CLOUD NINE Carthage

On our last little detour to Texas, on the way home from Minnesota, I was able to stop at Block by Block in Carthage MO.  We followed Amy's instructions on her highway billboards--"Scream till your husband stops the car!".  Amy has been a fan since my first season, especially with OPENING NIGHT, which she called her 4 hour $40 quilt.  I got to meet some of her sewers getting things done in the cool classroom.  And see more of the RoseCards made up...always a thrill for me. 

I loved this cheery CLOUD NINE. 

LILLIAN Batik

LILLIAN is a must-do in batiks.  In fact, I must re-do the cover in batiks.  I knew my cover quilt, much as I love it, would be too busy to show off LILLIAN's style.  But I was in a hurry to publish, and knew I would replace the cover quilt--someday, if not sooner. 

Idena's quilt top here shows LILLIAN at her best in Hoffman's Bali Pops.

EUREKA Coccon

Valori Wells' Cocoon--had to do something with it quick--it is just too wonderful.  This colorway has enough contrast in the six pieces to work in EUREKA.  So we have a fast little quilt with a cute little kit.

Going to link this one to Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday.

Preview 50

Twelve Fat Quarters and Four Patches--two favorite things combined.  Add 1 yard of Contrast and you have an nice and easy throw quilt 54"x 72".

I used Joel Dewberry's Heirloom/Ruby.  It is wonderful in batiks, next on the to-do list.

Preview 49

When you really, really can't cut it.  As with those fabulous prints, like Laura Gunn's here for Michael Miller.  There is so little math involved, you don't waste any of your precious fabric.

Take 2 yards and only slice it once.  Insert a row of 6 simple blocks and you have a quilt top.  Additional yardage is 3/4 each of the Frame, Centers/Binding, and Background.  The Background can be light, so the blocks stand out in the row.  Or it can be a color to blend with the Theme fabric, or even the Theme itself, so the blocks float.

The quilt top finishes 54"x 69", and with only 6 blocks, it finishes fast. 

Preview 48

SEASHELL started as a way to float 5" Charm Squares in a background.  To accomplish that I thought setting the squares at the end of a 5"x 9 1/2" slice would do the trick.  I didn't want the same background with all of those seams, so I chose to make it with 2 different, but similar, background fabrics.  A strong contrast in the backgrounds would create a stripe effect, which, in the right combination of fabrics might work.

The cover model was made with Salt Air squares by Cosmo Cricket for Moda, with two creamy batiks for backgrounds.  The SEASHELL rose name was perfect for it.

Then I am thinking, that this pattern is really a Bricks and Blocks.  Usually that pattern is done in 2 1/2" or 3 1/2" wide Bricks, but why not our big 5"?  We love to show off our pretty, larger prints.  A little pack of 10 Fat Sixths--our Sheet Cakes (12"x 22")--will cut perfectly into 40  5"x10" pieces.  A single light background will work for the squares, though I used a Tonga Creamsicle pack.  A favorite quilt was born from Amy Butler's Lark...

Preview 47

A little quickie, made from 10 fat sixths (12"x 22"), or 20 10" squares (half of a layer cake).  It is one single simple block, intended to make a sweet little scramble of a collection of fabrics.    Add a border to make it bigger than the 36"x 45" here.  Or, add lattice, between all or some of the blocks.  Or, use the blocks to frame a panel. 

This would also be a great way to use of scraps and make lots of blocks, for quilts large and small.  Community Service quilts are calling and you have scraps to use up.