Summer Sampler 2018 - Pagoda block

Happy Monday! Let’s make another Summer Sampler 2018 block! And hey, it's my turn again as this week's designer! This block is called "Pagoda."

I traveled to China in 2005, and one of the many interesting parts of my trip was getting to learn a little about Chinese architecture. The Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou, China, was one of my favorite stops. The Leifeng Pagoda was originally built in the year 975 to celebrate the birth of a prince. After falling into disrepair and lying in ruins for decades, it was rebuilt in 2002.

The Leifeng Pagoda was my perfect inspiration for this week's block: It’s all about the angles, the geometry, and the way it combines modern and traditional. Hmm, sound familiar, modern quilters? I even gave it a yellow center to represent that golden spire at the top!

So let's add another star on the Summer Sampler 2018 map—our second stop in China! All of the blocks in the 2018 Summer Sampler are inspired by travel destinations. Want to wander with us on our Summer Sampler road trip? Click here to get the pattern!

And that brings up to this week's tip: No paper-piecing this week! This block is just old-school triangles. So instead of talking about the piecing this week, let's look at color placement. One of my favorite things about this block is the way you can get a transparency effect with careful use of color.

For that reason, I chose my darkest shade of fabric (navy blue) for the large center portion of the block, and two medium shades for the triangles surrounding the navy blue. As mentioned above, the yellow was a conscious decision to evoke the gold spire on top of my inspiration building, but I also like the yellow as a small, bright central focal point. I love playing around with transparency effects in quilting—lay out some fabric combinations and see what really grabs you!

That's it for this week! Remember, it's not too late to join us—click here to get on the Summer Sampler bandwagon! And visit #summersampler2018 to see the blocks everyone else has been making for the quilt-along!