Two More From the WayBack Machine!

I really am getting more of these "old" blocks finished... now if I could just do something about the focus on my pictures! The blocks are not as wonky as the photos are making them look, really.

The first one is actually the second one - makes no sense? HHmmm... Well, it is the block from week two, "Footstool". But I didn't like the way the hourglass blocks sat, so I rotated them 1/2 turn... and now this probably isn't Footstool any more at all, since there is a star in the middle that wasn't there in Marcia's block. Oh, Well.



This second exhibit is "Dewey Dream"... week three. And no, we don't dream of Dewey - sorry, Melvil. I no longer dream of Dewey Numbers, LC Numbers, OCLC, MARC Records, ISBN, Authority Control, Due Dates, Spine Labels, the Patriot Act, Fourth Amendment Rights or any other Library business. AAAAHHHGGHH!
Couldn't resist making this block "Black and White and Re(a)d All Over" though, tee hee.

TWO MORE TICKED OFF

I was on a roll you see, I managed to get the next two on my list done, bit creased these two, should have waited to press them, ho hum. I wasn't too sure about this Foot Stool week 2 - where the heck did that name come from? But now its done I like it. Just as well.

Dewey's Dream week 4 , I really do like this block, lots of potential I feel for a full size quilt one day...maybe!!!

Here are the next seven blocks ready for me to sew, I have to cut out in the natural daylight, as the artificial one in the evening gives me all the wrong colours, I think they look good, then the morning shows what a shambles it really is. I used the covers for my postcards to keep the little bits in. I am not normally this organised, but I have a lot of catching up to do to get up to speed.

and I now give you all permission to laugh at me,
look what I have done with all the left overs...well, you never know do you???
hahahahahaha - my friend Di will roll-up when she sees this.

Weeks 1 and 2

Having joined late I though I would try to get the first two blocks done before the next one starts. I am also doing the Black and White Quilt Challenge so thought this would be a good way to audition some of the blacks and whites I have. I know there are mistakes but it a long time since Idid any traditional piecing and I do have 'flu at the moment. I did change the arrangement in the Foot Stool block as I though that it looked better with with the black closer to the green and of course I added the third colour to the block.





This is good fun!

Rebecca's Foot Stool Block

I ended up doing another scrappy red, white and blue.  Not very troublesome, but those hour glass units are really small!  

Here is a photo of the back of the block.  Did anyone have

 trouble with the seams going in the "wrong" direction?  I fix

 this by just clipping the seam so it goes in the right direction.  Also I do alot of pinwheeling where the units meet, and my blocks are usually very flat.

Back of Week 1 Broken Dishes

Week 1 and Week 2

Catching up

I'm glad this was another 10" block. I totally ignored the construction directions and just fell back on the usual method I use for HST. I cut strips and use my Easy Angle. The hourglass blocks went okay but I did use spray starch to stablize that homespun. That stuff really tends to go wonky! And then I decided to add a bit of the brown as a 3rd fabric just to keep some continuity if I end up making a top from these squares. This block turned out a tad under size so I need to work on my "scant" 1/4" a bit more. I like my first two blocks together and will continue using the plaids & homespuns even though they are difficult when using small pieces.

Giraffe's Footstool

Now why would a giraffe need a footstool? Good question....... at least this one will be easy for Ms. Giraffe to find.

Week 2 - Let's Call it Footstool!

I just completed the block for week 2. Because it was another 10in. block, I decided to use batiks again. I have no idea why. Maybe I will make an all batik quilt with the 10in. blocks - eventually.
I had a lot of trouble with the hourglass pieces in the centre of the block. The instructions on Quilter's Cache are not the greatest for constructing these little triangle pieces. Julie from floribunda shows how to do it much better in a little tutorial she came up with on this blog. I used this method too. It is much easier and there is much less stretching. But I still did not like the little hourglass pieces. They were very tedious and no matter how hard I tried to be exact, inevitably one of the blocks did not cooperate. I know! I'm a perfectionist - what else can I say?

Then to make matters worse, I ran out of fabric so I used something similar in colour, but that didn't look quite right. So I made a second block. The second block was not much easier. The hourglass pieces still gave me trouble and I doubt if I would ever make this block again. Oh. What's that? Yeah, I did make it again, didn't I? Oh, well. I liked the colours I was working with, I guess.


The pattern is called Footstool on the Quilter's Cache. I don't know why it is called that. It doesn't look anything like a footstool. Maybe it got that name from the husband of the first woman who ever tried to construct this block and threw a footstool through a window in aggravation!

Week 1 and 2 - Heather

For the week 1 block I happened to be cleaning up my green fabric bin so I made it all out of greens.



I've never been crazy about two color blocks but for week 2's block I decided to try it with just two fabrics. I used a large scale, multi-colored print to give it some more interest.

Block #2 and QSTs

First off, here's my block #2, continuing with my batik scraps. I've decided that all the 10" blocks will follow this theme, and blocks in other sizes may veer off in some other direction!

People have been talking about getting these blocks together without the fabric stretching out of shape, and I thought I'd jump in with my own humble opinions. I hate starch, and I really don't like the Quilter's Cache method of making quarter square triangles by cutting up the squares and sewing the pieces all back together -- first of all you're guaranteed to stretch out the fabric, and second (if you're like me) you're going to lose a triangle somewhere along the line and end up on the floor looking for it! So, here's my tried and true, no-starch method:

First, instead of cutting the squares at 3-1/4 inch, cut them at 3-3/8 inch, or even 3-1/2 if you like. Mark a diagonal line on the back side of the lighter squares. Put two squares together, sew 1/4 inch on either side of the line, and cut apart. Press towared the darker side. Voila! you've created HSTs!

Now draw a diagonal line again, on the back side of half of your new HSTs:
Put them right sides together and sew 1/4 inch on each side of the line.
Cut on the line, and you have this:
When you press them open -- you have QSTs without having had to sew any stretchy edges:
Trim them down to size -- in this case, it's 2-1/2 inches. Note that I've put the diagonal line of the ruler on one diagonal seam; also, note that the 1-1/4 inch marks or the ruler meet right at the intersection of the diagonal seams of the square.
I put the block together by sewing the 9 squares in the middle first; then I add two short sides, and then the two long sides. Hope this all makes sense and is a little bit of help for our newer stitchers!

Block 2 Repaired

Thank you Carol for letting me know. I should know that when I haven't had enough sleep I should not be doing sewing that requires thought. I didn't even notice I had done it. But it is fixed now. And I have more of the effect I was looking for.

It's all a learning process

Well, this week's block was a little bit more difficult for me than last week's, but here is the great thing...I am learning so much.

I have only been quilting for about 6 months or so, and while I am no way close to where I want to be...I do think I have made tremendous strides in what I have learned. I never knew what a UFO was, or that there was a bakery shop of fabric possibilities...jelly rolls, cinnamon buns, layer cakes...LOL...I didn't even know a charm square was 5"...and what was a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler...yeah Quilt Pixie might have a funny story about that one for you as I was still cutting everything out with SCISSORS.

All I knew is that I loved quilts and I love quilters!!!

So without further ado...here is Block #2...keeping the Black and Pink theme as I plan on making my oldest daughter a quilt for her graduation from college and to represent her sorority colors. It will be stitched with A LOT of love.

Marlene

Q: How do you turn a Footstool into an Ohio Star?

A: By adding a 3rd color!

When I saw this block, I shuddered, as hourglass blocks are a challenge for me. Nevertheless, I'm pleased how they turned out. In this block I made all my HTS and Hourglass blocks bigger, then trimmed to size. I think this process is worth the extra time and effort.

And, here are Weeks 1 and 2 blocks together. The spiders are multiplying!

week #2

I had a bunch of B&W on my cutting table, so decided to just stick with it and add a solid.... I'm relatively happy with the block itself, the right size, points are OK though not fantastic...

I'm thinking there might be a direction to the B&W print, 'cause couple of the pieces really jump out at me in the picture and just look wrong... Maybe its where the black print was cut, but next week's block I'm going to pay attention to the pattern on the peices as well the piecing of the block!

I also didn't trim threads as I went this week -- something I generally do without really thinking (I was having tension problems and rather than pick out the seam and resew I just sewed over a couple of them...) What a rat's nest! wont be doing that again either... well at least until next time :-)

Brenda's Block #2

I'm not a huge fan of half square triangles, and even less of the hourglass block, but these worked out not too badly. I followed the directions on drawing the lines on the 2 7/8 inch strip, and trimmed the squares with my 2.5 inch ruler. I though I was being precise, but the unfinished block measures 10 3/4 inches instead of 10 1/2. But I'm OK with that, and figure its not too bad for a first attempt in this block party. I used a marbled fabric with a black solid and I'm liking the results. Thanks Pixie for hosting this party. I'm going to join in when I can.

Vicki's Block # 2

I used the same fabrics as week 1 since I had still had them out. This week the block went together with a lot less frustration thanks to Donna's tip on using starch. What a difference that made. I didn't do the speed piecing, that just doesn't work for me. I now have a 10 1/2" block so this is good and most of my corners are meeting so I think I'm getting the hang of this. It still took me 3 1/2 hours to make this so hopefully over time I will be able to improve my time. At that rate I don't think I would have the patience to make a full size quilt of these little pieced blocks.

Em's block #2

It's not quite the way I envisioned it. I trying to create movement by the way I placed the fabric. Didn't work. Maybe if I had used colors that contrasted more. Maybe a yellow and a purple with the green and orange. Instead of the pink and blue. And changed a little where I put the x's in relation to the triangles. Who knows it's more work than I want to do to find out.

Week #2 -- "foot stool"

The second Friday in January, and time for another block party!

This week's block is "foot stool", another 10" block! :-) This one has lots of little triangles, and some more speed piecing of Half Square Triangles which I'll be doing the non-speedy way... With only two colours, a little better understanding of how the instructions at Quilter's Cache are written I think it should be easier for me to make it quite scrappy this week. Now to just figure out the colour scheme to use :-)

Remember if you didn't play along last week, or did but didn't get the email inviting you to post your block in that blog, feel free to let me know over on the quiltpixie blog you want to play this week and I'll get you added to the fun! :-) You don't have to have a personal blog -- just am email to join us as authors.

This is intended as a low stress challenge -- so make the blocks you want! You don't have to play every week by joining up for this challenge if its too often for you, or life is getting in the way!!