Today I learned that I’ve been using the word “portmanteau” wrong all these years. I knew it was a type of suitcase, and I thought the alternate meaning was “something that had a little bit of everything crammed into it”.

I based this on a really odd children’s book I read in my youth, which was called (appropriately enough) The Portmanteau Book, and which was a mishmash of a bunch of different writings. It turns out the official alternate definition of “portmanteau” is about combining two words to make a new word with both meanings (like combining smoke and fog into smog).

Still, I’m going to stand by the title of this blog article, because the bottom section of this block looks like a really stretched out piece of luggage, and because the block had a little bit of every quilting construction technique stuffed into it.

The bottom section was the most adventurous, featuring both curved piecing and appliqué right next to each other. I opted to sew the curved red pieces on first, cutting little notches into the flowered portmanteau fabric’s seam allowance so everything would lie flat. This is, of course, what you’re supposed to do, but it did make it more awkward to keep the seam allowance out of the way while appliquéing on the red triangle in the middle of the portmanteau.

The triangle is not quite as centered or level as I’d like, but I’ve decided that’s okay. It just gives the impression that there’s heavier stuff weighing down the right side of the portmanteau.

The top sections of the block had some triangle pieces that could be cut out with a rotary cutter, and some oddball pieces on the sides that were easier to cut out with templates. The process to sew them together was pretty straightforward though.

I marked the height of each section, so I could measure as I added on each section of the block and make sure I was still on track. The finished product is the intended size and shape, so I must have been doing something right.

It’s Halloween night, and I’m putting the finishing touches on this article between rounds of trick-or-treaters. I definitely was getting down to the wire here, but I did indeed finish one block in October.

I should have no problem finishing plenty of blocks in November, since I’m going to a quilting retreat next week. I’d better go pack my portmanteau full of quilting supplies now, so I’ll be ready to roll. I can hardly wait!