My first tutorial - Unidentified block

I saw a picture of this block SOMEWHERE but I don't remember where.  Or, I think I did.  I could be imagining the entire thing.  In any event, I made it into a quilt for a dear friend's daughter when she got married last month.

This is the quilt top.  It is an odd size at 66"x81" but I think it works well as a throw.

I do have a picture somewhere of it after I quilted it.  I know it is on Facebook but I am not finding it in Photobucket.  Grr... I can edit later if I find it.

To make these blocks you have two options.  You can use a charm pack and jelly rolls or, do as I did and use scraps.  I prefer strip piecing where applicable and that is what I did for the first seams where I could.

 Using charms you will need 48 charm size (5") squares.  I believe that would require two charm packs.

You will need the same number of 5"x 2.5" strips and 7"x2.5" strips. These can all be cut from the same jelly roll.

 A jelly roll strip will yield seven 5" strips and one 7" strip with essentially no waste. Cut 9 strips this way.

 From the next strip cut three 5" strips and  three 7" strips.  From the next six strips cut six 7" strips.

Stack all of these strips in their respective pile randomly.

Sew one 5" strip down one side of each charm square.

As you prepare to add the 7" strips always orient the already sewn blocks so that the strip is on top and add the 7" strip to the right side as shown below.

As I said earlier, I was using scraps and I trimmed my blocks after each seam.



Press the seam toward the strip.

AAAHHHH....I can't find the next picture which I know I took.  Sew two of these blocks together so that a "long" strip and a "short" strip are on the seam edges.

Back side, but you can see what I mean.

Next sew two of the two block units together making the same matching.

After the quarter sections are constructed you do NOT sew on the 5" square.

Here are a couple of blocks.  The second one was my "test" square.  The bride wanted blues and greens.  So, once I figured it out that is what I gave her.



I think the blocks look fine even if the same fabric appears in more than one quarter. 

For this quilt I squared the blocks to 12.5" but the finished size should be around 13".

I used 3" sashing to join the blocks and cornerstones to force it to be more blue because that is her favorite color.

Found the missing photo.  I used a pattern called Hearts A Flutter to quilt it in a varigated blue.  The bride really seemed to like it and I did to. 

I decided that every quilt I make as a gift from now on will either have red fabric or 30's reproduction in it because those are my loves.  It is my own secret signature.

Hope you enjoyed this.

Keep stitchin'

Mary

I linked this post up with Sew Many Ways for her Sew Darn Crafty.  Be sure to check out the other links!

Cancer Sucks

I had good intentions of a tutorial post tonight but I am just not in the mood right now. Before coming to work (it is a very slow night) I went to the funeral home for my cousin.  She was 45.  She died a slow painful death from breast cancer that had metastasized to her brain.

It seems that my life has been inundated with this disease recently.  My step-sister has fought it for the past year and is finally in remission.  It cost her her job.  The fast food chain she had worked for faithfully for 25 years fired her at 4 months and 1 day. 

My step-niece had her breast removed and a week later a radical hysterectomy because of her cancer early this spring. She was 33.  She is still doing battle.

I have an aunt that had bc and a brain tumor.  Talk about lucky!  I have had uterine cancer. 

Forty may be the new 25 or 30 but our bodies haven't figured that out.  The forties have been hard on the women in my family.  I am looking forward to our 50s and hoping we do a little better with that.

In the meantime, though I am not being crazy, I am choosing to live now and not put stuff off.  I bought a Mustang and part of the reason was to thumb my nose at cancer.

Now you tell me, isn't that a fun way to thumb your nose?

It makes me grin every time I see it and I laugh with delight every time I hit the accelerator hard.  Thank You, God, for my blessings and forgive me for my impatience with life's trials.

Rest in peace, Tina.  You earned it.

I have been busy.....

I am going to try to go back chronologically.  I am having a little trouble putting pictures in from photobucket.   So, I hope this works.

In July I made a baby quilt for a co-worker.  She wanted pastels and she was decorating in ABC 123.  I had just gotten a magazine (maybe Quilt) that had this pattern in it.  This was as close to pastels as I could take myself.  I used some of my stash, some of my sisters and I bought some.  It is backed in yellow flannel.

Here is a better picture of the colors but every seam shows through in the sun.  That simply amazed me.

It really isn't as distorted as it looks.  I have a hard time with random and really had to work at this but I like how it turned out. 

 ETA: I figured out the picture issue and FIXED it!

I will work on the picture issue and make another post tonight. I have pictures for a tutorial type post in case anyone ever reads this.

Keep stitchin'