Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks volume 16 Blog Tour Road Rally

Welcome to the first day of the Blog Tour and thank you for taking a pit stop at my blog. I am very excited to have my block 'Saffy's Star' appear in this issue.  To quote a phrase - "It's been a long and winding road to get here."

Saffy's Star

I originally created this block several years ago when I was designing quilts for my book "Amish-Inspired Quilts for Today's Home" along with several other blocks that I did not use. For the block that appears in the magazine, I used Fabrics by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics.  I chose fabrics in Magenta, Blue and Gray for the background. Below is my original concept.

You can see using different fabrics can give the block a whole new look and feel, and I felt the block needed an update to carry it forward into the future. The block was named after my cat, Saffron. (well actually she was the dogs cat!) I have 3 Jack Russel Terriers and 10 years ago they found her under the deck. We brought her in and they were all great friends. Saffy's Star is also influenced by my childhood, growing up on the Florida Space Coast, watching countless rockets soar into space.

Saffron the cat.

I enjoy designing quilts and writing patterns and books.  I started my pattern company - Three Dog Design Company in 2013 (named for my 3 dogs) and earlier this year and quit my job in Information Technology to take up quilting and teaching full time.  I love traveling and teaching. Its a great opportunity to meet other quilters and share our passion.  My quilting has taken me on many adventures around the country. I'm always trying to push the boundary of quilting between Modern and Traditional. And, I think I would love to travel to the future, say 2100, to see what quilting would be like then. Would we have Robots that could analyze a quilt and quilt it (without human intervention) What materials would we use, would it be cotton, or some new polymer that lasted longer...

Saffy's star looks great when used in quilts by itself or with other blocks. Below is how this block might look in a straight set quilt. Can you see the secondary design elements appearing?

Or, you can set the block on point and add alternate with some plain block with some sashing thrown in! Play with the colors to make it your own.

Saffy's Star works great with solids, tonal and small print fabrics.

Thanks for stopping by my block on your trip through the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks volume 16 Blog Tour. Be sure to check their block as there are some fabulous prizes to win. And, leave me a comment for your chance to win a free copy of the magazine from me. And, while your at it, check out my website, 3 Dog Design Company, to find out where I'll be teaching, to find out when new patterns are available or to sign up for my newsletter.  You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram.