Flora, Aurifil Color Builder’s 2022 block of the month features 12 amazing plants in raw-edge appliqué. Block 5, the Water Lily, has a stunning pink flower alongside a large, textured lily pad. Let’s take a look at some inspiration for using our variegated threads to quilt and show off this lovely block.

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The Amazon Water Lily, also called the Victoria Water Lily, is native to the Amazon region and is the largest water lily in the world—with leaves reaching up to 10 feet across. Wow! The flower turns pink after the flower has been pollinated. As a quilt block, this design is layered and complex, but the extra work creates such a gorgeous dimensionality that it’s all worth it! Let’s take a peek at some free motion quilting ideas!

As a reminder, this year’s Aurifil Color Builders block of the month, Flora, is designed and developed by Aurifil’s own Kate Brennan in partnership with graphic designer Christina Weisbard. Patterns are centered around flora-themed appliqué, allowing each featured monthly plant to take center stage. Flora is a celebration of Aurifil’s variegated thread. Aurifil produces 36 variegated thread colors, threads that contain multiple colors or multiple shades of one color. Twenty-four of these shades are represented in the 2022 program.

Quilting Plans for the Water Lily

Important, quilty note: If you’re waiting to put your block of the month together into a sampler, then you probably don’t need quilting plans yet. But, it’s always fun to start planning!

Let’s take a look at the steps I took to finish my block:

First, in between fusing my appliqué and quilting, I “painted” my raw edges with thread using Barb Persing’s method and the darker of this month’s two variegated threads. If you’re not familiar, be sure to download her free workbook here. Remember to use a light weight stabilizer under your block for edge painting!

Then, after basting, it’s time to quilt. With these appliqué blocks, the flower or plant is the star of the show, so I only chose a background fill motif. I started by stitching the fill, then finished by stitching in the “ditch” around the flowers and leaves to help them “pop” from the background.

Plan 1 is a simple meander— adding gentle texture to the background so the flower and lily pad shines

Plan 2 uses watery switchbacks on the lower two thirds to “place” the water lily in a river or pool, then loopy meander above to imitate clouds or background vegitation

Plan 3 is all about texture. Paisleys and the other motifs imitate the shape of the water lily flower petals and the other shapes of river-life to create a stunning block.

In all three instances, it’s important to realize that quilting with Aurifil 50 wt creates a much finer line than my digital drawings!

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Resources

I will continue writing blogs with quilting plan ideas for each of the Flora blocks. Here are some other resources you may enjoy as well:

• Quilting Rockstar Band Camp: Appliqué Edition — 4 hours of high quality fusible appliqué education on demand from multiple instructors

• Blog: Basic Tips for Quilting Appliqué

• Blog: Quilting Plans for Frangipani (January 2022)

• Blog: Quilting Plans for Negative Space (February 2022)

• Blog: Quilting Plans for the Walking Palm (March 2022)

• Blog: Quilting Plans for the Golden Shrimp Plant (April 2022)

• Free Download: Confident FMQ Workbook