Arrowhead Transformation

Testing, testing...

Is this thing on?

Wait! Not that kind of testing---the pattern kind.

When Amy Garro of 13 Spools requested pattern testers, I threw out an offer. I've met her once in person, for a book signing of Paper Pieced Modern, and found her to be every bit as pleasant as she is talented. She asked me to try her Arrowhead block, which (spoiler-alert) isn't paper-pieced. It combines a classic Courthouse Steps block with user-friendly stitch and flip triangles.

I chose to make four regular Arrowhead blocks and four blocks with stitch and flip triangles in only one corner. Then, I left a whole bunch of negative space for future quilting possibilities. The top measures 4' square finished.

I paired Kona White with a charm pack of Transformation by Sarah Vedeler for Contempo Studio, a division of Benartex. Because everything except the background is cut smaller than a 5" square, Arrowhead is very charm pack friendly. 

The Arrowhead block is part of the Tribal Block Club, starting January 15. For an introductory membership fee of $29 (before Jan. 1), you will be privy to tutorials for 6 blocks, 3 quilt layouts, and infinite possibilities.Additionally, Amy is offering 18+ weeks of content, a learning community, and design support.
I do have a few "learn from Afton's mistakes" suggestions that you can apply to other blocks as well. First, cut your larger pieces first and/or make one block at a time if you don't have an abundance of fabric. I got carried away cutting four 2.5" squares from each charm square, and had to get creative for the larger colored pieces. It would have been much easier to use scraps left from cutting away the extra layers in the seam allowance to fill in for the smaller pieces.
Also, if you press the stitch and flip triangles in half instead of marking a line along the diagonal, it is possible to lay them in the corner, do a test flip along the pressed line to see if the block will lay as desired when sewn, and adjust accordingly.

Pattern Testing - Elephant for The Tartankiwi

I've been testing out a paper-pieced elephant pattern for Juliet at The Tartankiwi. This fella is 2' x 2' of adorableness. I decided to bust out some of my batik stash. I'm enjoying the unnatural colors I chose, except I wish I would have gone a shade darker for the head and trunk.

He came together nicely. I appreciated the overview, included in the pattern, which showed how all the sections go together. I used this as a coloring book outline to try out color combinations.

I would recommend that you clear a good amount of table space before launching into this block, because it involves aligning and taping together a dozen pieces of paper.

I'm really pleased with the outcome, and would like to thank Juliet for letting me test out this cutie. She has other great patterns available too, if you'd like to poke around her Craftsy store.

Have any of you tested a pattern before? If so, who did you test for?

I'm linking up at: