The Tumbling Blocks Quilt — A Worldwide English Paper Piecing Collaboration
This tumbling blocks quilt is a stunning geometric quilt design created through English paper piecing by quilters from the UK, America, Australia, Canada and Europe. Suzanne and Leisa coordinated this beautiful quilt pattern collaboration, with each contributor selecting three fabrics to create a single block — and the finished piece will be donated to Quilt SOS to bring comfort to families in need.
One of our highlights at this year’s Festival of Quilts was sharing the story of Suzanne and Leisa’s Tumbling Blocks Quilt – a stunning collaboration between quilters from around the world. This beautiful piece is more than just a quilt; it’s a symbol of connection and creativity, stitched together across continents.
Made using the classic tumbling blocks pattern, every piece of this quilt was created using English Paper Piecing (EPP) – a slow, mindful process that makes the final result even more meaningful.
One Block at a Time
This project brought together passionate English Paper Piecing quilters from the UK, America, Australia, Canada and a few from across Europe. Each participant was invited to select just three fabrics from their stash – one light, one medium, and one dark – to create a single tumbling block.
To create a cohesive look across the quilt, Suzanne and Leisa provided the plain background fabric. This gave unity to the finished piece while allowing every contributor’s personal fabric choices to shine.
Once the blocks arrived, Suzanne and Leisa carefully stitched them together into rows and then met up at the Liberty store in London with our two halves before joining them together.
“When it all came together, we stood back and finally saw the full effect. It was breathtaking.”
During the Festival of Quilts, it was joyous seeing visitors who had contributed to the quilt, spotting their blocks in the finishing quilt.
👉 Follow Suzanne and Leisa on Instagram
Quilt SOS
The Tumbling Blocks Quilt will soon begin its next journey. It will be donated later this year to our Quilt SOS project.
Quilt SOS delivers handmade quilts to families living in difficult circumstances, offering comfort, warmth and something beautiful of their own. This quilt will be a very special gift.
👉 Explore more about Quilt SOS and see how you can get involved
