Sandy Healy of Sandra Healy Designs created this block for the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-Along and let me say, it was super fun to make.  Her tutorial can be found at Angel block.

Picking fabrics continues to be fun and challenging.  I want each of the blocks to be “just right”.  I loved the red and white smaller squares I chose, yet finding the 9 1/2 inch square was elusive!  If you remember from my 4th blocks, I had tried a black polka dot fabric with reds and greens.  It had fit with the other blocks nicely, but I struggled that it didn’t fit with the overall Christmas on Brambleberry Ridge palate.   Below I played with black/white photo to test contrast.  While I loved the reindeer background, it didn’t wow me.

So lo and behold, that black fabric with the multi colored dots was the only one that popped my ‘angel turned elf’, and so it found its home in Block 6.

I am using the quilt as I go method, so after using the applique method to adorn my elf, I used the darning foot to add her curly hair, eyes and mouth then switched over to a zig zag stitch for her hat and boots before straight-lining her arms, legs, dress, bracelets and the star.

I still have to do overall background quilting on the block.   I am challenged in thinking through how these QAYG blocks will actually get pieced together.  I’ve studied a couple of tutorials and suffice it to say, I may have opted out of trying the QAYG method if I had researched it earlier.  It feels daunting at the moment though I’m sure it will be a great learning experience.

A quick recap of a few of the earlier blocks (which can be found here):