Arcadia Avenue - Target Practice (block 12)

We are a few days late! Sorry about that. It has been slightly chaotic around here these days. We closed on our new house on Friday and moved all of our belongings on Saturday. I have slowly been unpacking and can now see the floor in my sewing studio and kitchen... my priorities =]. If that wasn't keeping us busy enough, my Mom just got the most adorable new puppy! Her name is Elsie and I will share lots of photos tomorrow! 

Can you believe this is the last block? And boy is it a doozie! This is my favorite block design, but honestly my least favorite block to sew. There are lots of little pieces and the arrow shaft is quite narrow. We have some tips for you though!

Shayla's Block:

Here is my low volume Target Practice block! I used my 12 assorted purples (the last color of the rainbow) for the arrows, my 12 low volumes in place of the colors and lights and my grey where the dark goes. I love this block, in fact it might be my favorite design in the bunch. But man it is a little rough to make! There are a lot of pieces and the arrow shafts are very little. That being said, it is incredibly satisfying to finish! One little tip: when sewing the two halves of the triangles together, first finger press the seam, and then iron with as much strength and steam as you can muster! That will help flatten those little pieces out. 

Kristy's Block:

I am so excited that we are on block 12! (not only because it means we are almost done) but because Target Practice is my favorite block! But, I do have a love-hate relationship with this block. It’s one of the more challenging ones to piece and each time I make this block there is a little bit of unsewing =] This time I used each of my 12 different pink batiks in the arrows. I wanted this block lighter, so I put light where the dark was in the book, and dark where the medium was. I love how this turned out - it was a great way to finish up!!

Shared Block (but really Kristy's second quilt!):

Purple was last but not least in our color order quilt. I really wanted to see how black looked in the arrows, so I swapped the black and white fabrics spots. My purples are in the light and medium value so that the dark arrows pop! I didn’t use any dark in this block (except the arrows), instead replacing white in the dark spot.

Block 11 Design Options:

1. Touch of Color - Make the arrows the colors and the dark as the background for a fun look.
2. More Color - Place the dark in the arrows and make the dark spots your color for a bright block.
3. Black & White - Use only a light and dark to create an interesting two-tone block.
4. Black & Color - Use 12 different colors and a dark to create this striking rainbow version.

And this week's winner is.... Amy Cotham! She shared this photo of her Circling Geese block on Instagram. Her combination of light, medium and dark purple batiks is absolutely stunning!

Now your turn! We want to see how your blocks turn out! We have a Flickr group so you can add your photos there! We will pick one winner with each post for a small giveaway from everyone who participates.

First time here? No problem! Join in the fun. Grab a book here, read up on the previous posts here and begin when it works for you! Be sure to use the #ArcadiaAvenueQAL hashtag on Instagram and Twitter too! Thanks for stopping by!