Hive 4 June Tutorial- Pumpkin Block

 Hello from Raleigh, NC! This is my first time doing a stash bee and I've been having a great time and I certainly hope my blocks have been well received by all the previous Queen Bees. I've been sewing for a long time (like over a decade) but I've only been a quilter for about six of those years. Obviously, I took to it fairly well since I've now become a full time longarm quilter. (It's funny how life works) I'm actually writing this post at the start of May so I can be ahead of schedule since my quilting lineup has gotten quite busy and I don't want to fall behind on anything. 

I debated back and forth about what I wanted my block to be. Halloween is my absolute favorite so I almost had everyone make a super spooky and fun block (like a haunted house) but I actually have over five Halloween quilts already and I do hate how I can really only keep them out one month of the year. (I could keep them out longer theoretically but then people tend to give you strange looks.) So I opted to keep it within the "Fall" theme and go with a pumpkin block. That way, I have a solid three months to keep this quilt out. 

So I'm sure that someone at some point designed this block, but I just googled pumpkin quilt blocks and found one that I liked. Then I drafted it out on some graph paper and made my sample for the progress photos and to double check my measurements. Everything looks accurate to me, but if you have any issues, feel free to email me or message me on instagram. I'm always happy to answer questions. 

For color schemes of this block, I'm not too picky. Pumpkins are orange, obviously. I'd prefer more earth tones or deeper oranges because those say Fall to me more than brighter oranges. In my sample, I did a two fabric pumpkin, but don't feel like you need to do that. If you want to use six colors of orange, go for it. The stem can really be any brown you want and the leaf can be mostly any green (I would say nothing too bright though). And for the background, I'd prefer a cream rather than a white. Any of these colors can be a print or a solid, I have no preference in that regard. Here are a few color fabric pulls for "inspiration"

Step 1: Cutting Your Pieces

Orange- Cut 6 strips at 2.5"x10.5"

Green- Cut 1 rectangle at 2.5"x5.5"

Brown- Cut 1 square at 2.5"x2.5"

Cream Background

            Cut 6 squares at 2.5"x2.5"

            Cut 1 rectangle at 2.5"x5.5"

            Cut 2 strips at 1.5"x12.5"

            Cut 2 strips at 1.5"x14.5"

When you lay your pieces out, it'll look at little like this:

Step 2: Sewing the pumpkin body

Sew your 6 orange strips together. Everything in this block is sewn with a 1/4'' seam allowance. Press all seams to one direction (either left or right). 

Take 4 of your 2.5"x2.5" cream background squares and draw diagonal lines on each piece, from one corner to the direct opposite corner. Then place the squares on the corners of the pumpkin piece you just made and pin in place (like the photo below). Proceed to stitch along the line you drew on all four pieces. Then trim 1/4'' on the OUTSIDE of the stitched line. Then press the corners outwards. 

Step 3: Sew Your Stem and Leaf

Take the last two of your 2.5"x2.5" background squares and draw diagonal lines as previously done. Align them to left and right edges of your green rectangle piece, making sure that your diagonal lines are in the same direction of bottom left to top right. (See photo below). Sew along diagonal lines again and trim 1/4'' on the outside of the stitched line. Press corners outwards. Then sew the 2.5"x2.5" brown stem square to the LEFT side of leaf piece and press towards the stem. Lastly, sew the 2.5"x5.5" background rectangle to the left side of the stem square. Press towards the stem. 

Step 4: Sew Stem and Leaf piece to Pumpkin Body

Align your stem and leaf strip to the top edge of your pumpkin body. Pin and sew in place. Press in whichever direction you'd prefer. 

Step 5: Sew Block Borders

Take your two 1.5"x12.5" background strips and sew to the top and bottom of your pumpkin block. Press towards the border. Then sew your 1.5"x14.5" background strips to the left and right edges and press towards the border. Square up, if neccessary. Your finished block should measure 14.5"x14.5".

Thank you, everyone! Hope you enjoyed this block! 

-Carrie