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I named this paper piecing quilt block after the well-known drink due to the off-beat way the rays emanate from the center "sun." Maybe the sunrise looks like that to some people after a hard night of partying?
In any case, this block is entirely paper pieced in one section. The "circle" is, in fact, a 15-sided shape, not appliqued. When Tequila Sunrise blocks are placed side-by-side in different arrangements, many interesting things happen because of the combination of the circle with the many long ray shapes.
There's lots of opportunity to change the look of this block simply in the arrangement of colors in the rays. The above quilt has rays of color-blocked groups. Another possibility is to use a gradated series of one color in the rays, with the color compliment for the circle. Or a gradated color spectrum. Or...
The quilt above is named "Crazy Eyes" for obvious reasons! Here, the alternating black rays with two primary colors create an op-art effect. However, the same setting done in three muted colors is also very beautiful, still with a strong graphic feel but less overwhelming.
A construction note: Piece 2 of the pattern is very small but is still needed to complete the circle illusion. You may wish to use the same color for pieces 2 and 3 as individually they are too small to be design elements.
Get out your colored pencils and try some color variations of your own. Cut the blocks apart to experiment with other settings of the block. Maybe pour yourself a liquid Tequila Sunrise for added inspiration? Cheers!
BLOCK PATTERN
PDF 45KB
