June Steampunk Block of the Month: Octopus

This was a hard month. I really wanted to add an octopus. I didn’t want to make something cutesy, and I didn’t want to make something so detailed it would be impossible to sew. So, in the name of avoiding an overly twee design, I went dark. I wanted this thing to be a mix of Victorian biology sketch and something that Lovecraft would suggest might be waiting to devour your soul if you start reading out of that suspiciously evil looking book over there…

Did it work? You let me know. This is probably the most difficult block so far. The eyes are pretty tiny, so this might be the month you want to hand sew the appliqué, or you may want to just use thread or beads to make the blacks of those eyes. You could also skip the lighter green areas and just make it an outline with eyes if the small parts are too much.

As usual, I’ve included both regular and mirrored patterns for your tracing convenience. Be sure to print at 100%. Finished block size is 12×12 inches, so a 14×14 inch square is recommended for proper placement. Download the PDF pattern here.

So here’s our quilt so far:

Didn’t get started? Miss a month? Not to worry. The year isn’t over, is it? There’s plenty of time to catch up! Here’s what you missed:

Here is May’s block.

Here is April’s block.

Here is the March block of the month.

Here is the February block.

Here is the January block.

As always, I’d love to see a picture if you’ve made any of the previous blocks.

Update: This block ended up being the last block for 2013 due to time constraints. We hope to continue where we left off in 2014.