Tag: Piecing

Palooza Block 17: Starlight Path

Palooza Block 18: Starlight Path
Palooza Block 18: Starlight Path

I really liked the way this block went together. It came out really well in terms of the piecing.

I found the color suggestions to be confusing and more so since I was working without a design wall. I am pretty happy with the way the block came out, however.

I am finding my fabric choices to be an unusual combination. They are good work with because the fabric is high quality. However, I am not sure I would have picked them had I really thought about it.

I was reading Around the Block** and found a block that was similar to this one, Crockett Cabin (pg.47). It has a few fewer HSTs than Starlight Path. In Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns**, there is a section (pg.137) with blocks of the same structure, though with different layouts and numbers of HSTs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**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.

Patchwork Palooza Block 16

Safe Harbor
Safe Harbor

One of the blocks that arrived in my inbox while I was in Portland was Safe Harbor, Block 16. It is a kind of Square in a Square block.

I was very interested in the way the corners were added. Instead of a template for the blue pieces, the designer used a flippy corners method. Very clever!

Patchwork Palooza Block 15

Crosswalk (Lozenge Plus) - Block 15
Crosswalk (Lozenge Plus) – Block 15

I am behind on posting these.

After a hitch with my email subscription to the Patchwork Palooza blocks, I was able to quickly make Block 15 of the project after receiving the pattern from Friend Julie.

This looks like a Lozenge Plus block to me, though the PLUS in the center looks a little fatter. 

In Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns**, this block, #1970, is called the Spool Block and is attributed to Nancy Cabot, c.1938.

In Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, this block is #186-2. It is also called the Spool Block from Nancy Cabot (glad they agree!). Beyer references The Chicago Tribune, April 1, 1938. I should go look that up sometime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**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.

A Whole Lotta 4 Patch Fun

I really like making these blocks. They come together quickly and I am using up pieces I, otherwise, probably wouldn’t use or would allow to lay around for a long time.

Surprisingly, I LOVE making these blocks. They go together quickly, they are made using scraps and stacking up quickly.

Patchwork Palooza Block 14

Patchwork Palooza block 14: Spin Cycle
Patchwork Palooza block 14: Spin Cycle

Patchwork Palooza Block 14 is called Spin Cycle in this project.

I found the block in Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, where this block is called Southern Belle (58-1). It is by Clara Stone from Practical Needlework, ca 1906.

The name could be all about the way the block is colored. I saw it also called Double Pinwheel, but the units may have been turned to enhance the Pinwheel look. 

Patchwork Palooza Alternate Blocks

Patchwork Palooza Alternate block
Patchwork Palooza Alternate block

How many times can I say palooza? A lot apparently.

Now that I have finished the last backlog block for this project, and while I waited for the next block to drop, I needed to get busy on the alternate blocks. There are 21 of them and they will all be the same. Don’t worry, I am not going to bore you (even more?) by posting each one I finish. 

There is a lot of chain piecing and sewing, then cutting of strips to make the units that make up these blocks, so it took me quite awhile to finish the first block. I did eventually and it isn’t anything special, IMO. It is an Irish Chain type block. 

I didn’t find the exact block in my sources, but may yet do so. In Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns**, a very similar block to this one is called Single Irish Chain by Nancy Cabot, 1933. It is similar to Pennsylvania (pg.231-2023).

Patchwork Palooza blocks with alternate
Patchwork Palooza blocks with alternate

I put a couple of blocks on the design wall to see what I had. So far, so good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**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.

Patchwork Palooza Block 6

Patchwork Palooza 6: Keep the Fire
Patchwork Palooza 6: Keep the Fire

This is the last backlog block. The PP project calls it Keep the Fire, but it is a Bow Tie block. I am not sure why the Patchwork Palooza people are renaming the blocks. I suppose it makes the block fresher. 

I found it in Jinny Beyer’s The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns, where the block is called Necktie (73-1). It is by Ruth Finley, ca 1929.

I have to make this block for another project and I found the instructions to make this one SO easy. I have always dreaded the flippy corners method. No problem on this block. It came out great, especially after the grief with Block 8.

 

Patchwork Palooza Block 5

I am almost finished with the backlog of blocks.

Card Trick AKA Go Your Own Way
Card Trick AKA Go Your Own Way

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.

BAM BOM Start

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.

BAM BOM fabrics
BAM BOM fabrics

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.

Patchwork Palooza Block 7

Patchwork Palooza block 7
Patchwork Palooza block 7

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.

Progress on the Country Revival / Sad Quilt

Country Revival Flower #2
Country Revival Flower #2

The piecing on this quilt takes a lot of time. I think it is because of the curves. That doesn’t mean it is difficult, just time consuming.

In the photo, the top left unit is pieced and trimmed. I wasn’t happy with the trimming. I ended up buying the SKOW recommended ruler, Sew Square 6**, though, despite my love for specialty rulers, I am fundamentally opposed to specialty square rulers. I would much rather the ruler I already have, the Quick Curve Ruler**, be marked well enough so I could trim with it. It isn’t impossible, but I found it to be very difficult. I haven’t decided if I need to make that upper left unit again. I don’t know if I trimmed too close to the green curved shape.

Sew Square 6
Sew Square 6

Except for the bottom row, the rest of the units have been sewn, but not trimmed. You can see how weird looking they are before they are trimmed. I bought the Sew Square 6** which I plan to use to trim the other units.

I didn’t buy the whole set; I just bought this one to see if I thought it was better than just using the Quick Curve Ruler.

Country Revival/Sad Quilt flower motif with leaves v.4
Country Revival/Sad Quilt flower motif with leaves v.4

Flower 1 is still unsewn. I am  not 100% happy with the color selection. I bought a few solids, which I am hoping will help fix whatever the problem is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**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.

Patchwork Palooza Block 11

Patchwork Palooza 11: Square Dance
Patchwork Palooza 11: Square Dance

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.