elephant parade

I haven't been doing the block party so far this year, but that doesn't mean I haven't be playing on my own! I mentioned earlier that the elephants were going to be my birthday block for a little swap group I'm in, and so here's the finished top: I adore these guys! Now I just have to find the perfect baby to finish it for... Julie

New Year, New Colors

Last year I chose to do all the 12" and 10" blocks in homespuns and plaids. I'm happy to report that during the year my skills using those contrary fabrics improved dramatically. I think I have almost enough blocks for 2 quilt tops. But I've gotten tired of using those fabrics. Frankly I'm sick of them. The smaller FBP blocks were all done in those really bright fabrics that became Jackson's Jungle, a quilt for my newest grandbaby's first birthday in April. It is all done and already wrapped in garrish, jungle print wrapping paper!

So all blocks this year are open to any fabrics that are laying about in my sewing room. I picked up some fat 8ths and 1/2 yd cuts on my recent trip to coastal Calif. and decided to make the last 2 blocks from those fabrics. I have enough left to make a few more blocks that will probably become a nice little table topper at some point.

First, week 4 Odd's and Ends



I didn't bother to read the construction directions, since I found them less than user friendly last year and, like several other Partiers, I resized this block to 12".I chose to re-arrange the fabrics a bit. I love these Autumn-y colors.

Week 5, Mother's Dream.



I used the same fabrics because they were already laying on the cutting mat. Thank you, Kathie, for the construction directions. This block was a breeze and turned out nice and square and flat.

I vow to stay caught up each week this year except for the times I am out of town. I love the challenge of these new blocks and have learned so much about block construction over the last year. It is so nice to have some new members as well as "old" members that have come back to play.

Two Down...50 to go

I was feeling guilty about not getting my blocks done each week. It felt like I was starting the year already behind the power curve. So yesterday I set other stuff aside to dedicate a bit of time to catch up.

First, Week #1-Wheel of Time. I'm continuing to make the larger blocks from Homespuns/Plaid until I have enough for an entire queen sized quilt. Using homespun has been a challenge but I have found the practice very successful. I no longer use tons of spray starch to stablize that stretchy, uncooperative fabric. It has been wonderful to improve my skill handling difficult fabric.



I'm not enamored by this block. I made the 12" version and it was very easy to piece and not particularly inspiring.

Week #2 was another story. I really like this block. So much so that I didn't make just one. I made nine.




Voila! A nice little Spring wall hanging. The block is relatively easy to piece and great for doing scrappy (which I love.)




I plan to use this block sometime soon to tackle my 3.5" stip bin which doesn't get used often enough.

Thanks so much, Hetty, for for keeping this fun project going. I have seen a marked improvement in my piecing skill and I even have a completed quilt for my grandson because of FBP. As well as lots of blocks waiting to join new ones to become quilts in 2010. Welcome to our newest members. What a great bunch of ladies!

Whah Lah

My last 2 blocks to wrap up the year.

Week 51 in plaids to go with the other 12" blocks



Week 52 in bright scraps for my grandson's first birthday quilt.



One of my goals for 2010 is to clear out my UFO list. I know everyone always sets a similar goal. I'm determined to mend my ways and try to actually get my projects done instead of having baggies full of little parts and pieces laying around. Grandson Jackson's room is done in a jungle theme. He will be 1 year old in April and all those 8" and 9" blocks from this year's party have been intended for a quilt for him. I give you Jackson's Jungle.



I love the green fern print but I barely had enough and had to piece together scraps for the borders.


I may actually get it done by April!

Tah Dah!

Seems we have all been side-tracked for awhile or at least most of us have. It is great to see many of our group are back participating. Everyone's blocks look fabulous. I, too, have been sewing like mad in an effort to catch-up.


Week 43 Blindman's Fancy was a real struggle. I am convinced the directions are wrong. Nothing fit together so I just wacked of that spacer strip to make the HST edges fit. Maybe I cut things wrong but I sure as heck don't want to do this one again to see where I went wrong.


Week 44 Gamecock went together fine. It will probably join the other homespun blocks in a quilt someday.


Week 45 Cross in a Cross was super easy. I may use this one someday for a whole quilt. It has the appearance of blocks set on point (which I really like) without all those mind numbing math calculations that make my head spin.


Week 46 Carolyn's Star is really nice but I found it too tedious to keep all the parts in the right position. As a single block it's great but to make enough for a whole top, no way!


Week 47 That's My Baby. What a boring block. I guess it would be usefull as an alternative to a Postage Stamp or Irish Chain type scrap quilt.


Week 48 Indian Star is a nice simple block. I'm not sure where the name comes in or what it has to do with Indians but I'd use this one again.


Week 49 Cross and Ring didn't work out for me on my first try. Those bitty little triangles just didn't provide enough contrast and the pattern is all mushed up. So I tried again using different fabric and switched the outside strips, too.


It sure shows up as a pieced block better than my first attempt and the "ring" part stands out.


Week 50 Double Hour Glass should be called Triple Hourglass. I kinda like this one. It's quite different and looks more complicated to construct than it actually is.

I plan to make this week's block today and then I will be ready to make week 52 on time and end the year with a feeling of accomplishment.

I want to thank Donna for starting Friday Block Party and all those who have shared their blocks and offered encouraging comments all year. Thanks, too, to Hetty for stepping in to relieve Donna. I have especially enjoyed reading everyone's personal blogs. I don't always leave comments but I do read them all and get so much inspiration from all of you. I for one would love to see us continue. I am anxious to see what everyone creates with their blocks and continue to enjoy the challenge of putting little triangles and squares together in new combinations.

Plaid Baton

It looks like there's a lot of catching up going on so I don't feel too bad. I actually got week 42 done on time but never got it posted. I used some dark blue homespun and a piece of yellow plaid I had laying on the ironing board rather than dig through my stash. I really had to concentrate to keep the HST going in the right direction. It's a rather odd block and will be added to the orphan bunch. I hope to get the last 2 week's blocks done today so I'll be all caught up before Donna posts the new one tomorrow. I can't believe we are down to 8 weeks left!!

4 and 20 Blackbirds

Up here in the Sierra forest, we don't have sparrows. What we have are bluejays and mountain chickadees. And crows. Big, loud, black crows. So here's my flock of crows.

I'm an expert at HST now! This one went together in 15 minutes, cutting and all. No seam ripper was needed and no points were harmed in the making of this block. Yaaayyy!

Oh My Stars!

Hetty's warnings on this week's block made me wary. I read the directions carefully and realized that there are several bias edges to deal with and there-in lies the rub. So my strategy was to be extra super careful handling the pieces, especially when pressing. It paid off because my block turned out well on the first try. The itty, bitty triangles are a pain to work with and it almost felt like I was making a miniature block in the beginning. The cute animal cracker print is an ancient scrap and I wasn't able to fussy cut it because of the way the animals are printed. It will make another colorful addition to the Grandson quilt I'm assembling from the smaller FBP blocks.

Victorious Fool in Hartford

Here are the last three weeks worth of blocks done during the wee hours this morning.

Week 39~ Fool's Square-Made with leftover half square triangles and 2&1/2" squares from my scrap bin. It goes with nothing and will be added to my growing collection of orphans.



Week 38~ Nelson's Victory-Or maybe I should call it Nelson in Drag! Very feminine fabrics. I made this with leftovers again so it measures 8" and I didn't bother reading the directions.



Week 37~Hope of Hartford-I'm hopeless. For this one I carefully read the directions and followed them.....I thought. Somehow my color placement ended up wrong and the darn thing is spinning in reverse. Oh well, just hold it up to a mirror and it will be correct.



At least I got through all three of these block without ever using my seam ripper. That's a major accomplishment for me!

Week #36 Double Quartet of Cats

Easy peasey. Another block for Jackson's quilt. Laurel Burch cats in purple. I really want to make a tote bag out of this fabric.

Whewww! All Caught Up.

Well, except for the new one QP posted yesterday. It looks like a good one so I'll get on it this weekend. But I did get all the others done. So here you go....

Week #31~Queen Charlottes Crown. I loved Hetty's history lesson. It made this block all the more interesting. Done in homespuns.


Week #30~ Hearth & Home. This one looked so easy I didn't even bother to read the directions but just used 2 & 1/2" strips & squares I already had cut.


Week #29~ Mrs. Morgans Choice. I didn't care for the design of this block so I copied Kathie. Sometimes it seems like Quilter's Catch makes these blocks more difficult than they need to be by using all those little pieces when a larger piece would do just as well.


Week #28~ Envelope Motif. What's with that name? It look's like a star pattern of some sort. Shouldn't it be Star Something-or-other?


Week #27~Windmill 2. This was a smaller block so I used those bright fabrics for my grandbaby quilt. I've got some multi-colored polka dot fabric I will sash it with to tie the blocks together. Jackson is going to need sunglasses when he's laying on it.


Week #26~Z Cross. I actually did this block back in June but apparently I never posted it here. I was quite intrigued by the secondary pattern created with multiple blocks and actually put together a small wall hanging.


The wall hanging has a nice primative look to it so I am quilting it with that heavy perle cotton and using a big stitch. I've never tried that before and I'm having a heck of a time. I'm not sure how to bury the knots. I may do some machine quilting to finish it up because the heavy perle cotton stuff is a real pain to stitch with.

Back-up to Catch-up

Well, here I am again. The Big Behind. I've been sewing up a storm but not on Friday Blocks. I'm determined to do all 52 blocks during the year so in an effort to catch up yet again, I am going backwards until I get to one I've already made. (I just took a peek and realized I'm 10 weeks behind! Aaack!)

Week #35-Castle in the Air
Pretty straight forward block made with scraps laying on my cutting table.



Week #34-Rally Round
That center part was a pain to do. I like the block, though, just not enough to make
a bunch for a whole quilt top. Maybe a table runner...hmmmm



Week #33-Northumberland Star
I agree with QP that the pressing directions on this were bad. My poor presser foot struggled to get over those seems. I decided right at the start not to try to keep the plaids going in one direction. Good thing! It was hard enough to keep all the parts in the right position. I would have gone crazy trying to match plaid direction, too. Although I like this block, I can't imagine making more than one.



Week #32-Mosaic 3
A truly uninspiring block. I almost skipped it but I wanted to try the flying geese method. It's actually pretty slick. This block took all of 15 minutes to make, a record for me.



I've been reading all the posts as I go backwards and I love all the fabric choices and helpful hints. It also makes me feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one that gets behind. So with 4 done, I have 6 more to go. If you don't hear from me in a week, send the paramedics. I'm probably drowning under a sea of scraps!

Yanking My Chain

I'm sneaking in under the wire this week. I almost missed my self imposed deadline for staying up to date on the weekly blocks.

Despite following the directions exactly (for the first time ever, I might add!) all the nicely matched points and my careful handling of all those stretchy bias edges did not produce a perfect block. As you all can plainly see, it did not come out square nor does it measure 9 & 1/2 inches as it should. I don't know why for sure and I am not willing to rip & re-sew. I am not feeling the love for this block. The finished quilt example on the webpage doesn't make me want to grab my rotary cutter and dive right in so I'll probably never attempt this one again. Dividing a nine inch block into 4 quadrants and then adding in those diagonal seam allowences makes for fuzzy math for me, the arithmatic dork. Give me good old even numbers and I'm much happier.

I see we have several new members. Welcome one & all.

Reformed Slacker

I spent a marathon day yesterday in my sewing room. It helped that the weather was crappy and Hubby was making dinner. Many, many hours later, fortified by chocolate, cashews, coffee and a glass of Merlot, I am happy to say I am a slacker no more. Here are the results, although I won't say they are for your viewing pleasure! Some are nice. Many are downright ugly. But the bottom line is that I am fully caught up with Friday Block Party! Here they are, eight weeks of the good, the bad & the ugly.



Week 24: Interesting block.


Week 23: Extremely easy and not very interesting.

Week 22: I love stars and this one is a favorite. I was pleasantly surprised that my points all matched!

Week 21: Ugly block. Stupid construction technique. I didn't put the little square onto the rectangle but just cut the strip to size. This one as a stand alone is awful. It is destined to be an orphan. As a whole quilt it is much better. I still don't like it.

Week 19: I love this block. My piecing on this one went smooth as silk so I guess I am improving. Someday I will make a quilt with Union Square blocks.

Week 2o: This one was interesting and different.

Week 17: I like this block. Very easy to piece. It would make a good alternate block in a top to create a different look.

Week 18: I have never liked this block. I think it must be the whole Nazi thing I associate it with. This was my last block of the day and I think the glass of wine was taking effect. It is pretty sloppy.

So there you have it. I'm all caught up. One thing I can say for certain is that I am getting pretty darn good at working with the homespun fabrics. I use a lot of spray starch on it and it really helps. I plan to put all those blocks into a quilt one of these days.

Running in Place

I feel like such a slacker! I can't believe how easy it is to fall behind with these blocks. I've got waaayy too many projects going on but I don't seem to be actually finishing anything.





Here are weeks 9(Fancy Stripes), 11(Chimneys & Cornerstones), 12(Leap Frog), and 13(The Queen's X) all done using that scrap bin full of brights. I decided to make most of the blocks from now on from these fabrics and then add borders to make them all fit together for an eventual quilt for my granddaughter. I wasn't crazy about any of these blocks but they did go together fairly easily.


The 12" block from week#10 was Bear Tracks, a pattern I thought would look good done in those hard-to-work-with homespun fabrics. I've been making pillows from these and they look great on an old church pew I have. I find that the homespun fabric is getting a little easier to manage but I spray starch the heck out of it whenever I use it!

For a brief moment I was all caught up on FBP and then Spring Fever hit me and I fell behind again! Yard and house clean-up took center stage. At least the windows are clean so it's not so dark in the sewing room now! With a wild flurry of sewing today, I hope to finally get really and truly caught up so by next Friday I can do the block at a leisurely pace. Happy Mom's Day to all the moms in the party.

Playing Catch-Up

Cathy's Star



Week #14 really challenged my piecing skills. I love the block but, gollleee geee, it sure was tedious. Keeping those little pieces turned the right direction required too much concentration.

Bouncing Betty



Week #15 goes into the 8" pile with the brights for a future quilt for grandaughter Keira. That one was fun & easy.

Dakota Gold



This week's block was also pretty easy but I chose to do it in homespuns. Stretchy stuff!! I am getting better at sewing with that fabric and I love the old fashioned look. Doing an occassional block like this may be the only way I will ever get enough blocks done for an entire quilt.

Since I was away for 5 weeks, I actually have 4 more blocks to try. I will probably do them eventually but for now I'm considering myself caught-up.