I think this is a particularly cheerful version of the Swoon block.I am enjoying working with a bit more orange and pink than I normally do.
Swoon #4
Tag: Blocks
Block-a-Long #51: Two Columns Together
I took a week off from the Block-a-Long last week, trying to decide whether or not to continue. I have a few more ideas, so I decided I’ll post a few more blocks. Besides what would I post on Mondays?
This block is related to Two Square Columns and Corner Squares in that I am working with squares and tall rectangles. I can really see this one going well with 2.5″ squares in the center. If anyone is interested I will post a pattern for that size (about 8″) as well.
Directions for 2 Columns Together are included.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
Block-a-Long #50: Large Table Squares
This block is related to two different previous blocks, #28 and #49.
Directions to this Large Table Squares #50 Directions.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
Donation Blocks Again
I made a few more donation blocks in between another project I am working on. I know I said this, but I enjoy making these blocks so much. I have only two more blue blocks to make until I have enough blocks to make a large enough Donation quilt.
Swoon #3
As I mentioned in my previous post on Swoon block, I am trying different ways of making these blocks. For this block, Swoon #3, I tried to make the yellow pieces one piece of fabric rather than cutting them into squares and half square triangles. I want to preserve the print as much as possible and not have those sections look choppy. I thought segments of the first Swoon block looked choppy.
I am very pleased with how this block turned out. The road was rocky, however, and I fiddled with it a lot. This block was on my design wall for a long time before I actually sewed it together.
First, I made the HSTs on the very outside of the block (pink dot and background) using my Triangle Technique.
Next, I cut 4.5″ squares for all the yellow pieces in the block (8 total).
Third, I cut 2.5″ squares out of the background fabric and the pink dot fabric. I sewed them on to the yellow, larger squares by drawing a line diagonally across the center of the smaller squares and sewing on that line. The goal was to fold the square back into a triangle.
After sewing the first one, I realized that sewing on the line was not the way to go. Folding back the square into a triangle did not cover the yellow 4.5″ square. I tried lining up the line on the small square with the inside edge of my 1/4″ foot, then I sewed just inside the line. That was just enough to make this technique work for me. I have tried to illustrate this part of the post with the photo of the piece (left) in the machine. Can you see how the foot is lined up with that drawn line?
There is a failure part of this blog post as well. In order to make sure the blocks would be large enough to cover the corners of the larger square, I cut the smaller (corner) squares larger than 2.5″ the first time around. I found, when I sewed them on that the idea was good, but didn’t work. The reason it didn’t work was because the squares were simply too big and went below the place they should have been. This meant that the quarter inch seam allowance was too large to produce good matching seams.
Once I had the correct size of squares down (thanks, TFQ!) and realized I needed to sew just inside the seam, the block flew together as much as an approximately 63 piece block can.
I am pleased with the look.
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First two Swoon blocks link
Block-a-Long #49: Table Squares
This block is related to #28. I am still intrigued by series of squares.
This block could be made with a group of scrappy squares, monochromatic squares or two different fabrics, like I have done in the example.
Directions for Table Squares #49.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
Donation Blocks
This has been a great couple of months for donation blocks. I made a few more the past few days in between sewing for the Renewed Jelly Roll Race. I am unreasonably pleased with these blocks. I find them so fun to make. I am not sure why. The only thing I can think of is that there is an opportunity to play with a bit of color.
Tother thing is that they go together so quickly using Bonnie K. Hunter‘s Leaders and Enders method. My only stumbling block right at the moment is I am out of the kits the Charity Coordinators made, so I am cutting my own patches from scraps and I seem to be constantly short of the right color or background. I used some various black on white prints for the blue block above and hope that will be ok and not ruin the look the Charity Coordinators are going for. I am about to get out my Accuquilt Go! 2.5″ square die and cut a bunch of backgrounds for future use.
This block has a weird background, because I took the photo on my bathroom rug. As hideous as the carpet is in my workroom, it does make a fairly inoffensive background for my photos. We had a fairly dramatic shower of sparks which heralded the demise of the overhead light in my workroom. I have some task lighting, but the floor was just too dark for photos. The bathroom floor is small black and white tile, which, I thought, would have been too busy.
Yes, it is a brown block. The boys need quilts, too, and brown works for them. Green and blue, too, I imagine. This fabric is from the scraps of the back of FOTY 2011. I tried to get some of the words for these squares, because I like words on quilts. Letters (as in the snailmail kind) are even better.
These greens are, mostly, more boyish also, if boys can be pigeon-holed into liking certain colors.The Young Man adores red, not the greyed or browned down reds, but scarlet-type reds.
The blue blocks are definitely the ones I will make the most of, but it is nice to make some other blocks in different colors as well.
The one yellow-green (with the x-es) looks quite out of place in this block. I am glad there is another slightly yellow-green square in it (upper left hand corner) so that it is looks a bit like it goes. I am not ripping it out.
You will see some of the same fabrics in this second blue block as you saw int he first one. I hope that the Charity Coordinators will receive enough blue blocks with different fabrics to mix my blocks into different quilts.
I did fussy cut a bit on this one, in order to get that cherry and whipped cream into the patch rather than in the seam allowance. I thought it would be fun.
I have a small stack of squares waiting to be sorted into color groups. I try not to duplicate a fabric in the same block unless all or most of the fabrics are the same. I also have lots of scraps to be cut. I am trying to decide if I should cut larger scraps into 2.5″ squares so I have more patches to use or if I should continue to cut one or two squares out of scraps and leave the rest of the scrap for another project?
I had an incorrectly cut hexagon from the Flower Sugar Hexagon quilt, so I measured and found it would yield one 2.5″ patch. I needed a green patch, so I cut it. Nice to have fabrics from a variety of projects show up in these blocks.
I think I have made 11 donation blocks so far in the past two months. I have one more close to being finished and I have at least another week before the meeting. I think that could be a whole quilt. If I had a wish, it would be that people did not need to be comforted by the quilts I am helping to make.
Block-a-Long #48: Corner Squares
If you put this block in a quilt with the same blocks, you could get some really interesting cross patterns.
This block is suitable for about 5 fabrics. If you did not use the same fabrics in the corners, then you could use more fabrics.
Directions for Corner Squares #48.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
Block-a-Long #47: 4 Patch Rectangles
I am still on the four patch / squares and rectangles kick. This block is related to the last few blocks.
The the directions for the 4 Patch Rectangle #47 are posted.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
I will be wrapping up the Block-a-Long pretty soon.
Block-a-Long #46: 2 Square Columns
This is related to last week’s block and would also make a great quilt by turning some of the blocks horizontally.
The maker could also line all the blocks up vertically and have long columns of squares and rectangles.
There are a number of options for laying this block out in a quilt with similar blocks.
The squares included in this design would be a good use for scraps and also for the Leaders and Enders technique.
The directions for this 2 Square Columns block are included.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
I am going to wrap up this Block-a-Long pretty soon.
Block-a-Long #45: 2 Split Column Rectangles
As I have said many times, there are almost an infinite number of variations that can be created from one block. This is similar to last week’s block.
Again, you probably really only need the sizes to cut to make this block, but I am posting the 2 Columns 2 Split Columns Rectangle directions for your ease.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
Donation Blocks
These are the latest blocks I made from the BAMQG kits the Charity Co-Coordinators put together. I wasn’t able to get kits of all the same colors, but I think these look nice.
I also cut some 2.5″ squares from scraps of my own as I worked on some other projects. I am trying to cut 2.5″ squares from scraps and fabrics I am working with, so that I can contribute more to the donation effort at BAMQG.
I was able to make 2 blocks from my own scraps. I like the blue.
Lincoln
As I mentioned, there is no BAMQG meeting for March. We still have blocks to make. I made K, which you know, and L in now done. M and N are April blocks and I will get going on those soon.
In looking at all of the A-B-C challenge blocks on my design wall, I also decided that I needed another block with the same on point symmetry as the Basement Window block.
I don’t know why this block is called Lincoln, but I chose it for my L block, because of the on point symmetry. I, now, only have two of these kinds of blocks and need at least three, so I’ll have to find another one.
I chose the colors, because in looking at the whole group of blocks, I thought that I needed to use more of that light green-y yellow.
There are 33 pieces in this block, in case you were wondering.
Block-a-Long #44: 2 Columns-2 Split Columns
I know people were having fits with last week’s block. I heard about it. Did you make it?
I am cutting you some slack this week. 2 Columns-2 Split Columns is another easy block. It would be really effective in a quilt if you made a bunch of them and turned some vertically and some horizontally, Rail Fence fashion. I am really loving rectangles right now, so look for more.
You probably really only need the sizes to cut to make this block, but I am posting the 2 Columns 2 Split Columns directions anyway.
If you have made blocks or a quilt from these patterns, please post a link in the comments section of the relevant block or on the AQ Block-a-Long Flickr group. I would love to see what you have made.
King’s Crown
There is no BAMQG meeting for March. We still have blocks to make. K and L are March blocks and M and N are April blocks. I have the K block made and am working on L.
I have all the blocks for the A-B-C challenge on the wall and in looking at them, I decided that I needed a block with another strong diagonal line. I want an uneven number (3 is good) for various elements in the blocks – colors, fabrics, different block elements.
I chose King’s Crown for my K block, because of the strong diagonal line. I am pretty pleased with the colors.