Finished with the Patriotic Blocks



I created a small pile of leftover scraps from the patriotic blocks I've been making.

 I randomly sewed pieces together....

 ...until I had this large 16 inch square of  "made fabric".

 Here are the blocks!

 I am now finished with the six sets of blocks for the swap!

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I also made the second block in the virtual quilting bee.

(http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/p/the-virtual-quilting-bee.html)

I loved the solid colors I chose,

 but I was not as happy with the block. The yellow steals the show.

I knew better, but it is such a soft yellow that I hoped it would be o.k. I thought about remaking it, but since this is a learning experience in solid colors, I will leave it as is.

Church Graduation Quilt

I enjoy the challenge of designing quilts based on what is in the church fabric stash. We've already made the three quilts for girls, and now we must work on two quilts for boys.

 

We had some sport-themed fabric, and since one of the grads is a sports person, I thought we could make blocks like this...

 

These four trial blocks finish at 10" square. I think it will work just fine.

 

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I made four more log cabin blocks for the patriotic block swap. The coordinator asked for an additional set of four blocks; apparently fellow swappers have been requesting it!

They look really neat put together!

Making Patriotic Progress

This was my original test block. It is a paper-pieced creation, and let me tell you, paper-piecing is quite the challenge for me! I was not sure I cared to make four more.

 

But I bit the bullet and made them! These two are like the first in that they each use only four fabrics.

 

These two are scrappy...16 different fabrics.

 

I have only one more set of blocks to make and then I will ship them out. It will be hard to wait until mid-May to get the swapped blocks back!

 

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And of course I always have to have a new project to work on. Amy Smart is hosting a Virtual Quilting Bee on her blog.

http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/p/the-virtual-quilting-bee.html

 

I have decided to join in. I have always wanted to make a quilt using only solid fabrics. Take a look at my solids drawer! A little heavy on the reds, perhaps... 

 

The first block was constructed using the good old half-square triangle. Simple!

 

There is a new block posted every two weeks on Fridays, I believe. I will be exercising creativity by using unusual color combinations. This will be a pleasant diversion!

Patriotic Block Swap

So I am having great fun coming up with blocks for this swap. I loved the look of this block until I made one....that took 7 hours to complete. I won't be making more of this one!

 

Instead, I learned how to use a new ruler...the Simpli-EZ 30 degree Triangle. It makes the Tippee Canoe block, which you see here. I made smaller ones, then sewed them into four patch blocks.

 

Here are the six I will be keeping. I am still trying to decide if I want to make more of the top center spinning star. It is such a neat looking block, but it is paper piecing--something I am not particularly successful doing.