Nothing But Blue Skies

It's a sunny afternoon here in Iowa and the winds have started to calm...maybe, just maybe, spring is around the corner! If I have my way, soon I will be mowing the lawn and planting new flowers...and I can finally do my long training walks outside.

I have been hanging out in my studio all week, still working on a huge freelance job...but it is almost complete and I am excited to move on to new projects! I have a nice pile of custom project orders ready to assemble, so I am looking forward to a few solid days at the sewing machine. Plus, I am really enjoying my latest model stitching and can't wait to share a new cross stitch design with you soon.

In the midst of all the irons I have in the fire, I decided to design a handful of quilt blocks for AccuQuilt's 2016 Quilt Block Contest. If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know how much I enjoy designing quilt blocks and projects...I just love working with shapes, design, and color...and I have fun putting together my entries for this contest every year. The voting for the contest is now live...and I am hoping you will check out all the entries for this year...and if you like my blocks, throw a vote my way. The criteria for the contest is to design an original block that can be created with AccuQuilt dies...plus it really should look good enlarged to fit a 17' x 17' sign displayed at AccuQuilt Headquarters in Omaha, NE. My cheerful and colorful blocks all follow these specific guidelines and were designed especially for this contest.

This year, you can vote once a day for one block - now through April 21st (so make sure you pick your favorite). You can view all the entries by visiting:
http://www.accuquilt.com/shop/contest
...or if you have a favorite block below, simply click on the link below it to cast a vote - I would greatly appreciate it. You can also visit the contest link and type "Belinda" in the search bar to see all eight of my entries.

It is fun to look through all 149 entries and see the diverse group of talent this contest attracts....even the entries that don't follow the guidelines (and I was surprised to see quite a few) are interesting. So, go check out all the design inspiration and cast one vote for your favorite each day...and if that happens to be one of my entries, I would be thrilled!

Ribbon Star
http://wshe.es/x4aRfIa3

A Splash of Summer
http://wshe.es/HQS7jg0X

Sunny Park
http://wshe.es/SeYsaOil

Shady Park
http://wshe.es/GrcxFKlp

Ninja Star
http://wshe.es/038UK8Eb

Nothing But Blue Skies
http://wshe.es/WR9LS8TJ

Wrapped Up
http://wshe.es/9eiC9BVt

Rays Over Rows
http://wshe.es/mX6IDiBS

These blocks all bring me joy and I hope you see something special in one (or more) of them. With your votes, I have the opportunity to win some AMAZING quilty prizes (including a feature in Quiltmaker Magazine), so thank you for taking the time to look!

I'm off to do some design work for the next few hours - then my husband and I have dinner reservations at a favorite restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary (we celebrated 16 years this week!). Enjoy the rest of your weekend....