The four-day Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop sponsored by Fabri-Quilt and Inspired by Fabric kicked off on August 31st and was hosted by Yvonne@Quilting Jetgirl. Cheryl@Meadow Mists Designs hosted the group of bloggers who posted tutorials on September 1st. The bloggers who posted tutorials on September 2nd were hosted by Stephanie@Late Night Quilter. And the final group which I am a part of is hosted by Terri Ann@Childlike Fascination on September 3rd. The tutorials already posted are absolutely awesome. I can’t wait to make a sampler quilt using these tutorials. There are also giveaways on each of the hosts’ blogs and on the Inspired by Fabric blog, so please check them out. Fabric-Quilt provided each participant free of charge a fat eighth bundle of Prairie Cloth Solids in the Watermelon Summer Palette that includes the following colors: chartreuse, coral, lapis blue, turquoise, aqua, and white. At least three of these vibrant colors are used by each blogger participant.

The hosts are going to finish three quilts from the over 60 completed blocks to donate to charity. The three organizations that will receive quilts are Meyers Center, a non-profit organization that helps kids that are physically and/or mentally disabled prepare for school, Teen Impact, an organization that helps kids with cancer, and Project Linus, an organization that gives handmade blankets to critically ill children. It is such an honor to be involved in this project and with so many talented quilters.

The block that I have designed is named Taffy Pull. The white-coral-white stripe combinations remind me of the taffy candy that can be found at beach boardwalks everywhere in the summer (represented by the blues and greens), and I could see it being used in a decorator pillow or in a quilt with sashing to separate the blocks that could be oriented either vertically or horizontally. Maybe a gorgeous Alison Glass fabric sashing to mix things up a little. Or perhaps one of the many cool text fabrics that are so prevalent online and in fabric stores these days. If you follow my blog, you have a pretty good idea that I really like text fabric. I now have a bin dedicated to text fabric!

Taffy Pull block

Taffy Pull is made up of 13 different strips of varying colors and widths that are cut a little longer and wider than necessary so that the block can be trimmed at the end to be a uniform 12 1/2″ block (unfinished). I recommend that you prewash your Fabri-Quilt Prairie Cloth Solid fabrics with like colors. Then press your fabrics before cutting being careful not to distort the fabric. Starting with the chartreuse fabric, fold it in half so it measures 9″ by 10″ with the fold toward the bottom of your cutting mat. Square off the right side of the fabric, and then cut one 3″ strip. Set the strip aside for now. After the required number of strips are cut for each fabric, the remaining fabric can be used in another project.

Cut six 1.25″ strips of white fabric and set aside with the chartreuse strip.

Cut three 1″ strips of coral fabric and set aside with other strips.

Cut one 3″ strip of aqua fabric and add to the pile of cut strips.

Cut one 1.5″ strip of lapis blue fabric, and you know what to do 🙂

The last strip to cut is one 1.5″ strip of turquoise fabric.

You should have 13 strips that are about 20″ in length. Cut each of these strips down to 13 1/2 inches. Lay them out in the following color order (chartreuse, white, coral, white, lapis blue, white, coral, white, turquoise, white, coral, white, aqua).

Begin sewing the strips together. Start by pinning one of the white strips to the chartreuse strip, and sew a 1/4″ seam (some people don’t need to pin much when they sew, but I’m much more accurate sewing strips together when I pin every few inches). Press to the darker fabric (chartreuse). Next you will sew a coral strip to a white strip, and press to the darker fabric (coral). Sew another white strip again pressing toward the coral fabric. Each white-coral-white combination in Taffy Pull should measure two inches. The lapis blue strip is the next strip to be added.

I first press the right side of my fabric but then turn it over and give it a quick press on the reverse side as well. When the white seams are pressed toward the coral fabric, you can barely see the coral fabric on the reverse side.

Sew the next eight strips in the order listed (and pictured) above. When all 13 strips are sewn together, use a quilting ruler to trim the block down to a 12.5″ square. I chose to use a 12.5″ ruler and aligned the center of the ruler with the middle of the second coral strip (marked by the head of a flat yellow pin), so I would know how much to trim off each side.

Be sure to check out the other Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop tutorials posted by the bloggers  in my group:

• Terri Ann (our host) of Childlike Fascination made a string showcase block.
• Robyn of Hoops & Thimbles made a seahorse star block.
• Helen of Midget Gem Quilts made a summer blog hopping.
• Jinger of Trials of a Newbie Quilter made a lovely sailboat block.
• Anja of Anja Quilts made a floor tile inspired block.
• Kathryn of UP*IT*IS QUILTS made a modern popsicle block.
• Emma of My Handmade Home made a fun pieced block.
• Francine of MochaWildChild made a treasure hunt block.
• Dena of Living Water Quilter made a beach ball frenzy block.
• Deb of The Farmhouse Quilter made a square sky block.
• Lori of  SewPsyched! made a modern dogwood block.
• Amy of 13 Spools made an Adele star block.
• Denise of CrafTraditions made a magic squares block.
• Sandra of The Bias Edge made a chevron among chevrons block.
• Sandra of One Million Stitches made a Georgian flag block.