give you some breathing space to complete yesterday’s Corner Flower. Green River was first published by Nancy Page in the Birmingham News, in 1934.

Download November 3 instructions (as .pdf).

http://www.365challenge.com.au/the-blocks/