"Amor" - Desperate Housewife's Quilt

Late last year, Quilt Jane of "Want It, Need It, Quilt" asked me to design a block for her 50 week adventures of "The Desperate Housewife's Quilt". Because my week would fall around Valentine's Day, I knew exactly what block would tickle the fancy of any "Desperate Housewife"!!

So here we go -- the "Amor" Block.

I pulled out several fat quarters from my stash and cut out a couple of samplers. For each block, I used 6 different floral pinks and 1 background color:

From Background:

• (4) 1 1/2" squares -- draw a light diagonal line on each.
• (1) 2 1/2" square

From the 6 pink colors:

Color A -

(1) 2 1/2" square

Color B
(1) 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" strip

(1) 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" strip

Color C

(1) 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" strip

(1) 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" strip

Color D

(1) 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" strip

(1) 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" strip

Color E

(1) 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" strip

(1) 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" strip

Color F

(2) 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips

Starting with the 2 1/2" square (Color A), join the strips (Colors B - E) using the pictures as your guide until the unit is 6 1/2" square (unfinished).

Add the 1 1/2" squares to the top right and left of each of the two 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips (Color F), sewing on the diagonal line, cut away the excess, flip the corner and press to complete 2 units. Using the picture as your guide, add the 2 units to the top and left side, with the 2 1/2" background square in the corner.

As many of you know (because I have whined a few times), my sewing machine has been in the shop for a few weeks. One of the advantages, my sewing room is very clean, all the fabric is stacked so neatly and I have been playing with EQ -- and actually getting better at it!

Below is the block and 5 different ways to set these simple little blocks. I am sure when my sewing machine comes home, I will make several of these blocks and maybe have something by next Valentine's Day - 2013.

A BIG thanks to Quilt Jane for inviting me to join her special project.