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 Today on the blog, Deb Slechta shares how to make quilt block postcards.  Deb is the current president of the State Quilt Guild and we appreciate her sharing this fun block.

Fun and Easy Quilt Block Postcards

 

Knowing that I was going on a road trip and staying in hotels, I decided to bring a travel watercolor kit and a set of watercolor postcards to paint simple quilt blocks for a fun decoration.   I need it simple because I have very little skill in drawing and using watercolors.  I also wanted to work small and not pack lots of art products.   I just needed one brush, a set of watercolors, my glittery gel pens and a mechanical pencil.  For my water wells I grabbed two small plastic containers. Here is my set-up:

 

Now, for the most part, thinking of what to paint while staring at an all white sheet of paper can be very daunting, but I have tons of inspiration when thinking of quilt blocks.   The other trick to help me not be overwhelmed is by painting the address side of the postcard and not the “normal” picture side.   I gain two ways by this.   First, I am not so intimidated to fill a larger space with paint and the second is that this side gives me a larger writing area. 
I decided to draw four half-square triangles to create my block.  Hate to admit, but I don’t know this block’s name!  I use a cheap mechanical pencil.  I got into the habit of using these instead of regular pencils simply because my quilting marking tools are all mechanical pencils like Bohin and Fons and Porter.  This gives me a fine drawing line and the white erasure works better than a pencil erasure.  But I’m not going to erase my lines for this block. 





My go-to brush is actually a flat, not a round.  I just get more control when painting the blocks.   I also might use a size 2 round to get in some tight triangular spaces because the point is so fine.  It’s so much fun trying to think of what colors to use!  You can tell that I don’t use a ruler, too.  That is not my kind of fun.

 Now, to “embellish.”  I use these great glitter ink pens to trace over my drawn pencil lines.  This adds a bit of happiness to the block because it makes the block sparkle. Who doesn’t love sparkle?  My heart and initials get added.  All done and ready to send to someone special. 



 

Organization seems to be the hottest topic on the quilting YouTube videos so I’m going to show you what I do to bring these items with me for trips.  I put them into one of those clear block bags that many big-box quilt companies sell the pattern for.  But, honestly, do you really need a pattern?   Just look at the bag and figure it out in a size that is best for you.  Don’t forget to add the handle for ease of carrying and oh, yeah, don’t forget to plan your road trip! 





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