Waterlily patchwork

2026 Tapestry Garden Sampler

Do you recognize this block?

Yes, that one! I designed it earlier this year when dreaming up a quilt for my own bed. I absolutely fell in love with the block itself and with the art deco-inspired quilt, which I named Deco Bloom.

Those who sew-along with the Tapestry Garden 2026, will get to sew one of these big, beautiful blocks as a monthly installment in our modern sampler style quilt! Plus, it is with pleasure that I will release the Deco Bloom quilt pattern as a bonus pattern to members of the Tapestry Garden block of the month!!! How awesome is that?

It was such fun to sew this block again! For starters - choosing fabrics. I knew I wanted yellow, and this text print was an exciting find from my fabric stash. I like that it’s not a floral and that the script varies in scale.

My concept is light value fabric for the background (solid recommended!), medium value fabrics for the flower petals and little squares, and dark value for the circle and accent triangles. Don’t worry - these tips will be included in the block-of-the-month instructions. You’ll be invited to follow my lead so that your quilt has a lovely balance of values.

Sewing this block now was SO much easier than when I designed it in the spring. I just love it when all the templates are ready-to-print and all the cutting details are clearly laid out. I guess that’s why people buy patterns, lol! This block has a lot of parts, so I really noticed how nice it was to just follow along.

Things were flowing, but I did remember to stop midway and check the colors. Mmm… pretty. True blue, golden yellow and pink of any kind are a sweet combination.

I’ve dubbed this stand-alone block Waterlily. It floats delicately on the background color and has a gorgeous, dimensional effect.

Happy dance! This flower looks splendid with my growing garden quilt! There are only a few blocks left before she’s finished. I am super curious to see how that turns out.

If you are considering joining us for this 2026 sew-along, I hope you’ll subscribe to the Tapestry Garden newsletter. I haven’t sent out any emails yet, but you’ll start hearing from me mid December, as I gear up for the big release! Thanks in advance, friends. xoxo