Buck-a-block: December pattern

Been hard at work on this month's block pattern.

The pattern is "Garden Path" taken from the book The Farmer's Wife.  It caught my eye among the blocks on display in the shop because of the strong picture frame aspect.

Red, cream, and blue: the Americana palette.  The picture frame is to be in red. 

I like this block so much that I'm thinking of making two copies: one in the navy blue & turquoise palette, and one in red/pink/black.
Yummy.

Re-inspired: 1930's reproduction blocks

Last year at "Quilt Camp" (annual January quilting retreat sponsored by my favorite quilt shop, Something to Crow About), I participated in the block challenge:  12" finished block made from 1930's reproduction fabrics.  I have a love of the 1930's reproduction look, and a few scraps of appropriate fabric in my stash, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I entered 3 blocks in the challenge:

A basic pinwheel, with border supplemented from a neighbor's stash.  I love the green cat/alphabet print.

I had always wanted to try making a Snail's Trail block.  Again, with the cat/alphabet fabric, and leftover ladybug-embellished yellow gingham.  I discovered that a single Snail's Trail is not so fun to make, because you can't chain piece any part of it.  Good information to note for the next time I make this block.

I guess I don't know my block history, since I thought Card Trick was a rather modern-looking block.  I was told that it is actually very appropriate to the time period of the 1930's.  I think this block is the cutest of the 3 that I made.

So... I entered my blocks into the challenge pool.  The rules for quilt camp are that you get one entry for each completed block, and all the blocks are awarded to a single winner, drawn at random on the final day.  Although I have participated in making blocks for several years (often playing with patterns and techniques I have long wanted to try--isn't that the point?), I must admit that I haven't wanted to actually win the blocks until this year.  I just love 1930's prints--the more the merrier.

I won twenty-one 12" blocks!  With the responsibility to make them into a finished quilt top by next year's Quilt Camp date (coming up in January, in case you forgot like I did).  I did some dreaming and playing with the blocks last spring, then put them away.  Having remembered my January deadline, I got the blocks out again to assess where I am, and give them some more of my time and energy.

Blocks, in no particular order...

My favorite 1930's setting is to have clean white backgrounds.

Busy fabrics compete with each other here

A matching pinwheel to the one I entered.  I confess, though, that this wasn't a block that was entered.  I cut apart a completed block, made with only the blue and red fabrics, because the colors seemed so out of place among all the blocks I received.  I hope the original seamstress doesn't mind.

The rest of the blue and red block.  I'm hoping to add some other colors and make another Card Trick block with these fabrics.  That will give me two blocks from an original one!

I ended up cutting down the black-peach pinwheel to insert this border.  There was a bit too much of the black--it stood out against the other blocks.  But I now have similar pinwheel blocks.

I'm thinking of cutting apart and restyling this block.  It has so much white area (and it's a white-on-white print) that it doesn't fit as much with the other blocks.  I have ideas...

This block wants to be set on-point.  Which presents a challenge: does the entire quilt get set on-point as a result?  How do I mix straight-set and on-point blocks?  If I put only this block on-point, can I "fill in" the corners in order to make it fit?  What about that lavender block above--can I make that work with this idea?

A block I already chopped apart.  I don't remember what the original block looked like--maybe I took its pieced borders and used them with the black-peach pinwheel.  Sorry I don't remember what I did, only that I kept the miniature blocks to reuse somehow.

Applique butterflies!  What a treat.

This Rail Fence is too small, so I need to add another rail.

Again, I think there were size issues with the border of the block. I'm re-sewing

Another butterfly.  So cute!

Well, 21 blocks are a lot.  Many thanks to the wonderful women who sewed them last year.  How will I put them together?  Stay tuned...

November BOTM block done

Today was Buck-a-Block day: time to show off last month's completed block.

Finished it just last night.  Didn't realize until this morning that I put the strongest non-blue-colored piece right in the center of the block.  Oh well, it has to have some interest somewhere, right?

As one might say, "The fish appearing in the turquoise pinwheel adds that pop of color that makes the overall block more interesting."

Amen.  Done.

Catalog Xmas Ideas

So many ideas this time of year!  No time or inclination to actually make anything new (still haven't done this month's BOTM block), but I've been daydreaming up a storm.

The ubiquitous catalog season is winding down.  Idly paging through one of many almost-identical catalogs full of cute-but-unnecessary items, when I see an inspiring set of tiny bags.

Advertised for "giving small gifts, gift cards, candy..."  Tiny:  5" tall, 6" wide, 3" deep (front to back) with a 5" handle.   But priced to sell: six bags for $7.

Gingerbread Man - for giving cookies @ the office

Reindeer bag - checkered scarf and button nose

Noel - with a snowman face!

Joy - primitive tree in plaids and stripes

These bags are darn cute!  But for $7, I know the quality would be cheap, cheap.  They are made of polyester felt.  Do I even think the darling country-print plaid fabrics are cotton?  Oh well, it got me thinking about felt.

Felt, felt.  I don't work in wool felt, so bashing an inexpensive gift bag for being made of polyester felt is a bit unwise of me.  I did start to think about a "utility fabric" I collected recently: is it a reasonable felt-substitute for crafty items like these bags?

Bought a memory-foam mattress pad.  Rather expensive, but not as much as we would have spent on a new mattress; and it saves on chiropractor visits :)  However, this lovely item of bedding comes completely wrapped in a fiber/fabric/webbing concoction that I couldn't bear to part with.

Yards and yards of the stuff - how could I just throw it away?

Seems sturdy, like it would sew up well

Can this be used like felt?  Can it be dyed?  What sort of material is it made of?  Would it stand up to washing of any sort?  (Then again, could those little catalog bags be washed?  Doubt it.)

Sigh.  We are such a throw-away society.  What useful thing can I do with this windfall raw material?

Beach Bovine ideas

I have recently been introduced to modern quilting.  The fabrics and designs are so much different than what I've been around--and yet the brighter, clearer colors and clean designs suit my tastes more than not.  One local quilt shop, Piece by Piece, features tons of pictures of all their new fabrics.  I've been reading their blog... and the creative juices have been flowing.

The holiday placemats that were brought out this week got me started.

  Cute, winter scene, in non-traditional colors.

The photo doesn't do justice to the light, lime green.

Yummy polka-dot tree.  Doesn't seem out-of-place at all.

Graphic snowflake-print blue tree.  Just as Dr. Seuss would have imagined it.

Penguin salt-and-pepper shakers go so nicely with the placemats!  And this is where I made the leap from "isn't this all so pretty" to "hey, I've got a pattern idea".  Notice my little penguin friend: he is not black and white.  He is sporting an alternate color scheme.  And it looks fine.

So... what else have I seen recently that would look okay in unreal colors?  Oh yeah, a pattern by Amy Bradley designs called "Beach Bovines"

(Pardon the quality of this photo.)  The pattern is for a wall hanging, but I don't do wall hangings, so I bought it with the intention of making placemats.  I was just worried about how the bright jellybean colors shown in the pattern would work with any possible table decor.  But my little penguin friend has opened my eyes to the possibilities of alternate colorways.

Imagine a pink-and-maroon cow with brown-and-pink printed bikini.  A taupe sky and navy blue grass?  I think I might have a tendency to go overboard with colors.  I believe the solution is to completely copy the color scheme of something else I like.  (Maybe not the color scheme of the snow-scene placemats I already have, but at least I know I like those colors together.  Saves me from myself.)

 

Hey Good Lookin'

Turned over the page on my quilt calendar at work: and I'm smitten with this month's project.  A poinsettia quilt.  How cute!

Okay, not only am I enamored with the design (which looks very easy - squares and triangles), I started dreaming about fabric choices.  Not that I'm addicted to new projects or anything... Hey, there's just under 3 weeks left until Christmas, I could start making this now, right?

I'd love to have this design in a tablecloth.  Only I can't decide whether I would want only one wreath centered on the table, or 4 wreaths with the bow sashing in between (I have a very large square table).  And do I like the cream background?  Or would white be better?  Or a subtle print, to hide any eventual food stains?

Why am I spending mental energy on this non-starter of a project?  I don't have time.  I have several other half-finished Christmas-themed projects laying neglected in dusty corners (2 Santa dolls in a paper bag in the garage, for one).  I'm not planning on completing any of them, either.

Oh, the allure of the new, the shiny, the untried-but-very-achievable project!  They wink at me, these patterns and designs.  They call out to me, "Hey Baby, you know you want some of this."  Tragic how I will so readily give this new thing time and energy, ignoring my WIPs and UFOs.

Well, no harm in looking, I say.

Buck-a-block: month 3

Finally got around to playing with the fabrics for the latest buck-a-block.  Naturally, I didn't care for the combination of blue-and-red that was provided in the kit.

Even the blue on the bottom right didn't suit me: too much orange in it.  The pattern is "Old Windmill" from The Farmer's Wife.  The picture shows red pinwheels in the center, and blue half-pinwheels along the edges.  Not convinced I will stick with that (especially since I won't use red), but pinwheels are easy to maneuver as the block is being constructed.  Room for creativity!

To match my previous blue block, I looked for brighter turquoise shades to complement the navy.  Also went back to the clouds-on-ivory for my background print.  Very pleased with the undersea print--can't wait to get started sewing it all together.