Ocean Breezes Block of the Moment #2

Now it's time for a simple appliqué block in my Ocean Breezes BOM. This is my Palm Tree block and it finishes to 8". The background square is cut 8-1/2". Since I'm using raw edge machine appliqué, I am tracing my patches from the pattern with no seams.

This is the top of the tree. I have fusible webbing on the wrong side of the green Fairy Frost. I traced my pattern using freezer paper and then I ironed it to the right side of the green fabric. Now it's time to cut out (you don't have to cut the template out first - you can do it all at once with the fabric).

Top of Palm Tree: cut two

Then I cut the trunk with a brown fabric (again, one of Windham's Bedrock). I added the dotted lines to help me place the green tree top over the trunk. It needs to overlap.

Tree trunk cut out with dotted placement lines

Let's see how they look before I do any stitching. It's hard to tell, but I placed the full size printed pattern UNDER the cream background square to help me with the placement of the two patches. Pin in place and then take the pattern page away (you don't want to have the black ink transfer to the cream square when the hot iron touches it!)

I remove the paper from the webbing and iron these in place onto the background square. You can iron and stitch the brown tree trunk first and THEN place the green top.

Two patches ready for a hot iron

Once they are ironed in place I can stitch with a simple machine zigzag. I always audition these with similar fabrics (ie, scraps of the green and brown). Here is what I did when I made the Whale and Wave block (which I actually stitched first). This way I can see if my thread color works with my fabrics. I used a different scrap for the background - it's the thread and appliqué fabric that need to match!

Auditioning stitches with scraps

And let's see the Palm Tree block (and get the FREE pattern). Still needs some of the wrinkles pressed, but it's done. I actually made two (because that's what the pattern uses).

Ocean Breezes Palm Tree Block: make 2

Now it's your turn! Go ahead and make two. Make sure you tuck a little bit of the brown trunk under the green top and go slow around those points. It's ok to practice with a full size scrap so you can get the hang of how you want to make those points!

See you next week for our next Block of the Moment!