This post is part of the 2019 Gypsy Wife Quilt-Along! See all posts.

Hello fellow Gypsies (and everyone following along)! In March our quilt-along really gains momentum. We have quite a few blocks to make this month, so you’re going to be excited to see your quilt start coming together. Here’s what’s happening this March for our quilt-along.

March Blocks

There are 5 main blocks and 9 filler blocks for your Gypsy Wife quilt on our March schedule. Wondering where they fall on the quilt? Here’s a map to help you see:

1. Nurses Cross is our 1st block, located at bottom center of the quilt. Since this one has many small pieces, you might like to machine paper piece it. Download a free paper piecing pattern for this block at Quiet Play. The link to download is at the bottom of the post. You’ll be signing up for Quiet Play’s newsletter as well. If you are machine paper piecing, remember to cut your pieces a good 1/2” larger than the pattern indicates, so that you have extra room!

2. HST Block is our 2nd and 3rd block. These identical blocks are made entirely of 2” finished HST units. You can find them quite near quilt center. I strongly suggest you use a HST construction method that allows for trimming, rather than following the pattern directions.

3. Old Maid Puzzle comes next. We’ll make two of these as well. They’re located at the right and left edges of the quilt. The Quiet Play link also has foundation piecing patterns for this block, should you prefer. I’ll be making mine based on HST sewing.

4. Pinwheels filler blocks is our first batch of filler blocks. Find directions for these located on page 19 of the pattern booklet. After completing each block, be sure to trim it to the desired finished block size plus 1/2”. For example, trim a 4” finished block to 4.5” square.

my Nurses Cross

Nurses Cross is one of the more difficult blocks in Jen Kingwell’s Gypsy Wife quilt pattern. Unfortunately the pattern booklet lacks trimming prompts throughout, so you can easily end up with a block that is too big or too small and not realize that things are going awry. I often trim based on the pattern diagram/color sheet above. The thick vertical lines are 1” wide and the thin lines are 1/2” wide.

Based on pattern diagram, I inferred that the center part of the Nurses Cross block was supposed to be 4” finished. I cut the center “X” pieces as per the pattern and added scrap triangles in the black/white print Then I trimmed the center unit to 4.5” with a square ruler.

Next, I added my purple triangles, cut as per pattern directions and then used Quiet Play’s machine paper piecing pattern for the final pieced triangles of this block. I could have used the paper piecing pattern for the whole block, but it has slightly different proportions than the pattern. In a round about way I ended up with this miss-mash approach, and it worked!

The bright cobalt and black floral I’ve used is Anna Maria Horner’s Joy print from the new Second Nature collection. I love the contrast of that bold blue with the soft purple Illuminated Graph.

our February blocks

Congratulations to everyone who has completed their February blocks! There are so many absolutely gorgeous sets of blocks at #Feb2019Gypsies, the hashtag for February’s goal.

Today I randomly selected our lucky winner - Michelle @frombolttobeauty. Glad you made it just in time, Michelle! I’ll be in touch to arrange for your prize delivery.

Prizes!

Kelli and I think that quilt-along prizes are a fun way to stay on task and motivated. Each month, January - April, you’ll have a chance to win a prize, so long you complete all the month’s assignments by the last day of the month. For March, you need to complete all 5 main blocks (Nurses Cross, (2) HST blocks, (2) Old Maid Puzzles) and all 9 Pinwheel filler blocks by March 31st.

How to Enter

1. Post pictures of each of your quilt-along blocks to Instagram. You can post them one at a time or in a big batch. Each time you post Gypsy Wife blocks, please use #2019GypsyWifeQAL so that we can enjoy seeing your progress and cheer you on.

2. Tag your final March block photo with #Mar2019Gypsies. That hashtag enters you into the pool of possible winners. Make sure this goes live by midnight in your time zone, on the last day of the month.

3. Follow @StitchedinColor, @ScrappyViolet and our month’s giveaway sponsor. In March that’s @CraftersCompUS.

4. Cross your fingers! Winner will be randomly chosen and announced early in the following month.

   
   

March Prize

Eeek, this is a big one! Have you ever wanted to try a fabric die cutting machine? It would make quick work of cutting repetitive shapes like the triangles for our HST blocks. In fact, lots of our Gypsy Wife block elements could be cut with Crafter’s Companion’s Gemini Die Cutting and Embossing machine. This sleek low-profile machine has been designed for intricate dies as well as for cutting heavyweight cardstock, vinyl, foil and multiple layers of fabric (depending upon the dies used).

Fortunately there are two die sets made just for patchwork lovers - the original Build-a-Block Patchwork system and the new Plus system. Build-a-Block systems allows you to create a range of 3", 4", 6", 8", 9" and 12" blocks. Mix and match dies to create various patchwork designs. The original system has dies for squares, half square triangles and quarter square triangles. The plus system has rectangles, half square rectangles and isosceles triangles.

This prize is open internationally. If the winner lives in the USA, he/she will receive the Gemini machine and Build-a-Block Plus system - a $390 value! If he/she lives outside the USA, the winner will receive an assortment of dies, fabrics, and other sewing essentials at an equivalent retail value.

I think that’s everything, friends. Happy sewing!