Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
We introduced the BAM BOM last weekend at the guild meeting.
The first block is the HST and these are mine. For this block, I am using some fabric from a member who passed away.
The rule is at least 6 seams, so I knew I had to make more than one HST. I used the 8-at-a-time directions I give to my students and made 8.
I have an idea in my mind to use HSTs in more places around my quilt. For now, I will stick with these, but I might make more later.
I am almost finished with the backlog of blocks.
I finally finished block 5, Card Trick, or, as the Patchwork Palooza people call it, Go Your Own Way. I don’t like this block. I always have trouble making it, which seems very odd to me. It shouldn’t be a difficult block, but for me, it is. Apparently, it didn’t like me either as there was a lot of ripping involved in finishing it.
In Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns**, this block, #1674, is called Crow’s Nest or Card Trick. Both names are from Beth and Jeff Gutcheon. In the Encyclopedia it is colored very strangely, so you can see the card effect. It looks more like an Ohio Star, but with half QSTs instead of regular QSTs.
In Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, this block is #143 and also called Card Trick, but doesn’t have the QST in the center. It is listed as from The Perfect Patchwork Primer by Beth and Jeff Gutcheon.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
Block 12, On the Horizon, is done. I am keeping up, though I know I am posting out of order.
I am still working on the alternate blocks and will continue to do so until I finish them.
SueG and I have been working for a few months on organizing a block-of-the-month (BOM) program for the guild. It starts in a few days. If you want to join, buy a membership in the guild. We will make the BOM program available in the group’s forum as well as at the meetings.
We wanted this to be a different kind of BOM. The participants won’t be getting one block that they have to make in a certain size each month. We are going with a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style. People will get a pattern, but there will be choices of sizes. They can use any technique to make it and change the size if they want.
I have started to choose my fabrics. These aren’t all of them. I think I need some kind of citrus or sunshine type warm color and a turquoise as well. Stay tuned for the additions as I evolve the fabrics in my own mind.
Block 7, North and True is finished!
It took me a long time, because I was sewing other things and using this as leaders and enders. It didn’t take years just longer than a small block should. I was working on donation blocks and sewing bits of the Country Revival/Sad Quilt together. So many projects happening at once!
I have to figure out if this needs to be trimmed. I think so, but getting the block done feels like an achievement.
I am keeping up with Patchwork Palooza and am on to block 7.
As you can see it is cut out and ready to sew. I am unsure if I will have to trim it. The corner triangles look a little large.
I finished Patchwork Palooza Block 11! I am excited as I only have a few more blocks to make to catch up.
So far, I haven’t been able to find a block like this in either the or in Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns. I can’t believe nobody ever thought of it, but so far I haven’t found it categorized.
The latest Patchwork Palooza block came out on Friday and I am pleased that I finished it. I didn’t finish it until last night, but I don’t want to get behind again.
This block is called, by the Patchwork Palooza people, Set Sail. Historically it has several different names, including Old Maid’s Puzzle or Hour Glass or School Girl’s Puzzle. You can find this block in Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns** as #1317.
The name Old Maid’s Puzzle is from Ladies Art Company #25. Not very P.C., as many of these names tend to be.
The Hour Glass name is from Grandma Dexter. I had never heard of Grandma Dexter and had to look it up. Grandma Dexter is listed in the bibliography of the Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns** as a “series of booklets published in the early 1930s from the Virginia Snow Studios, apart of the Dexter Yarn and Thread Company and the Collingbourne Mills in Elgin, IL. Hmm. Interesting. More puzzles as I have never heard of that company either, but I am just interested and not an expert.
The School Girl’s Puzzle name is from Needlecraft Supply 1936, n.12.
I also found it Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, where it is called as Crosses & Losses (73-9). The name comes from Ladies Art Company, 1897. Beyer says it is also known as Bouncing Betty (!!??!!) (Progressive Farmer, 1933), Fox & Geese (Finley, 1929) and Hour Glass, as mentioned above.
This is a block that I have always admired. I know I made a similar one for the Handbag Sampler. I don’t think I have ever made it otherwise, so it makes me glad to have the opportunity to try it again.
I have also made a few of the alternate blocks. I think there will be another piece of sashing, but for now, I have a few of the blocks laid out without it. I just chose some random blocks, though I see now that two of them are Sawtooth Star types. I’ll choose some others once I get more of the alternate blocks made.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
I had an exciting discovery the other day. As I was doing through my quilt books, I took a look at Judy Martin’s Cookies and Quilts book. I found a fantastic quilt called American Spirit to use with these blocks.
One of the things I like about this quilt is the combination of 4 Patches with the Four Patch Fun blocks. I really like 4 Patches and don’t get to use them enough. I’ll have to resize the pattern a little, but I think I can use some of the 2.5 inch squares I cut when I process my scraps.
I have made quite a few FPF blocks since my last update. I still have more strips from the Half Hexie Star to cut!
BTW, I emailed Judy through her website and asked if I could use a photo. She very kindly offered to send me one. I am glad I took her up on it, because the photo in the book is much more brown than the one she sent. The photo Judy sent is much more cheerful.
I finished block 4 last week after making block 3. I really want to catch up so I am heads down making blocks as I can.
The designer of Patchwork Palooza calls this block Whirl & Settle. It is a classic Sawtooth Star based block. In Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns**, this block is called Indian Star. It was originally published in the Kansas City Star in 1937.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
I worked on the Black Improv a lot, which doesn’t really have blocks, so that means fewer for this post. I added a few blocks in green and white to my stash of pieces for the next Sidewalk.
I finished working on the Black Improv top quicker than expected. Since it was already out and not completely empty, I kept the Black-Grey-Brown scrap bin out and made a few blocks from brown and grey. I just wanted to lighten the box up a little bit more. I don’t have much brown and I used all the strips to make the brown strip blocks you see below. I also made a couple of grey blocks and one black strip block. I’ll save these for another rainbow strip quilt or when I get enough Black-Grey-Brown strip blocks.
Once I was done with the Black-Grey-Brown strips, I got out the white bin, which was overflowing – again- and started in on white strip blocks. I don’t know whether I’ll make a white strip quilt like the last one or make a Sidewalk quilt with a color for the background. I like the idea of a blue background.
I have numbered the black strip block as #10, but I don’t really know what number it is. I suspect it is about #41 since I made one black strip donation quilt. Still, the other blocks aren’t numbered, so here we are.
I finished another one of the Patchwork Palooza blocks that I skipped. This one is called “Light Keeper” by the project designer.
I might have used lavender instead of the blue, but I like it. As mentioned, I am concerned I will run short of the lavender. I didn’t decide not to use the lavender because of that, but I need to make sure I don’t make decisions like that. If I do run out of the lavender, I can either buy more or consider it a design challenge.
Julie’s block looks great and very different from mine. That is the thing I love about block projects.
I am trying to get through the backlog of blocks I missed, so I got started on block #3 after finishing block 10.
Once I cut out the pieces I messed around with them to see how they would look with the colors in different places. First, was the suggested layout.
The basis is, basically, a standard Monkey Wrench, also called Churn Dash. It is enhanced with a square in a square in the center. Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilts** calls this construction an ‘Unequal Nine Patch’. That is a category in her book.
In Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, this block is a slightly simplified version of Triangles and Stripes from Ladies Art Company, 1897. See page 85 for other names and references.
Anyway, I thought the layout above looked good. The Churn Dash part (dotted strips and triangles) looked good. However, since I had the pieces, I wanted to see how it would look with blue in the center.
I think it also looks good, but has more of a circular effect. Maybe I need to do both?
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
I just keep making these blocks.
I am still working through my Half Hexie Star strips, though I am almost out of lights, so I’ll have to cut a strip to make some backgrounds.
I have about 32 of these so far.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
I finished Patchwork Palooza block #9, Starboard and Steady.
In Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns**, this block is called Aunt Addie’s Album from Hearth & Home.
I wanted the darker pink on the outside of the star points, but got the pieces mixed up. I am not super fond of all of the medium pink and might make this block again so I can change the center. We’ll see once I have caught up with the blocks I missed.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this website.
**N.B.: Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.