Starting on my Second Mercantile Quilt top - but WHY?

I’ve been working the last couple of days on a new Mercantile quilt top.

Shown here is my first one.

Why? You ask.

Well, my sis and I have committed my making one for our local garden club there in Dade City. I suppose we might mention it later. I know I just need to make the top quickly and get it shipped off to FL so they can quilt it there and have it for them by the end of October.

I’m having fun making the blocks. I did cut out the blocks last week some time and they were packaged individually

I had made my first one but ended up giving it to my son and daughter in law who currently live in Tennessee. But then I was regretting a bit that I didn’t have one (can you believe it—I am so selfish—why do I even care as I have so many?)!!! so while I cut them out for the one, I went and cut two…so I can redo one for me. No, it won’t be the same exactly as either the one I’m making for the Garden club or the one I had before.

This is a (free) Lori Holt pattern (it’s not a regular pattern but a sew along guide) and you can get it here. You have to go to her blog to find out exactly how to make each block.

Since I’ve already done it, I figured out how to do the just by the pictures and remembering how I did them before - but I really like the way we have to cut the blocks into 12” circles and make them into appliques at the end. I’m just making blocks at this point. It really provides a lot of interest. Of course, this means that there are 3 layers of fabric on the entire quilt plus interfacing, so it will be a heavy quilt. Lori uses an applique method which means sewing interfacing on to the piece and turning it so you are basically facing your applique. It leaves no raw edge, and I do like how it all looks.

Here is one of the blocks I recently made. I haven’t made it into a circle yet, but this is it so far.

For the backgrounds of these - the fabric that goes underneath the circles, I probably won’t use my Lori Holt fabric for the most part - but will use other fabrics with a similar feel. I have a lot of those types of fabrics with a lighter “feel” to them.

Anyway, thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey.

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

Becky PetersenComment