Churn Dash Quilt Block Love
The churn dash block has always been a favorite of mine. Probably because it is named after a butter churn, and I love butter, and cookies made with butter. But I really love quilts too, and classic quilt blocks like the churn dash block.
I’m ecstatic that Jen and Kairle chose this block for their summer quilt along this year. I’m still debating between Christmas and scrappy, and if I should stick to the basic block or swap out the corners for a different color.
While I am over-thinking my fabric choices, I thought I would start over-thinking the quilting designs. I feel like that’s kind of my job as a long arm quilter. Sometimes the quilting design will even help inspire my fabric choices. If I find a background quilting design that I just have to use, then I will probably end up choosing white or another solid for the background. If there is a larger scale quilting design I want to use, then I might just go ahead and go crazy with the prints!
Below are the sketches that I have been working on. Maybe there is something there that will inspire your next churn dash quilt.
Straight Lines with Corner Accents
This is my favorite of the designs I sketches. Those snowflakes are tempting me to go all Christmas in July. I love the straight lines and how they cross in the center of the block.
Loops and Holly Leaves
I know many of you are choosing Christmas fabric for this quilt along, so I drew up this option with holly leaves. With a detailed motif like a holly leaf, I usually try to simplify the other quilting designs. This sketch also includes loops and a simple X in the center of the block.
Orange Peel Geometric
I try to create an orange peel variation design with almost every quilt I work on. Orange peel quilting is classic, but easily updated with varying sizes and directions. Paired with some geometric star shapes, this one could easily pass for a Christmas design as well.
Churn Dash Feather Variation
Ask any longarm quilter you know, and I bet they love quilting feathers. There is something so rewarding about feathers, and you can squish those things into any shape imaginable. The churn dash block lends itself nicely to a feather wreath shape.
Outline Quilting with Background Fill
Dense background fill with simple outlines will really make your churn dash blocks pop! There are endless background fills to choose from, my favorite being the spiral as seen in the top left hand corner.
X’s and O’s
Straight lines in the opposite direction of the piecing add another dimension to the quilt. It is simple and amazing. My choice is to soften up the diagonal lines with some curves.
Have you made your fabric choices yet? Are you quilting along, quilting ahead, or quilting behind? Have you made a churn dash quilt before?