creating a fuchsia flower in fabric creating more applique flowers

My Favorite Flower - creating a block

Tags: applique, BOW flower, flower, quilt pattern

If you've been following me for a while, then you have definitely seen or at least heard about all the flower blocks I have made. This month is kind of special because I'll be celebrating a life's milestone, my 60th, and to celebrate, I am going to release my 60th flower block. To build up to the celebration, I wanted to share with you my favorite flower, a block I made a number of years back. 

Fuchsias are my very favorite flowers. They grow on shrubs or small trees and there is over 100 recognized species around the world. An unusual genus in New Zealand (named Kotukutuku - don't ask me how to say that!) grows on a tree 12-15 meters high (39-49 feet).

Below are two photos of New Zealand fuchsias.

New Zealand fuchsia

New Zealand Fuchsia

another photo of a NZ fuchsia

More NZ Fuchsias

I don't know what it is exactly that I love about this flower. Maybe because it is just so different than anything else.

Fuchsias come in combinations of red and white, pink and white, pink and purple, and purple and white or two shades of the same. They can also be double or single. The photos above are single. The double fuchsia have a lot more lower petals.

For my block I used two shades of pink. I made each of the three flowers in my block individually on a Teflon sheet first as you can see in the series of photos below.

pieces of fuchsia applique

Pieces for flower ready to construct

The Teflon sheet is on top of the template and you can easily see where each piece needs to be positioned. In the pattern each section is labelled alphabetically on the flower so construction is straight forward.

first section added to create the fuchsia
building the applique with the 2nd section
Section C added

Adding the first three sections

It's like a jigsaw puzzle of pieces or paint by numbers.

Section D is added to the applique

Section D now added

Section E is the last dark piece added

Section E is the last dark piece

It is fun watching it grow with each new section added.

Section F

Section F

Section G is the last piece

Section G is the last piece

Now the whole fuchsia flower will easily lift off the Teflon sheet and can be adhered to the background in numeric order with all the other sections. Of course it doesn't look complete without the stamen added.

My block looks like this after the stitching is completed.

Fuchsia Block completed

Fuchsia Block completed

If you'd like to download this block and templates you can find them here: Fuchsia Block.

What's your favorite flower? Have you made it as a quilt or quilt block? .... and do you think it might be my 60th block? Let me know below in the comments.

To see all my BOW Flower blocks visit: BOW flower blocks

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8 comments

My favorite flower is the sunflower.

Elaine

i love all flowers but if i had to pic, either lilas, dogwood or forsythia

shoshana vogel

My favorite flower is the Shasta Daisy. I have not made it as a quilt block.

Anonymous

I love orchids!

Anonymous

Hellebores may be my favorite. They bloom earlier than most any other in our region and then last for months. So much variety!

Denise

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