Valentine's Day Challenge- Up-dated!

If you received our newsletter last week and read to the bottom, you will have learned of our new "challenge".

This year, to give a kick to Valentine's Day, we are hosting a "Red and White" challenge open to everyone, even those of you at a long distance! To shake it up a bit, we are including two sizes.

Bring or mail in any one 12.5" unfinished or two 6.5" unfinished blocks using only

Red and White fabric

and be entered to win them all. The blocks can be of any design; 8 pt star, churn dash, square in a square, curved seams, schoolhouse, anything you can think of.

Now you might ask yourself, "Why two 6.5" blocks?" We think knowing that all the block designs will be different, mixing them up along with the 12.5" can make for an exciting sampler for some lucky winner.

If you are stumped for a pattern, Pearl is handing out instructions for a unique "danish heart" design in either size to anyone who comes by.* How unique is it? I can't find a single photo of it thru Google (Found them! not many......) but it is based on this:

I'll make a sample and post a photo on this message shortly. Up date! Here it is in both sizes:

a scrappy heart and a more unified heart

Pearl has a complete quilt on display where she repeatedly used the block.

We will draw the winner on Lagniappe (Leap) Day, February 29 and announce the winner who hopefully leap for joy!

Here is a video taken from a show last year of Infinite Variety, RED AND WHITE quilts at the American Folk Art Museum from a collection of 650 quilts owned by Joanne S Ross. I love how the quilts were displayed, floating en masse from the high ceiling in darkness, with stars shining above. Such an amazing collection.

ENJOY!

Danish Heart Block

* If you read this far, you know I have added the instructions for the Danish Hearts right here:

For 12.5":

Cut :

1 - 4.25" White Square

4- 2.5" White Squares

2- 4.25" x 8.75" rectangles in two complementary red fabrics

5- 3.25" squares 'from one of the red'

4- 3.25" squares 'from the other red'

Make a 9-Patch with the 9 - 3.25" squares and set aside

Draw a diagonal line across the back of the 4 2.5" white squares. Place one of the squares on the upper right corner of one of the 4.25" x 8.75" rectangles and sew on the drawn line. Trim the seam to .25" and press away from the rectangle. Repeat on opposite (left) upper corner. Now repeat these steps on the other red rectangle.

You should now have :

1 - 4.25 white square, 1 rectangle unit

1 - rectangle unit, one 9-patch.

Sew this "four Patch" into the heart!

For 6.5":

Cut :

1 - 2.5" White Square

4 - 1.5" White Squares

2- 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles in two complementary red fabrics

5- 1 7/8" squares 'from one of the red'

4- 1 7/8" squares 'from the other red'

When you have made the 9-Patch, trim it to an accurate 4.5" square!

Repeat the other steps from the 12.5" heart.