Blocks – Artquiltmaker Blog

Pantone Blocks

I finished work on Friday and spent the weekend on some cleanup projects, one of which was the Pantone blocks.

I finally finished all the blocks for the Pantone Project. I am excited that I can start playing with the layout, especially after I saw what Friend Julie was doing on her design wall!

These have been hanging around my workroom for a few weeks now. Last weekend was really the first time in a few weeks I had uninterrupted time to sew. DH was out and the house was quiet so I could concentrate. Fortunately, except for one fabric, I had picked out all the fabrics previously so all I had to do was cut and sew. I did choose some of the easier blocks, but I tried to choose blocks I thought I could use in the overall quilt design. Now to just get these to Julie at some point soon.

June 2024 Donation Blocks

I worked diligently on the third of my Diagonal 9 patch quilts using the green donation blocks as leaders and enders. The donation blocks kept piling up until I could finally focus on sewing a green donation quilt with these blocks. I haven’t had a lot of time lately, so it is slow going. Also, the smaller the strips, the slower I am to finish blocks.

The good news is that a green donation quilt is going well and I should be finished with it before I attend the next meeting. I have enough blocks to make a second quilt with green strip blocks. I have also started on an improv donation top with the smaller, non strip scraps. At this point, I don’t know how large it will be. I don’t want a small piece of ‘made’ fabric hanging around like the black improv piece and the grey improv piece seem to be doing.

Last Pantone from Julie

Julie's last Pantone Blocks — Julie’s last Pantone Blocks

Julie handed me the last three Pantone blocks at Sew Day the other day.

I still have a few to make as mentioned the other day, but I am working my way through them.

May 2024 Donation Blocks

I have continued to make donation blocks from the green scrap drawer. I have more than enough to make a quilt, but I need to finish my Diagonal 9 patch project first.

New Donation Block Inspiration

I saw this block on Saturday at the guild meeting. The blocks is very appealing. I suspect it is all that pink, but it could also be the combination of pink and green.

I didn’t get the specs, but think the patches are 2.5 inches (cut), the pink sashing is probably .75 inches (cut) and the green sashing is probably 5/8 inches (cut). Once I get some of my other projects out of the way, I might try one of these blocks.

Claire is really doing a good job trying to inspire everyone to participate in the guild donation project. She always has something new to inspire us.

Lost and Found Blocks pt.4

These three blocks are the last blocks I found from the batch with the Handbag Sampler.

I did not make this block. And, sadly, I don’t remember where I got it.

It is really interesting in a couple of ways. First the layout is quite unique and reminds me of some of the innovative designs that were NOT selected for the 1933 World’s Fair.

The fabrics in the circles are also interesting. they look like 1930s or 1940s fabrics. Not sure. I could ask TFQ.

I am pretty sure this is a leftover block from the Eye of God quilt. The Eye of God was begun in a class in July 2004 with Virginia Schnalle through CQFA. It was one of the first improv type piecing classes I took and I think the quilt was really successful. This blocks has an interesting feeling of spirals because of the way I placed the fabric.

I suppose I could make this into a pillow. I don’t really need another pillow on my couch, but perhaps as a gift?

Finally, this block has a really subtle color scheme. Even though it is not a group I would normally use, it is very successful.

It has to be a leftover block from the Passionate Purple quilt, which means that some of the circles came from AJA and Julie.

As with the other blocks, I am not sure what to do with these.

Lost & Found Blocks pt.3

These blocks are from that same batch I found a few weeks ago.

I don’t remember making this Moon over the Mountain block. It is times like these when I want to look through my journals and find out what I was thinking. I have a distant memory that this block was made in a class.

I really like this star. It is another Sawtooth Star, which is one of my favorite blocks. The fussy cutting (did I fussy cut?) I did for the block center of the star is awesome! I wonder if I have more of that fabric?

I am also interested in the peachy pink I used for the star background. My fabric choices are much more interesting than they are now, I think. Maybe not. I’ll have to look for these fabrics to see what comes next.

Both blocks use a Benartex (or maybe Robert Kaufman?) Reflections fabric. You can see it in the peak of the mountain.

If I have more of that fabric, perhaps I will make another sampler, but with random blocks that take my fancy.

Lost and Found Blocks pt.2

As mentioned when I talked about the lost and found Baltimore Album Quilt blocks, I found several other blocks as well.

This is a New York Beauty block. The spikes are pretty thin. I think I was going through a New York Beauty stage. It was probably around the time that Karen K. Stone’s pattern came out. I see to recall taking a class from her or about NYBs.

I love the way I used the ombre behind the spikes. I think that my fabric choices were not at all subdued!

This second block has much skinnier spikes. I might be able to include it in the Handbag Sampler, though there is already a NYB using more of the fabrics.

I really like the layers of spikes as well. Perhaps these two blocks are the start of a New York Beauty quilt? A sampler of New York Beauties?

I almost gave these away, but stopped myself. I wanted to contemplate them. Now I am thinking of making something with them.

Lost and Found Blocks

Remember the other day when I talked about finding blocks from the Handbag Sampler? In addition to those blocks, I found several other orphan blocks. I almost gave them all to the BAM Community Quilt project, but I couldn’t quite do it.

These are two Baltimore Album Quilt blocks I started in a class with the most famous BAQ quiltmaker, Elly Sienkiewicz. I took the class at Thimble Creek when they still had a shop in Walnut Creek back in the dark ages. It was maybe 1994 or so and I was excited to take a class from the person who started the craze and did the work to bring BAQ quilts to the fore.

The first block, which looks like a snowflake, is Star of Hearts from Baltimore Beauties and Beyond v.1 and I used needle turn applique.

It is made like you make paper snowflakes. This one was easier to make as there were fewer thin lines to deal with. It was good practice for dealing with sharp points, I remember. This pattern could easily be done with machine applique’, though that was not discussed as an option back in the day.

This second BAQ block is pattern #13: Fleur de Lis with Rosebuds III (pg.34) from Baltimore Album Quilts: Historic Notes and Antique Patterns. I didn’t put the additional rosebuds in the corner. It was all I could do to finish this block as is.

I took the class with the intention of making a Baltimore Album Style quilt, but needle-turn applique’ and I didn’t get along. Perhaps if I tried it now, it would be better. Perhaps I didn’t choose the best patterns to try the technique? I don’t know. I never really did needle-turn after this.

I’ll write about the other lost and found blocks in a follow-up post.

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April 2024 Donation Blocks

I started off strong with my green scrap bin out and using strips as leaders and enders to make strip blocks for my next Color Strip donation top.

I made a few blocks at the Retreat, which helped with my numbers for the month. I am pleased to report that I achieved my goal of 30 donation blocks this month.