Iris patchwork

2026 Tapestry Garden Sampler

Hip, hip, hoorah! I’ve finished the very last block for the Tapestry Garden sampler, and it turned out fabulous!!!

At 28” finished, the Iris block makes a big splash. Each quadrant features a different, medium-value print, which is your invitation for fabric play.

I opted for three very simple “helpful fabrics” and one cheery floral for pizzazz. I suppose that you could also make all four quadrants in the same fabric, but I think that might make the Iris block stand out too much in the finished work. With a patchy background like this, the block merges nicely with the style of my colorful sampler.

Here are all four quadrants. Don't they look like dragonflies?

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TODAY’S STITCHED IN COLOR IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY~

Winter Creek Cloth

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While the quadrants of Iris block are traditionally pieced, the center section has a touch of foundation paper piecing. I am using two solids for the center flower shape: white and pale peach as an accent.

Unfortunately, the pale peach doesn’t show well in these photos. Next time I will use something with a bit more contrast, in either color or value, for the accent solid.

The last stage is applique. Rather than piecing those big, petal curves, they’re easy to overlay on the dragonfly blocks with machine appliqué.

And, tada! Elora and I are loving this. Actually, a quilt made up entirely of this block in a 3 x 3 layout would be stunning, don’t you think?

Now I’m off to finish this quilt, while dreaming of my next rendition. I can’t wait to see how Tapestry Garden looks with a totally different color approach!